Bible Talks: Coverings of the Tabernacle

From: Messages of God's Love: 1970

Narrator: Chris Genthree

• 2 min. read • grade level: 6

Exodus 26:1-6¹Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them. ²The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure. ³The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another. ⁴And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. ⁵Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another. ⁶And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle. (Exodus 26:1‑6)

THE FIRST covering consisted of ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet. Five were sewed together, and the other five were sewed together, and then these two were united with loops of blue, and gold taches, or hooks.

The fine linen, “clean and white,” sets forth the spotless purity of the Man Christ Jesus. The blue speaks of Him as the heavenly One. Purple is the royal color; for when the soldiers mocked Him they put on Him a pule robe (John 19:2²And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, (John 19:2)). Scarlet was also the color of earthly splendor and glory, and seems to have been the royal color with the Jews. They put on Jesus a scarlet robe, and in mockery they bowed the knee before Him. We know that the Lord Jesus had all these glories. When He comes back to this world again, He will take His great power and reign. He will be not only King over Israel, but over all the earth as well. Men will see Him in that day in all these glories.

The purple was in between the blue and the scarlet, and is a perfect blending of the two. It is another reminder of the divine mystery of His Person. The Lord Jesus was perfectly divine and perfectly human. How those who know Him as their Saviour delight to dwell upon His many glories.

Cherubim were embroidered on these curtains and, as remarked earlier, they speak to us of the righteousness of God in government and in judgment. They remind us that God can never pass over sin. It must be judged. But we who are saved know that for us the judgment is for, ever past — it took place at Calvary, There the Lord Jesus, the Holy One, “was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” Isa. 53:5⁵But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5). God has committed all judgment unto the Son, because He is the Son of man. The one who refuses Him as his Saviour, must have Him as his judge in that day.

Thus the curtains give us the full display of what the Lord Jesus was, and is, as Man. These ten curtains were all of equal measure, the two groups of five being joined together with gold taches in the center. Ten always speaks to us of man’s responsibility to God. In this he has failed surely; but these curtains set forth Christ, and surely there was no faire in Him. Five speaks of responsibility towards man (Gen. 47:24²⁴And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones. (Genesis 47:24); Num. 5:7⁷Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed. (Numbers 5:7)). Now the Lord Jesus has filled perfectly His responsibility, both towards God and towards man, for He loved God with all His heart, and His neighbor as Himself — in this how much more! How blessed then to think of Him as the preeminent One in all things, the One who is worthy to reign.

ML-06/21/1970

Click here to show subject links in the text for more information.