Exodus 26
McGeeCHAPTER 26THEME: The curtains of the tabernacle; the boards and sockets of the tabernacle; the veils
Exodus 26:1
THE CURTAINS OF THE TABERNACLEOver the tabernacle proper were four coverings. The first covering was linen and it covered that part of the tabernacle that was 30 cubits long, 10 cubits wide, and 10 cubits high. This linen covering came down the sides of the tabernacle but was not permitted to touch the ground. The linen covering was beautiful and the result of fine work.
Exodus 26:7
These curtains had to be sewn together.
Exodus 26:8
The length of one curtain was to be 30 cubits which means it would exactly cover the top and sides of the tabernacle. They were held together with loops and rings.
Exodus 26:14
The third covering was made of rams’ skins dyed red and the fourth covering was badgers’ skins, or more correctly, sealskins. The women used to wear sealskin coats and this tabernacle was probably the first one that ever wore a sealskin coat! Now each of these coverings had symbolic meaning. The first covering was fine-twined, Egyptian linen with cherubim woven in the material. It did not touch the ground, and its beauty could only be seen on the inside of the tabernacle. This covering could not be seen from the outside at all and, frankly, the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ can not be seen by the world. He can only satisfy His own people. It is important for believers to worship Him because we not only need to feed on Him, but we need to behold Him in His beauty.
In Psa_17:8, David said, “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings.” The wings of the cherubim were woven in the linen cloth over the tabernacle. But under His wings is a good place for us to be hidden, and we should worship Him who is worthy of our worship. The second curtain was made of goats’ hair and it touched the ground. This curtain speaks of Christ’s worth for sinners. It is symbolic of the death of Christ, and this is the message that is to be given to the world. We read in Heb_9:26, “For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” The word world in this verse is better translated “age.” He has appeared, and this is the message that should go forth. This is the story which the goats’ hair curtain tells. The third covering was made of rams’ skin dyed red. This curtain speaks of the strength and vigor of Christ and His offering on the Cross. This curtain shows the outward aspect of His offering as our substitute. The fourth curtain was made of badgers’ skins (sealskins). After forty years in the wilderness this curtain was marred by time and weather, but it always protected that which was within. This covering speaks of Christ’s walk before men. Just as the linen covering was inside to show His beauty to the believer, so the sealskin covering had no beauty to reveal. Isa_53:2 tells us this about Christ: “…he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” There is no beauty on the outside that we should desire Him; we have to go inside to behold His beauty. The world does not see in Him what we see in Him.
Exodus 26:15
THE BOARDS AND SOCKETS OF THE TABERNACLEThese boards were made of shittim wood which was a very durable wood like redwood. It was practically indestructible. These boards were covered with gold. There were twenty boards on each side and ten in the rear of the tabernacle. There was a certain amount of overlapping, of course, but this actually constituted the tabernacle proper. Rings were placed in the boards and bars ran through the rings, thus holding the tabernacle together. Everything in the tabernacle speaks of either the person or work of Christ. Every covering, every thread, and every article of furniture reveals some facet of the Savior. As the bars held the tabernacle together, so the Holy Spirit of God holds true believers together today. Believers should be held together by the Spirit. In fact, believers are told “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” The curtains covering the tabernacle each bore a different color and each had its own significance. There was blue, a heavenly color. There was scarlet, which speaks of Christ’s blood. There was a blending of the blue and scarlet which produced a purple color that speaks of royalty. The blue and scarlet speak of heaven touching earth, or the humanity of Christ. The purple speaks of Him as King of the Jews. The boards, bars, and rings were overlaid with gold which speaks of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Exodus 26:31
THE VEILSThe veil was hung upon four pillars and speaks of the humanity of Jesus Christ. The pillars were made of shittim wood covered with gold, with silver sockets attached. These speak of deity taking hold of earth through redemption. There was no capital on top of these pillars, which made them different from the other pillars in the tabernacle; they were just cut off. Isa_53:8 tells us, “He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.” Jesus Christ was cut off out of the land of the livingHe lived to be only thirty-three years old. Now the veil was made of fine-twined linen and was the only entrance to the Holy of Holies. The veil speaks of the humanity of Christ. When Christ was on the Cross, He dismissed His spirit. At the moment of His death the veil was torn in two, representing the fracture of His spirit and His body. When the veil in the temple was rent in two, the way into God’s presence was open. The only way to get to God today is through the Lord Jesus Christ. There is only one entrance to the Holy of Holies and only one way to God. In Joh_14:6 Jesus Himself said, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Some people believe that you can come to God if you are sincere and belong to some church. Do not believe it. You will not find this type of thinking in the Word of God. What a wonderful picture the veil is. It shows the humanity of Christ. Friends, it is the death of Jesus Christ that saves us. His spotless life condemns us. When I stand before the veil, I am condemned. I see myself as not able to pass into the presence of God. We read in Mat_27:50-51 that, “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.” The death of Jesus Christ provides access to God, and the rent veil pictures it. Then there is another hanging:
Exodus 26:36
This veil, or hanging, led to the Holy Place, the place of worship where the golden lampstand, table of showbread, and altar of incense were located. Now, friend, we cannot worship God any old way. We have to come in spirit and in truth. Jesus said, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Joh_14:6). Both veils prefigure our Lord Jesus Christ.