Gonna keep it super simple today.

Let’s talk Tabernacle.

There is a limited set of materials used in its construction. Each material suggests something. We KNOW (from God) that the tabernacle Moses sets up is a model of the real thing in Heaven which is not made of earthly materials.

1. Acacia wood. These are fairly scruffy trees- at least the ones I saw in Israel. And thorny. Very thorny. (I imagine the guys who cut down these trees probably got a nasty scratch or two.) There may have been some sophisticated joinery going on to make those big pillars and all those boards. Wood- because it comes from the earth and eventually decays back into dust- is a picture of humanity. If there were pieces joined to make larger items it would be a great picture of the church. And the church IS the temple of God.
2. Bronze. It is used primarily for the brazen altar and the laver (wash basin) which we’ll get to in chapter 30. It’s also used for the bases of the pillars and the exterior curtain clasps. There is no bronze visible from with the holy place. Since it is used for the brazen altar (atoning sacrifices) and laver (cleansing), it is associated with judgment of sin.
3. Silver. It’s used for the bases of the tabernacle structure. It sits between the earth and the holy structure. For that reason it is associated with redemption.
4. Gold. Gold represents deity because it does not decay or tarnish. They overlaid the wood (humanity) with gold. This is a picture of Christ who was both human and divine. He is the temple/dwelling/tabernacle of God among men. But guess what- so is the Church. The true redeemed Church is the dwelling place of God by the Spirit (Eph. 2:22). Our humanity is overlaid with the golden divinity of Christ Jesus because we are clothed in Him.
5. Fine linen. In Revelation 19, fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. Standing outside the curtain of fine linen that surrounds the court, one cannot see what goes on inside. People may not see what goes on inside your heart, but they can see your righteous conduct. The saints let their light so shine before men that men would see their good (righteous) works and glorify the Father in Heaven.
6. Blue, Scarlet, Purple fabric. Royal colors woven with the color of blood. And embroidered in the curtains are cheruvim; throne guardians and God’s conveyance. Since it probably would’ve killed the humans to have God in unveiled glory surrounded by actual cheruvim in the middle of the camp, they go with a tapestry picture. The interior of the Most Holy Place was designed to depict the heavenly throne room.
7. Goat hair curtains. These were normal tent curtain materials. I think Bedouin tribes still use it. It’s a tent to put the holy place in.
8. Ram Skin curtains. Waterproof. Protective outer layer. Dyed Red (literally the word Adam). The tribes camped around the tabernacle in a cross configuration with the tabernacle at the intersection. While setting up the tabernacle, before the final leather-curtains were placed, if viewed from above, you’d see a cross with a blood red patch representing the blood of the Second Adam in the center. He was the ram caught in the thicket.
9. Final leather curtain. The KJV has badger skins but a badger wouldn’t be a clean animal so that is an unlikely translation. It was probably goat skin leather- which is very high quality so some translations have this as a curtain of “fine leather.”

Now, we’ll wrap up with a fantastic visualization of how all the cubits of this and cubits of that actually fit together.

Enjoy!