After God dramatically delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, He brought them to Mount Sinai. There, He joined them to Himself in a sacred covenant. Among all the varied instructions He gave them there, how was beauty included? Exod. 25:1–9.

The things which God request the people to bring are things which possess beauty. These articles were precious metals and articles with vivid colors. These were the materials that God wanted to use to build His sanctuary. God did not want a house that was not pleasing to the eyes , God wanted His house to be beautiful. Beauty was seen in the materials God instructed Moses to request from the people.

Upon what was the earthly sanctuary modeled, and what does that tell us about God's love of beauty? Exod. 25:9, Heb. 8:1–5.

The earthly sanctuary was modeled after the sanctuary which is in heaven. God wanted to give us the best example when modeling the sanctuary that He would dwell in here on this earth. He did not want to leave it up to chance but He gave Moses a miniature model to follow to make a replica.

Why do you think it was important for the sanctuary to be so beautiful? Perhaps to give the people a sense of awe before the power and grandeur of God? Maybe to help them sense their own need before such grandeur? How can understanding the glory of the sanctuary better help us grasp the character of God in contrast to our own earthliness and sinfulness?

In the sanctuary we are faced with the majesty of God on His throne. We are wholly sepereate from His holiness. This type of beauty causes us to realize how much we really need a Savior and how bankrupt we are. The most beautiful thing is not His building but his holiness. Lord help us to be more holy.

Prayer: Lord as we gaze into the beauty of your holiness, help us to yern after more of you. Thank you in Jesus name we pray amen.