As we were reminded in last week’s post, our Lord is a God of second chances. Despite Israel’s blatant disregard for the commandment about idolatry and their worship of the golden calf, God made another covenant with them and told Moses He would travel in their midst on the way to the Promised Land.
In Exodus 34:9, Moses had spoken to the Lord about this:
” If I have found favor in Thy sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate ; and do Thou pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Thine own possession.”
What happened next is tremendously important, symbolizing God’s presence among the people He had once disowned. Before this great event we are about to witness, Moses pitched a tent outside the camp and would meet God there because He had withdrawn His presence and blessing from the people. When God decided to give Israel another chance to be His special people, He decided to be among them.
What did He do to demonstrate His love for Israel and His desire to be among them? He instructed Moses to build a tabernacle, a place where He would reveal Himself to and dwell among His people.
The tabernacle would be a visible reminder of God’s presence and a place to learn about and worship Him during their journey to the land He promised to their father, Abraham.
The last six chapters of Exodus (35-40) concern the building and equipping of the tabernacle. Here are some questions that may be of interest to you:
- Why did God have Moses build the tabernacle? As mentioned above, the tabernacle (tent of meeting) symbolized God’s very real presence among His people. He would be there to guide and help them during their journey. Also, the tabernacle would serve as the physical place where the people would experience the sacrifices for sin and celebrate the holy days God had ordained for them.
- Did Moses actually build the tabernacle? No. God instructed Moses with the details for the structure, but there were two craftsmen named as the leaders of this momentous project. Their names were Bezaiel and Oholiab, both gifted with great skill and understanding to teach others and oversee the work. Exodus 35:30-36:3.
- Where did Moses, Bezaiel, and Oholiab get the materials to build the tabernacle? Moses brought God’s plan for the tabernacle to the people and asked those willing to contribute gold, silver, bronze, and other materials needed for the project. Exodus 35:5-36:6. The people were so generous that Moses issued a restraint, telling them to stop bringing gifts because they had more than enough for the project! Where did these former slaves get all these precious metals and materials for building their place of worship? The answer is found in Exodus 12:33-36. The Egyptians desperately wanted the Israelites to get out of the country after the angel had killed all their firstborn. Following Moses’ direction, the Israelites asked their Egyptian neighbors for all these materials, not knowing how God would use them, and they gave them all they wanted. Exodus 12:36 says, “Thus they plundered the Egyptians.”
- What did the tabernacle look like, and how was it constructed? Instead of getting into architectural and construction information far beyond my ability to explain, I’ve decided to provide the following link to give a sense of what the structure may have been like. This video talks about measurements in cubits. In the event you do not remember, a cubit is 18 inches.//youtube.com/watch?v=MMEQ-WlsWsc Details of the work on the tabernacle are covered in Exodus 36-40.
- What happened to the tabernacle when God instructed the Israelites to continue their journey toward the Promised Land? As you have seen in the video simulation, the tabernacle and enclosure were a large structure. God planned for the symbol of His presence to travel with the Israelites. Therefore, it was designed to be transported from place to place, assembled for their stay, and taken down when it was time to move on. A cloud remained above the tabernacle until it was time to move, and the cloud was lifted when the Levite men, selected to transport the structure, took it down and carried it to the next stop on the journey. “And throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day it was taken up.” Exodus 40:36-37.
Conclusion
When God makes a promise, He keeps it. When God called Moses to free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, He promised that He would go with him to enable him to accomplish the task. Moses realized that he was God’s servant and that God alone could accomplish what He had called him to do. At Sinai, he clearly recognized that the task ahead of him could not succeed without God’s presence among His people. God made a promise to Abraham, and His presence among Abraham’s people was necessary to fulfill that promise. The tabernacle became a visible reminder of God’s goodness and faithfulness to the people He had called to bless all nations of the earth.