Exodus 39–40: Gospel of the House God built

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Amongst all the details of Israel’s Mishkan (Tabernacle), described yet again in the Torah section פקודי Pekudei (“countings,” Exodus 38:21–40:38), these elements help us see what the LORD is doing to move us from where we were to where we are and on into His presence. The same God Who commissioned the Mishkhan wants to live with us too. That is very good news. That’s the gospel of Yeshua the Mashiakh.

The book of Shemot (Exodus) ends with the exclusion of Moshe and everyone else from God’s Presence as the LORD moves in. Once Moses set up everything and the Presence of the Lord entered in, the handoff from Moses to Aaron and his sons was complete. 

Everything in the Tabernacle is there to teach us about God’s character. 

The book of Vayiqra (Leviticus), which we will start studying next week, is God’s instructions for how to respond to His call to enter His presence.

The Tabernacle is a reminder of ourselves as a tabernacle of God to the world. It’s a lesson to us as a nation, as a people and as those who want to be true representatives of the LORD, as patterned by the Messiah Yeshua. 

“Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.” (Exodus 25:8–9 NASB)

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!” (1Kings 8:27 NASB)

Lessons from the Tabernacle elements

What is the gate of the Tabernacle? It’s the proper entrance. All who wanted to approach the LORD must do so through the door designated. The lesson: Ba’als, Buddhas, etc. are not the way to connect with the true Divine. 

The witness to the world is there is a living Tabernacle/Temple (John 1:14): Yeshua the Anointed (Jesus the Christ). There is one Door to approach the Presence (John 10:7–10).

“So Jesus said to them again, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’” (John 10:7–10 NASB)

The shepherd is supposed to take care of the needs of their flock, not only for their physical and spiritual needs. But in Yeshua’s day, the shepherd’s were leading their people astray. 

What is an altar? What is the point of it? The altar shows us that the separation between God and us is death. Death can’t enter into God’s presence. 

It is at the altar where qorbanot (offerings) “go up” as a “soothing aroma” before the LORD.

The Letter to the Hebrews ties a connection between the altar of the Tabernacle and the red heifer offering whose ashes cleansed deeper but was offered outside the camp (Hebrews 10:10–13).

The altar is a mercy for the world. The fact that God’s presence is highly segregated is a blessing to mankind because mankind in its present condition would die if they met God in His fullness. 

We can come as we are, but we are to leave a changed man or woman. Being in God’s presence should change us. 

Why is there a washbasin in the Tabernacle? What does it teach us?

It shows us about Yeshua cleansing us from unrighteousness as we approach the Father (1John 1:9–10).

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” (1 John 1:9–10 NASB)

What is in the Holy Place? Several things are in this inner sanctum, and they all teach profound lessons. 

The first thing one would see is the Bread of the Presence, which were 12 loaves of bread. The number 12 signified the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles of Jesus who were to feed God’s people with the bread of life – which is also a symbol of the Bible (Matthew 4:4).

We also remember that Yeshua called Himself the “Bread of Life” (John 6:35).

There’s also a large menorah which brings light into the Holy Place. 

• Yeshua said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).
• Yeshua also said, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).
• The lamp is a symbol of the Word of Elohim, as well (Psalm 119:105).

Moses was strongly warned about the consequences for the children of Israel if they allow syncretism to adulterate God’s reputation and character with the reputation and character of the false gods of Canaan. We know that there will be a time when there will be a profound darkness on the earth accompanied by a loss of hope and no understanding of God. 

We also know that in the Day of the LORD, the lies of atheism, syncretism, moral relativism, etc. will all be exposed. 

Why is there an altar of incense? The incense represents the prayers of the people being brought before God. Our own altars of incense should also be a place of prayer, not just for ourselves but those around us. We should always be in an attitude of prayer. 

“Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.” (Revelation 8:3 NASB)

The Veil between the Holy and Most Holy Place was there to protect the priests from being killed by God’s presence. The Most Holy Place was the most important place in the world. 

The veil represents the body of Yeshua (Hebrews 10:19–20).  It was only by passing through this veil that access was possible to the Most Holy Place (Hebrews 4:16).

It was only though Yeshua that we can go into the Most Holy Place with confidence, not arrogance. The line between confidence and arrogance is a fine line. If you don’t acknowledge that your intelligence, skill and aptitude are gifts, then it is easy to develop arrogance. There’s one thing to remember is that there is always someone better than you. 

The Apostle Paul warns us that if we think we are standing firm, we are going to fall (1Corinthians 10:12–13). 

We have to know that how we enter God’s presence is by humbling ourselves and understanding that it’s only through Yeshua that we approach at all. 

The reason for the Tabernacle is the Ark of the Testimony.  The Ark contains the tablets of the testimony with the Ten Words. 

It represents Yeshua is the Word in flesh and the Shekhinah (Presence) appears between the golden cherubim, whose gaze is toward the כפרת kapporet (mercy seat)

The Ark is the focus of Yom haKippurim. 

It’s interesting that the poles weren’t removed, to show us that the Shekhinah goes where Israel goes. If the people move away from God, is it God who moves or is it the people? 

Yeshua said He would be with the living Temple of God “even until the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19–20). Wherever we go, we should want the Spirit of God to go with us.

What happened to the ark?

The Prophet Yermiyahu was shown a time when there would be no ארון ’Aron (ark) (Jer. 3:16)

“It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land,” declares the LORD, “they will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’ And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again.” (Jeremiah 3:16 NASB)

The “light” in the Northern Kingdom of Israel was darkness, and it even infected the Southern Kingdom of Judah with its syncretism, paganism and lies about God’s character. Those lies even carry on today as secular archeologists dig up these syncretistic figurines throughout all the land of Israel. When they see these things, the secularists say that the the religion found in the Torah was a lie, a myth because of the false testimony of the Northern Kingdom about the identity of God. 

While Revelation includes a vision the ’Aron in Heaven (Rev. 11:19), it is part of a vision of judgment. Yeshua is called “the judgment seat” (2Cor. 5:10) in a passage with a lot of Tabernacle language.

“Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord — for we walk by faith, not by sight — we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2Corinthians 5:6–10 NASB)

The Mishkan will eventually encompass the entire world (Revelation 21-22). It will be a very large tent. There will be an adjustment process for the world which is not going to give up the old ways easily.

Summary: Tammy