Hey, before we get into these discussion questions, why don’t we all take a minute and talk about Stand Up Sunday? It is coming up in just a few weeks. Your lifegroup leader received a coaching video from me this past week with several NEW DETAILS that you’ll want to plan on!
So, do you guys know what your plan is for that morning? This will be really different than before, but I think it will be awesome.
Lifegroup Discussion
What does it means for something to be glorious? What have you seen that you would describe as “glorious”?
Could you share something that you have seen in your life that you thought was glorious?
When we are in awe of something, we think of it as glorious… But don’t forget that everything God is glorious. Everything on earth, from what we drink at lunch to the sunset we see in the evening, display for us the glory of God. Today, we will see how the making of the objects for the tent of meeting displayed God’s undeniable glory.
“The LORD has gifted Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other skilled craftsmen with wisdom and ability to perform any task involved in building the sanctuary. Let them construct and furnish the Tabernacle, just as the LORD has commanded.” So Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and all the others who were specially gifted by the LORD and were eager to get to work.
Exodus 36:1-2 NLT
Next Bezalel made the Ark of acacia wood—a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. He overlaid it inside and outside with pure gold, and he ran a molding of gold all around it. He cast four gold rings and attached them to its four feet, two rings on each side. Then he made poles from acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. He inserted the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it.
Exodus 37:1-5 NLT
The tent of meeting was created by God’s people using their God-given talents to make a place for His glory to rest. How can we demonstrate the glory of God through seemingly “ordinary” tasks like the way we do our job or take care of our family?
Why did God choose Bezalel specifically to make the ark and the other objects that would be in the tent of meeting? What are the qualities of a person whom God delights to use for His glory?
Why do we not see these things as revealing God’s glory?
The Scriptures teach us that Bezalel and the others were chosen because they were skillful, and also because they were willing to do the work. God had gifted these people to do this kind of work, and their willingness to do the work ensured that they would do it with excellence. Glory is shown in excellence, and that is why it was essential for the workers not only to be gifted, but also to be willing to do the work.
When we read about lists of objects in the Bible, our tendency may be to gloss them over. Why might God have devoted such care and attention to describing objects made in this chapter with such meticulous detail? What do these details reveal about God?
The precision with which the objects were made teaches us about God and His glory. For something to be glorious, it has to be right. If God commands a table to be 47 inches tall, and they make it 45 inches tall, the table falls short of His perfection and glory. The workers made glorious things for the tent of meeting because they made them exactly like the Lord told them to make them. We, too, can give God glory if we will work skillfully and willingly. If we work as God has prescribed, people will see our service and give glory to God.
The people brought special offerings of gold totaling 2,193 pounds, as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. This gold was used throughout the Tabernacle. The whole community of Israel gave 7,545 pounds of silver, as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. This silver came from the tax collected from each man registered in the census. (The tax is one beka, which is half a shekel, based on the sanctuary shekel.) The tax was collected from 603,550 men who had reached their twentieth birthday. The hundred bases for the frames of the sanctuary walls and for the posts supporting the inner curtain required 7,500 pounds of silver, about 75 pounds for each base. The remaining 45 pounds of silver was used to make the hooks and rings and to overlay the tops of the posts. The people also brought as special offerings 5,310 pounds of bronze, which was used for casting the bases for the posts at the entrance to the Tabernacle, and for the bronze altar with its bronze grating and all the altar utensils. Bronze was also used to make the bases for the posts that supported the curtains around the courtyard, the bases for the curtain at the entrance of the courtyard, and all the tent pegs for the Tabernacle and the courtyard.
Exodus 28:24-31 NLT
Right now, the price of gold is hovering at around $1,300 per ounce. In today’s economy, the golden objects in the tent of meeting would be worth $56,649,600 just by weight. This isn’t counting what they would be worth as works of art. In addition, silver is currently worth around $22 an ounce. The tent of meeting would have contained about $2,655,840 worth of silver by today’s standards.
What do the use of so many precious metals reveal about God’s nature?
Why did God let the offerings of His people make up the objects for the tent of meeting? What glory do we see when we participate in God’s work?
The purpose of these objects was to demonstrate the glory of heaven. After all, in heaven the streets themselves are paved with gold! The purpose of these things was to inspire awe in the people of Israel as to the richness and glory of God. God is awesome and glorious, and the construction of the objects for the tent of meeting displayed that fact.
Bezalel made the ephod of finely woven linen and embroidered it with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. He made gold thread by hammering out thin sheets of gold and cutting it into fine strands. With great skill and care, he worked it into the fine linen with the blue, purple, and scarlet thread. The ephod consisted of two pieces, front and back, joined at the shoulders with two shoulder-pieces. The decorative sash was made of the same materials: finely woven linen embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. They mounted the two onyx stones in settings of gold filigree.
The stones were engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel, just as a seal is engraved. He fastened these stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod as a reminder that the priest represents the people of Israel. All this was done just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Bezalel made the chestpiece with great skill and care. He made it to match the ephod, using finely woven linen embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. He made the chestpiece of a single piece of cloth folded to form a pouch nine inches square. They mounted four rows of gemstones on it. The first row contained a red carnelian, a pale-green peridot, and an emerald. The second row contained a turquoise, a blue lapis lazuli, and a white moonstone.
The third row contained an orange jacinth, an agate, and a purple amethyst. The fourth row contained a blue-green beryl, an onyx, and a green jasper. All these stones were set in gold filigree. Each stone represented one of the twelve sons of Israel, and the name of that tribe was engraved on it like a seal.
Exodus 39:2-14 NLT
Why was such care taken in the making of the priestly garments? How did the care that was taken point to the value of the service the priest provided for Israel?
So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.
Hebrews 9:11-15 NLT
According to this passage from Hebrews, how does the Tent find it’s true meaning in Christ Jesus?
The priest represented the people of Israel before the Lord. The priest brought in the sacrifices, and he made intercession for the people to the Lord. The priest, then, did not simply represent himself, but also all of Israel. This is why the Lord commanded that the priest be adorned so magnificently. The Lord loves His people, and it is God’s intention to make His people “a kingdom of priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10). As God’s image bearers, we reflect His glory to the world around us. We are not glorious by ourselves, but when we walk with the Lord we show others the glory of God. The Apostle Paul said, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory” (1 Cor. 10:31). We are God’s people, and whatever we do, we ought to make a conscious effort to show others the greatness of God.
What is the spiritual state of the people you work with? How could you demonstrate the glory of God to your coworkers through the way you do your job?
We are glorious people because God dwells with us. What about our community demonstrates the glory of God?
The glory of God is most clearly seen in Jesus Christ. How can you show His matchless worth to someone this week?