A STUDY ON THE TABERNACLE IN THE
WILDERNESS
|
Written by Andy Levine, with
considerable
help & inspiration from
the Holy Ghost.
The
Hebrew word for sanctuary is mishkan, which means dwelling place. It is
used 139 times in the Old Testament, always referring to the sanctuary, the “tent of
meeting.” Just as God was with His people in the wilderness, His desire is to
be with His people today.
1
Cor 3:16, ‘Know ye not that ye are the temple of
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?’ and also, 2 Cor 6:16, “…for
ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them,
and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people”.
When
we hear God’s heartbeat, we hear this and Jn. 3:16. Let your senses and your
spirit experience the atmosphere of this dwelling place, His heartbeat is a
happy beat.
Zeph. 3:17,”The
LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over
thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”
Moses goes into God’s Presence:
The
description in Ex. 25 is preceded by several wonderful chapters describing
miraculous things God is doing with Moses and Israel. We see Moses frequently
communing with God and receiving the 10 Commandments. Now, just before the
“tent of meeting” is detailed, there is a key to hearing God’s heartbeat. Moses
took a risk to get closer to the presence of God. Picture the scene at the end
of Ex. 24.as the Lord calls Moses in v.12,
Moses followed the call of God to a place of
interaction with the Almighty, a place to be alone with God, a place where he
would hear God’s heartbeat.
Are
we that desperate for intimacy with God that we would climb up a mountain, get
to the top even though it looked like “like
devouring fire on the top of the mount?” Was Peter this
desperate when he got out of the boat to walk on the water in the midst of a
storm? I’m glad Jesus makes it easy for us,
Matt 11:28-30, “Come
unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29)
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and
ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light.“
This
relationship, however must be on His terms, “He is Lord.”
Look
at the purpose of this elaborate, ornate, detailed place again, Ex. 25:8. “…that I may dwell among them.” Where people live together, they relate to one another. As
we look at the details of the Tabernacle, let’s make sure to keep this
foundation in mind. Everything must come back to this cornerstone truth that
the Tabernacle is where we live with God, where we relate to Him. The Father’s
heart is not just to have weekly visits with the Saints in the church house, He
wants to live among us.
“For
the scripture is designed to direct us in our duty, not to fill our heads with
speculations, nor to please our fancies.” Matthew Henry, commentary on Ex.
25:1-9
Exodus. 25:9. “According to all that I show
thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the
instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.”
Our
relationship with God is not on our own terms. Though we live under grace, not
law, we cannot live with the concept that everyone can do what is right in his
own eyes. Living for the Lord, relating to God, is under the concept that John
the Baptist, and then Jesus, preached,
Matt. 4:17, ”Repent:
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Studying
the tabernacle will give us insights into God’s terms for this relationship.
His terms are wonderful and reflect His loving character.
Look
again at the beginning of Ex. 25. V1 – “The Lord
spake unto Moses,”
The Lord is not a blabber mouth. The scripture repeats this phrase, or other’s
like it, frequently. Think about the consequence of these occurrences, think of
the infrequency of these things in historical prospective. We have daily
communication with the Father but words with such tremendous consequence are
rare. Yes we must be led by the Spirit but we are given wisdom to live. There
are those special times when you know you have heard from God and they should
always be “wows” to us.
V2
– God told Moses to speak to about 2 million people. Now that’s a WOW. The Lord
was very specific in His instructions and showed His character. He was asking,
not ordering, the people to part with a large amount of high dollar stuff.
Nothing in the list (verses 3-7) was common or inexpensive. These former slaves
did not leave Egypt empty handed, they came into some big bucks. Now the Lord
is asking them to give it to build the Tabernacle. The verse emphasizes that
this must be a willing, heart felt, offering. Remember, these are Jews, and the
response was overwhelming. Now that is a WOW.
When
God makes His plan and purpose plain, and shows His love at the same time, His
people respond. Hearts are moved to sacrificial action at the demonstration of
His love and power. This awesome display of supernatural power on Mt. Sinai
coupled with a request, not an order, is a combination the hearts of man cannot
but respond to generously.
Stay tuned, Part 2 covers "What the Bible Doesn't Say," how the Tabernacle symbolizes the Church and "God's Presence Goes With Us."
