Exodus 26

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:31:05utc

This chapter describes the actual building. In the preceding, chapter God began with the basic furniture; here He gives to Moses the plan for the house.

Vs. 1-14 give the pattern for the tent curtains to be made

Vs. 15-30 describe the frame

Vs. 31-33 describe the inside curtain that separates the Holy of Holies from the Holy place

Evidently, the furniture was more important than the house itself. God's dwelling place would be a home, not a house. God brought His own furniture from Heaven, so to speak. The word tabernacle is the translation of the Hebrew mishkan which means a "residence."

The house would be a tent. Since the Israelites lived in tents, God would live in a tent also. Tents are temporary dwellings which are made to be torn down and moved. The apostle Paul captures the idea when he says in the Second Corinthian Epistle: "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life."[ 1 ] And in the Epistle to the Hebrews we read: "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-- that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."[ 2 ] The fact that God came to live in a tent instead of in a permanent house foreshadows the death of our Savior.

The tabernacle had a fourfold cover: the linen curtains, the goat hair blanket, a red dyed rams' skin cover and the badger skins. The inside lining consisted of ten linen sheets of forty-two by six feet each. So joined together there was a sheet of forty-two by sixty feet. The two sections of forty-two by thirty feet were joined together with the hooks. The material was to be made of fine linen yarn which was dyed in different colors: blue, purple and scarlet. The sheets were to be decorated with images of cherubim. Whether these were woven into it or embroidered on it, as the TLB suggests, is not clear. There is also no mention as to the size of the figures. The working out of this project seems to be left to the creativity of the people in charge. The Pulpit Commentary says: "Cherubim of cunning work. Rather 'cherubim, the work of a skilled weaver.' Figures of cherubs were to be woven into the hangings in the loom itself, not embroidered upon them afterwards."

Since, from the inside of the tabernacle, only the ceiling covered with these sheets would be visible, the impression created by the bluish overtone of the material would be of a Heaven and angels. The edges of the sheets would fall over the outside of the boards and would not be visible from within. The sheets were to be hooked together with loops and gold clasps, fifty in all.

These linen curtains were to be covered with a larger curtain made of goat hair. TLB gives the measurements of these curtains as forty-five by six feet, and there were to be eleven of them instead of ten. The eleventh section would make an overhang at the back and would allow the front curtain to be folded double over the entrance. The next layer consisted of a series of ram skins died red and on top of that was to be a similar blanket of sea cow hide, or badger skins. The sizes of these last three covers are not given, but it was understood that they would cover the tabernacle completely, not only to make it water proof, but also to keep the glorious gold structure hidden from the human eye.

The red colored ram skins suggest the presence of blood. As we mentioned before the translation of the Hebrew word t[ a ]chaashiym as sea cow would make this outer cover a very rare item. The modern equivalent would be a mink coat. Sea cow skins would not be readily available in the desert. They could, of course, have been part of the spoil of Egypt. Since the lesson the tabernacle symbolizes is that the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us and that Jesus came in the form of a normal human being, it would seem more logical to suppose that the outer skin would be an ordinary one, not like a priceless treasure. The inside, it is true, was glorious, but outwardly this glory was covered in such a way that only those who could see through the disguise knew. Isaiah said about the real tabernacle: "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."[ 3 ]

The Matthew Henry's Commentary makes the following observation at this point: "That the outside of the tabernacle was coarse and rough, the beauty of it was in the inner curtains. Those in whom God dwells must labor to be better than they seem to be. Hypocrites put the best side outwards, like whited sepulchres; but the king's daughter is all glorious within <Ps. 45:13>; in the eye of the world black as the tents of Kedar, but, in the eye of God, comely as the curtains of Solomon, <Cant. 1:5>. Let our adorning be that of the hidden man of the heart, which God values, <1 Pet. 3:4>."

Vs. 15-30 describe the building of the frame of the tabernacle. We read in vs. 15 and 16, "Make upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. Each frame is to be ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide." The KJV translated it: "And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up. Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board." The LB states in a more colloquial manner: "The framework of the sacred tent shall be made from acacia wood, each frame-piece being fifteen feet high and 2 ¼ feet wide, standing upright." The sides of the tabernacle would be formed by twenty boards, and the end by six, which would make the whole structure forty-five by thirteen and one half by fifteen feet, or approximately thirteen and a half by four by four and a half meters. This makes it a comparatively small building. The height was more than the width. The Dutch Biblical Encyclopedia, however, gives the measurements as 15 x 5 meter and 5 meter high.

The boards would be grooved so that they could be fitted together to make a solid wall. Each board had to have rings into which cross bars would be fitted and at the bottom of each of the boards were two silver bases. So the frame would be a very solid structure, put together from individual pieces. The Pulpit Commentary says about it: "Boards . . . of shittim wood. These boards were to be fifteen feet long by two feet three inches broad, and, if they were each of a single plank, can scarcely have been furnished by any of the acacias which now grow in the Sinaitic peninsula. It is possible, however, that they were made up of two or more planks, since the name by which they are designated, kereth, is thought to be applied in Ezek. xxvii, 6, to the 'deck of a ship.'" TLB is probably clearest in the description of the structure. We read: "with grooves on each side to mortise into the next upright piece."

Paul teaches us that the temple, of which the tabernacle was the predecessor, was an image of the body of Christ. He emphasizes the fact that we are individuals who are bonded to each other in Jesus Christ. "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."[ 4 ] And, "In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord."[ 5 ] So, the picture of the individual boards is clear. God had the church in mind when He described this structure to Moses and showed him the original. We are like boards of acacia wood, covered with gold; a human frame, covered with the glory of God in Jesus Christ.

The word for "projections" in vs. 17, literally, means "open hands." This could mean that the boards were grooved on the side so that they could be fitted into each other, like our modern walls or floors.

The silver bases, or the sockets, as the KJV calls them, is another item that lacks clarification. The Pulpit Commentary says: "Nothing is said of the shape of these 'sockets.' They were certainly very massive, as each contained a silver talent (ch. xxxviii 27), and thus weighed from eighty to ninety pounds. It has been supposed that they stood on the ground, and formed a sort of continuous base, out of which the planks rose. But this would have constituted a very unsafe structure. Kalish is probably right in his view, that the sockets were let into the ground – resembling those at the bottom of a gate, into which the bolt is pressed down. Each socket received one of the 'tenons.'" TLB translates the above quoted verse as follows: "The bases for the frames of the sanctuary walls and for the posts supporting the veil required 9,500 pounds of silver, 95 pounds for each socket."

Whatever form these foundation pieces may have had and however much they may have weighed, they did form a solid foundation upon which the tabernacle rested. Paul speaks about the foundation of the church, in which he identifies the foundation as Jesus Christ. We read: "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."[ 6 ] In the next verse he cautions us as to what material to use in building. "If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw ...." Now, this does not connect too well with the project Moses was to undertake, except for the fact that it speaks about foundations and building materials. The writer to the Hebrews identifies us, the church of Jesus Christ, with the actual building. He says: "And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast."[ 7 ] There is a connection between the weight and solidity of the foundation and the assurance we have when we found ourselves placed upon it. Or, as the Hebrew author says: "to our courage and the hope of which we boast." And a ninety pound silver block is more solid than a piece of concrete. So, we can boast all right!

Vs. 25-29 mention the crossbars. There are to be three sets of five bars, one set for each side. No further specifications are given, except for the fact that one of the bars has to go from one side to the other. This would imply that the other bars would only partially cover the width of the walls. The bars are made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold and they are to be fitted in rings that protrude from the boards. They are the unifying and stabilizing elements of the tabernacle. The amazing part of this section is its lack of detail. Whereas at some points the items are described to the minutest details, at this point much is left to the creative understanding of Moses and the ones to whom the work is delegated. The suggestion is that there is liberty in putting together what God wants to be done.

Paul gives the New Testament pattern of things in the epistle to the Ephesians. Speaking about the church and of Christ, he says: "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."[ 8 ] Here we see, so to speak, the function of the cross bars.

The construction of the corners is not clearly described in the various translations. The NIV says: "At these two corners they must be double from the bottom all the way to the top, and fitted into a single ring; both shall be like that." TLB sounds clearer with: "These corner frames will be connected at the bottom and top with clasps." The RSV seems to say the opposite of what is meant with: "they shall be separate beneath, but joined at the top, at the first ring; thus shall it be with both of them; they shall form the two corners." We may suppose, though, that Moses received a clear view of what he was supposed to copy and that the picture imprinted itself upon his mind in a way that would never be erased. After all, the injunction was: "Set up the tabernacle according to the plan shown you on the mountain."

The last section of this chapter, from vs. 31-37, deals with the two curtains: the one that separates the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place and that one that forms the entrance to the Holy Place. The first curtain is described in vs. 31-33 and the second in vs. 36-37. In between is a verse that deals with placement of the ark in the Most Holy Place, the cover, the table, and the lampstand. We read: "Place the ark of the Testimony behind the curtain, put the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy Place. ... Place the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it on the south side."

The curtain was a symbol of separation. It prevented man from entering into the presence of God. It was beautiful, but it was deadly. No one could pass it without forfeiting his life. Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's sons were killed when they tried to break through.[ 9 ] Behind this curtain was the throne of God, the two Stone Tablets with the Ten Commandments, and the atonement cover or mercy seat. But they were inaccessible and invisible because of the curtain. The inaccessibility was suspended once a year on the Day of Atonement, but the invisibility remained. When Aaron entered the Most Holy Place he had "to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense [would] conceal the atonement cover above the Testimony, so that he [would] not die."[ 10 ] Aaron was not allowed to see the mystery of atonement and salvation. The writer to the Hebrews remarks astutely, "By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary is not yet opened as long as the outer tent is still standing."[ 11 ] It is also in the Epistle to the Hebrews that we find that this curtain is a picture of Christ in His incarnation. We read: "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith."[ 12 ] The curtain was meant to be torn eventually. We read that this happened the moment Jesus died on the cross. "And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."[ 13 ]

The final revelation of the ark and what it stands for is shown in the book of Revelation. We read that, at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, God's mystery will be revealed in its complete and final form. John says: "Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, 'There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.' .... The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.' .... Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.[ 14 ] The mystery of the ark is the complete and unrestricted reign of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the answer to the prayer: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."[ 15 ]

When Moses was on the mountain, God showed him things that, even now, have not been completely fulfilled. We don't know how much Moses may have understood of the mystery but we see often that, even when one doesn't understand, the essence of the truth can overwhelm us and this, undoubtedly, must have been Moses' experience. Now, he knows what God showed to him then by way of picture.

The key of this last portion of the chapter is in vs. 30, "Set up the tabernacle according to the plan shown you on the mountain." Moses saw the original and he had to make a copy of it. The heavenly reality is spiritual, the earthly copy is material. God wanted Moses to express in matter what cannot be observed by our five senses, so that it would become visible and touchable. What Moses had to do is the essence of art, or rather the essence of life itself. Life on earth, in its true form, is intended to be an expression of the reality of heaven. When God made man in His image and likeness He meant that he should live a life that would be an image of His life. In all we are and do, God wants us to show what He is and does. In our relationships, as fathers, mothers, children, lovers, in our thinking and feeling and doing, we exemplify the character of God. Sin has made a caricature of it all. But sin is only a temporary interruption of God's plan and purpose. The time will come when all life on earth and in Heaven will be what it was meant to be. To live a holy life, which is the only way life should be lived, we trace the plan that God shows us on the mountain.

There were two curtains in this tabernacle. They seem to have been similar in many ways. Their basic material and color were the same. A difference seems to have been that whereas the curtain that separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place had the cherubim woven into it, the cherubim on the outer curtain were to be embroidered, or added to it after the material was finished. It is true that the cherubim were not specifically mentioned in connection with the outside curtain, but we suppose that the embroidery applies to these figures. If we can draw a lesson from this, it would be that angels do not belong on earth in God's original plan. Their place is in the Heavens. On earth they are added afterward. We may, probably, conclude that the presence of angels has something to do with the coming of sin into the world. The writer to the Hebrews calls them: "ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation."[ 16 ]

Another difference between the two curtains is that the first one was suspended among four pillars and the second one among five. All these pillars were made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. But the four pillars at the Most Holy Place stood on silver bases, whereas the five pillars at the entrance of the Holy Place were put on bronze bases. The difference in numbers, receding from five to four, suggest the receding lines in a pictures, giving the illusion of depth. Lines that are parallel in reality, seem to meet in the distance. It is as if a road or a path is painted in front of us and an invitation is given to walk on it. The perspective of the receding lines seems to draw us toward the goal.

Another allusion that is given by the increase of numbers is that of a reaching out. It is as if God stretches out His arms toward us in a most inviting gesture. We have to think about Jesus' story of the return of the Prodigal Son. He says: "While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."[ 17 ]

There is a strange paradox in the way everything is put in place. There is the ark, the symbol of God's holy presence, but it is not accessible to man. There is the covering of the ark with the atonement cover, which speaks of accessibility. The curtains form a forbidding separation between God and man, but the pillars are an invitation. The tabernacle speaks of God's holiness which separates Him from man and of His love which draws man to Himself.

At this point only the table and the lampstand are mentioned. The golden altar for burning incense has not entered the picture yet. We will not read about it until chapter thirty. We are still at the point of connecting with God, not yet of worship. There has to be a clear understanding of who God is, why we are separated from Him, and how this problem of separation can be overcome. After that follows worship and adoration.

The outside curtain has the same heavenly colors as the inside. The blue, purple and scarlet invite us to draw near. The overtone is blue, but the scarlet gives a touch of red to the whole of the curtain. Red is the color most alluring to our eyes. Our attention is immediately drawn by it. For the common Israelite, the area was still off limit, but the invitation was there, and it contained a promise of things to come. We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, as the writer to the Hebrews puts it. Our position in Jesus Christ is higher than that of any of the Old Testament priests, or even the High Priest.

[ 1 ] II Cor. 5:1-4

[ 2 ] Heb. 2:14-15

[ 3 ] Isa. 53:2,3

[ 4 ] I Cor. 3:16,17

[ 5 ] Eph. 2:21

[ 6 ] I Cor. 3:11

[ 7 ] Heb. 3:6

[ 8 ] Eph. 4:11-16

[ 9 ] Lev. 10:1,2

[ 10 ] Lev. 16:13

[ 11 ] Heb. 9:8 (RSV)

[ 12 ] Heb. 10:19-22

[ 13 ] Matt. 27:50,51

[ 14 ] Rev. 10:5-7; 11:15,19

[ 15 ] Matt. 6:9-10

[ 16 ] Heb. 1:14

[ 17 ] Luke 15:20