A Covering Of Rams' Skins Dyed Red

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

The tent which was over the tabernacle had a covering of rams' skins dyed red, which was placed beneath the outer covering of badgers' skins. Thus the tent had two coverings. See Exodus 26.14; and 36.19.

Thoughts of the Lord's suffering and rejection by men were before us as we considered the outer covering, how "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not." The exterior showed nothing that attracted the natural man; as we read, "When we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him."

The rams' skins, however, point to another aspect of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, a life that was unseen by the unregenerate man. The rams' skins were hidden from the view by the badgers' skins, and thus we are caused to consider that inner life of Christ on which the eyes of God His Father ever rested with ineffable delight. In keeping with this we find the words: "Behold My Servant, whom I uphold; My Chosen, in whom My soul delighteth:

I have put My Spirit upon Him; He shall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles"(Isaiah 42.1).

As we come to know the Lord Jesus we may appreciate in measure the depth of His devotion to the will of His God and Father; but as this is "Deep that knows no sounding" we can never know it to the full. The life of the Son of God while on earth was one of

ABSOLUTE CONSECRATION

While the contrary winds of unbelief were howling, and the dark shadows of Golgotha were gathering, He could say to His adversaries:

"When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself, but as the Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He that sent Me is with Me; He hath not left Me alone; for I do always the things that are pleasing to Him" (John 8.28, 29). He sought not and did not His own will, but did the will of Him that sent Him; when weary, hungry and thirsty He said:

"My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to accomplish His work" (John 4.84; 5.30; 6.38). He stands out in marked contrast to the king spoken of in Daniel 11.36, "And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god." The Lord Jesus humbled Himself, made Himself of no reputation, and set Himself to do the will of His Father.

It is thus that the blessed Holy Spirit delights to present Christ in all the Scriptures. Satan, demons and men, by strategy and by bold-faced opposition, endeavoured to hinder Him, and turn God's perfect Servant away from the way of God; but He allowed neither persons nor things, neither friends nor foes, to come between Him and the doing of the will of God. There was no intermission in His consecration.

Faithful amidst unfaithfulness,

'Midst darkness only light,

Thou didst Thy Father's name confess,

And in His will delight.

Thy foes might hate, despise, revile,

Thy friends unfaithful prove;

Unwearied in forgiveness still,

Thy heart could only love."

SKINS DYED RED

The dyeing of the rams' skins red was not, as we may have gleaned, for the sight of the natural man, but was that in which the eyes of God found delight. The word 'adam, translated red, means, a man, and we think of the Man Christ Jesus, whose birth was foretold by Isaiah, "A virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (God with us)." The form of the word, however, as used in connexion with the rams' skins, indicates "to show blood," as when one is flushed by a flow of blood to the face. This recalls the words of the woman in the Song of Songs 5.10,

"My beloved is white and ruddy,

The chiefest among ten thousand."

It is thus that all lovers of the Lord Jesus view Him.

There appears a shadow of this in the story concerning David. When all of Jesse's sons had been rejected as being unworthy of the anointing oil, David was sent for, and brought in. "Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look upon."

Any reference to the blood of Christ suggests the ordeal of Calvary, and raises in our hearts the question, Does the Holy Spirit in having the rams' skins dyed red point to that high-water-mark of the obedience of Christ when He became" obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross " ? It seems so to us, and should cause our hearts to be bowed before Him in lowly adoration.

When we see Him as the Victim

Bound upon Golgotha's cross,

For our guilt and folly stricken,

Bearing judgement due to us,

Lord, we own, with hearts adoring,

He has loved us unto blood,

Glory, glory everlasting

Be unto the Lamb of God!

AARON AND HIS SONS AS TYPES

The priestly family in their being prepared for the divine services, as recorded in Exodus 29, afford some precious lessons which illustrate devotion and consecration. Many things were necessary for the priests which speak of these things, but He needed not any such sacrifice. Before they were allowed to take up the priestly work they were brought to the door of the tent of meeting, where they were washed and clothed, a type or outward expression of the inherent purity and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. A sin offering was slain for them, but never one for Him who needed none, because,

"They first their own sin offering brought

To purge themselves from sin,

His life was pure without a spot,

And all His nature clean."

Thereafter a ram for a burnt offering was slain, that they might be accepted before the Loan (Leviticus 1.8). Sin was put away in the sin offering ; the persons of the priests were accepted in the burnt offering; then the priestly family lay their hands upon the head of another ram: "it is a ram of consecration" (Exodus 29.22).

BLOOD-STAINED EAR, HAND AND FOOT

"Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of its blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot." The Hebrew word mala, translated consecration, means "to fill." Thus we are given the thought in the mind of the Holy Spirit of God, namely, that the ears of God's servants should be filled with the voice of God, their hands with the work of God, and their feet should be running in the way of the LORD's commandments. This, we judge, is what is set forth in the blood-stained ear, hand and foot.

None of this was needed by the Lord. He gave His ear to God's voice day by day. His hands were full day by day in doing the work of His Father. His feet were swift and beautiful as they ran in the way of the LORD'S commandments.

It was well for Israel when the priests gave their ear to the voice of God. Prosperity and blessing were the portion of the people. Alas that it was not always so ! " Like people, like priest," was God's lament through Hosea (4.9). "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" was no doubt the result of the lack of the consecrated ear on the part of the priests. If the priests' lips were to keep knowledge, the priests' ears would require to be filled, not with the current news of earth, but with the word of the living God, as contained in the Book of the law. Priests who would seek to serve God today in the holy priesthood should exercise care to give God the ear, because if we succeed in this the hands and the feet will follow. "Thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them" (Exodus 29.85). A seven-day consecration is worthy of our ambition.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,

By the power of grace divine;

Let my soul look up with a stedfast hope,

And my will be lost in Thine."

PROPHETIC UNFOLDINGS

In Isaiah 50. verses 4-6, there is a foretelling of the Lord's devoted life before God. We hear Himself speaking through the words of Isaiah, as it were His own testimony, just as in chapter 42 we find the Spirit's testimony concerning Him. He says, "The Lord GOD hath given Me the tongue of them that are taught, that I should know how to sustain with words him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth Mine ear to hear as they that are taught." Here we discern the consecrated ear. Then follow the words: "The Lord GOD hath opened Mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backward. I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not My face from shame and spitting."

On the eve of the cross the Lord Jesus said, "The prince of the world cometh: and he hath nothing in Me; but that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence." He was going hence to meet those who would treat Him as Isaiah had prophesied. Before another sunset He was scourged and tormented and crucified and slain. Surely that day He was making it manifest that He was not rebellious. His ear had been wakened as a disciple and He turned not backward. With the Father's commandment ringing in His ears He goes forward to Gethsemane, to the judgement hall, and to the cross. Wonderful Saviour, doing all God's will below! How true that "Christ pleased not Himself," but He was the One to whom His Father testified, "Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased" (Luke 3. 22)!

THE THINGS OF THE FATHER

The story recorded in Luke 2.41-51 reveals how early the Lord Jesus had His hands filled with His Father's things. He was only twelve years old, yet when Mary His mother asked, "Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us? behold, Thy father and I sought Thee sorrowing," He said unto them, "How is it that ye sought Me? wist ye not that I must be in the things of My Father? " (R.V.M.). For three days they had sought Him, and doubtless had been to places which they thought would attract a boy', and apparently the last place they came to was the temple, where they found Him sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions: and all that heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.

We do well to bear in mind that there are only the things of the Father, and the things of the world. "All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (1 John 2.16, 17).

The Lord when tempted in the desert used the Scriptures against the devil, and resisted what was presented by him-something for the flesh in the way of bread ; something for His eyes, the sight of all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; an act of pride, casting Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, and looking to God for deliverance from death; all these were spurned by the consecrated Servant of Jehovah, and He manifested Himself as the Young Man who was strong, because the word of God was abiding in Him, and so He overcame the evil one. See I John 2.14.

What are we going in for day by day? If we are to succeed we too will need to imitate the writer of the 119th Psalm, who says,

"Thy word have I laid up in mine heart,

That I might not sin against Thee."

Eve, our first parent, failed to do this, and so she became a victim of the serpent's craftiness. Something for food; then something for the eyes; then something that pandered to her pride-these were the enticements which captivated her, and led her to sin against the LORD, with all the dreadful consequences to the human family. Oh, to be so taken up with the Lord that we shall be able to say in truth,

Blest Saviour we would own Thee

Amid the world's proud scorn,

The world that mocked, and crowned Thee

With diadem of thorn.

The world that now rejects Thee,

Makes nothing of Thy love,

Counts not the grace and pity

That brought Thee from above"

G. Prasher | Jan 1959
The Tabernacle