If you ever had the privilege of visiting the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas and walked around the lobbies, you would see a model of one of their buildings in a lobby. These models are pretty amazing in their craftsmanship and detail. I like the little cars and people they put on the parking lots and walkways. Incredible detail! But, these incredible models are really pretty insignificant when you start looking at the real thing.
When the Royal Towers were being built at Atlantis, one my students was one of the contractors. He took me for a “behind the scenes” tour when it was nearly finished. It was amazing. He showed me some of the high tech aspects of the building. He also showed me some of the special suites, including the exclusive $25,000 per night (at that time) Bridge Suite. That model I thought was so great now seemed so inadequate to capture the true beauty of the real thing.
There are many “models” in the Old Testament that are just like those models of the Atlantis buildings. They are meticulously designed and detailed, but they look so insignificant when you look at the real thing.
The Tabernacle
The Tabernacle was a central part of life for the Jewish people for nearly five hundred years. It was a political center, a judicial center, and it was the center of worship. Generation after generation lived life centered around the Tabernacle.
God established a very intricate and detailed plan for the Tabernacle. That plan included exact specifications for every part of its design and construction. The type of wood, the types of fabric and animal skins used, the types and colors of thread, and how everything was to fit together was all specified for the structure.
For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: "Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.” (Hebrews 8:5)Gary DeLashmutt explains that:
Everything had to be made exactly as commanded, because it was a copy or shadow of something very real—namely, the way God is, the problem God has with us, and the way God solves our problem.It was an elaborate and lavish design. The value of the metals used in the construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings would be worth over thirty million dollars at today’s prices. That doesn’t include the value of fabrics, animal skins and wood. Beautiful fabrics and animal skins, lustrous bronze, brilliantly shining silver and gold. Intricate design. An incredible model. And it was all but a shadow, a sign-post, designed to point forward to Jesus.
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The music is louder than the narrator. I can' understand everything he is saying. This is interesting and something that I could possibly use in teaching about the tabernacle but not with the music overpowering the speaker.
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