Never Forsaken: God's Dwelling Place

 

There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.  Exodus 25:22

 What do the tabernacle and its contents teach us? There is so much detail in Exodus 25-27 about how it was to be constructed, but even with that there was much left to the imagination. In Exodus 25:40, God told Moses, “Now be sure to make them according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain.” Moses was the only witness to what it was supposed to look like, and he needed to guide the craftsmen and artisans in recreating that. Some of it, the specific dimensions and materials, are written down here for us, but you know that if ten people looked at the golden lampstand and were asked to write out a description of it, you’d get ten completely different descriptions.

 As you know, I’m a visual learner and thinker, and so I worked with AI (CoPilot and Gemini) to help me recreate as close as we could what was described here. This is what we came up with:

 The Ark of the Covenant was tricky to render. As with most of the stock images on the web, AI wanted to put the poles higher up on the ark, but Exodus 25:12 clearly states that they were to be on the feet. This would lift the Ark up higher when it was being carried, so all around could see it. I had Gemini lengthen the poles, but realistically, they would have been even longer than this both to support the weight and to keep the carriers from accidentally touching the Ark, as we see that this has dire consequences in 2 Samuel 6:6-7. You’ll notice that the cherubim on top are facing each other, but not looking at each other. They are looking down at the lid, the mercy seat. This is where God says in Exodus 25:22 that He will meet with Moses and speak with him about all that God will command him for the Israelites. The text says over and over that these pieces are to be made of hammered gold, and I’ve attempted to show that in this image, as opposed to the perfect, polished smooth gold you’ll often see. The point of the Ark was to give the people a place to meet with God. Specifically, only Moses could enter the Most Holy place where the Ark was kept, except for once a year when the high priest (Aaron at the time and later his descendants) would offer atonement for the people. The Ark was an item of remembrance as well, as the stone tablets with the ten commandments written on them as well as a vessel containing an omer of manna were to be placed inside it.

 In addition to the Ark, this chapter details the creation of the Table of Showbread, which was used to hold the bread of the presence on it. David Guzik, in his commentary, shares that, “In the East a table was always the symbol of fellowship. Thus the people were reminded of the possibility created of constant communion with God.” There were twelve loaves of bread (unleavened bread, not twelve big balls) stacked on the table, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. This table was a place that demonstrated God’s desire to have fellowship and communion with His people. I cannot help but wonder at the correlation between this and the answer Jesus gave to Satan when being tempted in the desert in Matthew 4, “It is written, 'Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Here Jesus is referencing Deuteronomy 8:3 which talks about how God fed the Israelites in the desert with manna and taught them that they cannot live on bread alone, but that they needed God to survive. When this table was first created, the bread that rested on it may have been made of this manna. God has always desired to have fellowship with us, from the time He created Adam and walked with him in the garden until today, where we enjoy fellowship with His Holy Spirit living inside us.

 Finally, we see the creation of the golden lampstand. I challenge you to find or create any image that does not significantly look like a modern menorah. Now, of course, the menorah’s design is informed by this very lamp, but I doubt that the original looked quite like this. For one thing, verse 37 states that the lamps are to give light in front of it. Doesn’t that indicate that there would be some shape to the lamps that would block the back and/or the sides? And this was to be a lamp stand, not a lamp itself. The lamps were to be set on the almond blossom shaped cups, of which there were to be exactly three on each branch (again, AI is definitely limited). This whole lampstand was to be made, along with its trimmers and trays, of 75 pounds of pure gold. That’s a heavy lampstand! The entire lampstand: its base and its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its blossoms were to be from the same piece (Exodus 25:31). I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been. They didn’t just make a mold, melt the gold, and pour it in. This piece was made of hammered gold. So, what does the lampstand represent? Again, David Guzik points out that the almond tree was, the first tree to blossom in the springtime and it, “reminded everyone of new life and the fresh nature of God’s ongoing work.” Being the only source of light in the tabernacle, which was heavily covered by multiple layers, eliminating outside light, it was a necessity for the work being done in it. God’s presence, as well as His wisdom are often described as light. Finally, this lampstand is reflected in Revelation 4:5 where it is said to represent the seven Spirits of God. I’m not even going to try to break that down as I had no idea that God had Seven Spirits, but I do find it noteworthy.

Here’s the Thing: God never does anything by accident or “just because.” He gave Moses very specific directions on how these things were to be made because it mattered. It represented important aspects of our relationship with God and His with us. It showed us that He cares, that He wants to be with us.