What significance do the "five posts" have in the tabernacle's construction? Key Verse “Make five posts of acacia wood for the screen, overlay them with gold, and cast five bronze bases for them.” (Exodus 26:37) Setting the Scene: Where the Posts Stood • The five posts stood at the eastern entrance of the tabernacle proper, holding the embroidered screen that led into the Holy Place (Exodus 26:36–37; 36:37–38). • They marked the only doorway between the courtyard and the tent, distinguishing common ground from holy ground. What the Five Posts Were Made Of • Acacia wood – durable, resistant to decay, picturing incorruptible humanity (cf. Isaiah 53:9). • Overlaid with gold – symbolizing divine glory (Exodus 25:11). • Set in bronze bases – bronze pictures judgment (Numbers 21:8–9). Together they announce: deity (gold) joined to humanity (wood) standing on judgment already borne (bronze). Why the Number Five Matters Scripture often ties the number five to grace and divine provision: • Five kinds of Levitical offerings ensured full atonement (Leviticus 1–7). • Five books of the Law laid the foundation for knowing God (Joshua 1:7). • David chose five smooth stones, yet one was sufficient (1 Samuel 17:40). • The Lord multiplied five loaves to feed the multitude (Matthew 14:17–21). The doorway held by five posts proclaims that entry into God’s presence rests on grace, not human merit. Theological Layers in Their Placement • A single entrance (John 10:9) held by five supports underscores one exclusive way of access provided entirely by grace (Ephesians 2:8). • Gold-covered wood pictures the incarnate Christ—fully God, fully man—who alone can bear judgment (bronze) and still stand. • The screen they held would later be echoed by the torn veil at Calvary (Matthew 27:51; Hebrews 10:19-20), showing the posts’ ultimate fulfillment in Christ’s opened pathway. Foreshadowing Christ and the Gospel • Five wounds (hands, feet, side) correspond to the five posts: His grace-filled sacrifice opens the entrance. • Bronze bases speak of judgment satisfied; gold overlay proclaims the worthiness of the One who bore it (2 Corinthians 5:21). • The order—bronze below, gold above—mirrors the gospel order: judgment first met, then glory revealed (Romans 8:1, 30). Practical Takeaways for Believers Today • Approach God with confidence, knowing the entrance is upheld by grace, not performance (Hebrews 4:16). • Hold fast to Christ as the one true Door; resist any substitute path (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). • Let every gathering for worship echo the tabernacle pattern: structure, beauty, and reverence that point to the Lord’s glory. |
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