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“For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a sabbath of complete rest to the LORD; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.
“You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the sabbath day.”
Exodus 35:2–3 NASB
In modern Christian practice, the Shabbat (Sabbath) doesn’t really exist as it is described in the Torah, where one completely rests and abstains from work. Most Christian denominations claim to set aside Sunday, commemorating the original day of the Resurrection as a special day of worship, but increasingly many do not completely abstain from work on Sunday. Remnants of a Shabbat-like approach to Sunday remain as “blue laws” in certain U.S. states and locales.
Many pastors teach their congregants that the fundamentals of the Shabbat were “nailed to the cross” and bear no importance to believers in Yeshua (Jesus). (See this study of a frequent prooftext for this view: Colossians 2.) Shabbat is a key starting point for understanding the parable of the Tabernacle, which reaches completion in Torah reading וַיַּקְהֵל/פְקוּדֵי Vayakel/Pekudei, (“and he assembled”/“accounts,” Exodus 35:1–40:38).
But congregants largely are not taught to refrain from doing their own pleasure on Sunday — to reflect and rest — the way we are taught to keep the Shabbat (Isaiah 58:13–14).
Since the death penalty the Torah applied to Shabbat-breaking is no longer enforced, many Christians believe that keeping the Shabbat strictly is no longer applicable either. Yet is a law abolished because the penalty isn’t enforced? Just because I might choose not to press charges against a thief who breaks into my house and steals my TV, doesn’t mean stealing is no longer against the law.
While humans can choose to disregard unenforced laws, we see in Scripture that penalties have indeed been enforced — upon the Messiah (Isa. 53:5, 10; Rom 4:25; 1Cor 15:3).
Blueprint for a dwelling place for God
What is God telling Moses to build? Is it a home? If it’s a home, what is in a home? For most of us, our work space and our home space are separate. Home is the place where we relax and rest from our work. Home is also the place where we want to experience peace. If your home is not a place of peace, then we find ourselves wanting to be anywhere else but home. In a chaotic, miserable home, with lots of fighting and toxic behaviors, going to work would be more restful than that.
God doesn’t need a home in the way that we need a home. He is above and beyond space and time. He cannot be confined to a tent. This is not a permanent residence, but it is a place where He can come on specific dates and meet with His people and His people can come to meet Him.
Fundamental starting point: Rest
“My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Exodus 33:14 NASB 1995
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 NASB 1995
We don’t want to live in a home that is not a place or rest and peace. When God asked Moses to build Him a home, He wanted it to be a place where He would be with people who wanted Him to be with them, but if God’s home is not a place of peace and rest for Him, if His people act like they don’t want Him with them, than God does not want to dwell with them, either. No one wants to be where they are not welcomed and wanted.
God allowed Gentiles to destroy the tabernacle, and the two temples that were built up after it, but even before their literal destruction, God had already left them to disintegrate because He had no reason to live among a people who did not love and appreciate Him. He had no use for such a place.
The goal of building the tabernacle was to be a resting place for God. God used the patterns that He showed Moses on the mountain, how God lives in Heaven. By emphasizing that the people should not build any portion of the tabernacle on the Sabbath, God is teaching His people by example what it means to be at rest and to be at peace and that He wants that for them, too.
Lay a firm foundation
What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
1Corinthians 3:5–17 NASB
Every believer is a mobile temple — dwelling place — to God. As we build our faith, God will test it from time to time. If we are building our faith with strong materials, the building will remain standing. If we are building our faith with weak materials, the building will fall.
God is going to test our temples with fire. Will they burn like stubble, or will they endure like stones?
God instructs Moses to make sure that those who are participating in the construction of His Tabernacle don’t violate the Shabbat. He doesn’t want them to use the building of His dwelling place as an excuse to disobey His instructions regarding Shabbat. He was more concerned about their “enter[ing] that rest” (Heb. 4:9–11) than about expediting the construction of the Tabernacle.
Unite in a common mission
Whether people are brining gold, silver, copper, fabric, leather or animal skins, for the tabernacle, all those items are important. The important of the gifts were not their financial value, but the motivation and the desire of the people to give these items was more important to God. These items were given for service to God.
The people not only gave sacrificially of their gold, silver, etc., they also gave sacrificially of their physical abilities such as their artistic skills and time.
Once they had received enough items to build the tabernacle, Moses explicitly tells the children of Israel to stop bringing anything further for the tabernacle. Once Moses had everything necessary for the tabernacle, he told the people to stop bringing anything further for the tabernacle. This kind of transparency and honesty in taking only what was necessary for the tabernacle and not hoarding anymore for later, shows us Moses’ humility and the humility of all those who put in their work in the tabernacle.
After Pentecost, there was a similar spirit of sacrificial giving in the original Messianic community. They also had one goal in mind that unified all of them with purpose, which was to call people to the Messiah and the Kingdom of Heaven.
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Acts 2:42–47 NASB
And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”
Acts 4:32–37 NASB
The community of Messiah is the tabernacle of God, where God can dwell with His people, but Ananias and his wife Sapphira did not understand the assignment, as Barnabas did.
Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, tried to put themselves into God’s house. They had fooled many of the people into believing that they were equally committed to the Kingdom of Heaven as they were. But Peter knew via God’s Spirit that they were liars and tested them. They failed the test, and they died as a result.
We can build our house for God genuinely, with generosity, honesty and integrity, or we can build out house in a disingenuous way with dishonesty and corruption. God will test it all and will decide whether our efforts stand up or burn down.
When you are building a place for God to live with His people, part of that is to be willing to give to God sacrificially. The other side, is also to accept what is necessary for the building up of the community without seeking personal gain.
What is “good” is defined by God (Gen. 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19). Moses, in his humility, doesn’t say that the tabernacle was good or beautiful, even though it was. The biggest complement Moses pays to those building the tabernacle is that what they built matched the pattern God showed him on the mountain.
Let Your work appear to Your servants And Your majesty to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands.
Psalm 90:16–17 NASB
Jewish tradition says that Moses wrote Psalm 90 after the building of the Tabernacle was complete. How does God tell the people that they did a good job with the Tabernacle? He tells them “good job” by dwelling in it and filling it up to the point that everyone who was in it had to leave (Exodus 40).
The unity of the people to build the Tabernacle without greed, and the unity of the believers in Acts to live together as God’s Tabernacle made them friends, family and created a community where God could live with His people in peace and rest.
Summary: Tammy