The Tabernacle - Timeless Truths of The Foundation, Boards, and Bars.
The Foundation
The foundation was made of solid silver. It was very costly. There has never been and never will be another foundation like it.
As we have progressed thru this study we have seen how the materials used in the tabernacle have symbolic meaning. And instead of just saying that white symbolizes righteousness and leaving it at that, we have took the time to look at Bible verses that show us what white symbolizes.
Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Instead of just saying brass is a symbol of judgment we looked at several Bible verses that show us the connection.
When we looked at the fence we looked at what white and brass symbolized and where we get that from the Bible.
But there was a third material in the fence. There was also silver. The fence was made of white and brass showing that God’s righteousness and God’s judgment was a barrier to a sinful man coming into fellowship with a Holy God.
But there was also the silver. We did not have the time in that lesson to take a look at what silver symbolizes. So I told you that silver is a symbol of redemption.
In the fence we have righteousness, judgment, and redemption displayed to all.
God did not want anyone coming to the fence and seeing only a barrier or righteousness and judgment and thus walking away without hope. Along side the judgment, God showed that there is a way to be redeemed.
God wants the world to know that He will judge but that there is a way of redemption. That is one of the reasons that he gave us His Word so that we would know the way of redemption.
1Jo 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
And then He told us to go.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.
Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
He told us to go because God wants redemption shown to all.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
You cannot be walking close to God and not have a heart to see souls saved. You cannot have your heart right with God and not be involved in getting the gospel out.
List ways.
Tithe – support the church – Two people got saved after Mr. Robbins’ funeral.
Give to missions
Pray
Show up to church, encourage the pastor, pray during the invitation.
Personal witnessing to friends and family.
Leave tracks
Saturday door knocking
– grocery store – bus stops – hotels – restaurants.
God wants the lost world to know about redemption. That is the message of the silver in the fence.
I asked you to take my word for it until we get to the foundation of the tabernacle tent. Well today we have come to the foundation and so we are going to look at the silver.
The Silver
Exo 30:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Exo 30:12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when [thou] numberest them.
Exo 30:13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel [is] twenty gerahs:) an half shekel [shall be] the offering of the LORD.
Exo 30:14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.
Exo 30:15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when [they] give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
Exo 30:16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
Every man had to give a half shekel as a ransom for his soul. This was not optional. Some will make an error and say that this is works. This is an example in the Bible of buying your way to heaven. Paying a ransom for the soul. The Catholics call it selling indulgences.
That is not what is being pictured here. You cannot buy your way to heaven.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
If you were to try to buy your way, what is a soul worth?
Mat 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
The implication there is that one soul is worth more than the whole world. The answer to the rhetorical question what shall a man give in exchange for his soul is nothing. There is nothing that you can give that is worth enough.
There is nothing in the world valuable enough. In fact the only thing valuable enough to redeem a soul is the precious blood of Christ.
So since it is not works and buying your way to heaven, what is being pictured here?
First the amount that they were to give was almost insignificant. It really was pocket change. I read one estimate that put it around 60 cents by our standards. It was an amount that was so small that anyone could pay it. It was available to all. It cost them almost nothing.
Salvation costs us almost nothing. When I say almost nothing I am referring to having to give up some pride in realizing that you cannot save yourself.
Second every man had to partake for himself. There was no exceptions. One man could not pay his half shekel and also pay his brothers half shekel. It is the same with salvation today. No one gets saved because of their parents getting saved. No one gets saved because someone else said a prayer for you. You have to ask God yourself to get saved.
Third every man was equal.
Exo 30:15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when [they] give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
No one got special treatment. When it comes to salvation God is no respecter of persons.
Nothing extra is required of the rich to get saved and the poor do not get cut any slack. All must come the exact same way. No exceptions.
The ground is level at the cross.
The point in having everyone bring the money was that everyone had to take part for himself.
They had to apply this truth for themselves.
You don’t get saved by what your father, mother, or grandparents did.
Salvation is an individual issue.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
God had them give this token amount to teach many lessons. That atonement cost them nothing, two that every man had to partake for himself, and third no special treatment for anyone. It also sets the typology of silver speaking of atonement. And just so that no one would misunderstand God made a clarification in verse 16. God did not want anyone thinking that giving this money bought their way to heaven.
Exo 30:16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
God clearly told them that it was only a memorial. The silver did not do the saving itself. Instead it was a memorial of what did do the saving. And that is the redemptive work of Christ.
But you say I saw a half shekel in those verses but where do you get silver out of that.
They gave half shekels of silver.
Exo 38:25 And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation [was] an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:
Exo 38:26 A bekah for every man, [that is], half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty [men].
Exo 38:27 And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the vail; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket.
The foundation is Christ. The foundation speaks of redemption. It was made of the redemption money of the children of Israel. Thus the connection between silver and the atoning redemptive work of Christ.
The amount that a man gave was insignificant. But the foundation itself was priceless.
Each of the 100 sockets of silver was made of a talent.
A Talent is equivalent to about 75.5 pounds.
At 17.50 cents an ounce that is 21,140 per socket.
It would cost 2,114,000 dollars today for this foundation.
The value of the foundation is incredible and very costly. And our redemption is very costly for it is the precious blood of Christ.
But costly for who. It was not costly for us. The redemption price for Israel was within reach of all. Everyone was to bring an amount that was worth pennies.
But the cost to God. Salvation is free to us. But we were bought with a price.
1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
You should be clearly seeing by now that the foundation of the Tabernacle is a picture of Christ. Christ is the foundation.
1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
The Boards
The church is built upon the foundation of Christ. He is the chief corner stone.
The boards of the tabernacle can be likened unto individual Christians who are being builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone];
Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
The boards had to first be cut down from their natural standing. The board was first a tree that had to die. We are all born sinners. We must die that we might have life.
2Ti 2:11 [It is] a faithful saying: For if we be dead with [him], we shall also live with [him]:
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Each board was then prepared and shaped. And that is what God does to us.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Each board was put in proper place by Moses. Moses was a type of Christ. Christ alone can add to His Church.
Act 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Jesus adds daily to the Church such as should be saved.
Moses put each board in the exact place he wanted it.
Jesus also places us in the exact place He wants us.
Each board had two tenons (Hands) that fit into the foundation.
We are held by God the Father and God the Son.
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30 I and [my] Father are one.
Every board was the same length. All rested upon the same atonement money.
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
All were covered with gold. God sees every believer in Christ.
The boards stood vertically.
As each board individually rested upon the foundation of silver, so each Christian rests upon the redemption of Christ. If the boards were horizontal, then only the bottom one would be resting on the foundation and the rest would be resting on others. But that is not the way it works. Each believer must rest on the foundation for himself. You cannot count or rest on anyone else’s faith. You have to rest on the foundation for yourself.
“On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.”
No one can rest on the merits of another. Each must rest upon the foundation of silver for himself.
The foundation also separated the boards from the earth. We must be separated from the world.
Just as the silver foundation separated the boards from the desert sand or the world, so are Christians separated from the world by redemption.
Each board was made of wood overlaid with gold. Wood represents the human nature and gold the divine nature. Each Christian also has the two natures. God comes and lives within you when you get saved.
As the boards stood upon the foundation of silver, they reflected the light of the lamp stand. Christians rest upon redemption and reflect the glory of the Lord.
Each and every board had a past history. In the past it was a tree drawing its very life from the ground. But it was cut off. The connection with the earth was severed. It once had natural beauty such as branches, leaves and bark. This was removed and it was overlaid with gold.
Christians once lived in the world and drew their pleasures from that source. Once the Christian is saved their connection with the world was severed. The natural attractions to Satan’s worldly system were lost. Their old associates and habits fell away and they were made partakers of the divine nature.
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
The Bars
The boards were held together by 5 bars.
The boards were bound together.
We can be held together as Christian by visible ties such as our local church body of believers.
The common work that we are involved in for Christ thru His church binds us together. The friendships that we build with others in the church binds us together. When we help each other out and when we rejoice or weep together that bonds us together.
4 bars were visible and one was invisible.
One bar was made to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other.
Exo 36:33 And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other.
But there is an inner tie that binds our hearts together. It is the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Eph 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
The invisible Holy Spirit that ties us together is what is pictured by the bar that ran thru the inside of the boards that could not be seen.
Again we see that a lot of N.T. truth is pictured for us in the Tabernacle. We should be like the boards of the Tabernacle.
Joined together in fellowship. Held together by ties that bind. Each and every one standing on the foundation of Christ for himself. Each one being held by the grip of Christ. Every one of us separated from the world by Christ. Each one showing forth the gold of our divine nature instead of the bark of the old life. Each one reflecting the light of the candlestick.
We are just boards that have been reworked and put into a place of usefulness by Christ resting only on Him.