Exodus 26: 1 – 37
Beauty in the desert
26 “Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them. 2 The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits. And every one of the curtains shall have the same measurements. 3 Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. 4 And you shall make loops of blue yarn on the edge of the curtain on the selvedge of one set, and likewise you shall do on the outer edge of the other curtain of the second set. 5 Fifty loops you shall make in the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is on the end of the second set, that the loops may be clasped to one another. 6 And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, so that it may be one tabernacle. 7 “You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair, to be a tent over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven curtains. 8 The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; and the eleven curtains shall all have the same measurements. 9 And you shall couple five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the forefront of the tent. 10 You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the second set. 11 And you shall make fifty bronze clasps, put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. 12 The remnant that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. 13 And a cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side, of what remains of the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and on that side, to cover it. 14 “You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and a covering of badger skins above that. 15 “And for the tabernacle you shall make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright. 16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the width of each board. 17 Two tenons shall be in each board for binding one to another. Thus you shall make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18 And you shall make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side. 19 You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under each of the boards for its two tenons. 20 And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, there shall be twenty boards 21 and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under each of the boards. 22 For the far side of the tabernacle, westward, you shall make six boards. 23 And you shall also make two boards for the two back corners of the tabernacle. 24 They shall be coupled together at the bottom and they shall be coupled together at the top by one ring. Thus it shall be for both of them. They shall be for the two corners. 25 So there shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver—sixteen sockets—two sockets under each of the boards. 26 “And you shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle, 27 five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the far side westward. 28 The middle bar shall pass through the midst of the boards from end to end. 29 You shall overlay the boards with gold, make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlay the bars with gold. 30 And you shall raise up the tabernacle according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain. 31 “You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. 32 You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver. 33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy. 34 You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy. 35 You shall set the table outside the veil, and the lamp stand across from the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side. 36 “You shall make a screen for the door of the tabernacle, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. 37 And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be gold, and you shall cast five sockets of bronze for them.
I want you to take a moment and think that you somehow got stranded in a desert area. Somehow you feel your mind is playing tricks on you as you smell the aroma of someone having a barbeque over in an area blocked by a high sand dune.
You pursue this sensation and as you make it to the top you gaze down upon thousands of people who have camped out and are mixing back and forth throughout the encampment. Is it a mirage? It cannot be for now besides the smell you hear the sounds of the people interacting with each other. With joy you know that you are saved. You begin your descent to this assembly. While doing so you see a beautiful huge tent surrounded by a wall of curtains. This magnificent huge tent structure’s beautiful black color is dazzling by the glow of what seems like gold, silver, and bronze color sparkling at various points in the complex. It sight alone stands out with the desert background. You never would have expected this type of beauty in the desert.
Not all the desert is sand and rock, as after the rains, grass grows so flocks can be pastured.
The desert is a constant reminder of danger, hardship and even death. It is where fugitives and bandits hide; it is the home of wild animals and the devil. Although entering or traversing it is sometimes necessary, it is dangerous.
The desert also plays a symbolic role. To deprive the land of rain and growth is to turn it into its original chaos and uselessness. This is what the sins of Israel deserve (Ezekiel 6.14). Instead God's goodness wanted to give them the Promised Land, but they needed to be prepared through suffering
The desert journey was difficult. But God's plan was to guide, not abandon, His people. In this inhospitable place, the Israelites were made God's people and received the Law and the Covenant. In the desert, they experienced an intimacy with God which continued to be remembered and longed for during many difficult years.
Why the desert? In the desert, we stand alone before God. We empty ourselves of obstacles to God. We reflect on our faith in God and examine our values. We are forced to live with the ambiguities and inconsistencies of our lives
In the emptiness of the desert, God's power and goodness becomes overwhelming. Thus, we become strengthened and ready to serve God and our neighbor as our Lord Jesus wants us to do.
Today we are going to step back in time and look at the Master Designer, our Great and Holy God El Shaddai, Who Is The Lord Most High. He loves His people so much that He wants to be hanging out with them. He Is truly an Awesome Holy Living God.
Having described in our last study the main contents we now move on to the Dwelling place proper of Adoni Yahweh.
The Dwelling place was to be splendid in beauty. Its glory represented the glory of its King and His supreme righteousness. But it had to be patterned according to how God revealed it (26.30). Nothing mundane must enter into its construction, and no ideas of man. It had to be kept pure in what it represented. The fine detail of its construction was a reminder of God’s detailed activity on behalf of His own.
The Dwelling-place was to be about thirty cubits by ten cubits made of large curtains flung over a framework, the Most Holy Place being a perfect cube, ten cubits by ten cubits by ten cubits, symbolizing the perfection of God, and the Holy Place twenty cubits by ten cubits. These were then covered by goats’ hair, and then by rams’ skins dyed red and finally by badger skins.
26 “Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them. 2 The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits. And every one of the curtains shall have the same measurements. 3 Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another.
The first procedure in making the Dwelling-place of The Adoni Yahweh is to make ten curtains of the same size, of different colors, of which two are then to be made each consisting of five of the ten curtains joined together. They are to be made of fine twined linen and multicolored cloth (sections consisting of the different colors having been attached together) with cherubim patterned in. Thus the final large curtains would appear to be twenty eight cubits by twenty cubits (about forty foot by thirty foot). It appears that the edge was then woven making sure the edges would not fray.
It has been suggested that blue-purple represents its heavenly connections, purple-red its royal connections, red symbolizes the shedding of blood and the fine linen represents purity. The cherubim, symbolizing a heavenly reality, were a reminder of the spiritual beings who attended on the throne of Yahweh. The size of the curtains was limited both for practical purposes and by their methods of manufacture.
4 And you shall make loops of blue yarn on the edge of the curtain on the selvedge of one set, and likewise you shall do on the outer edge of the other curtain of the second set. 5 Fifty loops you shall make in the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is on the end of the second set, that the loops may be clasped to one another. 6 And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, so that it may be one tabernacle.
The use of loops and clasps was a popular method of joining curtains together in the Ancient Near East and is still used today. The two curtains were joined by fifty loops. They could thus be split apart for travelling. When fitting together the whole would be flung over the framework described below forming the Dwelling-place. This would then be protected by a goat-hair covering so that the curtains were only seen from the inside.
7 “You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair, to be a tent over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven curtains. 8 The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; and the eleven curtains shall all have the same measurements. 9 And you shall couple five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the forefront of the tent. 10 You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the second set. 11 And you shall make fifty bronze clasps, put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. 12 The remnant that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. 13 And a cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side, of what remains of the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and on that side, to cover it. 14 “You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and a covering of badger skins above that.
The goats’ hair covering was to be made in the same way but was to be larger than the inner curtains so that it overhung and could be tucked in at the front and would protect the inner curtains at front, rear and at both sides from the weather.
15 “And for the tabernacle you shall make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright. 16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the width of each board. 17 Two tenons shall be in each board for binding one to another. Thus you shall make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
The ‘frames’ probably were not planks or boards but upright frames which would be lighter to carry and provide firmness and strength. The ‘uprights joined together’ probably referred to a ladder-like structure.
18 And you shall make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side. 19 You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under each of the boards for its two tenons. 20 And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, there shall be twenty boards 21 and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under each of the boards. 22 For the far side of the tabernacle, westward, you shall make six boards. 23 And you shall also make two boards for the two back corners of the tabernacle. 24 They shall be coupled together at the bottom and they shall be coupled together at the top by one ring. Thus it shall be for both of them. They shall be for the two corners. 25 So there shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver—sixteen sockets—two sockets under each of the boards.
The general pattern was clear although we do not have sufficient knowledge of their technical language to be certain of the full meaning. Each side would be based on twenty frames at one and a half cubits a frame, and would therefore be thirty cubits. The rear would be based on six similar frames plus two specially designed corner frames which doubled up for strength. The frames were held up by sockets with connection across by bars. It is possible that the extra two frames doubled up under the final ones of the six frames. That would make the actual width nine cubits upwards. But this would depend on exactly how they were combined together.
The sockets were to be of silver. These prevented the pillars having contact with the ground. The gold which represented the holiness of God could not be allowed to touch ground other than that which was most holy. The gold of the Ark, the table and the lamp stand appear to have been allowed to touch the ground. This suggests that the ground there was seen as most holy. But the sockets tended of course to be at the division between the most holy ground and the slightly less holy ground.
The veil was also on pillars with silver sockets. But the outer pillars of that would again be seen as coming at the border where the most holy met the less holy, and the variety of curtains (which themselves did not touch the ground), may have been seen as making the ground within them most holy, with the ground on which the pillars actually stood, less holy.
26 “And you shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle, 27 five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the far side westward. 28 The middle bar shall pass through the midst of the boards from end to end.
The bars would hold the frames together and be connected to them by rings of gold as then described. The middle bar went all the way along. Possibly each of the two above and below went half way along, one from the rear and one from the front, the shorter bars giving added strength.
29 You shall overlay the boards with gold, make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlay the bars with gold.
Moses did not have to guess or work it out from the instructions, for he had already been shown, while in the Mount, how it was all to be fitted together.
To sum up this section we find that the framework was thirty cubits long by nine to ten wide by ten high. The curtains of forty cubits by twenty eight and forty four cubits by thirty would cover the top and both sides plus the rear, with the overhangs mentioned for the goats’ hair. The inner curtains would not quite reach the floor, for this would have been seen as defiling the Dwelling place. The front was seemingly open. Thus a screen will be made to cover this opening (verse 36) although the outer coverings of rams’ skins dyed red and dolphin skin may also have been long enough to provide covering.
The Most Holy Place was to be separated from the Holy Place by a large veil. This would keep the Most Holy Place in darkness except for when the light of Yahweh shone there, apart from a glimmer of light from the Holy Place. It was to prevent access to all men, even including the priests, apart from on the Day of Atonement when ‘the Priest’ (the High Priest) alone could enter to make final atonement for the people. It symbolized that while men could approach God they could not enter directly into His presence. He must always be veiled from them because no man could see God or enter His immediate presence and live. We can imagine the awe with which the priest approached the veil aware that beyond it was the Presence before Whom no man could enter and Whom no man could see and live.
When the holy veil was made no one could have even dreamed that over a thousand years later that veil would be torn in half by God Himself, but in the death of Jesus the veil was torn apart for Him (Mark 15.38), symbolic of the fact that through it went our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, to act as Mediator on our behalf, and to represent us in God’s presence for ever (Hebrews 9.12) with the result that we too can spiritually enter through the veil by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10.19-22).
But this is only partial, for the final glory still awaits when our great High Priest returns from within the veil (Hebrews 9.28) and we then have access not only spiritually but literally to behold His full glory (Revelation 21.23).
30 And you shall raise up the tabernacle according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain. 31 “You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. 32 You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver. 33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy.
When the Dwelling place was raised up in accordance with the pattern shown to Moses in the mount, the Holy Place was to be separated from the Most Holy by this veil. This was to be made of multicolored cloth and fine linen and was to hang down from the top of the hooks on the four pillars. The four pillars would be in sockets of silver. It separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies). Within the Most Holy Place were set the Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh called here the Ark of the Testimony because it contained the Covenant tablets, and it testified to that covenant. It may also have contained the ancient covenant tablets from which the narrative of Genesis was obtained. It was the most sacred of all the furniture in the Tabernacle, and was seen as the place from where God dispensed justice and mercy.
The veil acted as a barrier between it and man, through which no man might pass, apart from ‘the Priest’ (the High Priest) once a year under special restrictions. The cherubim designed on it were a reminder of the cherubim who guarded the way to the tree of life and would not allow man to approach it. They signified the extreme holiness of the Most Holy Place that a man could go so far and no further in his approach to God.
In the Temple, doors separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, but the veil was hung over the doors so as to continue to fulfill its purpose. It was this veil that was torn in two at the time of the crucifixion of Christ. For Him there could be no veil to hide Him from the Father and He entered directly into His presence. And it symbolically opened the way of access spiritually into God's presence for all who came through Him. But in the end that rending of the veil is also the declaration that one day we shall enjoy the glory of His presence in its fullness.
34 You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy.
Thus while the Ark contained within it the Testimony (the ten words), the covenant and all the moral requirements demanded by a holy God that revealed the sinfulness and failure of man, above them was the place of propitiation, the mercy seat, where propitiation and atonement could be found. In the midst of judgment there was always mercy through the shedding of blood. It was the place where men’s sins were finally done away.
We might suggest that the Mercy-seat represented the opening words of the covenant, ‘I am Yahweh your God Who delivered you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage’, and the chest the commands which followed required by their Lord God.
35 You shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand across from the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.
The table and lamp stand were set in the Holy Place, the table to the north side and the lamp stand opposite it on the south side. Thus as a priest entered the Holy Place through the entrance from outside he saw ahead of him the table on the left and the lamp stand on the right. The fact that they were outside the veil confirms further that there was no thought of Yahweh eating the bread. It was their provision, not His requirement, and they partook of it themselves through their priests. It was a sign of God’s provision for them, not for Himself.
36 “You shall make a screen for the door of the tabernacle, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. 37 And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be gold, and you shall cast five sockets of bronze for them.
The way in and out of the Holy Place from the courtyard outside was to be covered by a screen of multicolored cloth and fine linen, hung on five pillars. This suggests that it was wider than the inner veil, (with its four pillars), and extended at each side of the entrance. It prevented access by the unauthorized and those not duly sanctified. The gradation of entry emphasized that the nearer men came to God the more holy the ground, and the more thorough the preparation needed for the approach, and that between man and God there was a great gulf that could only be dealt with by atonement and cleansing.
Please note that there were no cherubim on this curtain. Their representation was only allowed within the Sanctuary, for they spoke of the heavenly. Such representations must not be seen by ordinary people for they could result in wrong ideas.
The outer screen had sockets of brazen copper to hold the golden pillars. It was where the more holy ground came in contact with the even less holy ground. It should be noted that gold never touches the ground, (apart from the furniture in the holy Sanctuary) and that even within the Sanctuary, when contact with the ground is made by the pillars it is by silver sockets. The ground is more holy where they are but not most holy, for there the more holy connects with the less holy.
Here in this picture of the construction of the Dwelling place we have a symbol of how sinful men can through Christ become the temple of the living God by the indwelling of the Spirit, and what it means. There were differing qualities of cloth within and without the Dwelling place. Outwardly we portray the skins, for we are rough hewn and have to be tough to face the world. But that roughness and toughness, if right, comes from the inner harmony and beauty, the blue cloth which symbolizes heaven in our hearts, the purple which reminds us that we are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2.9), the red which reminds us that we are constantly cleansed by the blood of Jesus (1 John 1.7), the pure linen cloth which is indicative of the righteous nesses of His people (Revelation 19.8). And the intricate details are a reminder of God’s perfect work within us as He ‘fitly frames us together’ (Ephesians 2.21) in order to make us a suitable dwelling place. The very detail of the description is a reminder of the care with which He goes about His work. God’s frames support us, His pegs hold us secure, His loops and clasps hold us together. And not one is unimportant. We may see His pegs as faith, hope and love, His loops and clasps as the intricacies of His word which speak to every need, and His frames as the great promises in which we trust. For all is His provision. But in the end it speaks of all that He provides for our spiritual growth.
Alternatively these different parts of the Dwelling place may be seen as representing the part played by different Christians in the whole united ‘temple of God’ consisting of His people, each having a part to play, some larger, some smaller, but all essential to the whole.
And the veil reminds us of the sin that prevents men’s access, but for us it has been torn asunder by our great High priest and sacrifice, so that through Him we can enter humbly but joyously within the veil (Hebrews 10.19), ever aware of the glory of the One Who awaits us there.
