The Tabernacle: A Shadow of Jesus
Month 3: The Great Rescue · Why We Believe
Today's Scripture
Read together: Exodus 25:8–9 & Hebrews 9:11–12
8 And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them. 9 You must make the tabernacle and design all its furnishings according to the pattern I show you. — Exodus 25:8-9
11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption. — Hebrews 9:11-12
Memory Verse
“And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”— Deuteronomy 6:5 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Joshua 9–11
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 84 of 365 — Joshua leads Israel in conquering the land.)The Heart of It
At Mount Sinai, God gave Moses very careful plans for a special tent called the Tabernacle. "They are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them" (). Stop and wonder at that. The holy God who made the stars wanted to camp out in the middle of His people. Every detail mattered. The gold. The curtains. The lamp. The altar. And the room behind the veil called the Most Holy Place, where God's presence rested. It was beautiful. But it was also a picture. It was a kind of shadow, pointing forward to something even greater. Or rather, to Someone even greater.
The book of Hebrews opens the secret. All of it pointed to Jesus. The Tabernacle had a high priest. Once a year he entered with the blood of goats and calves to cover the people's sin. But Jesus is the better High Priest. He "entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption" (). John even says Jesus came and dwelt among us. The word he uses means Jesus tabernacled among us (). The tent of cloth and gold was always meant to make our hearts long for the day God would live with His people in person. So when you read about the Tabernacle, you are not reading dusty history. You are reading the early sketch of the Savior who would come to make His home with us forever.
Around the Table
God made a special tent so He could live close to His people. Now Jesus lives close to us — even closer!
Let's do it: Build a quick "tent" with a blanket over your heads and say, "God wants to be with us!"
The Tabernacle was like a picture that pointed to Jesus before He came. What part of the picture do you find most amazing?
Let's talk: Why would God give Moses such exact plans for the tent?
A shadow shows the shape of something real that is coming. The Tabernacle's priest, blood, and veil all pointed ahead to Jesus.
Let's go deeper: When the veil tore at Jesus' death (), what was God showing us?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you could design a tent for God to live in with your family, what would you make sure to put inside?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says, "The Bible is just a bunch of unrelated old stories": We can answer kindly (). Actually, the Bible is one connected story. It was written across 1,500 years by dozens of authors. And it all points to Jesus. The Tabernacle was built around 1,400 years before Christ. Yet it pictures His priesthood, His blood, and His presence with stunning precision. That kind of unity, planned across centuries, points to one Author behind it all. It points to God.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Jesus said the Scriptures "testify about Me" (), and on the road to Emmaus He walked through "Moses and all the Prophets" to explain Himself (). The Tabernacle is a goldmine for teaching your children that Scripture is full of Christ from Genesis forward. The priest, the altar, the basin, the showbread, the veil, the mercy seat. Each one whispers "Jesus." This is more than a clever Bible trick. It is powerful ground for defending the faith. These shadows display a Mind arranging revelation across a thousand and a half years. Let your kids see that the Old Testament isn't a separate, lesser book. It is the promise in shadow, and the Gospels are the sunrise that makes it plain. Teach them to read the whole Bible looking for the Lamb.
Draws on: Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that the old tent in the wilderness was always pointing us to Jesus. Thank You that Jesus came to live among us. Thank You that He opened the way to You with His own blood. Help us love Him more and more. In Jesus' name, amen."
Every shadow in the Old Testament was drawn to make me look for Jesus. And there He is.