Monday: God as Architect
After God dramatically delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, He brought them to Mount Sinai. There, He joined them to Himself in a sacred covenant. Among all the varied instructions He gave them there, how was beauty included? Exod. 25:1–9.1
The first half of the book of Exodus details the miraculous deliverance of Israel from Egypt. The second half of the book deals with issues that include beauty. The divine instructions of Exodus 25:1–9 are followed by Exodus 25:10–31:11, with God’s “blueprints” for the portable tent sanctuary, its furnishings, and the priestly vestments. FromExodus 35:1 to the end of the book (Exod. 40:38) are found God’s detailed descriptions, along with the record of the precise accomplishment of them. This record includes extensive details of artistry.
This collection of details is tedious reading to many modern Christians. But it pleased God not only to present these many instructions to the newly-freed slaves but also to include them in Scripture.
There are almost fifty chapters in the first five books of the Bible that record God’s precise directives regarding a beautiful sanctuary. He provides not only the architectural blueprints but also the exact directions for the furnishings. It is significant that on Mount Sinai God gave not only the Decalogue, His instructions for obedience within the covenant, but also specific directions of how to fashion a lavish structure involving almost every type of artistic skill.
God was architect of it all, even inspiring the artisans to craft the minute details of decoration. Nothing was left to human devising. There are more chapters regarding the plans for, and consequent building of, this sanctuary and its furnishings than for any other subject in the first five books of Moses.
Upon what was the earthly sanctuary modeled, and what does that tell us about God’s love of beauty? Exod. 25:9, Heb. 8:1–5.
If the earthly sanctuary was only a “shadow” of the heavenly, we can hardly begin to imagine the kind of beauty that must exist in the real sanctuary, the one that God Himself made.
Why do you think it was important for the sanctuary to be so beautiful? Perhaps to give the people a sense of awe before the power and grandeur of God? Maybe to help them sense their own need before such grandeur? How can understanding the glory of the sanctuary better help us grasp the character of God in contrast to our own earthliness and sinfulness?
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Yes, God is an architect but I don’t think the sanctuary was his greatest achievement. I believe the design and creation of life was.
In this world of sin we always have a tendency to worship the creation rather than the creator. And when an object such as the sanctuary is presented to us we usually view it as a piece of architecture rather than the object lesson it was intended to be. We build gorgeous cathedrals and consider the outward beauty before thinking about why they were built in the first place.
As beautiful as the earthy sanctuary was with all the precious metals and fabrics if we miss what those things represent and how they relate to one another then we will have missed the whole meaning of the sanctuary altogether.
To me the singularly most important thing about the sanctuary is that it is about ministry. It is not about a building but about how Christ is ministering to us and our relationship to Him in this dreadful world of sin. I feel we need to get away from the literalizing of everything in scripture and begin to see the spiritual side of things. That doesn’t mean turning the Bible into one big allegory but it does mean trying to recognize and understand symbolism better. It was a problem with the Jews (Jn 6:32-66) and I suspect it is a problem with us as well.
The beauty not only in outside part, but principle inner. When we worship God we are making part of the beauty of the universe.
''Worship God in the beauty of His holiness
God planned every detail of the sanctuary, and left nothing undone. This further testifies to me that His sacrifice, His redemption of us is complete, and there is nothing left to chance.I can be fully assured He will recreate a new heart in me, as long as i am surrendered to His will.
God through His flawless design of the Sanctuary indirectly leads/informs Israel to the flawless salvation plan. In response we ought to focus on building that relationship so we can be more and more like our Heavenly Father.
The description of the sanctuary is very awesome. If the earthly sanctuary was so magnificent like that, how about the heavenly sanctuary that our Lord Jesus Christ has been preparing for over 2000 years since he resurrected? I know I have my weaknesses that am struggling with but my prayer has always been....Dear God, I know and acknowledge my weaknesses and my prayer is that may you help so that when the roll shall be called upon yonder, let my name and all those who have waited patiently for your second coming be recorded in heaven. Honestly God, I would love to be among the people who will worship you in that magnificent heavenly sanctuary.
From another dimension, since Paul notes that our bodies are actually a living sanctuary, imagine how God would like to see us treating them magnifiently in the way we eat, dress, treat our bodies etc.
This simply means God wants things that are in order, well arranged, neatly...