Devotional • You could so easily have walked right past that fence made of sheets billowing in the wind. From the outside, the Tabernacle was not compelling. From a distance the only part of the main building you could even see was the top of the roof which was a patchwork covering of porpoise skins. This clearly was not the most aesthetically beautiful structure ever constructed, especially when you consider the glorious Egyptian temples the wandering Israelites had formerly known. Yet the purpose of this complex was astounding. In the inner most chamber over the mercy seat, God Himself said, “There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of testimony, I will commune with you…”

A holy God deigns to meet and commune with sinful man.
This is the heart of the Gospel. And it was pictured so long ago in that Tabernacle in the wilderness.

From the early days in the Garden of Eden God came in the cool of the day and walked with Adam and Eve. He related to them and they to Him. God gave man free will so that he could freely choose to walk with God and fully enjoy that relationship. You probably know the story, Adam and Eve used their free will to choose to go their own way with devastating consequences. That relationship we were created for was broken. There was nothing man could do to restore it. Only God could make a way back to Himself.

When we turned aside to go our own way, God didn’t cast us aside forever. He had a heart of mercy and compassion for us. He had a plan of redemption and restoration. He would execute this plan ultimately through the sacrifice of His son on the cross. But before the cross He began to instruct us about how this reconciliation would take place.

He sent prophets over the centuries who gave details about the life of the coming Messiah. He developed different “snapshots” that pictured scenes from the life of Christ such as the sacrifice of Isaac, Abraham’s only begotten son and the shed blood of the Passover lambs. These snapshots pointed to the coming Lord Jesus so that we might not miss Him. Celebrations like the feasts prefigured events in the life of the coming Messiah and prepared us to receive Him. But no where else in the Bible does God take so much time (some 50 chapters) or go into so much detail to paint a picture of the restoration of our relationship with Him as in the Tabernacle. This structure presents an object lesson that points to how our relationship with God can be restored. As He gives the details of how to build and operate the Tabernacle He reminds Moses again and again to be careful to exactly follow the pattern he was shown. God is serious about the picture the Tabernacle paints of man’s reconciliation to God.

The beauty of the Tabernacle was not in the outer structure, but in its purpose. This purpose was that God would meet with man and commune with him. This is God’s highest purpose for man, this is what you were created for. In the words of the Spirit and the bride in Revelation 22:17, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come." And let the one who is thirsty come, let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” Come!

Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank You that You didn’t give up on man when we turned aside from You. But You made a way for us to be reconciled and come into that relationship with You we were created for. Thank You for the instructions you gave so long ago pointing us back to You through the ancient Tabernacle. Help us to draw near to You.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen