In Hebrew, Tabernacle means dwelling place
We are His temple, the temple of the Holy Spirit:
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16
This is not a thorough study of the Tabernacle of God written about in Exodus and touched on in various other parts of the Bible. This blog post is to peak the reader’s interest. With prayerful study, God will show you more, you will gain more information and insight from God Himself.
Several books could be written on this subject. The Tabernacle is where God dwelt with His people, how He made himself accessible to those who were interested in serving Him and knowing Him.
And they shall know that I am the Lord their God,
that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt,
that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God. Exodus 49:26
The Tabernacle of God had three parts, The Outer Sanctuary, The Inner Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was. The Trinity is represented here. We are created in God’s image. The concept of the Trinity should be clear first if we look at our human structure. We have a soul, a spirit and a body. Just like God. The Tabernacle was representative of God.
We know the priests were able to go into The Holy of Holies, which was the deepest, most intimate part of the Tabernacle. We know the people were allowed in the outer court. This was where God was represented, a place where people could go to reach out to God.
And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp,
afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation.
And it came to pass, that every one which sought the Lord
went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation,
which was without the camp. Exodus 33:7
And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place:
according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do. Exodus 31:11
So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh,
and after they had drunk.
Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord.
And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said,
O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid,
but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child,
then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life,
and there shall no razor come upon his head. 1 Samuel 1:9-11
Hanna’s prayer was answered as her son was the Prophet Samuel who was used greatly by God with King David to help him be responsive to the Lord while he ruled Israel.
God has always wanted to have relationship with His people. He has always made a way for people to come before Him and to commune with Him. We now have the Holy Spirit, but remember, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 He has not changed, but God has allowed us to have a greater closeness to Himself through His son Jesus Christ. So, if we consider the Trinity, Jesus Christ would be considered the Outer Court, the way we get to God, the Holy Spirit would be the Inner Court and the Holy of Holies would be God Himself, His heart.