Hebrews 9:1-10
Form follows function. The architect Louis Sullivan coined this maxim in an 1896 article titled The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered. This rule states that the intended purpose would determine the shape. Although Sullivan did not state this rule until 1896, it was clearly in effect at the time the Hebrew children built their first earthly tabernacle. The tabernacle was a portable temple. It took the same form as other temples familiar to the Israelites. Temples in Egypt, where the Israelites had lived and labored, had an outer court, an inner sanctuary, and, in the back, a most holy place. The most expensive dyes (blue) and metals (pure gold) were used nearest the Ark of the Covenant, whereas the least expensive dyes and metals were used farthest from it. This fits ancient Near Eastern practice. The gradated value of the materials in relation to the Most Holy Place emphasizes the holiness of the deity. It made clear that people should approach with reverence. Most ancient temples had a table for offerings, lampstands an altar of sacrifice, and because of the stench of burning sacrifices in closed spaces, an altar of incense. The Midianites, Canaanites and others had many of the same sorts of offerings the Israelites did.

The similarities with surrounding cultures make the differences contrast more sharply. In most ancient temples, the innermost shrine included a platform on which sit a large idol of the deity. The Israelites knew they could not capture God’s image in an idol, rather the life of a righteous man reflects the image of God. While some items of furniture parallel other temples, God’s tabernacle did not have a bed. Egyptians, Hittites and others would put their deity-images to bed at night, wake them in the morning, provide royal entertainment, and so forth. The God of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps. The Israelite’s tabernacle may have looked like many other Temples, but their God was very different from and unlike any other God. The tabernacle was just another temple; God’s presence made it Holy.