Message 83
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Scripture Reading: Exo. 25:1-9
In the two previous messages we have considered the vision of the tabernacle and its furniture. The children of Israel could see this vision only after they had had the initial experiences of the Passover, the crossing of the Red Sea, Marah and Elim, the enjoyment of manna, the enjoyment of the living water out of the cleft rock, and the war against Amalek. Then the people were brought into fellowship with God at Mount Sinai, where they received the law of God. On the one hand, the law revealed what kind of God our God is. On the other hand, it exposed the people’s fallen, sinful, and corrupt condition. The vision of the tabernacle was given to Moses on the mountaintop when he was staying with God under His glory for forty days and forty nights.
We have pointed out that in 25:1-9 three categories of materials are mentioned: minerals, plants, and animals. All the materials refer to the virtues of Christ’s Person and work, and all were presented to God as a heave offering for the building of His dwelling place. Gold, the first of the minerals mentioned, signifies Christ’s divine nature. In this message we shall go on to consider the other minerals, the plants, the animals, and the pattern.
Silver, the second of the minerals, signifies Christ’s redemptive work. We should not understand this redemptive work in a superficial way. Redemption involves termination and replacement. We were created by God for Himself and chosen by God to be for Him. However, because we became fallen and lost, we need Christ to redeem us. As fallen creatures, we also need to be terminated. Thus, on the cross Christ crucified us; He terminated us. Furthermore, through His redemption Christ imparts Himself into us to be our replacement. All this — redemption, termination, and replacement — is signified by the silver. The silver testifies that we have been redeemed, terminated, and replaced.
In our daily life we need to bear the testimony that we are redeemed, terminated, and replaced people. Even the young people in high school should have such a testimony. Others should be able to say, “These young people are very human, but there is something wonderful about them. They are special in a way that I find difficult to explain.” The more we are replaced by Christ, the more wonderful we shall be. Praise the Lord that Christ has redeemed us and terminated us and that He is now in the process of replacing us! This is the experience of Christ as our silver.
When we experience Christ as silver and possess Him in this way as our treasure, we should bring this treasure to the church meetings. Then as we function by releasing our spirit, we should offer to God in worship the silver we have gained, enjoyed, and experienced. This is the kind of worship God desires. He does not want us to prostrate ourselves before Him, and He does not want to listen to the performance of a choir. The worship which is acceptable to God is worship in which we offer to Him as a heave offering the Christ we have experienced and possessed. Such worship will not only be acceptable to God; it will also build up the saints. Meeting by meeting, we all need to be built up in this way.
Bronze signifies the testing of God’s judgment. Christ as a man was tested again and again. He was tested throughout His life on earth, and He was tested when He stood before the priests, Herod, and Pilate to be tried and sentenced to death. Moreover, Christ was tested by God. Every day of His life Christ was under God’s testing.
In typology bronze signifies the testing of God’s judgment. This is the reason the altar in the outer court was built with bronze instead of gold. The altar is a means and a place of testing. As such, it typifies the cross as both the means and the place where we are tested by God.
The brass serpent lifted up on a pole in Numbers 21:9 was a type of Christ as the One who was made in the likeness of the flesh of sin and lifted up on the cross to be judged by God. Just as the serpent was lifted up on the pole, Christ was lifted up on the cross to be tested by God. In every way He stood God’s test and passed through it.
Daily we also are under God’s testing. The kind of life we have at home, at work, and at school is subject to God’s test. What a brother says to his wife will be tested by God, and the attitude of a young person toward his teachers and classmates at school will also be tested. God will even test our motives, intentions, and all that is in our heart. As we experience God’s testing, we gain not only gold and silver, but also bronze. This causes us to be a different kind of person, a person who is not careless about the way he behaves, speaks, and expresses his attitudes. A person who experiences the bronze is a person under the cross, under God’s test.
Under God’s testing, a young person may be examined by Him when he is about to say or do a certain thing at school. A brother will also experience God’s testing in relation to his wife. Suppose he intends to say a strong word to her. At that point the Lord may test him, and he will realize that he should not utter such a word. Instead of saying a negative word to his wife, the brother may say a positive word to the Lord, telling Him, “Lord, how wise and how good You are! I love You, Lord, and I love my family.” Through such an experience, the brother will gain some experience of bronze.
First we should gain bronze from our daily experience with the Lord. Then we should bring it to the meetings and, as we function by exercising our spirit, offer it to the Lord as a heave offering. This bronze, experienced and possessed by us, is also material used for the building of God’s tabernacle.
The onyx stone mentioned in 25:7 was red in color. This onyx stone signifies Christ’s blood shed for redemption as a base for the Spirit’s transforming work. Christ’s redemption is the basis for the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.
The other precious stones signify different aspects of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit based on Christ’s redemption. The experience of the onyx is the basis for the experience of the other precious stones. As we have pointed out, this means that Christ’s redemption is the foundation for the transforming work of the Spirit.
We all need to experience the Spirit’s transformation. For example, we need to love our parents, relatives, neighbors, and especially the brothers and sisters in the church. God, however, does not accept our natural love. In His sight, our natural love is clay, not precious stones. We may feel very positively about our natural love, but to God it is loathsome and uncomely. Our love needs to be transformed. We need a love that is transformed by the Spirit with Christ’s redemption, termination, and replacement as the basis. Then we shall love others with a pure love, a love which is the product of the precious transforming work of the Holy Spirit. To love others in this way is very different from loving them in a natural way.
We should not be satisfied with our natural morality, ethics, character, or behavior. All these things need to be transformed. First we must be redeemed, terminated, and replaced and then transformed metabolically by the Holy Spirit. This is the experience of the precious stones.
If we bring these precious materials to the meetings of the church and offer them to God as a heave offering, we shall help to build the church as God’s dwelling place. Then our meetings will be filled with the offering of such precious materials and a wonderful work of building will take place among us.
We have seen that the plant life is for generating, for producing. Christ is the essential factor of the generating and producing life. His life is very productive, and He imparts His life to us. According to John 12:24, He was the unique grain of wheat which fell into the ground and died in order to produce us as the many grains. This is Christ as the producing, generating plant life.
The first expression of this generating life is linen, which signifies Christ’s conduct.
Exodus 25:4 speaks of “blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.” Linen in the color of blue signifies that Christ’s generating life not only imparts life to us, but also produces a character and behavior which are heavenly, as signified by the color blue. When others see us, they should have the sense that we are not earthly, but have instead a heavenly nature. We have a heavenly appearance, the appearance of a blue sky.
Linen with the color of purple signifies royalty. In our behavior we should show forth a royal, or kingly, character. Even the students in high school should be dignified and kingly in their behavior. There should be a certain dignity and royalty in what they say and do.
To have a heavenly and royal character in our conduct does not come from our efforts to improve ourselves. We must turn from the religious, philosophical, and natural teachings concerning self-improvement. We need to experience Christ as our heavenliness, royalty, and dignity and grow until we become those who have the experience of blue and purple linen in their daily living. Just as a prince in a royal family is a person of dignity, we also should be dignified people, not by trying to improve ourselves, but by experiencing Christ and growing in Him. We all need the experience of the blue and purple linen.
For the tabernacle there was also the need for scarlet colored linen. Scarlet signifies the blood of Christ shed for our redemption. We should always bear the testimony that we realize we are sinful and need the cleansing of the precious blood of Christ. Often we need to turn to the Lord and say, “Lord, cleanse me. Even if I am not conscious of any sin, I know that I am still unclean. Lord, I am natural, so much in the old creation, and I am still fleshly. How I need Your cleansing!” Others may admire our heavenly appearance and royal character, but we should have the realization that we are sinful, always in need of the cleansing of the Lord’s precious blood. This is to have the experience of scarlet linen.
Suppose the attitude of a young person toward his parents is that he is always right and that others are wrong. He may say, “Father, I have never offended you. I love everyone in the family, and I am always willing to do things for others.” To have this kind of attitude is to be lacking the scarlet colored linen. Anyone with such an attitude may be represented by black clothing, but certainly not scarlet clothing.
Others can testify that when I pray I ask for the Lord’s cleansing. Even though I may not feel defiled, I know that I am still in the old creation. Unconsciously I may still be in the natural life in many respects. Because this is the condition of us all, we need the scarlet. We need the Lord’s cleansing.
Verse 4 indicates that the linen used for the tabernacle was not only blue, purple, and scarlet, but was also fine. To be fine in our conduct and behavior means that we are balanced in every way. For example, when we laugh or cry we should be balanced. We should not laugh or cry excessively or without limitation. However, there are some who laugh or weep without restraint, without any balance in the emotion. It is also possible to love others too much. To love without the proper limitation is a sign that we are coarse in our love, that our love is not balanced.
Our conduct should not only be balanced, but also perfect and even beautiful. A certain person may be very humble, but his humility may not be beautiful. We need a beautiful humility. All our virtues and attributes should be like fine linen — even, perfect, and beautiful.
The more we consider through prayer and fellowship the significance of the fine linen in the color of blue, purple, and scarlet, the more we shall realize what a revelation is unfolded here and what experience is implied.
The acacia wood used in building the tabernacle signifies Christ’s human nature, strong in character and high in standard. Christ’s humanity is not like cotton; on the contrary, it is like acacia wood. In His humanity, the Lord Jesus was strong in character and high in standard. However, the humanity of many believers is more like cotton than like acacia wood.
The “oil for the lamp” (v. 6) signifies the Spirit of Christ. We should continually be under the Lord’s anointing. We should be the fine flour mingled with oil and thoroughly saturated and permeated with oil. Whatever we are and whatever we do, we should be saturated with the Spirit of Christ.
The Spirit of Christ can be distinguished from the Spirit of God. However, this does not mean that there are two divine Spirits. The Holy Spirit is not only the Spirit of God, but also the Spirit of Christ, including all the virtues of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ. We need to experience the continual anointing of this Spirit. Then we shall have the oil to offer to God for the building of the church.
Exodus 25:6 speaks of “spices for the anointing oil and for the incense of perfumes.” These spices typify the effectiveness and sweet odor of Christ’s death and resurrection. These spices were used both for making the anointing oil and for making the incense which was burned before God.
We need to experience these spices in our daily living. First, Christ’s death will be effective in dealing with negative things. It will repel all the “bugs” and drive them away. Certain spices function as antibiotics to kill spiritual germs. When we experience the effectiveness of the spices, in our living there will be the fragrance of Christ’s death and resurrection. Others will sense that Christ’s death and resurrection are effective in us and are also producing a sweet-smelling aroma.
Christ’s life is also typified by the animal life. As we have pointed out, the animal life is for redemption. Before man fell, God did not ordain for man to eat the flesh of animals. Man could live on the fruits, vegetables, and nuts prepared by God in His creation. But because man fell and became sinful and corrupt, he needed the shedding of blood for redemption and also the flesh of animals for nourishment and sustenance. This indicates that sinful man needs the redeeming Christ, the Christ who shed His blood on the cross and sacrificed His life to redeem us. With Christ’s redemptive life we are nourished, fed, and sustained so that we may live.
Exodus 25:4 and 5 refer to three aspects of the animal life: goats’ hair, rams’ skins, and porpoise skins. According to Matthew 25:33 and 41, the goats signify sinners. Hence, goats’ hair signifies Christ being made sin for us in His redemptive work (2 Cor. 5:21). God caused Christ to be made sin on our behalf. Although He was not sinful and did not have the sinful nature, in appearance He looked like a goat.
The rams’ skins dyed red signify Christ’s redemption accomplished through the shedding of His blood. Christ was the ram who died on the cross for our sins. He was offered to God on the altar and shed His blood to wash us from our sins.
The porpoise skins are strong, tough, and long-lasting. They signify Christ’s strength in bearing sufferings. The skins were used as a covering for the tabernacle and served to protect the tabernacle. Today we have Christ as the porpoise skins to cover and protect us. He bears every kind of suffering, injury, and difficulty. In the life signified by the animal life Christ first redeemed us and then became a covering and protection that can withstand trials, attacks, troubles, and sufferings.
We should experience Christ in the aspects of this animal life and then bring Him as signified by the goats’ hair, rams’ skins dyed red, and porpoise skins to the meetings and offer Him to God for the building up of the church and of all the saints.
If we compare the materials used in building the tabernacle with those used by Christians, we shall see that most of today’s Christians have gone far astray from God’s revelation. In 25:1-9 we have God’s revelation, not a man-made religion. We regret to say that among Christians there is much more of man’s religion than of God’s revelation.
Exodus 25:8 and 9 say, “And they shall make for Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. According to all that I am showing you, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture; even so you shall do.” The pattern of the tabernacle and of all its furniture signifies the church and all the details of the church life. This pattern was shown by God to Moses when Moses was on the mountaintop under God’s glory.
Recently I have emphasized a need for us to see the central vision concerning Christ and the church in God’s economy. This does not mean, however, that we pay attention only to the vision and neglect the many practical aspects of the church life. No matter how clear we may be concerning the vision of God’s economy, we still need to clean the meeting hall, cut the grass, and care for many other aspects of the church life.
As indicated by the tabernacle and its furnishings, the church life is not simple. We must pay attention to many details indicated by the types in order to have a proper church life and the proper fellowship with all the saints, including the weaker ones and those who come to the church meetings only occasionally. The tabernacle with its furnishings signifies the church life with all its details.
The pattern revealed to Moses was according to the heavenly things, the things in the heavens (Heb. 9:23). Both the design of the tabernacle as a whole and of all its furnishings was according to the heavenly things. The pattern of the tabernacle and its furnishings is a full and complete type of the church life.
