“And for the tabernacle you shall make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright” (Ex. 26:15).
God gave very particular directions about the boards of the tabernacle which were to hold up the curtains. The boards had to be secure because the stakes of the tent needed to be able to withstand the wind that would often blow across the plains. These boards had tenons that fitted into structures fashioned with silver bases. God made sure that everything within the structure was strong as well as beautiful. Curtains without interlocking boards would have been shaken by the strong winds and very easily toppled.
God made certain that His tabernacle was secure, just as He now takes care that His church is rooted in a strong foundation. We are not left to be blown about by every wind of doctrine, but God establishes His people in the truth of His Word. He has given the testimony of His Son in written form that we will be rooted firmly in the sound doctrine delivered by the apostles. It is when His church strays from the solid foundation of the Bible, when it exalts the thoughts of man and the imaginations of people above the teaching of Scripture, that the church becomes weak and exposes itself to corrupt teaching. When this happens, we cannot blame God for not giving us a firm foundation, for not supporting us with the “boards” of His grace and His truth, but we must blame ourselves for straying from His directives and putting our own inventions above the Word of God.
When the Israelites followed precisely the directions of God, the tabernacle was beautiful and strong, a splendid place for God to dwell among His people and for them to approach Him in worship. This tabernacle fit the infant state of the church, when such things properly filled the minds of the worshippers with reverence for God’s glory and affected them with the greatness of that prince who said, “Here will I dwell,” alluding to the new Jerusalem which is of pure gold (Rev. 21:18).
The builders of the New Testament church, however, do not need structures of gold and silver, for the glory of our “building” far exceeds that of the the tabernacle: “For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious” (2 Cor. 3:10–11 emphasis added).
As you read through these final chapters of Exodus, pay attention to the detail of God’s instructions. Notice how He is concerned about every aspect of worship. There are many principles from these instructions that we can apply today.
