My Tabernacle

So I wrote this post before Christmas, but I thought the message of Mary should remain until after the big day. As a side note, the idea of Mary's desire turning into the desire of God that already exists is beautiful to me. She accepts it, desires it, but it doesn't take away from how hard it is and will be. Keep that in mind as you allow God to mold your desires into what He desires. Its cool... but in ain't easy.

Anyway, along with the post. I am past this now in my current study of Exodus, but I hope this raises questions and thoughts from you. Thanks for reading and participating with me as I grow in the knowledge and understanding of God through His word (even in the OT).

my tabernacle

So… as you may know, and if not you’re just now finding out, I have been studying the Old Testament. For words I don’t understand I look at my thick concordance. But generally things make sense when taken in smaller chunks. Sure I could use a little history lesson, but it beautiful coincides with some of the study I’m doing in Revelation at Common Ground and Acts that I am doing with a friend.

I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Exodus, but for a while its been mainly about Moses; the journey out of Egpyt, through the sea, into the wilderness, etc. I just finished the laws, and have entered into the building of the tabernacle.

Its taken days on days to get through it, and I’m still reading about curtains, pillars, linens, the alter, etc. It is filled with intricate details, none of which I will begin to share with you lest I lose the small amount of interest that I have thankfully peaked. Just know that it is very detailed. As the sizes are determined, the materials choses (gold, silver, bronze, acacia wood, etc.), and colors picked (purple linen for example) I was amazed for the first couple chapters of such detail; pulling some verses to which I can squeeze a drop of “word” into my soul for that day’s “daily bread”.

Well, a couple days ago, I continued on this journey of reading how God was describing that the Israelites build His tabernacle. Then I noticed a baby “a” right by the word “tabernacle”. (this signals me to go down to the bottom of the page and see what reference its talking about) It translated the word “tabernacle” to “dwelling place”. For a minute I began to think “cool. Yeah. Where God dwells…like His church”.

Although that may be true, and Exodus is speaking of a physical place that is being built, the Holy Spirit led me to consider my body as the temple, or “dwelling place” of the Lord. You have heard it said, or read, that our bodies are God’s temples. From that you can draw ideas as to how to eat, work out, drink, etc; just the general upkeep of our bodies. Well, consider with me for a moment that through out Exodus as God describes how He desires the temple to be built not just maintained, how then are we building our temple?

What kinds of things are we allow ourselves to be built with? I’m not suggesting we hide from the world, and to be honest, I haven’t gotten much beyond the question to myself, but something to consider and really something I’m looking for feedback on.

We are tabernacles. We are dwellings places for the most High God! That in and of itself is powerful…and then how is God telling us to build it?

Maybe the dwelling place is the collective church/tabernacle of the body of Christ. In which case God specifically outlines how we are to “build one another up” and to operate as Christ to the world, and to each other. To mourn with those who mourn. To be joyful with those who are joyful. “There is a time for everything under the sun…” and to be fully with God and each other in those times.

Just a thought…