Topical Bible: Tabernacle was Set up by Moses at Mount Sinai

Bible > Topical > Tabernacle was Set up by Moses at Mount Sinai

◄ Tabernacle was Set up by Moses at Mount Sinai ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The Tabernacle, also known as the Tent of Meeting, holds a significant place in the history of Israel as the portable earthly dwelling place of Yahweh among the Israelites. Its establishment at Mount Sinai marks a pivotal moment in the narrative of the Exodus and the covenantal relationship between God and His chosen people.

Biblical Account

The instructions for constructing the Tabernacle were given to Moses by God during his forty-day stay on Mount Sinai. This divine blueprint is detailed in the Book of Exodus, chapters 25 through 31. The Lord commanded Moses, saying, "And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them. You must make it according to all that I show you—the pattern of the tabernacle as well as the pattern of all its furnishings" (Exodus 25:8-9).

The construction of the Tabernacle was a communal effort, involving the contributions and skills of the entire Israelite community. Exodus 35:21 describes the people's response: "Everyone whose heart stirred him and whose spirit prompted him came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments" .

Structure and Furnishings

The Tabernacle was a complex structure, consisting of the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies). The outer court housed the bronze altar for burnt offerings and the bronze basin for ceremonial washing. The Holy Place contained the table of showbread, the golden lampstand, and the altar of incense. The Most Holy Place, separated by a veil, contained the Ark of the Covenant, which held the stone tablets of the Law, Aaron's rod, and a jar of manna.

The materials used in the Tabernacle's construction were of the finest quality, including gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, fine linen, and acacia wood. The craftsmanship was overseen by Bezalel and Oholiab, who were filled with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship (Exodus 31:1-6).

Significance

The setting up of the Tabernacle at Mount Sinai was not merely a physical act but a profound spiritual event. It symbolized God's desire to dwell among His people and established a central place of worship and sacrifice. The Tabernacle served as the focal point for the Israelites' religious life, where the priesthood, led by Aaron and his sons, performed their sacred duties.

The presence of God was manifested in the Tabernacle through the cloud by day and the fire by night, signifying His guidance and protection. Exodus 40:34-35 records, "Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle" .

Theological Implications

The Tabernacle prefigures the coming of Christ, who is described in the New Testament as the true Tabernacle. The Gospel of John states, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us" (John 1:14), using the Greek word "σκηνόω" (skenoo), meaning "to tabernacle" or "to pitch a tent." This connection highlights the Tabernacle's role as a foreshadowing of God's ultimate plan for redemption through Jesus Christ.

In summary, the setting up of the Tabernacle by Moses at Mount Sinai represents a foundational moment in the history of Israel, embodying the themes of divine presence, covenant, and worship that resonate throughout the biblical narrative.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 40:18,19
And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 10:11,12
And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

How Moses Ascended up to Mount Sinai, and Received Laws from God ...
... which it is not lawful for us to set down directly ... to him also that he would have
a tabernacle built for ... would be no longer any occasion for going up to Mount ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 5 how moses ascended.htm

Following the Cloud.
... and set His people free, and He also set a great ... the pillar of cloud came and stood
at the Tabernacle door while ... them from the rock and took them up into Mount ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xii following the cloud.htm

The Wilderness.
... to be copied by him, by Divine guidance, in the Ark and Tabernacle, where his ... Therefore
those two alone of the grown-up men were allowed to set foot in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson iv the wilderness.htm

Exodus
... l0-28"and an account of the transfiguration of Moses, as he laid Jehovah's commands
upon the people, xxxiv.29-35. ... Then the tabernacle was set up on New ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/exodus.htm

Several Laws.
... Instead of Levi, Moses took Manasseh, the son of Joseph, among the heads of tribes;
and Ephraim instead ... 5. When they set up the tabernacle, they received ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 12 several laws.htm

How those that Stirred up this Sedition were Destroyed, According ...
... my father-in-law; and I gave myself up to this ... on a sudden; and the agitation that
set it in ... of theirs which they brought with them, before the tabernacle. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 3 how those that.htm

Of the Priesthood of Aaron.
... He went no more up to Mount Sinai; but he went into the tabernacle, and brought ... He
also set down in writing the form of their government, and those laws by ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 of the priesthood.htm

Were Christ and the Apostles Mistaken?
... from between his feet until Shiloh come." Moses wrote of ... ritual, when under God's
instruction he set up the system of types, for the tabernacle and the ...
/.../concerning the assumptions of destructive criticism/iv were christ and the.htm

How Solomon Removed the Ark into the Temple How He Made ...
... same places wherein they stood till that time in the tabernacle. So they offered
up the daily sacrifices; but for the brazen altar, Solomon set it before ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 4 how solomon removed.htm

The Law.
... from heaven to earth, from Christ to Moses, none can ... my saviour and judge, nor suffer
it to set up its government ... now shall be found in his tabernacle, that is ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bunyan/the riches of bunyan/v the law.htm