Building a House for God (Exodus 26: 1-37)
The Bible says that all scripture is given by inspiration of God, is profitable for doctrine, reprove, correction, and instruction in righteousness. Now, those verses are very near and dear to my heart, and I take them very seriously. That all scripture is given by inspiration and all scripture is profitable to a degree has moulded my whole pulpit and teaching ministry so much so that I reached the conclusion that it would be helpful and insightful to preach through the entire Bible. Then about three weeks in I arrived at a long list of names. Genesis 5, and it is one name right after another. Now, what do you do with that? Is all scripture given by inspiration? Is all scripture profitable, I asked my self? Someone even said to me, 'You’re going to preach through that list of names?' I said, 'That scripture is inspired and it’s profitable, why not?' So, I ploughed through Genesis 5, got past that, and thought, great. And then I hit Genesis 10, another long list of names. Now, my point is those were difficult passages to discern how you gain insight from them but when I studied them I really found gems of inspiration contained therein.
But today we are in the book of Exodus. We come to one such passage and that is the construction of the Tabernacle. Actually, we haven’t even come to the construction yet. We’ve come to what should be called the blueprints for the Tabernacle. We will construct it later, but first, God gives Moses the blueprint for what he wanted done. Now, some of these passages have some ready-made application built into them, but I have to confess when I came to Exodus chapter 26 and I looked at that message, I thought, 'How in the world am I ever going to apply this? It discusses the roof, and it discusses the boards that make up that building that was really a tent. I looked at that and thought, 'How do you make an application out of the roof?' Well, that’s the challenge we face today as we look at Exodus chapter 26, I wonder how I will do. Initially I’m just going to read it the verses and just briefly comment on them because what they’re really doing is giving us nothing more than, 'Here’s how to go build or make the various parts of the Tabernacle.'
Verse one:
“Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them”.
(Exodus 26: 1)
At this point God is talking about that small building in the back that is the Tabernacle proper. It’s contains the holy place and the holy of holies. It consisted of some wooden boards, which we’ll get to in a minute, and over those boards is a roof that in some ways is no more than a multi layered curtain. And this verse is telling us that the first layer is to be linen, and he’s giving us the colours of blue, purple, scarlet, and it’s to have embroidering in it pictures of the cherubim.
Look at verse two:
'The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits, and every one of the curtains shall have the same measurements. Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. 4 And you shall make loops of blue yarn on the edge of the curtain on the selvedge of one set, and likewise you shall do on the outer edge of the other curtain of the second set. 5 Fifty loops you shall make in the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is on the end of the second set, that the loops may be clasped to one another.6 And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, so that it may be one tabernacle. '
(Exodus 26: 2-6)
So, he’s simply saying you’re going to use some yarn and make loops to join these panels together to make one piece that’s going to drape over the Tabernacle. Did you get all that? This piece of cloth was sixty feet accross, meaning it covered the forty-five-foot length and the fifteen-foot width and drop. So, this covered the Tabernacle on three sides. It didn’t cover the door. We get to that at the end of the chapter.
All he’s done thus far is described one layer that covered the Tabernacle. I’m calling it the roof. It was made out of linen. On top of the linen, there was another covering and that will be made out of goat hair:
7 “You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair, to be a tent over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven curtains. 8 The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; and the eleven curtains shall all have the same measurements. 9 And you shall couple five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the forefront of the tent. 10 You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the second set. 11 And you shall make fifty bronze clasps, put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. 12 The remnant that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. 13 And a cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side, of what remains of the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and on that side, to cover it.
(Exodus 26: 7-13)
A second curtain is this goat's hair curtain. Made out of goat's hair, this time the covering began with separate curtains. These are panels, and they’re going to be sewn together. Then he talks about loops. These are going to join these panels together. with fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the second set. And you shall make fifty bronze clasps, put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together. So, he’s going to take these panels, he’s going to make loops on the edges, and then he’s going to bind those panels together.
Now, I know this is a lot of detail, but you just need to remember one simple thing: that we're making a roof, a covering. And the first layer is made out of linen, and the second layer is made out of goat's hair. And the other thing of any significance is that it's large enough to fit over the top and draped down over the sides and cover them completely and cover the back.
One more part of the roof: the third layer is a covering of skins.
14 “You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and a covering of badger skins above that.
15 “And for the tabernacle you shall make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright. 16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the width of each board. 17 Two tenons shall be in each board for binding one to another. Thus you shall make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18 And you shall make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side. 19 You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under each of the boards for its two tenons. 20 And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, there shall be twenty boards 21 and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under each of the boards. 22 For the far side of the tabernacle, westward, you shall make six boards. 23 And you shall also make two boards for the two back corners of the tabernacle. 24 They shall be coupled together at the bottom and they shall be coupled together at the top by one ring. Thus, it shall be for both of them. They shall be for the two corners. 25 So there shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver—sixteen sockets—two sockets under each of the boards.
(Exodus 26: 14-25)
In total, there are now four coverings that covered the Tabernacle.
The next thing he describes is the boards. Now, I keep saying this is a tent, but there were boards in this 45 by 15-foot enclosure. So, in verse 15, he says, 'For the Tabernacle, you should make boards of acacia wood, standing upright.'
26 “And you shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle, 27 five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the far side westward. 28 The middle bar shall pass through the midst of the boards from end to end. 29 You shall overlay the boards with gold, make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlay the bars with gold.30 And you shall raise up the tabernacle according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain.
(Exodus 26: 26-30)
The conclusion of it all is in verse 30: 'You shall raise up the Tabernacle according to the pattern which you were shown on the mountain.' There are two other things described in this chapter: the veil between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, and the door which was at the beginning of the Holy Place."
“You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim.
(Exodus 26: 31)
By the way, Josephus, a Jewish historian who lived around the time of Christ, said that the veil was 4 inches thick and renewed every year. He also mentioned that horses tried to pull it apart but couldn't. It's a very interesting observation.
Verse 32:
You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver.
What he's talking about is when you go into the Holy Place, the veil separates you from the Holiest of Holies, and there are four pillars holding up the veil.
In verse 33, it says,
'You shall hang the veil upon the clasps, then you shall hang the ark of the testimony behind the veil, in the Holiest of Holies. The veil shall be a divider for you between the Holy Place and the Most Holy.'
Verse 34 continues:
'You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy. You shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand across from the table on the side of the Tabernacle toward the South. You shall put the table on the north side.'
(Exodus 26: 34-35)
Now, actually, there was a third piece of furniture in the Holy Place, but we don't get to that until much later. At this point, he just mentions these two.
How are we doing? Have I bored you to death with details yet? If I have, give me one more minute there is just a little more detail to come, and then we'll get to the prize. Alright, just two more verses.
36 “You shall make a screen for the door of the tabernacle, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. 37 And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia wood and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be gold, and you shall cast five sockets of bronze for them.
(Exodus 26: 36-37)
Now, when we think of a screen, we usually think of a door. But this word 'screen' just means covering. This is not a screen that you can see through; it was made of linen, so again it’s a sort of curtain.
Let me see if I can simplify this. Here's what's going on: there is a courtyard at the back of the courtyard is a little building. That little building is15 feet high, 45 feet long, and 15 feet wide. There's a covering at the entrance, and that covering has five pillars. There were four layers of ceiling. When you walk into the building you walk into the Holy Place, and in this passage, we are told about two pieces of furniture: The lampstand and the table. There's another screen called the veil, and there are four pillars holding that up. You go inside the Holy of Holies, and there is the ark on top of which is the mercy seat, and that is consistent with cherubim looking over the mercy seat. If you've got all that in your head, here's the question: what's the point then, what’s the application today?
All scripture is profitable, do you agree with that? Then what is the profit in all of this this for us? Well, let me give you some possibilities.
Some Bible teachers who come to this passage and they say what is significant is the colours. They say that white represents holiness, blue represents heaven, purple represents royalty, and crimson represents the blood. So, they make an application out of the colours. Now, maybe that's there. I mean, God did tell them to use different colours?
Some of this remains a mystery to me still. But I don’t get upset about that, because there is a verse that is very helpful when you come to passages in the bible you don’t understand.
The mysterious things belong to God.
Sometimes things are significant, and God doesn’t choose to reveal to us.' So, the mysterious things belong to God” that's Deuteronomy 29:29. So, if the colours mean something, and maybe they do, But I don't know for sure. He didn't tell me.
One of the other creative things people do is this: they say there were four pillars with the four pillars hold up the viel. Some Bible teachers say the four pillars represent the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Now, for the life of me, I haven't been able to figure out how they arrived at that. The only relationship between the four pillars holding up the veil and the four gospels is the number four.
“The mysterious things belong to God”.
(Deut 29:29)
A way to approach passage like this is to ask how the writers of the New Testament apply this chapter.
Turn to Hebrews Chapter 9. Hebrews, and listen to what the writer to the Hebrews said:
1 Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; 8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience— 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.
(Heb 9: 1-10)
What's he describing in this passage? Exodus 26, right? And he gets down and says, when these things had been prepared in this way, the priests always went into the first part of the Tabernacle, performing the services. But into the Holy of Holies, the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit and the writers to the Hebrews openly say 'Let me tell you the significance of Exodus Chapter 26. It's the veil. The significance of this is to recognise that the purpose of the veil is show you couldn't get into the holiest of holies. That is the real significance of Exodus Chapter 26. I’m just reading from the New Testament it will interpret what this all means.
11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
(Hebrew 9: 11-15)
So, the writer to the Hebrews says the Holy Spirit tells us that the veil prevented you from getting into the very presence of God. But Jesus is the High Priest who came, and He went in and sprinkled blood on the mercy seat. And now, we have the forgiveness of sin, now we have access to God. When Jesus died, the Bible tells us in Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, and Luke 23:45, that the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. Now, if the veil indicated, signified, symbolized that we did not have access to the Father, what does the death of Christ and the tearing of the veil tell us? I/We now have access to the father.
Read on, Hebrews Chapter 10, Verse 19.
'Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God.'
Jesus destroyed the barrier. It was torn in two from top to bottom. And now, He says, we can with boldness to enter into the Holiest of Holies.' Simply put, they couldn't go into the presence of God then. There were prayers in the Old Testament, to be sure, but they didn't have the ability to go straight into the very presence of God. Not without sacrifice, and access was only granted for one person, sacrifice by sacrifice, sin by sin, and once a year.
The book of Hebrews says the Tabernacle teaches us that we can come now boldly into the presence of God. Hebrews 4:16, which says, 'Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.' Mercy is compassion on the miserable. Now we are now invited to come boldly into the throne of grace. I think the application of Exodus Chapter 26 is simply the veil that separated us from the presence of God has been torn asunder, and we can come boldly into the throne of grace. Immediate and always available access to the throne of grace to sit before the father and ask for help in our time of need is what this is all really about, and that is why Exodus chapter 26 was given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reprove, correction, and instruction in righteousness.
Amen.