The Man Moses #14

The Lord said to me,.."I will test my people with a plumbline. Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

The Man Moses #14

The Tabernacle in the Midst of Hebrew Camp  

The Building of the Tabernacle: Exodus 36:8 (NLT) The skilled craftsmen made ten curtains of finely woven linen for the Tabernacle. Then Bezalel decorated the curtains with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim.

The commencement of the work (36:2-7) Bezalel and Oholiab took oversight of the project with every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to... work. Again the emphasis is on the willingness of the people to participate with labor and materials. In fact the people brought so many materials—even more than enough—that they had to be restrained. An inventory of materials brought is included in 38:21-31.

Exodus 26:36 (NLT) “Make another curtain for the entrance to the sacred tent. Make it of finely woven linen and embroider it with exquisite designs, using blue, purple, and scarlet thread. The curtain at the tent’s entrance was to be of the same materials as the inner curtain, but apparently without the cherubim embroidery. Also the bases for the golden posts were to be bronze, not silver (cf. V. 32), because this curtain would be part of the exterior that had bronze throughout. This curtain was supported by five posts, not four as with the inner curtain (cf. V. 32). With more posts in the 15’ opening, the spaces for entering the tabernacle itself were narrower than the spaces between the four posts at the entrance into the most holy place. A careful study reveals that the instructions for the overall construction of the Tabernacle were precise, demanding and were not negotiable.

The Altar of Burnt Offering: Exodus 27:1-2 (NLT) 1 “Using acacia wood, construct a square altar 71/2 feet wide, 71/2 feet long, and 41/2 feet high. 2 Make horns for each of its four corners so that the horns and altar are all one piece. Overlay the altar with bronze. In giving instructions about the tabernacle God progressed from within (the ark and the atonement cover) outward to the courtyard outside the tabernacle. In the courtyard was an altar called “the altar of burnt offering” (30:28; Lev. 4:7, 10, 18) and “the bronze altar” (Ex. 38:30). Unlike the altar of incense (30:1-10), this was an altar for animal sacrifices. It was to be made of acacia wood, was 7-1/2’ square and 4-1/2’ high, with a horn (a projection that looked like an animal horn) at each of the four corners, overlaid with bronze. The utensils with it were to be of bronze also (27:3). The horns were to be covered with blood at the consecration of the priests (29:1, 10-12; Lev. 8:14-15; 9:9) and on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:18). The grating, or bronze network, placed on a ledge within and halfway up the altar (a little more than 2’ up) helped reinforce the altar and may have been the place where the animal meat was cooked. Poles were also to be overlaid with bronze and inserted into bronze rings at the altar’s corners for use in carrying the altar. The bottom half of the altar was to be hollow but it may later have been filled with small stones, not with earth as some suggest, with the fire being built on the rocks. The exact location of this altar is not given but it was “at [just inside] the entrance to the tabernacle” (40:29). The basin was between it and the tabernacle (30:18). This altar illustrates the fact that one can approach God only through sacrifice; only by sacrifice is sin atoned for. On this altar—the first object a worshiper saw in the tabernacle courtyard—sacrifices for sin were continually being made. The ultimate Sacrifice was Jesus Christ (Heb. 10:1-18).

This Tabernacle was a copy of the Tabernacle in Heaven. It was an EXACT copy and filled with spiritual meaning. Hebrews 9:11-15 (NLT) 11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands...he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever....

For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins.  To do so is to retain the hope of an eternal inheritance (cf. “eternal redemption” in v. 12 and “the eternal Spirit” in v. 14) which has been promised to recipients of New-Covenant life.