Exodus 25:9 – God with us

The world had seen many beautiful physical structures, both in time and history. Yet there had not been one that was as significant as the Tabernacle. Why? It’s because the Tabernacle came from the mind of God and the only structure that was built in perfect symmetry and exactness. It was the brain-child of the Almighty God, the architect of the universe. He Himself had designed it, giving exact details on everything concerning the outward structure and all its internal furnishings. He even specified the colour code and the precise material to be used for this divine structure. The Tabernacle had been, and still is, considered by believers to be the most significant, beautiful and exquisite structure that ever existed. In this divine structure, God has now provided us with lessons on the ways of salvation. This Tabernacle is both a prophetic and a redemptive message for us who trust God and want to follow Him in life.

Every building is built twice, once in the mind of the architect and once in reality. The Tabernacle was no exception. It began in the mind of God. He was the one who had provided the blueprint for this divine structure. He told Moses in no uncertain term what should be done for the building. His exact words were: “According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.” It is interesting to note that in creating the world God took only 6 days, but in constructing the Tabernacle God took forty days to instruct Moses on the precise pattern He wanted. This tells us how important God attached to the Tabernacle. Obviously, more details must be put into it. God was going to make it His dwelling place on earth so that He could stay close to His people. More than that, the Tabernacle was meant to teach about God’s character and what it meant to have a meaningful relationship with Him. More than that, through it, God also prescribes how He desires to be worshipped.  

The tabernacle was a rectangular building approximately forty-five feet long and fifteen feet wide. It had a tall fence surrounding a tent that was slightly more than 10,000 square feet in space. Outside of the tent, within the fence was known as the courtyard. At the entrance of the courtyard was the Bronze Altar of Sacrifice and a Laver, a basin-like receptacle placed in between the Brazen altar of sacrifice and the entrance into the tent.  The tent had two portions separated by a curtain. The outer portion we know is referred to as the Holy Place containing three pieces of furnishings namely, the Table of Shewbread, the Altar of Incense and the Golden Lampstand. The inner portion of the tent is known as the Holy of holies, the sacred place that houses the Ark of the Covenant.

The meaning cannot be missed. The building of the Tabernacle was God's way of signalling to His people that He wanted to dwell among us. He wanted to be near His covenant people and to stay connected with them.  For us, our Tabernacle is Jesus Christ our Lord. He was the Eternal Word of God that created the world. And He became a man to dwell among us. Now through Him and in Him we can come to God and more than that, stay connected with God!