Ritual & Cosmic Order in Creation, the Tabernacle

“Where Does God Dwell?” A Real Presence Hermeneutics

The 29th Annual Symposium on Exegetical Theology

Concordia Theological Seminary

Ft. Wayne, Indiana

January 21-22, 2014

Robert Hinckley

Robert Hinckley2

Creation and tabernacle combine as a powerful

testimony to the Lord’s gracious presence among

Israel, and their mission for the life of the world.

The creation account of Genesis 1:1- 2:3 and the

tabernacle texts of Exodus 25-31are best read together.

Focus

▪ The structure of the tabernacle and the order of the divine service (תמיד) reflect the cosmology and “ritual” of creation.

▪ Through the divine service, Israel actualizes the divinely created order, becoming partakers of God’s “very good” ( מאדטוב , Gen 1:31), and bringing holiness and blessing to the world.

Robert Hinckley3

Robert Hinckley4

Four categories display a purposeful analogy

between creation and tabernacle:

Time, Space, Personal and Role.

CREATION – Genesis 1

Evening / morningSeventh

Heaven, earth, seas

Sun, moon, stars, fish, birds, animals, man

Vocation, performance

Blessed, made holy

TABERNACLE – Ex. 25-31

Evening / morning Sabbath

Most Holy Place, Holy Place, courtyard, ritual objects

Elements, offerings, priests, tribes

Consecration, Divine Service

Blessed, made holy

Robert Hinckley5

Time

Space

Personal

Role

The Order of Creation

Robert Hinckley6

Genesis 1

▪ Divided into 7 paragraphs (MT)

▪ Each paragraph corresponds to a numbered day

▪ Understood as speech-acts (6)

▪ Each day God speaks, and so creates/makes something, or causes it to function/operate

▪ Note the role each element/thing/person performs within the order

Robert Hinckley7

Robert Hinckley8

Form / Vocation1. Light אור

▪ separated (בדל) the light from the darkness

2. Heaven רקיע▪ separated the waters under

from the waters above

3. Earth, Seas ארץ ,ימים▪ waters gathered together

▪ dry land appears (ראה)

▪ earth brought forth (יצא) vegetation, plants, trees

עץעשבדשא

4. Lights מארת▪ separate light from darkness

▪ for signs, seasons, days, years

▪ for light on the earth

▪ rule (משל) over day and night

5. Fish, Birds שרץ ,עוף▪ waters swarm with swarms

▪ birds fly above the earth

6. Land Creatures, Man▪ earth bring forth livestock

בהמה

▪ image of God אדם

▪ dominion (רדה) over fish, birds, livestock and over all the earth

▪ plants, trees for food לאכלה

Fill / Vocation

Time

▪ Day One: God separates (בדל) light from darkness, names day and night, and produces the cycle of evening and morning.

▪ Day Four: The lights in the heaven perform the daily cycle, and serve as signs, appointed times (מועדים), days, and years.

▪ Seventh: The seventh day culminates, unifies and inaugurates the other six.

Robert Hinckley9

Space

Robert Hinckley10

Waters above

Firmament, heaven

Earth

Seas, waters under

המים אשר מעל

שמים ,רקיע

ארץ

המים מתחת ,ימים

בדל

Robert Hinckley11

After the space is made, it is “filled” with

elements, creatures and persons, each with a

particular role within the order.

Note what they do, how and where.

Personal, Role

Robert Hinckley12

Heaven

Earth

Seas

Summary

▪ Cycle of evening/morning, seventh day

▪ Spatial domains of heaven, earth, sea

▪ Filled with elements, creatures, man

▪ Each performing a role within the order

▪ By their mutual participation, creation both receives and

gives the “good” which God has ordained (Gen 1:31)

Robert Hinckley13

The Order of the Tabernacle

Tent of Meeting

Robert Hinckley14

Exodus 25-31

Just as God spoke through seven days in creating

the heavens and the earth, so the Lord spoke

seven times in delivering the “pattern” of the

tabernacle to Moses.

Robert Hinckley15

Seven Tabernacle SpeechesExodus 25-31

1. Ex 25:1-30:10 – Ark, Mercy Seat, Table, Lamp-stand, Tabernacle Curtains, Tent, Coverings, Veil, Screen, Outer Altar, Courtyard, High Priest Vestments, Consecration Service, Divine Service (תמיד), Incense Altar

2. Ex 30:11-16 – Census, Half-Shekel

3. Ex 30:17-21 – Laver

4. Ex 30:22-33 – Anointing Oil

5. Ex 30:34-38 – Incense

6. Ex 31:1-11 – Artisans ( אלהיםרוח , cf. Gen 1:2)

7. Ex 31:12-17 – Sabbath Day

Robert Hinckley16

Seven Tabernacle SpeechesExodus 25-31

▪ The order of the speeches, their concepts, rationale, and

idiosyncrasies, are more readily understood in juxtaposition

with Genesis 1:1-2:3.

▪ The first speech essentially has it all. The next five, although

no less important, are more auxiliary.

▪ The speeches culminate in the seventh which concerns the

Sabbath.

Robert Hinckley17

The 1st Tabernacle SpeechExodus 25:1- 30:10

Ex 25:1- 27:19 The structure and its furnishings, the

spatial aspects of God dwelling in Israel’s

midst, “tabernacle” (משכן).

Ex 27:20- 30:10 The Divine Service (& the seven-day

consecration service) emphasizes the ritual

meeting between God and Israel, “tent of

meeting” ( מועדאהל ).

Robert Hinckley18

Sacred Space

1. Most Holy Place

2. Holy Place

3. Courtyard

The Veil (פרכת) functions like the firmament (רקיע) of Day Two, creating the space (cf. Gen 1:7; Ex 26:33b).

Robert Hinckley19

1

2

3

A gradation is further

illustrated by the use of

three metals:

1. Gold

2. Silver

3. Copper

Robert Hinckley20

3

2

1

1

The space will be filled with

consecrated furnishings,

priests, sacrifices—each

performing a role.

Robert Hinckley21

Divine Service

Robert Hinckley22

How does the order of the Divine Service reflect the order of creation?

▪ Ritual time: Evening/morning, Sabbath, Festivals.

▪ Ritual space: Most Holy Place, Holy Place, Courtyard, consecrated furnishings.

▪ Ritual personnel: Tribes of Israel, sacrificial elements/animals, priests.

▪ Ritual performance: The Divine Service as a means for order in the world.

Robert Hinckley23

“There I will meet with you”

Robert Hinckley24

Four times in the tabernacle texts,

Ex 25:22, 29:42-44, 30:6, 30:36,

all in close reference to the Divine Service.

“There I will meet with you”

Robert Hinckley25

Specific: persons, place, time, means

to appoint ,יעד

1. meet at an appointed place,

2. meet by appointment,

3. gather, assemble by appointment

.(testimony ,עדת .cf) congregation ,עדה

appointed time, place, meeting ,מועד

“There I will meet with you”

י תך ונועדת י א ברת ם וד לך ש Ex 25:22

ר ם אש יך ש ר אל ה לדב מ ם ש כ ד ל ע ו א Ex 29:42-43

ל א שר בני י ה ל מ י ש ונעדת

ה מ ד לך ש ע ו ר א אש Ex 30:6

ר ה אש מ ד לך ש ע ו א Ex 30:36

Robert Hinckley26

There I will meet with you.

The references encompass all levels

of the structure, and the major

points of the Divine Service.

Robert Hinckley27

Robert Hinckley28

תמיד

▪ Tamid refers to the Divine Service, the rites of the tabernacle repeated regularly, such as the burnt offering of lamb, twice daily, or the weekly setting of showbread.

▪ Like the days of creation, the tamid is celebrated “evening” (ערב) and “morning” (בקר), a designation which envelopes the second portion of the first speech (Ex 27:21, Ex 30:7).

Ritual and Cosmic Order:Divine Service

תמיד

Robert Hinckley29

Robert Hinckley30

Like the earth “brought forth

vegetation” “for food,”

(Gen 1:11, 29; cf. 2:16)

so in the Divine Service “the

bread of the Presence” was

arranged “every Sabbath day”

to “eat in a holy place.”

(Ex 25:30; Lev 24:8-9)

Table of the Bread of the Presence

MenorahLike the lights in the heaven separate the day from the night, give light on the earth, and serve as appointed times,(Gen 1:14)

so in the Divine Service Aaron is commanded to tend the light of the Menorah “from evening to morning.”(Ex 27:21)

Robert Hinckley31

Altar of Incense/

Veil

Like the birds “fly above the earth

across the face of the heaven,”

(Gen 1:20)

so in the Divine Service Aaron is

commanded to burn incense “every

morning… and evening”, the cloud

rising to the cherubim adorned veil

and curtains, and winged mercy-seat.

(Ex 30:7-8; 25:20)

Robert Hinckley32

Burnt OfferingsLike man is to “have dominion over the

livestock and over all the earth,”

(Gen 1:26)

so in the Divine Service Aaron is

commanded to “offer upon the Altar”

one lamb “in the morning” and the

other “in the evening.”

(Ex 29:38-39)

Robert Hinckley33

The 8th Tabernacle Speech Ex 40:1-8

“The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting (1)*. And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil (2). And you shall bring in the table and arrange it (3), and you shall bring in the lamp-stand and set up its lamps (4). And you shall put the golden altar for incense (5) before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. You shall set the altar of burnt offering (6) before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it (7). And you shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court.’”

Robert Hinckley34

*The numbers above indicate the tabernacle apparatus and its corresponding day of creation. Please note the tabernacle and its service is not limited to this aspect.

Robert Hinckley35

The order is confirmed when in compliance with the

divine command, Moses raised the tabernacle in

seven stages (Ex 40:17-33).

Ex 40: Mosesויקם1. 18-19. Tabernacle, sockets, planks, bars,

posts, Tent, coverings

2. 20-21. Tablets, Ark, Mercy Seat, Veil

3. 22-23. Table (north), laid out bread

4. 24-26. Lamp-stand (south), lit lamps

5. 26-27. Altar of incense, burned incense

6. 28-29. Entrance Screen, Altar of Burnt Offering, offered מנחה ,עלה

7. 30-32. Laver, water, washed

8. 33. Courtyard, Gate.

…as the Lord commanded Moses.

…as the Lord commanded Moses.

…as the Lord commanded Moses.

…as the Lord commanded Moses.

…as the Lord commanded Moses.

…as the Lord commanded Moses.

…as the Lord commanded Moses.

…?

Robert Hinckley36

Cultic Item / Day of CreationTabernacle/Tent

(Ark)/Veil

Table/Bread

Menorah/Lamps

Altar/Incense

Altar/Burnt Offering

1. Heavens/Waters/Earth

2. (Throne)/Firmament

3. Earth/Vegetation

4. Lights/Sun, Moon, Stars

5. Fish/Birds

6. Land creatures/Man

Robert Hinckley37

The order concerns the Divine Service. Although the third tabernacle speech associates

the Laver with the “sea” and day three of creation (Ex 30:17-21; cf. 1 Kgs 7:23), yet

mysteriously in Ex 40:7, 30-32, it retains a seventh(?) position, a subject worthy of further

consideration. See L. Michael Morales, The Tabernacle Pre-Figured, p. 279-80.

Robert Hinckley38

Tabernacle Speeches 2-6

These speeches also correspond to the days of creation. Each day

of creation/tabernacle speech has its proprium. Although an

intricate conceptual rationale, if pondered enough, the basic

correspondence becomes evident.

Ancient Witnesses to Creation / Tabernacle

▪ Hecataeus

▪ Aristeas

▪ Jesus ben Sira

▪ Jubilees

▪ Philo

▪ Targums

▪ Qumran

▪ Josephus

▪ Church Fathers

▪ Jacob ben Assi

▪ Talmud

▪ Kosmas

▪ Rashi

▪ Ibn Ezra

Robert Hinckley39

Robert Hinckley40

▪ Through the Divine Service, the people of Israel were “blessed and made holy,” becoming partakers of the “good,” divine life which God had ordained from the beginning.

▪ The Tabernacle Tent of Meeting was a marvelous meeting between heaven and earth, God and man, encountered through the Divine Service.

▪ The Divine Service was a realization of God’s creative and redemptive work, and is what gave Israel her mission to bring life and light to the world.

Questions to Pursue1. What can Genesis 1-3 teach us about the tabernacle?

2. What can we learn about creation by studying the tabernacle?

3. How is creation a macro-temple and the tabernacle a microcosm of the world?

4. How does creation/tabernacle express both the Lord’s transcendence and immanence?

5. In what ways do creation/tabernacle combine not only creation/redemption, but also, sanctification?

6. How does the Divine Service account for and overcome the effects of “the Fall” (Gen 3)?

7. How did Israel’s participation in the Divine Service bring “order” to the world?

8. Discuss the Lord’s presence as manifest in the Divine Service.

Robert Hinckley41

Robert Hinckley42

For more research on this topic, see:

The Day Moses Recreated the World: Ex 40/Gen 1

Aaron Goes Up in a Cloud: Ex 30:1-10

Diagrams by Robert Hinckley

Illustrations & Presentation Design by Scapegoat Studio

Robert Hinckley43

Robert Hinckley44

Anderson, Gary A. “The Inauguration of the Tabernacle Service at Sinai.”

The Temple of Jerusalem: From Moses to the Messiah, In Honor of Professor

Louis H. Feldman, ed. Steven Fine; Brill, 2011.

Barker, Margaret. The Gate of Heaven: The History and Symbolism of the Temple

in Jerusalem. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2008.

Beale, G.K. The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the

Dwelling Place of God. New Studies in Biblical Theology 17.

Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004.

Bird, Chad L. “The Tabernacle as a New Creation and a New Eden.” Pages 5-

19 in You, My People, Shall Be Holy: A Festschrift in Honour of John W.

Kleinig; edited by John R. Stephenson & Thomas Winger. St.

Catharines, ON: Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, 2013.

Blenkisopp, Joseph. “The Structure of P.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 38 (1976):

275-92.

Cassuto, Umberto. A Commentary on the Book of Exodus. Jerusalem: Hebrew

University Magnes Press, 1997.

Douglas, Mary. Purity and Danger: An Analysis of the Concepts of Pollution and

Taboo. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Place, 1985.

Eliade, Mircea. The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion. New York:

Harper & Rowe, Publishers, 1957.

Fletcher-Louis, Crispin. All the Glory of Adam: Liturgical Anthropology in the

Dead Sea Scrolls. Edited by F. Garcia Martinez. Studies on the Texts

of the Desert of Judah, Volume 42. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2002.

Gorman, F.H. The Ideology of Ritual: Space, Time and Status in the Priestly

Theology. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1990.

Haran, Menahem. Temples and Temple Service in Ancient Israel: An Inquiry into

the Character of Cult Phenomena and the Historical Setting of the Priestly

School. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1985.

Hayward, C.T.R. The Jewish Temple: A Non-Biblical Sourcebook. London:

Routledge, 1996.

Janowski, Bernd. “Tempel und Schopfung. Schopfungstheologische Aspekte

der priesterschriftlichen Heiligtumskonzeption.” Jahrbuch fur

Biblische Theologie 5, 1990, 37-69.

Jenson, P.P. Graded Holiness: A Key to the Priestly Conception of the World.

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Supplement 106.

Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1992.

Kearney, Peter J. “Creation and Liturgy: The P Redaction of Ex 25-40.”

Zeitschrift fur die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 89 (1977): 375-87.

Kleinig, John W. Leviticus. Concordia Commentary: A Theological

Exposition of Sacred Scripture. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing

House, 2003.

Levenson, Jon D. Creation and the Persistence of Evil: The Jewish Drama of Divine

Omnipotence. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1988.

Milgrom, Jacob. Numbers במדבר: The JPS Torah Commentary. Philadelphia:

Jewish Publication Society, 1989.

Morales, L. Michael. The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in

Genesis and Exodus. Biblical Tools and Studies – Volume 15. Leuven,

Belgium: Peeters, 2012.

Sarna, Nahum. Genesis בראשית: The JPS Torah Commentary. Philadelphia:

Jewish Publication Society, 1989.

Timmer, Daniel C. Creation, Tabernacle, and Sabbath: The Sabbath Frame of

Exodus 31:12-17; 35:1-3 in Exegetical and Theological Perspective.

Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2009.

Weinfeld, Moshe. “Sabbath, Temple, and the Enthronement of the Lord -

The Problem of the Sitz im Leben of Gen 1:1–2:3.” Pages 501-12 in

Mélange bibliques et orientaux en l’honneur de M. Henri Cazelles, edited

by A. Caquot and M. Delcor. Alter Orient und Altes Testament,

Volume 212. Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1981.

Wenham, Gordon J. “Sanctuary Symbolism in the Garden of Eden Story.”

Pages 19-24 in Proceedings of the Ninth World Congress of Jewish Studies,

edited by M. Goshen-Gottstein/D. Assaf. Jerusalem: World Union

of Jewish Studies, 1986.