“Everything in the tabernacle speaks of either the person or work of Christ. Every covering, every thread, and every article of furniture reveals something of our Savior.  As the bars hold the tabernacle together, so the Holy Spirit of God holds true believers together today.  Believers are told to  ‘keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’.”  J. Vernon McGee

The Tabernacle very much resembled a tent, except for the boards and poles used.  For one thing, a tent would not have made the two separate rooms that God desired.  Whenever the winds would blow, the curtains would have been tossed around.  Because He intended for two rooms, the Most Holy and the Holy of Holies;  the boards were used to form the two solid rooms that made up the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle.

God’s dwelling place was to be made of acacia wood with each board measurements of 15 feet long by 27 inches wide. The South side and the North side were to have 20 of these boards each with 2 tenons on each board for securing.  The West side (or the rear of the sanctuary) was to have 6 boards with an additional 2 boards at each corner to strengthen them.  Each board was to be overlaid with gold.(Exodus 26:15-26)

In order to protect the boards from the dirt of the desert, each board was placed on two bases made of silver. In the Old Testament, silver was associated with redemption and payment for sin.  Jesus redeeming work serves as the silver bases and separates us from the world.  I hope you will take the time to read: Exodus 21:32; Leviticus 5: 15, 27:3, 27:6; Numbers 18:16 and Deuteronomy 22:19 for examples of silver being used. Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver in Matthew 26:15.

Each board was joined to one another by a system of tenons. I suppose this is like the tongue and grove boards used for flooring today . In addition, they were to make crossbars of acacia wood: five for the boards on each side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the far end. Four bars were used on each side, linking together each board into one system. The middle bar ran through the middle of the boards from end to end, which meant it was probably longer and was invisible. The boards were overlaid with gold, and the four rings on each board which were used as holders for the bars, were also overlaid with gold.

“And you shall raise up the tabernacle according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain.” Exodus 26:30 God also stated that in Exodus 25:9 and 25:40.  This may suggest that Moses may have been given a vision of exactly how the tabernacle was to look.  He had to communicate that vision to the craftsmen who did the actual building.  God  works that way today, too.  He gives visions to the leaders, who pass them on to the workers that do much of the work.

Moses couldn’t remain silent about what God had shown him or the work would never have been completed! Today, we can’t remain silent about what God has done for us because His work must be completed.  We must keep spreading His Word for the salvation of everyone we know!!