The Tent Of Goats' Hair

by G. Prasher | Category: The Tabernacle | Feb 1959

The tent of goats' hair which was over the tabernacle must be

distinguished from the tent of meeting referred to in Exodus 33.7-11.

That is said to have been pitched by Moses without the camp; and he called it the tent of meeting. Readers will observe that at the time when this tent of meeting was used outside the camp the tabernacle with its tent over it had not yet been made.

The story of that tent, however, provides some important lessons which are worthy of attention. Firstly let us note that "the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the Tent." Here we find the place which the LORD had-standing at the door. This was because He had as yet no dwelling place among His redeemed people. True, there was communion between the LORD and His servant Moses, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." Individual communion with the LORD is one thing, but having a place for the LORD to dwell in is another. Many, we fear, are content with the former, and have no concern in regard to the latter. May the LORD graciously exercise increasingly the hearts of His redeemed ones in our day in respect to building Him a Sanctuary! Men in apostolic days had this honour. See 1 Corinthians 3.10, 16; Ephesians 2.21, 22. Though, alas, all believers are not together in these last days, yet a remnant of godly ones who fear His name may build His spiritual house as did a remnant in the days of Zerubbabel, His material house; see Ezra 6.15.

WISE HEARTED WOMEN SPUN

As with the tabernacle curtains so it was with the making of the curtains of the tent, the women had an important work to do. "All the women whose hearts stirred them up in wisdom spun the goats' hair" (Exodus 35.26). That men and women must work together in divine movements is fitly set forth in the Scriptures. " Neither is the woman without the man, nor the man without the woman, in the Lord." Priscilla and Aquila rise before our minds as a delightful example of a wife and husband co-operating in the things of God. Apollos was an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures. His knowledge, however, was limited, he having advanced only as far as the baptism of John. "But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more carefully" (Acts 18.26). That the Holy Spirit places the name of this godly woman first in this instance may indicate that she had a knowledge and discernment even excelling that of her husband. Romans 16.8-5 reveals how they worked together; "My fellowworkers in Christ Jesus, who for my life laid down their own necks; unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; and salute the church that is in their house." The example of Lydia in Acts 16, of Euodia and Syntyche in Philippians 4, and others, may well be viewed as instances of wise hearted women who wrought in furthering God's work in their day and time.

WISE HEARTED MEN WOVE

"And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work made curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them" (Exodus 36.8, 14). These shadows of Exodus we can trace to Acts 1.2, 3, where we see the Lord Jesus, who Himself is Wisdom, speaking to the apostles whom He had chosen, giving them commandment through the Holy Spirit, and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God. Here are wisehearted men drinking at the source and fountain-head of wisdom. They are to receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon them, and they are to be witnesses of the Lord Jesus both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. The wise Master Builder had already brought together much precious material, and ere He went back to the glory those who were together and subject to Him numbered about one hundred and twenty. The names of these were together (Acts 1.15). It has frequently been asked, Where were the three hundred and eighty of the five hundred brethren mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15.6? It is evident they were not together as the Lord desired they should be, and to fail to obey the Lord's word, as these seem to have done, must be attended with spiritual loss.

COPPER CLASPS OF JUDGEMENT

The coupling of the tent was after the fashion of the tabernacle, except that in one group of the tent we find there are six curtains "And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves " (Exodus 36.16). The clasps were of copper, instead of gold as in the case of the tabernacle, and the extra cubits in the length of each curtain provided covering at the sides, and there was the width of a half curtain, that is two cubits, to hang below the tabernacle curtain in the rear. The copper clasps uniting the whole are suggestive of judgement, without which the Fellowship of God's Son could not be maintained. Unless such persons as are described in 1 Corinthians 5.11, 12 are dealt with it would be impossible to secure divine unity. "Do not ye judge them that are within, whereas them that are without God judgeth?" (verses 12, 18).

We have earlier shown that copper seems to point to judgement, and as we view it these clasps would remind us of judgement in respect of the house and courts of the LORD. In Zechariah 3.7 we read, "Thus saith the LORD of hosts: If thou wilt walk in My ways, and if thou wilt keep My charge, then thou also shalt judge My house, and shalt also keep My courts, and I will give thee a place of access among these that stand by." Joshua the high priest was thus linked with certain of his fellows in this great responsibility of seeing that judgement was carried out in the house of God, and keeping the courts of the LORD'S house.

That was not merely a local matter which engaged the brethren in Antioch in Syria. Circumcision after the custom of Moses for

salvation would affect the whole Community, and so the brethren must think universally; and, after much discussion and questioning with the schismatics, Paul and Barnabas with certain others were sent to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. There a judgement was given which condemned the Judaizers, and gave guidance to God's together people - the Community, the house of God (see Acts 15). " The care of all the churches " pressed upon the apostle Paul daily (2 Corinthians 11.28): he also had faithful men carrying out instructions given by him. Timothy is outstanding among these, and we find that when he was left in Ephesus he was charged on more than one occasion to stem the flood of apostasy in Asia. (See 1 Timothy 1.8, 4). That there was real necessity for so doing may be gleaned from 2 Timothy 1.15, where we read, "This

thou knowest, that all that are in Asia turned away from me."

NAOS AND HIERON

The dual thought of sanctuary and meeting place may also be seen in the New Testament. The Lord Jesus found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and .the changers of money sitting. These He gave the outside place, saying to them that sold the doves, "Make not My Father's house a house of merchandise" (John 2.14-16). The word translated temple in this instance is hieron, or outer temple, where the people congregated. In Luke 1.9 we read of Zacharias that " according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense." Here the word is naos, that inner temple or sanctuary. Of the people it is added that they "were praying without at the hour of incense" (verse 10). In general naos signified the dwelling place, and hieron the meeting place, though at times the Jews referred to the whole under the term naos.

HE PITCHED HIS TENT AMONG US

Precious teaching bearing upon the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ is also contained in the curtains of the tent. Their being made of goats' hair recalls the important place the goat has in the sin offerings under the law, as see Leviticus 16 where for the people two goats were required in the matter of sending away and making atonement for their sins. Also Numbers 28 and 29 should be noted. In the light of these scriptures we judge that in the goats' hair of the tent the Holy Spirit directs our hearts to the body which our Lord Jesus took with the view to becoming an offering for sin. We should bow our hearts in holy reverence as we consider the prophetic words through Isaiah: "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when His soul shall make an offering for sin (or guilt offering), He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand" (Isaiah 53.10, R.V.M.).

Let us look more closely into the holy mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God. In John 1.1 we see His Deity, His being with God, and His Eternity. In verse 3 His Creatorship is tersely stated, and verse 4 declares, " In Him was life; and the life was the light of men." Incomprehensible is He in majesty and in glory, yet we read the amazing words:

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth" (John 1. 14).

The word translated dwelt is eskenosen, from skenoo, to pitch one's tent. The literal meaning then is that the Lord Jesus when He took that body which His Father prepared for Him, pitched His tent among us.

THE GLORY OF GOD

The Shechinah Glory which dwelt above the mercy-seat filled the divine sanctuary. In the understanding of the writer, had there been no tent with its coverings over the tabernacle this Glory would have shone through, and its presence would have become manifest to all. The tent with its coverings, however, shut this glory in. Here is presented to us a most precious consideration, for as that tent in the wilderness veiled the Glory of Jehovah from the outside observer, so the body of the blessed Lord Jesus Christ veiled the Glory of His Deity; since " in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2.9).

"True image of the Infinite

Whose essence is concealed:

Brightness of uncreated light,

The heart of God revealed.

Worthy the name of Jesus now

That every knee therein should bow."

Wonderful was the condescension of the Lord Jesus that found Him "dwelling below, full of truth and of grace."

His GLORY MANIFESTED

Did any see the glory of the Lord Jesus while He was down here? Yes, John the beloved disciple saw it, and He links others with him in having enjoyed this great privilege. He says, "We beheld His glory." The first sign performed by the Lord, His making water into wine at the marriage in Cana of Galilee, was a manifestation thereof, as we read, "This beginning of His signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed on Him." The great Creator was at work, and, as usually is the case, munificence was displayed. The supply of wine was abundant, and would doubtless last for many days. Seven signs are selected by the Holy Spirit in John's Gospel prior to the cross, and it is of interest that the first is suggestive of creation's work, whereas the last presents the Lord calling one dead from the tomb. He who created all things in the beginning will at the end cause " all that are in the tombs " to hear His voice, and" they "shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done ill, unto the resurrection of judgement." Herein is displayed glory as of the only begotten from the Father. That there are glories beyond these outshinings no one who loves the Lord Jesus will doubt.

Peter, John and James were specially privileged when He was transfigured before them, and as Matthew says, "His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became white as the. light." Peter writing many years later says, " We were eyewitnesses of His majesty." Yes, what these men saw on such occasions must have been His glory in a veiled form, since we know His Person and majesty are so transcendent that man could not behold such glory and live. We thank God, however, for the testimony of those who saw somewhat of His glory while He was here in the TENT.

THE LAMB OF GOD

It was at a very early point in His public life that men were caused to hear the message from the lips of John the Baptist, the message that indicated the great purpose of His incarnation, "Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!" (John 1.29). Happy are all who by faith in Him know the bliss of sins forgiven.

"Sin-atoning Sacrifice,

Oh how precious in our eyes:

He alone our rest shall be,

Now and through eternity."

G. Prasher | Feb 1959
The Tabernacle