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| And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:13) |
ACACIA WOOD WITH GOLDEN OVERLAYS
(Writing and photography by Sheila Gail Landgraf)
Thank you for
joining our on-going chronological bible study called COME AS A CHILD. Today we
will begin studying more about the structure of the wilderness tabernacle and our text begins with the scriptures found in Exodus; Chapter 28.
God
has just finished giving Moses a general idea about how to place the coverings
of the tabernacle. Now God is advising Moses of the plans for making the
framework to support those coverings.
Moses is instructed
that the inside bars which will be used to make up the boards that frame the tabernacle should be
made of acacia wood.
Acacia wood comes
from acacia trees. Acacia trees are
graceful trees that like warm climates.
They have deep root structures and are good to use to prevent erosion
in landscapes. They grow in any type of
soil, even in sandy areas. These hearty
trees have bright colorful and beautiful leaves and produce very pretty flowers
when in bloom.
Another interesting
trait of the acacia tree is that even the flowers and leaves as well as the
wood from the tree can all be used in some beneficial way, whether it be food,
medicine or building materials. Nothing
from this tree is wasted; all parts of it are useful for something. It grows very fast and lives to be about 30
years old. The wood is very durable and able to
withstand heavy weights, which would make it an ideal material for supporting the four heavy
layers of the tabernacle’s curtain coverings.
The acacia tree is
still used for many modern day purposes.
It is known for its beauty and strength.
Now we use the acacia wood for furniture and hardwood flooring. Manufacturers especially love this wood for use
in making outdoor furniture because the wood is so moisture-resistant and
solid. This would have been a very good
fit for the structure of the tabernacle, as the articles of the tabernacle traveled
with the people and were constantly exposed to the elements of the dessert. The hard-wearing, strong and heavy wood; could
survive well as the people traveled through the wilderness.
Despite the beauty
and durability of this wood; God told Moses to overlay the acacia bars with
gold. One reason for this might have
been that the acacia trees were not very tall, and most of the branches would
not have been long enough to form one solid board. Instead there were several sections of acacia
wood in each board held together within a golden overlay.
These acacia and gold bars were fit together into forms
called boards which became a type of foundation for the coverings of the
tabernacle. Each bar was to be 10 cubits high and one cubit broad, but
the depth of each bar was not mentioned.
The acacia wood
within each bar represented the redeemed of humanity. Wood was symbolic of flesh. The wood in the outer courts were overlaid
with bronze representing mankind covered with sin. The wood in the inner courts were overlaid
with gold, representing mankind covered by the presence of God. The gold overlays that surround them
represented that they were redeemed of God.
Five is the number
for grace. Five bars made up a board,
and one of the bars was hidden in the middle.
It could not be seen; though it was the most important board of each
section of bars. This was the supporting
bar that ran from end to end in the middle of the board sections. The supporting bar represented Christ coming
to redeem mankind. Without that middle
supporting bar the whole structure would have been useless. The other bars are good support; but the
support from the middle bar was what made things work together and hold in
place. Without the love of God mankind
cannot dwell in unity. It takes that
middle supporting golden bar; the one that holds everything steady and
firm. It takes Christ living within our
souls for mankind to dwell together in peace and harmony.
There were to 20 boards on the north and the
south and six boards on the west with two additional corner boards. The
east had no boards; as it was the place of the entrance, and pillars supported
the tent on this side.
Altogether there
were 48 boards of acacia wood overlaid with gold. We will speak more
of how these boards were used and held up in our next lesson from COME AS A
CHILD.
