Read Exodus 27 at Bible Gateway.
I have been dwelling on the tabernacle not only as an end in and of itself, but as a Natural Picture teaching a spiritual truth. Yeshua made heavy use of teaching with parables in His first advent, as parables teach spiritual truths using a natural picture.
We learned that the tabernacle consisted in three parts.
Holy of Holies, surrounded by the
Holy Place, surrounded by the
Outer Court.
Holy of Holies
The Holy of Holies was the innermost sanctuary, containing only the Ark of the Covenant with its mercy seat, representing God’s earthly throne and the place of His presence. The ark was the “heart” of the entire Tabernacle. Think of our physical heart: a hollow organ holding within it life-giving blood, which it then distributes to all corners of the body. In the same way, the ark was a hollow box holding God’s words—the tablets inscribed with God’s Commandments. And when our inner heart contains God’s Word—the Living Word, Jesus Himself, and the written Word—it sends His life flowing through every corner of our being.
The Holy Place
The Holy Place surrounded the Holy of Holies and contained three special furnishings: the golden lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table of showbread. The lamps and incense were tended daily, while the showbread was renewed each Sabbath—a lovely rhythm of daily and weekly fellowship with God. The light beautifully pictures God’s Word illuminating our minds (Psa 119:105), the incense our daily prayer rising to Him (Psa 141:2), and our weekly “feast” in Sabbath fellowship perfectly captured by the showbread (Mat 4:4). Altogether, these picture our soul’s—mind, will, and emotions—continual nourishment in our journey with God this side of heaven.
The Outer Court
The Outer Court was the largest area, open to the sky, containing the bronze altar for sacrifices and the laver for washing. It represents our physical body, which touches the fallen world around us. The body must be daily washed. The deeds of the body must be daily confessed, and repented, and the sin sacrifice of the blood of Jesus applied.
Why This Matters: The tabernacle isn’t just an ancient tent—it’s a breathtaking picture of us! God designed us to be His dwelling place: our spirit (Holy of Holies) eternally alive in Jesus, our soul (Holy Place) daily and weekly nourished through His Word, prayer, and fellowship, and our body (Outer Court) atoned for by His blood. That the Creator and Ruler of the universe invites us into this intimate, continual fellowship with Him? All I can do is worship at His nail-scarred feet!
The Hebrew paragraphs for this chapter:
27:1-8 {s} The pattern for the altar
27:9-19 {s} The pattern for the outer court
27:20-21 {s} Oil for the lampstand/ continual tending of the lampstand’s light
If there are questions, these are good resources:
The Teaching Tools of Scripture – Christine Miller
The Torah is the Ten Commandments – Christine Miller
Hebrew Root Parable of Leb, “Heart,” Strong’s H3820 – Christine Miller
The Tabernacle series – Brad Scott (scroll down)
Leave a Reply