The Temple and the Tabernacle

Last year I (slowly) completed Angie Smith's Seamless study.  I loved that study.  It really opened up a desire to learn more about the history of the time during the Bible along with the spiritual meaning of the text.  I got a copy of The Temple and the Tabernacle by J. Daniel Hays because of this new interest.  This study combines the physical aspects of the temples and tabernacle along with the spiritual importance of them.

"In this book we will explore the specific biblical texts and the overall biblical story about the temple and the tabernacle--that is, about how God dwells among his people and encounters them in relational presence.  Basically, we will move through the Bible chronologically, examining theologically how God's presence, power and holiness engage with people through "temples," or "temple-like" places."

I find that as English-speakers we are often short-changed compared to other languages.  There are 96 words for love in Sanskrit and the Eskimos have 30 words for snow.  In The Temple and the Tabernacle, we find that there are several terms used to describe different concepts associated with each term in the Hebrew and Greek languages.  These different words convey very different meanings.  In English "temple" usually refers to a place of worship, but in Hebrew one common word, Mishkan, was used frequently to describe the temple, which basically means "dwelling place."  The temple at that time was full of God's presence.  I always find the Hebrew and Greek meanings fascinating!

The Temple and the Tabernacle covers the garden of Eden as a holy place, the Ark and the Tabernacle, Solomon's temple, the departure of God from Solomon's temple, the Second Temple, and the temple of God as seen in the New Testament.  A lot of ground to cover, you might be thinking.  One particular section that interested me was on what happened to the Ark of the Covenant.  Jeremiah, the prophet, predicted that the Ark would cease to exist and that it would not be missed or replaced. Consequently, the Bible does not mention the Ark after the invasion of the Babylonians.  It's amazing how prophecy manifests!

At times, my head did spin a bit while reading through this because of all of the ground covered.  It is A LOT of information to process.  However, I absolutely enjoyed my time with this study. As a result, will be keeping it close to my Concordance and Bible as a reference.  The book includes actual photos as well as illustrations to make all of the information come alive.  The photos and illustrations helped me engage more fully with the content.  I hope that someday I'm able to visit Israel and see some of the sites in person.

If you would like to learn more about the history and the "goings-on" of the Bible beyond just the spiritual ramifications, then I highly recommend this study.  Like I said, I will be keeping it close for reference!

Disclaimer: I recieved this book from Bakers Books Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.  Erika Bault is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com