Tabernacle as New Creation

As we’ve been working through the tabernacle instructions over the last few weeks, I’ve mentioned several times that the construction of the tabernacle mirrors the days of creation. That’s harder to see when you’re going through slowly like we have, so I thought it would be helpful to see a chart.

This chart is a rough sketch, and some have drawn the lines in slightly different places. But the general structure is present. You may also remember that the days of creation are divided into two sets of three. The earth was “formless and void,” so when God set about creation, he spent three days on forming and three days on filling. In other words, before he made stars for the sky, fish for the sea, or animals for the land, he had to make the sky, the sea, and the land. That structure is also clearly present in the tabernacle. The first half of the instructions are all about building the places to put things, and the second half are about the things to put in those places.

This structure is important because what’s happening in Exodus is a mirror of Genesis. The tabernacle’s new creation imagery puts us in a Genesis frame of mind. But if you know anything about the creation, you know that the fall comes next. This Sunday, that’s what we’ll be talking about. After God brought Israel this new creation in the tabernacle, the first thing they do is fall into sin with the golden calf, just as Adam and Eve fell into sin at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But more on that Sunday.

If this interests you, and you want to hear more, I recommend Alistair Roberts’ Biblical Reflections. Dr. Roberts has recorded a short reflection on every book of the Bible, and they are very helpful. He teases this theme out in his reflections on Exodus 25-31.

Updates

Remember that we have the Lord’s Supper this week! Be preparing your hearts as the Lord’s Day approaches. If you’d like some resources on preparation, as always, I suggest reflecting on Larger Catechism 171.
On Wednesday, March 5, we’ll have our annual Ash Wednesday service.
Then, on March 8th from 9AM to 12PM, Rev. Ron Horgan, our presbytery church health coordinator, will be with us to give an evangelism seminar. Many of you already have the book he passed out last time he was with us, and I encourage you to read through that book beforehand if you haven’t already. If you don’t have a copy, Ron will have some available when he comes.

Your friend in Christ,
Reid