Slideshow image

Reading Exodus 25–27 today left my mind swimming with the intricate details of the tabernacle’s construction and its furnishings. Why is this information included in God’s divine revelation? Is it to show that God is detailed? Or perhaps to encourage us to follow His instructions carefully so we align with His desires? Maybe in part, but only a little part. The minutia that God gave was to create a picture of what experiencing His presence looked like. Faith is a journey towards His presence, one that becomes more real as we depend more on Him. The author of Hebrews 8:5 explains:

"They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: 'Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.'" (NLT)

The tabernacle was more than just a physical structure; it was a shadow of the heavenly reality. Everything about the tabernacle pointed to something greater—just as our current relationship with God, through Christ, points us toward an even deeper reality to come.

For the Israelites, entering the tabernacle was an act of drawing near to God. The closer one was to the Lord, the further they could progress into the sacred space. The high priests—who were expected to be closest to God—were the only ones that could enter the Holy of Holies, where God’s presence rested above the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant. They were the only ones permitted to go all the way in.

Today, we don’t enter God’s presence through a physical flap in the outer perimeter. We enter the tabernacle through a relationship with Christ. As we mature in faith—surrender more of ourselves to Him—we move “further in.” As we let go of self we gain more of His Holy Spirit—not in a physical room we have to visit, but in our very being. We become the living, mobile tabernacle of God’s presence. This experience of the fullness of His presence is what we call sanctification.

Yet, just as the tabernacle was a shadow of a greater reality, so too is our current experience with God. One day, when all shadows are removed, we will enter heaven and experience His presence in its fullness.

C.S. Lewis captures this idea beautifully in The Last Battle, the final book of The Chronicles of Narnia series. As the faithful characters arrive in the “New Narnia”—a picture of heaven—they realize that the old Narnia was merely a reflection of this greater reality. The further in they go into the New Narnia, the more real and wonderful it becomes. The phrase repeated throughout the book, “Farther up and farther in,” perfectly describes the spiritual journey. The more we surrender, the deeper we go. The more we trust, the richer our experience with God becomes.

And one day, when we step into eternity, we’ll finally reach the place where we can go no further—because we will have arrived where the presence of God is our forever reality.