Connect Exodus 26:29 to Hebrews 9:1-5 regarding the tabernacle's significance. Seeing the Gold: Exodus 26:29 at a Glance • “You are to overlay the boards with gold, make their rings of gold to hold the crossbars, and overlay the crossbars with gold.” (Exodus 26:29) • Every visible surface inside the tabernacle shone with gold. • Acacia wood supplied strength; gold supplied glory—wood pictures humanity, gold pictures divinity (cf. John 1:14; Colossians 2:9). Walking Through the Rooms: Hebrews 9:1-5 Summarized • “Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary…” (Hebrews 9:1-5). • First room: lampstand, table, and the bread of the Presence. • Second room: Ark of the Covenant, entirely overlaid with gold, holding manna, Aaron’s rod, and the tablets of the covenant; above it, gold-covered cherubim overshadowing the mercy seat. Gold’s Message in Both Passages • Divine holiness—unbroken, radiant, untarnished. • Immediacy of God’s presence; nothing common can stand before Him (cf. Psalm 96:9). • Anticipation of heaven’s reality where “the city was pure gold” (Revelation 21:18). Acacia Wood Meets Gold: Typology of Christ • Wood: true humanity—“made in likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). • Gold: full deity—“the Word was God” (John 1:1). • Joined without blending: one Person, two natures, indivisible. Crossbars, Rings, and Oneness • Crossbars unite every board into a single dwelling (Exodus 26:26-28). • In Christ, “we who are many are one body” (Romans 12:5). • Gold-covered rings hold everything in perfect order—“in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). Hebrews Explains the Purpose • Earthly sanctuary = copy and shadow of the heavenly (Hebrews 8:5). • Gold-sheathed Ark foreshadows Christ as the true meeting place of mercy and law (Romans 3:25). • Curtain parted only once a year points to the torn veil of Christ’s flesh (Hebrews 10:19-20). Practical Takeaways • Approach God with reverence: the gold reminds us of His blazing holiness. • Rest in confidence: the acacia wood under the gold assures us that the Holy One took on our frame. • Live in unity: just as the boards stood together, believers are joined through the Spirit into a living temple (1 Peter 2:5). Looking Forward • The golden boards looked forward to the incarnate, glorified Christ. • Hebrews directs us beyond the earthly tent to the throne room where He now ministers for us (Hebrews 9:24). |
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