I promised that we would compare the tabernacle in the Old Testament with the spiritual temple of the believer ,as Jesus taught, in the New Testament. It has been a few weeks so you may want to check the first post for a refresher(that would be 3/7/11).
"According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it." Exodus 25:9
Chapter 25 gives the instruction for the building. Here in this verse God is cautioning them to follow the pattern He has given. He is very precise in what he wants; not just what He wants, but how he wants everything done--the materials needed, the way it should be built, even to the furnishings that were to be inside.
They must be built or fashioned and placed according to the pattern he gives. No variations would be accepted. "But Lord this is the desert! Can't I just use this instead?" would not cut it with God then and it still doesn't today. He had provided everything needed for this tabernacle when they left Egypt. Whether they realized it at the time or not, what they needed to be able to serve Him --they had been carrying around with them all the time. The test was--would they be willing to give it back to Him?
This tabernacle was not meant to be a permanent structure. It was mobile and could travel with the people until they reached the promised land. This was --if you will, God's tent. A place designed for God to live among his people, He wanted to be near them. He wanted them to involve Him in their day to day lives. He wanted the parents to be able to point to His house and tell them "This is where God lives, let's go visit him"
God wanted the people to be able to draw assurance that He was "in their midst", meaning he was right there in the middle of everything that happened to them all the time. This was their loving, providing Heavenly Father wanting to build a relationship with his children.
The outside was a temporary structure, but the furnishings inside were meant to be permanent.
Next time we will take a look at each piece and how God wanted it made.
Till next time..... God bless you and keep you.
