We are the Tabernacle...

But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, and over all its vessels and furnishings and all things that belong to it. They shall carry the tabernacle [when journeying] and all its furnishings, and they shall minister to it and encamp around it.
Numbers 1:50 (amp)

This is my 50th year. I know that's hard to believe, but yes, I will be turning 50 this year. So in preparation for this overwhelming event, I have been searching the Scriptures for the 50th verse of each chapter. Of course, this only applies to the chapters in the Bible that actually  have 50 verses. I can't take credit for this idea myself. I have a friend who turned 51 this year, and she searched for the 51st verse in each chapter. I thought it would be interesting to see how the Lord speaks to me through those verses. Some of them are more difficult than others to get revelation. For instance... 

"Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim" Joshua 15:50

May have to study that one a bit longer. Monday night I wrote about our being Broken Vessels...in need of Him. The next day as I was looking for my 50th verse, I came across Numbers 1:50. There were several things that I felt God reveal to me.

God told Moses to appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle. The Levites were the worshipers. Typically, we consider the choir to be the worshipers, the Levites. But really,God created all of us to be worshipers. I remember Bob Dylan singing the song "Gotta Serve Somebody". If we don't worship Him, we will worship someone or something else. But, God created us to worship Him.

We are Levites.

The next thing I realized, is that individually, we are the Tabernacle of the Holy Spirit. He dwells within us.  Just as within the tabernacle that was taken apart, carried and rebuilt all over that desert by the Levites, the Spirit of God descends to dwell in us.

We are the Tabernacle.

Then, I thought about us and a group. We are the Church of Jesus Christ. Just as the individual pieces of the Tabernacles were brought together and assembled to form the dwelling place of God, we come together to form the Church.

We are the Tabernacle.

The instructions God gave to Moses regarding the Levites duties were to CARRY the Tabernacle, to MINISTER to the Tabernacle, and to ENCAMP AROUND the Tabernacle. Follow me with this...if we are the Levites AND we are the Tabernacle....do you see it?

As Levites, worshipers of the Most High God,
our calling is to tend to each other! 

We are to carry  each other..."Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2

We are to minister to one another..."beyond their ability, they were freely willing,  imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints." 2 Corinthians 8:3,4

We are to encamp, surround, one another..."Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses" Hebrews 12:1. These witnesses were the ones who had gone before us. But I believe that we are witnesses today of His grace and mercy and forgiveness and faithfulness. All that He is, we have witnessed. And we are to encamp around one another. Protecting, comforting, encouraging, loving....

We are the Tabernacle

It's frustrating to me sometimes when I know God has spoken a truth into my heart and I can't relate it verbally to the degree that He has impressed it on me. But I believe that if we are the Levites and we are the Tabernacle, then when we find our brothers and sisters in brokenness, it is our calling, our responsibility, our duty, to...

Carry them
Minister to them
Encamp around them

Because while in our brokenness we desperately need Him, we also desperately need each other. I want to be a Levite. I want to help carry, minister and encamp around the Tabernacle. Can we do this together?