The Tabernacle in the Wilderness # 3
Materials of Construction – God Calls for Stewardship
By Pastor Jim May
Exodus 25:1-9, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it."
Every man’s greatest need is to find that “place” where he can meet God in an intimate fashion. All of is filled life with hard work, heartaches and testing.
Job made this statement in Job 14:1, "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble." Because of these things coming against us at every turn in the road of life, we often see times of loneliness, despair, hopelessness, helplessness, emptiness, restlessness, unemployment, poverty, accidents, diseases, temptations, sinful behavior and attitudes, hunger, thirst, and then to top it all off, we grow old, and eventually leave this life.
Since most of the people in this world only have these kinds of things to look forward to, there is no wonder that many choose to just escape it all by taking their own life. If all you see is troubles, tests and you die in the end, but you have no hope of a brighter tomorrow or an eternal life, then why suffer through it all?
Those of us, who are born again by the Spirit of God and washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb, have much more to hope for than those who don’t know God. We have learned that our only hope, our only help, is in God.
We all need the presence and assurance of God throughout all life. God created us with a place in our hearts that can only be satisfied by HIM and nothing else. That is why the pursuit of worldly wealth, fame and fortune is such a futile, vain thing. All the money in the world will not solve the cry of the thirsty heart in need of God. All the fame in the world will not bring the peace that only comes through having a personal relationship with Jesus through the leading of the Holy Ghost.
God knows that man has a built-in need for God so God established a very special place for His people. It was a place where He could live among His people; where a special manifestation of His presence would dwell; where His people could come to Him for worship and help; and where people worshipped and received forgiveness from God and committed their lives to Him. It was a very special place that set aside or sanctified for God according God’s requirements and direction.
That place was the TABERNACLE.
In this lesson we will talk of three things in relation to the Tabernacle.
1) The Architect of the Tabernacle: God Himself
2) The Supplier of the Materials: The People
3) The Materials Listed
Before any building can be constructed there must be someone who designs it and makes plans for it so that it’s foundation will be sure, and it’s purpose will be fulfilled. The architect is the first person we look to and his knowledge and design will always determine whether a building stands or falls.
The Tabernacle was so important – so desperately needed by God’s people – that God Himself chose to be the architect of the Tabernacle. Only God knew what kind of building he needed and wanted for the manifestation of His presence. He knew what kind of building He needed to receive man’s worship, what kind of building He needed to teach people about Himself. God could not, and would not, leave to chance, the building of His house in Israel. If it were not built to perfection, God could not dwell in it.
The Materials to Build the Tabernacle Were Supplied By the People.
Moses was to take up offerings from the people, and the people were to give willingly and generously. As salves in Egypt for nearly 400 years, the Israelites were nearly destitute of this world’s goods. But when they left Egypt, the Egyptians were so glad to get rid of them that they gave them much of the wealth of Egypt as a parting gift.
God had seen, as He always does today, that the needs of His people were met. Thus they were now able to give offerings to build the Tabernacle.
The point is that God had provided for the people. What they had was due to Him; they had money – gold, silver, and possessions because God had moved upon the Egyptians to give them wealth. Now, God asked them to give much of what they had received back to Him. He wanted them to give it willingly and sacrificially.
We must never forget that Ultimately, everything belongs to God. Everything we have has come from HIM. It’s all on loan from God. In Psalms 50:10-12 God spoke these words to David and Israel, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof."
In Haggai 2:8 God says, "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts."
Since almost everything in creation belongs to God, how can we refuse to give a portion of it back to Him?
There is one thing in creation that God desires, and it is worth more to Him than all of the wealth of Heaven and all of the value of everything that He created. That one thing is the heart of a man. The greatest thing we can give God is a heart, totally yielded to Him.
In the building of the Tabernacle, God asks for man to give back to him, out of willing heart. He doesn’t want to coerce the people. God could have commanded, demanded and forced Israel to give all the gold and silver to Him, but it wasn’t just the wealth that would make the materials worthwhile, it was the attitude in which they were given that really mattered. The materials could have been gathered, the Tabernacle built, everything put into place perfectly, but if the heart of the people were still against God, what would the building accomplish?
2 Corinthians 9:7 says, "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."
What good would we accomplish if we were to force you at gunpoint to donate all of your money, empty your bank accounts, sell your homes and possessions and use them to build a church where you could come to worship God? It would be hard to worship, and our attitudes wouldn’t be right. God certainly wouldn’t be the focus of our thoughts when and if we walked in the door.
The Tabernacle had to be designed by God because He alone knew the purpose and the requirements for it to be His house. Then God knew that the materials had to be given of a willing heart that would still worship Him after their wealth was gone.
Now let us look at what materials God required in His house.
The materials for the Tabernacle were derived from all of the three main materials of God’s creation. They represented the MINERAL Kingdom, the PLANT Kingdom, and the ANIMAL KINGDOM.
Gold – Gold is a symbol of value. It symbolizes all of the Righteousness, Glory and Mercy of God. It symbolizes the Deity, Lordship and Kingship of Jesus. As gold is of the earth and yet does not tarnish it is a symbol of the fact that as a man Jesus was God, and as God, He became a man, both earthly and eternal at the same time.
The mercy seat that we will study in detail later was pure gold. It represented the throne of God, the very place where the presence and mercy of God were symbolized as flowing out to God’s people.
Silver – Silver is a symbol of redemption, where the soul is purchased by paying the price for its salvation. It is fitting that Judas Iscariot was to sell Jesus into the hands of the Sanhedrin Council for only 30 pieces of silver. It was the price of our redemption in monetary terms but symbolized what would really be purchased by Jesus’ own blood.
Bronze, or Copper, Brass – Bronze is a symbol of strength, and judgment in respect to the judgment God placed on Christ for our sins. This will be seen in the brazen altar, the place where the lamb was slain as the sacrificial offering on behalf of the people.
God tells us if we do not listen, or heed His Word, that the heavens will be to us as brass. John, on the Isle of Patmos, saw Jesus with feet of brass to tread down the winepress of fury. Brass symbolizes judgment upon sin.
Blue, Purple, Scarlet thread and Fine Linen – This combination of colors was the main color scheme used in the Tabernacle. These main colors are mentioned about 25 times in the Book of Exodus alone.
Blue is the color of the heavens, it is said to be a symbol of the heavenly character of Christ that lives within us. Jesus, the Son of God, came from heaven to redeem fallen humanity. That which is of Him is from above, not earthly.
Purple – Purple was the most precious of the colors of ancient times and the royalty and Kingship of Jesus Christ.
Scarlet thread – Scarlet symbolizes the sacrifice and shedding of blood. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, the One sacrificed to take away the sins of man.
White Linen – symbolizes purity, holiness and righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Exodus 26:7, "And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make."
Goat Hair - Goat hair would be used for the tent covering. These curtains of goat hair were probably colored black and eleven curtains were joined together to make one great covering for the tent.
It symbolizes the fact that Jesus took upon him the blackness of sin and separation from God, for the whole world.
It also symbolized the fact that Jesus became the “scape-goat” for the world. Instead allowing the sting of sin to rest upon sinners, Jesus Christ offered Himself as a Sacrifice, as the Substitute and Savior of the world. HE bore the sins for all, people for all generations, past, present and future.
Rams Skin Dyed Red – Rams Skin Dyed Red have been described by scholars as skins that had all the wool removed and then were dyed red; it was like our morocco leather.” The purpose of these tanned ram skins were to provide protective covering for the tent. It was layered between the goat hair and badger (or seal) skins. It symbolizes the fact that Jesus was our substitution, and he laid down his life upon the cross, shed His blood and was stripped bare in our place. Through His sacrifice, we are covered by His Blood.
Badger Skins – Badger skins are not considered to be a precious fur. In fact, the badger as we know it was considered and unclean animal. Most Bible scholars agree that the “badger” skins spoken of here were not from the badger at all, but from the sea cow, sea lion or seal. There were few badgers, if any, where the Children of Israel were, but seals were very common around the Red Sea area.
The skins of these animals were waterproof, and when made into leather-like material. This durable weather-resistant skin was the ideal choice to protect the tent from the hot sun, the drenching rains, and the piercing dust storms that swept across the desert. It wasn’t anything all that special to look at, but it had a specific purpose. There skins symbolized again the HUMANITY of Christ, Son of Man. His earthly body had no form or beauty that men should desire Him outwardly but Oh’ what a Savior HE is to those who put their faith in HIM!
Even though Jesus had no outward beauty, He protects us, as the N.T. Tabernacle, from the elements of fear, guilt, sin, evil, death, loneliness, emptiness and the enemy. He is our protective separation from the world.
Acacia wood (shittim wood) – Acacia wood came from a tree that flourished in the wilderness. Acacia was an extremely hard wood that was a mixture of brown and orange in color. The tree was very plentiful in Old Testament times and grew in groves next to fast-moving bodies of water. It was the craftsman’s prime choice for furniture because of its durability. It is interpreted in the Greek as “incorruptible wood.”
This wood symbolizes the sinless Humanity of Christ while He was here on earth. In a world filled with corruption, Jesus Christ is the only person who is incorruptible. As the acacia wood and tree speaks of durability and strength Jesus is the perfect picture of durability and strength.
Oil for the light – The oil was made by crushing olives. The oil would be needed to provide continuous light for the sanctuary with the golden lamp stand. It is a symbol of the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the fullness and fruitfulness it produces in our lives as believers.
This was virgin olive oil, obtained from the olive presses. In ancient Israel, the trees were hit, beaten with rods, making the olives fall to the ground. The olives were often bruised in the process. After they were gathered, or lifted up, they were taken to a press and placed under a huge weight. Sometimes it was a millstone that would crush them and force the oil to flow into a basin below. This didn’t always produce the quality that was needed so another method was often used.
In this method, a wooden arm would be extended and a large stone hung from the end. The weight of the stone on the arm would then rest upon the olives that were wrapped in a cloth. They were slowly crushed and the purest oil would flow from them. This was what was used in the Tabernacle to give the brightest and most clean burning fuel for the light.
Jesus was beaten with rods in Pilate’s Hall. He was bruised for our iniquities. He was nailed to the cross and crushed by the weight of sin that was placed upon Him. Blood and water came from his side and most medical doctors have said that this was the result of a crushed and broken heart.
Spices for the Anointing Oil and for Sweet Incense – There were four spices used in this process. These spices and incense are symbolic of our prayers that ascend unto the Lord as incense rises into the air. The spices for this sweet incense would include the various aspects or types of prayer – intercession, praise, worship, and travail.
Psalms 141:2, "Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."
The birth of John the Baptist was announced to his father Zecharias at the moment that Zecharias entered into the temple to perform his duty as priest.
Luke 1:9-10, "According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense."
John, in Revelation, saw a scene in Heaven that shows us where our prayers are found.
Revelation 5:8, "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints."
Onyx Stones – These were semi-precious stones. The color of these stones is uncertain. Their purpose was to be used on the priest’s breastplate and ephod, which we will study later. The names of the 12 tribes of Israel were to be inscribed on the two onyx stones. The symbolism of the stones is that to God His people shine forth in splendor, as precious gems.
Gems Set in the Priest’ Ephod and Breastplate – Each Gem has a very special meaning. Each of the 12 tribes of Israel was represented in those gems. It was God’s way of saying that His people are always near to His heart and that they are very valuable, treasured possessions, set there for the entire world to see.
We shall have a much closer look at all of these materials and how they were used as we continue our study of the tabernacle.
