Over the last few days, my daily text has been about the building of The Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. If you aren’t familiar, this was the temporary dwelling place for the God of Israel that was to be constructed by the Israelites under the direction of Moses. He gave specific instructions and intricate details of how it should be built. You can google pictures and see diagrams that people have drawn to give us a better idea, but I encourage you to read in Exodus about how elaborate and precise God’s instructions were. It’s very interesting. It begins in Exodus 25.
Now, the Tabernacle in the wilderness was temporary. It was basically a “tent” of sorts that could be moved as the Israelites traveled towards The Promised Land. I don’t want to put the “cart before the horse”, so just remember that this was a temporary dwelling place and the Ark of the Covenant was a symbol of God’s special relationship He had with Israel. There was a veil that separated the Holy of Holies where God would appear from the rest of the tabernacle. There is a barrier between God and man and no one was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies except the high priest once a year to atone for the sins of the people…and even before he could enter there were certain things that he had to do. He sprinkled animal blood on the top of the Ark of the Covenant or mercy seat (which is where God rested his presence) to atone for the people’s sins
Remember this, friend.
-There’s a barrier that separates God and man called sin.
-Moses created a temporary “tent of meeting” the the base of the mountain to meet with God and no one else was allowed to go except Him. This tells me that the Israelites had broken fellowship with their God.
-Now after the tabernacle was built, this was the dwelling place of God. It was moveable and able to be carried with the Israelites throughout the wilderness. Later, Solomon created his great temple.
-it took sacrificial blood to expiate (atone, extinguish guilt) for the sins of the people and to propitiate (regain favor) for themselves with God.
I’m taking this slowly, because I want you to see that we have this God that gives His people special instructions and numerous times when you read through Exodus you will see them say, “We will follow the instructions and commands of the Lord.” The Israelites listened and built this dwelling place for the Lord. It seems like a lot of rituals and regulations, yes…but it teaches the fundamentals of salvation. When the sacrifice was laid on the blazen altar within the tabernacle, it showed the innocence of one life being offered in place of a guilty one. This Old Testament tabernacle was just a temporary dwelling tent for God…this tells me He wasn’t finished, but wanted to meet with His people.
Sometimes pitching a tent and the constant work that goes into being in the wilderness is just what we need to take up residence in the house of faith that only requires the work of grace. Be patient with me, friend. God is stirring in my spirit and I’m so excited to help you be reminded of His orchestrated plan of propitiation back to Him.
Our tents have been dirty since The Garden, but we are traveling to hill called Calvary that offers us a mansion on a street of gold.
Nevertheless, God always wants you to meet with Him.
