Page 630 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

TABERNACLE

The only sections not held up in silver sockets were and the old creation by the blood of Christ (Ro. 6:7; 2
the curtains into the main court and the holy place. Co. 5:17; Ga. 6:14). The boards were made of shittim
These were set in brass sockets instead of silver (Ex. wood and covered with gold, representing the humanity
26:36-38), showing the truth that God’s judgment lies and deity of Christ. The shittim wood was a common
between Him and man. The penalty for sin must be wood which grew in the desert, a fitting type of Jesus’
paid. God’s judgment must fall. And praise God! It has humanity. The gold, on the other hand, pictures deity.
already fallen upon Jesus, so the believing sinner can The first layer of curtains were linen intertwined
now freely draw near to God through Him. with blue, purple, and scarlet thread, representing Jesus
The Altar of Sacrifice. The approach from outside the Christ in the various ways already mentioned. Over this
court to the holy of holies represents a sinner’s approach was a covering made of goats’ hair. Upon this was a
to God through Jesus Christ. The first thing one covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and a final covering of
encountered at the door of the court was the brazen black badgers’ skins. These coverings symbolized the
altar, the place of sacrifice representing the necessity of truth that Jesus’ glory as the eternal Son of God was
the blood and death of Jesus Christ for sin. No one can hidden during His earthly sojourn. He took upon
be reconciled to God or enjoy His fellowship without Himself the form of a servant and was made in the
first being forgiven through the blood of Christ. Even likeness of man (Ph. 2:5-8). The beauty of the linen
the size of the objects in the tabernacle were important curtains was hidden under the covering of goats’ hair,
and teach spiritual truth. The brazen altar, for example, rams’ and badgers’ skins, as the glory of Christ’s deity
was two times the size of the ark of the covenant that was hidden by His humanity. To look at Christ one saw
contained the law. This signifies that Jesus’ blood and nothing extraordinary in the physical sense (Is. 53:2).
death are more than sufficient to meet all of God’s Only those who saw Him through the eye of faith could
demands and man’s need (Ro. 5:20). see His glory (Jn. 1:14). Those standing outside looking
The Laver for Washing. The next object one toward the Tabernacle could see only an ordinary
encountered was the laver containing water for covering of black skins, but those who entered by means
cleansing. This depicted the demand of God that His of the one door and the altar of sacrifice and the laver of
people put away evil from their lives following cleansing enjoyed the beauty of the interior, the gold-
redemption. First, the altar of sacrifice; then the laver of covered boards and the lovely woven linen curtains held
cleansing. First, justification by grace through faith in together by taches of pure gold.
Christ’s blood (Ro. 3:21-28); then obedience to God’s The Holy Place. Once a person was inside the
commands through the power of His Spirit (Ep. 2:8-10). Tabernacle he could enjoy the various objects therein,
The laver depicts the same thing Jesus signified when such as the light from the candlestick, the altar of
He washed the disciples’ feet. He told them they did not incense, and the table of shewbread, and, of course, the
need to be bathed again; they needed only footwashing beautiful interior itself. All of the articles of the
(Jn. 13:10). In other words, the Christian needs only Tabernacle picture Jesus Christ in various ways. The
one bath of salvation to establish his eternal relationship light signifies Jesus giving understanding to men. The
with God, but he needs the daily cleansing of the Word bread signifies communion with Christ. The altar of
to maintain fellowship. The laver pictures the two-way incense signifies prayer. Jesus Christ is everything to the
action of God’s Word in cleansing sin from believer’s believer (1 Co. 1:30-31; Ep. 1:3; Col. 1:19).
lives. It reveals sin, and it cleanses sin. The laver was The Holy of Holies. The rear compartment of the
made of brass looking glasses (Ex. 38:8), representing Tabernacle, the holy of holies, contained the cherubim
the fact that the Bible reveals sin (He. 4:12; Ja. and the ark of testimony. The ark contained the table of
1:22-25). The water of the laver represents the washing the law and was covered by the mercy seat,
of sin through confession and obedience (1 Jn. 1). [See representing the salvation of Jesus which fulfills the
Footwashing, Sanctification.] demands of God’s holy law. The High Priest entered the
The Tabernacle. The tabernacle had a wooden frame Holy of Holies once a year and sprinkled blood seven
overlaid with four layers of curtains (Ex. 26:1-14). The times upon and before the mercy seat (Le. 16:11-16).
walls of the tabernacle were composed of boards placed This signified the perfect atonement that was
in silver sockets (Ex. 26:15-30). The silver represents accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. The
the price of redemption (30:11-16), and taught that the Greek word for “mercy seat” in the N.T. is also
entire structure of God’s salvation is upheld by Christ’s translated “propitiation” (Ro. 3:25; 1 Jn. 2:2), and
atonement. Every spiritual blessing the believer has is means satisfaction or covering. Jesus Christ wholly
founded upon Christ’s redemption (Ep. 1:3). Just as the satisfied the demands of God’s law. The fact that the
Tabernacle was separated from the ground by the silver mercy seat perfectly fit the ark and fully covered the law
sockets, the believer is forever separated from the world contained therein signifies the sufficiency of Christ’s

630 Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity