Book Review: Daniel Hyde- God in Our Midst: The Tabernacle and Our Relationship with God

God in Our Midst: The Tabernacle and Our Relationship with God

By Daniel Hyde / Reformation Trust Publishing

In his new book Daniel Hyde provides us with a wonderful series of meditations on the Jewish tabernacle. He examines how the tabernacle demonstrated the presence of God among His people in the Old Covenant and how its symbolism is now fulfilled in our relationship to God through Christ in the New Covenant.  The book is a collection of 17 edited sermons that are drawn from exposition of the tabernacle narrative in Exodus and related passages. The 17 sections are as follows:

1. Contributions to Build the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:1–7; 35:4–29)

2. The Tabernacle in the Wilderness (Exodus 25:8–9)

3. The Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:10–22; 37:1–9)

4. The Table with Bread (Exodus 25:23–30; 37:10–16)

5. The Lampstand of Gold (Exodus 25:31–40; 27:20–21; 37:17–24)

6. The Construction of the Tabernacle (Exodus 26; 35:30–36:38; 38:21–31)

7. The Altar of Bronze (Exodus 27:1–8; 38:1–7)

8. The Lord’s Courtyard (Exodus 27:9–19; 38:9–20)

9. The Priesthood of the Lord (Exodus 28:1–2)

10. The Benefits of the Priesthood (Exodus 28:3–43; 39:1–43)

11. The Liturgy for Ordination (Exodus 29:1–37; 30:22–33)

12. Why Worship God as He Commands? (Exodus 29:38–46)

13. The Altar for Incense (Exodus 30:1–10, 34–38; 37:25–29)

14. The Price of Redemption (Exodus 30:11–16)

15. The Basin for Washing (Exodus 30:17–21; 38:8)

16. The Gifts Given by God (Exodus 31:1–11; 35:30–36:7)

17. A New Beginning (Exodus 40)

All too often “seeing Jesus in the Old Testament” type of works end up being adventures in allegorical interpretation that leave the average Christian wondering if the author is using some kind of secret decoder ring to interpret the Old Testament. On the other extreme many others fail to develop the themes beyond what is specifically referenced in the New Testament. Hyde avoids these extremes and does a good job of beginning with an observation of the Old Testament text in its context and then applying it within a broader biblical framework that is informed by the New Testament. His treatment of the text is detailed enough that advanced students will appreciate his insights and yet it is accessible enough that even newer Christians can benefit from it. The indexes and illustrations make the book easy to follow and easy to navigate.

Although the book is a collection of 17 distinct meditations it retains an overall unity that demonstrates a consistent historical redemptive approach to the Bible. The distinct sections are sequential so the book retains a unified flow built upon the Exodus narrative itself. Secondly, the forward, introduction, and conclusion draw the broader work together into a single statement about how Old Testament texts can be handled from a wholly Christian, though not unnecessarily spiritualized, approach. For those who wish to delve further into the philosophy of interpretation that the author is applying and advocating in the book there is a well written appendix article on preaching from the Pentateuch.

Although written from a Reformed Confessional perspective I think Hyde’s observations and applications will be helpful to anyone interested in the typological elements of the Jewish tabernacle and their relation to the Gospel. The book may also be of particular interest to those who are looking to preach or teach from these texts and are looking for an example on how they might apply them in a Christian context.


*A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher at no cost in exchange for a review. The review is not required to be positive and all opinions expressed are wholly my own.