The Israelites were nomads. They lived in tents and when the time came to seek new grazing land they moved herds and houses at the same time. What they did for a living and how they lived were beautifully adapted to each other.

After receiving the covenant of the Ten Commandments, Moses set aside one tent where the tribes would meet with God and remember and renew the covenant relationship. This was called the "Tent of Meeting," and it contained the Ark of the Covenant. It was "... a tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak there to you ... there meet with the people. It shall be sanctified by my glory" (Exodus 29:42). Here was a very early and primitive house of the Lord.

As all traditions do, this one began to evolve, adding ritual and artifact to make it al…