Exodus 25
With the help of respected Bible teachers and scholars, I hope to give you insight today into some of the items to be placed in the tabernacle—a holy place where God would dwell among His people. Before doing so, notice how God instructed Moses to tell the Israelites to “take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me” (v. 2). Various materials (e.g., gold, silver, bronze, fine linen, yarn) were listed as possible donations, and you may wonder how a people who was recently enslaved had access to such lavish supplies. Remember, on their way out of Egypt, the Israelites plundered their captors, taking with them these very provisions that would be used to construct and furnish the tabernacle. There is an important application for us today, in that God will supply what we need to accomplish the plans He lays out for us. It’s incumbent upon us, then, to be wise stewards of those resources and use the very best of what He has entrusted to us for Kingdom purposes instead of temporary pleasures.
After informing Moses of His plans for the people to make a tabernacle, God gives his servant directions for how to build the Ark of the Covenant, which would hold the testimony (the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments) that God would soon give to Moses. The Ark would be covered by a mercy seat, where God would speak with Moses about all that He commanded His people. David Guzik explains the significance of the mercy seat in this way:
It was as if God, looking down from His dwelling place between the cherubim, saw the law in the Ark — and knew we were guilty of breaking His law. But atoning blood of sacrifice was sprinkled on the mercy seat, so that God saw the blood covering the breaking of His law — and forgiveness could be offered…It is remarkable that even before God gave Moses the tablets of the Ten Commandments, God made provision for Israel’s failure under the law.
In Romans 3:25, the Greek word for propitiation (hilasterion) is also used in the Septuagint (an early translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek, read in the days of the New Testament) for the “mercy seat.” Therefore, it can be rightly said that “Jesus is our mercy seat.” He is the place and the means of our redemption.[i]
Next, God instructs Moses on the making of the table where the bread of the Presence would reside. This bread, which symbolized God’s faithful provision, points us to Christ Jesus, the Bread of Life, who supplies and satisfies our every spiritual need (John 6:25-59).[ii]
And finally, Exodus 25 closes with God giving guidelines for the construction of the golden lampstand. Pastor John MacArthur says of this holy object: “The golden lampstand is Christ, the light of life…He is the light that directs our paths. He is the one who, through the Spirit, illumines our mind, who understands spiritual truth. He is the one by the indwelling Spirit that guides us through the world of darkness. He is our light.”[iii]
In addition to the underlying glimpses of Jesus and His earthly ministry, the ESV Study Bible notes that there is another “symbolic dimension” to the tabernacle: Eden. “The tabernacle, like the garden of Eden, is where God dwells, and various details of the tabernacle suggest it is a mini-Eden. These parallels include the east-facing entrance guarded by cherubim, the gold, the tree of life (lampstand), and the tree of knowledge (the law). Thus God’s dwelling in the tabernacle was a step toward the restoration of paradise, which is to be completed in the new heaven and earth (Revelation 21-22).”[iv] I’ve heard it said so many times that the Old Testament is no longer relevant to followers of Jesus Christ, but how could that be when we clearly see this theme of God’s redemption throughout all of the Bible? Don’t skip a page and miss out on His plan for you!
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Journal responses to the following prompts:
· How has and does the Bread of Life satisfied your every spiritual hunger?
How does Jesus serve as the light of your life?
[i] Study Guide for Exodus 25. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved March 16, 2026, from
https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/exodus/exodus-25.cfm
[ii] Elwell, W. A. (1996). Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Baker Books.
[iii] MacArthur, J. (1972, September 17). The New Covenant, part 2. [Sermon transcript.] Grace to You. https://www.gty.org/sermons/1620/the-new-covenant-part-2
[iv] ESV Study Bible. (2008). Crossway Books.