A Tent for God

“And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.” — Exodus 25:8

While Moses was on Mount Sinai, God told him something wonderful. God wanted to live right in the middle of His people’s camp.

“Have the people make a holy tent for Me,” God said, “so that I may live among them.” This special tent was called the tabernacle.

God gave Moses all the plans, exactly how everything should be made. The tabernacle was a tent that could be taken down and carried, because the Israelites were still travelling. It would have beautiful curtains of blue and purple and scarlet, with angels called cherubim woven into them. There would be a golden lampstand with seven lamps, and a golden table for special bread.

And at the very centre, in the most holy room of all, there would be a wooden chest covered all over with gold, called the ark of the covenant. Inside it would be the stone tablets with the commandments. On its lid were two golden cherubim, with their wings stretched out over the top.

Where would the Israelites, who had been slaves, find gold and silver and fine cloth? Do you remember? When they left Egypt, the Egyptians had given them silver and gold and clothes.

Moses asked the people to bring gifts for the tabernacle, but only if they wanted to give. And they did! Everyone whose heart moved them brought something. They brought gold brooches and earrings and rings. They brought blue and purple yarn, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and rams’ skins dyed red. They brought wood and oil and spices and precious stones. Women who were good at spinning spun yarn, and others spun goats’ hair.

God chose a man called Bezalel to be in charge of making everything. God filled Bezalel with His Spirit and gave him wisdom and skill to work with gold and silver and bronze, to cut stones and to carve wood.

The people kept on bringing gifts, morning after morning. Soon the workers came to Moses. “The people are bringing much more than we need!” they said. So Moses sent a message all through the camp: “Don’t bring any more!” The people had to be stopped from giving, because there was already more than enough.

At last the tabernacle was finished. Everything was made just as God had said. Moses set it up in the middle of the camp.

And then a wonderful thing happened. The cloud covered the tent, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. God’s shining presence filled it so completely that even Moses couldn’t go inside.

From then on, God’s cloud stayed over the tabernacle. Whenever the cloud lifted, the Israelites packed up and followed it. And whenever it stopped, they stopped too, and camped. God was living among His people, and leading them every step of the way.

Looking ahead to Jesus: The Bible says that Jesus, God’s Son, “became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:14). In the language the New Testament was written in, “made His dwelling” means “pitched His tent”. When Jesus was born, God came to live among His people in a new way, not in a tent but as a real person.

Read it in your Bible: Exodus 25:1–9; 35:20–29; 36:2–7; 40:34–38

Dear God, thank you that you want to be close to your people. Thank you that Jesus came to live among us. Help me to give to you gladly, like the Israelites did. Amen.