GOD’S MOBILE HOME
Opening Prayer
Holy God, I need a certain word because I live in an uncertain world. I wait for You to speak to me from Your Word.
Read EXODUS 26
The Tabernacle
26 “Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim woven into them by a skilled worker. 2 All the curtains are to be the same size—twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide.[a] 3 Join five of the curtains together, and do the same with the other five. 4 Make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and do the same with the end curtain in the other set. 5 Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other. 6 Then make fifty gold clasps and use them to fasten the curtains together so that the tabernacle is a unit.
7 “Make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven altogether. 8 All eleven curtains are to be the same size—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide.[b] 9 Join five of the curtains together into one set and the other six into another set. Fold the sixth curtain double at the front of the tent. 10 Make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the other set. 11 Then make fifty bronze clasps and put them in the loops to fasten the tent together as a unit. 12 As for the additional length of the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over is to hang down at the rear of the tabernacle. 13 The tent curtains will be a cubit[c] longer on both sides; what is left will hang over the sides of the tabernacle so as to cover it. 14 Make for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of the other durable leather.[d]
15 “Make upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. 16 Each frame is to be ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide,[e] 17 with two projections set parallel to each other. Make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. 18 Make twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle 19 and make forty silver bases to go under them—two bases for each frame, one under each projection. 20 For the other side, the north side of the tabernacle, make twenty frames 21 and forty silver bases—two under each frame. 22 Make six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle, 23 and make two frames for the corners at the far end. 24 At these two corners they must be double from the bottom all the way to the top and fitted into a single ring; both shall be like that. 25 So there will be eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two under each frame.
26 “Also make crossbars of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, 27 five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle. 28 The center crossbar is to extend from end to end at the middle of the frames. 29 Overlay the frames with gold and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold.
30 “Set up the tabernacle according to the plan shown you on the mountain.
31 “Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker. 32 Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. 33 Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. 34 Put the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law in the Most Holy Place. 35 Place the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it on the south side.
36 “For the entrance to the tent make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer. 37 Make gold hooks for this curtain and five posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold. And cast five bronze bases for them.
Footnotes
- Exodus 26:2 That is, about 42 feet long and 6 feet wide or about 13 meters long and 1.8 meters wide
- Exodus 26:8 That is, about 45 feet long and 6 feet wide or about 13.5 meters long and 1.8 meters wide
- Exodus 26:13 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
- Exodus 26:14 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals (see 25:5)
- Exodus 26:16 That is, about 15 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide or about 4.5 meters long and 68 centimeters wide
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.’1
Think Further
When we redecorated our lounge a few years ago, we spent a lot of time shopping for the right curtains – right in size, color and pattern, with the right curtain rails – so as to bring the project to completion. So why is it considered strange that God should give attention to the curtains that are going to adorn his home? If it’s God’s mobile home, to be dismantled and erected at his command, with some curtains serving as external walls, it seems absolutely essential to get it right.
Like everything else in the tabernacle, the curtains and frames convey spiritual lessons. The materials are deservedly luxurious, teaching that ‘worship is an exercise in extravagance’ where ‘nothing is too good or too costly for the Holy One’.2 They also teach that worship needs to be conducted in obedience with God’s command. Throughout these chapters there is a repeated stress on doing it ‘according to the plan shown you on the mountain’ (v 30).3 Good intentions are not sufficient in worshipping God. Human gifts, initiative and creativity require discipline and cleansing or, as history all too amply demonstrates, they can easily become ends in themselves, degenerating into idolatry. Starting with God’s commands about how we approach him is the only secure foundation for worship. This passage gives special attention to the curtain which divides the room for the covenant box from the rest (vs 31–35). Everything about this curtain cried, ‘Back off’, with the high priest’s annual visit alone exempt. Sinners cannot approach a holy God and survive. Centuries later, Christ ripped the curtain open by his death.4 After that, the torn curtain cries to those with faith to ‘Draw near’. There’s more here than meets the eye!
Apply
How might your church’s normal pattern of worship change if you took seriously the need to begin with God’s stipulations rather than what we want to offer him?
Closing prayer
Lord of my life, I surrender again my whole being to You. Use my gifts and talents for Your purposes and glory.
1 1 Chr 16:29 2 W Brueggemann, Exodus, New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Abingdon Press, 1994, p896–7 3 E.g. Exod 25:40; 27:8 4 Matt 27:51
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