The Hebrew Tabernacle

If it is true for a Christian that “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein:” (Josh 1:8a) if indeed “ his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night;” (Psalm 1:2) then the study of the Henrew Tabernacle on which we now embark can bring the result “then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success;” (Josh 1:8b)and could secure for us “ And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:3)

The Bible states in Exod 25: “1 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. 3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, 4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, 5 And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, 6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, 7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. 8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” (Exod 25:1-8)

8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

For a Christian, the study of the Hebrew Tabernacle should immediately bring to mind two astounding revelations of the New Testament (or new covenant as the case would have it.) First Paul's present tense declaration in 1Cor 6 that “19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” And second God's astounding future plan and desire expressed in the Revelation of Jesus Christ that “1 ¶ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”

Noted Evangelist Lauren Dawson said “In the Old Testament God made a tabernacle for His people; in the New Testament God makes a people for His tabernacle.”

This study of the Hebrew Tabernacle is well worthwhile because it is a foreshadow of what you and I are to be as Christians. But the image of what you and I are to be as Christians is manifest already. For the Scripture says in John 1:

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 ¶ John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

More exactly then,

The Hebrew Tabernacle is The Foreshadow of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Every aspect of the Old Testament Hebrew Temple foreshadowed the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every construction detail, every furnishing and every function points to the Redeemer and Saviour of mankind. From the outside it and " He hath no form nor comeliness; and... there is no beauty that we should desire Him.". (Isa. 53) The gold plating and furnishings found in side this holy place where God dwelt were reserved for eyes of only the priests. As it is in Christianity, only born again believers have eyes that can see the deified beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unbelievers see a marvelous curiosity which is functional but drab and dull. They do not have eyes to see the fine twined linen of blue and purple and scarlet. They cannot cast their eyes on the shittim wood plated in pure gold, which typifies the flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ robed in the full deity of God the Father. No they see a curiosity; they see goat's hair and badger skin; some may get a glimpse of rams skin dyed red but they never fasten their eyes on holy place much less the holy of holies for the Bible says:

Isa 44:18 They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

2Pe 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

How are your eyes? Are they able to see? Do you have the eyes of a believer or the eyes of the religious? Of the healed blind man the Bible says in John 9:

25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

26 Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?

27 He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?

28 Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples.

29 We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.

To be only a disciple of Moses in this study would be disastrous. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.