“And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the Lord went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.”
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. The tent of meeting Moses sets up outside the camp is distinct from the tabernacle that will be built inside the camp. This temporary proto-sanctuary creates space for seeking God in the aftermath of the golden calf while the community's relationship with the holy God is being restored. The placement outside the camp reflects the estrangement of the post-calf moment. Hebrews 13:13 says let us go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore — the outside-the-camp theology of Exodus 33 reaches its fulfillment in the crucifixion.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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