Reflections of Christ in the Tabernacle
Chapter 2
Materials and Articles
There were seven articles in the tabernacle and in the courtyard of the tabernacle. First, the ark of the covenant in the holy of holies, and upon this ark was the second item, the mercy seat. God chose to begin with these two articles, and He told Moses to prepare these two items first. As we leave the holy of holies, we find the third article, the altar of incense; the fourth article, the candlestick; and the fifth article, the table of shewbread. Upon leaving the holy place, we come to the outer court yard, where we find the laver, the sixth article; next we approach the brazen altar, or the burnt altar which is the seventh article of the tabernacle. God speaks to us in the number of completeness, number 7, which is His perfect number.
Let us consider the materials that God used in the construction of these articles. First, we have GOLD which speaks of His Holiness. Gold also pertains to His throne and to the heavenlies. For example, the golden candlestick was made from one piece of gold and gave off light – this expresses to us the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit, who is part of the triune Godhead, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The Ark of the Covenant and The Mercy Seat
And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. (Exodus 25:21,22) Not only was the tabernacle a place of communion and worship, but it was also a place of revelation and inspiration of Scripture.
We read in Hebrews 9:5, “And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat; of which we cannot nor speak particularly.” God began in the holy of holies to deal with the redemption of man which God had originally started in heaven. Scripture informs us that Jesus Christ was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8) Also in Acts 2:23, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsels and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” It was because of the determinate counsel of God that Christ was sent to die for our sins. Christ became the propitiation for our sins. “And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for our’s only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we love him, if we keep his commandments.” (1John 2:2,3) In John 4:10 we find these words, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son, to be the propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forebearance of God.”
The mercy seat was the designated place of atonement. The high priest entered once a year and applied the blood to the mercy seat which was made of pure gold, and gold declares to us the righteousness and the purity of God. It also speaks of the place where God desired atonement. The high priest would place the blood upon the mercy seat, and then God would look with the cherubims upon the atoning blood. The shed blood of Christ is not only precious to God, but it is also precious to all the angelic host around the throne of God, because the one who sits on the throne and who is in the midst of the throne is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Read chapters 4 and 5 in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. These cherubim look upon Him today, and know that He is the propitiation and the atonement for our sins through His death and shed blood on Calvary.
Looking into the holy of holies, we see that the ark of the covenant was made of acacia wood and overlaid inside and outside with pure gold. Not one single piece of wood was revealed or exposed in any way, but was completely covered with gold. The acacia wood is also call the incorruptible wood – it will not decay no matter where it is placed, whether on the ground or in the sand. This is a type or picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him was no sin, and He did no sin, and in His humanity He was always clothed with Deity — and that Deity was PURE GOLD.
Reflecting on this purity – scripture informs us in the gospel of Luke that God the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and she conceived a child of the Holy Ghost. Scripture also tells us that this child was holy even within the womb. The Lord Jesus Christ was holy and pure. There was no possibility that He could ever be separated from His humanity or His Deity. Christ was PURE, UNDEFILED AND SPOTLESS, and therefore, He could and would be the propitiation for the sin of men. He would be the “lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world,” as John the Baptist declared in the Gospel of John 1:29. The Lord Jesus told John that it was for righteousness that He should be baptized of John, that they might fulfill all righteousness. It is recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 3, verse 15, that the Lord Jesus said to John, “Permit it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness,” then the Holy Ghost descended visibly and abode upon Him. Psalm 40:8 says of the Lord Jesus, “I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart.”
Let us examine the contents of the ark of the covenant. Hidden within the ark was the law that was given to Moses. Remember that Christ came to fulfill the whole article of the law, and no man could do that except the Lord Jesus Christ. God had hidden the law within the ark, out of sight, yet surrounded by gold — God’s righteousness. God put it out of the sight of man. Also within the ark was the pot of manna and the rod of Aaron that budded, the rod not only budded but brought forth fruit, almonds.
There was both death and life in the ark of the covenant. Death in the law and life in the manna and rod that budded. (Read Numbers 17) All these articles declare to us the humanity and Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ came to fulfill the whole law. He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh that He might deliver us from sin. The rod that budded was, as far as man could see, a dead and barren piece of wood until it budded and brought forth fruit. The Lord Jesus Christ was also considered dead by those who had crucified Him, and yet in three days Christ rose from the dead. Christ is the author of eternal life to all who believe in Him through faith. He is the food that we feed upon, our sustenance . . . . our manna.
Another material used in the tabernacle was SILVER. Silver was used around the base of the posts of the tabernacle so that they would not touch the ground. Why was silver used? In Scripture, silver denotes redemption. In Israel, one shekel of silver was given for every man and woman as their redemption money. Silver was also the price of a servant . . . for instance, is a servant was wounded or killed by an ox, than the owner of that ox had to pay 30 pieces of silver to the owner of that servant. The Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed by Judas for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a servant or slave. “What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for 30 pieces of silver.” (Matthew 26:15) Here we see the price of redemption.
Jesus Christ has become all things to us. He is the mercy seat in which He shed His precious blood that God may look upon that blood and see those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as free from sin. “And almost all things are by law purged with blood, and without the shedding of blood is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22)