Chapter 13
In this chapter we will speak a little more about the boards of the tabernacle, which we have already mentioned in chapter 2. According to Exodus 26:15-30, the boards were ten cubits high and a cubit and a half wide. When two boards were put together they formed a unit of three cubits. Three is a very important number in the Bible because it signifies resurrection, indicated by the fact that Jesus Christ was raised three days after His death. As we have seen, the fact that every board was one and a half cubits wide indicates the need to serve the Lord in cooperation and coordination with other saints.
This is especially important for a husband and wife. Together they form a complete unit of service to God. But how can a husband and wife be one if there is a big difference in temperament between them? This oneness is only possible through the resurrected Christ, which is represented by three cubits. The resurrection life of Christ is able to remove our differences and make us completely one. The Lord joined man and woman, not only so that they could live together, but mainly to be spiritual helpers, each helping the other to progress spiritually.
Some think that they can serve the Lord better in the church if they remain single. When a sister marries, for example, she will have less free time to preach the gospel or go to meetings because she will be involved with her children and husband and only he will be able to participate in all the meetings. In this way the husbands will enter into the millennial kingdom and will be overcomers, but the wives will not. However, the clear revelation in the Bible shows that God wants the married couples to serve Him together. The couples should coordinate and cooperate with one another in a way that both can serve God. By doing this, they work together mutually so that together they become overcomers.
There have been those who, in the name of serving God, put their children aside, forgetting to minister the spiritual life-supply to them. Children are a responsibility given to the parents by God and God will call them to account for what they have or have not done regarding their children. We must not see our children as a hindrance, but as those who need spiritual care. Sometimes we are concerned about preaching the gospel on the other side of town or shepherding someone and forget that in our own house, very close to us, there is someone who needs to hear the word of salvation and receive spiritual nourishment.
We need to see the potential of being Pauls and Peters in our children; not that they would be important people in man’s eyes, but that they would be useful instruments to God. We need to care for and feed the little Paul who is in our house, not only physically, but also spiritually, in order to prepare his heart to receive the Lord. If our children are not regenerated, we must hold an exemplary Christian testimony before them so that they might always have a clear vision of how a Christian should live.
We know that in many situations, the financial need causes the husband and wife to work outside and many times leave the children under the care of a daycare or a maid all day. It is still possible to have a high spiritual environment in the house if the maid is a Christian with the same vision of the church as the parents, but this is not what usually happens. No one takes care of the children like the parents do and this is a responsibility designed by God for them. So the couple needs to give their time in order to take care of the spiritual needs of their children and serving God. Some sisters, for example, could take turns one day a week taking care of each others’ children in order to go out to preach the gospel or visit new ones. We need to help each other in mutuality so that we may all enter into the coming glory as overcomers together with our children.
So we can say that every pair of boards in the tabernacle represents the families, not only the husband and wife, but also the children. The husband, wife and children are a family, a complete unit of service to God, and this is represented by three cubits.
The pillars of the outer court had sockets of bronze, which represent God’s judgment, whereas the sockets of the boards were of silver with two tenons, typifying the redemption of Christ. Redemption is higher than judgment. After someone passes through God’s judgment they are redeemed. To be pillars with a socket of bronze signifies that we are those who have passed through judgment, either in the church life or at home. After we pass through God’s judgment, we are qualified to be the boards with silver sockets in the tabernacle.
The boards were held underneath by two tenons and above they were joined to one another by rods overlaid with gold. There were also boards on the corners that were doubled. If we apply this detail of the boards being couples or families, we may say that the corner boards are the single saints. They cooperate effectively with the couples by, for example, taking care of the children while the parents go out to preach the gospel. We do not want to give formulas to be followed. The important thing is that all the children of God feel that they are called by Him to serve Him with their full time wherever they are and whoever they are. Couples, children, young people, single people – everyone has a part in the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18).
COPYRIGHT © 2006
All rights reserved by
Jasper Life Publications