“And you shall make fifty golden clasps, and you shall join 6 the panels to one another with the clasps, that the Tabernacle be one whole.“-Exodus 26:6
Let’s talk a little about the curtain that surrounded the Outer Court of the Tabernacle.
They were to be made of finely woven linen sheets and held in place with acacia wood pillars covered with bronze.
What kept the pillars in place were bronze sockets located at the bottom of each pillar and ropes tied from the top of each pillar to the ground that were kept firmly affixed by bronze stakes.
So what’s up with the constant use of bronze here?
Recall that different types of metals were used depending on which zone out of the Tabernacle’s three zones of holiness the construction was taking place.
Since the outer courtyard area was where common humanity could enter, bronze, a relatively non-precious metal was used.
Also, practically speaking, bronze was much harder and thus much more useful for construction than either silver or gold.
The caps of the pillars and some bars or hooks from where the curtains hung were made out of silver however.
We’re also told that cherubim are to be woven as a tapestry design into the cloth.
The Hebrew word for “designer” used here is OSHEV indicating somebody with a special skill or someone who crafts a purposeful plan.
It is clear that these mysterious Cherubim must have special significance because they are mentioned numerous times in the instructions dealing with the construction of the Tabernacle.
As far as I can deduce from Scripture, the Cherubim represent the following:
-they are emblems of guardianship since man alone cannot approach God
-they are symbols of holiness guarding the place of God
-the tabernacle is a model of heaven, and since heaven is filled with angelic beings, this model of heaven, the Tabernacle is also to be decorated in like manner
I’m not going to be dogmatic with any of the above, so please don’t lose your mind if you disagree.
Nevertheless, it does seem like the Cherubim have the unusual privilege of being near God and interacting with Him in His throne room.
So the lesson or spiritual takeaway for today comes from verse 6 where it says the “Tabernacle shall be one” or ECHAD in Hebrew.
The Complete Jewish Bible says, “so that the tabernacle forms a single unit”.
The King James version says, “and it shall be one tabernacle”.
The NIV says, “so that the tabernacle is a unit”.
Regardless of which translation you use, what is being made clear is that after all is said and done and the dust has finally cleared and settled following the construction, we are literally told that the Tabernacle is to be ONE.
All the instructions for the design of the Tabernacle point to a perfect symmetry of nicely interlocking parts, posts fitting into sockets, clasps into loops, with crossbars shooting from end to end on both sides of the structure, and the dimensions of every component carefully measured.
Notice a nice little plurality of unity or “many in one” characteristic being communicated to us here.
I see here not only a reflection of God’s nature (and no I’m NOT supporting the trinity, so please don’t start losing your minds), but also a powerful model of how believers are to work together IN HARMONY to bring about God’s will on earth.
Did you know that there over 3000 Christian denominations and God knows how many aberrational cults in existence today?
Is this harmony?
Is this one unit?
Is this ECHAD?
When I first became a believer, I had many encounters with many different Christian groups and churches all pointing to the same Book and the same Savior but teaching different things that not only seemed to contradict each other but also seemed to contradict what was written in the Bible.
I’m even embarrassed to admit that when I was a college student, I had joined a weird cult called the Moonies.
But I soon left when they told me that the Messiah was some Korean dude named Reverend Sun Myung Moon.
What a joke!
I think I broke out laughing when they first revealed that to me, because as bad as my Bible knowledge was, God had given me enough light to at least know that His Chosen Messiah was Jewish and from Israel.
And then it struck me.
If God’s chosen Messiah was Jewish and from Israel, maybe I should skip all of this gentile Christian nonsense and go straight to the People of the Book, the Jewish people and study the Bible from a proper Hebrew roots perspective starting from verse one of chapter one of Genesis.
DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, to make a long story short, that’s what I did and my life has never been the same thereafter.
And I believe this is the only way to not only cut through all of the denominational chaos that exists today but also the only was to achieve real world peace.
There is to be one Kingdom, one King, one God, and ONE LAW.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“I have other sheep,
which are not of this fold;
I must bring them also,
and they will hear My voice;
and they will become one flock
with one shepherd.
-John 10:16
“There is one body and one Spirit,
just as also you were called in one hope of your calling”
-Ephesians 4:4
“For just as there are many parts
that compose one body,
but the parts don’t all have the same function;
so there are many of us,
and in union with the Messiah
we comprise one body,
with each of us belonging to the others.”
-Romans 12:4-5
“Since there is one bread,
we who are many are one body;
for we all partake of the one bread.”
-1 Corinthians 10:17
As far as the bronze vs silver and gold, there is alot of great understanding of the Tabernacle in a book “Let us draw near” by Judson Cornwall. He mentions that bronze is a picture of judgement, therefore is the metal in contact with the earth and the altar. Silver is the metal of redemption, between the bronze and gold. Gold is holiness, so found in top layers and only one evident in the Most Holy place.
The book is written as a conversation between Moses and Joshua who poses the question “if the people are called to come to the Tabernacle to meet with God, why is the outer area so small for the millions of Israelites?”
Moses says he thinks most of the people will be content to watch from a distance and know the priests are doing their work to provide atonement, so few will come to worship in person and actually “draw near”.
A still sad condition in many denominations!
May Yah raise a people of true worshipers to glorify His Name!!
Thanks for the book recommendation.