COME AS A CHILD LESSON 162 - THE THIRD LAYER OF THE WILDERNESS TABERNACLE

A LAYER OF RAM SKIN DYED RED

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Moses has now completed the hearing of the instructions of God for the first and second layers of the wilderness tabernacle, starting from the inside and working to the outside. 

Today we will look at the third layer from the inside out.  God said it was to be made of ram skins dyed red.  This would mean that rams must die in order to obtain their skin for a covering for the place where God would dwell with the people of the earth.  In order for the people to worship God, a sacrifice had to be made. 

We can immediately see the comparison of the precious blood of Jesus covering and protecting the life of all believers.  We have read the words of Isaiah 53:7 which proclaim:  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

One cannot help but think of the story of Isaac and how God unexpectedly sent the ram in the thicket in order to be a substitute for the life of the beloved son of Abraham.  As God provided the ram for a substitute for Isaac; so God provided Christ as a substitute for the sins of humanity. 

The other time that we hear of a ram being used as a substitute was in the consecrating of the priests for the tabernacle.  This was something that happened later, after the tabernacle was constructed.  The sons of Aaron were to bring a sacrifice of two unblemished rams. 

 Moses presided over this ceremony telling Aaron and his sons to place their hands over the first ram’s head.  This identified their sins with the first ram which was then taken as a sacrifice and used in the form of a burnt offering.  The placing of Aaron and his son’s hands over the ram was as if they were laying the sins of the people on the ram.  This cleared the sins of the people for a year.  Next year, a new sacrifice had to be offered again.  This was what the first layer of ram’s skins symbolized.  Like the other curtains that covered, there were two layers. 

The second ram that was sacrificed was for the consecration of the priests.  The blood of this sacrifice was placed upon the people in the service of the priesthood in order to cover them and claim them as holy unto God.   This was what the second ram was used for.  This is what the second layer of ram’s skin symbolized.

All of this sacrificial offering relates to what was established by God at the very foundation of the world.

When the first original sin had taken place in the Garden of Eden and Adam had realized his nakedness for the first time; he had taken fig leaves and covered himself in an attempt to hide his nakedness, but the leaves of the fig tree were flimsy and tore easily.  It was not a good enough covering.  Adam had tried to cover his shame in vain.  God had come and taken pity on Adam and had killed an animal (probably a ram) to cover the results of Adam’s sin.  The animal skin was used as a good covering for both Adam and Eve, and the covering that God brought to Adam was more than sufficient and became an excellent covering that actually worked to cover them.  This was the first example of a ram sacrifice. 

This covering from God is what the ram skin symbolizes in looking at the construction of the tabernacle.  It is a covering that actually works, and does an excellent job of keeping what it is covering safe and out of harm from the elements of life that come to men without God’s protection. 

Adam’s original attempt with a fig leaf could be compared to our frugal attempts to right our own wrongs, and to live in our own self-righteousness. 

Nothing that we do will work! 

God must provide the covering.  

He provided Jesus Christ, His Only Begotten Son to die for our sins in order that we might have eternal life. 

This is what the ram’s skin dyed red represents.   

Never think because it is the third covering from the inside out that is isn’t significant.  It is MOST significant.  It covers our humanity and allows us to be closer to God.  It provides what we need to enter those holier places where we so long to go. 

Without the third covering; there would be no moving forward in the Christian’s journey.  The elements of sin would simply wear us down and tear us apart.

Are you trying to live in your own self-righteousness?  We humans often tend to resort to this.  It simply doesn’t work. 

If you find yourself living through a day, week, month or long period of time where you have tried everything humanly possible to make things work out a certain way and they are still crumbling around you; maybe it is time to take advantage of the third covering. 

Maybe it is time to lean into the sacrifice of Christ and realize that it is only His will for your life that truly matters. 

Maybe it is time to let Christ make the decisions, make the changes, bring the circumstances that you cannot or will not bring about by yourself. 

Just let go of your own will and trust Him. 

I promise His way is better.