The Tabernacle

1/22/2025

The Tabernacle by Jennifer Tolbert

In the beginning of Genesis, God creates a beautiful garden where he can dwell with his people. However, their disobedience (sin) spoiled that plan and sin separated him from his people. God has not given up on his children.

In this story, we learn about a new plan for God to dwell with his people, in spite of their sinful ways. He instructs Moses and the Israelites to build a very specific place, called The Tabernacle, where God can live among his people again. The different parts to the Tabernacle teach us what is required to restore relationship with God.

Key Themes:

God wants a relationship with us.
We should be generous to offer our gifts and skills back to God.
God can restore relationships.

Memory Verse

Mark 12:29-31 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Songs

Books of the Old Testament
The B.I.B.L.E.
He’s Got The Whole World in His Hands
Sons of Jacob Song
Baby Moses
My God is So Big
Pharoah, Pharoah, Let My People Go
Go Down Moses
10 Commandments Song
We Shall Assemble
Humble Yourself in the Sight of the Lord
Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace
Jesus, Lamb of God
I Want to Be a Worker for the Lord

Story

Begin Class with Songs, Games, Table Activity, or Sharing Time

Open Class in Prayer

Introducing the Story Ideas
1. Tabernacle
Print out symbols of the tabernacle and place them while telling the kids about the different parts. This is an excellent resource about teaching kids this topic.

2. Blueprints
Show the children some examples of blueprints. There are very simple ones online you can print from home plan stores. SAY: Whenever someone builds a house, they start with a blueprint or a plan. This tells the builder exactly how to build the house. For example, how big it should be and where certain walls should be. What kind of fixtures it should have and what kind of materials to use: wood or stone.

God wanted to live among his people. But, he needed a house. He gave Moses a blue print, or plan, for how his house should be built. His house was called The Tabernacle.

3. Measure Your Classroom
Bring in measuring tapes, yard sticks and/or rulers. Measure different parts of your classroom such as the length and width of the classroom, size of tables, cabinets, etc. Discuss the importance of measurements when building a building. Why do they need to be exact? What if everyone measured using their own form of measurement? Would your building stand?

Story: In this story, we are reminded that God wants to dwell (or live) among us. The Israelites were God's children and just like most parents, God wanted to live with his children and have a relationship with them. God's house was called the Tabernacle. This is the story of how it was built and what it was like.

SHOW the power point Moses and the Tabernacle or read Exodus 25-40.
EMPHASIZE that: