The Tabernacle Boards/ part 1

The scripture text is found in Ex. 23 vs 15: “ And for the Tabernacle you shall make the boards of acacia wood. “ Also you should read vvs. 16-25 of this same chapter.
In the study of the Tabernacle in the wilderness we need to look at the construction and the first part after we have examined the sockets of silver which are the foundation (and we have already done so) are the boards.
As we have seen in these verses (you need to read the scripture text verses that I gave you, if you haven’t already done so) we see here a clear picture , a type if you will of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; and His church. Refer to my blog at www.moreaboutHisWord.blogspot.com for a series on the Church. Also in that blog there is one by Naida called “The Hand of God.” Well worth checking out as well. We can see the mighty Hand of God revealed in these scripture verses that I have just referred you to. So it’s important that you read all of them…and there is more. So we will take a look at the Church that is represented in these gold covered boards.
The boards were set in the silver foundations and while some may say that this is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ…that the church is not overlaid with gold, and we have proven that gold represents Deity, yet we have seen in our last study that the silver foundation represents the Blood of Christ and the church is built on this foundation…the Blood of Christ, amen? Paul says in 1 Cor. 3:11 “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
So I am saying that these boards at least in this context represent the church which shows forth the glory of God which in turn is represented by the gold covering on the boards. “Tis a glorious church without spot or wrinkle…washed in the Blood of the Lamb.” What makes the Church glorious? Is it not from Him who loved us and gave Himself for us? Christ was not forced to give His life…He gave Himself willingly and gladly. What do we do willingly and gladly for Him? The glory in the Church certainly does not originate with you or I now, does it? The Church is clothed in His glory…in His righteousness, His and His alone.
Let us examine these boards more thoroughly and firstly we see that they were cut from the same kind of trees that the Ark, the Table of Shewbread, the Alter of Incense and the Brazen Alter were. They came from the acacia wood tree…like Jesus, they typify humanity. Some might ask, “was Jesus typical of humanity…isn’t He God? The answer in both cases of course is YES!! He is both God and Man…the Bible says “the Man Christ Jesus.” Thomas after seeing Him in the room where He invited him to touch Him, declared “my Lord and my God”
Yes He is a perfect man and He is the perfect God, however His salvation that He offers us and we receive by faith is not to any avail based on His perfect life, but rather on His shed Blood.
How can you say such a thing, you might ask? If Jesus had not died and shed His own blood on the cross…if He had just come down to earth and lived the good, holy life that He did and then went back to heaven and the Father, then we would not be saved tonight. There would be no remission of sin had He not shed His blood. The Apostle Peter tells us in chapter 1 and verse 12 that the angels of heaven desire to look into these truths. One writer puts it …”they desire to stretch their necks to look in to salvation’s redemptive plan. It was not designed for them but rather for a sinner like me; one who can’t even live for God in my own strength; one who deserved hell in all of its horror…angels would like to know what it feels like to be forgiven!

To be continued…