The Tabernacle 97 under that, a curtain of goats' hair; and below that, the beautiful fine twined linen curtain, embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet cherubim. One standing on the out- side could see only the outer covering of badgers' skins, or seal skins; the priests on the inside of the sanctuary could see only the beautiful curtain of fine twined linen with the figures of cherubim embroidered on it in blue, purple, and scarlet. Let us begin with the heavy, outer covering, and con- sider in some detail the lesson each of these coverings has for us. WefindthemdescribedinExod. 26:1-14; 36:8-18. 1. The Covering of Badgers' Skins. This outer cover- ing over "the tent of the congregation" was made of a hard, durable skin or leather, which, as we have seen, the Revised Version calls "seal" or "porpoise-skin." In Ezek. 16: 10 God told His people, Israel, that He had "shod" them "with badgers' skin." From this we know that the material which was used for the outer covering of the tabernacle was durable enough for shoes or sandals, which served to protect the feet from the burning sands of the desert. This strong, durable tent protected the other coverings, the veil, the door, the gold, and the furniture inside the tabernacle from sun and rain, from dew and desert sand. The outer covering, visible to all from without, sug- gests to us the humility of the meek and lowly Man of Galilee. Possibly the brown "tent" above the sanctuary looked very much like the tents of God's people. Likewise, the Christ-less world has ever considered Jesus as just another man. And His own people, Israel, saw "no beauty" in Him, "no form nor comeliness," that they "should de- sire him" (Isaiah 5 3 :2). He was the "Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 5 3: 3). He was known as
The Tabernacle 96 No board was complete until it had the rings upon it, plainly declaring that no board stood for itself alone, but that it had a connection with all the others. Thus the rings remind us of the eternal link between the believer and Christ; for once the bars were passed through these rings of gold, the whole structure stood firmly :fixed. ot only are we, as Christians, linked to Christ for all eternity, but we are also forever linked to one another. The gold of these rings speaks of the divine tie; for we are "born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John I: 13). Such is the message of the golden-covered boards and bars and the rings of gold. We were once lost sinners "in the world" and "of the world." But we were cut down, so to speak, "crucified with Christ"-yea, "risen with Christ," and forever placed in gold, our lives hidden "with Christ in God," and made to rest upon Him who is the only sure Foundation (Gal. 2:20; Col. 3:1, 3; I Cor. 3: 11). Given a ring of gold, we were eternally linked with Christ and with fellow-believers in Him. Held together by the four boards of the doctrine of the Word of God, fellowship, the Lord's Supper, and prayer, we are indwelt by the living Christ. That is why "all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy tem- ple in the Lord: in whom" we "are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit" (Eph. 2:21, 22). The Coverings There were four coverings that went over the taber- nacle, each of which holds a message for us concerning the Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. The outer cov- ering was made of badgers' skins; or, as the Revised Ver- sion translates the word, "seal-skins," or "porpoise-skins." Just beneath that was a covering of rams' skins dyed red;
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