This summer I dove into studies of the Tabernacle. Attempting a workbook study without the videos was dry and left me wanting. The organization of the six DVD lessons with Pastor Barnard made the whole experience come alive. The incredible parallels between the tabernacle and Jesus Christ educated me as no other study has done. As a bible teacher, the quality of the resources on the DVD were priceless. The full color illustrations, the temple cutaway, and the detailed priestly garments were treasures. The participants sheets will help listeners remember the fine points made in th lectures and cement the comparisons made in the study. Pastor Barnard is passionate in his delivery and the videos of the life size replica of the Tabernacle made it so real. It was easier to understand the actual size and details in the separate items in the outer court and the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, especially the veil. These 6 sessions illuminated the perfect pattern of worship created by God in the tabernacle. I viewed only session 2 of the videos and was given pdf files for the Leaders guide and the Participants guide in exchange for my review.

My husband and I have just started this study. It is going to be a good learning experience for us.

Outstanding production!

DVD Review: The Tabernacle

By Shawn Barnard, MDiv

Important Note: This review is for the 6-Session DVD and printable Leader Guide edition only. Therefore, other items in the Complete Kit For The Tabernacle DVD-based Bible Study were not available for review.

Rose Publishing is currently a leader in publishing study books that are attractive, well laid out, and very useful; most of them are truly eye-candy. It is no different with The Tabernacle 6-Session DVD.

I teach Tabernacle typology at a local Bible school; therefore, my expectations of Barnard's teaching may be a little higher than most. Barnard is a good communicator and the multimedia features added to the lectures are very helpful in aiding further understanding. Unfortunately, the audio in the lectures is uneven (the right channel is very low and unclear); still, the images used are beautiful; I just wish they had used more of the relevant images throughout the presentations. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about some of the camera work; looking at the back of people's heads may seem interesting to some while unnerving others.

Of course, most of the teaching was familiar to me; however, I did find one or two nuggets of gold in Barnard's teaching. As is common with any typological teaching, I think that sometimes Shawn went beyond the Biblical evidence in some applications (e.g. the Trinity in the Tabernacle?), but overall he tries to stay grounded in Scripture. Further, I could not agree with his statement that, "Everything in Scripture points to and finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ." Most current scholars of Hermeneutics would not agree with that position. I think most of us can think of Old Testament passages that cannot point to Jesus in a typological fashion (descriptions of geographical locations, numbers, genealogies, descriptions of sinful behavior, etc.). That is not to say that Jesus is not present in the Old Testament; He certainly is present in every division of the Hebrew Bible! (See John 5:39: Luke 24:27, 44-45.)

All the video sessions come in one DVD; the second DVD contains marketing materials for the class and also a 96 page Leader's Guide that is very nicely done and could be useful in teaching a class on the subject at your local church as it contains suggestions on group activities. Of course, the student's would have to avail themselves of the Student's Notes with fill-in-the-blanks elsewhere since they are not included in this package (see the Complete Kit for the Tabernacle from Rose Publishing that does include those).

Viewing all sessions takes about three hours; hardly enough time to give an adequate overview of the richness of the typology found in the descriptions of the Tabernacle plan and function. This need not be seen as a negative comment; I just wish Barnard took his time explaining each lesson in more detail; he seems to have more to share than he had time to. Maybe Rose Publishing will produce a more complete course on the subject (one also has to keep in mind that Rose has a book and other materials on the subject that can complement the DVD series). Having said that, I think the DVD study is an excellent primer on Tabernacle typology for the average church member. Get this resource. You won't be disappointed.

4/5 Stars

Disclosure: The DVD set was received for free from the Rose Publishing book review program. The program does not require a positive review, only an honest one.

I have gotten a little spoiled looking at Hendrickson-Rose's Deeper Connection series DVD-based Bible Studies. While this one is not part of the Deeper Connection series, Hendrickson-Rose still does a nice job of creating a well put together Bible Study Kit.

You will experience teachings from Pastor Shawn Barnard on the Tabernacle and the symbolism that is prevalent and what it means to us today. I'm not sure I agree with every point that Pastor Barnard states (more about that in a bit), but he does tend to keep his teachings biblically based in most cases.

In this kit, you will get a DVD of all 6 study sessions that cover (1) the Tabernacle, (2) the Altar of Burnt Offering, (3) the Bronze Laver, (4) the Lampstand, (5) The Table of Bread and Altar of Incense, and (6) the Veil, Ark and Mercy Seat. You will also get the Leader Guide which makes it so you do not have to be an expert on the subject but walks you through everything you need to know to either study it for yourself or to lead a group in this Bible study. A Participant's Guide is also included. If you need extra ones, you can order them individually as well. You will also get a pamphlet on the Tabernacle and a PowerPoint presentation to use in your study as well as additional materials and files to help you promote the Bible Study if you wish.

Like the Deeper Connection series, the Leaders Guide and Participants Guide follow the same very nice layout and design. The DVD is a little different though. It is mostly done in a teaching from a pulpit style where Pastor Barnard is on a stage in front of a darkened audience that you sometimes see the back of their heads throughout the video. It's not bad, just not to the production quality that the Deeper Connection series has kind of spoiled me to expect. There are times where Pastor Barnard is speaking from (or showing clips or animations of) a life-sized Tabernacle recreation, which really does help to put things nicely into perspective in my opinion. Overall, it has a slightly dated feel to it compared to the Deeper Connection series. Had the 25 to 35-minute teaching sessions been done from that recreated tabernacle, I think that would have given it a better feel.

As for the teaching, Pastor Barnard repeats many times that every single thing that is in the Old Testament is a foreshadowing of Christ. I would agree that the major divisions and ideas do exactly that in most cases, however, I think it is a leap to say adamantly that every single thing does. Outside of this one point, the teaching is pretty solid and if you aren't familiar with the Tabernacle and each of its elements, this DVD-based Bible study would be something that you would benefit from.

If you already know about the Tabernacle and the symbolism in it, you might already know a majority of what is covered in this Bible Study. However, this would be a good option to go through with other people that have not been exposed to the teachings about the Tabernacle.

Overall, I would recommend this Bible study kit to help you better understand the Tabernacle and what the significance is with the symbolism of each section.

I received this material from Rose Publishing in exchange for my completely honest review.