Tabernacle

In Exodus 25-27, God gives Moses specific instructions to build the Tabernacle (or Tent of Meeting). It was a large tent, surrounded by a courtyard, and was the temporary place where God would dwell whilst His people were living in the wilderness. It was the place where Moses met with God, and where the priests could offer sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. The Tabernacle was a constant reminder to the people of Israel that although God was with them, He was too holy for them to approach. A series of curtains divided the people from the holiest place where God dwelt and where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. Only the High Priest had access to the Most Holy Place, and even he could only approach once a year after the appropriate sacrifices and ceremonial washing (Leviticus 16). The permanent building of the Temple superseded the tabernacle, once the Israelites had settled in the Promised Land. Ultimately the Tabernacle pointed forwards to Jesus Christ, who made His dwelling (or ‘tabernacled’) among us when He became a human being (John 1:14).