The Word Sanctuary and its Meaning

In the NIV version of the bible the word sanctuary is used 170 times, temple 617 times, tabernacle 112 times. So, the physical location of where people assembled to show their appreciation for and express their love for God is used 899 times. Love is mentioned 534 times. What this communicates is that God's in-person relationship with his people at the Sanctuary in a structure like a temple is extremely important to Him. It is where we exchange our most sacred vows and express our deepest heart felt love affair with our creator and He with us.

The sanctuary, and what it represents, is important to God.

From the encyclopedia Britannica.
sanctuary, in religion, a sacred place, set apart from the profane, ordinary world. Originally, sanctuaries were natural locations, such as groves or hills, where the divine or sacred was believed to be especially present. The concept was later extended to include man-made structures; e.g., the tabernacle (tent) of the ancient Hebrews, the later Jerusalem Temple, the sacred lodge of the Algonkin and Sioux, or, especially, sacred parts of such structures.
    Sanctuaries were reserved for special religious functions, and a state of purity was required of participants. Special taboos and rules prevented the profanation of sanctuaries. It was because of this special sacred quality and the protection that it afforded that the sanctuary became a place of asylum for criminals. In addition to the fear of shedding blood in a holy place, a dominant motive in protecting the fugitive was the fear of the evil magic force that would emanate from his curse, believed dangerous to gods as well as to men.

Something that always made me wonder about the bible the first few times I read it all the way through from beginning to end was the times that I read through the story of Exodus. Every time I read the Exodus story I loved it. I love the epic scale of the story, the miraculous delivery of the Hebrews and their amazing journey from Egypt to Canaan valley. But every time I got to the stop at Mt. Sinai and read through that story I was always puzzled by parts of the story. Most specifically the dissertation of the requirements for all the details of the tent, tabernacle and altars. What always puzzled me about the dissertation was that it told parts of the details twice. Every time I read it I read it as a story, like I was reading a fictional epic journey. But that's not what this is, God wouldn't inspire the writings and make sure all the words would be recorded in their specific style and order if that order didn't mean something. God likes to leave us mysterious meanings and hidden truths.

What's strange about the Mt. Sinai story is that Moses records all the details for all the lifestyle things and the specific instructions and plans for the structure of the tent and tabernacle and altars, and then in the middle of it records the descent from the mountain, the golden calf, his anger at their lack of self control or patience, his need to go back up the mountain again for a second time, and then as if nothing had happened he goes back to the details for the tent. However as I prayed for an understanding and began studying Bezalel, because I identified myself in his description, something stood out to me for the first time. Bezalel and a few of the more important things about what God desired from all of those instructions was repeated after the second stone tablets were given to Moses. As if He wanted to make sure we didn't miss their importance.

In the first dissertation Moses records things, I believe, based on what he perceived as an order of importance. Once he goes up the mountain and God calls to him on the seventh day he begins to record what God is communicating to him. First is the offerings that will provide the means for the construction and upkeep of the sanctuary and all of the ceremonies revolving around remembering what God has done for them. He then goes into all the detailed directions on how best to construct the sanctuary and all of its structures and tools including the clothes that should be worn by those serving in the sanctuary in all its various roles. He then assigns a mater craftsman to oversee all of these projects as one unified effort. And finally the sabbath day of rest.

In the second dissertation after Moses deals with the Israelites idolatry, he again ascends the mountain to get a new set of tablets to replace those he destroyed in his anger. In this recording again he is communicating things in order of importance and yet this time he repeats three things: the sabbath day of rest, then the offering for the sanctuary and all of its requirements, then the appointment of the master craftsman. He then goes on to repeat many of the details for the specific pieces required in the sanctuary. What's interesting is that after the golden calf and the drama that happened as a result of this idolatry he is communicating a change in the order of things and he is communicating a shorter list of what is truly important. Again this is just my opinion, but what if in this change of priority order, God is communicating to us how and why to prioritize certain things that we do in our relationship with God and our family unity.

What if God is saying... in order to keep us from becoming confused and disoriented during our lives as humans we should follow this simple blueprint in helping people to be happy and unified during our lives. 1) Get your rest every week, set aside a day that is sacred and holy and is dedicated specifically for rest. 2) Set aside a specific offering for the construction of a sanctuary and its normal operations and upkeep. 3) Assign a master craftsman who is skilled in all kinds of crafts necessary for the sanctuary and put him and a partner in charge of the oversight, distribution and delegation of the offering for the sanctuary. He even lays out a list of requirements for this role.

One of things that has confused me over the years as I have studied and learned and grown in my understanding of things is the mysterious disappearance of the role of the master craftsman from all of the history of God’s kingdom. While it seems evident to me in this, the first ever formal assembly of a worship service and the importance that God obviously communicated to Moses causing it to be recorded twice with such detail and emphasis. Why does it appear to be such an absent role throughout the rest of history? Why do the intellectual teachers and authorities of philosophy, leadership and lifestyle maintain such prominence in our history and yet the creative arts and craftsmanship are absent from our canonical narrative? The only other example I can find in scriptures is when Solomon requests King Hiram of Tyre to send him someone skilled in working with the materials that he wanted to construct the temple out of. He is then sent Huram, who is everything that Bezalel was, wise and gifted in all kinds of crafts. What's interesting in this account is that God saw to it that the specific letters that the two kings exchanged are recorded in the scriptures so that you can see the desire, humility and respect that the role and its importance were treated with. Few other times does God show His appreciation of the respect of the gestures by showing up in person to communicate to the world that He approved of the heart and spirit of excellence.