Exodus 26:1 - Meaning and Application

The house was to be a tabernacle, or tent, like those soldiers use in a camp. It was a humble dwelling, and it could also be moved from place to place. Even so, the ark of God had no better home until Solomon built the temple, 480 years later (1 Kings 6:1). God showed his presence among his people in this tent for two reasons.

First, it suited their condition in the wilderness. They needed God with them wherever they went. God adjusts the signs of his favor and the gifts of his grace to his people’s needs. He fits his mercy to their condition, whether they are in hardship or in peace, settled or unsettled. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (Isaiah 43:2).

Second, the tabernacle showed what God’s church is like in this world. It lives in a tent-like state (Psalm 15:1). We have no lasting city here. We are strangers in this world, traveling toward a better home, and we will not be settled until we reach heaven. The blessings of the church move from place to place. The gospel is not tied to one location. The lampstand is in a tent, and it can easily be taken away (Revelation 2:5). If we value the tabernacle and make good use of its blessing, it will go with us wherever we go. But if we neglect it and bring it shame, it will leave us wherever we stay. “What does my beloved have to do in my house?” (Jeremiah 11:15).

The curtains of the tabernacle also had to match a pattern given by God. They were to be rich and beautiful, made of fine twined linen, with blue, purple, and scarlet colors. They were also to be embroidered with cherubim, which are angelic figures (Exodus 26:1). This showed that God’s angels camp around his church (Psalm 34:7). Just as there were cherubim over the mercy seat, there were cherubim around the tabernacle. We also read of angels surrounding not only the throne but the elders (Revelation 5:11).

There were to be two curtain sets, each made of five widths sewn together, and the two sets were to be joined with gold clasps, or fasteners, so that it would be one tabernacle (Exodus 26:6). This pointed to the church of Christ and to believers. Though they are many, they are one, joined together in holy love and by the unity of the Spirit. In that way, they grow into one holy temple in the Lord (Ephesians 2:21, Ephesians 2:22, Ephesians 4:16). The tabernacle itself was very narrow and confined. But when the gospel is preached, the church is told to enlarge the place of her tent and stretch out her curtains (Isaiah 54:2).