ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם
Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. - Ex. 25:8
In this study, we're looking at the Temple Service - its function, its structure, and its furnishings - as it stood nearly 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem, in the first century.
The Holy Temple, known in Hebrew as the Beit HaMikdash, was the center of the Jewish spiritual world. It was built as part of God's commandment to Moses in the desert, as it is written in the Book of Exodus: "Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them."
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote that our bodies are Sanctuaries of the Holy Spirit:
Do you not know that your body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. - 1 Corinthians 6:19
What did Paul mean when he said, "your bodies are a Temple of the Holy Spirit"? When making this comparison, only one thing came to mind for the Apostle: The Beit HaMikdash - The Holy Sanctuary of God in Jerusalem.
If we are to be like the Temple in which God's Spirit dwells, then it is necessary for us to study the Temple's services and instructions. God gave these instructions to his people so that we would know how to be proper dwelling places for His Spirit. Join us, as we study to find out what that means.