What the Temple Reveals about God’s Heart for Humanity
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Early in my faith journey, I learned that my sin repelled the Lord. This message, which the hosts of the Bible Project podcast refer to as a dangerous half-truth, caused me to interact with God as if our relationship depended on my performance. Yet, this isn’t the pattern revealed in Scripture.
Instead, from the moment the first humans rebelled in the Garden to Christ’s death on the cross and beyond, we see a God who relentlessly pursues His faithless and at times outright wicked creation and provides a way for us to “dwell” with Him. His desire has always been to commune with us and, through that intimate union, to bring us thriving life (John 10:10).
The Temple, which first existed as a portable Tabernacle and later anchored first century Jewish life, provided a holy space for humanity to encounter the living God and experience a taste of heaven here on earth. It, and the rituals practiced within, foreshadowed Christ’s coming and the access to the Father that He provides.
Our Father’s Heart
If you’re familiar with Old Testament history, you might remember what Scripture refers to as the Exodus. During this miraculous event, God used a man named Moses to liberate His people from 400 years of slavery and oppression in the land of Egypt. Through this, the Lord was bringing them physical and spiritual freedom by, ultimately, drawing them to Himself. In Exodus 7:16, this is what He instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh:
“The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness” (emphasis added).
And in Exodus 19:3-4, we read:
“Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, ‘This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself’” (emphasis added).
God’s desire has always been to “abide” with, or stay close to, His people. This was one reason He instructed them to build what Scripture calls the Tent of Meeting, also referred to as the Tabernacle of Moses. Note the Lord’s instructions in Exodus 25:8:
“Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.”
This was a portable structure in which God frequently made His presence tangibly known and spoke to Moses “face to face” (Exodus 33:7-11).
Once His people became settled in their land and established as a nation, God stirred within David, ancient Israel’s second king, a dream for a permanent place of worship. Initially, he wanted to oversee the building project, but the Lord assigned this to David’s son Solomon, who next took the throne.
According to the Bible Project’s Tim Mackie, “…[the Hebrews] believed that it was the home of the God of the universe.” Further, “the whole point of this earthly temple is that it’s the place that overlaps with God’s heavenly home.” As Dr. Randall Price, author of Rose Guide to the Temple wrote, “God originally gave the temple to the people of Israel as a visual aid to comprehending God’s glory in the heavenly temple and to show the way in which God in his holiness relates to people in their sinful condition. … He desires a relationship with his creatures, but on his terms, respecting his righteousness and standards.”
In other words, the Old Testament Temple, which stood 45 feet tall, 30 feet wide, and 90 feet long, provided a space where heaven touched earth and flawed humans encountered the divine. Every element of this structure conveyed profound truths regarding God, His nature, expectations and heart.
Powerful Symbolism within the Temple
During the time of Moses, the Lord told His people to build a sacred gold-plated chest called the Ark of the Covenant. This contained the 10 Commandments, a sign of God’s covenant relationship with His people, a jar of manna as a reminder His faithful provision, and a budded staff to represent the priesthood.
In the northern section of an area referred to as the “Holy Place” stood a golden table upon which the priests placed twelve loaves of bread called the shewbread or bread of presence. These loaves, which only the priests could eat, remained for a full week, after which they were replaced with fresh loaves. This emphasized God’s covenantal relationship with His people and His role as their faithful Provider, while pointing to the Messiah, our source of life.
John 6 tells us about a time when Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 people from a boy’s lunch. The next day, the crowd searched for and found Him on the other side of a lake. Jesus told them they came looking for Him for the wrong reasons — wanting to fill their stomachs. He told them to seek food that doesn’t spoil. He then declared, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35a).
The temple also contained 10 golden lampstands, likely patterned after the single menorah that occupied the Tabernacle. Each one was shaped like a tree, possibly to illustrate the Tree of Life that grew in Eden and now stands in the heavenly, holy city, the “new Jerusalem.” Each cup was shaped like an almond blossom, a tree known to bloom first in spring. Scholars connect this with Jesus, Whom Scripture refers to as “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). This illustrates how He was the first to rise from the dead to everlasting life, and in so doing provides eternal salvation to all who believe in Him.
The light shining from these lampstands pointed to Jesus as the light of the world (John 8:12). To the first century Hebrew, light represented goodness and dark evil. It also implies that which reveals or illuminates things hidden and the path forward. Lastly, light indicated knowledge and awareness while darkness signified ignorance. As the writers at GotQuestions state, “In declaring Himself to be the Light of the world, Jesus was claiming that He is the exclusive source of spiritual light. No other source of spiritual truth is available to mankind.”
The Temple was also the place where humans experienced much needed absolution. Once a year, the Jewish people practiced the Day of Atonement, also called Yom Kippur. As Dr. Alastair from the Theopolis Institute states:
“The Day of Atonement was the only day when a priest could enter the Most Holy Place (or the Holy of Holies), the inner room of the tabernacle or temple that contained the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat. On that day, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place with incense and sprinkled the mercy seat with the blood of both purification offerings — a bull for the high priest and the goat on which the lot had fallen for the people.”
This foretold Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). When He died for mankind, the veil separating the “Holy of Holies” from the rest of the temple, was torn in two from top to bottom. This signified that, now, because of His death and resurrection, those who believe in Him have unhindered access to the Father. Scholars also suggest this indicated the end of the temple and its religious system, all of which foreshadowed the coming of Christ and what He accomplished through the cross.
Abiding within Us
The more we understand the rich symbolism contained within the Temple’s elements and the sacred rites performed there, the more we grasp our Lord’s unchanging, pursuing heart. Jesus wasn’t repelled by our sin. Instead, He entered into our mess, broke the chains that bound us, purified our souls, and provided a way for us to remain continuously connected to Him.
On the night before His death, Christ promised His disciples, and therefore, us as well:
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you (John 14:16-17, emphasis added).
We, His followers, are now His temples, the place in which He dwells. Here is a beautiful truth we can cling to whenever we feel unworthy of His love and grace. He who died for us while we were entrenched in sin won’t abandon or forsake us in today’s struggle. We can trust that all times, and in all situations, He moves toward us and will one day carry us to our eternal home.
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Jennifer Slattery is a writer and speaker who co-hosts the Faith Over Fear podcast and, along with a team of 6, the Your Daily Bible Verse podcast. She’s addressed women’s groups, Bible studies, and taught at writers conferences across the nation. She’s the author of Building a Family and numerous other titles and maintains a devotional blog at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLou
She’s passionate about helping people experience Christ’s freedom in all areas of their lives. Visit her online to learn more about her speaking or to book her for your next women’s event, and sign up for her free quarterly newsletter HERE and make sure to connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and GodTube.