Have them make this sanctuary and I will dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8)Tabernacle - verb - to dwell
Have them make this sanctuary and I will tabernacle among them.
Tabernacle can of course also be a noun and refers to several different things, such as the traveling tent considered the house of God in the time of Moses.
It also refers to the small huts made by the Jewish people during the Festival of Tabernacles [Booths]. During this seven days, the Jewish people built and lived in small makeshift shelters to connect with their ancestors who traveled through the wilderness in search of their promised land.
The root word of tabernacle is also where we get the word tavern. In this usage, it would refer not so much to a bar, but more to an inn, where travelers could dwell on a temporary basis.
Psalm 90:1 turns the thought around from God dwelling with us, to God being our dwelling place: Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.
Ezekiel 37:27 reads: My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God and they will be my people.
The bottom line is that God wants to be close to us, to live in us, and for us to live in him.
I personally think the most glorious development of this thought has to be that found in Revelation 21:3. What a blessed promise! We will live with God, and God will live with us for all eternity.
I really appreciated your thoughts here, as I admit my own reading had me just kind of seeing a list of specs, albeit interesting specs and very specific ones. Thanks! - Amy
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