No 2
(The Tabernacle
Part 1)
The word
tabernacle means “a temporary dwelling, a
tent”. In Jewish times, it was a
movable tent-temple which Moses erected for the service of God according to the
pattern that God Himself gave him. It
was meant for worship and a meeting place for God. In Exodus 29:42b, the Bible says “…at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak
there unto thee.” The plan or
pattern of the Tabernacle was given to Moses but he entrusted the actual
building of it to Bezaleel and Aholiab who were specially gifted with wisdom
and artistic skill (Exod 35:30-35).
Moses asked the people to contribute to build the Tabernacle and they
were so generous that: “Moses gave
commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the
offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. 7 For the stuff
they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.” (Exod 36:6,7). About the Tabernacle was a court or enclosure that
contained the Altar of sacrifice and the Laver. Inside the Tabernacle, there
was the Golden Altar of incense, the Golden Lampstand with its seven lamps, the
Table of Shewbread, and lastly, the Ark of the Covenant that contained the two
tablets of the Law, the pot of manna and Aaron’s rod that budded. How joyous it must have been for God to see
His people so dedicated and thankful for bringing them out of