The Wood of the Tabernacle
We’ve been wandering through the tabernacle in the wilderness this month. In Behind the Veil, we gained access only priests had before. In Under His Wings, we basked in the knowledge God’s arms surround us whether we see them or not. Then we discovered the ability to see what we otherwise couldn’t last week in Light in the Tabernacle. Today, we’re going to discover the challenge that rests in the wood of the tabernacle. (If you want to listen to the podcast, you can find these episodes here.)
The tent, you’ll remember, consisted of several heavy layers of fabric. All that weight was going to need sturdy support. So, Moses created the walls out of wooden slats and laminated them with gold.
Wood Versus Gold
Using wood ensured the walls would be light enough for the Levites to pack and unpack every time they moved through the desert. (And during forty years in the wilderness, they moved a lot!) But the tabernacle was also hiding secrets of the coming Messiah in plain sight.
The walls’ golden covering spoke of divinity, while their wooden cores hinted at Messiah’s humanity.
Now what kind of wood do you suppose was used to represent such a grand Messiah? Fragrant cedar? Beautiful oak?
No. Common acacia—a thorny, tough little tree found abundantly in the desert around them. Solomon would eventually upgrade the wood when he transferred the worship center from a tent to a temple. But in the wilderness, the humble acacia answered the call.
What is Acacia?
Uniquely adapted to thirsty soil, this tree, you might say, is acquainted with grief. It suffers through drought. It endures great heat. It stands fast under the relentless glare of a merciless sun. And under these conditions, it manages to grow—not particularly tall compared to some trees, but refreshingly wide. Its branches spread like an umbrella, offering welcome shade in a dry and weary land.
This is a beautiful picture of Jesus and his ministry to mankind. But if we want to follow him, we can be of his same acacia stock. Isaiah 4:6 puts it this way. “A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, and a cover from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”
Being Acacia
Have you come under the shade of such a person? It’s as refreshing as finding a tree to hide under when you’re trudging through a desert. Not a spindly palm, mind you, with its disappointingly small shadow, but a tree with wide arms that form deep shade. A shelter you could rest under without worrying its shadow was going to migrate while you slept and leave you uncovered.
Life is often a harsh, dry, uncomfortable wilderness. We sometimes wonder why God doesn’t move us from this forbidding land to a place we’d prefer to be. Instead, he plants us where our branches will bring the most relief. He sets us in the sun and gives us roots uniquely fashioned to drive deep for the water only he can provide. Then he asks us to spread our arms wide and shelter weary wanderers around us.
How can you be a Jesus-like acacia today?
If you’d like to learn more about the tabernacle, check out my devotional, A Place for Me in God’s Tent.
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