THE TABERNACLE.
Exodus 26
We now come to examine the structure of the tabernacle for which
the most essential furniture has been prepared.
Some confusion of thought exists, even among educated laymen,
with regard to the arrangements of the temple; and this has led to
similar confusion (to a less extent) concerning the corresponding
parts of the tabernacle. "The temple" in which the Child Jesus was
found, and into which Peter and John went up to pray, ought not to
be confounded with that inner shrine, "the temple," in which it was
the lot of the priest Zacharias to burn incense, and into which
Judas, forgetful of all its sacredness in his anguish, hurled his
money to the priests (Luk 2:46; Act 3:3; Luk 1:9; Mat 27:5). Now,
the former of these corresponded to "the court of the tabernacle,"
an enclosure open to the skies, and containing two important
articles, the altar of burnt sacrifices and the laver. This was
accessible to the nation, so that the sinner could lay his hand upon
the head of his offering, and the priests could purify themselves
before entering their own sacred place, the tabernacle proper, the
shrine. But when we come to the structure itself, some attention is
still necessary, in order to derive any clear notion from the
description; nor can this easily be done by an English reader
without substituting the Revised Version for the Authorised. He will
then discover that we have a description, first of the "curtains of
the tabernacle" (Exo 26:1-6), and then of other curtains which are
not considered to belong to the tabernacle proper, but to "the tent
over the tabernacle" (Exo 26:7-13), being no part of the rich
ornamental interior, but only a protection spread above it; and over
this again were two further screens from the weather (Exo 26:14),
and finally, inside all, are "the boards of the tabernacle"--of
which boards the two actual apartments were constructed (Exo
26:15-30)--and the veil which divided the Holy from the Most Holy
Place (Exo 26:31-33).
"The curtains of the tabernacle" were ten, made of linen, of
which every thread consisted of fine strands twisted together, "and
blue and purple and scarlet," with cherubim not embroidered but
woven into the fabric (Exo 26:1).
These curtains were sewn together, five and five, so as to make
two great curtains, each slightly larger than forty-two feet by
thirty, being twenty-eight cubits long by five times four cubits
broad (Exo 26:2-3). Finally these two were linked together, each
having fifty loops for that purpose at corresponding places at the
edge, which loops were bound together by fifty golden clasps (Exo
26:4-6). Thus, when the nation was about to march, they could easily
be divided in the middle and then folded in the seams.
This costly fabric was regarded as part of the true tabernacle:
why, then, do we find the outer curtains mentioned before the rest
of the tabernacle proper is described?
Certainly because these rich curtains lie immediately underneath
the coarser ones, and are to be considered along with "the tent"
which covered all (Exo 26:7). This consisted of curtains of goats'
hair, of the same size, and arranged in all respects like the
others, except that their clasps were only bronze, and that the
curtains were eleven in number, instead of ten, so that half a
curtain was available to hang down over the back, and half was to be
doubled back upon itself at the front of "the tabernacle," that is
to say, the richer curtains underneath. The object of this is
obvious: it was to bring the centre of the goatskin curtains over
the edge of the linen ones, as tiles overlap each other, to shut out
the rain at the joints. But this implies, what has been said
already, that the curtains of the tabernacle should lie close to the
curtains of the tent.
Over these again was an outer covering of rams' skins dyed red,
and a covering of sealskins above all (Exo 26:14). This last, it is
generally agreed, ran only along the top, like a ridge tile, to
protect the vulnerable part of the roof. And now it has to be
remembered that we are speaking of a real tent with sloping sides,
not a flat cover laid upon the flat inner structure of boards, and
certain to admit the rain. By calling attention to this fact, Mr.
Fergusson succeeded in solving all the problems connected with the
measurements of the tabernacle, and bringing order into what was
little more than chaos before (Smith's Bible Dict.,
"Temple").
The inner tabernacle was of acacia wood, which was the only
timber of the sanctuary. Each board stood ten cubits high, and was
fitted by tenons into two silver sockets, which probably formed a
continuous base. Each of these contained a talent of silver, and was
therefore more than eighty pounds weight; and they were probably to
some extent sunk into the ground for a foundation (Exo 38:27). There
were twenty boards on each side; and as they were a cubit and a half
broad, the length of the tabernacle was about forty-five feet (Exo
26:16-18). At the west end there were six boards (Exo 26:22), which,
with the breadth of the two posts or boards for the corners (Exo
26:23-24) just gives ten cubits, or fifteen feet, for the width of
it. Thus the length of the tabernacle was three times its breadth;
and we know that in the Temple (where all the proportions were the
same, the figures being doubled throughout) the subdividing veil was
so hung as to make the inner shrine a perfect square, leaving the
holy place twice as long as it was broad.
The posts were held in their places by wooden bars, which were
overlaid with gold (as the boards also were, Exo 26:29) and fitted
into golden rings. Four such bars, or bolts, ran along a portion of
each side, and there was a fifth great bar which stretched along the
whole forty-five feet from end to end. Thus the edifice was firmly
held together; and the wealth of the material makes it likely that
they were fixed on the inside, and formed a part of the ornament of
the edifice (Exo 26:26-29).
When the two curtains were fastened together with clasps, they
gave a length of sixty feet. But we have seen that the length of the
boards when jointed together was only forty-five feet. This gives a
projection of seven feet and a half (five cubits) for the front and
rear of the tent beyond the tabernacle of boards; and when the great
curtains were drawn tight, sloping from the ridge-pole fourteen
cubits on each side, it has been shown (assuming a right-angle at
the top) that they reached within five cubits of the ground, and
extended five cubits beyond the sides, the same distance as at the
front and rear. The next instructions concern the veil which divided
the two chambers of the sanctuary. This was in all respects like
"the curtain of the tabernacle," and similarly woven with cherubim.
It was hung upon four pillars; and the even number seems to prove
that there was no higher one in the centre, reaching to the
roof--which seems to imply that there was a triangular opening above
the veil, between the Holy and the Most Holy Place (Exo 26:31-32).
But here a difficult question arises. There is no specific
measurement of the point at which this subdividing veil was to
stretch across the tent. The analogy of the Temple inclines us to
believe that the Most Holy Place was a perfect cube, and the Holy
Place twice as long as it was broad and high. There is evident
allusion to this final shape of the Most Holy Place in the
description of the New Jerusalem, of which the length and breadth
and height were equal. And yet there is strong reason to suspect
that this arrangement was not the primitive one. For Moses was
ordered to stretch the veil underneath the golden clasps which bound
together the two great curtains of the tabernacle (Exo 26:33). But
these were certainly in the middle. How, then, could the veil make
an unequal division below? Possibly fifteen feet square would have
been too mean a space for the dimensions of the Most Holy Place,
although the perfect cube became desirable, when the size was
doubled.
A screen of the same rich material, but apparently not
embroidered with cherubim, was to stretch across the door of the
tent; but this was supported on five pillars instead of four,
clearly that the central one might support the ridge-bar of the
roof. And their sockets were of brass (Exo 26:36-37).
The tabernacle, like the Temple, had its entrance on the east (Exo
26:22); and in the case of the Temple this was the more remarkable,
because the city lay at the other side, and the worshippers had to
pass round the shrine before they reached the front of it. The
object was apparently to catch the warmth of the sun. For a somewhat
similar reason, every pagan temple in the ancient world, with a few
well-defined exceptions which are easily explained, also faced the
east; and the worshippers, with their backs to the dawn, saw the
first beams of the sun kindling their idol's face. The orientation
of Christian churches is due to the custom which made the neophyte,
standing at first in his familiar position westward, renounce the
devil and all his works, and then, turning his back upon his idols,
recite the creed with his face eastward.
What ideas would be suggested by this edifice to the worshipper
will better be examined when we have examined also the external
court.