Topical Encyclopedia The Tabernacle, often referred to as the "Tent of Meeting," was the portable earthly dwelling place of Yahweh used by the Israelites from the time of the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. It was a central element in the religious life of the Israelites, serving as the focal point for worship and the performance of sacred rituals. The priests, descendants of Aaron from the tribe of Levi, were divinely appointed to perform all services within the Tabernacle, acting as mediators between God and the people.Priestly Duties and Services The priests were responsible for a variety of duties within the Tabernacle, ensuring that the worship and sacrificial system prescribed by God was carried out with precision and reverence. Their responsibilities included offering sacrifices, maintaining the sacred fire, and performing rituals of purification and atonement. 1. Sacrificial Offerings: The priests were tasked with offering daily sacrifices on behalf of the people. This included burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. Leviticus 1-7 provides detailed instructions on how these sacrifices were to be conducted. The priests acted as intermediaries, presenting the offerings to God and ensuring that the sacrificial system was adhered to according to divine command. 2. Maintenance of the Tabernacle: The priests were charged with the care and maintenance of the Tabernacle and its furnishings. This included the upkeep of the altar, the lampstand, the table of showbread, and the Ark of the Covenant. They were responsible for ensuring that the sacred space remained holy and that all items were handled with the utmost respect. 3. Incense and Prayer: The priests burned incense on the altar of incense, symbolizing the prayers of the people ascending to God. Exodus 30:7-8 states, "And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps. When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn the incense as a regular offering before the LORD throughout your generations." 4. Blessing the People: The priests were also responsible for blessing the people in the name of the Lord. Numbers 6:22-27 records the priestly blessing, which invoked God's favor, protection, and peace upon the Israelites. 5. Teaching the Law: As custodians of the Law, the priests were tasked with teaching the statutes and commandments of God to the people. They served as spiritual leaders, guiding the Israelites in understanding and living according to God's covenant. The High Priest The role of the High Priest was of particular significance within the priestly hierarchy. The High Priest alone was permitted to enter the Most Holy Place, or Holy of Holies, once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Leviticus 16 details the solemn duties of the High Priest on this day, including the offering of sacrifices for his own sins and the sins of the people, and the sprinkling of blood on the mercy seat to atone for the transgressions of Israel. Divine Appointment and Consecration The priesthood was established by divine ordinance, with Aaron and his sons consecrated to serve as priests. Exodus 28-29 describes the elaborate process of consecration, which included washing, anointing, and the donning of sacred garments. The priests were set apart for their holy duties, and their service was a perpetual reminder of the holiness required to approach God. In summary, the priests played a vital role in the religious life of Israel, performing all services within the Tabernacle as ordained by God. Their ministry was essential for maintaining the covenant relationship between Yahweh and His people, ensuring that worship was conducted in accordance with divine instruction. Torrey's Topical Textbook Numbers 3:10And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that comes near shall be put to death. Torrey's Topical Textbook Numbers 18:1,2 Hebrews 9:6 Library What is the Sanctuary? What is the Sanctuary? Concerning Sacerdotal Consecrations. Concerning Things Accomplished in the Synaxis. Church Fabrics and Services. The New Covenant. Nature of Covenanting. The Flight into Egypt and St. John the Baptist in the Desert "The Light of Life" Scriptural Types. Resources What was the brazen altar? | GotQuestions.orgWhat was the bread of the Presence (Exodus 25:30)? | GotQuestions.org What did the Law mean when it referred to a lasting ordinance? | GotQuestions.org Tabernacle: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus Subtopics Tabernacle of Testimony Witness Tabernacle was a Moveable Tent Suited to the Unsettled Condition of Tabernacle was Set up by Moses at Mount Sinai Tabernacle was Set up in Shiloh Tabernacle was Set Up: At Gilgal Tabernacle was Set Up: Finally at Gibeon Tabernacle: (The Holy of Holies) Heaven Tabernacle: (The Vail) Christ's Body Tabernacle: (The Vail) the Obscurity of the Mosaic Age Tabernacle: A Permanent House Substituted For, when the Kingdom Was Tabernacle: All Males Required to Appear Before, Three Times Each Year Tabernacle: All offerings to be Made At Tabernacle: Anointed and Consecrated With Oil Tabernacle: Anointed With Holy Oil Tabernacle: Brought to the Temple by Solomon Tabernacle: Called The: House of the Lord Tabernacle: Called The: Tabernacle of Joseph Tabernacle: Called The: Tabernacle of Shiloh Tabernacle: Called The: Tabernacle of Testimony or Witness Tabernacle: Called The: Tabernacle of the Congregation Tabernacle: Called The: Tabernacle of the Lord Tabernacle: Called The: Temple of the Lord Tabernacle: Carried in Front of the People of Israel in the Line of March Tabernacle: Court of all the Pillars of, Filleted With Silver Tabernacle: Court of all the Vessels of, Made of Brass Tabernacle: Court of Contained the Brazen Altar and Laver of Brass Tabernacle: Court of One Hundred Cubits Long and Fifty Cubits Wide Tabernacle: Court of Surrounded by Curtains of Fine Line Suspended from Pillars Tabernacle: Court of The Gate of, a Hanging of Blue, Purple Twenty Cubits Tabernacle: Coverings of The First or Inner, Ten Curtains of Blue, Purple Joined Tabernacle: Coverings of The Fourth or Outward of Badgers' Skins Tabernacle: Coverings of The Second, Eleven Curtains of Goats' Hair Tabernacle: Coverings of The Third of Rams' Skins Dyed Red Tabernacle: Defilement of, Punished Tabernacle: Description of The Frame Tabernacle: Designed for Manifestation of God's Presence and for His Tabernacle: Divided by a Vail of Blue, Purple, Suspended from Four Tabernacle: Divided Into: The Holy Place Tabernacle: Divided Into: The Most Holy Place Tabernacle: Divine Wisdom Given to Bezaleel to Make Tabernacle: Filled With the Cloud of Glory Tabernacle: First Reared, on the First Day of the Second Year After The Tabernacle: Free-Will offerings Made at the Dedication of the Altar of Tabernacle: Free-Will offerings Made at the First Rearing of Tabernacle: had a Court Round About Tabernacle: How and by Whom Carried Tabernacle: How Prepared for Removal During the Travels of the Israelites Tabernacle: Israelites Worship At Tabernacle: Made of the Free-Will offerings of the People Tabernacle: Materials For, Voluntarily offered Tabernacle: Moses Was Commanded to Make After a Divine Pattern Tabernacle: Offerings Brought To Tabernacle: One Existed Before Moses Received the Pattern Authorized on Mount Sinai Tabernacle: Pattern of, Revealed to Moses Tabernacle: Pitched: At Gibeon Tabernacle: Pitched: At Gilgal Tabernacle: Pitched: At Shiloh Tabernacle: Punishment for Defiling Tabernacle: Renewed by David, and Pitched Upon Mount Zion Tabernacle: Sanctified by the Glory of the Lord Tabernacle: Solomon offers Sacrifice At Tabernacle: Sprinkled and Purified With Blood Tabernacle: Sprinkled With Blood Tabernacle: Strangers (Foreigners) Forbidden to Enter Tabernacle: Symbol of Spiritual Things Tabernacle: The Ark and Mercy-Seat Put in the Most Holy Place Tabernacle: The Boards of had Each Two Tenons Fitted Into Sockets of Silver Tabernacle: The Boards of Made of Shittim Wood Tabernacle: The Boards of Six, and Two Corner Boards for West Side Tabernacle: The Boards of Supported by Bars of Shittim Wood Resting in Rings of Gold Tabernacle: The Boards of Ten Cubits High by One and a Half Broad Tabernacle: The Boards of Twenty on North Side Tabernacle: The Boards of Twenty on South Side Tabernacle: The Boards of With the Bars, Covered With Gold Tabernacle: The Cloud of Glory Rested On, by Night and Day During Its Tabernacle: The Door of, a Curtain of Blue and Purple Suspended by Gold Tabernacle: The Journeys of Israel Regulated by the Cloud On Tabernacle: The Levites: Appointed Over, and had Charge of Tabernacle: The Levites: Carried Tabernacle: The Levites: did the Inferior Service of Tabernacle: The Levites: Pitched Their Tents Around Tabernacle: The Levites: Took Down, and Put Up Tabernacle: The Lord Appeared In, Over the Mercy-Seat Tabernacle: The Lord Reveals Himself At Tabernacle: The Most Holy Place Tabernacle: The One Instituted by Moses Was Called of Testimony Tabernacle: The One Instituted by Moses Was Called: House of the Lord Tabernacle: The One Instituted by Moses Was Called: Sanctuary Tabernacle: The One Instituted by Moses Was Called: Tabernacle (A. V.), Tent (R. V.) Tabernacle: The One Instituted by Moses Was Called: Tabernacle (A. V.), Tent of Meeting (R. V.) Tabernacle: The One Instituted by Moses Was Called: Temple of the Lord Tabernacle: The One Instituted by Moses Was Called: Tent of Testimony (R. V.) Tabernacle: The Outer Covering Tabernacle: The Priests were the Ministers of Tabernacle: The Priests: Alone Could Enter Tabernacle: The Priests: Performed all Services In Tabernacle: The Second Covering Tabernacle: The Table of Show-Bread, the Golden Candlestick, and The Tabernacle: Tribes Encamped Around, While in the Wilderness Tabernacle: Value of the Substance Contributed For Tabernacle: Workmen Who Constructed It Were Inspired Related Terms |
    |