"The Tabernacle"

This is one of the things I have truly enjoyed studying from the Bible over the years.  The tabernacle is so intricately designed by God and carefully constructed by men.  The tabernacle in the Old Testament has such relevance to the Christian desiring fellowship, the closest possible relationship, with God today!  I pray you are as excited and in awe as I first was (and always will be!) you read what I have discovered about the Tabernacle!

 

The Tabernacle

Exodus 25-31 and 35-40

The Outer Court

·         150 ft. x 75 ft. with a sheet of fine white linen enclosing it

     ·         Had ONE entrance to get inside, in the East side (John 14:6)
     ·         The entrance had a 30 ft. multi-colored curtain
    b·         When one entered, their back was to the sun (many worshipped the sun      
             god back then.)

 Just inside the Outer Court:

 Altar of Sacrifice

      ·         Made of wood covered in bronze (in Scripture, bronze=judgment)

     ·         The inner part of the altar (the wood part) was not visible
            - The Cross

Then, the:

Bronze Lavar

        ·         This holds the water for cleansing

At the far end of the Outer Court, there is a tent, containing two rooms:

The Holy Place (Inner Court)

·         Measures 15 ft. x 15 ft. x 30 ft.

     ·         Inside the Holy Place (once one passes through the curtain separating it from   
             the Outer Court), there were three pieces of furniture:

                                1. The Altar of Incense

·         Prayer- Revelation 5:8; Exodus 30:8; Luke 18:1

                                    ·         Prepared especially for God, not a blend for men- James    
                                               5:16

                                 2. The Golden Lampstand

·         Was to be kept burning at all times

                                    ·         One lampstand, seven branches, or arms- Revelation 2-3?
                                    ·         As our testimony (and that of the Church- ablaze all the 
                                               time!)

                                3. The Golden Table of Shewbread

·         Always held twelve loaves of bread- twelve tribes- Matthew 4:4

The Holy of Holies

     o        An even thicker curtain separated the Inner Court (Holy Place) from the   

                    Holy of Holies- Hebrews 10:20

            o        Inside was the Ark of the Covenant

                     Ø      First the cover was the Bema Seat, or Moses Seat (Judgment)- this is    

                            where God sat then and now

     Ø      When you take the lid off (of course, those who did died,) inside was:
                                   1. The two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments
                                2. A golden pot containing some manna
                                3. Aaron’s Rod (which blossomed)- Numbers 16-17

Ø      Upon the lid, the High Priest (the only one allowed into the Holy of Holies) could enter once a year on the Day of Atonement to offer the blood sacrifice (blood was sprinkled on the Bema Seat.)

Note: All Israelites could enter the Outer Court- only priests could enter the Holy Place (Inner Court), and only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies- once a year!

The Tent

   §         Total measurements- 45 ft. x 15 ft. x 15 ft.

                  The Holy Place- 30 ft. x 15 ft.
                  The Holy of Holies- 15 ft. x 15 ft.
            §         Constructed of acacia wood and overlaid in gold (man and God?)
            §         Each board rested on two legs (for stability)
            §         Each board rested side-by-side, without gap (closeness between    
                    believers and God?)
            §         The Four Coverings:

             1.  The innermost was of fine white linen with an intricate design woven into it

            2.  The second layer was goat skin (Christ our scapegoat)
            3. The third layer was a ram skin, dyed red (Blood - Atonement)
            4. The outermost was badger skin (the reproach of Christ? See Hebrews     
                  13:13, and  Hebrews 10:19-20

The Tabernacle and the Christian

 Ø      The outer court- forgiven by God

    Ø      The inner court- serving God
    Ø      The Holy of Holies- fellowship with God

        §         Sadly, most Christians wander into the Outer Court without drawing closer    

               to the Inner Court or the Holy of Holies.

                       “Draw nearer to me and I shall draw nearer to you” - James 4:8

         §         Our body, soul (mind), and spirit as a tabernacle- I Thessalonians 5:23

        §         Lastly, interesting to mention is the dress of Aaron (High Priest)- 3 parts:
                  1. A tunic of fine white linen
                  2. Over the tunic, a blue robe, which had bells and figurines of   
                         pomegranates which hung from the bottom
                  3. Then, over the blue robe he wore and ephod (a multi-colored apron)   
                         which had three parts:
                           a. two shoulder plates bearing the names of the twelve tribes of    
                                  Israel
                           b.  a breastplate containing the twelve stones representing the   
                                   twelve tribes of Israel
                           c. the urim and the thummim placed in a pocket of the ephod

Note: When the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies he would enter wearing only the first layer (white robe) and he would dress before going before his congregation…

    God asks us to come to Him as we are, He will do the rest!  We were initially intended to fellowship with Him and He with us.  As you picture the tabernacle, picture your Christian journey.  As a new believer, we enter through the only entrance (Jesus) into the outer court of belief.  As we fellowship and are sanctified and regenerate, growing in faith through knowledge gained in God's Holy Word, the Bible, we approach and enter the Holy Place (Inner Court).  As we walk, grow, and become mature, God wants the closeness and fellowship we can only experience with Him in the Holy of Holies.   Where are you now?   Where would you like to be?

Rev. Aaron M Mathews
June 19, 2012
(315)520-3152
email - reverendamathews@yahoo.com
facebook -  http://www.facebook.com/aaron.mathews1#!/aaron.mathews1