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The Curtains

Words of Faith Final

The Curtains
Words of Faith 2-3-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Exodus 26
[1] "Make the Tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim worked into them by a skilled craftsman. [2]  All the curtains are to be the same size--twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide. [3]  Join five of the curtains together, and do the same with the other five. [4]  Make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and do the same with the end curtain in the other set. [5]  Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other. [6] Then make fifty gold clasps and use them to fasten the curtains together so that the Tabernacle is a unit. [7] "Make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the Tabernacle--eleven altogether. [8]  All eleven curtains are to be the same size--thirty cubits long and four cubits wide. [9]  Join five of the curtains together into one set and the other six into another set. Fold the sixth curtain double at the front of the tent. [10]  Make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the other set. [11]  Then make fifty bronze clasps and put them in the loops to fasten the tent together as a unit. [12] As for the additional length of the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over is to hang down at the rear of the Tabernacle. [13] The tent curtains will be a cubit longer on both sides; what is left will hang over the sides of the Tabernacle so as to cover it. [14]  Make for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of hides of sea cows.

If you have ever served on a building committee, you will understand the detailed descriptions that began in Chapter 26. Few building projects could be as important and significant to people as this one.
There is a need for a building, but the need is very particular. It had to be solid and protective but also movable. Eventually, the Tabernacle would rest in one place after the long journey to the promised land. But for now, it was a mobile structure.
The primary three objects within the Tabernacle were described in chapter 25-- the Ark of the covenant, the Table of the Showbread, and the Golden Menorah or Lampstand. There will be some other furnishings, such as the altar of incense, but these were the central and critical objects by which God would meet his people.
How do you create the separations that provide distance, holiness, access, and connection? And just as important, how do you create protection from the elements?
Instead of cinderblock, drywall, and plaster, the primary separations of this portable building were curtains. There would be a 15' x 45' framework and a large courtyard. Over the top of the structure, there were 10 curtains which served as a large tent. These curtains were made of linen and brightly colored with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. They were embroidered with cherubim as a symbol of the holiness of this place.
The curtains were fastened together at the edge of each one. This large curtain was 60 feet wide and covered over the top of the Tabernacle, 45 feet long and 15 feet high. Over the colorful curtains that formed the walls ceiling and back of the Tabernacle, there was another set of curtains made with goat hair. Goat hair is used to this day by Bedouins because it is weather resistant. During the day, it breathes heat out to the surrounding air. When there is rain, it swells and forms a waterproof covering. These materials worked together to monitor the atmosphere of worship.
The basic structure of the Tabernacle would serve as the plan for the Temple in Jerusalem centuries later.
As New Testament Christ followers, we know that Jesus, "the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of an only begotten of a father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14 YLT). We also know that we are "a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you..." (1 Corinthians 6:19). By the presence of the Holy Spirit, Christ has chosen to meet with each of us intimately within the holy of holies of the heart.
As we think about ourselves and our life with God in Christ, we should consider how we structure the place of meeting. In what ways do we create separation from the world so that we can hear what God is saying? What are the images and reminders we put around us similar to the embroidery of the cherubim? How do we protect and monitor the atmosphere of worship within our hearts?
We have other ways of structuring than the Israelites did 3400 years ago. But the goal is the same. Today we might use a secluded place outdoors just as Jesus did as he removed himself to a mountaintop. We might find a quiet room or use worship music to focus our minds and hearts upon him. Whatever we do, we must be careful not to treat God's daily and regular worship in a casual way.

Father God, thank you for the detailed direction you gave for the building of the Tabernacle. Help me hear the details you desire for me as I structure the place and time of meeting with You. In Jesus' Name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.