The SanctuarySample

Make The Tabernacle

Have you ever been camping out in the wild? Unless you were really roughing it I imagine you took a tent. Many years ago, some friends and I went on a camping trip. I bought myself a brand-new tent for the occasion. We arrived at our campsite well after dark and I set about putting up my tent. The problem was I had no idea how it was supposed to fit together. It took a good couple of hours to sort of work it out, but it was wonky. I was too tired to care, and I nestled into its sagging protection to sleep. The next morning, I discovered what a terrible job I’d done. What’s more, I put it up right next to a barbed-wire fence! It was adequate for me for a single night, and I had to set things right the next morning.

Can you imagine what it would have been like if the tent I was putting up was where God was going to stay?

In Exodus 26, the Lord gives Moses detailed instructions on the construction of the Tabernacle. It was a temporary place for God to dwell in the presence of His people. It removed the distance between the Lord God and His chosen people.

In John 1:14 we read that the Word took on flesh and came and dwelled among us. The dwelling was still only temporary. Jesus’ death on the Cross promised a permanent solution. We prepare our hearts as the permanent dwelling place of the Lord. For me, rough enough was good enough for one night. But I would have stayed up all night if I knew that my tent was where God would come to dwell.

Written by CHRIS PARFOOT