The Tabernacle

2023-03-03

The Tabernacle was a portable tent where the sacrifices were made and where God met with His people. There was an outer court where the brasen altar and the laver were. The brasen altar is where the priests made sacrifices. It was made of shittim wood covered with brass (Exodus 27:1-8). The laver was made of brass and the priests would wash there (Exodus 30:17-21).

The Tabernacle proper was partitioned into two pieces: the holy place and the most holy. “And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy” (Exodus 26:33).

In the first part, the holy place, was the candlestick and the table with its shewbread. They were across from each other in the holy place. The altar of incense was placed up against the veil to the most holy place. “And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee” (Exodus 30:6).

Beyond the veil is where the ark of the covenant with the mercy seat lid were. This is the portion of the tabernacle called the most holy place. The high priest only went in there once a year on the Day of Atonement. The tabernacle is a picture of the tabernacle found in heaven. “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24).