In tracing the history of Israel as a
nation we start with redemption, the Passover deliverance from Egypt, where a
fresh start was made. The Passover month
became “a beginning of months” unto them.
We have followed them through the waters of the Red Sea, which the
Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
None but the redeemed of the Lord can reach the other side alive. We have seen their trials and temptations,
their first great battle with Amalek, and its spiritual teaching. We have seen them enter into covenant
relationship with God, both book and people being sprinkled with blood; we have heard the words of the covenant given
in solemn grandeur from Sinai, and we have reached that point in the
development of their typical history that demands the tabernacle and its
ritual.
In the articles under the heading of Redemption we have discussed the
difference between redemption as the exodus,
and the atonement as the eisodus, the
one leading out and giving deliverance, the other leading in and giving
acceptance and access. Therefore we will
not stay over that phase now.
The present creation is described in Genesis i. & ii., and the record of that mighty work comprises
34 verses. The tabernacle is described
in Exodus xxv.-xxxi. &
xxxv.-xl., and the record
comprises 457 verses. This disproportion
can be explained only in the light of their relative importance, the
understanding of the way into the presence of God being far more important than
the understanding of the way in which He created heaven and earth. The new creation is so much greater than the
present, as the finished temple the scaffolding erected for its building.
The
shadow of heavenly
things.
In
Exod. xxv. 9, 10, xxvi. 30, xxvii. 8,
and Numb. viii. 4 Moses is commanded to see that all things in
the tabernacle are made after the pattern that was shown him in the mount, and
this is repeated in Heb. viii. 5. In the
latter passage the reason for this exactness is given:--
“The example and shadow of heavenly
things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the
tabernacle, for, See, saith He, that thou make all things according to the
pattern shewed to thee in the mount.”
Again, in
Heb. ix. 23 the tabernacle is
spoken of as “The pattern of things in the heavens”. The holiest of all in the tabernacle was
evidently a symbol of heaven, for we read:--
“We have an high priest . . . . . in the
heavens, a minister of . . . . . the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched,
and not man” (Heb. viii. 1, 2).
It is called “a greater and more perfect
tabernacle” in Heb. ix. 11, and the holy places made with hands are
called “figures of the true”, and the true is further defined as “heaven
itself” in ix.24. It is
therefore a matter beyond controversy that the tabernacle and its offerings,
its priests and its furniture, are intensely typical, and speak of heaven
itself where Christ as the great high priest has for us entered.
“Of Thine own
have we given
Thee.”
The whole of the material necessary for
the construction of the tabernacle and its furniture was given willingly by the
people of Israel:--
“Every man that giveth it willingly with
his heart” (Exod. xxv. 2).
“And they came, every one whose heart
stirred him up, and every one whose spirit made him willing” (Exod. xxxv. 21,
29)
The same element of wholehearted
willingness entered into the preparation for the temple in David’s day:--
“Who then is willing to consecrate his
service?”
“Then the people rejoiced, for that day
they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to
the Lord” (I Chron. xxix. 5, 9).
The chapter also reveals the secret of
this willing offering:--
“All things come of Thee, and of Thine own
have we given Thee.”
“All this store that we have prepared to
build Thee an house for Thine holy name cometh of Thine hand, and is all Thine
own” (I Chron. xxix. 14, 16).
These material things, such as silver and
gold, were but the evident types of unseen realities that pertain to God. David’s ascription of praise (I Chron. xxix.
11-13), punctuated by 14 “ands” (including “now” of verse 13, and so making 15
items), may be compared with the “pattern of things in the heavens” given
in Exod. xxv. 3-7:--
The fifteen
patterns.
(Exod. xxv.
3-7).
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The things
themselves.
(I
Chron. xxix. 11-13).
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1.
Gold.
2.
Silver.
3.
Brass.
4.
Blue.
5.
Purple.
6.
Scarlet.
7.
Linen.
8.
Goats’ hair.
9.
Rams’ skins.
10.
Badgers’ skins.
11.
Shittim wood.
12.
Oil.
13.
Spices.
14.
Onyx stones.
15. Stones
(various).
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1.
Greatness.
2. Power.
3. Glory.
4. Victory.
5. Majesty.
6. All in Heaven and Earth is Thine.
7. Kingdom and headship.
8. Riches and honour.
9. Reign over all.
10. Power.
11. Might.
12. To make
great.
13. To give strength.
14. Thanks.
15. Praise.
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We do not intend to teach by these
parallels that (1) gold represents greatness, or (8) goats’ hair represents riches
and honour. All we intend is to
emphasize the spiritual value of these typical materials, and to take advantage
of that characteristic of inspiration where even words are weighed and
numbered. The same element of symbolism
is discernible in the gifts brought by the wise men to the infant Christ “born
Kings of the Jews”, viz., “gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matt. ii. 11).
The fifteen items enumerated in Exod. xxv. 3-7 retain the special number (5) that pervades
the tabernacle. The outer court was 100
cubits wide, covering an area of 5,000 square cubits. The 60 pillars of this court multiply the
tabernacle number (5) by the number of tribes (12). The pillars that held the curtains were 5
cubits apart and 5 cubits high; the whole of the outer curtain was divided
into squares of 25 cubits. We will not
pursue this further, but as we come to individual details we shall find five
(5) dominating the whole structure. We
are distinctly told in Psalm cv. that the offerings made by Israel for the
tabernacle were brought from Egypt at the Exodus:--
“He brought them forth also with silver
and gold” (Psa. cv. 37).
“They asked of the Egyptians jewels of
silver and jewels of gold, and raiment” (Exod. xii. 35).
This was provided for in the covenant made
with Abraham:--
“And also that nation, whom they serve,
will I judge, and afterward they shall come out with great substance” (Gen. xv.
14).
It practically amounted to deferred pay,
the taskmaster being compelled at the end to disgorge the wage withheld. The same principle is seen in Isa. lx. 5, 11, 16, lxi. 6. That service and honour due to God, and which
sin has diverted to itself, shall by virtue of redemption be taken from the
usurper and willingly offered to the rightful Lord. The same may be said of the various ascriptions
of praise found in the book of the Revelation, they are all so much of the
Lord’s due held back for a time by sin.
When the day of glory arrives:--
“The kings of the earth do bring their glory and
honour into it” (Rev. xxi. 24).
“Thy people shall offer themselves willingly in the
day of Thy power” (Psa. cx. 3).
The first article of the tabernacle to be
specified is the ark. This we will
examine later, but first we had better obtain a general survey. The tabernacle itself was an oblong, 30 cubits
in length, & 10 cubits in the height and breadth. This was divided by a veil into two parts; the holy place being 20 cubits long, and the
most holy, the holy of holies, being a perfect cube of 10 cubits length,
breadth and depth. These are referred to
in Heb. ix. 2, 6, 7 as the first and second tabernacle,
respectively. In the first tabernacle
stood the lampstand, the table of shewbread, and the altar of incense. In the holiest of all stood the ark and the
mercy seat. None but the high priest was
allowed to enter into the holiest of all.
The tabernacle itself was constructed of
planks of shittim wood overlaid with gold, which planks were placed upon silver
sockets and fastened together by long rods.
Inside the tabernacle were woven tapestries containing embroidered cherubim,
and outside the tabernacle were successive layers of curtains of goats’ hair,
rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins.
Before the door of the tabernacle stood the brazen altar and the laver,
and the whole was surrounded by the white curtained court. Disposed around this tabernacle were the
priests, the tents, and the tribes.
Rabbinical tradition has it that each tribe carried as a sign one of the
twelve constellations of the Zodiac.
These twelve signs, beginning with the sign of the virgin (Genesis), and
ending with the sign of the lion (Revelation), depict the whole story of
redemption.
The twelve tribes were distributed
according to the four points of the compass, the whole forming a wondrous
picture — all Israel grouped around the ark, the mercy seat, and the pillar of
cloud or fire, setting forth the day when God shall be all in all. The order here referred to is given in full
detail in Numbers ii. and The
Companion Bible, Dispensational Truth (page 106), and Newberry’s Supplement
to The Englishman’s Bible set the
whole before the eye in a diagram. It is
of interest to note that the tribes that occupied east, west, south, and north
had as their signs the lion, ox, man, and eagle (scorpio), so that both at the centre (the mercy seat) and at the
circumference (the standards) the cherubic pledge of restoration was
remembered.
The
primary purpose of
the tabernacle.
In
Exod. xxv. 8, immediately
following the enumeration of the materials necessary for the building of the
tabernacle, God gives the primary purpose of its construction, “Let them make
Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them”.
“The tents of Shem” were from the days of Noah destined to be the
dwelling place of God (Gen. ix. 27), and it is the purpose of redemption and
atonement to make the sons of men fit for God to dwell among them. The climax of the book of Revelation is
expressed in the words:--
“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself
shall be with them, and be their God” (Rev. xxi. 3),
and
when this takes place tears, death, sorrow, crying, and pain, the close
attendants upon sin ever since paradise was lost, shall for ever pass
away. This blessed time of restoration
is expressed in the typical tabernacle of Israel.
Why a tabernacle?
A tabernacle is a tent, a dwelling place
that belongs to pilgrims. It speaks of
the wilderness and its wanderings rather than the kingdom and its peace. Consequently it has an application all down
the age to all companies of the redeemed who are pressing on to the hope laid
up for them:
“By faith he sojourned in the land of
promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac, and
Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise” (Heb. xi. 9).
Not only so, it represents the willingness
of God in His grace to have no settled place upon this earth until sin is
removed, and His pilgrim people are at home in peace. Since
Genesis iii. the sabbath rest of
creation has been broken by the activities of redemption. The date upon which the tabernacle was set up
is also of a typical nature, “on the first day of the month”. Moses records one other important typical
event that took place upon this same date, namely, the day when the waters were
dried up from off the earth at the time of the flood, and when Noah removed the
covering of the ark (Gen. viii. 13).
Both events have restoration in view, both have an ark as the central
feature (two words in the Hebrew O.T., but one in the Greek N.T.).
Noah’s ark had no cherubim, for man, lion,
ox, and eagle were there in reality; the
ark of the covenant had golden cherubim.
Noah’s ark was covered with pitch,
the first occurrence of the Hebrew word atonement in the O.T. The mercy seat is in Hebrew kapporeth,
pitch being kopher, and to pitch,
kaphar.
We are now ready to give closer attention
to the detailed description given in Exodus of the various parts of the
tabernacle, and we pray that the exhibition of these rich types may be a means
of blessing not only to the young believers among our readers for whom they are
primarily intended, but to the most advanced also.
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