Sabbath: The Tabernacle
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 20th of September 2025
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study: Exodus 35:1-35; Exodus 36:1-7, Genesis 1:1, Exodus 36:8-38; Exodus 37:1-29; Exodus 38:1-31; Exodus 39:1-31, Hebrews 7:25, Exodus 40:1-38, John 1:14.
Memory Text:
“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” (Exodus 40:34,38, NKJV).
The principal task of God’s people in the Old Testament (as well as for us today) was to live in close relationship with the Lord; to worship and serve Him; and, also, to present the right picture of God to others (Deuteronomy 4:5-8).
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve hid from God because their sin made them afraid of Him. Sinfulness makes humans naturally afraid of God, and this fear twists our view of His character. The good news is that God takes the first step to span this rift and, on His initiative, He repairs the gap and the broken relationship. He calls the sinner back to Himself: “ ‘Where are you?’ ” (Genesis 3:9, NKJV).
Thus, our primary mission is to present the correct character of God and His loving and righteous acts to those around us. When people are attracted to God and are convinced of His unselfish love toward them, they will give their lives to Him and obey what He tells them to do, knowing that it is for their own good.
The sanctuary demonstrated God’s closeness to humanity and revealed the greatest truths to them, which is how He saves those who come to Him in faith.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 27.
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We have become very comfortable discussing the sanctuary, it symbolism and its purpose. Seventh-day Adventists have, perhaps more than other Christians, applied a prophetic interpretation of its services to the work of Christ as both sacrifice and mediator. The issue we should probably think about is how to we make that meaningful to those who know nothing about it. I suggest that knowledge is the easy bit; applying it meaningfully is the really hard bit, and for us it should be the work of a lifetime.
The temple, all three versions of it became a national, and, dare I say it, a cultural icon for the Hebrews. It was a rallying point for identity. Somewhere along the way it lost its sense of the presence of God in their midst and its underlying message that that presence needed to be shared with their neighbours.
While we do not have a temple as such in the Seventh-day Adventist church we do have a body of knowledge that we like to think is distinctly ours. And maybe that has become our cultural symbol.
Jesus said:
Something about these words from the introduction should lift our hearts, it states that:-
As we approach the end of Exodus, we will cover two very important portions of the Hebraic Torah, namely translated as "And He Assembled," as well as translated as "Accountings" or "The Accountings of the Tabernacle."
Yes, we shall witness how God rebuilds relations with Israel and brings Israel closer to Him; hovering protection over Israel; providing guidance and instruction for Israel's own good; setting up a way and a place to worship God as He prepares to clear the way and ease Israel's journey toward Canaan.
God is working towards reassembling our hearts toward communion with Him, today. If this week's study is to mean anything, let it raise our hearts toward God and add more focus to Him.
At creation it was God’s intent to have unbroken and intimate communion with mankind. “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden” (Gen.3:18, NLT). Unfortunately, sin brought brokenness and separation between God and humanity. Since then, God has been pursuing to restore permanently the communion that was lost at the Garden of Eden. Praise be to God, ultimately in the New Earth and New Heaven God and humanity will commune intimately for eternity.
And then I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “See! The tabernacle of God is among men, and He will live among them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them [as their God” (Rev. 21:3, AMP).
This is our ultimate blessed hope. The earthly tabernacle was a means by which God was assuring humanity that the sweet communion that was lost at Eden is possible again. As we fellowship with our Lord in spirit now, let us look forward with assured expectation to fellowship with Him in the Marriage Super of the Lamb.
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. 9And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.” (Rev. 19:7-9, NLT).
We live in a world obsessed with beauty and image and impression, a culture that worships what we see and feel. Have you ever seen an unattractive person on the cover of a magazine, on the news, or on television? Our culture confuses glamour for beauty, exalting appearances while neglecting what truly matters. Yet God teaches us that His standard is different: “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30). The tabernacle reflects this truth. From the outside, it was plain and unimpressive, but inside, filled with God’s presence, it was glorious and God intended to meet his people there.
This points us to Christ Himself. When He came into the world, He did not come in splendor or outward majesty but in humility and simplicity. As Isaiah prophesied, “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). Instead of dazzling appearances, He revealed the true beauty of God through His humility, love, and sacrifice. In Him, we see that the wisdom of God is not in outward glory but in His presence with us was the real thing! The tabernacle Where we meet and know God a way of life, bread of life..!
More and more, I am convinced of the connection between focusing on self and despising others. Despising is a pretty strong word… I don’t really ever find myself in that category… I can’t think of anyone I despise. And yet if I’m not fully committed to looking only at Jesus, I see how I, too, am in danger of that end result…. of being like the “praying” Pharisee at the Temple who had become solely focused on himself and comparing himself to others he perceived as further away from God than himself. He prayed (to himself, really), “Lord, I thank you for all that I have done for You and I am thankful that I am so much closer to You than that tax collector praying over there” (Luke 18:11-12). That’s the end result of a self-focus. When we are not focused on Jesus then the only other alternative is that we are focused narrowly and critically on people…. self and others…. and it isn’t hard to have such a high opinion of self, or such a low opinion of self, when you compare yourself to other people. Meanwhile, the tax collector was focused ONLY upon his relationship with God…. and Jesus says that he went home with peace in his heart (Luke 18:13-14).
The lesson today mentions Adam and Eve and we see it there also. Before they sinned, they were looking at God and talking with Him. After they sinned, they were pointing fingers at each other and at the serpent/Satan and looking at themselves… anywhere but at God’s face and His presence.
As I study about the Tabernacle this week, I’ll be looking to see how both the structure and the services were all meant to be drawing people out of themselves toward God and His unselfish love….toward looking at and participating in who God is and His saving works throughout the day, rather than focusing on who I am and my works, and other people and their works.
Saturday: The sanctuary, during Moses time, was where God met his people. "Let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." Exodus 25:8.
This was where the blood of beast was sacrificed as a symbol of the offering of God's Son. The system of sacrificial offerings pointed to the atoning blood of Jesus Christ; here we see that the blood of animals could not provide salvation. See Hebrews 10:4. Only though the atoning blood of Jesus was necessary for His people to have salvation. See Hebrews 9:22
Sunday: The Sabbath of the Lord:
The Sabbath was to be a sign between God and his people forever. In this manner was it to be a sign-all who should observe the Sabbath, signified by such observance that they were worshipers of the living God, the creator of the heavens and the earth. The Sabbath was to be a sign between God and his people as long as he should have a people upon the earth to serve him. 1 SP 237.1
Monday: Offering and the Spirit:
Exodus 35:4-36:7 What important lessons are here for us today?
God wants us to give with a willing heart. This giving is motivated by love for God and a desire to serve Him and His purposes.
The 'Tabernacle' - what a wonderful testimony to the journey of God's Faith and Commitment to fulfill His promises to Abraham! Moses was given the mantle to instruct and lead His children to walk on the path of God's Righteousness – man's journey of 'transformation' to becoming God's Temple to reside in us forever.
The Tabernacle, the Temple, and all parts associated with their use prepared Israel to get to know their God personally, to testify of Him, and ultimately to transfer worship from its outward, physical environment to the redeemed and transformed heart and mind of man.
Seen in this context, I see these temporal, physical structures and artifacts revealing God's commitment to again make Himself known to man as their 'God, the Creator of all things'. Though only symbolic, it was the needed gateway to re-establishing that which was present at the Beginning – spiritual unity between man and his Creator - Gen.1:26-27; John 14:9-11; 1 Cor. 12:13; Rom.12:5; Eph.2:14; Eph. 1:10.
The Kingdom of God has to start within me. From there, it should flow around. That's why I should ask for the divine knowledge first (the Holy Spirit). It all begins within the self, then spreads to collectiveness.
What do we know about the implementation of grace from the sanctuary into church service and every day life? The book of Hebrews is demonstrating that implementation (Hebrews 13:10-16).
They confessed to have an altar as a basis for the Lord`s Supper, as eating from that altar is mentioned. (Hebrew 13:10). At the altar of burnt-offering, which was set up in the first apartment of the sanctuary, lambs were sacrificed, one in the morning, the other in the evening. (Exodus 29: 38-39) This pointed to Christ, the lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world. (Joh. 1:29) The early church celebrated the Lord`s Supper in connection with Gol`gotha as the altar, the place of a skull, where Chist was crucified for our sins. (Matthew 27:33)
The location of that event corresponds the the first apartment of the sanctuary on earth, prior to Christ ascending into heaven, sitting on the throne of grace, implementing his grace to his believers, (Hebrews 4:14-16) interceeding for sinners (Hebrew 7:25). Christ was not sacrificed in heaven, but on earth, coming down and only then ascending into heaven to minister in the heavenly sanctuary.
The early church answered to these saving events by continually offering up praises to God and doing good, sharing what they had to share with those who had nothing to share. (Hebrews 13:15-16) The sanctuary with its saving events of grace was implemented not only in church service but also in every day life as an example for our church today.
Winfried Stolpmann