What Studying the Old Testament Taught me About the Gospel Part 2: The Church of Then and Now

In the final third of the book of Exodus, a significant emphasis is placed upon the construction of the tabernacle, which was the tent of meeting and a dwelling for the presence of God while His people wandered in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. God instructed His people to build the tabernacle in a specific way so that it could move with the camp when they set out on their journey to the Promised Land.

Something I picked up along the way during my Old Testament studies was a short list of Hebrew literary devices. Since the ancient Hebrew language didn’t have bold, italics, underline, etc., in order to emphasize something as important, they would either use the superlative (e.g. Holy of Holies, meaning most holy place), or spend a significant amount of time going into great detail on a subject. This is evident, for instance, in how much time is spent describing God’s creation of man and woman in comparison to the time spent describing the plants, animals, etc.

Approximately one quarter of the book of Exodus is concerned with the building of the tabernacle, which highlights its importance in the Pentateuch. As T. Desmond Alexander says in his book From Paradise to the Promised Land: An Introduction to the Pentateuch, “Exodus ends in dramatic fashion by describing how God’s glory fills the tabernacle ‘on the first day of the first month in the second year’ (Exodus 40:17), in time for the people to celebrate the first anniversary of their deliverance from Egypt.”

The tabernacle, as God decreed, was to be a Holy dwelling for Himself, allowing the Israelites to live among His presence even as they wandered through the wilderness. But there were certain areas of the tabernacle where the people of the Lord were not permitted to enter. Only on the day of Atonement once a year was the high priest allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, the innermost sanctuary of the tabernacle. Alexander also explains, “As the one appointed to meet with God, the high priest fulfills a unique and vital role in maintaining the covenant relationship between God and the Israelites.” This place was called the Holy of Holies, or the most holy place, because this was where the Lord’s presence was seated upon His throne, the ark of the covenant.

The ark of the covenant, along with other furnishings placed in the tabernacle, were a symbolic representation of the Lord’s dwelling there day and night. Because the pillars of fire and cloud were settled upon the tent, it was clear to the people of Israel that the Lord was present with them, which anticipates the day when the Lord’s presence will be restored to the world.

I drew an interesting comparison in my own life between the temporary nature of the tabernacle and my church. My church is a four-year-old church plant, and we have met in several different locations since the beginning. Last I heard, we’re still awaiting one final permit before we can begin construction on our church building, so I can relate to the wandering in the wilderness aspect of Exodus.

But this is so different from the tabernacle in that while it would be wonderful to be able to meet in a final church home, there is no need to have a building in order for God’s presence to dwell with us. Because of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, the Holy Spirit can dwell in our hearts if we will receive Him, and the presence of God will constantly be with us, instead of in a tabernacle or temple.

So now, in contrast to the time of Exodus, it is not the building that is the church, but the collective congregation of believers. Now that believers in Christ are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, there is no need for a tabernacle to remind us of God’s presence. And this is no longer just for the Israelites; Gentiles can share in this wonderful gift the Lord has provided through Christ!

In my next post, I’m going to discuss Leviticus’ call to holiness and why it is valuable that today’s Christians study the law.

Today’s post is the second post in a four-part series on studying the Old Testament. To read my previous post, click here! To read this series’ introduction, click here.