Exodus 26:1-14. The Coverings of the Tabernacle.
LET us read the first fourteen verses of our chapter, and we trust that all of our readers will be interested in this wonderful subject.
The tabernacle, which was God’s house, had a roof over it of curtains, and coverings of four different kinds. The first, or bottom one was made of fine twined linen. The second of goats hair; and above these was a covering of rams’ skins dyed red; and above all these a covering of badgers’ skins.
One might wonder why God should have told Moses to make the roof of so many coverings? The answer is that in these, as well as what we have already considered, God is giving to us types of Christ, His beloved Son.
The fine twined linen gives us a type of the Lord’s spotless purity, for He was the only sinless One.
There were ten of, these curtains, five were sewed together, and the other five were sewed together, and then these two were united together with blue loops, and gold taches, or hooks.
Cherubs were embroidered on these curtains, in blue, purple and scarlet, to bring before us other glories of the Lord Jesus. The blue, which is the heavenly color, brings before us His heavenly character and the purple His royal character; and the scarlet His glory as man, for He was the One who was above all others. The cherubs represented Him as the judge, for God had committed all judgment into His hands, because He is the Son of man. So the one who refuses Him as his Saviour, must have Him as his Judge.
The curtains of goat’s hair, of which there were eleven, had five sewed together, and six were sewed together, then these two were linked together with loops, and copper taches or hooks, and they bring before us the character of a prophet and servant, and the Lord was both, for He knew what was in man, and that marked Him as prophet; and He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, that is to serve. All therefore who are His, who know Him as their Saviour, should walk even as He walked. A servant should not do his. own will, but do the will of his master.
The rams’ skins dyed red, bring before us the Lord Jesus as the One who was consecrated to God, even unto death.
The badgers’ skins were on the outside. hiding and protecting all the others beneath, so that all that man could see was the covering in which there was no beauty. There is nothing attractive in the Lord Jesus to our natural hearts, as the Scripture says,
“When we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” Isa. 53:2.
What do you think of Him, dear reader? Is it your delight to read about Him, and be occupied with Him? or is He still to you as One who has no attraction? Remember He is the One in whom God has found all His delight.
ML 05/21/1922