As I have indicated in the title we come now to to an EXTREMELY interesting verse, especially given the context of all that has been said before it.
And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”–not realizing what he was saying.
Luke 9:33
I am going to pause at this point and let you put it together for yourself. If you do the work the truth will stick with you longer.
Go back and look at Gem 915 and interpret Peter’s comment / reaction in the context of Feast of Tabernacles and all that it signifies.
Here is some more input to help you put it all together.
Thayers Greek Lexicon
σκηνή, σκηνῆς, ἡ (from the root, ska ‘to cover’ etc.; cf. σκιά, σκότος, etc.; Latincasa, cassis, castrum; English shade, etc.; Curtius, § 112; Vanicek, p. 1054f), from (Aeschylus), Sophocles andThucydides down; the Sept. chiefly for אֹהֶל, often also for מִשְׁכָּן, also for סֻכָּה; a tent, tabernacle (made of green boughs, or skins, or other materials): Matthew 17:4; Mark 9:5; Luke 9:33; Hebrews 11:9; αἱ αἰώνιοισκηναί (see αἰώνιος, 3), Luke 16:9 of that well known movable temple of God after the pattern of which the temple at Jerusalem was subsequently built (cf. B. D., under the word ): Hebrews 8:5; Hebrews 9:1 Rec.st, 21; with τοῦ μαρτυρίουadded (see μαρτύριον, c. at the end), Acts 7:44; the temple is called σκηνή in Hebrews 13:10; σκηνήπρώτη, the front part of the tabernacle (and afterward of the temple), the Holy place, Hebrews 9:2, 6, 8; of the Holy of holies, Hebrews 9:3; the name is transferred to heaven, as the true dwelling-place of God and the prototype of the earthly ‘tabernacle’ or sanctuary, Hebrews 9:11; Revelation 13:6; hence, ἡ σκηνή ἡἀληθινή, heaven, Hebrews 8:2; with a reference to this use of the word, it is declared that when the kingdom of God is perfectly established ἡ σκηνή τοῦ Θεοῦ will be μετά τῶν (after the analogy ofσκηνουν μετά τίνος), Revelation 21:3; ὁ ναός τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου (see μαρτύριον, c. at the end), the heavenly temple, in which was the tabernacle of the covenant, i. e. the inmost sanctuary oradytum, Revelation 15:5. ἡ σκηνή τοῦ Μολόχ, the tabernacle i. e. portable shrine of Moloch, Acts 7:43(for the Orientals on their journeys and military expeditions used to carry with them their deities, together with shrines for them; hence, ἡ ἱερά σκηνή of the Carthaginians in Diodorus 20, 65, where see Wesseling (but cf. סִכּוּת in Mühlau and Volck’s Gesenius, or the recent commentaries on Amos 5:26)). ἡ σκηνή Δαυίδ(from Amos 9:11 for סֻכָּה), the hut (tabernacle) of David, seems to be employed, in contempt, of his house, i. e. family reduced to decay and obscurity, Acts 15:16 (otherwise דָּוִד אֹהֶל in Isaiah 16:5).
- Have you heard of the term Shekinah before?
- Especially in the connection with glory?
There are many churches which refer to themselves as a Shekinah Glory Church. Many churches talk about the term Shekinah Glory. I think the following covers it well so I have clipped it so I don’t have to repeat it all.
Question: “What is the Shekinah glory?” Answer: The word shekinah does not appear in the Bible, but the concept clearly does. The Jewish rabbis coined this extra-biblical expression, a form of a Hebrew word that literally means “he caused to dwell,” signifying that it was a divine visitation of the presence or dwelling of YHWH God on this earth. The Shekinah was first evidence of the Presence when the Israelites set out from Succoth in their escape from Egypt. There He appeared as a cloudy pillar in the day and a fiery pillar by night: “After leaving Succoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people” (Exodus 13:20-22). God spoke to Moses out of the pillar of cloud in Exodus 33, assuring him that His Presence would be with the Israelites (v. 9). Verse 11 says God spoke to Moses “face to face” out of the cloud, but when Moses asked to see God’s glory, God told Him, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live” (v. 20). So, apparently, the visible manifestation of God’s glory was covered or shielded from them,. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, God hid Moses in the cleft of a rock, covered him with His hand, and passed by. Then He removed His hand, and Moses saw only His Afterglow. This would seem to indicate that God’s glory is too awesome and powerful to be seen completely by man.
The Israelites were to set up the tent of the meeting as a symbol of the presence of God. The Tabernacle or the tent of meeting was the place where Moses went to meet God and the glory came down. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is the dwelling place of God’s glory. Colossians 2:9 tells us that “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” causing Jesus to exclaim to Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). In Christ, we see the visible manifestation of God Himself in the second person of the Trinity. Although His glory was also veiled, Jesus is nonetheless the presence of God on earth. Just as the divine Presence dwelled in a relatively plain tent called the “tabernacle” before the Temple in Jerusalem was built, so did the Presence dwell in the relatively plain man who was Jesus.
“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him”.
Isaiah 53:2
But when we get to heaven, we will see both the Son and the Father in all their glory, and the Shekinah will no longer be veiled.
1 John 3:2
There is a link between the presence and the glory and the Lord tabernacling among us in Gem 915. All of these terms sound similar. There is similar sound and there is linked meaning.
That’s enough for now. You can do some deep thinking on it or you can wait for me to put it together tomorrow.
Following that we need to look at Peter’s reaction and then we need to look at the significance of the cloud. That lays out where we are heading with all of this so you have a chance to work on it yourself and think about it. Yes this Transfiguration section is deeper than you realised.
I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might help Him. I ended up by asking God to do His work though me.
Helen Taylor
There’s no need to be perfect to inspire others. Let people get inspired by how you deal with your imperfections.
Dianita Tiastuti
When you fix your mind on God, God will fix your mind.
Rick Warren
Don’t judge others. We only know their names, not their story. We only know what they’ve done, not what they’ve been through.
Sidney Mohede