Exodus 26:15 And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.
16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.
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.
18 And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward.
19 And 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.
20 And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards:
21 And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
22 And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards.
23 And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.
24 And 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.
25 And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
26 And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
27 And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward.
28 And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end.
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.
30 And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount.
We know the nation of Israel spent forty years wandering in the wilderness. According to what we read here, there must have been some fairly large trees in that wilderness. We see here the boards were to be ten cubits long (15 feet) by a cubit and a half (2.25 feet wide).
God shows us that He knows how to build. He gave the measurements, but He also told them how they could secure those boards for the walls. Those involved in the construction needed to understand this as well. Each board had two tenons in it. They must have taken some tools with them when they left Egypt. They would have had some building skills there because they were tasked with building for the Pharaoh.
We are not given the thickness of the boards but these too would need to be strong enough to withstand setting up and taking down and piling and then setting up over and over again. There would be different weather that they would be subjected to as well. We will read yet that their clothes and sandals did not wear out during that entire forty year period. God can also make the work last for longer than that. They had that Tabernacle in the land of Israel until the time of king Solomon.
Based on the instructions given here, the Tabernacle would have been about forty five feet long and fifteen feet high.
This structure would have been able to be seen for quite a distance with its size and the colourful covering on it. The boards were such that the tenons would fit into sockets that would keep them together. There was no need for nails in this structure. This would make it much more portable. The sockets were overlaid with sliver. This would keep them from splintering as the boards were set in place and then taken apart over and over again.
The end of the Tabernacle consisted of six boards (9 feet). We see that this structure was fairly long but not very wide. It was just big enough to house the vessels and for the priest to do his work within it.
The front of the Tabernacle would not have a solid wall. The priest would need to go in and out and the animals that were going to be sacrificed also needed to be brought in and the ashes removed. There was only one entrance into the Tabernacle, again depicting only one way of salvation. The multiplicity of ways to God suggested by the ecumenical camp are obviously wrong.
God continued to give detailed instructions on the construction of this Tabernacle. It would not twist and creak once set up. It would be sturdy. We are not told of any storms they faced during that time, but even so, that building would need to be able to stand square and not shaky and scary.
We need to keep in mind that this Tabernacle was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing shaky or scary about Him. He is strong and well able to provide salvation for all who will come to God in repentance. It is important to note that He is the judge of all the earth. The saved will meet Him at the judgment seat of Christ. The lost will meet Him at the great white throne judgment. Those who appear at that seat, and there will be many, will dread that day. They will be there due to their rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We read as well that the boards were overlaid with gold and the rings were also made with gold. We might want to consider the cost, but the cost was not the issue. This structure was to represent the Lord Jesus Christ. He is worth more than all the gold in this world. We can see that the Egyptians gave the nation of Israel quite a lot of gold as they left that land. God would put that gold to good use.
We read as well that God showed Moses what the finished structure was to look like before it was built. God knew what it would look like. He gave the detailed instructions and He demanded that it be assembled according to His plan. Moses saw this in the mount and he knew what to expect as the Tabernacle was being built.
God knew what His Son would look like before He was born and grew up. The people came to identify Him as a person, but most never saw Him as the Messiah. Today as well, many people have a corrupt idea of Who Jesus is. A few come to know Him as Saviour and Lord. Most people would never identify Him if He were to come to earth today. We know that those who are saved will be caught up to be with the Lord in the air one day soon. We will see Him as He is. The majority of the world will embrace the antichrist. That will be sad, but that is the result of rejecting the true God.
Once again we are reminded that our hope must be in the God of the Bible. No human being should take precedence over the sure Word of God. Be sure you are reading His Word daily and that you are making much of Him and less about man. Godly men will always point people to the true God. Thus we know they will be seeking to be careful with the Word of God so as not to corrupt what God has said.
Moses was reminded many times of the importance of following God’s laws. He would need to impress upon the people who would be building this Tabernacle of the importance of following instructions carefully. The Tabernacle was not just a tent. It was a picture of that promised seed of Genesis 3:15. Everything that is needed for life is found in Jesus Christ. Be sure you know Him.
Pastor Bartel