Well, good evening, everybody. I am thankful to be here, and I know many of you, some of you I know that I've not met before, and I hope to be able to do so after the service. As I look out and see many familiar faces tonight, I'm encouraged to be able to be with you and to worship with you tonight and to bring God's Word to you as well. We're going to look tonight at the subject of the tabernacle. And so I invite you to open in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews, chapter 8. in verse one now this is a a longer scripture reading this is two entire chapters of the book of hebrews i'm not going to talk about everything there is to talk about in these two chapters but i want us to read them uh... because they are uh... one of the clearest places we uh... are taught about the meaning of the tabernacle that's one of the things i want to think about tonight why is the tabernacle in the bible why why did god want the israelites to build the tabernacle into worship at the tabernacle And especially, what does the tabernacle have to do with us? You've all read those parts of Exodus, and you think, okay, I'll keep going, I'll keep going, and then you finally think you're at the end, and it all starts over again. And we'll say more about that, but there's a lot of scripture devoted to this. Why is that? Well, I hope to help us answer that question, and we get a lot of that answer from here in the book of Hebrews. I want to say also there seems to be a revival of interest in the tabernacle. You may have noticed this. There are many new books that are coming out on the subject. Some of the ones that have been most helpful to me and that I've been relying on as I've studied this subject have been some articles by David Murray. There's a new book out by Daniel Hyde called God in Our Midst. And then another one by J.V. Fesco about Christ in the Desert Tabernacle. Lots of good resources out there to get us thinking about it. Let's turn our attention now to Hebrews chapter 8. We'll begin the reading here at verse 1 and go to the end of chapter 9. I'm going to read from the New King James Version. Let's give our attention. This is God's holy word, and may He bless it to us. Now this is the main point of the things we are saying. We have such a high priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected and not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, therefore it is necessary that this one also have something to offer. For if he were on earth, he would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law, who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For he said, see that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as he is also a mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, he says, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." In that, he says, a new covenant he has made the first, obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared, the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary. And behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle, which is called the holiest of all, which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. And above it were the cherubim of glory, overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail." Now, when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into the second part, the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance, the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience, concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. But Christ came as high priest of the good things to come with the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood. He entered the most holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. And for this reason he is the mediator of the new covenant by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. Therefore, not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you. Then, likewise, he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law, almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Therefore, it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us. Not that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters the most holy place every year with blood of another, he then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world. But now, once at the end of the ages, he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation." And that's the reading of God's Word. It was about a year ago when I came across an article that was discussing the 40-hour work week. And the interesting thing about this article is that it was making the case the 40-hour workweek is becoming something of the past. That it used to be working 40 hours a week was the norm for everybody, but now we've made that 47 maybe, or we've made it 54, but we keep adding on to the hours. And my guess is, as you think of your own lives, there are plenty of you who work more than 40 hours a week. Some of you may do that by choice, some of you may not do that by choice, but there's no question about it. This is something that is becoming to be thought of as something from the past that's no longer normal and applicable in our lives today. Now, it's easy to think of the tabernacle in a similar way. that this is an ancient relic. This is something that maybe was helpful for my parents or my grandparents or my ancestors of long ago, but what does this have to do with me today as a Christian living in the 21st century of all times? Well, here's what we need to realize, and Lord willing, this is what we'll see tonight. The tabernacle actually has everything to do with us as Christians living in the 21st century. Because the tabernacle is, and this is the title of the sermon, as you can see in the bulletin, a picture of Jesus Christ and a picture of His salvation. It's a picture of Jesus and His salvation. And being that, being a picture of Christ and His salvation, studying the tabernacle should not just inform us of some lesser-known parts of Scripture, though we hope that does happen, but it actually should inflame our hearts. That as we see Christ portrayed for us in the tabernacle, furniture and functions and all that went on, our hearts should be full of great love for Christ as a result of that. And we should then study it to that end. I realize the tabernacle is one of those parts of scripture we just want to ignore often. I hope tonight we'll realize this is something we need to spend some good time studying ourselves. But we need God's blessing. And so as we do that, we want to do it prayerfully. at the same time. And that's the main point I want us to see as we think of the tabernacle complex as a whole, as just the structure in general. I want us to see that the tabernacle is a simple and very important picture of Jesus and His salvation. And since that is the case, we need to prayerfully study it to that end so that we would increase our love and thankfulness for Christ. The first thing I want us to think about tonight is that the tabernacle is a picture of Jesus and His salvation. So I want us to think about some church history here for a second. If you recall back in redemptive history, when God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, he then led them through the wilderness. They journeyed in the wilderness for a few months, and then God brought them to Mount Sinai, where he gave them his laws and gave them many instructions. And if you've read through the book of Exodus, you'll know that a large portion of that law are instructions for this tabernacle. So if you look at the handout I gave you, here's a picture of the tabernacle on the back. You can take a second to look at here. This is what we're talking about, this whole tabernacle complex. So you can see the fence around the courtyard on the outside. Then as you would walk in the front door, you have, this is the bronze altar for the burnt offering. And then behind that, you have the bronze basin of washing. And then you have the tabernacle tent itself, which was divided into two rooms. The front room is what's often called the holy place, where you would find the golden lamp stand, as well as the golden table for bread, and the golden altar of incense. And then behind that, there would be a veil, which would make the second room in the very back, which is the Holy of Holies, where you would just find the Ark of the Covenant. So this is what we're talking about this evening, and all of this is exactly what God had told the Israelites to build when He gave His law to them on Mount Sinai. Even the precise sizes and the materials that were to be used, God gave to them. But He didn't just tell them how to build the tabernacle and to build the tabernacle. He also told them what was to go on at the tabernacle, what the priests were to do, even what the priests were to wear. God told the people. We find all these instructions, and I'll say more about this in the third point, primarily in the book of Exodus from chapter 25 on. But why? If you ever ask that question, why the tabernacle? What was God's purpose here? What was the point He was trying to make? Well, what had God just done for the Israelites at that time? He had redeemed them from slavery, and He had graciously brought them out of Egypt, making them His own special people. And having done that, there were now some truths God wanted to teach them. Two of them in particular. First, God wanted them to know what it takes for them to be in this special relationship with God. He wanted them to know the nature of God. He wanted them to know the consequences of sin, the need for a substitutionary sacrifice and a priestly mediator. Put another way, He wanted them to know the gospel. And then second, God wanted them to know the benefits they have as a result of being in this special relationship with God. How they're accepted by God, how they have access to God, how He dwells in their midst, how they're forgiven of their sins, and so forth. And one of the primary ways God wanted to teach them these truths was not by words, but by pictures, by pictures. So, just a minute ago, we all got out this picture, and we looked at it, and I said a few things about this. Now, why did I make sure you had a picture of the tabernacle tonight? I could have just said, let's open to Exodus 25, and I'll read off some verses, but what happens when we do that? We can't imagine what this all was about. We can't even picture it in our minds. And so, I give you a visual aid, we talk about the tabernacle, and as you look at the visual aid, all of a sudden, everything makes a lot more sense than it would have if I would have just been reading words to you tonight. That's kind of like what the tabernacle was for the Israelites. It was a visual aid. of sorts. As they would look at the tabernacle, as they would experience all that would happen at the tabernacle, the Israelites were learning in visual form those particular truths that God wanted them to know. Commentator David Murray puts it this way, God pictured the truth to preach the truth. Now, how do we know this is what God was doing? Well, from the book of Hebrews, as we read earlier. And I tried to emphasize this as we were reading, but for instance, Hebrews 8, verse 5, there we are told that the priests who ministered at the tabernacle served the copy and shadow of the heavenly things. Which is to say, the tabernacle, including all of its furnishings and all of its functions, derived from something else. They were a copy made from an original. They were a shadow from something of substance. And that original substance was found in heaven, we're told in the book of Hebrews. Now, that does not mean there's a literal tabernacle tent in heaven. from which Moses was to copy. That's not the point. The point is the tabernacle depicted heavenly realities in visual form. But the tabernacle did not just depict heavenly realities generally. Though they are there, the tabernacle depicted the heavenly realities of redemption in particular. As I said earlier, God wanted them to know what it takes for them to be in this relationship and what the benefits they have as a result of being in this relationship. So when you start to think about this, the tabernacle then is a picture that teaches the Israelites about the Messiah and what He was going to come to do for them. And that's what it is for us as well. It's a picture of Jesus and His salvation. Hebrews 9 verses 9 and following says that the tabernacle was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which cannot make him who performed the service perfect. And then it goes on to say in verse 11, but Christ came as high priest of the good things to come with the greater and more perfect tabernacle. In other words, the tabernacle in the wilderness was symbolic of something, or maybe more accurately we should say someone else, who was to come in the future. It was symbolic of one who would come, who would bring about salvation by shedding his own blood rather than the blood of an animal, as the writer makes it clear. Symbolic of Jesus Christ, our High Priest. Commentator Vern Poitras says, the Old Testament tabernacle is full of meaning because it's a symbol of the Messiah and His salvation. So that's the first thing we need to see tonight. This is what the tabernacle is all about, picturing Jesus Christ and His salvation. But the second thing I want us to see tonight is that the tabernacle was not just a picture of Jesus and His salvation. It was a simple picture of Jesus and His salvation. Last year I went fishing with a couple of guys from the Bloomington congregation. It was about an hour away from Bloomington, out in the boonies, some little lake, on some private property. And as I was leaving, which was before the other guys were leaving, and I had followed the guys to get there, I asked one of the men I was with, can you give me some instructions so that I can find my way home? And what he did is he got an envelope out of the back of his truck, and on the back of the envelope, he just drew some lines and then did some shapes. So basically just saying, here's the roads you need to be on, and here are the landmarks you need to look for when it's time for you to turn. And I have to tell you, though that map could have included a lot more instruction, that map was exactly what I needed. Because it didn't bombard me in all the details, it gave me just what I needed to know, and it communicated that to me in a way that I could understand, very simply, even as I was driving. And you realize that's what the tabernacle was as well. God did not just give them a picture, He gave them a simple picture, one that told them just what they needed to know, and communicated it to them in a way that they could understand. Now, that being said, this does not mean that there is not symbolism in the parts and the pieces of the tabernacle, such as the furniture. To be sure, there is symbolism to be found there. And again, we get that from the book of Hebrews. Speaking of these many furniture pieces, Hebrews 9, verse 5 says, of these things we cannot now speak in detail, which is a peculiar verse, if you think about it. It tells us two things. First, it tells us that the work we have before us of seeing Jesus in the symbolism of the tabernacle is actually quite hard, because the Bible does not tell us everything that there is to tell us about it. But second, it also tells us that the author of Hebrews could have explained the symbolism of the furniture pieces if he wanted to. which tells us there is typological or symbolic significance to be found in them. So by saying it's a simple picture, we don't mean that there's no symbolism in some of the details, but what we do mean is that symbolism is not to be found in every single tiny detail. And that's often what's done. Let me give you one example. It's a little bit extreme, but it gets the point across, I think. As I said earlier, in the tabernacle tent, between the front room and the back room, there was a veil, a big curtain that would hang down from the ceiling. That veil was to be made of four fabrics, four different colors, blue, purple, scarlet, and white. Well, according to one author, those four colors represent the four gospel writers. All right, you're laughing, good. This is the response we do want to have, but sadly this is often what's put out there. So blue, blue makes you think of heaven. John focuses primarily on heaven. He gives us a heavenly portrait. Therefore, the blue in the tabernacle veil should draw us to the gospel of John. And you go on down the line from that. But you have to step back and ask yourself the question, okay, where are you getting this from? It's not from the text, is it? It's not from the New Testament either, is it? It's mere speculation. It's taking something and going too far with it. And he makes it up. And that's what we need to avoid when we're studying the tabernacle. There's a temptation to do it, but that's what we need to avoid. Because the tabernacle was meant to give them the big picture, not for them to look under every rock and every little nook and cranny to find something. In a lot of ways, it's like a parable. A parable is primarily meant to convey one point. And therefore, we misuse a parable, I think, when we try to find some detail in every single aspect of the parable. That's not how Jesus intends for the parables to be used. In Hebrews 9 verse 9, which we looked at in the last point, actually calls the tabernacle a parable. It was symbolic for the present time. That word symbolic is the same word for parable in the Greek language. Now, that doesn't mean there's only one point for us to learn in each part of the tabernacle, but that doesn't mean the tabernacle needs to be understood simply and not look for meaning under every little detail. Another reason we know this is the case is because symbols and types, like the tabernacle, are designed by God to be simpler than the fulfillment. It contains the same truth as the fulfillment, in this case Jesus and His salvation, but it does so in an easier, better-to-understand way. This is why in places like Colossians 2.20, the Mosaic institutions, such as the tabernacle, are referred to as being rudimentary. Rudimentary. Not because there's no depth of meaning to be found in them. There's tremendous depth of meaning to be found in them. But for the Israelites who did not have the full revelation of God as we do today, they would not have understood the depth of meaning, at least not to the same extent. So if God would have given them all the details that he's given us, it would have been unintelligible for them. And so He gave them only what they needed, a very simple picture. So we need to take that as we seek to understand the tabernacle, and then we can fill in some of the other details with the New Testament revelation. It's a simple picture of Jesus and His salvation. And then thirdly, we want to see that it's also a very important picture of Jesus and His salvation. I want to ask you a question. In all honesty, as you've been reading through the book of Exodus, have you ever skipped any of the verses that dealt with the tabernacle? Okay, some of you are answering out loud. That's fine, you can. You've at least been tempted to do so, haven't you? And I know I've experienced that myself. These are difficult chapters to read. Let me give you an example. This is Exodus 25 on the Ark of the Covenant. And they shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold. Inside and out you shall overlay it. And you shall make on it a molding of gold all around. You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners. Two rings shall be on one side, two rings on the other side. And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. You shall put poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried in them." And it goes on, and it goes on, and it goes on. And we're reading about cubits and poles, and it's gold one second, then it's bronze the next second, and all of a sudden it gets to be overwhelming. In Exodus 25 verse 1 to Exodus 31 verse 11, we have an account of God giving the instructions for the building of the tabernacle. its furniture and its functions. Then in Exodus 31 verse 12 to Exodus 35 verse 3, there's a brief interlude that deals with the golden calf. And then finally, in Exodus 35, verse 4, to Exodus 40, verse 38, we have an account, which seems like a repeat, but of the actual building of the tabernacle, its furniture, and so forth. So in the book of Exodus alone, 13 chapters are devoted to the tabernacle, and with that, the second half of those 13 chapters are almost an exact repetition of the first half. But it's not just in Exodus where we find information on the tabernacle. In the book of Leviticus, at least 18 chapters have something to do with the tabernacle. The book of Numbers has 13 chapters dealing with some aspect of the tabernacle. Deuteronomy has two chapters, and in the book of Hebrews, such as we read earlier, there are four chapters dealing with the tabernacle. Now, that's a lot. And so, given that God does not give us in the Bible all that there is to know, but only what we need to know, the tabernacle must be pretty important in God's mind to give that much of Scripture devoted to it. David Murray, in his essay on the tabernacle, has a little illustration. He says, when you pick up the newspaper in the morning, what are the parts that you are most likely to read? the ones with the biggest headlines. Now, you may not only read the ones with the biggest headlines, but if you have time just to read a few articles, those are the ones you normally go to, because you're trusting the editor's judgment. In their mind, these must be the most important, which is why they have the biggest headlines. Therefore, if I'm going to read anything, I might as well read these. Now this is not to say that only what God says a lot about in the Bible is important and that nothing else is important. Some of the most important things in Scripture are found in just a verse or two. But this is to say, if God has devoted this much of the Bible to the tabernacle, it needs to be, it must be pretty important for us to know about and to understand. Let me give you four brief reasons why this is the case for us today. For one, just as it was for the Israelites, the tabernacle's important because it's a picture of Jesus. And we cannot forget that. Even today, it is one of the greatest ways we can learn about Christ and what He has done for us. But second, it's not just one of the greatest ways we learn about Christ and His salvation, it's also one of the clearest ways we learn about Christ and His salvation. I've given you a quote from David Murray who says, In other words, it's easier for us to understand the death of a lamb than it is to understand the death of the Son of God. It's easier to understand washing your hands with water to get them clean than it is to be washed with the blood of Jesus Christ. And in the tabernacle, we're given pictures, such as the death of a lamb, such as the washing of hands with water, to help us better grasp those redemptive truths. The pictures, in other words, heighten our understanding and give us a better understanding as well. Then, the third reason why the tabernacle is important is because we will not be able to understand much of the New Testament without understanding the tabernacle. For example, John 1 verse 14, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us. Speaking of Jesus, that word translated dwelt literally means tabernacled. When Christ came to earth, John says He tabernacled among us. And that's important for us to understand because if we don't know what it means for God to tabernacle or what the tabernacle is about, then we're not going to get the full understanding John has for us in saying that Jesus tabernacled. Here's another example. When Jesus finished paying for our sins on the cross, the veil separating the holy place and the most holy place was torn in two. We're not going to understand the significance of that unless we first understand the significance of the veil and why it was there and what the Lord was doing. So we need to understand the New Testament. And then fourth, the tabernacle is important because it is needed for our growth and grace. We all know the familiar words of Paul in 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17. All Scripture has been inspired by God. It is profitable for teaching, for correction, reproof, and training in righteousness, that the man of God may be equipped in every good work. And let us not forget this evening, that includes those chapters in Exodus and Leviticus and Numbers. So it's a simple picture, but it's a very important picture as well. And since it is that, we need to study it and to prayerfully study it to increase our love and appreciation for Christ. So let's look again now as we close at Hebrews 9 and verse 6. Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services, but into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the people's sins committed in ignorance, the Holy Spirit indicating this. that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience." And then again, verse 11, "...but Christ came who would shed his own blood." We've talked a little bit about this already, that the tabernacle was symbolic of something or someone greater to come. It pointed us forward to Christ and to His work as the Messiah. But what would this have meant for the Israelites? It would have meant that the tabernacle was designed by God to be insufficient for them. To be insufficient for them. It had its purpose, as God intended, but it was not the real deal, nor was it to be permanent. And if you look again at verse 8, every time the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, offering blood for the sins of the people as well as for his own, the Holy Spirit was signifying this insufficiency to the people of God. In other words, the Israelites would have known that the tabernacle and its services were just temporary. They would have known that the tabernacle was symbolic of something greater, that it was just a shadow and not the substance, that it was just a copy and not the original. And so it would have left them longing for the original, longing for the substance, wanting the Messiah to come and to show himself and to accomplish this great salvation. And you realize, now that Jesus has come, and now that we have the full revelation of God in both Old and New Testaments, we get to see in the tabernacle what the Israelites would have longed to see all along. We get to see the original substance of Jesus Christ in the pictures and types. And that, in turn, should inflame our hearts with great love and thankfulness for Jesus Christ. Most expectant families these days, and I know my wife and I have done this with our boys, will get an ultrasound picture of their baby before the baby's born. I'm sure many of you have done that as well. If you've experienced it, there's almost nothing like it, especially as the baby gets farther along. It's incredibly exciting to see this is your child, especially if it's your first child. This is your child that Lord willing someday is going to come out of the womb and you're going to meet. But at the same time, there is absolutely nothing like the day the baby is born. Because now, the ultrasound was good, served its purpose, but it was just a picture. It wasn't the real baby. Now you get to see the real baby, and you get to hold the real baby, and you get to love and experience the full, the real baby in his fullness. It's not like the picture. Now the picture, again, was good, it had its purpose, but now you have the real baby in your arms. You realize that's us compared to the tabernacle. The ultrasound picture, that was for the Israelites. It's as if we have the real baby in our arms. We get to see the glory of Christ in ways that the Israelites never would have been able to see. We get to see the fullness of Christ's revelation in ways that the Israelites wouldn't have been able to see. Because we now have the real thing, and it is far, far better. And so as you study the tabernacle and you see what the Israelites would have longed to see, your hearts should be like the men who were on the road to Emmaus, on fire for Christ as they saw Him revealed in the Old Testament. But we need the Lord to bless that. And so I encourage you, make the tabernacle something you study and pray, God open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things in your law. you would show me Jesus Christ and His salvation even from the tabernacle." Commentator William Brown says, an earnest and prayerful study of the tabernacle and the purposes it served cannot fail to increase our knowledge, if I can add, our appreciation of the grand truths of redemption. That's what the tabernacle is all about. It is a simple, very important picture of Jesus and His salvation. As you study it, prayerfully study it, so that God might increase your love and your thankfulness for Him. Let's give thanks to Him in prayer. Our Father in heaven, we do thank you for this important picture. We pray, Lord, that we would not neglect this portion of your word, but we would take up the study and ask you, Holy Spirit, to teach us. We thank you that we can see Christ in this tabernacle, in all of its furniture, in all of its functions, and we pray that you'd help us to grow in our understanding of that. Lord, make us faithful and diligent students of your word. To the glory of your name we pray, amen.