Day 18 of 21
The Tabernacle and the Dwelling of God
The Word Became Flesh and Tabernacled Among Us
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
When the tabernacle was completed in the wilderness, the glory of the Lord filled it so powerfully that even Moses could not enter (Exodus 40:34-35). This portable tent — with its curtains, altars, lampstand, and ark — was the place where heaven and earth overlapped, where the holy God dwelled among His sinful people. Centuries later, John makes an astonishing declaration: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). The Greek word for "dwelt" is eskenosen — literally, "tabernacled."
Reflection
The tabernacle was always more than a building project. It was a theological statement: the God who created the heavens and earth has chosen to live among His people. Every detail of its construction pointed to deeper realities — the way to God, the cost of sin, the necessity of mediation, and the glory of divine presence.
The outer curtains of the tabernacle were made of ordinary goat hair, unremarkable from the outside. But inside, the curtains were embroidered with stunning colors and images of cherubim. The contrast mirrors the incarnation: Jesus' outward appearance was unremarkable — "he had no form or majesty that we should look at him" (Isaiah 53:2) — but His inner glory was that of "the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
The mercy seat, where God's presence rested between the cherubim, was the place where blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement. Paul uses the same Greek word (hilasterion — "place of propitiation") to describe what God accomplished in Christ: "God put [Jesus] forward as a propitiation by his blood" (Romans 3:25). Jesus is the mercy seat — the place where God's wrath and God's love meet.
Spurgeon saw Christ in every detail of the tabernacle: the altar of sacrifice (Christ's atoning death), the laver of washing (Christ's cleansing work), the bread of the Presence (Christ the bread of life), the lampstand (Christ the light of the world), the incense altar (Christ's intercession), and the ark of the covenant (Christ who contains and fulfills the law).
Goldsworthy emphasizes that John's use of "tabernacled" is theologically loaded. The temporary, tent-like dwelling of God in the wilderness has become permanent and personal in the incarnation. God has not merely come near; He has become one of us. The veil has been replaced by flesh and blood.
Going Deeper
The trajectory of God's dwelling with His people runs from the tabernacle (temporary tent in the wilderness) to the temple (permanent structure in Jerusalem) to Jesus (God in human flesh) to the church (the temple of the Holy Spirit — 1 Corinthians 3:16) to the new creation ("the dwelling place of God is with man" — Revelation 21:3). Each step brings God closer to His people. The endpoint is not a building but a relationship — face to face, forever.
Key Quotes
“The tabernacle was a picture of Christ — God veiled in human flesh, dwelling among us, full of grace and truth. Every curtain, every beam, every piece of furniture tells us something about our Redeemer.”
“The tabernacle was the place where God's presence dwelt among his people. John's Gospel declares that in Jesus, this dwelling has become permanent and personal — God has pitched his tent in human flesh.”
Prayer Focus
Lord Jesus, You are the true tabernacle — God's presence made accessible in human flesh. Thank You that through You, I can draw near to the Father without fear.
Meditation
The tabernacle was beautiful but temporary and restricted. Jesus is the permanent, unrestricted dwelling of God with humanity. How does this progression from tabernacle to Christ to new creation shape your hope?
Question for Discussion
If Jesus is the true tabernacle, does that mean every element of the old tabernacle -- altar, lampstand, bread, incense -- tells us something specific about Him? How far should we press these connections before they become speculative?