Exodus 38: – 20 “Then he constructed the courtyard. The south side of the courtyard was a hundred cubits long and had curtains of finely spun 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, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver. The west side was fifty cubits long and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver. And the east side, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits long. (The courtyard was 150 feet long by 75 feet wide.)
The curtains of the one side of the entrance were fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases. (15 cubits is approximately 22.5 feet or 6.9 meters.)And the curtains for the other side were also fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases as well. All the curtains around the courtyard were made of finely spun linen. The bases for the posts were bronze, the hooks and bands were silver, and the plating for the tops of the posts was silver. So all the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver.
The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It was twenty cubits long and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits high, with four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks were silver, as well as the bands and the plating of their tops. All the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the surrounding courtyard were bronze.”
Reading these descriptions for the first time, you might be excused if you get lost in the details. Basically, the Tabernacle courtyard was 75 feet wide by 150 feet long, The courtyard was enclosed with curtains of fine linen 7.5 feet wide, supported by acacia wood posts. The bases of the posts were bronze, the plating of the tops of the posts was done in silver, and the hooks for holding the guy wires were silver. The tent pegs holding the guy wires in place were bronze.
The reasons for a courtyard fence are many and obvious:
1. Keep out stray livestock 2. Keep out the curious who merely wanted to observe the religious rituals. 3. Emphasize the fact that this was God’s Tabernacle and access was to be restricted to those men presenting sacrifices and to the priests..
Why use linen and where did the linen come from in the first place? While linen was strong, it was also costly. Why not just whip up some goat hair curtains and call it quits? Of course, goat hair would be far darker, but it might resist animals better.
Linen was the cloth worn by Egyptian nobles and rich people. Made from the flax plant, linen production took lots of time and effort. The best linen was so fine that it could pass through a signet ring. It is possible that this linen was part of the spoils collected by the Israelites on their way out of Egypt. At its best, linen was a glistening white material. At a distance, the Tabernacle courtyard fence with its linen curtains and silver inlays on the posts must have been an awe – inspiring sight. Why use such costly materials? God wanted the Israelites to know that He really was the One True Living God and that His worship was no joke! Think about it; even at night, those courtyard walls would have gleamed as a reminder that God was still with His people.
APPLICATION: Jack Zavada points out the fact that the gleaming white walls of the courtyard would have illustrated the righteousness of God, while the dust and dirt surrounding the courtyard would have represented the filthiness of our sins when we try to live without Jesus Christ. (Zavada, Jack. “Courtyard Fence of the Tabernacle.” Learn Religions, Feb. 8, 2021, learnreligions.com/courtyard-fence-of-the-tabernacle-700102
For me, this passage raises all kinds of questions:
How did the Israelites keep that linen clean? Did they have a big enough stock of the linen that if some of the curtains became dirty or stained, those curtains could be exchanged for new ones? What if a passing dog or even a passing ox or camel chose to urinate on the curtains? Perhaps those serving ladies had to quickly mobilize and do spot cleaning. Did the Israelites employ young boys to keep track of their livestock so that nothing strayed too close to the Tabernacle courtyard? (As I am writing this, I can hear somebody’s cows making noises as they trample past our house. We deal with animal problems all the time.)
Silver is a relatively soft metal. Why use silver to plate the tops of the posts and to make the hooks for the guy wires? Again, if you were simply going for durability, bronze would seem to have been a better choice.
Many years ago, I was in a high school physics class with a wonderful teacher. Whenever a student asked a question for which our teacher had no answer, he simply replied, “Because God wants it that way.” The only appropriate answer to the questions I have raised is “Because God wants it that way.” God did NOT want an ugly dark brown enclosure; He wanted a gleaming courtyard that would inspire the Israelites to worship even before they reached the Tabernacle. God was NOT interested in economy or cutting corners on this job! Really, God was watching when each of those Egyptians hauled their most precious items out and pressed them on the Israelites. God had a complete inventory of the materials available when it was time to construct the Tabernacle.
Is there a place for “plain Jane” worship centers with utilitarian architecture? Of course. If God shows up during worship, the architecture doesn’t matter and if God does not show up, no amount of fancy buildings or furnishings will substitute for the presence of the Holy Spirit. But God was establishing an entire religion; many of the Egyptian temples were dark and mysterious. God wanted the courtyard of His Tabernacle to be open to His glorious light and to reflect that light.
With the revival of the Star Wars movies, the phrase “the dark side” has come back into use. Sadly, there is a dark side. There is no such thing as spiritual neutrality; you are either serving God or Satan. And if you are not serving God, by default, you ARE serving Satan. In Joshua 24:15, Joshua challenged the Israelites to choose which god they were going to serve. But Joshua firmly stated that he and his household would serve the Lord.
PRAYER: Father God, help! We want to serve You but sometimes we don’t know how. Let everyone who reads this devotional stop and ask you to show them Your perfect Will for their lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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