How does Exodus 26:25 connect to the New Testament understanding of God's dwelling? The Verse in Focus “So there are to be eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two under each frame.” (Exodus 26:25) Why the Tabernacle Matters • God chose to dwell among Israel, not merely above them (Exodus 25:8). • Every detail of the tabernacle’s structure points ahead to a fuller dwelling to come (Hebrews 8:5). Eight Frames, Sixteen Silver Bases—Layers of Meaning • Stability and symmetry: two bases for every frame communicate perfect support. • Silver was collected as the atonement money (Exodus 30:11-16); each socket rests on redemption. • Eight in Scripture often signals a new beginning (Genesis 8:18; 1 Peter 3:20-21). The back wall of eight frames hints at a fresh, redeemed future. Christ: The Cornerstone Who “Tabernacled” Among Us • “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us” (John 1:14). • Jesus spoke of His body as the temple (John 2:19-21). • He is “the cornerstone” holding the whole building together (Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6-7). • Like those silver sockets, His redeeming work is the firm base on which God’s dwelling now stands (1 Corinthians 3:11). From Wooden Frames to Living Stones • In Christ, believers “are being built together into a dwelling place for God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). • “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5). • The two-fold support of each frame foreshadows the twin foundation of “the apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 2:20), anchored in Christ Himself. The Ongoing Presence of God • Individual bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). • The gathered church is God’s house on earth (1 Timothy 3:15). • Exodus 26:25 therefore bridges the portable tent of Israel to the Spirit-indwelt people of God today. Looking Ahead • The tabernacle’s back wall pointed toward a final, completed dwelling: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man” (Revelation 21:3). • What began with eight frames and silver bases will culminate in a city where “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Revelation 21:22). |
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