Page 208 - Through New Eyes

206 THROUGH NEW EYES
house for God. Second, since the universe of heaven and earth is
God’s house, the Tabernacle symbolized the heavens and the
earth. Third, the Tabernacle was a holy mountain, specifically
reproducing the configuration of Mount Sinai. Fourth, since
God’s house is His people, the Tabernacle symbolized the body
politic of Israel at this stage of history. And fifth, since the
people-house started out “in Adam” and eventually came to be
“in Christ,” and since Christ is the True Israel, the Tabernacle
also symbolized the righteous individual person, and as such was
a type of Christ. 1*

The Tabernacle as God’s House
First of all, the Tabernacle was a place for God to dwell. The
innermost chamber, the Most Holy, was His throne-room. God
sat enthroned upon the wings of the cherubim, with His feet
resting on the mercy seat. 15 Into this room only one man, the
High Priest, could go, and only once a year, to clean the foot-
stool (Leviticus 16: 14-15). This was basically to prevent God
from becoming displeased, lest He remove His feet from the foot-
stool and depart from Israel, thus withdrawing His protection.
The outer room, the Holy Place, was the living area of the
tent. In it were three pieces of furniture. There was a lamp to
give light. There was a dinner table with bread on it. And there
was an incense platform. We today use potpourri and scent-
sprays to make our homes smell nice. In the ancient world, be-
fore flush toilets were developed and when animals lived very
close at hand, the noisome smells were stronger, and people
burned incense regularly to make their homes smell nice.
Outside the tent was the kitchen area. Before the days of gas
and electric ovens, people who could afford it put their kitchens
in rooms off to the side, or even in a separate building. Just so,
the kitchen was outside the Tabernacle, Here the animals were
slaughtered, gutted, and skinned. They were washed in the sink
(the laver) and cooked on the altar.
Such was God’s tent, His house. God did not want His house
to become dirty, of course. It had to be kept clean, because if the
people let it get too run down and filthy, God would leave. Now,
while doubtless physical dirt was wiped off of the Tabernacle fur-
niture, it was mainly moral filth and ceremonial “uncleanness”