Video from The Theopolis Institute
The Tabernacle (Part 1 of 11): Alastair Roberts - The Theopolis Institute
"What was the Tabernacle and how does that concept relate to our lives as Christians today? Let's take an in-depth look into how we have become the Temple." from the video introduction
"The phrase tent of meeting is used in the Old Testament, specifically in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, as the name of a place where God would meet with His people, Israel. Usually, the “tent of meeting” was used as another name for the Tabernacle of Moses. However, before the Tabernacle was constructed, God met with Moses in a temporary tent of meeting: “Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the ‘tent of meeting.’ Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. . . . As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses” (Exodus 33:7, 9). From the article: What was the tent of meeting?
The Tabernacle: Before the Israelites worshiped God in the Temple (1 Kings 6), they had a mobile worship center known as the Tabernacle, which was formed during the time of Moses (Exodus 27).
But why would they need a portable temple? Why didn’t they just build the Temple right away? And what purpose does the Tabernacle in Exodus serve? This article will cover these questions and more.
Why Build a Portable Temple?
Scanning through a brief overview of Old Testament history, we see the Israelites leave Egypt, but they didn’t settle right away. Because of their fear of the giants who roamed the land that God had promised them (Numbers 13), the Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years before they entered the Promised Land.
During those 40 years, they needed a place to worship God, but they couldn’t build a permanent temple structure because they wouldn’t live in the wilderness forever. Hence, God instructed them to build a temporary place of worship so that they could worship wherever they wandered.
Why did they need a specific place for God to dwell? Tabernacle means “to dwell.” Because God did not dwell in the hearts of humans until after Christ’s death and resurrection, he would dwell in a certain place during the time of the Old Testament. After Solomon built the Temple, he would dwell in the Holy of Holies, the most inner room of the temple where only the High Priest could enter his presence once a year (Hebrew 9:7). But, for the time being, he dwelt in the Tabernacle. from the article: What Was the Purpose and Meaning of the Tabernacle in Exodus?
This is an 11 part series from the Theopolis Institute