True religion teaches the way to God. The sanctuary of Jehovah in Israel is full of instruction on this important theme, and it is also full of illustrations of Christian truth.
When we speak of approach to God we must keep before our minds who God is. God is the Holy One. At Sinai, He had revealed Himself in holiness, and in the sanctuary He did the same, but at Sinai access to Him had been forbidden, while in the sanctuary it was opened up. Nevertheless, Jehovah’s special abode in the sanctuary was “between the cherubim” (Psa. 80:11<<To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim-eduth, A Psalm of Asaph.>> Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. (Psalm 80:1)) that is to say, in the Holiest. The testimony of Scripture as to divine holiness extends through time and reaches to eternity; God changes not. To Israel the word ran, “Great is the Holy One... in the midst of thee” (Isa. 12:66Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. (Isaiah 12:6)); to the Christian the word is, God is found in “the Holiest” (Heb. 10:1919Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, (Hebrews 10:19)); to the inhabitants of heaven, in the presence of God’s throne and glory, the cry arises, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, Almighty” (Rev. 4:88And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (Revelation 4:8)). The triune God was, is, and ever will be the Holy One; and, hence, access to Him was, and is, and ever will be access to Him in His absolute holiness.
There are three main divine teachings in the tabernacle of the wilderness in respect to access to God, and these are found in the three main divisions of the sanctuary – the Court, the Holy, and the Holiest. The present chapter will deal with a few of the more prominent features of the court, that enclosed space of two squares lying side by side, within which the dwelling-place of Jehovah was pitched.
The sanctuary generally was a great object lesson, affording by its symbolisms spiritual instruction to Israel, and affording, through the record of them, even deeper instruction to ourselves. The white wall, as the twined linen curtains composing the limit of the court may be termed, was a separating barrier dividing the sacred dwelling from the camp. These curtains, which probably were of a transparent nature, were suspended from silver rods, which connected together the brass, or rather the copper pillars of the court. Ordinary ideas of grandeur, physical protection, and ornamentation, were not to be found in the construction; but proportions, materials, and combinations were all divinely ordered, and all contained spiritual instruction. They were in themselves beautiful and artistic, and to Israel, accustomed to the symbolisms of Egypt, they conveyed unmistakable ideas. The fine-twined linen, choice and brilliant – the glorious white – spoke to every eye in the camp of purity. In the white wall there was figuratively, a quality displayed similar to that attributed to Jehovah in Israel’s triumph-song – “Glorious in holiness” (Ex. 15:1111Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11)).
The height of this wall was five cubits. A cubit is the measure of a man from the top of the middle finger to the elbow, so that the curtains rose above man’s stature – the wall overtopped man’s height; its standard was higher than that of man. Purity, greater than man’s attainment, surrounded the Holy One of Israel.
Each of the pillars upholding the curtains had a foundation of copper or brass, which is emblematic of strength. Seven times are these sockets mentioned in the description of the pillars (Ex. 38:10-1810Their pillars were twenty, and their brazen sockets twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 11And for the north side the hangings were an hundred cubits, their pillars were twenty, and their sockets of brass twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. 12And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. 13And for the east side eastward fifty cubits. 14The hangings of the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. 15And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. 16All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen. 17And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. 18And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court. (Exodus 38:10‑18)), as if to emphasize, that perfect strength upheld the perfect purity which walled in the sanctuary of God. The delicately-wrought curtains might offer as a material barrier merely a feeble protection, but spiritually they declared that perfect purity, established by perfect strength, shut out sinful roan from access to the dwelling-place of God.
Had the object lesson ended here it would have afforded no hope. Man, so far as this teaching went, was as absolutely separate from God in His sanctuary as he was when Jehovah descended to Sinai and spoke to him from the midst of the fire, and when barriers were set about the mountain to fence him off from Jehovah’s presence. But the curtains depended from silver rods. These rods connected the pillars together, and the curtains were affixed to them by silver hooks. The material from which they were formed spoke of redemption, as has been pointed out already. Purity upheld by enduring strength, and suspended upon redemption, was thus displayed before every eye in the wall surrounding Jehovah’s dwelling. For ourselves, with the whole of Scripture in our hands, the wall presents this triad of truths, God’s purity, God’s strength, God’s redemption.
How should Israel draw near to Jehovah in His sanctuary? How should the purity, the strength, the redemption, be entered? There was a way of access, but one only, a divinely-planned gateway. The very considerable width of the gateway offered a significant lesson in the principle of access to Jehovah, also the name which it bore – entrance curtain. God had but one way by which He could be reached, yet that way was a broad one, as if inviting all to enter and to worship Him. It was thus designed, “For the gate of the court shall be an hanging of... blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine-twined linen, wrought with needlework” (Ex. 27:1616And 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. (Exodus 27:16)).
As reference to the colors of the sanctuary has been made in the previous chapter we merely add that in the countless marks of the needle in the gate we see in symbol, the infinite beauty of Christ’s perfections, all His life being various actions of grace and truth. Its embroidered work, its countless marks of beauty, represent the varied moral excellencies that are to be seen in Him. The needle point with myriad touches produced the desired forms, all was hand-wrought, ornamented by intelligent craft, varied and beautiful, and together formed the perfect whole.
The gateway represents Christ, through Whom “we have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Eph. 2:1818For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. (Ephesians 2:18)) and who declares of Himself, “I am the Way... no man cometh unto the Father but by (or through) Me” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6).); and again, “I am the Door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved” (John 10:99I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (John 10:9)). So well was Christ esteemed as The Way in the early Church, that for some time “The Way” was the only name by which the Church was known (Acts 9:2; 19:9,23; 24:142And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. (Acts 9:2)
9But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. (Acts 19:9)
23And the same time there arose no small stir about that way. (Acts 19:23)
14But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: (Acts 24:14), see Revised Version).
The object of the worshipper in entering the gate was to reach the altar. Gate and altar were inseparable when access to Jehovah was in question. It is impossible in drawing near to God to separate between Christ and Christ’s sacrifice; “In Christ Jesus”,.. we are “made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:1313But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)). We cannot have Christ without His sacrifice, or Christ’s sacrifice without Christ.
The altar was all-important to the worshipper. It was there he met Jehovah, who had said, “There will I meet with the children of Israel” (Ex. 29:4343And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. (Exodus 29:43)). In this connection the tabernacle itself was termed “the tabernacle of meeting” and the promise made, “I will dwell among the children of Israel... I am Jehovah, their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them” (Ex. 29:45-4645And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. 46And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God. (Exodus 29:45‑46)). Thus did Jehovah assign to the altar the only place where He would meet Israel, and where Israel could meet Him – a principle relative to the way to God which is eternal.
The altar, as we have observed, was the moral center of the first of the two squares which composed the court; it was four-square, and faced the four quarters of the earth, and thus, with its symbols of power – the horns upon its four corners – looked outwards toward the whole circle of the world. Spiritually speaking, the altar was the center for humanity in approach to God. The altar and its sacrifices are figures of Christ and His offering up of Himself on the cross, the divine-given center, the point at which all the world may meet God, “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)); and Christ Himself says, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me; this He said signifying what death He should die” (John 12:32-3332And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 33This he said, signifying what death he should die. (John 12:32‑33)).
The altar was made of shittim wood, overlaid with copper – the emblem of strength. Within it was the fire. Christ alone, in Himself, whose humanity its shittim wood figures, possessed the endurance and the power to sustain the sacrifice of Himself to God.
The other great feature in the court for all Israel to take knowledge of was the laver. This was not used by the people, but was in constant service by the priests. Every hour of every day both altar and laver were in use. Offerings were continually sacrificed, the priests were constantly engaged either at the altar or within the sanctuary, and, therefore, were constantly using the laver. Thus, the teaching of gateway, altar, and laver was ever before all Israel. We have to remember that all this was carried on in the open court, where every eye could see what was done. It was designedly so arranged. We do not suggest that the deeper meaning of the symbols was then apparent, but the teaching of one way of entrance to the sanctuary where Jehovah dwelt, and of that way leading to the altar and its sacrifices, and afterward to the laver and its purification, no one could fail to follow. The symbols were not the very images of the things represented (Heb. 10:11For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. (Hebrews 10:1)), but “shadows” (Heb. 8:55Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount. (Hebrews 8:5)) designed by God Himself, proportioned and grouped together by His wisdom.
The accompanying diagram will bring before the eye the teaching conveyed by the divine object lesson of the court. The way to God was by the gate, thence to the sacrifice, and from thence by the purifying water to the dwelling-place of God. Fire first, water next; atonement first, purification next. The Gate – Christ; the altar – Christ’s cross; the laver – the purifying of the Holy Spirit through the word. Here are divine laws which never change, and in them, as the eye follows the dotted line of our diagram, is seen the way to God.
On Sinai, Jehovah proclaimed One God; on the plains, He established one sanctuary, and one way to Himself. It is well to remember that both Chaldea, from whence Abraham was called, and Egypt, out of which Israel was taken, in their early days recognized one sole God. Their “gods many” were due to their evolving separate deities out of the attributes of the One God. The proclamation from the cloud at Sinai was, therefore, the utterance of a truth once known on the earth. The many deities of Egypt and Chaldea had many sanctuaries; the multiplication of these temples is to be accounted for by the necessities of the multitudes of the priests, who required sanctuaries for their services and the disposal of their wealth. The establishment of one sanctuary in Israel flowed out of the truth of One God.