Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20070411.htm

EXODUS: FUNCTIONING WELL IN A HOPELESS GROUP ASSIGNMENT
Part II: God's Sustainment Of Israel In The Wilderness Amid Humanly Hopeless Trials
M. God's Establishment Of The Tabernacle Of Meeting
4. The Trellised Walls: Christ's Full Revelation Of God's Glory
(Exodus 26:15-30)
  1. Introduction
    1. Islam claims Jesus did not give a full revelation of God, but that the later prophet Mohammed did.
    2. However, the construction of the tabernacle walls illustrated that Christ fully revealed the Father:
  2. The Trellised Walls: Christ's Full Revelation Of God's Glory, Exodus 26:15-30.
    1. Having discussed the three key articles of furniture in the tabernacle, God told Moses how to build and arrange the tabernacle itself that would house these furnishings, cf. Bible Knowledge Com., O. T., p. 149.
    2. The curtain coverings of the tabernacle were to be held up by an extensive, open frame construction, and the form of that frame typifies how Christ fully revealed the glory of God in His earthly life, Ex. 26:15-30:
      1. God directed Moses to build "boards" (KJV) or, better, "upright frames" of boards (NIV, ESV) for the tabernacle out of acacia wood that were approximately 15 feet tall by 27 inches wide, Exodus 26:15.
      2. Though models of the tabernacle usually present these as solid boards, they were open, trellised frames measuring 15 feet by 27 inches, a view seen from a close view of the Hebrew text at Exodus 26:17:
        1. Literally, verse 17 reads: " . . . two hands to a board, the one being joined a wife to its brother; in this way shall you make all the boards of the tabernacle." (Kittel, ed., Biblia Hebraica, p. 118)
        2. To explain, God directed Moses to take two fifteen feet long pieces of acacia wood and join them parallel to one another by way of two cross beams, one at the top and the other near the bottom of both 15-foot pieces, with the crosspieces' tenons fitting into slots in both frames, creating a open trellis when the resulting frame stood upright so that the inner curtain would be seen from inside the tabernacle through these open frames, cf. J. D. Douglas, gen. ed., The New Bible Dictionary, 1973, p. 1232; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Ex. 26:15-30.
        3. Added evidence that a trellis formation was used comes from a somewhat similar construction of "the portable pavilion of Hetep-heres" discovered in Giza, Egypt around 2600 B. C., Ibid., Douglas, p. 1231, Figure 202. It had an open wall with upright and overhead ceiling crossbeams connecting the upright frame construction over which were laid various appropriate drapings!
      3. These upright frames were to be set in silver bases to keep them up off the ground, Exodus 26:18-25.
      4. The frames were to be overlaid with gold, and held upright by being joined together by five horizontal poles running parallel to the ground through attached gold rings on the frames, the poles being made of acacia wood covered with gold, 26:26-29. Over this formation the coverings were to be draped, 26:30!
      5. So, inside the tabernacle, the priest would see the ornate, white-linen covering decorated with red, blue and purple yarn cherubim embroidery work held up by gold-covered acacia wood frames (and we assume crossbeams), with the frames being held up by five parallel-running gold-covered acacia poles, a brilliant combination of color, texture and form in the soft glow of the candlestick lamps!
      6. This sight demonstrates how fully the Lord Jesus revealed God's glory to man in His earthly life:
        1. As we have before noted, the acacia wood in the other furnishings pictures Christ's humanity, and their gold overlay His deity, so the frames with their rings and bars typify Christ's incarnation.
        2. So, in His incarnation, Jesus did not fail to disclose, but He fully explained the Father's glory as the trellis frames did the beautiful inner tabernacle covering to the ministering priest; Jesus thus fully expounded the Father's glory, the glory that was full of abounding grace and truth, cf. John 1:14-18.
        3. Thus, we need no prophet as in Islam to supplant or improve upon the earthly ministry of Jesus, for He is our All-Sufficient Savior, Messiah and Lord Who fully exposed the glory of the Father for us!
Lesson: As the tabernacle's trellised walls upheld and exposed the glory of the ornate inner covering, so the incarnate Lord Jesus fully exposed the glory of the Father in His earthly ministry. We need no other exposition of God as Jesus is our All-Sufficient Expositor of the Father, an exposition that demonstrated God's abundant grace and truth, John 14:8-9 with John 1:14-18.

Application: May we look to Christ alone for all we need to know of all God's glorious grace and truth!