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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
Next they made the courtyard. The south side was a hundred cubits[d] long and had curtains of finely twisted linen, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. The north side was also a hundred cubits long and had twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts.
The west end was fifty cubits wide and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts. The east end, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits wide. Curtains fifteen cubits long were on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, and curtains fifteen cubits long were on the other side of the entrance to the courtyard, with three posts and three bases. All the curtains around the courtyard were of finely twisted linen. The bases for the posts were bronze. The hooks and bands on the posts were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver; so all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands.
The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer. It was twenty cubits long and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits high, with four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks and bands were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver. All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the surrounding courtyard were bronze.
Exodus 38:8-20
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
After a close look into the making of the tabernacle and the components found within The Most Holy Place (the ark of the covenant), The Holy Place (the table for the Showbread, the golden lampstand, and the altar of incense), and finally the courtyard area (the altar of burnt offering), we look at the courtyard itself in today’s message, the seventh in this series on appreciating the craftsmanship that went into building God’s portable worship center without the benefit of sophisticated tools or technology.
Before we get to the courtyard, we see that a “bronze basin” and “bronze stand” was made using “the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting”. This basin would be used by the priests to ceremonially wash their hands and feet before entering the sanctuary and the presence of God. The symbology here was that they would enter the tabernacle to carry out their duties in purity and spiritual cleanliness.
As for the materials to make this basin, we read where the Israelite women offered up their mirrors which were then melted down and used for the basin and its stand. With this, we’re reminded that mirrors in Old Testament times weren’t made of glass like we use today but rather highly polished bronze.
Now, we turn to the courtyard, the place where there could be public worship and the offering of sacrifices on the bronze altar. This was opposed to the sacred spaces such as The Most Holy Place, a place only entered into by the High Priest once a year on the Day of Atonement, and The Holy Place where work such as tending to the lamps on the golden lampstand, keeping the incense burning on the altar, and ensuring twelve fresh loaves of bread were placed on the table on every Sabbath.
You’ll remember that the standard measurement was the cubit which was approximately 18 inches or the distance between one’s elbow and the end of their middle finger. With this the width of the courtyard was 50 cubits or 900 inches which when divided by twelve gives us 75 feet. As for the length, the scriptures tell us that it was a hundred cubits or 1,800 inches. This converts to a length of 150 feet, about half a football field if you want to get a visual. There was a lot of room for people, for sure.
Along the north and south sides (the length) of the tabernacle, we read where there were “twenty posts: with “bronze bases” made with “silver hooks and bands on the posts”. The west and east ends had ten bronze posts and basins with the same silver hooks and bands. These posts with the hooks and bands would support the curtains made “of finely twisted linen” which enclose the perimeter of courtyard area.
At the entrance to the courtyard, the scriptures tell us that there were “curtains” that were twenty cubits long (30 feet) and five cubits high (7.5 feet) held in place by “four posts and four bronze bases” with “hooks and bands” of silver. This curtain was “made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen”, the “work of an embroiderer”.
Finally, there were tent pegs to anchor the tabernacle and the courtyard. We read where these pegs were all made of bronze.
All and all, this was an amazing hand-made structure that would be put up for worship and then taken down to be transported as the Israelites moved toward Canaan, the land that God had promised them. It took incredible God-granted talent from empowered Israelite craftsmen to take the specification-laden commands from their Lord and create the items He desired.
My hope is that this series is helping us gain a rich appreciation for all the master artisanship that happened. I know it has been an amazing journey for me, for sure.
Well, we know a lot of materials were needed to construct everything we have covered so far. In tomorrow’s message, we’ll get a summation of what was used.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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