The Tabernacle of the Israelites (Part IV)
By Liaf
Up to now, we’ve looked at the Ark, the lamp, the table of shewbread and the tabernacle with its tent. If we look at Exodus chapter 27, we see that the subject here is primarily the court of the tabernacle. This was the area surrounding the tent partitioned off with curtains. Inside this court was the large sacrificial altar (of burnt offerings) and the laver to wash in. The chapter actually starts off with the specifics of the altar:
Exodus 27: 1-8: And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.
And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.
And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.
And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof.
And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.
And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.
And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.
Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.
We have here an altar 5 x 5 cubits square and 3 cubits high (about 6 feet high). It was located right inside of the entrance of the court. Again, it was made of acacia wood but covered with brass. Likewise, all the paraphernalia was made of brass. Even the staves were coated with brass. The five cubit length and breadth represented grace, but the brass represented judgement. The height showed the divine implication of this altar. This was where sin was dealt with before anything else was done. The number four had indications of God’s creation and Christ as already shown. Jesus died for the sins of the world and the price paid was adequate for everybody. What many Christians do not realize was that there were several types of sacrificial offerings. When most Christians think of a sacrifice, they think of a sin offering as specified in Leviticus 4. Actually, there were burnt offerings (symbolic of the one giving his all to God), a cereal (bloodless) offering with similar meanings, peace and thank offerings for fellowship and gratitude, and finally sin and trespass offerings. Regarding a bullock for a sin offering, the priest would lay his hand on it at the door of the tabernacle and slay it before the congregation. He would then dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times on the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. He’d also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar but the rest of the blood was poured out at the bottom of the altar of burnt offerings. The Bible teaches that when blood is shed, life is poured out of the sacrifice indicating a life was given in exchange for another. Much of the animal innards were burnt on that altar of burnt offering but the skin of it, the head, dung, and so forth went without the camp as the King James says or simply outside the complex. Fire (like brass) represented judgement for sin. Like the ashes, the sin was gone forever. What about the parts that were taken outside? Hebrews 13:11-12 says" For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate." The altar of burnt offering therefore represented the sacrifice for sin made here on Earth. The fire in that altar was the judgement for sin but the skins of the animal represented the actual body of our Lord suffering in shame "without the gate" of the city. There were two components here--- the actual physical death of our Lord and the spiritual aspect judged for sin. Let’s continue reading the chapter:
Exodus 27:9-18: And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:
And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.
And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.
And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.
The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.
All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.
The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.
The court of the tabernacle was 100 cubits by 50 cubits. There were poles placed in brass sockets. When a person walked around on the outside, he saw a high curtain so that he could not look in. He was an outsider. Needless to say, everywhere he looked at the poles he saw brass--- judgement! Outside of Christ there is nothing but judgement. However, when he looked up, he saw the silver hooks--- redemption. Luke 21:28 says, " And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." I realize this verse applies to end-times, however, the source of one’s redemption is the same--- when one looks up. However, to get inside to see the altar of burnt offerings (the sacrifice of Christ), one has to go though the four-colored curtain. It was the one and only one way in to the court. This is in unison with what Jesus said in Matthew 7:13 when he said, " Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat". And again in John 10:9 he said, " I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." I understand that the allusion to these gates and doors was not exactly that of the tabernacle per se, but the main idea was that Jesus said there was one way in. That’s my point.
The last two articles of the tabernacle are not even mentioned until later. The laver is the mentioned in Exodus 30:
Exodus 30:18-21: Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.
For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:
When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD:
So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.
The theme here was cleansing in order to do the service of the Lord. Needless to say, the result of Christ’s sacrifice is cleansing in which we must receive in order to do His service so that we die not. One can do works until the cows come home, but without the atoning work of Christ in our lives by which we are cleansed for service, all our works by themselves is as offensive to God as unwashed priests. In the New Testament, baptism by immersion represents our old self (man) dying and the new man rising in Christ. Thus, there is more than a cleansing or renovation here --- it’s a new man altogether!
The other object is the altar of incense in front of the veil of the Holy of Holies. This was located inside the tabernacle of course.
Exodus 30:1-6: And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.
A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same.
And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.
And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal.
And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.
The altar of incense was just "a veil away" from the inside of the holiest place where the Ark was located. This wooden altar covered with gold and adorned (it also had staves) was where incense was burned so that God would "meet with thee". The altar of incense represented the prayers of the saints. As Revelation 8:3-4 says, "And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand." The allusion of this altar is to the one in the tabernacle. Notice that God said that he would meet with the priest there by the altar of incense. John 14:13-14: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. Since the High Priest could and would enter that place, as did the other priests at times of fellowship (Leviticus 7:6), this would explain the "priesthood of the believer" that the New Testament teaches. They had fellowship with one another and with God that the commoner did not have the privilege of.
In the next message, I will wrap up this whole message on the tabernacle by talking (yes, that is the word ‘talking’ not taking!) you though a little tour from outside in. In other words, I will summarize the symbolism in a logical progression of thought as one entered various areas. Up to this point, I gave the symbolism of each object or area without really tying them all together.