His Tabernacle

After God’s people made it through the parted waters of the sea and were set free from their bondage in Egypt, God told them to make a tabernacle, a tent where He would meet with them. Even though God is everywhere and His presence cannot be limited to a place or a building, He chose to make Himself known at certain times and places, and this portable sanctuary was His choice at that time.

The instructions for the tabernacle cover more space in the Old Testament Scripture than anything else. The book I’m reading, Recalling the Hope of Glory, explains: “What exactly God showed Moses on the mountain is difficult to say. The book of Hebrews offers some help by addressing the relationship between the earthly tabernacle and the heavenly sanctuary. It identifies the heavenly counterpart as the ‘true tent’ that the Lord, not man, ‘pitched’ (8:2). It explains that the earthly sanctuary was a ‘shadow’ of heavenly things (8:5), the ‘greater’ tabernacle in heaven (9:11), and that the earthly things were ‘copies’ of the things in the heavens (9:23) and that the Israelite Holy Place was a figure ‘of the true one’ (9:24). Thus, there is a heavenly sanctuary of some nature that is behind the giving of the instructions for the earthly tabernacle in the wilderness” (pp. 18-189).

The instructions began with clear direction that this place of worship must be as God describes. He says, “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.”

Ross, the author of Recalling the Hope of Glory, is about to describe the symbolism of how this tent depicts the spiritual realities in heaven. I’m filled with excited anticipation at whatever might come next in this special book, however, my mind jumps to some verses in 1 Corinthians.

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

The people of Corinth did not have the rich heritage of the Jews. They actually may not have known, or at least known the same way a Jewish believer would know, the fact that God living in them made them His Holy Place, His temple. Ignorant or not, their lives were in moral chaos and they needed to understand this truth. Because God lived in them, they were His sanctuary, His special place where He had chosen to make Himself known. They needed to conduct themselves accordingly.

I marvel at the beauty of God’s plan and how He made a ‘shadow’ to reflect His heavenly glory in a physical place on earth. I also must marvel that He chose to make those who believe in His Son another one of those places where He reflects His glory.

Even more amazing is how various details about the tabernacle bear a resemblance to the lives of those in whom He now dwells. In other words, this tent of meeting in the wilderness describes me too. It was covered in goats’ hair drapes, and ram and badger skins—and obviously wasn’t much to look at from the outside, but it had a beauty only seen by the priests who could enter. I marvel that my great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ ignored the roughness of the coverings and decided to move in and make me His tabernacle. Because of Him, I am being changed from the inside out. I am confounded and deeply awed at this tremendous privilege.

I’m also aware of the responsibility. Nothing unclean or unholy was allowed in the tabernacle for this would defile it and ruin the image of God in the minds of those who worshiped in that place. It is the same for my life. God wants it clean, not just because onlookers might be confused about God if I ruin my temple, but because He wants nothing to come between us, Him and me.

God is using Ross’ book to bless me, to show me how great is the God that I worship. I’m only a third through and at this point my heart is bursting with the wonder and largeness of the Lord. While I feel much of the time like the ugly outer coverings of the tent of meeting, true worship is not about me. It is about recalling what God has done and glorifying Him.