The document provides details about the layout and construction of the tabernacle that God instructed Moses to build for the Israelites. It describes the inner structure divided into the Holy Place and Holy of Holies covered by animal skin and linen curtains, as well as the outer courtyard surrounded by a linen fence with a single entry gate facing east. God dwelt among his people in the tabernacle, which prefigured Jesus Christ who came to "tabernacle" or dwell among mankind according to the gospel of John.

1. Lesson 1: Introduction to the Tabernacle
Read: Exodus 24:12 - 25:9
In Exodus, God performed many miracles and rescued the Israelites out of slavery in
Egypt (circa 1450 B.C.). In the passage, the Israelites had been wandering in the
wilderness for a little less than a year. God summons Moses up to Mount Sinai to give
him instructions regarding the building of a special structured called the tabernacle.
Upon completion, the tabernacle was a mobile tent with portable furniture that the people
traveled with and set up wherever they pitched camp. The tabernacle would be in the
center of the camp, and the 12 tribes of Israel would set up their tents around it according
to tribe.
The tabernacle was a sign of God dwelling among His people. He appeared as a pillar of
cloud over the tabernacle by day and a pillar of fire by night in the sight of all Israel. The
people would not set out on their journey unless the cloud lifted. It was definitely a
powerful visual statement indicating God’s presence among them.
Discussion:
A visual dwelling
1. Where did God first meet with Moses? Were other people allowed to go and meet
God there too? To the common Israelites, was God in the midst of them, or far away
from them?
2. After Moses remained on Mount Sinai for 40 days receiving commandments from
God regarding the tabernacle, the people did something completely out of line. Read
about this event Exodus 32:1-10. What does this show about the people’s nature and
how they wanted to worship?
3. Tabernacle literally means “tent” or “dwelling.” Read Exodus 29:45-46. Why do you
think God chose to come close and live in the midst of Israel? What does this say
about Israel as a nation?
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2. A lesson of unquestionable authority
4. Read Exodus 25:9 again. God was about to give some very specific instructions about
how each component of the tabernacle was to be built, and here He told Moses to
follow everything exactly as He commanded it (we will learn more about the details
in subsequent lessons). What does this say about God’s relationship with His people?
What would have happened if Moses strayed from God’s pattern?
A projection of God’s redemptive plan
5. Read John 1:14. The word “dwelling” in this verse is the same word for “tabernacle”
in the Old Testament. How does this verse relate Jesus to the Old Testament
tabernacle? What does this tell us about the purpose of the tabernacle?
6. Read Revelations 21:1-4. As we can see, the theme of the tabernacle begins in
Exodus and continues through the Bible to its last pages. In this passage, where is the
tabernacle? What does this tell us about God’s plan regarding the tabernacle from the
beginning?
Optional further reading: The tabernacle was a temporary structure and forerunner of
the more permanent temple that Solomon built. For further information on Solomon’s
temple, read 2 Samuel 7:8-13 and 1 Kings 5 and 6.
© Copyright 2004. GoodSeed International. All rights reserved.

3. What is the Tabernacle?
A visual dwelling
Tabernacle means “tent,” “place of dwelling” or “sanctuary.” It was a sacred place where God chose
to meet His people, the Israelites, during the 40 years they wandered in the desert under Moses’
leadership. It was the place where the leaders and people came together to worship and offer
sacrifices.
The tabernacle was first erected in the wilderness exactly one year after the Passover when the
Israelites were freed from their Egyptian slavery (circa 1450 B.C.). It was a mobile tent with portable
furniture that the people traveled with and set up wherever they pitched camp. The tabernacle would
be in the center of the camp, and the 12 tribes of Israel would set up their tents around it according to
tribe.
“…make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8)
“Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the Lord their
God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them.” (Exodus 29:45-46)
And so God dwelled among His people in the tabernacle in the wilderness. He appeared as a pillar of
cloud over the tabernacle by day and a pillar of fire by night in the sight of all Israel. The people
would not set out on their journey unless the cloud lifted. It was an unmistakably powerful visual
statement indicating God’s presence among them.
God knew that the Israelites needed visual evidence of His presence. When Moses went up to Mount
Sinai for 40 days and the people did not see or hear from him, they grew impatient and gathered their
gold to form a golden calf that they worshipped in place of God. After ten generations of living in
Egypt, it was not surprising that the Israelites mimicked the Egyptians in fashioning a visual idol of
their own. This act of disobedience demonstrated their need to follow and worship a God who was
visually tangible. God’s provision of a tabernacle — itself a splendor to behold — not only allowed
the people to sense His presence, but also to see their leader go in to meet with God in a concrete
place and not disappear up a mountain.
A lesson of unquestionable authority
The tabernacle was more than just a dwelling place. All the components of the tabernacle were part of
an intricate visual aid to illustrate God's relationship with His people. One aspect of this relationship
was God’s requirement for complete obedience. God told Moses to create the tabernacle exactly the
way He commanded. It was not to stray from God’s blueprint.
“Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.” (Exodus 25:9)
To this end, God gave very specific instructions about the size of each component and the materials
the Israelites were to use, as we will see in the following sections of this discussion. These seemingly
cumbersome rules were not intended to burden the people, but to show God’s unquestionable
authority and holiness, and emphasize that people could only come to God on God’s terms, not on

4. their own. They had to obey reverently not only in the construction of the tabernacle, but also in the
way they worshipped. Any irreverence or ritual uncleanness could result from an individual being cut
off from his people or in death.
For example, the anointing oil for the tabernacle and the incense for the alter of incense (made from
God’s own prescribed formulas of spices) were both declared holy by God and could only be used for
the purpose of the tabernacle; anyone else using the same formula for their own consumption would
be cut off from Israel (Exodus 30:34-38). The special garments for the priests were holy; if they did
not wear the right clothing in serving the Lord, they could die (Exodus 28:2, 43).
A projection of God’s redemptive plan
In the New Testament, John writes: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John
1:14) This word “dwelling” is the same word for “tabernacle” in the Old Testament. In other words,
God came in living flesh to dwell or to tabernacle among His people. As He walked upon the earth
and lived among the Jews, Jesus Christ Himself fulfilled the picture of the Old Testament
tabernacle. In that and many other ways, as we will see, the tabernacle really was a prophetic
projection of the Lord’s redemptive plan for His people.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will
live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’” (Rev.
21:3)
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5. Lesson 2: The Basic Layout of the Tabernacle and the Gate
Read: Exodus 26:1-30, 27:9-19
To summarize this long passage, the tabernacle consisted of a tent-like structure (the
tabernacle proper) covered by rug-like materials for a roof, and an external courtyard.
The whole compound was surrounded by a high fence. The fence was made of linen
hangings held by pillars.
The tent – the tabernacle proper – was divided into the Holy Place and the Holy of
Holies. The tent was made of acacia wood boards overlaid with gold and fitted
together to form the walls (45 by 15 feet). On top, four layers of curtains acted as a
roof to shield the tabernacle from sun and rain: The innermost layer was woven with
fine linen and embroidered with figures of cherubim (angels), the second layer was
made of goat’s hair, the third layer was made of rams’ skins dyed red, and the
outermost layer was made of porpoise skins. The curtains were pinned to the ground
with loops and clasps.
The whole compound (150 feet by 75 feet) was surrounded by a high fence (7 feet in
height) with only one entry way (30 feet wide). The gate was located directly in the
center of the outer court, always on the east end. It was covered by a curtain or screen
made of finely twisted linen in blue, purple and scarlet.
© Copyright 2004. GoodSeed International. All rights reserved.

6. Discussion:
1. Draw your own two-dimensional sketch of the tabernacle blueprint. Include in your
sketch the courtyard, tabernacle proper, fence and gate.
2. The Bible tells us that there is only one gate to enter into the tabernacle. What would
be the significance of this to the people in Moses’ time?
3. What is the importance of the act of entering the gate?
4. What was the significance of the gate always being on the east? (Hint: Which
direction does the sun rise from?)
© Copyright 2004. GoodSeed International. All rights reserved.

7. 5. Read John 10:9 and 14:6, two of Jesus’ famous “I am” statements. How did the
tabernacle gate point to Jesus Christ?
6. The significance of the tabernacle’s layout was not only in the fence and the gate, but
also in the way the pieces of furniture were arranged. We will look at one of these
components to begin with: The first thing that someone saw upon entering the gate
was the brazen altar, where he was to present his animal sacrifice. What do you think
was the implication of this arrangement to Israel?
Optional further reading: The Israelites camped around the tabernacle in a specific
way. For more information on the layout of the camp, read Numbers 2. Draw a diagram
of how the tribes were arranged around the tabernacle. The layout resembles a cross (or
small letter “t”), with the tabernacle in the center. This signified God’s dwelling always
in the center of His people.
© Copyright 2004. GoodSeed International. All rights reserved.