04.08. The Tabernacle

THE TABERNACLE Its Significance. Building and furnishing the tabernacle, together with the ordering of its mode of worship, occupies a prominent place in the history of the Hebrews. The early religious life of the Hebrew nation centered around the tabernacle, and, later, around the temple. To the New Testament student its chief value is found in its typical significance of the new order of worship.

Historic Review. In former lessons we became familiar with Abraham (Vol. 1, pp. 54-67), Isaac and Jacob (Vol. 2, pp. 5-15), and with the fact that Jacob became the father of twelve sons who became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. We learned that Joseph (Vol. 2, pp. 18-28), through the treachery of his brethren, was sold into Egypt, and how, through him, food was stored up against the seven years of famine, and how Jacob and the other sons with their families finally came down, and were given the fat of the land. The descendants of Jacob were finally reduced to bondage. Their bondage was terrific in its severity. During this time Moses was born. He was preserved from Pharaoh’s decree, and brought up as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter with all the advantages of a royal education. Stephen gives an interesting synopsis of early Hebrew history in the seventh chapter of The Acts. With Moses as their leader the Hebrews were later delivered from bondage. Pharaoh, stubborn and self-willed, defied Jehovah; and Jehovah determined to crush him so that he would willingly let the Israelites go. No more interesting history was ever written than that of this mighty conflict. Finally Pharaoh gave his consent to let them go, and then, having decided that he acted foolishly, pursued them to bring them back. The result is told in the fourteenth chapter of Exodus. Then the Israelites sang the song of their deliverance. See Sound Doctrine, Vol. 2, pp. 30-41. THEIR JOURNEYS. From the Red Sea to Mount Sinai. In the last of the historic lessons from the Old Testament in "Sound Doctrine," Vol. 2, we left the children of Israel on the shores of the Red Sea. They did not tarry long at the place of their deliverance, but immediately took up their march towards Sinai. After three days’ journey they came to Marah (Exodus 15:22-26), thence to Elim (Exodus 15:27), thence into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Sinai. They entered this wilderness "on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 16:1). Here they complained of hunger, and murmured against Moses and Aaron; and here they were first fed with manna, See Exodus 16:1-36. They passed on to Rephidim where God gave the water from a rock (Exodus 17:1-7). Here they were attacked by Amalek, and Jehovah gave them the victory (Exodus 17:8-15). In the third month they came into the wilderness of Sinai, and camped before the mount (Exodus 19:1-2). Their journey is given in greater detail in Numbers 23:1-15. At Sinai. Here Jehovah entered into a covenant with them (Exodus 19:3-15), and gave them the ten commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). See "Sound Doctrine," Vol. 2, pp. 56-68. Other laws were given. The Tabernacle was erected. In fact, Exodus 19:1 to Numbers 10:12 is a record of the laws given and the events at Sinai.

Provisional Tabernacle. The Tent mentioned in Exodus 33:7-11 was evidently not the Tabernacle which was erected as God’s dwelling place and a place of worship. This Tent was pitched "without the camp, afar off from the camp"; but the Tabernacle was set up in the midst of the camp (Numbers 1:52-53; Numbers 2:1-31). Only Levites might enter the tabernacle, but Joshua, of the tribe of Ephraim (Numbers 13:8; Numbers 13:16), as the minister of Moses had the care of this tent, and "departed not out of the Tent" (Exodus 33:11). It appears to have been used temporarily while the tabernacle was being constructed.

Collecting the Material. "And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they take for me an offering: of every man whose heart maketh him willing ye shall take an offering. And this is the offering which ye shall take of them: gold and silver, and brass, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and rams’ skins dyed red, and sealskins, and acacia wood, oil for light, spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate. And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them" (Exodus 24:1-8). "And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whose spirit made him willing, and brought Jehovah’s offering, for the work of the tent of meeting, and all the service thereof, and for the holy gar­ments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought" material so abundantly that the workmen reported to Moses’, "The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which Jehovah commanded to make"; and Moses commanded that they cease their offerings. Exodus 35:21-29; Exodus 36:5-7. The Architect. The tabernacle was not the product of human wisdom or skill. Jehovah was the architect—from him came the plans and specifications. "According to all that I show thee, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of the furniture thereof, even so shall ye make it" (Exodus 25:9). "And see that thou make them after their pattern, which hath been showed thee in the mount" (Exodus 25:40). This point is emphasized in Hebrews 8:5. The whole plan of the tabernacle is given in Exodus 25:1-40, Exodus 26:1-37, Exodus 27:1-21, Exodus 36:1-38, Exodus 37:1-29, Exodus 38:1-31. The student should carefully read these six chapters. The Artisans. God called two skilled workmen, Bezalel and Oholiab, and inspired them for the work. These were the master-workmen. Wise-hearted men and women assisted them. See Exodus 31:1-7; Exodus 35:25-35; Exodus 36:1-3. The Superintendent. Inasmuch as God gave Moses the pattern for the tabernacle and made him responsible for its construction, it was necessary that he superintend every detail of its construction.

General Plan of the Tabernacle. By reading Exodus 40:1-33 the student will get a comprehensive view of the general plan of the tabernacle. An outer court serves as a sort of fence or protecting wall around the tabernacle. The tabernacle proper was an oblong structure, divided by a screen or veil into two compartments, called the holy place and the most holy place. The articles of furniture consisted of the brazen altar, the laver, the table of showbread, the candlestick, the altar of incense, the ark of the covenant, together with certain utensils for service. The Court. This protecting wall or fence around the tabernacle was one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and five cubits high. The foundation of the court consisted of sixty sockets of brass, twenty on the north side, ten on the west end, twenty on the south side, and ten on the east end. Into these were fitted sixty pillars of brass provided with silver hooks on which were hung curtains of linen. The curtains for the door, twenty cubits wide, in the east end, were ornamented with fine needlework. The altar of burnt offerings and the laver were placed in the court before the door of the taber­nacle. See Exodus 27:9-18; Exodus 38:9-20; Exodus 40:29-33.

It is certain that the people might enter this court, for it is specified that when any man of Israel made an oblation of a burnt offering he should bring it to the door of the tent of meeting, and kill it on the side of the altar northward (Leviticus 1:1-11).

Foundation of the Tabernacle. The foundation of the tabernacle consisted of one hundred sockets of silver and five sockets of brass (Exodus 26:19­; Exodus 38:27-30). It seems that this silver for the sockets was obtained by taxation (Exodus 38:25-27). The Walls. The walls of the tabernacle were made of acacia wood, overlaid with gold. "And he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing up. Ten cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board" (Exodus 36:20-21). Two tenons were mortised into one end of each board, and these tenons fitted into two sockets of silver in the foundation. There were twenty boards in the south side of the tabernacle, and twenty boards in the north side, and six in the west end, and two corner boards— forty-eight in all. The tabernacle was therefore thirty cubits long. There is some difficulty in determining its exact width. Six boards of a cubit and a half each for the west end would make the tabernacle only nine cubits wide, but it is likely that the corner boards lapped over in such a way as to make the west wall ten cubits. See Exodus 26:15-25; Exodus 36:2-30.

These boards were held in place by bars of acacia wood, five on each side and five on the west end. These bars passed through rings fastened to the boards, excepting the middle bar. It seems that the boards were of sufficient thickness to admit of a hole being mortised through them. Through these holes the middle bar passed. See Exodus 26:26-30; Exodus 36:31-34. The Apartments. The tabernacle was divided into two rooms. The partition was made of a richly-wrought curtain called the veil. This curtain was hung on four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold and set in sockets of silver. Exodus 36:35-36. The first apartment, or room, was called "the holy place" (Exodus 26:33), "the tent of meeting" (Exodus 40:26), "the first tabernacle" (Hebrews 9:6). The articles of furniture placed in this room were, the table of showbread, the candlestick, and the altar of incense (Exodus 40:24-36). The second room, or apartment, was called"the most holy place" (Exodus 26:33-34), "holy place within the veil" (Leviticus 16:2), "holy of holies" (Hebrews 9:3). It contained the ark of the covenant. The Coverings. The tabernacle had four coverings. See Exodus 26:1-14. These coverings formed the roof of the tabernacle. Whether there was a ridge pole so as to give some pitch to the roof or whether the curtains hung flat over the top has been a matter for some speculation. It seems impossible that proper drainage could have been given had there been no pitch for the roof. The student will notice that each covering was large enough to hang down on the sides and ends of the tabernacle.

Setting up the Tabernacle. When all the work was finished, and ready for setting up the tabernacle, Moses inspected the work, and blessed the workmen (Exodus 39:42-43). The tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year after they came out of Egypt (Exodus 40:17). As the Israelites started from Egypt on the fifteenth day of the first month it will be seen that the tabernacle was set up just eleven months and fifteen days after they began their journey. What wonderful events had occurred during this short period!

Diagram. For the benefit of the class a diagram should be placed on the board, or let some member of the class draw the diagram. Care should be exercised in placing the various articles of furniture in their proper places. It is not stated just what position the tabernacle occupied within the court. As the altar of burnt offering and the laver stood at the front of the tabernacle, and as a considerable space was required for the animals and for the work of preparing them for sacrifice, it is likely that the tabernacle was set well back in the court, leaving more space at the front than at the back of the tabernacle. (If each member of the class will draw a diagram of the tabernacle it will assist them in the study.) The Diagram. With the diagram before us let us go on an excursion of inspection. To do so it is well to begin at the east end, at the door of the court, and study each item as we advance.

Gate of the Court. The gate of the court was twenty cubits wide; a beautifully ornamented curtain was suspended on four pillars of brass, set in sockets of silver (Exodus 27:16).

Altar of Burnt Offerings. Inside the court we first come to the altar of burnt offerings. It was made of acacia wood overlaid with brass with a net work of brass, and was provided with pots, shovels, basins, flesh-hooks, and fire pans—all made of brass. See Exodus 38:1-7. The Laver. The laver stood between the altar of burnt offerings and the door of the tabernacle (Exodus 40:30). Water was kept in it. "Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: when they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. So shall they wash their hands and their feet, that they die not. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and his seed throughout their generations" (Exodus 30:17-21).

Door of the Tabernacle. There were no boards at the east end, or front, of the tabernacle. Five pillars, set in sockets of brass and provided with hooks of gold, stood at the entrance. On these was suspended a richly ornamented curtain (Exodus 26:36-37).

Table of Showbread. This table was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, and stood in the holy place, on the north side. Its utensils for the service were made of gold. Twelve loaves of bread were placed on this table every sabbath day, and the priests ate, in the holy place, the loaves that were removed. See Exodus 25:23-30; Exodus 40:22-23; Leviticus 24:5-9.

Candlestick. The candlestick stood on the left as one entered the tabernacle, on the south side. It was made of gold, with an upright shaft and six branches—a lamp on each branch and one on the upright shaft (Exodus 25:31-40; Exodus 30:8; Leviticus 24:1-3). The common idea that the lamps were kept burning day and night seems not to be borne out by the facts, for it is stated that Aaron was to dress the lamps in the morning and light them at even (Exodus 30:7-8). While it is stated that the lamp was to burn continually, it is also stated that Aaron was to keep it in order from evening to morning continually. A little reflection will make the matter clear. Compare Exodus 29:38; 2 Samuel 9:7-13.

Altar of Incense. This altar, made of acacia wood, and overlaid with gold, stood in the holy place before the second veil. Incense was burned on it every morning, and blood from the sin offering of atonement was put on the horns of this altar once a year. See Exodus 30:1-10; Exodus 40:26-27. The Second Veil. The second veil separated the holy place from the most holy place (Exodus 26:33). It was beautifully ornamented with figures of cherubims. It was suspended on four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold and set in sockets of silver. The Ark. This was a chest, or box, made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold. The lid was made of pure gold, and was called the mercy seat. See Exodus 25:10-22. This sacred chest was called the ark of the covenant, because the tables of the covenant were placed in it (Deuteronomy 9:9-12; Deuteronomy 10:1-5). It was located in the most holy place (Exodus 26:33-34; Exodus 40:20-21). THE TABERNACLE AS A TYPE.

Caution. It is not safe to press a type further than we have divine warrant. That the tabernacle as a whole was a type is made plain by Paul in Hebrews 8:5; Hebrews 9:9. Having mentioned the articles of furniture, he says, "Of which things we cannot speak severally" (Hebrews 9:5). This rather indicates that each article of furniture had a typical significance, but we are not told what they typify. And we are not told what the court typifies. We do not care to speculate as to these matters, neither will we be dogmatic. The Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. It seems plain that the holy place was a type of the church, and the most holy place, a type of heaven (Hebrews 8:2; Hebrews 9:1-10; Hebrews 9:23-25; Hebrews 10:19-21).

TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION AND DISCUSSION.

• Stirring Events of Sinai.

• Need of Inspired Workmen in Building the Tabernacle and the Church.

• Following the Pattern.

• Liberality of the Hebrews a Rebuke to Us.

• The Tabernacle as a Type.

QUESTIONS.