Exodus 38

When a worshipper came to the tabernacle to offer a sacrifice, the first thing he met was a white linen fence, 150 feet long and seventy-five feet wide, that surrounded the tabernacle and created a courtyard area where the priests ministered. The tabernacle proper stood at the west end of this courtyard, and at the east end was a thirty-foot entrance to the enclosure. Here the priests met the people who came to offer sacrifices and examined each animal carefully to make sure it was acceptable. The worshipper would put his hand on the animal’s head to identify with the offering (Lev. 1:1–9), and then the priest would slay the animal and offer it on the brazen altar according to the regulations given in Leviticus 1—7.

There was only one entrance to the enclosure and therefore only one way to get to the altar of God. When God puts up a fence and assigns the way in, nobody has the authority to question it or change it. Jesus claimed to be the only door (John 10:9) and the only way to God (14:6), which explains why Peter said, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4: nkjv). In today’s pluralistic society, many people like to think that every way is acceptable to God, but that attitude leads to death (Prov. 14:12; 16:25; Matt. 7:13–27).

The brazen altar was a hollow “box,” seven and a half feet wide and four and a half feet high, made of acacia wood covered with bronze. In Scripture, bronze is often identified with judgment (Num. 21:4–9; Deut. 28:23; Rev. 1:15). Two and a half feet from the top, inside the “box,” was a bronze grating on which the priests kept a fire burning (Lev. 6:8–13) and through which the ashes of the wood and the sacrifices fell. Because they were part of offerings dedicated to God, these ashes were considered ceremonially clean and were collected on the east side of the altar. Regularly, the priests carried these ashes outside the camp to a clean place (1:16; 4:12; 6:10–11).

Unlike the golden altar of incense in the holy place, the brazen altar was a place of bloodshed and death, for “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9: niv). If a sinner could manage to enter the tabernacle courtyard and wash in the laver, that wouldn’t save him, nor would he be forgiven if he entered the holy place and ate the bread or burned the incense. The way into the presence of God began at the brazen altar where innocent victims died for guilty sinners. In short, the brazen altar takes us immediately to Calvary where the Son of God died for the sins of the world (Matt. 26:26–28; John 1:29; 3:14–16; Rom. 5:8; 1 Peter 2:24).

Each morning, the priests were to offer a burnt offering on the brazen altar (Ex. 29:42–43), a picture of total dedication to the Lord (Lev. 1). That would be a good way for each of God’s children to begin the day, presenting ourselves in total dedication to God as “living sacrifices” (Rom. 12:1–2).

Preachers and evangelists sometimes invite people in their congregations to “come to the altar,” but there are no altars on earth that are ordained of God or acceptable to God. Why? Because the death of Jesus Christ took care of the sin problem once and for all (Heb. 9:25–28). No more sacrifices can be or should be offered. The Lord’s Supper (Communion, Eucharist) is a reminder of His sacrifice, not a repeat of His sacrifice.

The only “altar” believers have today is Jesus Christ Himself who bears on His glorified body the wounds of the cross (Heb. 13:10; Luke 24:39; John 20:20). As a holy priesthood, believers “offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2: nkjv, italics mine). We present to Him our bodies (Rom. 12:1–2), our material wealth (Phil. 4:18), praise and good works (Heb. 13:15–16), and a broken heart (Ps. 51:17).

We have three more pieces of tabernacle furniture to study: the incense altar; the laver; and the brazen altar. Then we want to look at the tabernacle structure itself, the framework, the coverings, and the veils. As we study, our emphasis will continue to be on the God of the tabernacle and what He does for His people.

In the tabernacle courtyard, the laver stood between the brazen altar and the tent, and the priests and Levites had to stop there regularly to wash their hands and feet. If they entered the tent or served at the brazen altar without first washing, they were in danger of death.

The Lord didn’t specify either the size or shape of the laver, nor do the instructions say anything about how it was carried when the nation was moving to a new location. The size and shape of the laver wasn’t the important thing; it was the contents of the laver that really mattered. It held clean water, and the supply was replenished all day long by the Levites.

In Scripture, water for drinking is a picture of the Spirit of God (John 7:37–39), while water for washing is a picture of the Word of God (Ps. 119:9; John 15:3; Eph. 5:25–27). The laver, then, typifies the Word of God that cleanses the mind and heart of those who receive it and obey it (John 17:17). The fact that the laver was made out of the bronze mirrors of the Jewish women (Ex. 38:8) is evidence that it typifies God’s Word, for the Word of God is compared to a mirror (James 1:22–26; 2 Cor. 3:18).

Under the Old Testament economy, there were three ways to achieve ceremonial cleansing: by water, by fire, or by blood. We are cleansed from the guilt of sin by the blood of Jesus Christ shed for us on the cross, and when we confess our sins, that blood cleanses us (1 John 1:5—2:2). But when we disobey God, our hearts and minds are defiled by sin (see Ps. 51), and it’s the “washing of the word” (Eph. 5:26) that restores us.

But the Old Testament priests became defiled, not by sinning against God but by serving God! Their feet became dirty as they walked in the courtyard and in the tabernacle (there was no floor in the tabernacle), and their hands were defiled as they handled the sacrifices and sprinkled the blood. Therefore, their hands and feet needed constant cleansing, and this was provided at the laver.

When He was with them in the Upper Room, our Lord taught His disciples this same lesson by washing their feet (John 13:1–15). When we trust Christ to save us, we’re “washed all over” (v. 10; 1 Cor. 6:9–11) and don’t require another bath, but as we go through life, our feet get dirty and we need to be cleansed. If we aren’t cleansed, we can’t have fellowship with the Lord (John 13:8), and if we’re out of fellowship with the Lord, we can’t enjoy His love or do His will. When we confess our sins, He cleanses us, and when we meditate on the Word, the Spirit renews us and restores us.

Twice David prayed, “Wash me” (Ps. 51:2, 7), and God answered that prayer (2 Sam. 12:13). But Isaiah told the sinners of his day, “Wash and make yourselves clean” (Isa. 1: niv), which suggests that we need to clean up our own lives and put away the things that defile us. Paul had this in mind when he wrote, “Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1).

For the priests, washing in the laver wasn’t a luxury; it was a necessity. Keeping themselves clean was a matter of life and death!

God wants His people to appreciate and enjoy His

“Honor and majesty are before Him,” wrote the psalmist; “strength and beauty are in His sanctuary” (Ps. 96:6). The strength of His sanctuary is revealed in its construction, and the beauty is revealed in its adornment.

Strength. The tabernacle proper was a solid structure over which the beautiful curtains were draped. Twenty boards of acacia wood, fifteen feet high and twenty-seven inches wide, overlaid with gold, formed the north and south walls, and eight similar boards formed the west wall. Each of these boards stood on two silver bases made from the shekels (“redemption money”) collected from the Jewish men of military age. Since the structure stood on the uneven ground, these bases were necessary for stability and security. God’s sanctuary didn’t rest on the shifting sands of this world but on the solid foundation of redemption. The fortyeight boards were further strengthened by four long rods (cross-bars) that ran through golden rings on each board.

At the east end of the tabernacle stood five posts on which a linen curtain hung, beautifully embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. This was the door into the holy place. Some students believe that a rod ran straight through the boards of the north and south walls, connecting them to the end pillars and adding even more stability to the framework.

Beauty. Gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and white are the major colors used in the hangings and coverings of the tabernacle. The linen fence around the sacred area was white, reminding us of the holiness of God. The thirty-foot gate at the east end of the tabernacle was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet against the white background. Blue is the color of the sky and reminds us of heaven and the God of heaven. Purple is the royal color that speaks of the King, and scarlet makes us think of blood and the sacrifice of the Savior.

The holy place and Holy of Holies were covered with four different coverings (curtains) that draped over the walls and hung down to the ground. People looking at the tabernacle would see the leatherlike outmost covering composed of badgers’ skins (“sea cows,” (niv), which protected the other coverings as well as the tabernacle proper and its furnishings. Beneath that protective covering was a curtain of rams’ skins dyed red, then a fabric woven of goats’ hair, which may well have been black, and last of all a beautiful covering of fine linen embroidered with cherubim in blue, purple, and scarlet. Between the holy place and the Holy of Holies, the veil hung from golden clasps, supported by four pillars. It was embroidered with cherubim in white, scarlet, blue, and purple. Hebrews 10: says that this veil typifies the body of Christ, for when His body was offered on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom (Mark 15:38). Some students see a parallel between the four gospels and the four pillars that supported the veil with the four colors. Purple speaks of royalty—the gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of the King. Scarlet reminds us of sacrifice—the Gospel of Mark, the gospel of the Suffering Servant. White speaks of the perfect Son of Man—the gospel of Luke, and blue points to heaven—the gospel of John, the gospel of the Son of God who came from heaven to die for our sins. Appreciation. No matter how common the tabernacle may have appeared to outsiders, everything within the sanctuary was costly and beautiful, and it all spoke of the Savior who the people of Israel would give to the world. Godly believers in the Old Testament realized the treasures they possessed in God’s house. Listen to David’s testimony: One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple (Ps. 27:4). Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells (26: nkjv). We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple (65: nkjv). And the sons of Korah wrote: How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. … Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will be still praising You (84:1–2, 4 nkjv). What Old Testament believers had in the tabernacle, and later in the temple, God’s people today have in Jesus Christ. The furnishings and the ceremonies point to Christ and reveal the many glorious aspects of His character and the salvation He gives to all who trust Him. Every spiritual need of the Jewish people was met in the provisions of the tabernacle, and in Jesus Christ we have everything that we need “for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). Any approach to the Christian life that adds anything to the person and work of Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture is not the right approach. All fullness dwells in Christ (Col. 1:19) as well as all the fullness of the Godhead (2:9). In Christ are “hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (v. 3), and we must “seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (3: nkjv). In Christ God’s people have every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3), and He is all they need. To the believers who loved God and wanted to please Him, the holy sanctuary was the source of food and drink for their souls. “Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings [the Holy of Holies]. They feast on the abundance of your house” (Ps. 36:7–8). In like manner, believers today feast on Jesus Christ and find in Him all the satisfaction they need.

Faithful to His promises in Exodus 6:6–8, the Lord delivered His people from Egypt (Ex. 1—18) and at Sinai “adopted” them to Himself as His special treasure (Ex. 19—24; Rom. 9:4). Now He was about to fulfill the rest of that promise by coming to the camp of Israel to dwell with His people (Ex. 25—40).

In order to do this, the Lord needed two things: a place for His glory to dwell and servants to minister to Him in that place. Therefore, He commanded the Jews to build the tabernacle and to set apart the tribe of Levi to serve Him. The building of the tabernacle and the ordaining of the priesthood are the two major themes of Exodus 25—40.

Throughout the book of Genesis, the Lord had walked with His people—Adam and Eve (3:8), Enoch (5:22–24), Noah (6:9), and the patriarchs (17:1; 24:40; 48:15), but now He would dwell with them (Ex. 25:8, 45–46; 29:44–46). Having the Lord dwelling in the camp was a great privilege for the nation of Israel (Rom. 9:4–5), for no other nation had the living God in their midst. But the privilege brought with it a great responsibility, for it meant that the camp of Israel had to be a holy place where a holy God could dwell.

These sixteen chapters record much more than the historical events surrounding the construction of the tabernacle and the inauguration of the priesthood. What Moses wrote reveals some profound spiritual truths about a holy God and how we should approach Him in worship and serve Him “acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Heb. 12:28).