Book Review: Christ And The Desert Tabernacle by J.V. Fesko

The Old Testament is part of the inspired Word of God is profitable for "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16, ESV). Many Christians have a tendency to ignore the Old Testament (OT) because it is not relevant in their lives or they see God as a bully such as atheist Richard Dawkins. I must confess there are some weird things in the OT compared to the New Testament (NT).

In the OT, God established the Jewish sacrificial system to atone for sin, which we know that Jesus came to fulfill the Law which included those sacrifices. Jesus also came to be the fulfillment of the Desert Tabernacle as mentioned in the book of Exodus, which is what J.V. Fesko's book, Christ And The Desert Tabernacle is all about. In his introduction to the book, Fesko writes:

If you read about the Old Testament tabernacle in the light of the New Testament, you will never think the descriptions of the tabernacle and its furnishings are boring. Instead, you will be filled with hope and assurance, knowing that Jesus Christ, the true tabernacle, has come to redeem his people, living stones, and unite us to him, the one true foundation, so that we would become the eternal temple of the living God.

Fesko goes through each requirement God demanded in the tabernacle such as the building material, the ark of the covenant, and the priest's garments, then follows up with the fulfill ment that Christ brings to each one of them. One note about the beginning of each chapter, under the chapter headings, Fesko gives the scripture reference to what part of the tabernacle he is writing about, which makes this book a good Bible study tool for teachers in the church.

In churches I have been apart of, many people have a tendency to regard the building as God's house, which makes me think they do not appreciate how Christ is the better temple. One thing I appreciated about the book was what was written in the first chapter:

We need to remember that Jesus is the ultimate embodiment of the temple-he is the chief cornerstone of the new temple, as the apostle Paul tells in Ephesians (2:19-22)

This is a great book to used as a tool for pastors and Bible teachers to teach on the tabernacle. This is also good for parents to read so that when they read through Exodus with their families, they can teach on how Christ is the better temple and the fulfillment of the Desert Tabernacle.

Thanks EP Books for allowing me to review this book.