Friday: Further Thought - The Tabernacle

Daily Lesson for Friday 26th of September 2025

Further Thought:

Read Ellen G. White, “The Tabernacle and Its Services,” Pages 353–358, in Patriarchs and Prophets.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

“The construction of the sanctuary was preceded by a divine act of redemption, namely, the deliverance of Israel from the enslaving power of Egypt. This, in turn, was followed by God’s willingness to enter into a permanent covenant relationship with His people. He would be their God, and they would become His people (Exodus 6:7). The way they would relate to Him and to each other was defined by the covenant law. The tabernacle was indeed a place of meeting, a place where God and humans came together. It was only after redemption and the establishment of permanent union with God through the covenant that the people had access to God in His dwelling place.”—Andrews Bible Commentary: Old Testament, “Exodus” (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2020), p. 226.

Meanwhile, Ellen G. White describes the purpose of the sanctuary services: “Thus in the ministration of the tabernacle, and of the temple that afterward took its place, the people were taught each day the great truths relative to Christ’s death and ministration, and once each year their minds were carried forward to the closing events of the great controversy between Christ and Satan, the final purification of the universe from sin and sinners.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 358.

Discussion Questions

Central to the worship services in the sanctuary was the shedding of blood. All sorts of animals were sacrificed, and their blood was used in almost all the temple rituals. What did the blood symbolize, and what did all these sacrifices ultimately point to?
However amazing it is that God, the Creator of the universe, would in the sanctuary dwell among His people, how much more astonishing is it that He would come to dwell among us as one of us, a human being? That itself would have been an amazing expression of love. But then to offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin—that is, to die in our behalf? What does this teach us about the character of God? Also, what does this teach us about how much God wants to see us saved into His eternal kingdom?
Read Hebrews 8:1-6. What does it tell us about how the earthly sanctuary reflected what Jesus is doing for us now in the heavenly sanctuary?

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This week, "willingness of the heart" was a major fundamental, but an important aspect nevertheless. Unlike the earlier "What-the-Lord-has-said-we-will-do" attitude that we had seen -earlier-among Israel, "willingness of the heart" was more active than a narrative; it was less about "saying" and more about "doing." This signifies a lot – it dignifies a lot too – about a relationship and forms a co-relational aspect in the kind of covenant bonding that God wanted with man even from the beginning.

By eliminating the feeling of duress resulting in pretence or lip-service when God temporarily stepped back – kept distant – (Exodus 33) and as much as Moses was intervening and interceding on behalf of Israel, the people of Israel were now firmly in charge of how they would wish to relate with God.There's a common phrase that states, "If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it's yours. If it doesn't, it never was." - God was ready to prepare their way ahead but was not "going to be in their midst" (Exodus 33:1-3). Wow! There's so much similarity with the attitude of the father in Luke 15:11-16.

Unlike the earlier moment where Israel sort of "reacted" stating "What the Lord has said we will do," without speaking or making vows or pledges, the children of Israel "acted" on their decision willingly (on purpose, from the heart). We can see a similar pattern in the parable of the prodigal son, where the son "came to his senses" (Luke 15:17) and took action to "return to his father" (Luke 15:18). The result was different, to a point of admission (or is it submission?) of "more than enough."

There's a point for us today, as we reach out to others during our evangelism campaigns. It's not about the numbers – as we so often count and boast about the number of souls we've baptized – but about the surrender of heart to return to God willingly. Their willingness is the offering in abundance, and it's God's real desire for us in Him.

If, we can achieve this, then this too might happen to us today:

“Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. . . . For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys” (Exod. 40:34, 38, NKJV).

God will dwell with us, "in our midst"!

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Comments

Friday: Further Thought – The Tabernacle — 9 Comments

Maurice Ashton on September 25, 2025 at 1:35 pm said:

We have reached the last lesson of the quarter. It has been an interesting journey and also a challenging one. Maybe, we have had a bit of a rethink about our own “exodus” experience. Hopefully, we have not ended this quarter without some sort of arrogant, “I am better than those awful Hebrews” attitude. Rather, it has been a challenge to renew our relationship with the God who loves us.

I would like to conclude with a paragraph from C S Lewis’s, “Mere Christianity”. I probably should have started the stiudy with this quote:

And what did God do? First of all, He left us conscience, the sense of right and wrong: and all through history there have been people trying (some of them very hard) to obey it. None of them ever quite succeeded. Secondly, He sent the human race what I call good dreams: I mean those unusual stories scattered all through the heathen religions about a god who dies and comes to life again and, by his death, has somehow given new life to men. Thirdly, He selected one particular people and spent several centuries hammering into their heads the sort of God He was— that there was only one of Him and that He cared about right conduct. Those people were the Jews, and the Old Testament gives an account of the hammering process. P42

I don’t think God has stopped hammering. It is not just about good behaviour; It is about a transformative relationship with God that continues into our relationships with one another.

And for Sabbath, another slideshow to enjoy Some more of New Zealand

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- Karen Garay on September 27, 2025 at 4:58 am said:
  
  Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos with us! They are a wonderful reminder that God loves us so much that he created all this beauty for us to enjoy.
  
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Motanya Dan on September 25, 2025 at 6:17 pm said:

In our time, so many voices compete for our attention, even within the church, and the message of the sanctuary is rarely preached. What sets God’s people apart is not simply Sabbath keeping or diet, but the understanding of Christ’s work in the heavenly sanctuary. Salvation did not end at the cross, it continues in heaven where Jesus, our High Priest, intercedes for us (Hebrews 8:1–2; Hebrews 9:24). The cross gives us power, but Christ’s ministry leads us beyond forgiveness to full restoration with the Father.

We cannot stand before God in our own righteousness, for “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Only as Jesus washes us and renews our minds can we come into His presence (Titus 3:5; Romans 12:2). If our thoughts are not brought into harmony with His, we would shrink away from the One who knows and searches the heart (Jeremiah 17:10). The sanctuary reminds us that Christ is not only our sacrifice, but also our Mediator, leading us step by step back to the Father.

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Stanley Tuvako on September 25, 2025 at 7:45 pm said:

This week, "willingness of the heart" was a major fundamental, but an important aspect nevertheless. Unlike the earlier "What-the-Lord-has-said-we-will-do" attitude that we had seen -earlier-among Israel, "willingness of the heart" was more active than a narrative; it was less about "saying" and more about "doing." This signifies a lot – it dignifies a lot too – about a relationship and forms a co-relational aspect in the kind of covenant bonding that God wanted with man even from the beginning.

By eliminating the feeling of duress resulting in pretence or lip-service when God temporarily stepped back – kept distant – (Exodus 33) and as much as Moses was intervening and interceding on behalf of Israel, the people of Israel were now firmly in charge of how they would wish to relate with God.There's a common phrase that states, "If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it's yours. If it doesn't, it never was." - God was ready to prepare their way ahead but was not "going to be in their midst" (Exodus 33:1-3). Wow! There's so much similarity with the attitude of the father in Luke 15:11-16.

Unlike the earlier moment where Israel sort of "reacted" stating "What the Lord has said we will do," without speaking or making vows or pledges, the children of Israel "acted" on their decision willingly (on purpose, from the heart). We can see a similar pattern in the parable of the prodigal son, where the son "came to his senses" (Luke 15:17) and took action to "return to his father" (Luke 15:18). The result was different, to a point of admission (or is it submission?) of "more than enough."

There's a point for us today, as we reach out to others during our evangelism campaigns. It's not about the numbers – as we so often count and boast about the number of souls we've baptized – but about the surrender of heart to return to God willingly. Their willingness is the offering in abundance, and it's God's real desire for us in Him.

If, we can achieve this, then this too might happen to us today:

“Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. . . . For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys” (Exod. 40:34, 38, NKJV).

God will dwell with us, "in our midst"!

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Ron [Surname?] on September 25, 2025 at 8:12 pm said:

The five books of Moses show us the reality of life before knowing God and the struggles of letting go of the past as we learn to open our hearts for Him to work fully in us. My prayer is that our study of Exodus this quarter has guided us on a journey "from not knowing God to knowing Him more deeply through a growing relationship with Him".

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- Brigitte Humphery on September 26, 2025 at 12:06 pm said:
  
  Ron - I agree with you in this prayer! Amen
  
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Brigitte Humphery on September 26, 2025 at 1:23 pm said:

The children of Israel learned to follow God’s instructions and guidance. Though, ultimately, what was their willing ‘obedience’ to accomplish? Was it to learn to strictly adhere to the Law and all its ordinances? Was it to always obey the rules which governed the Tabernacle and Temple worship? Was it to learn to ‘remember’ all the sayings and judgements spoken about in Scripture?

1 John 4:7-9
”Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is Love. This is how God’s Love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.”

1 Cor.13:1-13 describes what God’s efforts were designed to accomplish in man. Revealing Himself to the children of Israel, rescuing them from the spiritual darkness of people worshipping false gods, guiding them to learn to know Him by following His Laws and ordinances. Through all this, His heart was teaching them to love Him with their hearts and minds.

The purpose of all His efferst is to learn than to accept His Love for us and to love Him in return. Our body's usefulness is in being a vessel pouring out God's Love reflecting His Glory - 1 John 4:19; 1 John 4:17-19.
The Tabernacle and Temple were stepping stones to accomplish God’s purpose toward revealing His Son Jesus - the man - His Shakina – to be His Dwelling Place for His Glory – the Presence of God among man! Matt.1:23; John 1:14; Col.2:9.

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Beverley Joseph on September 26, 2025 at 8:12 pm said:

The book of Exodus does not end with Israel merely free from Egypt, but with something far greater—the completion of the tabernacle and the continuous presence of God dwelling among His people (Exodus 40:33–38). This ending carries deep meaning for God’s covenant people:

1. God’s Presence Restored
Exodus begins with Israel enslaved and seemingly abandoned. It closes with God’s glory filling the tabernacle, dwelling right in the center of their camp. Despite the golden calf crisis, God chooses to remain with His people.

2. Fulfillment of Promise
In Exodus 25:8, God had said, “Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” The closing chapters show this fulfilled. Israel’s obedience—“as the Lord commanded Moses”—makes God’s presence manifest.

3. Worship and Guidance
The tabernacle becomes the place where Israel meets God through sacrifice and priestly ministry. The cloud of glory also guides them: when it lifts, they move; when it rests, they remain. Their journey depends on God’s leading.

4. Foreshadowing Christ
The tabernacle points forward to Jesus: “The Word became flesh and dwelt [literally, ‘tabernacled’] among us” (John 1:14). Just as God’s presence filled the tabernacle, His presence fully dwelt in Christ, who is the true meeting place between God and humanity.

In short: Exodus doesn’t end with mere deliverance, but with relationship—God Himself dwelling among His redeemed people. Freedom finds its purpose in living in God’s presence.

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JC Zielak on September 27, 2025 at 2:44 am said:

God gave everything for us: in giving His only Son, and God Himself in the person of Jesus. Unfathomable LOVE!

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