Old Testament Reading: Exodus 38

“He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. Five cubits was its length, and five cubits its breadth. It was square, and three cubits was its height. He made horns for it on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze. And he made all the utensils of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its utensils of bronze. And he made for the altar a grating, a network of bronze, under its ledge, extending halfway down. He cast four rings on the four corners of the bronze grating as holders for the poles. He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. And he put the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it with them. He made it hollow, with boards. He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting. And he made the court. For the south side the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits; their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. And for the north side there were hangings of a hundred cubits; their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their ten pillars, and their ten bases; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. And for the front to the east, fifty cubits. The hangings for one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. And so for the other side. On both sides of the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases. All the hangings around the court were of fine twined linen. And the bases for the pillars were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. The overlaying of their capitals was also of silver, and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. And the screen for the gate of the court was embroidered with needlework in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It was twenty cubits long and five cubits high in its breadth, corresponding to the hangings of the court. And their pillars were four in number. Their four bases were of bronze, their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals and their fillets of silver. And all the pegs for the tabernacle and for the court all around were of bronze. These are the records of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses; and with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer and embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. All the gold that was used for the work, in all the construction of the sanctuary, the gold from the offering, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. The silver from those of the congregation who were recorded was a hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary: a beka a head (that is, half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone who was listed in the records, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men. The hundred talents of silver were for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent a base. And of the 1,775 shekels he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their capitals and made fillets for them. The bronze that was offered was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels; with it he made the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and the bronze grating for it and all the utensils of the altar, the bases around the court, and the bases of the gate of the court, all the pegs of the tabernacle, and all the pegs around the court.” (Exodus 38, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Ephesians 2:11–22

“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:11–22, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

I hope that you have been edified by these sermons that I have preached on the building of the tabernacle of Old Covenant Israel as recorded for us here in these final chapters of the book of Exodus. As you know, I’ve taken a particular approach. Having considered the tabernacle in detail in those instructions that were given to Moses in Exodus chapters 25-30, we are now stepping back from the tabernacle to ask the more general question, how did the tabernacle proclaim the good news through its symbolism? 

Please allow me to make two clarifying remarks before going to our passage for today. 

One, when I say that the tabernacle proclaimed good news, I do not mean that the tabernacle was itself the substance or subject of the good news. What I mean is this: The good news that the tabernacle proclaimed (symbolically speaking) was not about itself, ultimately, but about Jesus Christ. In a symbolic way, the tabernacle proclaimed that God had not left men and women hopeless in sin. He had not abandoned his temple-building project which Adam failed to complete when he broke the covenant of works but would complete it in another way, namely through Israel and the Messiah that would be brought into the world through them. When we consider the tabernacle of Old Covenant Israel in the context of the whole story told within the Bible – the story of God’s creation and covenant, man’s fall into sin, God’s promise to redeem sinners through the seed of the woman and the offspring of Abraham, and the consummation of all things at Christ’s return – then it becomes clear that the tabernacle was not the substance or subject of good news, but was instead a herald of good news in a symbolical way – the subject and substance of the good news is Jesus Christ. 

To say it differently, never did the tabernacle“say”, come to me for the forgiveness of sins and to be made right with God for all eternity. Or to put it another way, never did the tabernacle “say”, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6, ESV). Jesus said that. And that is my point. When the eternal Son of God assumed a human nature and tabernacled amongst us, he said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, ESV). While the tabernacle of Old made a way for sinners under the Old Covenant to approach God in worship, the way into the presence of the Father was closed off, not opened wide. The tabernacle provided a perpetual reminder of sins. It reminded the worshipper of their alienation from God because of sin. But it also pointed forward to the Christ who would offer himself up as a  sacrifice, once for all, for the forgiveness of sins. It is through him, and through the covenant that he mediates, that the way to full reconciliation with the Father is opened wide. 

Brothers and sisters, the tabernacle was a sign which pointed to the way of salvation.  And you know how signs work. Signs point away from themselves to things that are substantial. If you are running low on gas while driving on a dark and lonely highway, you will feel a great sense of relief when you see a gas station sign glowing off in the distance. The sign brings you relief, not because it (in and of itself) has the power to meet your need, but because it points to the thing that can meet your need in a substantial way, in this case, the fuel contained within the tanks of the as the station itself. And this is what I mean when I say that the tabernacle was a sign.  It proclaimed the good news, but it was not itself the substance of the good news. The substance was and is Christ the Lord. Through faith in him, we have the forgiveness of sins, a clean conscience, and full reconciliation with the Father.

This is what the writer of Hebrews says. In 10:1 we read, “For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins”  (Hebrews 10:1-4, ESV). Can you see the point that Hebrews is making? Here were warned to not misinterpret the tabernacle, temple, and the sacrifices that were offered there by the Priests. Those sacrifices did not take away sin. They did not “perfect” the worshipper. They did not cleanse the conscience. Quite the opposite. The sacrifices functioned as a reminder of sin as they were offered up continuously. Paul says, they were a “shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities”. It is in verse 5 that we learn who “the true form of these realities” is. And I quote, “Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’  When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will.’ He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:5–10, ESV). Lord willing, we will study the book of Hebrews in detail someday. For now, I simply want you to see the way in which the writer speaks of the Old Covenant and the sacrifices that were offered at the tabernacle, and later temple. Those animal sacrifices could not perfect the worshipper or cleanse the conscience. And for this reason, they were offered continually. But this is contrasted with Christ who offered himself up once. The tabernacle and the animal sacrifices offered there were a shadow of good things to come. Christ – the broken body of Christ –  is the form or substance of these realities. Through faith in him, we have the real forgiveness of sins and the cleansing of our consciences before God.

I hope you can see why I have made this clarifying remark. As I speak about “the good news” of the tabernacle and of its features, I do not want to be misunderstood. While the tabernacle proclaimed good news, it was not the source or substance of the good news. Jesus Christ was and is the substance. Through faith in him, we have the forgiveness of sins, full reconciliation with the Father, and the hope of life everlasting. That was true under the Old Covenant just as it is true now. They looked forward to Christ. We look back to his finished work and receive him by faith. 

The second clarifying remark is related to the first. While there is a sense in which I want to minimize the tabernacle and maximize Christ, I do not wish to in any way speak against the tabernacle or to demean its design or purpose. After all, this tabernacle was given to Israel by God. It was constructed according to the design shown to Moses by God on the mountain. The worship that was conducted there was according to the command of God. The tabernacle was good, brothers and sisters. But it was good, only so long as it was used according to its design. As a kid, I remember my dad telling me not to use a wrench as a hammer. A wrench is good. But to use a wrench as a hammer is bad. It is both bad for the wrench and bad for the task. A wrench is not designed to drive nails. A hammer is designed to do that. And so it is with the law of Moses in general, and with the tabernacle in particular. The law of Moses, the tabernacle, the sacrificial system, and the Aaronic priesthood were not designed to provide for the actual forgiveness of sins, for the cleansing of the conscience, and to reconcile sinners to God eternally. No! Only Jesus Christ can do that through its finished work. But this does not make the law of Moses, the Old Covenant tabernacle, and the sacrificial system administered by the priests  bad. To the contrary, the law is to be regarded as good… provided that it is used lawfully, that is to say, according to its purpose and design (1 Timothy 1:8).

So what was the design and purpose of the tabernacle and the sacrifices that were offered there. We have already considered how the tabernacle “proclaimed” Christ in a shadowy, symbolic way. To that, we must add that it provided a way for the Old Covenant people of God to draw near to him in worship and to be cleaned from their sins in a superficial, earthly, and temporary way. As the people of Israel sinned against God or became unclean according to the ceremonial laws of Moses, they were to draw near to God to be cleansed at the tabernacle according to his command. In this way, they would be restored to a clean and upright status according to the terms of the Old Covenant. This is very different from claiming that the blood of bulls and goats actually atoned for their sins. How can animal blood atone for human sin?! It cannot. But those with true faith in Old Covenant Isarel – those who were circumcised, not merely of the flesh, but of heart – looked beyond the tabernacle, the animal sacrifices, and the priests of Aaron and they saw Christ. The true Isreal of God, the true sons, and daughters of Abraham, or the remnant, if you prefer, believed in the promises of God concerning the coming Messiah as they came to the tabernacle to worship, according to God’s commandment. And they, like us, were justified by faith – faith in the promised Messiah.

So then, when you hear me minimize the tabernacle and maximize Christ, please do not misunderstand. I am not demeaning the tabernacle or diminishing its goodness. I am saying that if the tabernacle and temple of Old Covenant Isarel are to be appreciated as good they must be appreciated according to God’s design. To state the matter in another way, if the temple that stood in Jesus’s day could speak, it would have said what John the Baptist said concerning his relation to Jesus Christ: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30, ESV).

Let us go now to our text and consider the good news proclaimed by the courtyard, the altar of burnt offering, and the bronze laver.

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The Courtyard

First the courtyard. 

I’ve said before that the courtyard of the tabernacle symbolized the earth. The holy of holies symbolized the heavenly throneroom of God where he manifests his glory before the angels. The holy place symbolized the visible heavens where the sun, moon, and stars reside. And the courtyard signified the earth with its dry land, mountains, and seas. So then, the tabernacle was a little miniature version of creation. Remember, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and the tabernacle of Old Covenant Israel was a little replica of that. 

As I’ve said, the courtyard signified the earth. It was the least holy part of this holy tabernacle. Notice that silver and bronze, not gold, were the metals used here. Notice that this was the place where the common people of Israel were invited to assemble. Only the priests could minister in the holy place. And only the high priest could enter the holiest place. But all of Isarel was invited to enter the courtyard. 

As the people of Israel entered the courtyard of the tabernacle and walked past the altar of burnt offerings and the bronze basin (or sea) which contained water for the purification of the priests, it would have reminded them of the mountains and seas of the earth, and especially Sinai and the Red Sea, through which Israel had passed when they were redeemed from Egypt. 

What did the courtyard communicate to Israel and to all who considered it? It communicated that the God of heaven had not abandoned people on earth in their sin, but would make a way for them to draw near to him. Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden and barred from that holy place, but God was merciful and promised to provide a way through the offspring of the woman, through the seed of Abraham. When the people entered this courtyard and beheld the bronze altar, the bronze laver, and beyond them,  the holy place and most holy place, it was a reminder of the mercy and grace of God and the way that he had promised to open up. 

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The Altar Of Burnt Offering

Let us now consider the altar of burnt offering.

This bronze altar, measuring 7.5’ square by 4.5’ tall was the first thing the people would have seen when they entered the courtyard. The bloody altar of burnt offering would have reminded them of the Passover lamb that was slain on the night they were delivered from Egypt. Isarel was shielded from the wrath of God by the blood of the lamb as the angel of death passed over. All who had the blood of the lamb spread upon the doorposts of the house were spared. The firstborn in all the homes not shielded by the blood of the lamb was slain. The message is this: If you wish to draw near to YHWH, you must be covered by the blood of the lamb.

And it was on this altar that the blood of bulls and goats was shed and burnt offerings were offered up to God. These sacrifices were offered up for sins committed and out of gratitude to God for his blessings. The symbolism was clear. If sinful men and women are to approach YHWH, they must be cleansed by blood. 

To quote Hebrews 9:22: “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” 

What did this animal blood do for the worshipper under the Old Covenant? First, let us remember what it could not do. It could not atone for human sin to the cleansing of the conscience to bring about true and eternal reconciliation with God. These animals could not be offered up before God as a once for all substitute for sinful man. For this reason, these sacrifices were offered up continually. What did they accomplish, then?

One, the functioned as a perpetual reminder of sin and what our sins deserve, namely, death.

Two, they foreshadowed the Messiah, the eternal Son of God incarnate, who would come to live, die,, rise, and ascend for sinners. He was able to atone for the sins of his people, for he is the God-man. His blood has the power to save, for he is the God-man. By his shed blood, through faith in him, our consciences are cleansed, for in him we are justified and reconciled to the Father, for he is the God-man, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant reminded the worshippers of their sins and their need for a substitute to make atonement for their sins, and they directed the worshiper to look, not to the animal blood, but to the blood of the promised Messiah, the eternal Son of God incarnate. 

Three, these animal sacrifices provided cleansing for the Old Covenant people of God in a superficial, earthly, and temporary way. As the Israelites broke God’s covenant law they incurred guilt and became unclean. Remember that the Old Mosaic Covenant was like the Covenant of Works made with Adam in the garden in that it too was a covenant of works. If Israel obeyed they would be blessed in the land, if they disobeyed they would be cast out of the land, just as Adam was cast out of the garden of Eden. Here is the difference, though. God was merciful to Israel. He was patient with them, slow to anger, and abounding in covenant loyalty and love. He would have to be gracious to Israel if he would keep his promise to bring the Messiah into the world through them. The question is this: how would the guilt of sin and uncleanness be addressed under the Old Covenant while God passed over sin until the Messiah was brought into the world through them to accomplish true and eternal redemption? These animal sacrifices were the means that God prescribed for the Old Covenant people to deal with the guilt of sin and uncleanness under the Old Covenant. The blood of bulls and goats did not atone for sin in an eternal way but in an earthy way so that God might show mercy to Isarel under the terms of the Old Covenant. The book of Hebrews is so very clear about this. 

If you wish to know more about the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant you will only have to read through the next book in the Bible after Exodus. The book of Leviticus tells us all about the offerings that were to be offered up for sin, for uncleanness, and out of gratitude to God. Listen, for example, to Leviticus 1:1: “The LORD called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock. If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Then he shall kill the bull before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces, and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. And Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD” (Leviticus 1:1–9, ESV). In this way, the Israelite worshipper would be accepted before the LORD, not in an eternal and permanent sense (otherwise these sacrifices would not have been offred continuously), but in an earthy, temporary, and covenantal sense.

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The Bronze Laver

Let us now briefly consider the bronze laver or basin. 

It is mentioned briefly in 38:8. I will read the more extensive description of this laver found in 30:18-20 so that we might remember what it was for. There the Lord says to Moses, “You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the LORD, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die” (Exodus 30:18–20, ESV).

The laver was for the priests to use. They were to wash their hands and feet with that water before ministering in the holy place and before offering up sacrifices to the Lord at the altar. And if you remember, in Exodus 29:4 we learned that when the priests were ordained or consecrated as priests , they were to be bathed in this water. I think it is right to say that they were to be bathed from head to toe at the time of their ordination. Exodus 29:4 says. “You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.” 

What is the meaning? If one wishes to approach YHWH and to minister before him, he must be washed. He must be cleansed by the water and by the blood.

Those who are familiar with the Bible, and especially the New Testament, likely had many things pop into their minds when I mentioned the water and the blood. In the courtyard of tabernacle, there was was water and there was blood. To enter the holy place, and the most holy place, one had to be cleaned with water and blood. 

Think of Christ, brothers and sisters. 

Why was he baptized? Not to wash away sin, nor signify the washing away of sin, for he had none. He was baptized by John to fulfill all righteousness, for at that moment he was beginning his public ministry as our great high priest. He was washed with water from head to toe (baptized by immersion) just as the priests under the Old Covenant were at their ordination, to signify his ordination as our great high priest and mediator of the New Covenant. It was then that the Father set his seal upon him, speaking from heaven, and pouring out his Spirit up the Lord’s Anointed, the Messiah.   

And when Christ finished his work of high priest and mediator of the New Covenant, as ascended into the most holy place – not the one made by hands, but the one in heaven. And he did not enter in without blood. Just as the high priests who ministered under the Old Covenant could not enter into the most holy place without blood to sprinkle on the altar, neither could the high priest and mediator of the New Covenant enter into the heavenly holy of holies without blood. But the blood he offered up was different. It was his own. 

Listen again to Hebrews 9:22, but this time I will continue. “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus it was hristnecessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:22–28, ESV)

Water and blood. When the priests ministered at the tabernacle they had to be cleaned with water and they had to come with blood – water to wash away their filth, and blood to atone for their own sins, and the sins of the people. Our great high priest, Jesus the Messiah, entered the most holy place in heaven having been washed with water and having poured out his own blood, not for his own sins, for he had none, but for the sins of many.

Water and blood. Think of how water and blood flowed from Christ when that sword pieced his side. And think about the Christian life. When we are drawn to faith we, at that moment,  have the blood of Christ applied to us to the cleaning of our consciences before God. And in that moment we are made priests of God (1 Peter 2:5). And how are we publicly consecrated as priests to God in the kingdom of Christ? Through the water of baptism. It is by the blood of Christ and through the waters of baptism (which signify our cleansing in Chrisit and our union with him) that we have bold access into the throne of God. 

I hope you can see how our eternal salvation in Jesus Christ was pictured in the tabernacle of Old Covenant Israel. It was especially symbolized by the activities of the High Priest on the day of atonement. The priest would have entered to the courtyard, past the brazen altar, been washed at the lavar, and only then would enter the most holy place, and not without blood. What the high priests of Israel did year after year on earth, Jesus the Messiah did once and for all and entered into the holy of holies in heaven, of which the tabernacle was a copy. The way there was opened wide through his shed blood. And it was opened up, not only for him, for all you are united to him by faith.

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Conclusion

Friends, I must ask you. Are you united to Christ by faith? Do you trust in him? Do you believe in him to the saving of your souls? It is one thing to study the book of Exodus and to see how this tabernacle of old preached the gospel by signifying the Christ who was to come. But at some point, we must ask the question of eternal significance – do you believe this gospel? Do you believe that man has fallen into sin and deserves eternal condemnation but that God has shown mercy and has provided a Savior, Christ the Lord? He lived for sinners, died for sinners, and rose for sinners. He also ascended into heaven for sinners so that where he is we might be also. You must believe in him if your sins are to be forgiven. You must turn from your sins and confess that he is Lord. And this confession is to be made publicly through the waters of baptism. 

Friends, I want you to know that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:16–18, ESV).