The Tabernacle of God

Introduction

This morning we find ourselves returning to the historical narrative of the people of Isreal as they are freed from bondage in the land of Egypt and began their pilgrimage towards the promised land. As a brief refresher we have thus far witnessed the enslavement of Isreal at the hands of Pharoah, God’s provision of a deliverer in the person of Moses, the ten plagues that God visited on the land of Egypt as not only a result of Pharaoh's defiance of God’s command but also God’s divine decree to demonstrate the He alone is God and defeat the pantheon of Egyptian god’s. At the culmination of this display, we see God strike a final blow to the people of Egypt as He demonstrates His power over life and death which results in Pharaoh's command to expel the people of Israel.

As the people begin to leave the land of Egypt, we once again are reminded of God’s promise to provide as Egypt is looted without so much as a threat from the Israelites. From there we witnessed the journey to the Red Sea, where God completed His deliverance by parting the waters and then concluding with the destruction of the Egyptian army. Across the wilderness the Israelites have journeyed, continually being led by the presence of God in the cloud and the pillar of fire, to the mountain named Sinai.

Here we have witnessed the giving of the law of God and the ratification of His covenant with His people. This brings us to where we spent the last few weeks before we broke off from Exodus to mark the constituting of this church and then celebrate the advent season. Before we took that break we took a look at the general command of God to Moses to build a Tabernacle and discussed how God desired then and now to dwell with His people. We talked about how we would be looking at types and shadows and how the entire structure and the implements within points us toward Christ, the true tabernacle that took on flesh and dwelt with us.

We observed the instructions for fabricating the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat which served not only as the lid of the ark, but the throne of God. It was above the ark, between the cherubim, that God’s presence would rest as he dwelled among His people. We talked about how the ark was to be kept in a place deemed the holy of holies and was to be approached in a very specific manner and only at specified times by specified and properly prepared people.

As we moved out of the Holy of Holies and into the chamber of the tabernacle known as the holy place we looked at the table of the bread of presence, both the table and the bread serve to remind us of the necessity of Christ in our life as the true Bread of Heaven. We also looked at the golden lampstand which serves to remind that Christ is the true light of the world. The same light that John references in John 1:1–3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

In each of these instances we also mentioned that the construction of each item was done according to the specific instructions that had been both verbally given and shown to Moses on Mount Sinai. The fact is that anything that is going to be constructed or fabricated and done so well, must begin with a plan and then that plan MUST be executed, and in the case of the commands of God being given regarding His tabernacle and all of the details, MUST be executed exactly as God demands. We have noted over and over in this series as we have dealt with God’s laws and His commands that one of the things that this teaches us, one of the principles we should be learning here is regarding our worship and the importance of rightly worshipping.

In all truth, your life SHOULD be a time of continual worship. Worship is not that which we do on Sunday morning in church, although that is certainly part of worship. It is not your quite time or daily study time, although again, that is certainly part of it. Worship, true worship, is your entire life.

This morning as we once again return to the instructions of God regarding the tabernacle we need to be continually mindful of what these passages teach us…and what they do not. As a reminder, you, and we, are not part of ethnic Israel, we are not being called to go out and build what God has commanded Moses to build. What we are required to do however, is examine what God commanded of Moses, to study it, to seek to understand it and what it teaches us, what biblical principles are contained within and how we best apply that to our lives. With that, let us turn in our scriptures to this mornings text found in Exodus 26:1-37

Text

Please stand for the reading of God’s Holy Word:

Exodus 26:1–37 LSB

“Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful designer. “The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall have the same measurements. “Five curtains shall be joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be joined to one another. “And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the one set, and likewise you shall make them on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. “You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite each other. “You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and you shall join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the tabernacle will be a unit. “Then you shall make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains in all. “The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains shall have the same measurements. “And you shall join five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the front of the tent. “You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. “You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and you shall put the clasps into the loops and join the tent together so that it will be one unit. “The overlapping part that is left over in the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that is left over, shall lap over the back of the tabernacle. “The cubit on one side and the cubit on the other, of what is left over in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall lap over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and on the other to cover it. “You shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red and a covering of porpoise skins above. “Then you shall make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright. “Ten cubits shall be the length of each board, and one and a half cubits the width of each board. “There shall be two tenons for each board, fitted to one another; thus you shall do for all the boards of the tabernacle. “You shall make the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side. “You shall make forty bases of silver under the twenty boards, two bases under one board for its two tenons, and two bases under another board for its two tenons; and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty boards, and their forty bases of silver; two bases under one board and two bases under another board. “For the rear of the tabernacle, to the west, you shall make six boards. “You shall make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the rear. “They shall be separated beneath, but together at their completion at its top, at the first ring; thus it shall be with both of them: they shall form the two corners. “There shall be eight boards with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one board and two bases under another board. “Then you shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle for the rear side to the west. “The middle bar in the center of the boards shall pass through from end to end. “You shall overlay the boards with gold and make their rings of gold as holders for the bars; and you shall overlay the bars with gold. “Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan which you have been shown in the mountain. “You shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skillful designer. “You shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks also being of gold, on four bases of silver. “You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and you shall bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall separate for you the holy place and the Holy of Holies. “You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Holy of Holies. “You shall set the table outside the veil and the lampstand opposite the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side. “You shall make a screen for the doorway of the tent of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver. “You shall make five pillars of acacia for the screen and overlay them with gold, their hooks also being of gold; and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them.

Father, we thank You for Your Holy Word, for it’s principles, it’s promises, it’s directions, and it’s light. As we partake of Your Word this morning, may we learn more of Christ, teach us to behold our Creator, Your ability to save, Your arms outstretched, Your heart big for Your people. Father, may we have confidence in Your power and love, committing ourselves to You without reserve, may our lips be well tuned cymbals sounding thy praise, may we be surrounded in heavenly mindedness that radiates to all those around us. Teach us the attending to temporal things with a mind focused on the the eternal things. Help us to not only receive Christ, but walk in Him, depend upon Him, commune with Him, be conformed to Him, follow Him, even though it be our efforts be imperfect, may we press on, thankful for Your salvation and rest. May it be that as we are saved by grace through faith that we continue to live by that faith, feel the joy of that faith, and do the work of that faith. Acknowledging nothing in ourselves, but finding in Christ, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption for Your names sake and glory above all. Father we ask these things in the blessed name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Importance of Studying the Whole Council

Before us this morning we have another text that we could easily dismiss as one that has no direct bearing on our lives today and in fact there are many who would approach this text in just that way. They would declare that this is simply a set of practical instructions written, with no symbolic meaning, simply for the sake of instructing the people in the construction of the tabernacle. However, my concern with that path of thought is that it leads us into dangerous territory and makes it easy for us to dismiss the Old Testament and its teachings. This attack is truthfully the same lie from the enemy that we first saw in the garden when he used it to make Eve question the word of God.

As we continually remind ourselves of the apostle Paul’s writing to Timothy regarding the nature of ALL Scripture, namely that it is 2 Timothy 3:16–17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work.” we must approach this text with a desire to understand what purpose it served and serves, both to the nation of Israel as they lived before the first advent of Christ and as we live in anticipation of the second advent. What this requires of us, in regards to the understanding of God’s word is an effort to study it and understand it to the best of our ability and then to apply the principles we learn there to our daily lives.

Since this passage is rather lengthy and we want to ensure we are giving it the attention that it deserves we will break it up into several sections and deal with each as it arises. This morning our focus will narrow down to the first 6 verses of this text.

The Tabernacle

It is important to note here that Scripture makes a definitive transition from the construction of the accouterments, implements and furnishings within the interior and shifts to the implicit directions given to build the structure itself. In the original Hebrew this passage begins with the word Tabernacle which serves to break the text in a away to draw attention away from the focus of the ark, table and the lampstand and place it squarely on the structure itself. It is also important to note when studying this passage that there is a definitive difference between the Tabernacle, the tent and then the exterior courtyard. Although the entire compound is typically referred to as the Tabernacle what we see here is that the compound is actually multiple structures. While this is not necessarily an issue of great importance in the grand scheme of things, it is important when we look at the purposes of each item or structure.

The first 6 verses here deal with specifically with the Tabernacle proper. This is the literal dwelling place, the place where God will come to dwell with His people. The Tabernacle was a rectangular shaped building that was divided into a 2/3 and 1/3 layout creating two rooms in the interior. The building itself is approximately 15 feet wide by 15 feet tall by 45 feet long. One one end of the structure a veil hangs that separates the Holy of Holies from the Holy place. As we have discussed previously the Ark of the Covenant resided in the Holy of Holies while the Table of the Bread of Presence and the Lampstand resided in the Holy Place. Additionally, by way of a reminder, the daily work of the priest before Yahweh took place in the Holy Place while entry into the Holy of Holies was limited strictly to once a year on the Day of Atonement and was done only by the High Priest, after properly preparing and cleansing himself.

The Tabernacle proper was covered by a what scripture describes as a covering of ten, identical curtains, fastened together so that they make one singular unit. The construction of this covering or curtain is what we will focus in for the remainder of our time together today.

Fine Linen

As we enter into this portion of the text it is important that we continually keep a couple of things in mind so that we remain true to His word and focused on His purposes.

Firstly, it is important to remember the purpose of the tabernacle as a whole, which is given to us in Exodus 25:8 ““And let them make a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.” God desired to dwell among His covenant people to be intricately intertwined within their lives. Douglas Stuart is helpful here, he writes “simply God wanted His people to understand that their ultimate purpose was to dwell with Him. He gave them a small sample of what that was like and required them to RELOCATE THEMSELVES AND THEIR HOMES around His, teaching the principle that God’s people belong in proximity to Him.” This great truth has not changed, God still desires to dwell with His people, so much so that He sent His son to literally dwell with us to make it possible to be reconciled with Him through the atoning work of Christ on the cross so that all who believe are given His very Spirit and that as He dwelled with His people Israel in the Tabernacle, so He dwells within us in the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, we must continually remind ourselves as we study this passage that the Tabernacle was a type or shadow of something greater to come, which was Christ Jesus. This brings us to the construction of the curtain that will form the very dwelling place of Yahweh as He comes into the midst of His people.

In verse one of Exodus 26 we read of four specific colors that are to be used in fabricating this curtain. Each of these colors carries with it symbolism that continually points towards the Christ. The first of these four colors is white. Note the use of the term fine here to describe the linen that was to be used. If you will recall from our previous study of the implements and furnishings of the tabernacle you may remember that we spoke about the purity of the materials that was used in direct correlation to their position to the space above the mercy seat, the throne of God. We discussed that the closer the item was to the mercy seat the higher the quality of material that was necessary. If you look closely at this passage you may have noticed the fabrication of certain elements, namely the clasps, progress from gold where the curtain of the tabernacle proper are joined to the bronze clasps that from the joint work of the tent that we will discuss later.

This linen would have been of the highest quality, finely spun or twisted so that it would almost have had a silk like quality to it, and it would have been pure white, reflecting the purity and holiness of Yahweh. It points us forward to the holiness and purity of Christ. One that, despite the best efforts of the enemy would remain perfect and pure and holy. The bride described in the marriage supper of the Lamb is to be clothed in this same pure, white fine linen. Note Johns’ description on Revelation 19:7–8 ““Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” It is only because of the work of Christ on Calvary’s cross that the works or righteous acts of the saints can even be counted as fine linen for we are Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Those good works are the “righteous acts” that clothe the bride of Christ at the marriage supper of the Lamb, that are only made possible by the sinless ways and righteous acts of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Cherubim

The text then goes on to describe three additional colors that form the cherubim. What is not completely clear is if these cherubim were embroidered on the linen or woven into the weft and weave of the linen. The use of the term translated as “skillful designer” here indicates to us that the work was to be performed by a master, someone who was extremely skilled at their craft, as would only be proper for the covering of the dwelling place of Yahweh.

My own observation here is that this curtain is the closest to the holy place and would have been of the highest quality. Since it was of the highest quality and constructed by this thoughtful and ingenious worker, it only follows, to me at least, that this these cherubim would have been woven into the very fabric, which truly speaks to mastery. I would also observe, along these lines, the importance that is given in verse 6 to the tabernacle being one unit as evidence that this is the construction of this particular fabric as embroidering would have merely placed the designs on the fabric and not been an integral part of the fabric. This would have made them more susceptible to wear and tear and the tabernacle was put up and taken down with the movements of the Israelites.

Regardless of the actual construction we know that the colors used are described here as blue, purple and scarlet. Each of these colors represent different characteristics of Christ.

Blue is a celestial or heavenly color and reminds us that even as Christ walked this earth, truly man, He was never seperated from the truth of being truly God. Pink is helpful as he quotes CHM “Though He was ‘very man,’ yet He ever walked in the uninterrupted consciousness of His proper dignity, as a heavenly Stranger. He never once forgot whence He had come, where He was, or whither He was going. The spring of all His joys was on High. Earth could neither make Him richer nor poorer. He found this world to be ‘a dry and thirsty land, where no water is,’ and hence His spirit could only find its refreshment above” (C. H. M.).

Arthur Walkington Pink, Gleanings in Exodus (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), 217.

Purple, throughout scripture represents the color of royalty. We see in John 19:2 “And when the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him;” Matthew is diligent in his gospel as he clearly lays out the evidence that Jesus was King. Matthew was demonstrating that Jesus was the King of the Jews, but we also understand that He was King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Finally the crimson or scarlet carries several connections to the person and work of Christ, the most obvious of which is His blood that was poured out on Calvary’s cross for our sins. It is also representative of the sufferings of Christ, not just on the cross, but as He came face to face, daily, with the moral corruption and depravity of man.

Hebrews 2:18 “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to help those who are tempted.”

Mark 8:12 “And sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.””

John 11:38 “So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.”

Luke 19:41 “And as He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He cried over it,”

and finally Luke 22:44 “And being in agony He was praying very fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.”

These three colors are woven together to reveal cherubim, the symbol of the judicial authority of Yahweh. This authority has been specifically given to the person of Jesus Christ, the Son, so that he can and does come to judge all.

The Curtain

It is interesting to note that this curtain, so carefully and masterfully constructed would only be seen by those who had the authority to enter, the priests. To those who are not the people of God the truth of God remains hidden, a mystery that they simply cannot understand. Paul, writing to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:18 states “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” Pink again here is helpful in a full and robust understanding of this truth:

Gleanings in Exodus 5. Their Meaning

The unregenerate have no capacity to discern His excellencies. A good Man, the best of men, He is acknowledged to be; but as the Holy One of God (the “white”), the Lord from heaven (the “blue”), the King of kings (the “purple”), and the One who because of His sufferings will yet come back to this earth and reign over it in power and glory (the “scarlet”), He is unknown. But notwithstanding there is even now a company that is “an holy priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:5), and they, haying received “an unction,” a divine anointing (1 John 2:20, 27), recognize Him as the altogether Lovely One.

It is important to note that even though the curtain will not be seen by everyone, it is described to everyone. The gospel, will not be understood by everyone, received by everyone, believed by everyone, for not everyone is the elect of God, but it is still to be preached to everyone, revealed to everyone, announced to everyone and proclaimed to everyone. As Charles Spurgeon once stated “If God would have painted a yellow stripe on the backs of the elect I would go around lifting shirts. But since He did not, I must preach “whosoever will” and when “whatsoever” believes I know that he is one of the elect.”

The Unity of the Tabernacle

Scripture continues in verses 3 and 4 to describe that these curtains are to be identical and that they are then joined together. Verses 5 and 6 describe for us the joining. These verses describe for us a series of loops and corresponding clasps or tacks that would be used to pull the curtains together to make a single unit. The make up of the loops was also to be done in a specific way and signify a specific reality as it relates to Christ. We have already discussed the use of gold as we come closer to the ark of the covenant and since this particular curtain would form the walls and ceiling of both sections of the dwelling place it is only proper that there is the use of the finest of metals used here. That this was the command of God and not the choice of man is clear in the construction of the material itself. If man were to design these clasps or tacks he would have used something, that while not as pure, would have been durable. Gold is an extremely soft metal and as such would not be ideal for fabricating something that to be handled and used as often as these clasps would, but the durability was not the concern, the purity was.

The gold clasps were placed through or into what is described as loops of blue. Again, the color is specified and as such must carry with it some significance, otherwise, like we see down in verse 10 Exodus 26:10 ““You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.” there is no defined color. Blue, as previously mentioned, is the color of heaven. Christ’s entire life was characterized by obedience. The reality that He was from Heaven, lived in Heaven and was to return to Heaven drove this obedience. One theologian/pastor, Samuel Ridout wrote the following:

Gleanings in Exodus 6. Their Loops

“No life ever was so perfectly given up to God as was His: heart, soul, mind and strength were all and always for God. Yet this devotedness did not make of Him a recluse. There is not the slightest thought of that selfish monasticism with which human self-righteousness has linked the name of Christianity. He loved His Father perfectly, but that was the pledge of His perfect life to man. No hands or heart were ever so filled with love and labor for men; but there was nothing of the sentimental nor merely philanthropic in this. The loops of blue were on all, linking all with His Father’s will. He wrought many miracles but we cannot think of these works of love ending there. He was manifesting the works which the Father gave Him to do; ‘I must work the works of Him that sent Me’—John 9:4” (Mr. Ridout).

Once again, Pink quotes CHM as it relates to the bringing together of the loops of blue with the gold clasps:

Gleanings in Exodus 7. Their Couplings

“We have here displayed to us in the ‘loops of blue’ and ‘taches of gold’ that heavenly grace and divine energy in Christ which enabled Him to combine and perfectly adjust the claims of God and man, so that in responding to both the one and the other He never, for a moment, marred the unity of His character. When crafty and hypocritical men tempted Him with the inquiry, ‘Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?’ His wise reply was, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ Nor was it merely Caesar’s, but man in every relation, that had all his claims perfectly met in Christ. As He united in His perfect person the nature of God and man, so He met in His perfect ways the claims of God and man” (C. H. M.).

The reality that Christ is both truly God and truly Man is imperative to the gospel. So much so that God chose to foreshadow this very reality in the curtains that would line both the holy place and the Holy of Holies.

Conclusion

As we conclude our reflection on this text, let us not lose sight of its enduring truths. We have seen the intricate details of the tabernacle's construction and its furnishings, each element pointing us to the ultimate fulfillment in Christ Jesus. These were not arbitrary instructions but divinely crafted symbols that teach us about God's holiness, His desire to dwell with His people, and the necessity of approaching Him on His terms. The tabernacle was not merely a structure but a physical manifestation of God's covenantal promise to be present with His people.

This passage challenges us to consider how we, as the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, live out our faith. The purity of the fine linen reminds us of the righteousness we receive through Christ. The colors and craftsmanship point us to His majesty, His sacrifice, and His heavenly origins. The unity of the tabernacle's construction calls us to unity in Christ, reflecting His character as we interact with one another.

Moreover, the exclusivity of the holy places—the priests alone permitted to see the beauty within—compels us to reflect on the privilege we have in Christ. Through His atoning work, the veil was torn, granting us direct access to God. How often do we take this access for granted? How often do we neglect the sacred duty of worship in spirit and truth?

As we walk away from this text, let us meditate on this thought-provoking question: "If God’s desire is to dwell with us and make His presence known in every aspect of our lives, and He expected the Israelites to order their lives around Him, placing Him in the center, how are we our lives to reflect that reality?"

Let this question stir in your hearts and lead to a renewed commitment to live as those who are set apart, reflecting the glory of the One who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. May our lives be a testimony to the world that we are indeed a people among whom God dwells. Amen.