Week of 1.23.2022 | Day Two
This week’s lesson from The Gospel Project for Kids finishes up Exodus and focuses on building the tabernacle. What is the tabernacle? Be sure to define this for your kids. A tabernacle is a portable tent where God met with His people. The word tabernacle means “dwelling place.” God wanted to dwell among them. (See Ex. 29:45-46.) Wherever the Israelites traveled, they would set up the tabernacle in the center of camp as a powerful reminder that God was with His people.
God has always wanted to be with His people. Even when sin separated Adam and Eve from God in the garden, God had a plan to be with His people. God sent His son, Jesus, to live on earth with the people. Through Jesus, all who believe can be reunited with God, and one day they will dwell with Him for all eternity.
Weekly Challenge
Throughout the week, make a point to think about God’s presence dwelling with His people, both in the Old Testament in the Tabernacle then the Temple, in the New Testament as Jesus, and now through the Holy Spirit. God loves us so much He wants to dwell with us! (For added fun, consider making a visual reminder with your kids. You could color a flag that you put up in your home, make bracelets with your favorite colors to remind you of the details God put into His tabernacle, or even light a candle as you have your family devotional time.)
Big Picture Question
What is worship? Worship is celebrating the greatness of God.
Christ Connection
God told the Israelites to build a tabernacle where He would dwell with them. God wants to be with His people. As part of His plan to save sinners, God sent Jesus to dwell on earth with people.
Key Passage
Come, let’s worship and bow down; let’s kneel before the LORD our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep under his care.
Psalm 95:6-7
Read
Skim Exodus 37-40, highlighting how God gave specific instructions for each part of the tabernacle, all that went inside, and the clothes the Priests wore when going inside.
Read 40:16-38, especially focusing on 34-38, when God’s presence enters the tabernacle.
Check out this resource with pictures to help your kids visualize what it all would have looked like.
Discuss
Point out how detailed God was with His instructions on how to make the tabernacle. It was to be a work of art and beauty, fit for a King.
Why does God choose to use a tent to dwell in? Isn’t His home in Heaven?
Younger kids might have a hard time understanding why God would need people to build him a tent to live in. Help them understand that God is everywhere all the time (omnipresent) and doesn’t exist in time and space like we do. So for him to choose to appear before His people in a cloud, a pillar of fire, or in the tabernacle, was His way of allowing His people to be near Him. God gave them a command for what to build, and they obeyed. The tabernacle (and later the temple) was a symbol that God rules as their King. It had a very significant meaning. Tomorrow we will go into more detail about God dwelling with His people through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Pray
God, it is amazing to think of how much detail you gave your people for your tabernacle. Your presence is amazing and you are like no other gods. Help us to be mindful of your presence and just how important it is!