Exodus 35 and 38:1-9

We are starting a very special series on the Tabernacle that the Israelites built near Mt Horeb (Sinai) according to the directions and pattern given to Moses by God. It is rich in parallels that teach us about God’s best and most important gift, our salvation.

I can’t say it any better than Brennan, so I’ll share His post on the significance of the outer court. Check out his blog at: Brennan’s Pen: The Courtyard https://share.google/irJaJ4lMEJNMrTvTv 

After the Golden Calf experience, many repented from their sin and truly chose to worship God. God renewed His covenant and invited the people to build a special Tabernacle. This lesson from Exodus 35 shows how much the people gave. They gave generously and cheerfully. They gave so much that Moses had to tell them to stop giving!

Exodus 38:1-9 tells about the Tabernacle Courtyard design. The courtyard was where the people came to offer their gifts. They brought sacrifices to confess their sins and also thank offerings. Here they came to pray, praise the Lord and worship. It is here that we learn about God’s greatest and most important gift, the gift of salvation.

This PowerPoint presentation (and the next 2 lessons) encourages you and the children to make a model of the sanctuary. The model can be one with felts, a paper model, or a classroom size model. The directions and ideas are given in the presentation.

I did the basic work of making an altar, basin, and the curtains. The kids got to put on the bronze paper to finish the altar, add some more mirrors to the basin, and put up the curtains on the entry posts.

To make the altar I took one of Lowe’s blue boxes. I measured 10 inches from the top and cut around the sides of the box at that line. Then I flipped that top over so that it looks like the inner grate spoken of in scripture. I taped the sides all around. The box can easily be flattened for storage by turning it over, untaping the bottom, and then untaping the ‘top’ which is now the middle grate from its underside.

I made the basin by spray painting a very large metal bowl and metal vase with bronze spray paint. The picture doesn’t show the mirrors on it yet.