The Tabernacle,  The Framework Of The Tabernacle, Exodus 26:15-30, Part 2- Lesson 34

We continue our study of the framework of the tabernacle so let us read a few verses relative to God’s direction to Moses as to its configuration.

This configuration is detailed by God in Exodus 26 where we will read verses 15-17,  And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up. ¹⁶Ten cubits (15 feet) shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half (27 inches) shall be the breadth of one board. ¹⁷Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle.

Now if you read further in this passage you will find that God specifies a total of 48 upright boards on three sides, north, south and west and that each board is to be overlaid with gold.

Each is an upright figure, appearing as if each board was a soldier, shoulder to shoulder, at attention before the throne of God.

Three sides only are to be made, for the east side was the entrance side of the structure which was covered by the first veil at the entrance to the Holy Place.

Each of these Boards was to be gold plated, which is to remind us of the fact that that which is from the earth, is to become that which is of heaven.

All of the Boards were to measure up to this Divine Standard in order to qualify as a Board in God's Tabernacle.

Again we see the exclusivity of God for there was only one standard for all the Boards.

The structure tells us that God has but one standard for the Church, and that standard is our blessed and most Holy, the Lord Jesus Christ!

As I have previously taught Satan is successful in bringing many to refuse the Gospel message for many focus on the wrong standard, focusing only on the members of the body of Christ, who are naturally of fault, but refusing to focus on the head of the body, the standard for the church, Jesus Christ, who is without fault.

Satan deceives by promoting the idea of measuring and comparing ourselves among ourselves, which will always bring a faulty measure.

When we hear the cry that everybody is doing it, that is what is taking place, comparing ourselves among ourselves in order to justify ourselves which is not wise.

Just think of standing before the Great White Throne Judgment and spouting this argument for not responding to God’s call.

As young people say, How lame can you get?

One verse in scripture casts aside any argument that is based upon this premise for the man and only the man Christ Jesus is the pattern and standard for living.

For He is the one to whom we are being conformed.

Romans 8:29,  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

In Ezekiel 43:10 where God is speaking of the millennial temple which is again a picture of Christ He tells Israel to measure themselves against the pattern that they may be ashamed of their iniquities.

Ezekiel 43:10,  Thou son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.

This instruction is again given to us in the New Testament where we are told to study God’s word which is the pattern against which we are to compare ourselves.

II Timothy 2:15,  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

I am not to spend my time studying you if I expect to be approved unto God.

I am to spend my time studying Jesus Christ if I expect to be approved unto God.

For only in Jesus Christ will I find acceptance from God as did the tabernacle boards, built according to God’s standard found acceptance from God.

Building our own lives according to our own standard brings us no standing before God for God must build us according to his standard to gain His acceptance.

Now the Boards were to be ten cubits high, which is 15 feet.

Remember the dimensions of the Most Holy Place were 10 by 10 by 10 cubits, a volume of 1000 cubed cubits.

The number ten speaks to us of trial and testing, law, order and responsibility.

In Scripture there are: 10 Commandments, 10 Talents, and 10 Virgins.

This speaks to us of our responsibility before God.

The Lord will have a building made up of those who are tried and tested, who have submitted to His Divine law and order and who are not afraid to take responsibility before Him.

Much pruning of the life must take place.

We can imagine how much of the tree was discarded in order to arrive at the finished board.

In fact it is easy to see in nature and in the growing of things, and in the making of things how much is discarded as waste and how much is kept.

I have found in woodworking from the beginning of the process, that of the felling of the tree, to the finished product that most of that which results from the woodworking process is discarded.

This is so true in the growing of things.

In order to get to the fruit most of that which results along the way to the finished food is discarded.

God is a husbandman and he is headed toward a harvest but not only a harvest but a processing of the harvest that good fruit may come.

Most of the harvest is discarded.

Jesus said, broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: ¹⁴Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Here he is saying that most of the harvest is lost.

Nature itself proclaims this.

As in any harvest most is chaff but in order to have fruit you must have chaff.

In order to have boards for the tabernacle you must have shavings, you must have chaff.

God is taking out a people for his name but in order to take out you must have something to take out from and everything in nature teaches us that most is chaff but God always has his fruit among the chaff.

Even the boards of the tabernacle teach us this for the result of the finished board dictated that only a remnant of the tree resulted in fruit.

Another interesting measurement of these boards was their width - 1 1/2 cubits wide.

As we have already seen, the Grate Of The Brazen Altar, the Table of Showbread and the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant all shared this dimension of 1 1/2 cubits.

As we see all of these in connection with the Tabernacle, we see that the believer must have met Christ at the Brazen Altar (THE CROSS), he must have been to the Mercy Seat (THE THRONE OF GRACE), and he must be in fellowship at the Table of Showbread (COMMUNION) to find his proper place in the structure of the Tabernacle.

Now each of the 48 boards were to be built with two tenons each.

Exodus 26:17, Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle.

The Hebrew word for "tenon" is literally "hands."

We usually think of a mortise and tenon connection which is basically a square or rectangular hole (mortise) into which is inserted a correspondingly shaped member (tenon) made to fit the hole exactly.

These tenons were instrumental in holding the structure together.

Each Board had its two tenons.

I believe the boards speak of believers and that the two tenons could speak of those two foundational facts that hold us together in fellowship.

They are the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the two pillars of our faith.

Believers must see that Christ died in our place and that He also lives that we might live.

The boards were to be set in order one against the other.

Exodus 26:18,  And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward.

The Boards were to stand upright on their own and yet they were to stand collectively to make up a dwelling place for the Lord.

No individual Board could make up a fit dwelling place for the Lord God.

It was only as the many Boards came together and, as we will see later, were held together by the bars that the structure became stable and functional.

All the boards together were designed to stand on the earth but they were not tied to the earth.

No boards were buried in the earth but only stood upon sockets which provided their foundations.

It was a pilgrim structure designed to be moved from place to place.

It symbolized the believer’s admonition to love not the world, neither the things of the world.

When every Board was in its place the Tabernacle was complete and the Glory of God could dwell within.

The Church is one body, yet many "boards," or members.

God respects the assembly of believers when they dwell together in one accord and in one place.

It is a very "pleasant" thing for brethren to dwell together in unity.

Acts 2:1,  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

Psalm 133:1-3,  A Song of degrees of David. - Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! [2] It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; [3] As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

Ephesians 2:21-22,  In whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto an holy temple in the Lord: [22] In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Ephesians 4:3,  Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:13,  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

1 Corinthians 12:12-18,  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. [13] For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. [14] For the body is not one member, but many. [15] If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? [16] And if the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? [17] If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where was the smelling? [18] But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

Now the actual Framework of the Tabernacle consisted of 48 Boards, 20 Boards for the South Side, 20 Boards for the North Side, 6 Boards for the West Side, 2 Boards for the corners on the West end giving a total of 48 boards.

Exodus 26:18-24 defines this total,  And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward. ¹⁹And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons. ²⁰And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards: ²¹And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. ²²And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards. ²³And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. ²⁴And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners.

These 48 Boards formed one tabernacle.

In the number 48 we have the factors 4 X 12.

Four is the number of the earth and speaks of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ Matthew, recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that would eventually go into all the world.

The Church reaches to the four corners of the earth.

The number 12 is the number of Divine Government and Apostolic fullness.

There were twelve tribes of Israel.

There were TWELVE loaves in the Table of Showbread.

The Church is built upon the foundation of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The Corner boards speak to us of Christ who is the Cornerstone (Psalms 118:22; Isaiah 28:16).

The Corner boards were to give stability and structure to the Tabernacle.

The Corner boards were instrumental in squaring off the building and giving it its alignment.

Even so Christ and His Apostles were that which gave that initial stability to the early Church.

They laid the foundation and got the building off the ground on the proper alignment being firmly laid in God's Word.

Coupling rings, which were to be beneath and above the Corner Boards, supported the Corner Boards.

These rings would give added rigidity to the Framework and would be instrumental in keeping the Boards from leaning.

These rings were very important to the overall strength of the Framework, and yet, they were virtually unseen when the Tabernacle was fully erected.

A ring always speaks to us of the eternal nature of God.

The unseen binding ring would best apply to the ministry of the Holy Spirit who is unseen and yet BINDS believers (Boards) together to make up the ONE BODY, the ONE BUILDING, of CHRIST.

The number 48 is used one other time in scripture in Joshua 21 where Joshua gave the Levitical tribes 48 cities to dwell in as part of their blessings for priestly service and ministry.

These Boards were to be overlaid with pure god.

Exodus 26:29,  And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold.

Again, the same thought as in many other articles of furniture in the Tabernacle, which were made of shittim wood overlaid with gold, that deity overlaid humanity in CHRIST AND also the CHURCH.

Jesus is the God-man. He received the wood, or human nature from His mother Mary, making Him the Son of Man.

He receives the gold or Divine nature from His heavenly Father, GOD, making him the SON OF GOD.

The Boards overlaid with gold point to the believer (wood) who is standing IN CHRIST.

The believer is cut off from the old desert life of sin, his natural glory is stripped off, he is planed, shaped and fashioned to God's pattern and measurements.

In CHRIST we are BORN AGAIN of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God (1 Peter 1:4, 23).

We become PARTAKERS, not imitators of the DIVINE NATURE (2 Peter 1:4)

1 Peter 1:4,23,  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you; Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides for ever.

2 Peter 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.