This chapter focuses on the courtyard and the altar.
“You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits[a] long and five cubits broad. The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze. You shall make it hollow, with boards. As it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made. You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side. Its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. And likewise for its length on the north side there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, its pillars twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. It shall have four pillars and with them four bases.” (v1-3,8-11,16)
God continues His detailed instructions to Moses for the design of the tabernacle’s courtyard and the altar. This is the area where the majority of people would be welcomed, where they could bring their offerings and worship God. Anyone who was ceremonially clean could enter (at certain times), in fact it was part of the law (detailed later) that everyone visit upon certain occasions or to make a sin offering.
This tabernacle, courtyard and furnishings project would have been a massive undertaking, especially if you consider that all of these people are travelling on foot and have a limited number of tools with them.Most/all of the raw materials and fabrics were taken from the Egyptians as they left Egypt: “The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste… The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.” (Ex 12:33a,35-36) Despite having the materials, they still had to do some sewing and carpentry and metal casting, which would have been time-consuming given their level of technology and available tools.
That being said, the work may have flown by as this would have been a labor of love for God – the people, who were just rescued from slavery, despite the odd bit of grumbling, would probably have done anything for their Lord and Savior.
Another interesting tidbit was in verses 20-21: “You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.” Remember the golden lampstand from ch25? It was to remain lit at all times, as a symbol of God’s constant presence (remember the pillars of fire and smoke/cloud?). Not only was it to remain lit, it was only to be filled with the finest oil they were able to produce. Oil was symbolic of a couple of things in scripture. First, it was used as a valuable commodity for trade (like money). Secondly and more importantly, it was a symbol of the anointing of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit upon someone/something. When Moses later anoints Aaron and his sons with oil, it represents the Spirit coming upon them (this was also done with kings and other leaders). The golden oil-burning lampstand was a constant visual reminder of God’s presence in this place, and it was a reminder of God’s purity and sovereignty as well.
One other thing that hasn’t been mentioned yet was the tabernacle and it’s courtyard was to be in the exact center of the Israelite camp, again symbolizing God’s presence in the midst/heart of the people.
Father, thank you for the reminder of Your constant and eternal presence amidst Your people. Even though we don’t always have a visual reminder, such as a golden lampstand, we understand Your Holy Spirit dwells in our innermost being and we praise You for that – we can celebrate the voice of Your Spirit speaking to us at all times, in all circumstances, without the need for a human priest to convey Your words. Please teach us to hear and obey that inner voice as we seek to fulfill Your commands and obey Your will in our lives.
~Conqueror in Training