It was a holy place, a sacred place, a place unlike any other temple. Before there had come the marble and gold, altars and precious stones, columns, walls, and the Holy of Holies, it was a place of divine-human intimacy. The construction costs were relatively small, it had no great beauty, and it was nothing anyone would envy.
After all, it was just a tent.
But that tent became the place where one man asked questions, listened, led a nation, and made history.
The Tent of Meeting was God’s special appointment room for meeting with His people (Exodus 29:42-43). Before the Israelites had a temple, Moses set up the canopy, nailed its pegs into the ground, entered in, and communed with God. Whenever Moses set off towards the tent, the community would watch in awe. Something special was about to happen—a new commandment might be given, a solution to a community problem might be revealed, a new leader might be named. As Moses took step after careful step towards the tent, God’s presence would descend in a “pillar of cloud” (Exodus 33:9).
In the tent, Moses would unload his problems (Exodus 33:12), come to know God better (Exodus 33:13), hear His voice (Exodus 33:17), and even receive musical inspiration (Deuteronomy 31:19). As the community observed what took place, they were moved to worship: “When the people saw the cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they would stand and bow down in front of their own tents” (Exodus 33:10).
The Tent of Meeting reminds us that God requires no special building in which to meet us. If He met with Moses in a tent, He will meet us anywhere. His presence makes any place sacred.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: John 5:1-47
More:
Read James 4:8 to see how God draws near when we approach Him. Read Mark 1:35 and Luke 6:12 to see some of Jesus’ “sacred places.”
Next:
Where’s your sacred place for meeting with God? What are some ways you can meet with Him throughout the day?
Gary Shultz on June 26, 2015 at 6:34 am
I do think sacred places are important; a place and maybe a time to be reminded and called to God. I have been trying to grow the second part of your question, meeting God throughout the day. With His help this has been a large growth area in my life, to practice the presence of God. Thank you.
reaston on June 26, 2015 at 11:21 am
I would suggest you don’t use the term sacred but maybe have a designated place to meet God , daily. The church has wrongly used the term sanctuary(sacred place) to refer to the place where they meet to worship God, as if this is the place where God dwells amongst His people. The danger in naming a place sacred is that over time the place becomes more important than the one being worshipped. So you have, in many places, sacred buildings that speak to a past when people met there to worship but now they’re just museums.
reaston on June 26, 2015 at 10:49 am
I agree that God requires no special building to meet us. I’m not sure I agree that, “His presence makes any place sacred”. We are His temple, individually and collectively. There are no sacred places just sacred people. I assume you mean by saying, “His presence makes any place sacred”, that any place God’s people ( who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit) meet that that place can be considered sacred while God’s people are there meeting with God. To say otherwise leaves the door open for people to start designating places as sacred – such as the church “Sanctuary”.
Tom Felten on June 26, 2015 at 2:34 pm
Sheridan, so grateful for God’s presence in our lives. His light and life can flow from us as the Holy Spirit equips and empowers us. Praise God for His sacred ways!
Winn Collier on June 28, 2015 at 3:14 pm
Not the point exactly, I understand, but some of my sacred days (and evenings) have been spent in a tent. Planning on a few more in a few weeks, in the Rockies…