Home Work 1 The History and Meaning of Tabernacle How does it correlate with praise and worship? How many parts was the tabernacle made up of? They shall make me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them. You must make the tabernacle and all its furnishings following the plan that I am showing you. (Exodus 25:8-10). On the day after Moses returned from Mt. Sinai with the Second Tables, he gathered about him the entire congregation of Israel, and told them that God had ordered them to build a place of worship, or a Tabernacle, which was to be a visible emblem of Gods presence in the midst of Israel. Tabernacle is known in Hebrew as the Residence or Dwelling Place. It was a portable dwelling place for the divine presence of God from the time of the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. Built under Moses during the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, to specifications revealed by God. Its elements were made part of the final Temple in Jerusalem about the 10th century BC. For this purpose God had asked them for voluntary contributions of gold, silver, copper, precious stones, wool, and linen. When the people heard the good news, they gave freely of everything useful and precious that they owned; the women also spun and wove artistic handicraft. The princes contributed precious stones, fine oil, and rare spices. Day after day the entire community brought rich gifts as their offerings to Gods sanctuary, until the contributions were more than was necessary for the construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings. Moses had to stop the ceaseless flow of contributions. The tabernacle of the Hebrews, during the Exodus, was a portable worship facility comprised of three sections: The Outer Court: A tent draped with colourful curtains. It had a rectangular, perimeter fence of fabric, poles and staked cords. This rectangle was always erected when they would camp, oriented to the east. In the center of this enclosure was a rectangular sanctuary draped with goats-hair curtains, with the roof made from rams skins. It contained the bronze altar for sacrifice and also a bronze lever where the priests washed before ministering. Inside, it was divided into two areas; The Inner court also called the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (Holiest of the Holies). These two compartments were separated by a curtain or veil. Entering the first space, one would see 3 pieces of sacred furniture: a seven-branched oil lampstand on the left (south), a table for twelve loaves of show bread on the right (north) and straight ahead before the dividing curtain (west) was an altar for incense-burning. Beyond this curtain was the cube-shaped inner room known as the (Holy of Holies) or (Kodesh Hakodashim). It was considered the dwelling place for the name of the Lord. This sacred space contained a single article called the Ark of the Covenant (aron habrit). The first written description of the tabernacle is in Exodus 33:7-10. The tabernacle would be set up outside of camp, and the pillar of cloud, symbolizing the divine presence, was visible at its door. The people directed their worship toward this centre. During the day, the Holy Tabernacle was always covered by a pillar of cloud, and in the night by a pillar of fire. As long as the pillar of cloud rested over the Tabernacle, the children of Israel remained in the same place. When the cloud rose up, it was a sign for them to continue their journey. Thus they camped and travelled according to Gods command. When the Holy Ark, containing the Tables of Testimony, was raised upon the shoulders of its carriers, Moses said: Rise up, 0 God, and let Your enemies be scattered; and let them that hate You flee before You. When the Ark was let down to rest, Moses exclaimed: Return O God, unto the ten thousands of the families of Israel. In order to gain the attention of the vast multitude, whether upon the march or during the encampment, Moses was commanded to use two silver trumpets; their loud and significant blast would be a summons for the people and a memorial before God; it was to be a signal for the whole community or the chiefs to assemble before the Tabernacle, or to prepare for departure from the encampment; it led the warriors to battle, and proclaimed the holy festivals, the days of gladness and thanksgiving, of solemnity and humiliation. On each occasion there was, of course, a different signal. The direct purpose of the tabernacle was to showcase the imminence of God, a habitat where God might live among his people ( Exod 25:8 ). The indirect purpose of the tabernacle was to afford the Israelites the means by which they might honor Yahweh through carefully prescribed worship rituals orchestrated by the newly established levitical priesthood. Websters Dictionary defines worship as to adore, idolize, esteem worthy, reverence, homage, etc.. Yet truly defining worship proves more difficult because it is both an attitude and an act. Worship is either an expression of praise and thanksgiving prompted by a theophany (the visible or auditory manifestation of God to human beings) or the act of obedience to some divine directive (e.g., Abram obeying the command of God to sojourn in Canaan, Gen 12:4 ) The Tabernacle of Moses is a pattern for the praise and worship of believers in today. We enter His gates and come into His courts with praise, says Psalm 100, singing, clapping, dancing, rejoicing, giving wave offerings and shouting for joy. In this way we are offering ourselves as living sacrifices on the altar of God (Rom. 12:1). We are also being washed by the water of the word as we sing these songs based on the scriptures represented by the laver. As we enter the Holy Place, a transition takes place. The music slows down and we feed further upon the word, the bread of life itself. Our minds are illuminated by the fire of the Holy Spirit, represented by the lamp stand. We place fresh incense on the altar as we sing in the Spirit with tongues of angels. The fragrance of pure worship permeates the veil and pleases God. The veil is parted and now we have access into the Holy of holies, in a tabernacle pitched not by man, but by the Lord Himself. As we enter in we are consumed by a cloud of glory, fall down before the Throne of the Almighty, and worship Him in Spirit and truth as a royal priesthood, purchased by the blood of Jesus. There is a shedding that happens in the place of worship. We become reduced to a point where we can have personal contact with God. Where fellowship and intimacy is the most important thing and our minds are in tune with God This is what made the Tabernacle special. This is what makes heaven special. God’s presence. God’s presence was there in such a tangible, and noticeable way, that Moses could not enter it. In 2 Chronicles 5:1-14, the same thing happened in the Temple that Solomon built. (1 Cor 6:19 NIV) Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 22:30:34 +0000
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