The Tabernacle

The Tabernacle is one of my favorite topics to study. The Tabernacle was an actual part of Israel’s history. The precise directions and measurements were given to Moses by God Himself.  Each piece of the Tabernacle can be compared with the coming of the Messiah. The format of this book will be easy to teach because it divides the study into 6 Parts. Each part follows the same format beginning with reading the Word of God: Read It, Know It, Explore it, and finally Live It. Life Application Questions to help us draw meaning from the traditions of the Old Testament and using it in our daily lives. The various treasures in the Holy of Holies are divided into groups and discussed in detail. Part 1 God with Us, concentrates on the Temple in the wilderness. It was a place where God would actually come down and enter the Tent of Meeting. Several artist rendering and even a scale model of the Tabernacle help us understand the dimensions. The timelines and cutaway diagrams were very detailed. Part 2 Sacrifices and Holiness, explore the altar where the animals were sacrificed and the laver. The Laver was a magnificent piece where the priests must purify themselves before they performed their duties. The surface of the laver was said to be highly polished so the priests could see their own reflection as they washed in the water. One of my favorite illustrations is the colorful shaded chart showing the various four different kinds of offering in the Old Testament. It supplies appropriate scripture and detailed descriptions. Part 3 The Lampstand, shares how light is viewed in the Bible. The subtitle is light in a dark place. Our world is definitely in darkness but Jesus is the light of the world. Part 4 God’s Invitation, details the Table of Bread and Altar of Incense. Part 5 Drawing Near to God, teaching the importance of the Veil that was ripped from top to bottom when Christ died on the Cross. The Ark of the Covenant is a holy and sacred and was a crucial part of the Tabernacle. Part 6 Finding  Mercy, the demonstrates a paramount issue of our faith. The garments of the High Priest is depicted and explained. A glorious picture of the Mercy Seat also called the Atonement Seat. In order to understand the pageantry and details of the Tabernacle, we must realize the sacrificial offering that Jesus made on the Cross. The mention of Jewish holidays, comparing of Old Testament and New Testament, a chart showing the contents of the Ark listing the items, their symbolism and describing how Jesus fulfills every need, makes this resource very complete and useful as a teaching tool. Hendrickson Rose, provided me this wonderful resource in exchange for an unbiased review.