| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
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| 1 And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. |
Shalt make an altar – Representing Christ's ransom sacrifice. T22
Five cubits long and five – Being square, it typified the perfection of Christ. R101:1*
Three cubits – Comparatively low, typifying one who is easy of access, and a free salvation. R101:1
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| 2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with copper.
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Make the horns – Symbols of power. T42
Pointing to Christ as our refuge and his abundance of power and grace to all. R101:1*
Upon the four corners – In every direction; so God's power to all men is unlimited. R96:1
Overlay it with brass – Copper, symbol of perfect human nature. T18
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| 3 And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basins, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of copper. |
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| 4 And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of copper; and upon the net shalt thou make four copper rings in the four corners thereof. |
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| 5 And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. |
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| 6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with copper. |
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| 7 And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. |
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| 8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it. |
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| 9 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side: |
Make the court – Representing the condition of justification. T19
Representing the justified condition. In proportion as those in the Court advance toward the Holy, in that proportion they draw nigh to God and experience a measure of justification or harmony with God, leading to complete justification. R4745:3
In the present time the Court represents the condition of divine favor of all those who, exercising faith in God, are approaching nearer and nearer to him. R4922:5, R5418:3
The picture changes at the end of this age: those who have not made a full consecration go out and cease to be represented in the Court. The Great Company is represented by the Court condition thereafter. R4876:4, R4579:1-3
Only the Levites will be in the Court. In the last analysis the Court represents the spirit-begotten ones separated from the world. R4745:6
Corresponds to Plane N on the Chart of the Ages. R276:5; A244
Hangings for the court – Representing, to those within, a wall of faith; but to those without, a wall of unbelief, which hindered their view of, and access to, the holy things within. T18
Apparently without seam, symbolizing the righteousness of Christ. R100:3*
Fine twined linen – Representing Christ's righteousness. T36, T114
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| 10 And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of copper; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. |
The twenty pillars – Representing justified believers. T113
Sockets shall be of brass – Copper, representing that, though actually imperfect, the standing of the justified believer is that of a perfect human being. T113
Hooks ... of silver – Silver being a symbol of truth, justified believers (pillars) can truthfully claim that Christ's righteousness (the linen curtain) covers all their imperfections. T114
Truth is the hook, or connection, which binds the Church to the curtain of linen and, by it, to each other. R100:5*
As we are told to search for truth as for silver (Prov. 2:4); and as David likens the wruth is symbolized by silver. R100:5*
The Great Company class was represented by the "silver." R4745:6
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| 11 And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of copper; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. |
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| 12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. |
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| 13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. |
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| 14 The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. |
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| 15 And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. |
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| 16 And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four. |
And for the gate – "I am the way" (John 14:6), "I am the door" (John 10: T18
The way out of unbelief and sin. T22
Of blue – "True blue" is the symbol for a faithful one. Blue in countries' flags stands for fidelity. In (Num. 15:37-41) a blue fringe on Israe R100:6*
And purple – In (Judges 8:26) we find that the kings of R100:6*
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| 17 All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of copper. |
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| 18 The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of copper. |
Height five cubits – The posts were five cubits high and five cubits apart; standing, as it were, within reach of one another, yet too far apart to lean upon one another. R100:3*
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| 19 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of copper. |
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| 20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. |
Pure oil olive – Symbolic of the holy Spirit. T29, T37, T116; D650
For the light – Representing the spirit of truth. T116
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| 21 In the tabernacle of the congregation outside of the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel. |
Aaron – Representing our High Priest, Christ. T36, T116; E449
And his sons – Who succeeded him in office. T116
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