The Tent of Meeting - 5 Things You Need To Know

In this post, we will be sharing with you some important things you need to know about Moses and the tent of meeting. This is also known as the Tabernacle of Moses.

We will be looking at what this tent of meeting meant during the time of the Israelite after leaving Egypt for the 40 year journey through the wilderness.

We will also take a quick look at how this applies to us as Christians in the new testament.

Table of Contents

What Is The Tent Of Meeting?

The Tent of Meeting was the place where God would meet with Moses and the Israelites. It was a special place of worship and communion with God.

This tent was also known as the Tabernacle of Moses. It was a portable sanctuary that the Israelites used during their time in the wilderness.

The Tabernacle was a holy place because God's presence resided there. It was a place where God's people could come to meet with Him and worship Him.

Why Was The Tent Of Meeting Important?

The tent of meeting was important because it was where Moses would go to inquire of the Lord on-behalf of the Israelites (Exodus 33:7-11). It was also a place of where the Israelites will come to worship God.

After the tabernacle was built, the tent of meeting continued to be used as a place for sacrifices and offerings (2 Chronicles 1:3-6).

The tent was a constant reminder to the Israelites that God was with them and that they were to worship him.

Moses and The Tent Of Meeting

"Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the 'tent of meeting'. Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp." - Exodus 33:7

As we have read above, before the Tabernacle was built, Moses used to pitch a tent outside the camp away from the Israelite. The Lord would appear at the entrance of that tent in a pillar of cloud.

"And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent" - Exodus 33:8.

Here we see that the people stood at the entrance of their own tent, no where near the tent of meeting. This is evident that the people had a broken relationship with God.

This broken relationship is attributed to the Israelite sins in Mount Sinai when they made a golden calf and worshiped it in place of the true God who delivered them from the Egyptians (Exodus 32:1-6).

Stiff-Necked People

If you read through Exodus 32, you will see that the Israelites had a history of being "stiff-necked" or rebellious people.

Because of their rebellious act, God said to Moses that he will not go with them into the promised land.

"I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way" - Exodus 33:3.

The people where very afraid when they heard this words because they knew that they had sinned against God and they were not worthy to be in His presence.

The Israelites and The Tabernacle Of Meeting

The glory of the Lord will appear to you

After the tabernacle was built according to Gods specification, the people no longer meet and worship the Lord in Moses tent of meeting, but rather at the newly built tabernacle.

The Tabernacle was a large tent, with a courtyard in front of it. There were two rooms inside the Tabernacle. The first room was called the Holy Place. The second room was called the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies.

Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies. He went in there to meet with God once a year, on the Day of Atonement.

The unique thing about this tabernacle is that it was carried and moved intact whenever the Israelites move location.

What Was Special About Moses?

Imagine in your heart how Moses would have felt when he spoke with the Almighty God "face to face". What was so special about him that the presence of God descended from Heaven in form of Pillar of cloud.

  • Moses was a humble servant of God
  • He was faithful, loyal, dedicated and committed to his service to God
  • Moses was a man that had a relationship with God
  • He was so close to God that God did speak to him in visions and dreams but rather came down from Heaven to speak to him face to face

5 Things About The Tent Of Meeting

the lord will make your home his dwelling place
  • The Tent of Meeting was a physical representation of God's presence on earth.
  • The Tent of Meeting was a place where Moses communed with God face to face.
  • The Tent of Meeting was a place where the children of Israel would worship God.
  • The Tent of Meeting was a place where the people of God would see the glory of God appear in a pillar of cloud.
  • The Tent of Meeting was a place where God's presence dwelled among His people.

How Does This Apply To Us Today?

Today we don't need to pitch a tent anymore to meet with the Lord. When Jesus died, the vail that separated us from having access to God was removed. We now have free access to communicate with God wherever we are.

Just like Moses, we can also have a relationship with God where He speaks to us through His Word, through visions and dreams, and even through other people.

If we are faithful, loyal, dedicated and committed to Him, He will surely reveal Himself to us.

Galatians 5:1

"it is for freedom that Christ set us free, no more should we be subject to the yoke of slavery".
4D it is for freedom that Christ set us free no more should we be subject to the yoke of slaver edited

This verse teaches us that we are now free to seek God and hear from Him directly, however majority of Christian don't have a tent of meeting with God.

God has given us 24hrs of the day but a lot of Christian don't make time to fellowship with God. God is waiting to hear our voice, God wants to speak to us through His word, and through visions and dreams.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Tent of meeting and Tabernacle the same?

Yes, the Tent of Meeting and Tabernacle are the same. The word "Tent of Meeting" was later used to describe the tabernacle after it was built to replace the temporary tent of meeting setup by Moses.

Who was allowed inside the Tent of Meeting?

Only the High Priest was allowed to enter the innermost part of the Tent of Meeting once a year, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept which is called Holy of Holies.

What was inside the Tent of Meeting?

The Ark of the Covenant, which contained the Ten Commandments tablets, was kept inside the Tent of Meeting.

There was also the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, (Exodus 31:7-11).

What happened to the Tent of Meeting?

The Bible did not mention what happened to the physical tent of meeting, however when the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they no longer needed the Tent of Meeting because God was now dwelling in their midst.

The Tent of Meeting was eventually replaced by the Temple.

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Hi, I'm Isaac, a blogger, trivia enthusiast and owner of Trivia Faith Blog, a platform dedicated to providing a unique perspective on faith, spirituality, and engaging trivia quiz.

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