When we see the American flag waving, it most likely fills us with a sense of thankfulness and a good kind of pride. We love our country. We are grateful for the freedoms, privileges, and great blessings that come with being born an American citizen.
The Flag is not America itself, but it represents America. Whether flying above a ship, being displayed by the gold medal winner on the Olympic podium, or being draped over the coffin of a deceased solider, the flag points to America. It identifies the country to whom the navy or the athlete or the deceased soldier belongs.
It’s elements point to something about our country:
- There are 50 stars – one for each state.
- There are 13 stripes – one for each of the original 13 colonies.
Even the colors have meaning:
- White suggests purity and innocence
- Red represents hardiness & valor
- Blue signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice.
All this symbolism points to America.
There is a great deal of symbolism in Exodus 25 and 26, where God provides blueprints for the construction of The Tabernacle: every single furnishing in the Tabernacle points to the person of Jesus Christ.
You can follow the link below for a discussion of each of these elements and how each both points to Jesus and calls us to worship Jesus. (The remaining elements are covered in the next lesson. They also points to Jesus.)
Worship is why we are here – it’s the reason we were created. In heaven we will worship King Jesus. So, perhaps as we worship Him here on earth, our worship is a taste of heaven!
Hebrews 8:5 refers to the Tabernacle as “a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.” A shadow is not the real thing–it only represents it, or points to it.
Just like our flag is not America itself, but represents and points to our country.
When we see the flag, we are prompted to honor it by standing, placing our hands over our hearts, removing our hats. In essence we are honoring the country our flag represents.
Each element in the Tabernacle represents something about our Lord Jesus Christ. It prompts us to ask, “How have we honored Him in our daily lives? How do we worship Him?”
We would be surprised and shocked and perhaps even angry if we witnessed someone refusing to stand for the singing of the national anthem or talking and laughing while the pledge of allegiance is recited.
But have we considered that sitting while others stand…or refusing to sing while others worship…talking or laughing while others worship….is dishonoring to Jesus?
We were created for worship.
Psalm 67:3 says:
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us
…that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.
In quoting this passage, John Piper reminds us that worship is both the fuel and the goal of missions. Missions exist, he says, because worship doesn’t.
How does the Tabernacle – and all its elements – point you to Jesus and prompt you to worship and praise Jesus?
We were created for worship. And we will get to spend eternity worshipping Jesus. As we worship Him here, perhaps that’s a taste of heaven on earth.
The Tabernacle points to Jesus and calls us to worship. How are you being called to walk in worship today?
Here’s the link for the this week’s teaching lecture on Exodus 25 and 26:
http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/ladies-bible-study-exodus-lesson-15-laura-macfarlan-1-22-15/
