Exodus 25:40: And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.

COMMENTARY: Mountains have two symbolic meanings. One is a reference to God, the other is a reference to physical, religious places. For example, when Moses went up on Mt. Sinai, he went to be with God. Similarly, when Jesus went to a mountain to pray, he went to God. In both cases, the mountain is a spiritual place (i.e. heart) where God dwells— not a physical place.

Mountains as physical, religious places are clearly represented in scriptures where God instructs people to tear down high places because high places are man-made physical places where people practice idolatry. See TEARING DOWN IDOLS, ALTARS AND HIGH PLACES for more about high places.

Exodus 26:30: And you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it which has been shown you on the mountain.

COMMENTARY: The pattern shown to Moses on the mountain of God would not and could not be a physical pattern because God’s kingdom is a spiritual place — not a physical place that can be seen. Nevertheless, God did use physical objects (e.g. altars, tabernacles and mountains, etc.) to represent spiritual truths according to the “first the natural and then the spiritual” principle.

Old/First Covenant religionists do not have eyes to see the spiritual truth embodied in physical objects mentioned in the Bible. When they read altar and tabernacle, for example, they only see physical altars and tabernacles. In this simple, but wrong, worldly interpretation they find justification for their religious structures, objects and practices.

New Covenant disciples, however, always interpret the Bible symbolically — not literally. Their spiritual eyes have been opened to understand the mysteries of the Bible. See MYSTERY, Literal or Symbolic Interpretation Part 1, Literal or Symbolic Interpretation Part 2, andLiteral or Symbolic Interpretation Part 3 for more about interpreting the Bible symbolically.

Exodus 25:1-9:The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me an offering; from every man whose heart makes him willing you shall receive the offering for me. 3 And this is the offering which you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, 4 blue and purple and scarlet stuff and fine twined linen, goats’ hair, 5 tanned rams’ skins, goatskins, acacia wood, 6 oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. 8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. 9 According to all that I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.

Deuteronomy 4:12-18: Then the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice. 13 And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. 14 And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances, that you might do them in the land which you are going over to possess. 15 “Therefore take good heed to yourselves. Since you saw no form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16 beware lest you act corruptly by making a graven image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth.

COMMENTARY: A literal interpretation of this scripture concludes that it is wrong to make a physical idol for worship. While this interpretation is correct, it is not complete. The real emphasis here is on form, or lack of form.

It says that when God spoke, there was only a voice and did not see a form. This means that God’s people did not create mental images of physical objects when God spoke of the tabernacle and all of its furnishings. There was no need to create such mental images because, when God spoke, he was teaching them spiritual statutes and ordinances. He was not teaching how to make a physical tabernacle and all of its furnishings. God emphasizes his focus on spiritual things when he says “you saw no form” twice.

We conclude from this scripture that God’s people should not and will not convert and apply anything that they read in the Bible to the creation and practice of religion which has form. This is consistent with the truth that faith is the substance of things not seen.