Exodus 36:8-39:31, The Tabernacle

These passages and chapters deal with the details ordered by God concerning the building and equipping of the Tabernacle and the clothes and accouterments of the priests. They seem boring to most of us. Blueprints often are to those not involved in the building.

These are a bit special, however, for everything done here has a counterpart in heaven. The earthly tabernacle was so specifically ordered and directed because it is the shadow of the heavenly reality.

They [the priests] serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was bout to build the Tabernacle: 'See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'
Hebrews 8:5

For some good illustrations and explanations from others regarding the symbolism -- and keeping in mind that we really have NO way of understanding heavenly reality yet -- here are a couple of interesting links (for tons more, go to www.google.com and type in the words Moses and Tabernacle. You will get a few thousand hits):

http://www.domini.org/tabern/tabhome.htm

http://www.eaglevision.com.my/i1moses.htm

 

Thanks, Me2. This past six weeks had been horrendous here at home, so the Bible studies are lagging badly. Three people and one dog had surgeries within a 30 day period and then, when the various crises were finally over, I collapsed and got so sick! Recovering now, but still sleeping a lot. The patience of the people with this study has been wonderful, and thank you again.

You are right about the symbolism. A few years ago I started to wonder if every physical thing in our world is not being used by God to explain something spiritual for those 'who have eyes to see.' I can go out and weed the garden and realize that if I get the weed when they are small they are much easier to get out -- like sin in my life. The hard drive in my other computer is trying to crash (click, freeze, etc.) and my-son-the-computer-engineer will be replacing it this weekend, so I am working on an old one now. But that made me think of a natural heart -- sin-preferring and breaking down, thus causing the entire life to go haywire. New hard drive -- new heart -- is needed. Can't just 'fix' the old one.

And yes, yes, yes about the Tabernacle and Jesus Christ. Even more than the physical things in my own life, I am quite positive that God used the Old Testament -- the people, the things, the events -- to demonstrate spiritual truths to us written physically on history.

Why would it matter else about the exact details of the Tabernacle, unless God were trying to show us something extremely important

....about Himself

?

[ October 16, 2002, 09:12 AM: Message edited by: Helen ]