The Essentials Of The Bible: Part 44 -- God Delivers The People – The Tabernacle – God’s Dwelling Place
If you have ever worshipped in any Catholic or Protestant Church building; that was built before 1940; the interior architecture was most likely very similar; regardless of denomination. The building would have most likely been rectangular. It consisted of three basic areas; in order as you would encounter them upon entry and worship. The Narthex, which is a lobby or gathering area that leads into the Nave, the worship area where the people sit, usually in pews, and the Chancel, the area where the altar, lectern, pulpit, communion rail, and choir box are located. The oldest Christian church in Europe is Aachen Cathedral, dating back to the year 805. Most all Christian churches built between 805 and 1940 all have this same three part basic structure. The reason being is that it follows the architecture of Solomon’s Temple, which was designed after the Tabernacle of the Church in the Wilderness of the Children of Israel.
THE TABERNACLE WAS GOD’S DWELLING PLACE IN THE WILDERNESS
Exodus 25:8 KJV And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
THE TABERNACLE WAS A SHADOW OF HEAVENLY THINGS
Hebrews 8:1-5 KJV Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; (2) A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. (3) For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. (4) For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: (5) Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
THE TABERNACLE: PORTABLE CHURCH FOR A WANDERING PEOPLE
The Tabernacle was a portable worship venue like the tents used for rival meetings of a by gone area. The word tabernacle merely means a tent sanctuary, or a temporary shelter. The Tabernacle was rectangular and consisted of three areas. The screened in Court Yard (by curtains), that surrounded the actual tabernacle or tent. The tabernacle tent was also rectangular and consisted of a large rectangular room called the Holy Place; and beyond the veil was a smaller room called the Holy of Holies. It was in the Holy of Holies where the Ark Of The Covenant was kept. The Ark of the Covenant was a box, overlaid with gold; that represented the throne of God. On top of the Ark was a Mercy Seat . The Holy of Holies was only entered once a year by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. At that time, the blood of a lamb was poured out on the Mercy Seat after the High Priest confessed the sins of Israel before it. The illustration below shows the Tabernacle.
Leviticus 16:2 KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
Hebrews 9:1-7 ESV Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. (2) For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. (3) Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, (4) having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. (5) Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. (6) These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, (7) but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people.
Though the Tabernacle had a very intricate design of many specific details that had to be precisely fabricated; the Tabernacle was simply the means by which the priests represented the people to God on a daily basis. The work of the priests was a daily duty of making offerings, sacrifices and prayers to God. The courtyard cut off access to the common man. Their offerings had to be presented to the priests at the door to the courtyard. Burnt offering obviously had to be done outside within the open-air court on the ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERINGS. A LAVER OF BRONZE was a washing basin outside the Holy Place wherein the priests could prepare themselves by washing their hands and feet, before entering the Holy Place. The GOLDEN LAMP STAND represents the light of Christ our LORD that shines down through the ages as represented by the seven churches of Revelation and the seven lamps on the candle stand. The TABLE OF BREAD OF PRESENCE was also called the Table of Show Bread. It held twelve loaves of bread that represents the Body of Christ. Ever present, the LORD nourishes us with the true bread from heaven; the bread of eternal life. It is the WORD that feeds us under the nurture of the Church that is built through the twelve apostles. THE INCENSE ALTAR represents the prayers of the saints. THE INNER VEIL; covers and seals the Holy of Holies; from the Holy Place; represents the life and body of Jesus Christ. At His death, the veil was ripped in two exposing and giving access to God’s throne, THE ARK AND THE MERCY SEAT.
God gave Moses very specific instructions of the measurements of every post, curtain, latch, hook, fabric and every furnishing. The only items allowed in the Tabernacle were the Ark of the Covenant; Table of Showbread; Incense altar; Golden Lamp stand; Laver of Water; and the Altar of Burnt Offering.
ARK OF THE COVENANT & MERCY SEAT
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| Ark of the Covenant |
Exodus 25:10-21 ESV "They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. (11) You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. (12) You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. (13) You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. (14) And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. (15) The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. (16) And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you. (17) "You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. (18) And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. (19) Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. (20) The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. (21) And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you.
TABLE FOR THE BREAD OF PRESENCE
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Table For The Bread Of Presence |
Exodus 25:23-30 ESV "You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. (24) You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a molding of gold around it. (25) And you shall make a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and a molding of gold around the rim. (26) And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs. (27) Close to the frame the rings shall lie, as holders for the poles to carry the table. (28) You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with these. (29) And you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. (30) And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly.
GOLDEN LAMPSTAND
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| Golden Lampstand |
LAVER OF BRASS
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Laver Of Brass |
Exodus 30:18-21 KJV Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. (19) For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: (20) When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD: (21) So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.
ALTAR OF INCENSE
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| Altar of Incense |
Exodus 30:1-9 KJV And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it. (2) A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same. (3) And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about. (4) And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal. (5) And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. (6) And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. (7) And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. (8) And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. (9) Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.
ALTAR OF SACRIFICE
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| Altar of Sacrifice |
Exodus 27:1-2 KJV And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. (2) And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.
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| The Tabernacle |
| The Tabernacle and the priesthood were shadows of things to come. They pointed to Jesus Christ our great High Priest. We no longer have to go through a human priest to have access to God’s throne. The blood of Christ did what the blood of animal sacrifices only symbolized. Now we all have access to our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRST, the MIGHTY GOD; twenty four hours a day forever! |
Prayer: Father in Heaven, Thank you for your greatness and your WORD. You have been saving man since the foundation of the world. Thank you for the Tabernacle and all that it shadowed. Please fill me with the Holy Ghost and keep me grounded in your WORD, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Copyright © 2006, 2011 Thomas C. Blake
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