Exodus 33:7-11

THE TEMPORARY TABERNACLE

"Now Moses used to take the tent and to pitch it without the camp, afar off from the camp; and he called it The tent of meeting. And it came to pass that every one that sought Jehovah went out unto the tent of meeting, which was without the camp. And it came to pass that when Moses went out unto the Tent, that all the people rose up and stood, every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses until he was gone into the Tent. And it came to pass, when Moses entered into the Tent, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the Tent: and Jehovah spake with Moses. And all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the door of the Tent: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man at his tent door. And Jehovah spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the Tent."

"Moses used to take the Tent ..." The Septuagint (LXX) here has, "And Moses took his tabernacle, etc," From this it appears that the temporary Tent was Moses own private dwelling, probably the best available in all Israel. Note also that Moses provided for himself other quarters and that the tent which had formerly been his was devoted exclusively for interim service as the Tabernacle which at that time had not yet been constructed. Moses continued to live in the midst of the people.

That distinctive word in the O.T., which alone should be rendered "tabernacle" does not even appear in this chapter; and thus there is no excuse for confusing Moses' Tent with the Mosaic Tabernacle.[8] "What is here meant is a tent appointed for this temporary purpose by Moses, possibly that in which he was accustomed to dwell."[9]

This withdrawal of the presence of God from the polluted camp of Israel was discerned with a great deal of apprehension and consternation on Israel's part. "It was regarded by them as the first step in the total abandonment with which God had threatened them."[10] Of course, this created intense alarm in Israel.

"Every man ... looked after Moses until he was gone into the Tent ..." True to their purpose of objecting to everything, Gressman denied that this Tent was outside the camp of Israel, "Only if the Tent, like the Tabernacle, were in the center of the camp," he says, "could it be seen by all."[11] "But Numbers 11:24-30 speaks strongly against this view. Since the Tent in all probability was pitched on a high place above the camp, the objection Beer makes is unnecessary."[12] Indeed, are not all objections to God's Word unnecessary?

This whole paragraph deals with that period of rebellion on Israel's part, before the tabernacle was constructed, as indicated by the totally different situation.

1. No sacrifices were offered.

2. There was no High Priest, nor even any lesser priests.

3. This Tent was "without" (outside the polluted camp of Israel, not in the midst of it.

4. When Moses needed someone to watch the Tent, he gave the commission to Joshua, not to Aaron, perhaps because Joshua was the ONLY ONE in Israel who had not danced around the golden calf.

Note the reference in Exodus 33:11 to the fact of Joshua's being "a young man." Moses, at this period was past 80 years of age, and Joshua might have been around 30 to 40 years old. He succeeded Moses for nearly 40 years after the events mentioned here.

Fields pointed out that, on the basis of Numbers 11:26; 12:4, "The Tent where Moses met with God outside the camp was preserved even after the tabernacle was constructed."[13] Upon those occasions of Israel's murmuring, rebellion, or unbelief, the pillar of cloud, indicating God's presence, would appear over this Tent instead of over the tabernacle. At this point, however, "This Tent of meeting was a simple substitute tiding Israel over till the Levitical Tabernacle could be erected."[14]