Exodus 26:15 – 17 “You are to construct upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. Each frame is to be ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. Two tenons must be connected to each other for each frame. Make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way.”
What good is a set of tents without a framework? Now God goes into extensive detail about the framework for the tabernacle. All the boards are acacia wood with silver bases to support them. It’s helpful to remember that at this point in history, iron was not readily available. God wants His sanctuary to be truly beautiful. The acacia supports will also be gold – covered. Some traditional Jewish sources feel that God selected acacia wood because the acacia tree does not bear fruit. Throughout the Torah, God orders the Israelites to preserve fruit trees because they nourish people. This idea demonstrates the concern God has for everything in His creation. Perhaps acacia wood is also very fine – grained and very durable. Many kinds of fruit wood are soft and will stand less strain.
Exodus 26:31 “Make a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into it. Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood, overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. And hang the veil from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the veil. So the veil will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. (the Holy of Holies) Put the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy Place. And place the table outside the veil on the north side of the tabernacle, and put the lampstand opposite the table, on the south side.”
The diagram illustrates the veil/curtain that separates the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place. The ark is placed in the Most Holy Place because that is where God’s presence dwells. The table of the Bread of the Presence and the lampstand occupy the Holy Place. Only Moses routinely enters beyond this screen. Later on, the priests are allowed to enter into the Most Holy Place once a year, carrying the blood of sacrifices.
v. 36 – 37 “For the entrance to the tent, you are to make a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. Make five posts of acacia wood for the curtain, overlay them with gold hooks, and cast five bronze bases for them.”
This screen separates the tent from the courtyard. This screen is supported by five acacia wood posts overlayed with god and having sockets of copper. Perhaps copper was used here because it might be more durable when exposed to heat and dust. Only priests could enter beyond this screen.
APPLICATION: Are our lives totally open to others, or are there “most holy places” where we meet alone with God? In the movie “The War Room,” the elderly lady prayer warrior has converted one of her closets to a prayer room and trains her younger friend to do the same. These rooms become sacred places where these women cry out to God on behalf of their families and their communities.
Prayer warriors have all kinds of “holy places.” One friend has a special chair in a corner where she can sit and pray. Another friend has converted a large closet into a prayer chamber with purple hangings and cushions. Personally, my messy office is my prayer chamber. Years ago, I used to commute from Memphis, Tennessee up to Blytheville, Arkansas, to work in a hospital ER. The seventy – five mile commute gave me an hour and a half of prayer time coming and going, with my car serving as my prayer chamber.
The most important thing about your “holy place” is that it should be a place where you can feel God’s presence. Ask God to show you where He wants to meet you. You might be surprised!
PRAYER: Father God, it amazes us that you actually want to meet with us and to share your thoughts with us. We are overwhelmed when we think about your goodness and your mercy. Lord, show each person who reads this the place where you want to meet them and make those places special to them. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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