(Exodus) Exodus 37:1-29 — J. Vernon McGee

The Linen Curtains and Christ's Righteousness

Now, we're told in verse 8, they're making first the linen curtains. And every wise-hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twine, linen, and blue and purple and scarlet, with cherry beams of cunning work made he them.

This was the covering of the tabernacle. Actually, it was the covering of all the tabernacle. It was the covering that went on the articles of furniture first when they went out on the wilderness march.

It was the fence outside. All was the linen. Now that fine twine, Egyptian bisis linen, speaks of the righteousness of Christ. It speaks of who He is, His character, and it speaks of the righteousness that He provides for us that we might be clothed and stand in God's presence.

And the thing that's all important is to see that Christ is adequate to meet our needs, that He's able to save. And you'll notice so many times it says He is able. He's able to deliver us. That's important to see.

The Boards, Sockets, and Redemption

Now that's the first thing that we have. Now we have the curtains of goat's hair and the covering of ram's skin and the boards and the sockets. This has to do, friends, with the outside of the tabernacle.

As I have said before in my book, I've dwelt on the articles of furniture, the tabernacle, but I believe that every thread and every piece of cord, every stake, every color, all of that speaks of the person of Christ in some way or another.

And that's what we have here. We have now the boards and the sockets. Now, the tabernacle proper was 30 cubits long by 10 cubits wide by 10 cubits high. And it was made of acacia wood, and these boards were overlaid with gold all the way around.

And they were a cubit and a half wide. And on the wilderness march, they were very heavy to carry. And you find that they were carried in wagons. All the articles of furniture were carried on the shoulders of the priests, the family of Levi.

And you find here that this outer shell, as it were, were these golden boards, and they were upright. But each one of them had certain sockets. That is, they had tenons that would fit down in sockets of silver so that the entire tabernacle rested upon the silver.

And the silver, as we shall see, is redemption. And then you find that that was the entire tabernacle proper. But then we find that it was held together by bars. There were certain rings put in each board, and then when it was set up, these bars were fitted in place, run through, and that would bind the tabernacle together.

The Veil, Holy Place, and Holy of Holies

It was a very compact sort of thing, you see. And then it had an inner veil, and I'm not going to read all of the instructions again. I've read them once. And it had this inner veil that separated the main tabernacle into two compartments.

The smaller compartment was the Holy of Holies, and then the larger compartment, which the priests entered first, was called the Holy Place. And then there was the outer court, and around the outer court, there was a fence, five cubits high, made of fine twine, white bisis, Egyptian linen, 100 cubits long but 50 cubits wide.

And it was fitted upon these poles, actually. It was made into a fence, and these were posts, and they were made of brass. And that, again, speaks of judgment of sin. And the two articles of furniture in the outer court, you have the brazen altar and the leva.

And then you step inside, and you have the three articles of furniture in the Holy Place. That's the golden lampstand, the table of showbread, and the altar of incense. And then in the Holy Place, you have the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat.

Three Compartments and Three Entrances

Now, at this time, I'm not going into measurements of the articles of furniture except to call attention to several things that concern them. Actually, there are three compartments to the tabernacle. There are three entrances to the tabernacle.

Out in front, there was that led into the outer court through the fence, was this gate. And then there was the door of the tabernacle that led into it properly, into the Holy Place. And then into the Holy of Holies, into which only the high priest went once a year.

And we'll see that on the Day of Atonement when we get to Leviticus, why he went in past the veil, and he took blood, and he put it on the mercy seat. And that is what made it a mercy seat. It was just a top for the box.

The Furniture as a Picture of Christ's Work

Now, there were, therefore, these seven articles of furniture, ranged as they are. And they present a very wonderful picture for us here, friends. The brazen altar speaks of the cross of Christ. That's where you receive forgiveness of sin.

The next one is the lava. That's where the priests went for washing. That speaks of the fact that Christ today washes those that are on their feet. That's where we confess our sins. And that's the place where we get washed.

The brazen altar is where sinners are forgiven. And the lava is where saints are cleansed, receive forgiveness. And then in the Holy Place is the place of worship. There's the golden lampstand. That's Christ, the light of the world.

The table of showbread is Christ, the bread of life that we feed on today. And then the altar of incense is the altar of prayer. It speaks of the fact He's our intercessor. For that altar, in Hebrews, has been moved into the Holy of Holies.

But it's outside also where you and I come today, and in worship, therefore. And this is the place where believers come, and only believers could come in here. And if you want the light of the world, you went outside.

If you want the light from the lampstand, you got to come inside. If you want to serve Christ, friend, you don't walk by the wisdom of the world. You walk by the light of the Word of God. The table of showbread is when you feed on Him, and that's worship.

And when we pray, and prayer has to do with praise to God, thanksgiving to Him. It has to do with requests. It has to do with confession. These are the things that have to do with worship. And all of that is in the Holy Place.

The Mercy Seat and Access Through Christ

Then in the Holy of Holies, that is where He's gone into the presence of God. And we're told to come there that it's a throne of grace, that we might find grace and help, and obtain mercy. That's a mercy seat for us today.

Now, when Christ came to this earth, He not only fulfilled all this, but He did something quite unusual. This tabernacle was always horizontal to the earth. It was always put out there on the wilderness march.

May I say that what Christ did now is make it perpendicular. The cross is here on earth. The lava is the place where you and I come in confession, but He's up yonder to cleanse us and to forgive us our sins.

And then we worship God in spirit and in truth today. And He's up yonder in heaven. That's where the Holy of Holies is, and the throne of God's become a mercy seat, and we approach there. We don't go horizontally to God today, but going actually to a building or to a man, but we look up and go directly to Him today, and we go through Christ.

There's one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Now, as I've been talking to you today, I have been looking at this chart of the tabernacle. I trust that you have, and I just took it when I said that it was horizontal with the earth, and I just ended it up.

The Living Christ and the Believer's Need

And if you'll end it up, you will see the position of everything today. The cross was down here where He died. He died down here to save us, but He's gone up yonder, and He lives up there, the living Christ, to keep us saved.

And you and I approach Him this way. Where are you today, friend? All kinds of folk are listening. Do you need to stand at the brazen altar to be saved? There are many church members that need to go there.

Are you a dirty Christian that you need to confess your sins? You need to stand at the laver. Are you walking actually in darkness today? We get so many letters from folk who thought they were Christians, and they were not.

Maybe you're not feeding on Christ, and you're pretty anemic, and maybe you need to go to the golden altar of incense. Maybe your prayer life is very beggarly today. These are the places. And maybe you are in trouble and in a dark place, and you need mercy, and you need grace to help, and you're in a time of need.

Well, there's that mercy seat for you today, and go there.