God didn't leave anything concerning the tabernacle up to Moses to figure out. After God told him about the four layers that would make up the roof, He spoke about the boards of the tabernacle. The acacia wood that God wanted Moses to use for the walls and furniture grew in the desert.
You may not have ever considered this before, but the believers actually are these boards! When I read chapter 97, I got a renewed appreciation for the fact that when I received the Lord's life, I automatically become a "board" in God's spiritual building. And he points out in these chapters that this account in Exodus shows us that our salvation is for God's dwelling place; it's not just something individualistic.
In chapter 98 Witness Lee goes over the details of these boards. Here's excerpts from pages 1142 to 1148:
There's something else amazing that this chapter says about these boards. Because the size of each board is 1 1/2 cubits, it needs to have another board to make it a complete unit of 3 cubits. Even that has meaning, and you'll just have to click on the above link to read the entire chapter and find that out!
Take a closer look at this picture, and you'll see that every board also had three rings on it. When the walls were erected, bars were slid through them and this joined all the boards together. All the structural components of this tabernacle from the tenons that sunk into 100 pounds of silver to the rings that held the golden bars, everything was for stabilizing and unifying it from any attack.  |
Model of the tabernacle our friends
made for their Bible study on Exodus.
|
"The individual boards of the tabernacle must become a corporate entity. This requires a uniting power to join them and make them one. The tenons [each board had 2] and the sockets [each board had 2] are for us individually, but the rings and the bars are for us to be joined together corporately....These sockets signify stability for standing....According to 38:27, each socket was a talent of silver, weighing approximately one hundred pounds....Because these sockets were made of silver signifying redemption, I believe that the two tenons refer to our faith....Today as the church, we are one entity, one building, for God's habitation, because we stand on the silver of Christ's redemptive work and are united by the gold of His divine Person" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Exodus. Living Stream Ministry: Anaheim, 1982, Print).
There's something else amazing that this chapter says about these boards. Because the size of each board is 1 1/2 cubits, it needs to have another board to make it a complete unit of 3 cubits. Even that has meaning, and you'll just have to click on the above link to read the entire chapter and find that out! 
Although the exterior of the tabernacle was pretty ugly looking with a porpoise skin draped over it, when you walked into the holy place, all around you was gold. I found out that this shows us that God’s house should just reflect His own divine nature. By connecting this to 2 Corinthians 3:18, I saw that this is how the gold in us spreads over our "boards." In the next post, I'll tell you the things about the ark that I learned about from my reading!! You can listen to excerpts of this life training and some outstanding commentary by listening to Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee on Exodus.
Other Posts on the Life-Study of Exodus:
Why Did God Use So Many Women in Exodus 1 & 2?
Taking a Closer Look at the Conflict Between God and Pharaoh in Exodus 5
What Does the Name Jehovah Mean in Exodus 6:2?
Why Did God Really Send the Manna in Exodus 6?
What is the Meaning of the Bitter Waters at Marah in Exodus 15:23?
How are the 10 Commandments Like God's Engagement Covenant in Exodus 20?
How Can You Keep the 10 Commandments?
Why Did the Israelites Build a Tabernacle in Exodus 25:8?
Taking Another Look at the Priesthood of the Believers in Exodus 19:6
Seeing God's Spiritual Building in Exodus 26 - Part 1 of 1
No comments:
Post a Comment