How the Tabernacle Communicated a Theology of Worship
At Mt. Sinai, God established standardized practices of worship for his people. First, God
commanded that the people build a sanctuary for him. They built the tabernacle of God—and
later the temple—according to God’s specific instructions (Exod 25:8–9, 40; 27:8; Num 8:4; cf.
Acts 7:44; Heb 8:5). This sanctuary of his presence was not for his benefit—Solomon would
acknowledge later that God had no need for a house (1 Kgs 8:27). Rather, the tabernacle was for
the people’s benefit; it provided a place where sinners were given the means necessary to draw
near to the holy presence of God for communion with him, and the very layout and structure
represented the core necessities for such communion to be possible. Furthermore, Exodus 25
explains that God gave Moses the exact pattern for the tabernacle, and Hebrews 8:5 confirms that
this pattern was based upon the heavenly tabernacle. Thus, the instructions for the earthly
sanctuary of God were not arbitrary; they reflect and picture the heavenly realities of God’s
dwelling place. This implies that the specific details of the tabernacle are not unimportant even
for the church today. Since they image spiritual, heavenly realities, they have direct application
to our theology of worship and even our liturgies and practice.
The various parts of the tabernacle represent the biblical understanding of worship that has
already begun to emerge in the early pages of Scripture. God’s presence dwelt in the Holy of
Holies, and worship entailed drawing near to that presence. Various barriers prevented the
people from drawing near, however, because of their sinfulness and unworthiness. Images of
cherubim in several places harkened back to cherubim guarding the Eden sanctuary—they were
embroidered on the veil that hid the Holy of Holies (1 Kgs 6:23–28) and on the ceiling and walls
of the tabernacle (Exod 26:31; 1 Kgs 6:29), and two golden cherubim guarded the ark of God’s
presence (Exod 25:18–22). Therefore, God provided a means by which his people could
approach communion with him. Upon entering through the gate of the tabernacle courtyard, a
worshiper would have first encountered the high altar, made of wood and covered with bronze
(Exod 27:1–8, 38:1–8), which symbolized the atonement necessary for drawing near to the holy
presence of God. Next came the bronze laver (Exod 30:17–21), which pictured cleansing,
purification, and regeneration. Rituals performed at these places provided the temporary and
partial access to God. Interestingly, there is no mention of music as part of the tabernacle
worship. Not until David do we find explicit descriptions or instructions about corporate worship
music. The people of Israel certainly had music as part of their culture and even used it to praise
the Lord, but it is not part of the Mosaic Law.
To direct the building of the tabernacle and all of its accoutrements, God called out Bezalel and
Oholiab, men “filled with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all
craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for
setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft” (Exod 31:1–11). The Holy Spirit of God
actively worked through the craftsmanship of these men to bring beauty and order in the midst of
God’s people, what he had intended for his people in the Garden sanctuary of Eden.
Only Levites were allowed into the tabernacle itself, and even then, only those who were
assigned for the day’s duties. Inside the first room of the tabernacle, the “Holy Place,” the priest
would encounter three pieces of furniture. First was the lamp stand, symbolizing the light of God
and often associated with his revelation (Exod 25:31–40, 37:17–24). Next was the wooden table
overlaid with gold, upon which lay the showbread (Exod 25:23–30, 37:10–16). As we’ve seen
before, a table symbolized the communion with God to which the worshiper was drawing near.
Finally, the priest would tend to the altar of incense just outside the veil to the Most Holy Place
(Exod 30:1–10, 37:25–29), which symbolized the intercessory prayers of the people into the
presence of God, another symbol of the free and open access they had to him because of the
sacrifice of atonement. Only the High Priest Himself was permitted into the Holy of Holies, and
that only once a year on the Day of Atonement. In this most sacred of rooms stood the ark of the
covenant (Exod 25:10–22, 37:1–9), upon which the very presence of God dwelt and where the
blood of the atoning sacrificed was sprinkled each year. This was a picture of the place of God’s
presence and the ultimate apex of Yahweh worship.
Yet the ark was not simply a representation of God’s presence in the Holy of Holiest—Scripture
indicates that the Spirit of God descended and actually dwelt there in their midst. After the
tabernacle was built, “the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle,” and the visible
manifestations of his presence—a cloud by day and fire by night—remained there “in the sight
of all the house of Israel” (Exod 40:35, 38). It was from above the mercy seat on the ark that God
spoke to Moses and the people (Num 7:89). Nehemiah later identifies the Holy Spirit as the
person of God who instructed his people there (9:20), remaining in their midst (Hag 2:5) until he
leaves during Ezekial’s prophetic ministry (Ezek 9:3, 10:18, 11:23).
Thus the very structure and layout of the tabernacle pictured the biblical theology of worship.
Worship involves drawing near to communion with God, but since our sin prevents that, God
establishes means of atonement and cleansing by which we are enabled to draw near to hear his
Word, to eat with him, and to bring our prayers before his throne.
Forming a Great Commandment Culture
In the context of giving the Law at Mt. Sinai and the promise that if they follow God’s
commands as a nation, God will bless them, we find a statement that stands at the core of biblical
religion:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deut 6:4–5). While the Ten
Commandments were themselves a summary of the Law, this declaration was an even more
concise summary of the first four commandments regarding their worship; Jesus would later
indicate this when he named this as “the great commandment in the Law” and summarized the
rest of the commandments with, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” He indicated, “On
these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matt 22:36–40).
Several characteristics of this statement, known as the “Shema” (from the first word, “Hear” in
Hebrew), reveal important connections between biblical religion, worship, and culture.
First, the statement is a concise statement of Israel’s theology: The Lord is one. This doctrine
separated Israel’s worship from the worship of all other pagan nations that were either
polytheistic (worship of many gods) or henotheistic (worship of one god among many). Israel’s
theology was explicitly monotheistic, unique among all the religions of the world to this day.
Second, notice that the central command of this statement addresses a heart orientation, what I
have elsewhere characterized as worldview. In other words, according to the Shema, biblical
religion consists of both right theology and right worldview—explicitly believing right things
about God and then having the heart rightly oriented toward God.
Immediately following the Shema, God instructs the people concerning how they can cultivate
this proper religion (theology + worldview): And these words that I command you today shall be
on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you
sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deut 6:6–9)
Cultivating biblical religion involved more than just an intellectual exercise; it required
structuring a cultural environment, both in the family and the community at large, that would
over time orient their hearts properly. This meant establishing practices, routines, and rituals that
kept God regularly before them and embodied a sensibility toward him that would form both
their theology and worldview. Every aspect of what they did in both everyday cultural activities
and in their dedicated solemn assemblies of worship was to be directed toward the end of truly
knowing and loving God.
Called by God to Worship
The first Patriarch of Israel, Abraham, was not originally a worshiper of the true God; he dwelt
the land of Ur, worshiping many false gods (Josh 24:2). God initiated his contact with Abraham
(Gen 12:1), confirming a central that principle that all true worship begins with the God who
reveals himself to his people.
Each specific act of worship during what is known as the patriarchal period of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob is a response to God’s revelation to his people. For example, Abraham built an altar to
the Lord after God commanded him to leave his land (Gen 12:7). He also worshiped Yahweh
when he expressed his willingness to sacrifice his son (Gen 22:1–14). Likewise, Isaac built an
altar to the Lord (Gen 26:24–25), and Jacob set up a stone altar after his vision of the ladder to
heaven (Gen 28:18).
During this time of the nation of Israel’s beginnings, the worship of God’s people came naturally
as they responded in faith to God’s self-revelation. Worship practices, traditions, and liturgies
were apparently passed on by tradition and took place in the family setting. The book of Genesis
does not record God giving his people clear directions concerning how he was to be worshiped
(that wouldn’t happen until Sinai), yet they observed standard practices of sacrifice, offering, and
meal in worship to the Lord, just as had Adam’s sons and Noah (Gen 8:20–21).
Two events in Abraham’s life are worth noting for their descriptions of patriarchal worship. The
first occurred when Abram encountered the king of Salem (the future location of Jerusalem),
Melchizedek, who Moses calls a “priest of God Most High” (Gen 14:18). Not much is known
about this mysterious king-priest, but God must have revealed himself to Melchizedek since he
worshiped the same God as Abram (v. 22). This holy man pronounced a blessing from God upon
Abram:
Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!
Melchizedek gave this blessing in the context of a meal, which signified the communion these
men shared with one another and with their common God. In response, Abram performed an act
of worship that would later become part of Israel’s worship: “Abram gave him a tenth of
everything,” a “tithe” that would later be used to fund worship in the tabernacle and temple.
Importantly, Melchizedek prefigures Christ as king-priest (Ps 110:4; Heb 7:17, 21), and it is no
coincidence that in this context, God establishes a covenant with Abraham in which he promised
Abraham (Gen 17:5) a posterity (15:5), a land (15:18), and blessing to other nations through his
family (12:3).
The second event is God’s command for Abraham to offer his son, Isaac, upon an altar (Gen
22:1–19). God had finally given Abraham and Sarah the son he had promised them, only to
command Abraham, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of
Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you”
(v. 2). Confident that “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (v. 8),
Abraham followed God’s command, obeying even to the point of binding Isaac upon the altar
and raising his knife to kill him. God did, indeed, provide a ram as a substitutionary sacrifice (v.
13) and reaffirmed his promises to Abraham (vv. 15–18). Again no coincidence, this same
mountain is where Solomon will later build the temple (2 Chron 3:1), and the concept of a
substitutionary sacrifice continued to be central in Israel’s later worship theology.
Drawing Near to God as the Essence of Worship
In order to grasp the essence of Christian worship, we must start in the beginning. Creation
provides the foundation for understanding not only the nature of God and mankind but also the
substance of their relationship in worship. God, the sovereign Initiator, publicly revealed himself
through what he made. The creation itself displays his nature and glory (Ps 10:1; Rom 1:20–23),
but he revealed himself in a unique way by creating Adam and Eve in his own image (Gen 1:26–
27). Thus God’s self-revelation provides the fundamental basis for worship.
Yet God created Adam and Even not simply to be a revelation of himself; he created them in
order to nurture a relationship with them, to dwell with them in perfect communion. In order to
do this, God created the GardenKof Eden (Gen 2:8) as a sanctuary in which he could walk with
Adam and Eve (Gen 3:8).
Humankind’s purpose in this sanctuary was to “work it and keep it” (Gen 2:15). Hebrew scholars
note that the underlying terms in this statement mean far more than a gardener’s task, a fact
which the absence of thorns and weeds at this juncture in human history makes clear. For
example, Allen RossKnotes that the first verb, avid, is “used frequently for spiritual service,
specifically serving the Lord (Deut 4:19) and for the duties of the Levites (see Num 3:7–8; 4:23–
24, 26).” Likewise with the second verb, shamar, “its religious use is that of observing spiritual
duties or keeping the commandments (Lev 18:5).” With this in mind, RossKobserves:
In places where these two verbs are found together, they often refer to the duties of the Levites
(cf. Num 3:7–8; 8:26; 18:5–6), keeping the laws of God (especially in the sanctuary service) and
offering spiritual service in the form of the sacrifices and all the related duties—serving the Lord,
safeguarding his commands, and guarding the sanctuary from the intrusion of anything profane
or evil.[1]
Thus basic ideas about the nature and function of what would later become formal, corporate
worship were established in the Creation event: God reveals himself through his creation and
places Adam and Eve in the sanctuary of the gardenKwhere he dwells with them and walks with
them in communionKas they serve him and keep his commandments. This relationship between
God and man does not exist for its own sake, but rather it brings glory to the Creator (Isa 43:6–
7). As the image-bearers walk with him and obey his commands, they evidence a complete
satisfaction and trust in him, thus giving him ultimate praise.
Adam and Eve’s fall into sin—their disobedience of God’s commandments—was essentially
failure to express complete dependence and satisfaction in their Creator and bring him glory, and
thus it was a failure to worship him acceptably. This broke the communionKthey enjoyed with
God and propelled them from the sanctuary of his presence. After they sinned, and they heard
God walking in the garden, “the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord
God” (Gen 3:8)—they recognized their unworthiness to walk with him. Their sin created a
separation between them and their Creator, and they were forced to leave the sanctuary (Gen
3:23–24), never again able to draw as near to the presence of God.
Yet before God drove them from the garden, he initiated a solution to the broken communion.
First, he enacted a covenant with them wherein he promised redemption (Gen 3:15). Then, he
pictured that redemption through atonementKby slaying an animal and covering Adam and Eve’s
guilt with its skin (Gen 3:21). This atonement restored the broken relationship and once again
enabled communion with God, although now limited. Timothy M. PierceKprovides a helpful
explanation of how “atonement” is directly connected to restoring communion with God:
The English word “atonement” originated in the sixteenth century. It was not borrowed from
another language, but was created in order to express an idea for which no word existed. The
combination of the words “at-one-ment” expressed the idea of reconciliation whereby not just
agreement was achieved, but essential unity was acquired.[2]
Thus in the Creation/Fall event each of the essential elements of worshipKappear in seed form: (1)
God reveals himself and initiates a relationship with his people; (2) God forms the boundaries of
the relationship with his commandments; (3) the nature of worship consists in this relationship of
communionKbetween man and his Creator; (4) this worship takes place in the sanctuary of God’s
presence; (5) failure to obey the commandments of God prohibits communion with him; (6) God
provides atonementKwhereby man is once again enabled to walk in communion with him.
These elements persist throughout Scripture even as their external manifestations become at
times more complex and specific. The Exodus of IsraelKand the establishment of the Mosaic Law
in a sense codify these elements that had been established at Creation. Once again, God was the
initiator of the contact through his self-revelation in the burning bush (Exod 3:1–2). The purpose
of this meeting was to reestablish a relationship between God and his people (Exod 3:7–8), but
sin prevented MosesKfrom fully drawing near to God’s presence—God commanded him, “Do not
come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy
ground” (Exod 3:5).
God accomplished his people’s deliverance from bondage through atonementKin the Passover
event (Exod 12:1–32). He led them out of Egypt with his own presence in the form of pillars of
cloud and fire (Exod 13:21–22) to the foot of Mt. Sinai, where he revealed himself to them
(Exod 19:9), “all the congregation drew near and stood before the Lord” (Lev 9:5), and God
spoke to them “face to face” (Deut 5:4). Because of the sinfulness of the people, however, God
placed clear limits on how closely the people could draw near to him (Exod 19:12–13, 21–25),
MosesKalone serving as a mediator between the people and God (Exod 24:2).
God’s instructions concerning the construction of the tabernacleKalso reveal a visualization of the
worship elements that had been instituted at Creation. This structure served as a sanctuary for
God’s presence (“And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst,” Exod
25:8)—drawing near to the tabernacle was to draw near to the very presence of God himself, and
each piece of furniture within the tabernacle symbolized both the presence of God and the
relationship of communionKthat he desired with his people. The table of acacia wood (Exod
25:23–30) signified such communion with God since in the ancient Near East dining with
someone portrayed complete fellowship with that person.[3] Likewise, the golden lampstand
(Exod 25:31–39) represented the presence of God in two possible ways: first, it reminded the
people of the light that God created and thus symbolized his presence.[4] Second, Carol
MeyersKsuggests that the lampstand also symbolized the tree of life, harkening back to the
gardenKsanctuary and further reminding the people of communion in God’s sanctuary.[5] The
altar of incense (Exod 30:1–5) represented the intercessory prayers of God’s people (Ps 141:2;
Rev 8:3–5) and thus also emphasized dialogue in relationship with him. Finally, the Ark of the
CovenantK(Exod 25:10–22) was the center of God’s presence (“There will I meet with you,”
Exod 25:22).
Yet once again, because of the guilt of the people, barriers prevented them from drawing fully
near to communionKwith God in his presence. The curtain surrounding the outer court prevented
unlawful approach to God’s presence (Exod 27:9–19). Only appointed priests entered the
tabernacleKitself (Exod 30:7–10; Lev 24–25). Finally, God commanded that a veil be hung
separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy, the chamber holding the ark and the very
presence of God (Exod 26:33). Only the High Priest was permitted to enter that place, and only
once a year on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:1–19; cf. Heb 9:7). Thus God initiated a system of
sacrifices in order to provide atonementKand at least partial and temporary access to his presence
(Lev 1–9).
However, what the tabernacleKalso reveals is that these essential worship elements were not
simply instituted at Creation, but are in fact representations of the essence of the worship in
Heaven itself. God gives MosesKthe pattern (Exod 25:8–9; 25:40; 27:8; Num 8:4; cf. Acts 7:44),
and this is a pattern of “heavenly things” (Heb 8:2, 5; cf. Heb 9:11, 23–24). In other words, the
idea of worship visualized at Creation and in the tabernacle (and later, the temple) is modeled
after the eternal essence of heavenly worship. This means that the worship construct observed at
Creation and illustrated through the Mosaic system reveals the essence of worship: (1) God
reveals himself and initiates a relationship with his people; (2) God forms the boundaries of the
relationship with his commandments; (3) the nature of worship consists in this relationship of
communionKbetween man and his Creator; (4) this worship takes place in the sanctuary of God’s
presence; (5) failure to obey the commandments of God prohibits communion with him; (6) God
provides atonementKwhereby man is once again enabled to walk in communion with him.
[1] Allen Ross, Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Gardento the New
Creation (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2006), 105–6.
[2] Timothy M. Pierce, Enthroned on Our Praise: An Old Testament Theology of Worship
(Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2008), 75n105.
[3] Allen P. Ross, Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus
(Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006), 30.
[4] John I. Durham, Exodus (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1987), 362–63.
[5] Carol L. Meyers, The Tabernacle Menorah: A Synthetic Study of a Symbol from the Biblical
Cult (Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press LLC, 2003), 96, 118–19, 133.
