DWELLING WITH GOD, Part 1, A Study of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness

2 Cor 6:16   ...For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:

The Hebrew word for sanctuary is mishkan, which means dwelling place. It is used 139 times in the OT, 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   Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

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,

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.” (KJV)

When we are used to living in such a beautiful, relational place with God then the adversities of life on this planet effect us differently than they did before. Sure we feel things emotionally. Disappointment, sorrow, grief, panic when the car is broken and there’s no budget to fix it. Some anxieties are normal, and if we understand the process they will cause our faith to grow. Our compassion for others grows deeper. They no longer shake our faith, hinder our hope or confidence that “God’s got this.” We can better deal with those emotions and put the worry & panic aside.

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

Moses responds

Ex. 24:15, “Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.”

So far this sounds pretty cool, like something many believers would not hesitate to do, WOW, EXPERIENCE THE SHEKINAH. Look a little further, are you ready for this?

Ex. 24:16   “And the glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud.

17   To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire.

18   Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Moses followed God’s calling to him to come to a place where:

Ø 2 friends would talk

Ø Moses might hear God’s heart beat

Ø 40 days alone with God was worth the hike and changed the course of history 

Jesus extended that invitation,

Are we that desperate for intimacy with God that we would climb up a mountain, get to the top even though it looked like “consuming fire?” Was Peter that desperate when he got out of the boat to walk on the water in the midst of a storm? Aren’t you glad Jesus makes it easy for us. The Message Bible put is this way:  Look at the purpose of this elaborate, ornate, detailed Tabernacle again,

Exodus 25:8   “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I CAN LIVE AMONG THEM.

SUNY COLLEGE AT CORTLAND

Where people live together, they relate to one another. This is not in

the context of “roommates” living in the same dorm room but not in real relationship with each other. Living in the dorm in my 1^st semester in college was a drag. Later I lived with guys who became good friends, one in particular has been a friend ever since. This next verse defines it well.

And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;

He is called the God of the whole earth.

Its on God’s Terms

This relationship; however must be on His terms, “He is Lord.” Matthew Henry put it this way,

“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

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 has comforting boundaries as these verses describe:

Exod. 25:9   You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.

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

Ex. 25:1   “The Lord said to Moses,”

Though the Scriptures repeat this phrase, or others like it frequently, think about the consequence of these occurrences and think of how rarely they occur in the lives of Bible characters. 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. Such special instructions reveal conditions of the heart.

Exodus 25:2 “Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them.

God told Moses to ask about 2 million people to give allot. 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.

In Conclusion.

picture from THE SHACK movie showing the
main character standing with the Trinityhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL0yUbSS5Eg

We see that God, motivated by His great love for man, fervently, eagerly, earnestly desires that there be a meeting place, indeed a dwelling place, where HE is among us. The Tabernacle in the Wilderness was a shadow, a pre-cursor, to the reality of a people who are new creatures in Christ, a people with God in our hearts and living a life of worship. When in that place of relationship with God who is in our hearts, worship becomes a lifestyle. As we continue this study over the next several weeks, and look at some details of this magnificent tent of meeting, it is with the emphasis that we grow closer to the wonderful God we worship, who continuously reveals Himself to us in so many ways.

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

THE CHALLENGE:

The invitation God gave Moses to come up to Him is extended to us. We have the choice. Do we climb the mountain of His love, leading others to freedom, or do we take the easy way and slide into the muck of sin? With every temptation, He makes a way of escape. Do you ascend the hill of the Lord, or slide to hell on greasy grace? Life or death, it’s our choice. Make a positive difference or be another slime ball just fitting in with a hell bound crowd? Our love affair with God should be sufficient motivation to climb up, go up the stairs into His chambers. Love is not something you fall into, it is a mountain to climb. I hope you always decide to keep climbing the mountain. 

Do we love our friends, acquaintances and family enough to pray for opportunities to have this conversation with them?