The tabernacle was a sacred tent, that the Israelites carried as they journeyed to the promised land. The tabernacle was sacred, because it’s where the heavenly presence of Israel’s God lived on earth. The tabernacle had an important design to show just how special it was. There’s the outer courtyard, then an entry room into the tent and it leads into the center of the tabernacle, the Holy of Holies, God’s personal throne room. The Holy of Holies, it’s guarded by these heavenly hybrid creatures called cherubim. The closer we get to the center, the more sacred the space becomes. The people who work in the tabernacle are called priests, they care for the sacred space. The priests offer sacrifices on behalf of Israel and announce God’s blessing over the people. These priests represent God to the people and they represent the people to God. Both the tabernacle and the priests who work in it, their like gateways, that link together heaven and earth. This is why the tabernacle was eventually brought up to settle on a mountain, because mountains are where earth meets heaven.
Now, one thing that’s missing in this tabernacle, that we would find in every other ancient holy space, are idol images that physically represent the god. Israel’s God explicitly commanded them to not make any idol images, because in the Bible, all humanity is God’s image. Adam and Eve, in Hebrew, their names mean human “Adam” and life “Eve,” they’re called God’s image, which means they represent God in his Holy space. That Holy space is a garden, in a land called Eden. The story is designed to show that Eden is the reality, that the later tabernacle symbolized and pointed back to. Look close at the descriptions of Eden. There’s the larger region on the land that’s called Eden, but then within Eden, God plants a garden and then, in the center of that garden, God plants the tree of life. The design of Eden, matches the tabernacle design. There are details in the Eden story, that are developed much later in the Bible, showing how Eden is on a high mountain, because they’re in a place where earth meets heaven.
God tells these humans to work and to keep the garden. These are the same words that are used later in the Bible, to describe what priests do in the tabernacle. Adam and Eve are God’s image and are like priests working and worshiping in a type of heaven on earth temple. Adam and Eve represent creation before God and as God’s image, they represent God to all of creation. Adam and Eve do all of this in this sacred space, that’s saturated with the life and presence of God. God tells them to rule creation on his behalf, they’re like priests who embody God’s heavenly wisdom and rule here on earth. We could call them royal priests. This whole setup, the royal priests in God’s presence, where there’s abundance and life, this is called God’s blessing. But God’s blessing doesn’t last very long, humanity is deceived by a rebellious creature. Adam and Eve are unsatisfied with being images of God, so they make a grab at being God, ruling creation on their own terms.
God exiles Adam and Eve from the garden. God places cherubim at the door of Eden, to guard the way back in, humanity has given up the role God made them for. The rest of the biblical story is about God’s mission to undo this tragedy, so that humans can regain access to the heaven on earth place, where they can finally become God’s royal priests. The story all begins with a promise that God makes to Adam and Eve, that he will raise up one of their descendants to rule over and defeat that deceiver. God says that this coming descendant will strike the head of that deceiver, but also be struck by it. So, this priestly figure will restore God’s blessing by offering up his own life, like a sacrifice.
The next story, we find the next generation of Adam and Eve outside of Eden, two brothers at the door of the garden are offering sacrifices to God, kind of like priests. But sadly, one brother Cain, he gets angry, because God favors his brother Abel’s sacrifice, Cain murders his own brother. Then Cain is exiled even further from Eden and from God’s blessing. Over time, Cain’s anger plunges humanity into widespread violence. Humans really need that coming royal priest to rescue them, and that’s the hope that this whole story is designed to generate, restoring humanity as royal priests.
Now, one thing that’s missing in this tabernacle, that we would find in every other ancient holy space, are idol images that physically represent the god. Israel’s God explicitly commanded them to not make any idol images, because in the Bible, all humanity is God’s image. Adam and Eve, in Hebrew, their names mean human “Adam” and life “Eve,” they’re called God’s image, which means they represent God in his Holy space. That Holy space is a garden, in a land called Eden. The story is designed to show that Eden is the reality, that the later tabernacle symbolized and pointed back to. Look close at the descriptions of Eden. There’s the larger region on the land that’s called Eden, but then within Eden, God plants a garden and then, in the center of that garden, God plants the tree of life. The design of Eden, matches the tabernacle design. There are details in the Eden story, that are developed much later in the Bible, showing how Eden is on a high mountain, because they’re in a place where earth meets heaven.
God tells these humans to work and to keep the garden. These are the same words that are used later in the Bible, to describe what priests do in the tabernacle. Adam and Eve are God’s image and are like priests working and worshiping in a type of heaven on earth temple. Adam and Eve represent creation before God and as God’s image, they represent God to all of creation. Adam and Eve do all of this in this sacred space, that’s saturated with the life and presence of God. God tells them to rule creation on his behalf, they’re like priests who embody God’s heavenly wisdom and rule here on earth. We could call them royal priests. This whole setup, the royal priests in God’s presence, where there’s abundance and life, this is called God’s blessing. But God’s blessing doesn’t last very long, humanity is deceived by a rebellious creature. Adam and Eve are unsatisfied with being images of God, so they make a grab at being God, ruling creation on their own terms.
God exiles Adam and Eve from the garden. God places cherubim at the door of Eden, to guard the way back in, humanity has given up the role God made them for. The rest of the biblical story is about God’s mission to undo this tragedy, so that humans can regain access to the heaven on earth place, where they can finally become God’s royal priests. The story all begins with a promise that God makes to Adam and Eve, that he will raise up one of their descendants to rule over and defeat that deceiver. God says that this coming descendant will strike the head of that deceiver, but also be struck by it. So, this priestly figure will restore God’s blessing by offering up his own life, like a sacrifice.
The next story, we find the next generation of Adam and Eve outside of Eden, two brothers at the door of the garden are offering sacrifices to God, kind of like priests. But sadly, one brother Cain, he gets angry, because God favors his brother Abel’s sacrifice, Cain murders his own brother. Then Cain is exiled even further from Eden and from God’s blessing. Over time, Cain’s anger plunges humanity into widespread violence. Humans really need that coming royal priest to rescue them, and that’s the hope that this whole story is designed to generate, restoring humanity as royal priests.
