Please note that my motives for posting this are based on reading my Bible this morning and noticing a potential discrepancy in how we define Tabernacle Artifacts.
Redemption BackgroundCurrently the REG states the following about Tabernacle artifacts:
The following artifacts can be found regularly in the Tabernacle:
Altar of Burnt Offering (Pi), Altar of Incense (E), Altar of Incense (Pi), Ark of the Covenant (Ki), Ark of the Covenant (Wa), Book of the Covenant (P), Holy of Holies (DL), Holy of Holies (DU), Holy of Holies (Pi), Lampstand of the Sanctuary (Pi), Pot of Manna (P), Table of Showbread (Pi), Tables of the Law (G), Tables of the Law (Pi), Tables of the Law (Wa), Temple Veil (F), The Bronze Laver (Pi), and The Silver Trumpets (Pi)
The list of artifacts includes mostly items that were created along with the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle existed until the creation of Solomon's Temple and then all the items in the Tabernacle were moved into the Temple. For Redemption gameplay purposes, only two artifacts are considered Temple Artifacts that are not Tabernacle Artifacts (Book of the Law and Windows of Narrow Light).
Bible BackgroundMoses initially received the law from God on Mount Sinai and told the Israelites what God instructed him to say. The initial audience of the law rebelled against God by believing the false report from 10 of the 12 spies who scouted out the land of Canaan. God determined the entire generation (except for Joshua and Caleb who gave a good report of the land) would not see the Promised Land and the generation passed away during 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. After the entire generation died out, Moses wanted to make sure the children of the people who were initially told the law knew what God expected and desired of them before they entered the Promised Land. Almost the entirety of Deuteronomy focuses on Moses telling the Israelites God's laws and commandments.
After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord: “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. There it will remain as a witness against you.
I believe this is the first reference to the Book of the Law in the Bible (I have been going through a read-the-Bible-in-1-year-plan so I have a pretty fresh memory of what came before this passage). Based on this passage, the Book of the Law was written prior to entering the Promised Land and it was supposed to placed next to the Ark, which God had previously commanded to be placed in the Most Holy Place within the Tabernacle.
As the Israelites entered the Promised Land God drove out many nations before them. Then Joshua gathered the people to divide the remainder of the conquered land amongst the tribes who had yet to receive an inheritance (some of the tribes claimed land earlier in the conquest).
The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there.
The Tent of Meeting is synonymous with The Tabernacle. This is the first recording of where the Tabernacle came to rest in the Promised Land. However, the Levites took the Tabernacle with Israel wherever they went.
Needless to say, the Book of the Law was written prior to Israel entering the Promised Land and would presumably have been placed per Moses' command to the Levites in the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle was continuously in use up until the creation of Solomon's Temple which was much later than these events.
Based on everything I have laid out above, I believe the Book of the Law should be included as a Tabernacle Artifact.
Kirk
