02/06/2024
*The Sunday Abiding grace broadcast*
GOD WANTS HIS PEOPLE TO APPRECIATE AND ENJOY HIS BLESSINGS
(Exodus 26:1-37; 27:9-19; 36:8-38; 38:9-20)
âHonour and majesty are before him,â wrote the psalmist; âstrength and beauty are in his sanctuaryâ (Psalms 96:6). The strength of His sanctuary is revealed in its construction, and the beauty is revealed in its adornment.
STRENGTH
The tabernacle proper was a solid structure over which the beautiful curtains were draped. Twenty boards of acacia wood, fifteen feet high and twenty-seven inches wide, overlaid with gold, formed the north and south walls, and eight similar boards formed the west wall. Each of these boards stood on two silver bases made from the shekels (âredemption moneyâ) collected from the Jewish men of military age. Since the structure stood on the uneven ground, these bases were necessary for stability and security. Godâs sanctuary didnât rest on the shifting sands of this world but on the solid foundation of redemption. The forty-eight boards were further strengthened by four long rods (crossbars) that ran through golden rings on each board.
At the east end of the tabernacle stood five posts on which a linen curtain hung, beautifully embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. This was the door into the Holy Place. Some students believe that a rod ran straight through the boards of the north and south walls, connecting them to the end pillars and adding even more stability to the framework.
Beauty. Gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and white are the major colors used in the hangings and coverings of the tabernacle. The linen fence around the sacred area was white, reminding us of the holiness of God. The thirty-foot gate at the east end of the tabernacle was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet against the white background. Blue is the color of the sky and reminds us of heaven and the God of heaven. Purple is the royal color that speaks of the King, and scarlet makes us think of blood and the sacrifice of the Saviour.
The Holy Place and Holy of Holies were covered with four different coverings (curtains) that draped over the walls and hung down to the ground. People looking at the tabernacle would see the leatherlike outmost covering composed of badgersâ skins (âsea cows,â NIV), which protected the other coverings as well as the tabernacle proper and its furnishings. Beneath that protective covering was a curtain of ramsâ skins dyed red, then a fabric woven of goatsâ hair, which may well have been black, and last of all a beautiful covering of fine linen embroidered with cherubim in blue, purple, and scarlet.
Between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, the veil hung from golden clasps, supported by four pillars. It was embroidered with cherubim in white, scarlet, blue, and purple. Hebrews 10:20 says that this veil typifies the body of Christ, for when His body was offered on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom (Mark 15:38). Some students see a parallel between the four gospels and the four pillars that supported the veil with the four colors. Purple speaks of royaltyâthe gospel of Matthew, the gospel of the King. Scarlet reminds us of sacrificeâthe gospel of Mark, the gospel of the Suffering Servant. White speaks of the perfect Son of Manâthe gospel of Luke, and blue points to heavenâthe gospel of John, the gospel of the Son of God, who came from heaven to die for our sins.
APPRECIATION
No matter how common the tabernacle may have appeared to outsiders, everything within the sanctuary was costly and beautiful, and it all spoke of the Saviour, whom the people of Israel would give to the world.
Godly believers in the Old Testament realized the treasures they possessed in Godâs house. Listen to Davidâs testimony:
One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple (Psalms 27:4).
LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells (Psalms 26:8 NKJV).
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple (Psalms 65:4 NKJV).
And the sons of Korah wrote:
How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. ⌠Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising You (Psalms 84:1-2, 4 NKJV).
What Old Testament believers had in the tabernacle, and later in the temple, Godâs people today have in Jesus Christ. The furnishings and the ceremonies point to Christ and reveal the many glorious aspects of His character and the salvation He gives to all who trust Him. Every spiritual need of the Jewish people was met in the provisions of the tabernacle, and in Jesus Christ we have everything that we need âfor life and godlinessâ (2 Peter 1:3).
Any approach to the Christian life that adds anything to the person and work of Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture is not the right approach. All fullness dwells in Christ (Colossians 1:19) as well as all the fullness of the Godhead (Colossians 2:9). In Christ are âhidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledgeâ (Colossians 2:3), and we must âseek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of Godâ (Colossians 3:1 NKJV). In Christ, Godâs people have every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3), and He is all they need.
To the believers who loved God and wanted to please Him, the holy sanctuary was the source of food and drink for their souls. âBoth high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings [the Holy of Holies]. They feast on the abundance of your houseâ (Psalms 36:7-8 NIV).
In like manner, believers today feast on Jesus Christ and find in Him all the satisfaction they need.
Dr. Peter Mutegeki**
