Dwelling With God: A Forty-Day Devotional through the Tabernacle

By Brandon Nicholson

For forty years in the desert wilderness, the Tabernacle was the focal point of the Israelite camp. It served as the meeting place for God and His people. He gave specific instructions on the design of this structure in order to provide a place for Him to dwell with His special creation. Dwelling with His people has always been God's greatest desire. However, there was always a barrier that prevented that intimate relationship with God. Ever since the Garden of Eden, sin had corrupted humanity and kept God at a distance. A sinful humanity could not approach a holy and perfect God.

The wilderness Tabernacle followed a specific God-given design in order to provide a way to deal with this sin issue and give God's people a way to worship and approach Him. Every element had a practical function and a purpose but more importantly pointed ahead to something greater. This structure was designed to be just a temporary fix to deal with sin, but it would foreshadow a way or, more accurately, a person that would be capable of putting an end to this sin issue forever.

As we spend forty days on a journey through the Tabernacle, we will talk about every element, discussing its function and symbolic meaning. As Christians today, the Tabernacle is not the focal point of our worship like it was for the Israelites, but by studying this ancient structure, we can still learn so much about God and His love for His creation. Join me on this journey through the Tabernacle and discover all that God had in mind when He gave Moses the blueprints. The Tabernacle was built so He could dwell with His people again. As you will see along this journey, that desire to dwell with His people still holds true today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798888320327

Book preview

cover.jpg

Dwelling With God

A Forty-Day Devotional through the Tabernacle

Brandon Nicholson

ISBN 979-8-88832-031-0 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88832-032-7 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Brandon Nicholson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

A Place to Dwell

A Heavenly Pattern

An Overview of the Structure

The Holy Materials

The Outer Court

The Entrance Gate

A Closer Look at the Threads

Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving and Praise

The Altar of Burnt Offering

A Closer Look at the Materials

The Fire

The Sacrifice

The Bronze Laver of Cleansing

Importance of Cleansing

The Bronze Laver and Jesus

The Holy Place: Overview

The Door

The Framework and Foundation

The Curtain Coverings

Second Covering: Goat's Hair

Third Covering: Ram Skins Dyed Red

Fourth Covering: Badger Skins

Gold

The Table of Showbread

The Bread of Life

The Golden Lampstand

The Light of the World

Carrying the Lampstand

Fuel

The Altar of Incense

More on Prayer

The Veil

Barrier No More

The Ark of the Covenant

The Contents

The Mercy Seat: God's Throne

The Mercy Seat: Covered and Atoned For

No Chairs

A New High Priest

The Forest through the Trees

About the Author

Introduction

Outside of the Book of Daniel and Revelation, where symbolism abounds, the Tabernacle itself perhaps has the next most symbolic meaning tied to it. Most of the coverage it gets is found in the Book of Exodus, but the Tabernacle and the subsequent temple is one of the focal points of the entire Old Testament. There are also many references found in the New Testament as well.

So what is the Tabernacle? The word tabernacle itself quite simply means a tent. The Jewish Tabernacle that we will focus on in these devotions was constructed by Moses and the Israelites after they had been freed from slavery in Egypt. They were given very precise instructions on how to construct this tent, and they followed them exactly as directed. The purpose was for them to have a place where they could meet with God on a regular basis. The instructions for the building of the Tabernacle were given to Moses when he met with God on Mt. Sinai. This was recorded in Exodus 25–27. The actual carrying out of these instructions was recorded in Exodus 35–40.

Why should we study this ancient structure that no longer exists? I will answer that by reminding you of a biblical truth. All scripture points to and finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The Tabernacle is a prime example. As we go through each part, we will discover how God designed this structure to point to and reveal the ultimate fulfillment of His promises through His Son Jesus Christ. While we journey from the outside of this tent of meeting through its entirety, keep that truth in mind and look for Jesus in every aspect of its design. This study will hopefully open your eyes to the wondrous nature of our loving God and challenge you to see the all-knowing essence of our Creator.

Day 1

A Place to Dwell

"Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you" (Exod. 25:8–9 NIV).

Let's begin our journey through the Tabernacle by first going over a little history and then discuss the purpose of this structure. After the Israelites were freed from four hundred years of slavery in the nation of Egypt, they crossed through the Red Sea by the mighty hand of God and began their journey through the wilderness. When they came to Mt. Sinai, the Lord God called Moses up to the top of the mountain and began to lay out the laws that He would require His people to follow. During this interaction of forty days and forty nights, God also gave instructions to Moses on how to build the Tabernacle. Before we get into the details of the design, let's talk about why God wanted them to build the Tabernacle in the first place. He said to Moses in Exodus 25:8, " Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. God's greatest desire has always been to live with His people. In His original design of mankind in the Garden of Eden, God wanted to dwell amongst His creation. However, sin entered the picture, and that was no longer possible. As you can see from Exodus 25:8, God wanted the people of Israel to build this sanctuary or tabernacle so that He could dwell among them ." This would be a place of worship and a place to offer sacrifices to God, but its main purpose was to be a place built for God so that He could dwell with the people He loved.

Exodus 25:9 continues with "Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you." This was the first reference of the word tabernacle recorded in the Bible. In the original language of Hebrew, the word for tabernacle used here was mishkan. It quite literally means dwelling place. This was to be God's sanctuary. His home. His residence. This was to be the place where God rested and lived with His people. God wanted it to be built in a very precise way with very specific materials. The Lord would show Moses this "pattern," and he would be the one responsible for carrying out the mission of building it.

The people of Israel would not use this Tabernacle forever. After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites finally crossed into the Promised Land. Once they conquered the land, they set up the Tabernacle in the center. It remained in use for many years up until the reign of King Solomon. He was the king that built the first temple, following the same pattern of the original Tabernacle and gave God a permanent dwelling place in Israel. That temple was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BC, and then later rebuilt when the Israelites returned from their captivity in Babylon. Unfortunately, the second temple was also destroyed once more in 70 AD by the Romans and never rebuilt.

God's desire to dwell with His creation was further evidenced when He sent His Son Jesus to Earth. His physical presence ministered to His people for thirty-three years, and after His selfless sacrifice and ascension, God gave perhaps His greatest gift to His creation. He sent His Spirit to dwell in the hearts of all who believe in Him. Today, God's desire to dwell with His people is still so very strong. He wants to live in the hearts of all of His creation. He doesn't need a structure built with human hands to dwell with us anymore. He doesn't need the Tabernacle or the temple. We are the Tabernacle now. Our bodies are the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16). We have the very presence of the Lord living in us at all times in the form of the Holy Spirit. We have access to the Creator anytime we want. Think about that for a minute. You have read all the stories about the mighty power of God in the Bible. From speaking life into creation, to parting the Red Sea, to providing manna from heaven, to winning battle after battle, to healing the sick, and raising the dead. That same God lives in you and me! We have access to Him and His power at all times. What a gift!

The Tabernacle showed God's desire to dwell with His people by providing a structure for Him to rest. In the wilderness, the Israelites could see a pillar of cloud resting over the tent. This foreshadowed the coming of Jesus to physically dwell in our midst and also pointed even further ahead to the Spirit of the Living God dwelling in our own personal Tabernacle—our hearts. Can we just rest in that fact today? We are the Tabernacle, and the Spirit of the Almighty God lives in our hearts.

Day 2

A Heavenly Pattern

They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. (Heb. 8:5 NIV)

After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened. (Rev. 15:5 NIV)

When God met with Moses on Mt. Sinai, He didn't just say, Go build me a place to dwell. Build it how you see fit. No, He gave Moses very specific instructions down to finite materials and measurements for him to follow exactly. Why would God be so specific about how to build this sanctuary?

According to scripture, having this specific pattern to follow suggests that there is a heavenly reality that the early Tabernacle was designed to resemble. Hebrews 8:5 says, "They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'" The Tabernacle was to be a shadow or a copy of what is in heaven. I believe, in heaven, we will see a temple or dwelling place of God that will look similar to what the original Tabernacle was designed to mirror. We don't know exactly what we'll see, but we do know that God wanted His dwelling place on Earth to be built in a precise way to give us a glimpse into His heavenly realm.

When the disciple John was taken into heaven during his vision, he even saw this Tabernacle. Revelation 15:5 says, "After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened. John's revelation confirms the existence of a heavenly Tabernacle, and given the verse from Hebrews we just looked at, we can assume that it looks very similar to what Moses and the Israelites built in the wilderness, only better. With this idea in mind, pay close attention to the details of this Tent of Meeting" and look for other examples that may give us a glimpse into heaven as we journey through each part of this fascinating structure. I think you will find that every detail of the Tabernacle points to a heavenly reality.

If the Tabernacle is a shadow or copy of the true Tabernacle in heaven, then perhaps all of what we see in creation is but a copy or shadow of the beauties of heaven. Sure, this place that we dwell has its flaws, but it was broken by sin in the Garden of Eden remember. It was not supposed to be this way. When God originally spoke this world into motion, He called everything good after it was finished. Things were perfect. It wasn't until sin entered the picture that things took a turn for the worse. The result of sin was Earth would now be under a curse. This Earth with all its problems because of sin is still very beautiful if you take the time to notice it. If we are living in the shadow or copy of heaven now and see all the beauty around us, how much more beautiful and perfect will heaven be. Today, as you go about your normal routine, pause and look around. Take in the beauty of a sunrise or sunset. Admire the striking colors of the leaves on the trees or the flowers in the field. Stand in awe of God's earthly creation and then think about how this present world we live in is but a shadow of the better things to come. We are in for an amazing treat once we reach heaven!

Day 3

An Overview of the Structure

In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels. (Exod. 40:36–38 NIV)

One last thing before we get into the details of the design of this amazing structure, I think it's important for us to get a big overall picture of what we are looking at before we start digging deep into the design. We want to see the forest for the trees so to speak. The Tabernacle itself was a portable tent of linen that was held together by wooden frames. It was very easily assembled and disassembled as the Israelites traveled from place to place.

During the time of the Israelites in the wilderness, God would lead them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When the cloud settled in a location, that would be the place where they would assemble the Tabernacle. When it lifted, they would break it down and move again. This was noted in Exodus 40:36–38.

The Israelites had no permanent home. They were not a nation yet. They were sojourners waiting for God to escort them into the Promised Land. God's dwelling place needed to be portable until the time came for them to cross over into their future home.

The entire complex was 150 feet long and 75 feet wide and was divided into three parts. There was the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place or Holy of Holies. The outer court was enclosed by linen fabric held up by wooden poles and had only one entrance on the east side. The outer court housed the bronze altar of sacrifice, which faced the entrance and the bronze laver of cleansing.

This whole structure was often referred to as the Tabernacle, but technically, the Tabernacle itself was the tent inside the courtyard that contained the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. I will refer to this part as the Tabernacle proper throughout this devotional series. This structure was on the western side of the complex. It, too, was a tent and had two chambers that were separated by a big, heavy curtain or veil. The first chamber was the Holy Place. This room contained the table of showbread, the golden lampstand, and the altar of incense. Only priests were allowed in this room. Beyond the veil was the Most Holy Place, and this chamber contained the Ark of the Covenant. This was God's dwelling place. The high priest was the only one allowed into this room, and he could only enter once per year on the Day of Atonement.

When you look at the materials that were used to build the Tabernacle, you will see a symbolic pattern. From the outside, it starts with linen cloth and wood. As you move into the Tabernacle grounds, you see bronze initially, and then further in, you see silver. Finally, once you