Outside the Tent

Sermon 70 in Series

Exodus 27:1-19
[1] “You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad. The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. [2] And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. [3] You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze. [4] You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. [5] And you shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that the net extends halfway down the altar. [6] And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. [7] And the poles shall be put through the rings, so that the poles are on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. [8] You shall make it hollow, with boards. As it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made.

[9] “You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side. [10] Its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. [11] And likewise for its length on the north side there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, its pillars twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. [12] And for the breadth of the court on the west side there shall be hangings for fifty cubits, with ten pillars and ten bases. [13] The breadth of the court on the front to the east shall be fifty cubits. [14] The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. [15] On the other side the hangings shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. [16] For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. It shall have four pillars and with them four bases. [17] All the pillars around the court shall be filleted with silver. Their hooks shall be of silver, and their bases of bronze. [18] The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, the breadth fifty, and the height five cubits, with hangings of fine twined linen and bases of bronze. [19] All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.   How has God used our time in Exodus to grow your theology? What themes have stood out the most?
2.   How has the tabernacle deepened your understanding of the Bible as a whole? In general, how has it enriched your view of Christ’s person and work?
3.   What are some of the pronounced features of the altar? What do the altar and its placement communicate about sin, reconciliation, and worship?
4.   How did the linen hangings of the court both show and shield what was behind them? What does this say about the function of the tabernacle?
5.   How would the entrance into the court have prepared the Israelite worshipper? How does this singular entrance point to Christ?

References: Hebrews 9:6-7; Matthew 27:50-51; Psalm 118:27; 89:17; 1 Kings 1:51; Exodus 29:11-12; 30:28; Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:22; 10:11-14; John 1:29; Exodus 19:12-13; John 14:6.