Dementia for 2

I have been struggling with this post for weeks. I really want to share what I have learned about the Tabernacle but I don't want to sound "preachy". So I have been thinking about how to word this. I don't want it to be a really long post, but I do want to get the main idea in here.

The purpose of the Tabernacle was for God to have a dwelling place with the Israelites. In the N.T., Christ dwelt (tabernacled) with us.

God gave very specific instructions for the Tabernacle. How it was to be built, what materials, to use, measurements, etc. In an effort to cover all of this I decided to write about what the different materials symbolize in The Word and how they were used in the building of the Tabernacle. I researched many sites and several commentaries before deciding to stick with "Gleaning in Exodus" by Arthur Pink.

Acacia Wood -This is a strong, resilient wood. The roots of this tree grow very deep making it ideal for desert climates. It is not affected by disease or animal infestation because of the strong odor of the fiber of its wood. It was also used as incense. This wood represents the humanity of Christ. Christ lived without sin or disease. In His humanity he withstood all evil, and negative things within His life on Earth and survived them all without sin.

Gold - Gold represents God's presence or His glory. The boards of the tabernacle were overlaid with gold. So if the wood represents Christ's humanity, then the gold represents the Glory of God within Him.

Silver - The 4 posts that held the veil were held together with silver sockets. Silver represents Redemption Blood. The 4 posts and the boards of the tabernacle required 100 silver sockets that formed a continuous foundation. So the tabernacle rests on the redemptive blood of Christ.

From this we can see that God planned the tabernacle as a place where He would dwell among the Israelites. He also symbolically laid the foundation for us to come to Him through Christ with the items that were used and how they were used in the building.

I know there is a lot more that I am leaving out but I could go on and on about this. So I am just hitting the high points to get the basic message across. You can read more about the tabernacle in Exodus 26. The message is and always will be that the tabernacle represents Christ and it is only through Him that you can know God.

Classic Bible Commentaries

The acacia tree is shittim wood