EXODUS LESSON 45

    We will begin this lesson in Exodus 26:1 "Moreover thou shalt make
the tabernacle [with] ten curtains [of] fine twined linen, and blue,
and purple, and scarlet: [with] cherubims of cunning work shalt thou
make them."

    The Greek word translated "tabernacle" means any habitation made
of green boughs, skin, and cloth. A tabernacle, in the realm of godly
people, is a place to commune with God. There is a glorious tabernacle
in heaven, that we are all trying to reach.

    These ten curtains were to be made of linen.  Their color would be
blue, purple and scarlet. These Hebrew women were clever in weaving,
and the design of the cherubim was to be woven into the curtains. We
will take another look, here, at the materials for the curtains.
"Linen" symbolizes holiness and righteousness. "Blue" means heavenly
and shows us God's love. "Red" and "purple" are godly colors, as well.
They show us God manifest in the flesh, and red shows us the sacrifice
of His blood. Purple shows royalty.

    These ten curtains were for the main tabernacle, not for the outer
court.

    Exodus 26:2 "The length of one curtain [shall be] eight and twenty
cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of
the curtains shall have one measure." Exodus 26:3 "The five curtains
shall be coupled together one to another; and [other] five curtains
[shall be] coupled one to another."

    This was just saying, that it took five curtains for each side of
the tabernacle.

    Exodus 26:4 "And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of
the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt
thou make in the uttermost edge of [another] curtain, in the coupling
of the second." Exodus 26:5 "Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one
curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain
that [is] in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold
one of another." Exodus 26:6 "And thou shalt make fifty taches of
gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall
be one tabernacle."

    God is showing us in these couplings, that the church is one.  This
oneness cannot be done by man, but is rather in the Spirit (done by
heavenly hands) God, Himself. The blue symbolizes heavenly, and the
gold couplings show us God. The unity of the church is through the
workings of God. This tells us that both sides were the same, fifty on
each side. Fifty means jubilee and setting the captives free.

    Exodus 26:7  "And thou shalt make curtains [of] goats' [hair] to
be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make."
Exodus 26:8 "The length of one curtain [shall be] thirty cubits, and
the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains [shall
be all] of one measure."

    This was saying, each curtain was 45 feet by 6 feet.

    This covering of "goats' hair" could have been made from the skins
of the goats sacrificed for sin offerings.  At any rate, these skins
symbolized the removal of our sins by the Lord Jesus.  This was, perhaps,
why the goats' hair was used.  The second goat of the sin offering was
a scapegoat. The sins of the people were put on him, and he was driven
from the city, while the first goat was killed as a sin offering. Jesus
took our sins upon His body.  He became sin for us. We are free from
sin, because we took on His righteousness in place of our sins. This
goat hair covering went over the linen.

    Exodus 26:9 "And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves,
and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in
the forefront of the tabernacle."

    This was just saying, that each side had five of these curtains, and
the sixth of one side went to the front of the tabernacle.

    Exodus 26:10 "And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the
one curtain [that is] outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the
edge of the curtain which coupleth the second." Exodus 26:11 "And thou
shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops,
and couple the tent together, that it may be one."

    "Brass" has to do with judgement.  These connectors next to this
goats' hair (sacrifice for sin) truly went together. Fifty is a
spiritual number which has to do with Jubilee and Pentecost. In all of
these things combined, here, we can see God is the Judge. We have been
judged guilty. The goat was sacrifice for sin. God accepted the
substitute, and we have been set free from sin and death.

    Exodus 26:12 "And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of
the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the
backside of the tabernacle." Exodus 26:13 "And a cubit on the one
side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the
length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of
the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it."

    We see this covering was like a tent and goes over, as well as
around the tabernacle.

    Exodus 26:14 "And thou shalt make a covering for the tent [of]
rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above [of] badgers' skins."

    These "rams' skins dyed red" depicted the blood that Jesus shed for
our sins. The "badgers skins" had to do with the outward appearance
not being beautiful. All of these skins had something to do with
Jesus' sacrifice for us. It was written of Jesus, Isaiah 53:2 "For he
shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry
ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him,
[there is] no beauty that we should desire him." Isaiah 53:3 "He is
despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised,
and we esteemed him not." Isaiah 53:4  "Surely he hath borne our
griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted."

    We can easily see that outward appearance was not what made Jesus
beautiful to us, but what was within. This was what we should see in
the badgers' skin here.

    Exodus 26:15 "And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle [of]
shittim wood standing up." 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." 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."

    These boards that support the sides of the tabernacle were 15 ft.
high and 27 inches wide. These "tenons" were like dowel pins that fit them
together. These boards made of wood were to strengthen the sides of the
tabernacle.

    Exodus 26:18 "And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle,
twenty boards on the south side southward."

    These "twenty boards", 27 inches each, would cover 45 feet. which was
exactly the length of the tabernacle per side.  The whole tabernacle
was 45 ft by 15 ft. Fifteen by 30 was the Holy place and 15 by 15 the
Most Holy place. The Holy place and the Most Holy place together
(which made up the tabernacle) were 45 ft by 15 ft.

    Exodus 26:19 "And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under
the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and
two sockets under another board for his two tenons."

    "Silver" is symbolic of redemption.  There was redemption between
God and the sinful earth out there in the wilderness. These sockets
were on the ground under the boards.

    Exodus 26:20 "And for the second side of the tabernacle on the
north side [there shall be] twenty boards:" Exodus 26:21 "And their
forty sockets [of] silver; two sockets under one board, and two
sockets under another board."

    This was a repetition of verses 18 and 19, except it was on the
opposite side of the tabernacle.

    Exodus 26:22 "And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou
shalt make six boards." Exodus 26:23 "And two boards shalt thou make
for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides."

    In verse 22, this covered 13 1/2 feet of the 15 feet; so in verse
23, the boards in the corners connected the west and the north and south
sides.

    Exodus 26:24 "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."

    This was just telling that these two corners were connected to the
sides by coupling them at the top and bottom.

    Exodus 26:25 "And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets
[of] silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two
sockets under another board."

    This "eight" was the six plus the two corner boards.

    Exodus 26:26  "And thou shalt make bars [of] shittim wood; five
for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle," Exodus 26:27 "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 two sides
westward." Exodus 26:28 "And the middle bar in the midst of the boards
shall reach from end to end."  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."

    These gold plated shittim wood poles fit into the gold rings to
strengthen the walls of the tabernacle. As we have said before, this
wood (worldly) could not be exposed in the near presence of God, so they
had to be gold plated.

    Exodus 26:30 "And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to
the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount."

    This tabernacle was fixed where it could be quickly assembled, or
disassembled. These dowels in each board just fit together tightly and
the poles gave it extra strength, when they were run through the gold
rings. Moses was cautioned again, here, that the tabernacle must be
raised the same way every time, just like he had been shown by God.

    Exodus 26:31  "And thou shalt make a veil [of] blue, and purple,
and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims
shall it be made:" Exodus 26:32 "And thou shalt hang it upon four
pillars of shittim [wood] overlaid with gold: their hooks [shall be
of] gold, upon the four sockets of silver."

    Here, again, we see the "silver" was on the ground between God and
the sinful earth. This "veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine
twined linen" were symbolic of Jesus' flesh. Read Hebrews chapter 9
verses 3 through 8 and see this speaking of Jesus.  Hebrews chapter 10
verse 20 tells us explicitly that this veil symbolizes Jesus' flesh.
I quote, Hebrews 10:20 "By a new and living way, which he hath
consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;" We
spoke earlier about "blue", "purple", and "red" being God's special
colors, and "linen" means righteousness; so it is not difficult to see
the symbolisms here.

    Exodus 26:33  "And thou shalt hang up the veil under the taches,
that thou mayest bring in thither within the veil the ark of the
testimony: and the veil shall divide unto you between the holy [place]
and the most holy."

    This "veil" was between the holy place and the most holy place, and
no one entered there, except the high priest.  The high priest had to
be properly attired, and bring blood to put on the mercy seat. If the
high priest entered unworthily, God killed him.

    Exodus 26:34 "And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of
the testimony in the most holy [place]."

    The only furniture in the Holy of Holies was the ark of the
Covenant. As we said before, the ark was like a box.  It was covered
inside and out with 24 kt gold. It contained the stones the Ten
Commandments were written on, the Manna, and Aaron's rod that bloomed.
The ark was covered with the mercy seat which was 24 kt solid gold
worth, by our money, over four million dollars. The cherubims
overlooked the mercy seat. The presence of God was between the
cherubims above them and the mercy seat.

    Exodus 26:35 "And thou shalt set the table without the veil, and
the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle
toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side."

    We see that the candlestick of beaten gold and the table covered
with 24 kt gold (which held the twelve loaves of bread) were just
outside the vail and were in the Holy Place. We said before the
candlestick and the bread were both symbolic of Jesus.  Jesus, when He
died on the cross, tore the temple curtain in two from the top to the
bottom and opened the way into the Most Holy Place for you and me.

    Exodus 26:36 "And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the
tent, [of] blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen,
wrought with needlework." Exodus 26:37 "And thou shalt make for the
hanging five pillars [of] shittim [wood], and overlay them with gold,
[and] their hooks [shall be of] gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets
of brass for them."

    Jesus is the door to heaven, There is no other way. We see Jesus,
again, here, in this curtain. This time, it showed Him as the door. The
"sockets of brass", here, showed that Jesus is the Judge of the world. the
number five indicates grace. In Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6 we read of
the five names of grace for Jesus. Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is
born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The
mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." This curtain
was held up by five pillars (these names).






                          Exodus 45 Questions

1.  What kind of material were the ten curtains of the tabernacle made
    of? what colors?
2.  What does "tabernacle" mean?
3.  What does "linen" symbolize?
4.  What does "blue" symbolize?
5.  What does the "red" color show us?
6.  How long should each curtain be in V-2?
7.  Where were the loops of blue to be taken from?
8.  How many loops and taches should be connected?
9.  The unity of the church is through ___________.
10. The curtains of goats' hair were what size?
11. What did the goats' hair symbolize?
12. What was the second goat of a sin offering called?
13. This sixth curtain, that was to be doubled in the forefront of the
    tabernacle, was what?
14. What does "brass" have to do with?
15. What does the number fifty mean? (two things)
16. In V-12, the covering was like a _________.
17. The rams' skins were dyed what color?
18. What was the last skin covering outside the tabernacle?
19. What did these red rams' skins depict?
20. What makes Jesus beautiful to believers?
21. What was the length and breadth of the wall boards?
22. What were they made of?
23. What were the tenons?
24. Twenty boards, 27 inches, will cover what space?
25. What were the dimensions of the whole tabernacle?
26. What were the forty sockets under the boards made of?
27. What does that mean to us?
28. These gold plated shittim wood poles helped in what way?
29. What was the veil between the Holy Place and Most Holy Place made
    of?
30. What was it symbolic of?
31. What was the only time the most holy place could be entered?
32. Who could enter?
33. What must he have with him?
34. Where were the candlestick and the table of shewbread located?
35. This hanging for the tent door showed us what?
36. Name five names of Jesus, that shows us His grace?

                     Notes