Bible Talks

Exodus 26:17-3017Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward. 19And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons. 20And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards: 21And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 22And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards. 23And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. 24And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners. 25And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 26And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, 27And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward. 28And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end. 29And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold. 30And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was showed thee in the mount. (Exodus 26:17‑30)
WE HAVE spoken of how we are made the righteousness of God in Christ, and of our perfect standing in Him. It is so natural for us to be occupied with ourselves, and with our own unworthiness, that sonic might wonder how we could be brought into such a wonderful place of favor. A couple of weeks ago a young man was talking to a friend about the way of salvation. He told him that he was sure he was fit to go straight to heaven to be with the Lord, if he died. His friend replied, "You mean to say that you have been sinning for over forty years and that you can go straight to heaven: I don't believe it." The young man was able to tell him that his only title to glory was the blood of Christ which had cleansed him from ALL sin. (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7).) This is exactly what was typified in the sockets of silver in which the boards stood. The silver used to make these sockets was obtained from the redemption money about which we read in Exodus 30:11-16,11And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 12When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. 13This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord. 14Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord. 15The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls. 16And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls. (Exodus 30:11‑16) Silver, therefore, speaks to us of the cost of our redemption. Now, of course, we know that we are "not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, ... but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18, 1918Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:18‑19)) and this is what the silver typified. Each board stood upon two sockets of silver into which were fitted two tenons, or hands, which held the boards upright. How beautifully this typifies the two hands by faith laying hold of what the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished for us at Calvary. We are utterly unworthy in ourselves, but it is through. Christ's mighty work of redemption and through the value of His shed blood, that we are NOW in a place of perfect acceptance and favor before God. Surely the thought of this makes us want to sing what .another has -written many years ago,
"This is in story, this is my song
Praising my Saviour all the day long."
When these boards were set up we have noticed that they were held in their places at the bottom by standing in these sockets of silver. In addition to this there were five bars of shittim wood overlaid with gold rut-, ring along the sides, and there wet, loops of gold in the -boards thro-w! which these bars passed. The standing was on silver (redemption ground) alone, but the five bars above kept them in their places according to God' plan. Five speaks to us of weakness and perhaps these boards would typify to us the gifts which an ascended Christ has given to the Church for our edification and blessing. (Ephesian 4:11-16.) God has given us the written word of the apostles and prophets, and we rejoice that there are still those who, are gifted to evangelize, as well as pastors who care for the saints, and teachers to instruct them in the truth. When the Lord saved us He did not want us to become independent of all other believers, any more than the boards of the tabernacle were independent of our another. When we accepted Christ as our Saviour we became -members of the one body of Christ—"members one of another." (Romans 12:55So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:5).) Undoubtedly the precious truth of this has been lost to many of God's dear children. but God's purpose is that all the gift, should be striving together, though in a sense of their own weakness, like the five hoards, to "keep the unity of the Spirit," that the building may be "filly joined together," (overlaid with gold. and with bars of gold) according to the character of God.
Messages of God’s Love 12/25/1949