Southern Christian University

JAMES A. TURNER

THE TABERNACLE

Introduction:

A. God gave Moses instruction for the building of the tabernacle soon after he led his

people out of Egypt (Ex25:l-30 - 31:38).

1. God warned him to make everything? “after their pattern, which bath been

showed thee in the mount (Ex.25:40).”

2. A pattern is always important but this one was especially important because it

was typical of many things in the future concerning Christ and his church.

3. Heb. 8:.2 Christ is “a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle-—-.”

B. The materials for the tabernacle were obtained entirely by free will offerings of the

Israelites.

1. Ex,,25:2: “An offering of every man whose heart maketb him willing ----.“.

2. Ex.25:3-7: materials- gold, silver, brass, blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’

hair, ram skin, seal skins.

3. Ex.36:4-7: The people brought more then enough and restrained them from

bringing.

C. Ex.35:30-36:3; 39:42,43: God endowed Bezalel And Oholiab with wisdom and

understanding to devise skillful work necessary in the construction of the

tabernacle.

I. THE TABERNACLE.

A. The Tabernacle was only thirty cubits long, ten cubits wide, and ten cubits in height,

and it was divided by a veil of fine twined linen of blue, purple, and scarlet with

cherubim’s (Ex.26: 31-33),

1. Everything about the Tabernacle was prefabricated.

2. The walls were made of large boards ten cubits in length and a cubit and one half in width overlaid with gold. Each board had two tenons that set in two-sockets of silver, and there were five bars that were placed through gold rings on three sides of the Tabernacle (Ex.26: 15 -30).

3. There were four coverings that made up the roof structure.

a. Inside to outside - the first was curtains of fine twined linen of blue, purple, and scarlet embroidered with cherubims (Ex.26:l -14).

b. The second was curtains of goat’s hair. (Ex. 26:6--13.)

c. The third was rams’ skins died red, and the fourth sealskins. (Ex. 26:14.)

4. Clarke’s Commentary, m volume one, page 489, gives the weight of the gold, silver and brass of the tabernacle as being nearly ten and one half tons.

B. The first room was called the Holy Place, and it was twenty cubits in length,

1. The priests performed functions in this compartment, but the high priest was in charge of all functions and services. (Nu. 18:1-7; Heb.9:6).

2. The Holy Place was a type of the true Tabernacle that was to be built by Christ. (‘Zech. 6:12-13; Heb. 8:2; 1 Tini. 3:14- 15, 1 Cor, 3,:16- 17.)

3. Christ is our high priest, and he is in charge of all the functions and service of the church.

a. He has given us a divinely authorized plan of worship.

b. We give honor to God by serving faithfully in Christ’s church. (I Cor.3:9; Eph.3:21, 5:25-27)

C. The second compartment of the Tabernacle was called the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies. (Ex.26: 34; Heb. 9:3.)

1. Only-the high priest could enter this compartment. (Lev. 16-34; ii~.b. 9:6-7, 10:1-4.)

2. The Most Holy Place was a type of Heaven and Christ has entered Heaven to make a way of eternal redemption for us. (Heb. 6:19-20; 10:10-14).

3. The partition veil pf the temple was a type of Christ’s body that was to be sacrificed for our eternal

redemption. (Heb. 6:19-20, 9:6-9, 10:4-10.)

4. When Christ was crucified, the veil of the temple was rent from the top to the bottom, signifying that the way into heaven had been made manifest. (Heb. 9:8-9; Matt. 27.51-54, Mark 15 37, Lu. 23:4447)

II. THE FURNITURE IN THE HOLY PLACE.

A. The Candlestick was placed on the south side of the tabernacle

1. It was made of pure gold with one upright shaft and six branches and ornamented with knobs almond blossoms, and flowers, it had seven lamps. (Ex. 25:31-39.)

2.The priests were charged to keep olive oil in the lamps and keep them burning

continually. (Ex. 2 7:20,21.)

3. The light of the Candlestick was typical of the Christians’ dispensing the light of the gospel. (Psa. 119:1-5; Jn.8:12; Mt.5:15-16; Rev. 1:20.)

B. The Table of Show Bread was located on the north side in the Holy Place, and it was made of wood overlaid with gold. (Ex. 40:22-24.)

1. It was two cubits long, one cubit wide, and one and a half cubits high, and It-also had rings and staves by which it was carried. (Ex. 25:23-30.)

2. The priests were to keep bread on this table always. They also ate of this bread in the Holy Place, and twelve new cakes were placed on the Table each Sabbath day. Frankincense was also placed on each cake. (Lev. 24:5-9.)

3. It was typical of the spiritual food of Christians. (Jn.,6:54-55; I Pet. 2:2; 1 Cor. 11:30.)

C. The Altar of Incense was placed before the veil which separated between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. (Ex.30:6)

1. It was one cubit in length, one wide, and two in height, and was made of wood overlaid with Gold. It also bad horns and rings and staves to carry it with. (Ex. 30: 1-6)

2, The priest burned sweet -spices on this altar each morning and each evening when he dressed the lamps, and he also made atonement upon the horns of the altar on the day of annual atonement. (Ex.30: 8-10)

3 Rev 8:3 indicates that the sweet incense offering was typical of the prayers of the saints of God.

III. THE FURNITURE OF THE MOST HOLY PLACE

A. The Ark of the Covenant was made of wood overlaid with gold and it was two and a half cubits in length, one and one half in width, and one and one half in height, it also had rings and staves by which it was carried. (Ex.25:10-22).

I The Ark contained the Tables of the Covenant, a pot of mama, and Aaron’s rod that Budded. ([let,. 9:4.)

2. The pot of manna commemorated God’s feeding them with manna during the forty years of their wilderness journey. (Ex. 16:31-35.)

3. Aaron’s rod commemorated Korah’s rebellion and God’s choice of Aaron as priest. (Num. 16:1- 17:-lI.)

B. The Mercy-Seat with the two cherubims made the lid or covering for the Ark, and it was made of pure gold. (Ex. 25:17-21.)

1. On the day of annual atonement the high priest sprinkled the blood of the sin-offering on the Mercy-Seat. (Lev. 16:15-17).

2. Ex. 25:22 reads, “And there will I commune with thee from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of testimony, of all the things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

IV. THE COURT AND ITS FURNITURE

A, The court was one hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide enclosed by curtains of fine twined linen, five cubits in height. (Ex.: 27:9-11)

I. The curtains were held up by pillars of brass, and there was a socked of brass for each pillar, or post.

2. Everything was made so that it could be taken down and erected again.

3. The court seemingly separated between the holy and the profane.

B. The Brazen Altar was located near the door of the Tabernacle. (Ex.40:29)

1, It was made of wood overlaid with brass and it was five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three in height.

2, It bad rings and staves by which they carried it. (Ex. 27:1-8))

4. The animals sacrificed on the Brazen Altar were to some extent typical of the Christ that was to be slain for the sins of the world. (Heb. 10:4-7.)

C. The Layer was placed between the Brazen Altar and the door of the tabernacle. (Ex, 40:30-34.)

1. The Layer was made of the brass mirrors of the women that ministered at the door of the tent of meeting. (Ex. 38:8.)

2, It’s size is not given.

3. The priest washed their hands and their feet in the water of the Layer before they went into the tabernacle. (Ex, 40:30-32.)

4. This outward cleansing was probably typical of the spiritual purity required of Christians. (2 Tim.2:21-22; Eph. 5:3.)

V. THE REARING OF THE TABERNACLE.

A. The Tabernacle was reared up on the first day of the second year after they-left

Egypt. (Ex.40: 1-2.)

1. When they reared it up, “a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. (Ex. 40:3 5,)

2. There was a cloud over it by day and a fire was on it lby night.When God removed the cloud it was time for the tabernacle to be taken down and the tribes to move on their journey. (Ex. 40:36-38.)

B. Three families of the Levites had specific duties relative to the Tabernacle.

1.(Num.3:14-39.) The Kohathites had charge of the holy furniture. (Nu.3:22-32)

a. Before they carried the Ark, Aaron was to take the veil and cover the Ark with it and a covering of sealskin, and put in the staves for them to carry it by. (Nu. 4:4-6.)

b. The other pieces of furniture were properly covered before the Kohathites started carrying them. (Nu. 4:7-16.)

c. Num.4: 15 reads, “And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, as the camp is set forward; after that the Sons of Kohath shall come to bear it, but they shall not touch the sanctuary, lest they die.” (IISam.6:3-7)

2. The Merarites had charge of the boards of the Tabernacle and the bars and other instruments thereof.

a. They were given four wagons and eight oxen.

b, The articles that they moved were heavy. (Num. 3:33-37, 7:1-8)

3, The Gershonites carried the coverings of the Tabernacle, the screen for the door, and the hangings of the court. They were given four oxen and two wagons. (Num. 3:25-26; 7:7.)