Exodus

Exodus 25: God will dwell among His people

Begin in prayer

Before the ark, table and lampstand take shape in God’s instructions, let us thank Him for desiring to dwell with His people. Ask Him to show us Christ and teach us worship shaped by His word.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations.

Psalm 90:1

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us the grace of Your dwelling among Your people. Lead us to Jesus, through whom sinners may know Your presence in peace. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

On the mountain God tells Moses to receive willing offerings for a sanctuary where He will dwell among Israel. He gives instructions for an acacia-wood ark covered with gold and carrying the testimony. A gold mercy seat with two cherubim will stand above it, where God will meet Moses and speak His commands. God also describes a gold-covered table, its carrying poles and the bread always set before Him. A lampstand of pure gold, shaped with branches and almond blossoms, will hold seven lamps. Everything must follow the pattern God shows Moses on the mountain.

As you read Exodus 25, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

God provides His dwelling among His people according to His own pattern.

The covenant is established before God asks Israel for the materials of His dwelling. Willing hearts give gifts for a purpose He defines, without buying His presence. A sanctuary is a place set apart for God, and He gives its pattern on the mountain. The ark is a gold-covered chest holding the testimony He will give, so His word stands at its center. Above it the mercy seat and facing cherubim mark the place where God promises to meet Moses and speak. The table holds bread before Him, and the seven lamps give light in the tent. Rings and carrying poles show that this dwelling is prepared for the people’s journey. Hebrews calls the earthly sanctuary a pattern and shadow of the heavenly reality (Hebrews 8 verse 5). The God who dwells with His people will bring that purpose to fulfilment through Christ.

How does Exodus 25 show us that God provides His dwelling among His people according to His own pattern?

God chooses to dwell among the people He rescued.

The people bring materials from willing hearts, and God gives the plan for their use. His dwelling is His gracious gift to Israel. Christ’s coming carries this purpose forward as God the Son lives among people (John 1 verse 14).

God’s word stands at the center of His dwelling.

The ark will hold the testimony, and its poles must stay in their rings. Above its gold cover, the cherubim face the mercy seat. God promises to speak there, so Israel must receive His commands rather than invent its worship.

God gives the pattern for the place where He will meet them.

The bread stays on the table before Him, and seven lamps light the space. The furnishings have the shape and materials God commands. Hebrews explains that this earthly sanctuary serves a greater heavenly reality fulfilled in Christ (Hebrews 8 verse 5).

Memorise

Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.

Exodus 25:8

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, how have I tried to approach God on my own terms instead of through Christ?

God commands, “Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” He chooses the pattern and promises to meet Moses above the mercy seat. His people receive a dwelling they could never devise for Him.

God the Son came among us in Jesus Christ. Our sin makes us unfit for the holy God’s presence. Jesus bore the sin of His people and suffered its punishment at the cross. He rose again with the work of reconciliation accomplished. His sacrifice is enough to bring those who were far away into peace with God.

Turn from your sin and put your trust in Jesus. Those who rest on His saving work have their sins forgiven. The tabernacle pointed beyond itself to the mercy God would provide. Come through Christ, and receive the fellowship He purchased with His blood.

Parent's note

Tell your children that God gave the pattern for His dwelling, and that Jesus died and rose to bring His people near. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God for His gracious purpose to dwell among His people, and bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

Lord, thank You that You chose to dwell among Israel. Thank You for sending Jesus to bring sinners into Your presence. Please turn us from sin and teach us to trust Him. Shape our worship by Your Word, and make our hearts willing to serve. Amen.