The Tabernacle and the Temple Study Notes

The Tabernacle and the Temple

Unit Overview

• Focus on the Tabernacle and Temple in the context of Israel's worship and religious history.

The Tabernacle

Instructions for Construction

• Moses received precise instructions for building the Tabernacle on Mount Sinai.
• Hebrew Term: Mishkān (מִׁשְּכַן)
  • Definition: Means "residence" or "dwelling place".

Significance and Function

• Also known as the "Tent of Meeting" and the "Tent of the Congregation" in Scripture.
• Described as the portable earthly dwelling place of Ha Shem (the Name).
• Carried by the Israelites during the Exodus and conquest of Canaan (Promised Land).

Structure and Dimensions of the Tabernacle

• The outer court was enclosed by a white linen curtain measuring:
  • Dimensions: 150 feet (length) x 75 feet (width) x 7.5 feet (height).
• Curtains supported by wooden pillars placed in brass sockets, capped with silver caps.

Main Components Inside the Outer Court

1. Brazen Altar (also known as Censer or Altar of Burnt Offerings)
   • Function: Used for sacrificial offerings.
2. Laver
   • Purpose: Used by priests for purification before entering the Tabernacle.

Inner Structure of the Tabernacle

• The Tabernacle was divided into the "Holy Place" and the "Holy of Holies".
• A veil separated the two sections.

The Holy Place Contains:

1. Menorah (Candelabrum)
   • Represents God’s truth, illuminating the world.
   • Seven branches and pots of olive oil symbolize the seven days of creation.
   • Biblical Reference: John 8:12 - Jesus' declaration as the light of the world.
   • The Menorah as a foreshadowing of the Messiah and His witnesses.
2. Altar of Incense (Golden Altar)
   • Symbolizes the prayers of the people ascending to God.
   • Fire from the Brazen Altar was used to ignite the Altar of Incense.
3. Table of Shewbread
   • Contained twelve loaves, representing one for each tribe of Israel, symbolizing God's daily provision.

The Holy of Holies

• Contains the Ark of the Covenant and The Mercy Seat.

Specifications of the Ark of the Covenant

• Constructed from:
  • Material: Acacia wood covered in gold.
• Dimensions:
  • Length: 2.5 cubits (3.75 feet; 1.14 meters)
  • Width: 1.5 cubits (2.25 feet; 0.69 meters)
  • Height: 1.5 cubits (2.25 feet; 0.69 meters)
• Inside the Ark were:
  • Aaron’s budding staff
  • An omer of manna (2.3 liters or 9.3 cups)
  • Tablets containing the Ten Commandments.
• The main purpose of the Ark was to serve as a chest for the Ten Commandments.

The First Temple

Solomon's Temple

• The Tabernacle was replaced after 440 years by Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem.
• Completion Date: 957 BC
• Destruction Date: 586 BC, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon.
• Duration: Lasted 410 years till destruction.

The Ark's Fate

• According to II Maccabees 2:4-8, Jeremiah hid the Ark in a cave after the fall of Jerusalem.
  • Details of the Passage: Jeremiah was instructed to hide the tent, ark, and altar.
  • The hiding place was sealed until God’s mercy would bring the people together again.

The Second Temple Period

• Begun in 586 BC, marked by the return of Jews from Babylon under Cyrus the Great’s edict (538 BC).
• Biblical Reference: Isaiah 44:26b-28; Foretelling the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its temple.
• Zerubbabel led the first group back, bringing 42,360 Jews and laying the foundation.

Completion and Historical Context

• By 515 BC, the newly reinstated Jewish residents completed the Second Temple, though not as grand as Solomon’s.
• Herod's Renovations (20 BC): Expanded and renovated the temple, taking a year and a half for completion.
• The Temple courts included:
  • Court of Gentiles: Open to Jews, Gentiles, and the ritually impure, where merchants operated.
  • Court of Women: Access for Jewish women and men, further restricted due to ritual purity laws.
  • Court of Israel: Reserved for ritually clean Jewish men.
  • Priest’s Court: Exclusively for ritually clean priests, housing the Brazen Altar and Brazen Sea (Laver).

Historical Timeline and Geography

Roman Influence

• 63 BC: Pompey conquered Jerusalem; Rome established local client kings, like Herod the Great.
• 66 AD: Jews rebelled, leading to the total destruction of the Temple by Titus in 70 AD.
• Jerusalem has been destroyed twice (by Babylonians and Romans) and captured 44 times.

Location Accuracy and Contested Sites

• Beliefs about the Temple Mount being the actual location of the Temples exist, but archaeology and history cast doubts.
• The Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque are present on the site, regarded as holy by Muslims (Haram al-Sharif).
• The Gihon Spring remains a crucial water source for the historical context of the Jerusalem Temple's needs.
• Arguments made questioning if the traditional Temple Mount is the correct historical location for the Temples…

Geographical Context of Jerusalem

• Mount of Olives: Once covered with olive trees, now a cemetery with 150,000 graves.
• Central Valley: Marks the western boundary of the Old City of Jerusalem.
• Structure names: Akra (fortified structure), Zion (II Samuel 5:9, I Chronicles 11:5) indicate key historical narratives regarding battles and settlements in the region.

Issues of Historicity and Scriptural Interpretation

Issues Raised:

1. Presence of the Western Wall: Why does it remain if Jesus prophesied the destruction?
2. The discrepancy between traditional and historical accounts of the Temple’s foundation and structures.
3. Water source necessities for sacrificial rites and the placement of the Temple away from the Gihon Spring.
4. Ground analysis: The location purported under the Dome of the Rock does not fit historical procedures for conducting sacrifices—which must have occurred closer to reliable water sources.
5. Development and growth on Temple Mount versus prophesied desolation.
6. Archaeological and historical interpretations regarding the narratives around the Temple's construction and destruction across centuries, informed by writings from Josephus and early church fathers.