The Tabernacle and what it represents

Part 6

In this article we will continue the explanation and we shall talk about "The Holy" and "The Most Holy Of The Holy", The frame of the tabernacle, and the side bars.

(8) The Tabernacle (The Holy and The Most Holy of the Holy)

Exodus (26 – 15): and you shall make upright frames (boards) for the tabernacle of acacia wood.

16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame.

17 There shall be two tentons in each frame, for fitting together so shall you do for all the frames of the tabernacle.

18 You shall make the frames (boards) for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side;

19 and forty bases of silver you shall make under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its tentons, and two bases under another frame for its two tentons;

20 and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side twenty frames,

21 and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame, and two bases under one frame, and two bases under another frame;

22 and for the rear of the tabernacle westward you shall make six frames.

23 And you shall make two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear;

24 they shall be coupled together beneath, and joined up to the top, at the first ring; thus shall it be with both of them; they shall form the two corners.

25 And there shall be eight frames, with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one frame, and two bases under another frame.

26 And you shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle,

27 and  five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the side of the tabernacle at the rear westward.

28 The middle bar, halfway up the frames, shall pass through from end to end.

29 You shall cover the frames with a layer of gold, and shall make their rings of gold for the holders for the bars; and you shall cover the bars with a layer of gold.

30 And you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan which has been shown to you on the mountain.

 (8) The Tabernacle (The Holy and The Most Holy of the Holy):The tabernacle was of a rectangle shape, its frames (boards) were made of acacia wood, the length of a frame is ten cubits, its breadth a cubit and a half, and they were covered with a layer of pure gold and had four gold rings for the side bars. Each frame had two bases of silver under it (two feet) the one standing by the other. There were twenty frames in each of the southern and northern sides. And for the rear of the tabernacle westward were six frames together with two corner frames which were coupled together beneath, and joined up to the top, at the first ring, (that is in total there were eight frames in the west side).

For the frames of the one side of the tabernacle for each of its northern, southern and the western sides were five bars of acacia wood covered with a layer of gold made. The middle bar passed through the frames halfway from end to end, while the other four passed through the golden ring of the side frames from one end to the other.

The tabernacle was erected according to the plan, which Moses saw on the mountain.

A veil woven of fine twined linen with sky-blue, purple, scarlet with cherubim; skilfully worked was made and hanged with hooks of gold upon four pillars of acacia wood covered with a layer of gold, standing upon four bases of silver.

The veil was hanged under the golden clasps and the loops of the cover of the tabernacle, to separate the Holy-place from the Most Holy of the Holy.

For the entrance of the tent a curtain of fine twined linen with sky-blue, purple and scarlet, embroidered with needlework was made and hanged with hooks of gold upon five pillars of acacia wood covered with a layer of gold standing upon five bases of cupper.

We shall first deal with the frames, then the side bars then the entrance of the tent (The Holy-place) its poles and curtain, and finally the entrance of the Most Holy of the Holy, its poles and veil.

(A) - The Frames of the Tabernacle:
The frame of the tabernacle was made of acacia wood, which means it had died because it was cut from the means that provided it with life, but it is covered with a layer of pure gold to give it eternal life through the goodness of God that covers it. Each frame had two bases of silver under it (two feet) the one standing by the other. And if we look closely we find that all the pillars whether inside or outside the tent had only one base, but the frames had two bases, so what was different about them? Why didn't they have one long base also? Here, the answer is very simple, "They represent a human same like us, for man is the only being that stands on two feet (two bases)." And of course no human can stand before the holy creator in the Holy-place or the Most Holy of Holy unless he is covered with the goodness of God and redeemed by the blood of his Son. This is why each frame had two bases of silver, which means that he stands before the creator on the basis of the redemption by the blood of Christ the Son of God. That means that he should have no sin otherwise he would die and be thrown into hell, because no sinner can stand before God and live.

King David said over this: Psalms (32 -1):
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no inequity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

To see why it is not possible for a sinner to stand before God, we read in:
Exodus (33 -18):
Moses said, "I pray thee, show me your glory."
19 And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name "The Lord"; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
20 But, he said, "You cannot see my face; for man shall not see me and live".
21 And the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand upon the rock;
22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by:
23 then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen."

So if Moses who was chosen, could not see God's face, then who can?

 No one can see God’s face and live because sinners are not perfect and good.

Further each that was numbered of the Israelite of twenty years or older gave atonement of half a shekel of silver according to shekel of the sanctuary as an offering to the Lord. The rich should not give more, and the poor should not give less. So you see that the redemption of the Son of God is the same for all men, it makes no difference whether rich or poor, and it is for every body without any exception.

From the silver of atonement that was collected hundred bases for the frames of the tabernacle and also the bases of the pillars of the veil, and the silver hooks and the fillets of the fence were made.

The width of the frames of the tabernacle was one and a half cubits, that is equal to that of the Ark of the Covenant, and it is that of a human like us, that is of the one who took a human nature like us, and who was born under the slavery and curse of the Law.

We notice that there is nothing on the top of the frames, but they are covered by a layer of gold, and each stands on two bases of silver, that means that the believer’s sins have been forgiven and he has reached eternal life by the redemption of Christ the Son of God. The gold has given him eternal life even though he had no life in himself as in: (John 6 - 53): "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you
55 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

The golden four ring on each frame mean that the relationship and connections between the believers is a godly holy relation.

The frames represent humans as seen in:
1 Corinthians (3 - 16):
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
17 If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy and that temple you are.

And in: 2 Corinthians (6 -16):
….., For we are the temple of the Living God; as God said, "I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

And in: The Revelation (3 - 12):
He who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own name.

And in: 1 Peter (2 - 5):
And like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 .. 9 But you are a chosen Race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of the darkness into his marvellous light.

(B) - The Side Bars:
For the frames of the one side of the tabernacle for each of its northern, southern and the western sides were five bars of acacia wood covered with a layer of gold made. The middle bar passed through the frames halfway from end to end, while the other four passed through the golden rings of the side frames from one end to the other to make the tabernacle one solid whole. The wood of the bar means that it had died as it was cut from what provided it with the means of life, yet the gold layer means that it is covered with the goodness of God to preserve it forever.

The four side bars which went through the golden rings of the frames represent the four arms of the cross, which represent the bases of the redemption, which are: First and foremost love, then modesty and humbleness then meekness then patience. The middle bar that passed halfway through the frames from one end to the other represents the bond of the Spiritual peace. This can be clearly seen from Christ words in:
John (17 - 20):
"I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their words,
21 that they may all be one; even as you, Father are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22 The glory which you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,
23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one , so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

And in: John (14 - 26):
But the (comforting) Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
27 Peace I leave you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.

And in Ephesians (4 -1):
….lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
2 with all humbleness, meekness, and with patience, forbearing one another in love.
3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call,
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and one Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.

And in: Colossians (3 - 12):
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience,
13..14 and above all these put on love, which binds everything together in a perfect harmony.
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.

 

In the next part we shall talk about "The Pillars and the Curtain of the Holy-place ", "The Pillars and the Veil of the Most Holy of the Holy", and Why was the veil hanged under the golden clasps of the twined linen cover of the tabernacle?

 

Nori Karim Daoud

25 / 02/ 2009