While The Lord’s Prayer enjoys wide recognition throughout the Church, its richness and depth may be unrealized due to a lesser familiarity with, what I will argue is, its primary inspiration: the Tabernacle. There, Christ’s intent can rightly be discerned. The Prayer’s methodological correction to the Jews and Gentiles wasn’t given to introduce something new, but to reacquaint His listeners with something old (see Mat 6:5-8). A thorough restoration and realignment with what came before was its goal. I hope to demonstrate the fluid relationship between Tabernacle and The Lord’s Prayer—particularly highlighting the Tabernacle as its interpretive key.
First, the Tabernacle was a personified edifice, always meant to take on body and voice—culminating in the Person of Christ who speaks in Tabernacle fashion in The Lord’s Prayer. The Tabernacle has been referred to as a “humaniform” structure. While giving directions to Moses, God utilized several anatomical terms. It featured multiple body parts: side/rib (Exo 26:20, sela), thigh/rear (Exo 26:27, yarkata), palm (Exo 25:29, kappotay), face (Exo 25:31, panim), hip (Exo 25:32, sidda), feet (Exo 25:12, paamotay), mouth (Exo 28:31, pi), shoulders (Exo 27:14-15, katep). In this sense, it was a “Frankenstein” structure of sorts, having several body parts placed beside one another—while also having stressed “singular wholeness” (Exo 26:6, 11). Coupled with this, the material from which the furniture was fashioned came from the hands of people, thereby creating stronger association between the structure and humanity. Additionally, the structure was surrounded by people making the human association ever stronger (Num 2:1-2). Further, the Tabernacle moved from place to place, mirroring human mobility. Beyond this, nearly every element of the Tabernacle had some representational presence on the High Priest’s garments—transforming him into a walking Tabernacle—or better, transforming a structure into humanity (see Exo 28).
Yet, for all its human representation, the Tabernacle appears to have been a very quiet place—especially from a priestly perspective. Exceptions include the Day of Atonement, when the priest would confess all the sins of Israel over a live goat before releasing it into the wilderness (Lev 16:21). Later, Aaron was given a high priestly blessing to pronounce over Israel in Numbers 6 (presumably from within the Tabernacle Complex). Yet, beyond these two events not much is said—leaving the Tabernacle a primarily silent place in terms of priestly utterance. This poises the personified edifice to be in a place of anticipation, waiting for body and voice.
Second, the Tabernacle finds its truest form in Christ—the embodiment of the Tabernacle who speaks in like fashion through The Lord’s Prayer. In Christ, the piecemeal becomes Person. Several associations exist between Christ and the Tabernacle/Temple making their bind inextricable. The closest home to which Jesus looked was the Temple (a more glorious and permanent Tabernacle). He lingered there as a child, calling it, “My Father’s House” (Luk 2:49 ESV). Later, He demonstrates familiarity with it to the point of rearranging its furniture, and throwing out those corrupting it, while inviting others in (see Mar 11:15-17).
Beyond this, when He came into the world, John writes, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt (eskenosen) among us…”, drawing on a term evoking tent/tabernacle imagery (Joh 1:14 ESV). Later, when Jesus calls on those within earshot to tear down the Temple and in three days He’d raise it up, John writes, “But He was speaking about the temple of His body” (Joh 2:21 ESV). David’s Psalm 69, foreshadowing Christ, foretold of the Messiah’s zeal for His Father’s house—that it would consume Him (Psa 69:9; Joh 2:17). The above passages demonstrate that the “Frankenstein body” of the Tabernacle came to life in Christ—leaving the reader poised to see Jesus’ recommended prayer as inundated with Tabernacle/Temple imagery—being voiced by the actual Tabernacle/Temple, Himself.
Third, the Tabernacle has an inward to outward trajectory—mirrored in The Lord’s Prayer. The direction given by God to Moses atop Sinai regarding the Tabernacle furnishings has a general pattern of moving from in to out—following with little variation. The trajectory travels from the Holy of Holies to the Holy Place to the Courtyard. This is clearly seen in the furnishings’ presentation in Exo 25 – 27. The Ark of the Holy of Holies is introduced first, followed by the Table and Lampstand of the Holy Place, followed by the curtains/coverings of the Tent (moving from innermost to outermost), followed by the Bronze Altar of the Courtyard, then to the Court, itself. In to out.
A second sequence begins in Exo 30—moving similarly from the golden Altar of Incense within the Holy Place to the silver (presumably of the bases around the Holy Place and Holy of Holies), to the Bronze Basin of the Courtyard. This inner to outer movement is seen again in chapters 36-39, regarding the actual setting up of the Tent. After the Tent is erected in chapter 36, the movement travels as follows: Ark, Table, Lampstand, Altar of Incense, Bronze Altar, Bronze Basin, Court. In each portrayal, a general trajectory of in to out is discerned. Additionally, this pattern is seen similarly in terms of moving from most sacred to less—even to the extent of moving from most precious metals and material to less. Gold-first, silver-second, bonze-third (Exo 25:3; 31:4, 5; 35:42; see 38:24-31).
Again, in terms of value regarding its material—from blue to purple to scarlet (Exo 25:4; 26:1, 31, 36; 27:16; 28:5, 5, 8, 15, 33; 35:6, 23, 25, 35; 36:8, 35, 37; 38:18, 23; 39:1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 24, 29). Uniquely, the priest’s garments break cadence, moving outside to in—offering the bystander (who would never have seen the inside of the Tent) an intimate perspective of its most precious materials. Significantly, while this pattern can be used to differentiate between that which is most holy from less, it also tracks the intended movement and trajectory for God’s glory—from Himself, out throughout the World.
Fourth, The Lord’s Prayer is the culmination of lifeless tabernacle transformed into Flesh and given Voice. Here, Christ picks up God’s outward flowing movement in lockstep fashion, offering a virtual tour of the Tabernacle’s trajectory in His Prayer.
Holy of Holies:
Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Holy Place:
Give us this day our daily bread,
Courtyard:
and forgive us our debts,
Outer world:
as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
- Holy of Holies (Mat 6:9-10): Like God’s direction to Moses, The Lord’s Prayer begins in the Holy of Holies, where God’s Name was uniquely “hallowed”. There, the high priest, alone, could enter once a year. Additionally, the priest took measures to remove visibility as he entered—making it a most separate and hallowed space (see Lev 16:12-13). Further, the Tabernacle/Temple were continually referred to as the place where God would cause His “Name” to dwell (Due 12:11; 14:23; 16:2, 6, 11; 26:2; 2 Sam 7:13; 1 King 5:3, 5; 8:16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 29, 42, 44, 9:3, 7; 2 King 21:4, 7; 1 Chr 22:7, 8; 22:10, 19; 28:3; 29:16; 2 Chr 6:5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 32, 33, 34, 38; 7:16, 20; 20:9; 33:4; 33:7).
So, when Jesus speaks in terms of God’s Name being “hallowed” (holy, set apart, other) He’s speaking directly in terms of God’s House—being the exact place where that happened. Christ’s reference to God as “Father” also relates to Exodus themes in that Israel was redeemed as God’s “firstborn son” (Exo 4:22-23 ESV). Beyond this, in the Tabernacle His “kingdom” had “come”—in that His throne’s “footstool” (the Ark) was planted on the Earth within it (see 1 Chr 28:2; Psa 99:5-9; 132:7). Additionally, the Ark/Footstool carried within it God’s expressed “will” on Earth—in that the Ten Words were placed within the Ark (Exo 25:16, 21; 40:20; Deu 10:1-5). Beautifully pictured within the Holy of Holies is the partial answer to Jesus’ first, second, and third petition. There, God’s Name is hallowed, His kingdom’s arrival had begun in and through His footstool being on Earth, as well as His expressed will through the Ten Words placed therein. - Holy Place (Mat 6:11): Here, a transition takes place from the Holy of Holies to the Holy Place. Within the Ark was a jar of “daily bread” (manna from the wilderness) (Exo 16:33). Yet, there were also twelve loaves of bread on the Table within the Holy Place which the priests, as representatives of Israel, were authorized to eat (see Lev 24:5-9). Christ prays for daily bread, and God’s House was a house of bread. Further, Jesus prays, “Give us this day…” (semeron). Within the Holy Place the Lampstand was continually lit (see Lev 24:1-4). In other words, in God’s Houseit was always “day”. So, the bread of the Holy Place was continually in the light of the Lampstand—shining across from it (see Exo 25:37; Num 8:2). The fourth injunction of Christ, then, moves the one praying from the Holy of Holies to the Holy Place where He encourages the believer to daily make request of God for needed provision.
- Courtyard (Mat 6:12a): Moving from the Holy Place to the Courtyard in His Prayer,Jesus encounters the Bronze Altar where forgiveness takes place. It’s here where trespasses and debts were placed upon the substitute—offered in place of the worshipper (Lev 1:1-4; 7:1-6). The Bronze Altar would be the first piece of furniture seen by the entering sinner. In this sense, as God’s glory travels out from the Tabernacle proper, forgiveness consistently meets and greets the outer world.
- Outer world (Mat 6:12b-13): The eye of Christ’s Prayer now shifts beyond the Courtyard to outside to those in need of forgiveness and where the worshipper is led and delivered. The outward flow of Heaven’s glory (imaged in Eden’s river flowing to the ends of the Earth) was originally stunted by Mankind’s fall into temptation (Gen 3:1-6). Thus, Christ directs His Prayer toward protection from this amid the world. Further, as Israel was led by the glory cloud moving from the Tabernacle, so Christ speaks in similar terms in His prayer (see Exo 40:34-38). Deliverance from evil, far from being a privatized affair, carries great missional emphasis throughout Scripture. Israel’s deliverance from Egypt affected Jethro, Rahab, and a mixed multitude who went up with them from Egypt (see Exo 12:38; 18:9-12; Jos 2:8-11). Deliverance leads to publicity—in the form of a story and song (see Exo 15). In this way, Christ’s request for deliverance had a missional bent.
In summary, the Tabernacle prefigured a body as the dwelling place of God—in need of being raised up and given utterance. This happened in Christ who shared numerous associations with God’s dwelling places of old. As such, Christ’s Prayer speaks in Tabernacle fashion, following its blueprint design from inner to outer in each petition. Interpreting The Lord’s Prayer in this fashion allows for rich applicational benefits that will equip the Church in its forward movement.
- Understanding The Lord’s Prayer in light of the Tabernacle allows for an apologetic of Christ’s fulfilling nature. He didn’t come to abolish the Law in the slightest, but to fulfill it (Mat 5:17). His Prayer, understood in this way, makes this exceptionally clear. In Christ, the Tabernacle finds utterance and speaks.
- Picking up cues from the Law, God is demonstrated to be a missional God from the Bible’s opening pages. The Tabernacle, itself, wasn’t novel— simply picking up where Eden left off. The Lord’s Prayer carries forth the Father’s global agenda—moving from the innermost, most sacred place out into the yet-to-be-developed World.
- For practical purposes of memorization, understanding Christ’s Prayer as a tour through the Tabernacle assists one in praying it by memory—thinking visually as they move, from one petition to the next.
- Praying in light of this interpretation helps the Church understand how God’s outward movement works in practical terms. First, His kingdom coming begins with His “hallowedness”—Him being set apart as holy (see Mat 6:33). Second, as He is hallowed within a body a pronounced awareness of His expressed will as His kingdom surfaces. Third, while His will should cause fractured Mankind to shudder, He demonstrates Himself to be a God of provision in offering His Son as the Bread of Life for their desperate need (see John 6:33). Fourth, this disposition of provision extends through the Church to the World beyond—as He leads His Church who declares His deliverance time and time again.
From its opening pages, the Bible tracks Heaven’s movement to Earth. Like Naaman relocated Israel’s dirt to his homeland, so the glory of Israel was to spread throughout the Earth (see 2 Kng 5:17). The Tabernacle forecasted this trajectory, picking up where Genesis’ rivers left off. Jesus, being the true and better Tabernacle, acts and prays in like fashion with the Tabernacle’s movement—advancing Heaven’s border from God’s Throne Room throughout the World. The Lord’s Prayer, then, beckons modern-day believers back into God’s ancient plan.
Ben Lovelady (M.A., MTS) serves as a pastor in northwestern Illinois, where he and his wife live with their six children.