#10 Building a Proper House
The Framework of the Tabernacle
By Pastor Jim May
Exodus 26:15 - And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.
Tonight, before we enter in beyond the first veil, or door, into the Holy Place, I want us to take a close look at how the Tabernacle was built. Before any rooms could be formed and before any curtains or coverings could be put into place, there had to be something that would support the whole thing. The framework that we will look at now was that support. It had to be strong to withstand the storms in the desert. It had to have a firm foundation so that it would not sink or fall in the sands. And most of all, everything about it had to continue with the overall theme of the Tabernacle in pointing us to the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we examine how the framework was designed and constructed, according the detailed plans that God gave to Moses, you will easily see what each part means and what its intended purpose was. The Holy Place and the Holy of Holies were both contained in a building, which led to the Outer Court. In the remainder of our series we will be examining the furniture and work that went on inside of these rooms in the Tabernacle building. But before we go there, it will help us to know what supports it all and what surrounds it all, allowing us to have the privilege of entering there when the time comes.
The Tabernacle building consisted of a framework of 48 boards overlaid with GOLD. These 48 boards stood in 96 sockets of silver and were braced by five bars on each of its three closed sides. At the entrance of open side of the Tabernacle there was a hanging veil or curtain that was called "the Door of the Tabernacle."
The Door was made of fine linen and was upheld by 5 pillars. This Door gave access to the Holy Place. At the end of the Holy Place there was another hanging curtain. This was the Veil, which was upheld by four pillars and guarded the entrance to the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies.
This curtain before the Holy of Holies is often referred to as the "second veil." Over this whole structure there were other curtains and coverings, which were the ceiling and roof of the Tabernacle that we learned about in our last lesson.
Boards For The Tabernacle made of Shittim wood were placed into position Standing Up.
The fact that these boards were made of shittim wood continues to symbolize to us of the incorruptible nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is referred to as "THE BRANCH," who was cut off, or cut down, from in the land of the living. Because this wood would be shaped into boards, it had to be cut off, or cut down from the living trees in the forest. Jesus Christ is that root out of dry ground that was cut off to become God’s Tabernacle and, in turn, make us vessels and tabernacles as well!
The incorruptible wood of the shittim tree also represents to us the sinless nature of Jesus. Though he was a man, he was also the only man untainted by sin. When He became flesh He tabernacled, or dwelt in a human body, or “temporary tent”, a “temporary home”, among us! Jesus never committed one single sin, nor did the Father allow Him to see corruption in the grave.
When we think about what this shittim wood would mean to us as the Church, the boards symbolize our redeemed nature. When God found us, we were twisted, knotted, and rough just like this wood would have been growing in the desert country where water was scarce and it had to fight to survive.
Through Jesus we are taken through much the same process that these boards experienced. The sinner is cut off from the former old life of sin in the world. He begins a process of sanctification where he will be shaped into something useful for the Kingdom of God, made into BOARDS (stones) that fit together into ONE TABERNACLE (building) with the Lord, and together with Him, and through Him, we become the habitation of God by the Spirit!
1 Peter 2:5, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."
Why was Moses instructed to stand the boards upright to form the walls. Why not allow them to be nailed to a frame like we build homes and buildings today?
Nevertheless, God commanded that each board was to be standing up or be upright before the Lord.
Psalms 140:13, "Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence."
Psalms 64:10, "The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory."
Ephesians 6:13, "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
Galatians 5:1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
The Bible promises that the upright shall dwell in the presence of God. Paul also tells us that having done all we can on our own; we are to stand in the liberty that Jesus has bought for us all. This is all we are told to do. We are not told to go out and fight against Satan using our own strength or abilities. We are not try to overcome the powers of darkness armed with the weapons of our flesh. Christ has already won the battle; all we must do is rest, or stand in the victory already accomplished at Calvary:
Exodus 26:16, "Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board."
Each of the 48 boards measured 10 cubits in height and 1 1/2 cubits in width, or about 15 feet tall by 27 inches wide if we use the general measure of 18 inches = 1 cubit. Each of these Boards was to be overlaid with Gold. Each and every one of the Boards was to measure up to God’s Divine Standard before they could qualify as a Board that would be used in God’s Tabernacle. There was only ONE STANDARD for all the Boards.
God has only one standard for the Church – believing in the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross and His resurrection from the dead, and confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. There is no other standard for salvation. There is no other way to become a part of God’s church. And there is no other man or woman who can match His perfection and sinless life.
We get ourselves into trouble when we start measuring and comparing ourselves to others. Jesus Christ is the pattern and standard for living. Compare yourselves to Him. See how much you measure up to His standards. Strive to be more like Him in every way. That’s an impossible task to perform in the flesh, but in the Spirit we can become more like Jesus every day.
The Boards were to be 10 cubits high. The number 10 is a symbol to us of trial and testing, law, order and responsibility. In Scripture there are several references to the number 10.
There were 10 Commandments given as God’s perfect Law, which we are all responsible to keep.
There were 10 virgins who were make sure that their lamps were in order while they waited for the Bridegroom to come.
The servant was given 10 Pounds to invest for his master, who upon his return, found that the servant had gained 10 more in addition to his original 10. He had carried his responsibility well, had kept his master’s house in order, passed the trial and test of his faithfulness, and as a reward the Master said to him in Luke 19:17, "… Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities."
The Lord will have a building made up of those who have been tried and tested, who have submitted to His Divine law and order and who are not afraid to take responsibility before Him.
Exodus 26:17, "Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle."
The Hebrew word for "tenon" is the word, "hands." These tenons were instrumental in holding the structure together and each Board had two tenons. The two tenons that all of us are supported by as “Boards standing upright before the Lord” can be likened to the two very basic foundations of our faith, which are the DEATH and RESURRECTION of JESUS CHRIST.
A church that dwells only upon the death of Jesus without giving equal time to his resurrection will always produce a people who are focused only upon the suffering and death that they must endure in serving the Lord. They will easily forget that the goal of reaching Heaven in a resurrected body is worth all of the suffering and pain of this life.
A church that dwells only upon the resurrection without teaching the suffering of the cross will produce people who forget that there was a price paid in blood for the salvation of their souls. We must never forget to preach the cross of Christ, but let us also never lose sight of the eternal rewards that await us.
Exodus 26:18, "And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward."
The boards were to placed standing upright on their own and yet they were to stand together to make up a dwelling place for the Lord. No individual Board could make up a fit dwelling place for the Lord God. It was only as the many Boards came together and were united by the bars that they became stable enough to be used as they were intended.
The Church is one body, yet it has many "boards," or members. God respects the assembly of believers when they dwell together in unity, as they stand for him.
Ephesians 4:11-16, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."
Exodus 26:20-24, "And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards: And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards. And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners."
The framework of the Tabernacle consisted of 48 Boards, standing upright, set in silver sockets, with the tenons on the bottom holding them in place. Then they were all pinned together. The boards placed at the corners were made in suck a manner that they would be a strong and sturdy support for all of the other boards of the walls. They represent to us the fact that Jesus is our Cornerstone.
Isaiah 28:16, "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."
Exodus 26:29, "And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold."
The Boards overlaid with gold point to the Believer (wood) who is standing uprightly in Christ, founded upon the death and resurrection of Jesus, who took our judgment upon himself, represented by the silver base of each board. We take on the nature of Christ and He clothes us in robes of righteousness. Therefore, though we may be yet of this world, God already sees us as a part of His family.
Just as the boards were placed into the silver sockets, we have been placed into the Body of Christ through the precious blood of Jesus. But all things must be accomplished according to God’s standards. No one can pay for another to get into the Kingdom of God. We all have to come in by accepting the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, confessing Him as the Lord of our lives.
On each side of the structure there were positioned five bars of Shittim wood overlaid with gold. Four of these bars were placed through rings of gold attached to the Boards on the outside, while one longer bar was passed either through the center of every board, or on the inside of the room rather than the outside. As the bars were passed through their holding rings, they would act as braces to hold the entire structure firmly.
Without these bars the structure would be susceptible to every stormy wind that came from the world around it. As the bars fulfilled their ministry the Tabernacle would stand against every wind and storm that the world could throw against it.
These 5 bars partly represent the 5-fold ministry gifts of the prophet, teacher, apostle, evangelist and pastor have been given to the Church to help stabilize every Believer and to keep us from being swayed and blown over by every little wind of doctrine that comes along.
The bars were to be held in place by golden rings. A ring, in its endless loop, represents God’s everlasting and eternal Covenant of love with His redeemed. It is the LOVE OF GOD that LINKS all believers together. If each of the 48 Boards had three rings, as most Bible teachers suggest, through which the five bars passed, they could be pointing to 1 Corinthians 13:13, "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."
When we look at the boards, held upright in silver bases, by two tenons; and then we see them all linked together by 5 rods passed through solid gold rings, and the whole thing overlaid with pure gold, we can begin to get a picture of the church as God sees it.
The church is built as each of us stands upright before the Lord. We do not stand on our own power, but we are supported by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who was judged for our sin. We stand upon Jesus and we are braced in our daily walk with the Lord by the 5-fold ministry of the church. The church, the Body of Christ, that is made up of upright boards is covered by the righteousness of Christ and therefore appears to our Father in Heaven as though we were all covered in Gold representing the fact that we are all heirs and joint heirs, sons and daughters of God, equal in inheritance to the very Son of God.
Throughout this entire structure, the one thing that gives every part its final stability are the rings of gold, holding the bars, that hold the boards, that make up the building. Those golden rings are the ever-present Love, hope and faith that come to us by Jesus Christ.
Since the greatest of the three is Love, then let us never forget that it is the Love of God that held Jesus to the cross. It is the Love of God that reached down to us while we were yet wild trees in the world. It is the Love of God that brings Jesus to live on the inside of you, in your heart.
You can live for the Lord. You can stand for the Lord. You and I are in this house together. Each of us in his or her place, doing what you are called to do. Together we can stand, with the Lord’s help. You are like that tree, planted by the water, and you shall not be moved.
1 John 4:4, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."
Matthew 16:16-18, "…Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
