Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20070404.htm

EXODUS: FUNCTIONING WELL IN A HOPELESS GROUP ASSIGNMENT
Part II: God's Sustainment Of Israel In The Wilderness Amid Humanly Helpless Trials
M. God's Establishment Of The Tabernacle Of Meeting
3. The Coverings: The Contrasting Views Of Christ To The World And To Those In His Fellowship
(Exodus 26:1-14)
  1. Introduction
    1. The unsaved and even carnal Christians do not appreciate the glory of Christ, nor do they enjoy His blessed involvement in their lives in contrast to those who are right with God and feed upon His Word.
    2. This contrast is depicted in the view of the tabernacle from the outside versus the inside via its coverings:
  2. The Coverings: The Contrasting Views Of Christ To The World And To Those In His Fellowship.
    1. Having discussed the three key articles of furniture in the tabernacle, God told Moses how to build and arrange the tent curtains that were to cover these articles, Ex. 26:1-14; Bible Know. Com., O. T. , p. 149.
    2. Now, these curtains were of four different types, ranging from extravagantly beautiful for their high ornamentation seen from inside the tabernacle to the increasingly unlovely coverings toward the outside:
      1. The inside layer of fine linen curtains were extravagantly decorated and very appealing to view, 26:1-6:
        1. The first layer of curtains was composed of fine-twisted linen and "brilliantly colored (blue, purple, and scarlet) yarn (cf. 25:4), and were embroidered with cherubim", Ibid.; Exodus 26:1.
        2. There were to be ten of these curtains, each 6 by 42 feet, with the long edges of 5 of the curtains being joined together to form two 30-foot-by-42-foot greater-curtains, Ibid.; Exodus 26:2-3.
        3. These two greater-curtains were then connected with special loops to form one main inner curtain covering for the tabernacle, Ex. 26:5-6 NIV. This left a unified covering comprising the "walls, ceiling, and back with an exquisite tapestry" that did not touch the ground, Ibid.
      2. The second layer covering laid over this first layer consisted of goats-hair, "a black weather-resistant material still used today by bedouins in tent making," Ibid.; Exodus 26:7-13:
        1. The second layer of 11 similarly-grouped curtains overlaying the fine linen was made of goats-hair, and it was black and weather-resistant, Ibid., Exodus 26:7.
        2. It was larger in area by three feet per single curtain than were the inner linens so that it stretched all the way to the ground around the tabernacle and hid from outside viewers the decorated linen and furniture that w ere visible from inside the tabernacle itself, Exodus 26:7-13; Ibid.
      3. The third layer put over the goats-hair was that of rams skins dyed red, and over it was put a fourth layer of sea cow hides, both layers still being used by some bedouins today, Ibid., Exodus 26:14b; Ibid.
    3. These curtains show man's need to relate to God through Christ to enjoy fulfilling fellowship with Him:
      1. The inner, decorated curtain depicts the spiritual beauty of Christ seen only by those who fellowship with God, McGee, Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee, vol. I, p. 285. As the priest could see these glorious curtains after entering the Holy Place following the sacrifice at the altar, so faith in Christ's death as the Lamb of God (John 1:29; 3:16) and necessary cleansing and obedience of the believer (1 John 1:9; 2:2) are needed to be able to commune with God [the Holy Place] and behold the beauty of Christ as given in Scripture ( lampstand) and in its blessed application to one's life (shewbread), Ibid.
      2. Typical of many bedouin tents, in protecting the inner furnishings and beautiful linen curtains against the inclement weather outside, the goat-hair cover with the rams skin and sea cow coverings all successively hid the view of the tabernacle's beautiful inside from those on the outside.
      3. Now, the inclement weather for which these coverings were needed resulted from the world's sin, for until the Noahic flood, there had been no such harsh weather, cf. Genesis 2:5-6 with Genesis 8:22.
      4. So, the drab view from outside the tabernacle depicts the world's view that cannot prize God's glory or benefit from His fellowship in contrast to the experience of those who are in fellowship with the Lord.
Lesson: From outside the tabernacle, the view was drab, but from the inside, it was glorious, showing the contrasting impoverishment of those outside God's fellowship versus the lives of those in fellowship with God who appreciate His glory and are richly blessed in reading and applying His Word.

Application: May we (1) trust in Christ to be saved, (2) confess the sins we do as believers and (3) obey the Lord (4) to enjoy God's spiritual beauties and blessings in the reading and application of Scripture!