The Tabernacle
Today we read about the blueprints God gave Moses for His tabernacle. The tabernacle was like a visual of God's presence among the people, His presence indicated by the cloud of smoke. The tabernacle was a kind of tent, separated into two parts: the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. The whole thing was about 150 feet by 75 feet. The brazen altar was placed right inside, then after was the laver, where the priest would wash their hand and feet before going into the Holy Place. Upon entering the Holy Place, the priest would find the menorah, a lampstand hammered out of one piece of gold, which I'm guessing would make it pretty small. He would also find the table of showbread, which was a table covered with gold, on the right side, across from the menorah. Then in front of the curtain that separates the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was the golden alter of incense, which was smaller than the brazen alter, covered with gold, and had four horns on the corners. After passing the golden alter of incense, there was a curtain of blues and purples. Only the high priest could go in there and only on one day of the year. The Holy of Holies was a perfect cube, filled with smoke, that would funnel out to form the cloud. The smoke also served as a veil for the high priest when he went in, because no one can see the face of God. In all the smoke there was a piece of furniture called the Ark of the Covenant, and on top of it the mercy seat, or atonement cover, which was a chair like piece of furnature. The mercy seat was made of a piece of gold, and the Ark was made of the same acacia wood as the rest of the furniture and also plated in gold, inside and out. Inside the Ark, God told Moses to put three things: the tablets with the 10 commandments on them, a golden pot of manna, and Aaron's staff. God then chose priests- Aaron and his four sons. Aaron was the first high priest, followed by his descendants. They were the ones to go into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement and seek forgiveness of their people's sins. Keeping in mind that a priest is someone who is kind of a mediator between God and man, this role of high priesthood foreshadowed Christ, because he was our connection to God, and He atoned for our sins.
God gave Moses a very in-depth set of instructions for how He wanted worship to go. As the summary before the passage said, this shows that "no detail of man's worship of God is too small for God's concern."
Have a wonderful Sunday :)
Gina
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