Day Three: Dwelling with Us

The day began in the wilderness of Wadi Rum, where some rose early to soar in a hot air balloon above the sandstone valleys. From the heights, the landscape looked almost otherworld. It’s like stepping onto another planet. Others greeted the sunrise from the back of a camel, taking in the same expanse from the ground. Different vantage points, different perspectives, yet both equally awe-inspiring.

By mid-morning, we said farewell to Jordan and crossed into the Promised Land. Our first stop was Timna, a place known throughout the ages for its copper mines and ancient industry. Yet we came not for copper, but for reflection. Here stands a full-scale replica of the tabernacle, the tent where God chose to dwell among His people.

More than fifty chapters of Scripture are devoted to the instructions for its construction and the rhythms of its worship. Why so much detail? Because every measurement, every fabric, every ritual points to God’s deep desire—to walk with His people, to restore communion with humanity. The tabernacle was not merely a tent in the wilderness; it was a map to God’s presence.

As we walked through the replica, we reflected on the beauty of its design and then on the greater beauty revealed in Christ. Every altar, every basin, every lampstand finds its fulfillment in Him. What God foreshadowed in the tabernacle, Jesus embodied fully: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling (tabernacle) among us” (John 1:14).

The tabernacle was the shadow; Christ is the substance. The tent in the wilderness pointed to the day when God Himself would pitch His tent among us.

The Journey Continues!

Jerrell