Exodus 38:8

The next several verses in Exodus chapter 38 tell us about the courtyards that were constructed on each side of the tabernacle. These courtyards provided a buffer between the tabernacle and the outside world, and they also provided a place where small groups of believers could gather in the name of the Lord. One such group is mentioned in Exodus 38:8, “And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” Concerning the courtyards, the Bible says in Exodus 38:9-13, “And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, an hundred cubits: Their pillars were twenty, and their brasen sockets twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. And for the north side the hangings were an hundred cubits, their pillars were twenty, and their sockets of brass twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. And for the east side eastward fifty cubits.” This place of worship, called the tabernacle, was built so that small groups could gather there in the name of the Lord.

The rest of chapter 38 in the book of Exodus gives us some very specific details about the tabernacle and the children of Israel. As we look at these details, we are reminded of a particular characteristic about the Word of God: we are not only being taught spiritual principles, but we are also being given all of the details about a particular situation that God wants us to have. Sometimes God gives us great detail, and sometimes He does not. But God does give us all of the information that He wants us to have for now. Some day He will give us more. It says in First Corinthians 13:9-12, “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

God has given us tremendous detailed information about the tabernacle and the construction of the tabernacle. Perhaps the Lord has given us this information so that we can learn some valuable lessons from it. The tabernacle is the only religious structure in the Bible for which God Himself has given the details about how it should be constructed. The temple was simply patterned after the tabernacle. We are given no instructions about church buildings. Church buildings do not even exist in the New Testament. Believers met in homes, and church buildings were built later in order to meet a practical need.

If we understand the tabernacle, then we will understand what God is telling us about true worship. Even though the tabernacle was richly made and beautifully adorned, there were only a small number of objects within the tabernacle. Each object teaches us an important spiritual lesson about the elements of true spiritual worship, according to the Lord Himself. God designed the tabernacle for a reason: and that reason was to teach all believers of all ages what are the important spiritual elements of knowing and serving God. The ark of the covenant had the Ten Commandments within it written with the hand of God. The ark of the covenant always went “before” the children of Israel as they traveled from one place to another. This symbolizes the fact that the believer must have the written Word of God always “before” them. The Word of God is our guide and instruction book as we travel through this world of woe on our way to our home with the Savior. He speaks to us through His Word.

The ark of the covenant also reminds us of the difference between law and grace. The Ten Commandments are the central point of focus in the Law of Moses upon which the Old Covenant of the Law is based. The Old Testament is based upon the law which tells us, “Obey these laws or die.” The New Testament is based upon grace which tells us that “Even though we have failed to obey as we should, we can be completely forgiven through faith in Christ and find life.” It says in John 1:17, “The law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” The mercy seat attached to the outside and to the top of the ark of the covenant reminds us that even though we have failed to keep the covenant, we can find mercy from Christ when we bow our heads and say, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

The altar of incense inside the tabernacle tells us how very much God enjoys our prayers. He loves it when we truthfully share our life with Him: our joys, our challenges, our opportunities, our decisions, and our failures. Jesus said, “My house shall be called the house of prayer.” In the age in which we live each believer is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, our true spirituality will to a great degree be measured not by how much we go to church or how much money we give, but by how genuinely we talk to the Lord about the details of our lives.

There was a golden candlestick with seven lights inside the tabernacle. Without the candlestick there would have been nothing but darkness there. This is an important reminder that Jesus is the Light of the world, and once we believe in Him, we become His lights that He uses to shine forth the gospel in this world of tremendous spiritual darkness.

Outside the tabernacle in front of the entrance to the tabernacle was the great brazen altar for burnt offerings. This is where the animals were slaughtered in sacrifice and then entirely consumed upon the great fire that was made upon the altar. It was a place of death and of blood and of the smell of burning flesh day after day and year after year for hundreds of years during the time of the Old Testament: but no more. The altar for the Christian is the cross of Calvary. The fires of burning symbolized judgment. Jesus was entirely consumed upon the cross of Calvary. He was judged for us and in our place. We go to the place of sacrificial death, and we find there a risen Savior. He died for us and He gave His all for us, but He ever lives to meet our every need and to answer our every prayer.

When the tabernacle was built, the Lord gave very precise information on how to construct the tabernacle. Evidently, it was very important to the Lord that it be made just right. This symbolizes the fact that the Lord does want to direct every detail of our lives. He wants to be intimately involved in everything that we do. There is no detail or circumstance of our life that is too small for Him or that is unimportant to Him. We truly can put everything into His hands, and we can know that the Lord Jesus is interested and that He cares. Another example of the details that were given for the tabernacle is found in Exodus 38:18-22 that says, “And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court. And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets of silver. And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass. This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest. And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses.” The Lord has commands for each one of us. That is to say, the Lord has a will for each one of us. There are things that He wants you to do. If all the things that the Lord wants you to do were written down, would you be able to write at the end of the list that you did “all that the LORD commanded.”

It is interesting to read just how much gold, silver, and brass went into the making of the tabernacle. Some details are listed for us in Exodus 38:24-29. It says, “All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 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: 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. 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. And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them. And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels.”

For some reason God wants to tell us the total amount of gold and silver that went into the making of the tabernacle. It says in Exodus 38:24 speaks of twenty-nine talents of gold. According to the price of gold today, those amounts of gold equals almost 50 million dollars. One hundred talents of silver equals about four and a half million dollars. One thing that can be learned about these precise numbers that are given to us is that God wants there to be an accurate accounting of any money that is collected or used in the service of the Lord. It says in Romans 12:17, “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.”

We should make note of one more item that was made in association with the tabernacle: the laver of brass. It is mentioned in Exodus 38:8, “And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” An it also says in Exodus 30:18-21, “Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD: So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.”

The priests were not allowed to enter the tabernacle unless they washed their hands and their feet. Entering into the tabernacle symbolized entering into the presence of the Lord. Washing the hands and the feet symbolized washing away the daily sins. As you walk your daily walk and perform your daily tasks, you sin. Even though you are a believer in Jesus, you are still a sinner. That will be true until you go to heaven. That is why it says in First John 1:7-9, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We can enter into fellowship with Jesus each day, not because of how good we are, but because He forgives us our sins when we confess our sins.

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