The Tabernacle

As soon as we have a people redeemed in the Old Testament, we have the thought of God dwelling in the midst of His people. God could not dwell with them in Egypt, a land of idolatry; he must separate them from such a scene for Himself.
The tabernacle (or tent of meeting) was constructed according to the pattern given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. It consisted first of a court, and, within the court, the tabernacle itself. The tabernacle was divided into two parts: the Holy place and, separated by a veil, the Holy of Holies, where was the Ark of the Covenant. It was from within the Holy of Holies that Jehovah was looked upon as dwelling in the midst of His redeemed people. “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them” (Ex. 25:8). As the children of Israel journeyed through the wilderness, the tabernacle formed the center of their encampments (Numbers 2).
Such a building must be built according to God’s specifications: “According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it” (Ex. 25:9). No detail was insignificant and nothing was left to the ingenuity of Moses. We find in the New Testament that the things made were “patterns of things in the heavens” (Heb. 9:23). The tabernacle, its furnishings, and the many instruments were figures of the true. In them we see Christ shadowed—His person and His work.