Chapter 2.

From: Foreshadows By: Edward C. Pressland

• 6 min. read • grade level: 8

SYMBOLISM OF VESSELS AND MATERIALS

The following tabular statement will serve to show in a general way, the chief truths in His person which may be seen in these several shadows; they are given in the order in which they would meet the eye of a person approaching from the camp.

The gate, Ex. 27:16¹⁶And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four. (Exodus 27:16), shows Christ the way into the display of all that God has revealed on earth concerning Himself, His Son, His work, and the grace and the blessings which the believer is intended to enjoy now. It is the only entrance into the precincts of the presence of God. Only through Christ are the privileges of Christianity declared and made known, John 14:6⁶Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6).

The pillars and curtains enclosing "holy place" or court, Ex. 27:9-18⁹And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side: ¹⁰And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. ¹¹And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. ¹²And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. ¹³And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. ¹⁴The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. ¹⁵And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. ¹⁶And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four. ¹⁷All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass. ¹⁸The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass. (Exodus 27:9‑18), tell of Christ the faithful and true witness before all the world—the camp,— in unspotted purity (fine linen) of righteousness; and as captain of salvation (silver of atonement money on chapiters, Ex. 38:17-28¹⁷And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. ¹⁸And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court. ¹⁹And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets of silver. ²⁰And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass. ²¹This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest. ²²And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses. ²³And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen. ²⁴All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. ²⁵And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: ²⁶A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men. ²⁷And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the vail; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. ²⁸And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them. (Exodus 38:17‑28)); stable in divine power (brass sockets, Ex. 38:31³¹And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about. (Exodus 38:31)); secured against all disturbance (pins and cords, Ex. mow. 18).

The brazen altar, Ex. 27:1-8¹And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. ²And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass. ³And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. ⁴And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof. ⁵And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. ⁶And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass. ⁷And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. ⁸Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it. (Exodus 27:1‑8); Christ, divine and human (brass and wood), able to bear the judgment of God (fire).

The sacrifices, Lev. 1-7; Christ the Lamb of God, John 1:29²⁹The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29).

The sin offering, Lev. 4; Christ bearing sins.

The peace offering, Lev. 3; Christ for communion and power of life, John 6:57⁵⁷As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. (John 6:57).

The meat offering, Lev. 2; Christ in the perfectness of His person tested and proved.

The burnt offering, Lev. 1; Christ "made sin," 2 Cor. 5:21²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21), producing an entire sweet savor to God instead of it, Eph. 5:2²And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor. (Ephesians 5:2).

The priests, Ex. 29; Christ the leader of worship, Heb. 2:12¹²Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. (Hebrews 2:12).

The high priest, Lev. 8; Christ, high priest above, Heb. 8:1, 2¹Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; ²A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. (Hebrews 8:1‑2).

The laver, Ex. 30:17-21¹⁷And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁸Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. ¹⁹For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: ²⁰When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the Lord: ²¹So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations. (Exodus 30:17‑21); Christ the eternal word, and the water, the written word, Eph. 5:26²⁶That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (Ephesians 5:26).

The building, Ex. 26; Christ, in whom God dwelt, John 14:10¹⁰Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. (John 14:10), "the temple of His body," John 2:21²¹But he spake of the temple of his body. (John 2:21).

The linen curtains, decorated; Christ in His glories before God.

The goat's hair curtains, not decorated; Christ before man with no beauty, but separated from the world.

The ram's skins dyed red; Christ in His devotedness to do His Father's will.

The badger's skins; Christ proof against all assault. The silver sockets; Christ the one foundation.

The door, Ex. 26:36, 37³⁶And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework. ³⁷And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them. (Exodus 26:36‑37); Christ the entrance into the immediate presence of God for communion and worship.

The table of shewbread; Christ the sustainer of all His people before God, John 10:28²⁸And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28), Heb. 9:24²⁴For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: (Hebrews 9:24).

The shewbread, Lev. 24:5-9⁵And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. ⁶And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord. ⁷And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord. ⁸Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. ⁹And it shall be Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the Lord made by fire by a perpetual statute. (Leviticus 24:5‑9); Christ in resurrection, in whom God sees all His redeemed perfected forever, Heb. 10:14¹⁴For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14).

The candlestick, Ex. 25:31-36³¹And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. ³²And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: ³³Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick. ³⁴And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers. ³⁵And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick. ³⁶Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold. (Exodus 25:31‑36); Christ in whom God, according to the truth of the Trinity in heavenly perfectness, was fully displayed on earth; John 14:9⁹Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? (John 14:9).

The lamps, Ex. 25:37³⁷And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it. (Exodus 25:37); Christ, in the power of the Spirit communicating the truth to the redeemed, Matt. 12:28²⁸But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. (Matthew 12:28).

The golden altar, Ex. 30:1-10¹And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it. ²A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same. ³And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about. ⁴And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal. ⁵And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. ⁶And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. ⁷And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. ⁸And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. ⁹Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. ¹⁰And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the Lord. (Exodus 30:1‑10); Christ the way and power of worship, Heb. 13:15¹⁵By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (Hebrews 13:15).

The incense, Ex. 30:34-38³⁴And the Lord said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: ³⁵And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: ³⁶And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. ³⁷And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the Lord. ³⁸Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people. (Exodus 30:34‑38); Christ in the graces and excellencies of His nature, a joy to God, Matt. 3:17¹⁷And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17).

The veil, Ex. 26:31-33³¹And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: ³²And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. ³³And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. (Exodus 26:31‑33); Christ, that is to say, His flesh, Heb. 10:20²⁰By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; (Hebrews 10:20).

The ark, Ex. 25:10-16¹⁰And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. ¹¹And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. ¹²And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. ¹³And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. ¹⁵The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. ¹⁶And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. (Exodus 25:10‑16); Christ, human and divine, glorious to God (wood, gold, and crown), delighting to do the will of God (the law within), though it be death, Psa. 40:6, 7, 8⁶Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. ⁷Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, ⁸I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. (Psalm 40:6‑8).

The mercy seat, Ex. 25:17-22¹⁷And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. ¹⁸And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. ²⁰And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. ²¹And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. ²²And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. (Exodus 25:17‑22); Christ now set forth a mercy seat through faith in His blood, Rom. 3

Cherubim; administration, whether of law or of grace.

In connection with these, the list of the materials brought by the people should also be referred to Christ for their primary meaning.

Ex. 25:3-7³And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, ⁴And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, ⁵And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, ⁶Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, ⁷Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. (Exodus 25:3‑7).

Gold.—Christ the expression of the Divine in beauty, worth, and glory. The cherubim of gold, in verse 18, are in Heb. 9:5⁵And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. (Hebrews 9:5), cherubim of glory.

Silver.—Christ the true atonement and ransom. Compare Ex. 30:12-16¹²When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. ¹³This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord. ¹⁴Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord. ¹⁵The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls. ¹⁶And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls. (Exodus 30:12‑16), with 1 Peter 1:18, 19¹⁸Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; ¹⁹But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:18‑19).

Brass (i.e. copper everywhere).—Christ the expression of the Divine in power. It could stand fire. Fetters in 2 Sam. 3:34³⁴Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou. And all the people wept again over him. (2 Samuel 3:34), and 2 Chron. 33:11¹¹Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. (2 Chronicles 33:11), and 36:6, are "brasses." In Judg. 16:2²And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him. (Judges 16:2), "fetters of brass" is the same term. Four items of Goliath's armor were copper.

Blue.—The color of the heavens, suggests the heavenly character of our Lord, His glory as "Son of God.”

Purple.—Found in scripture chiefly with Gentiles, only once or twice inclusive of Israel. See Judg. 8:26²⁶And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks. (Judges 8:26), Jer. 10:9⁹Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men. (Jeremiah 10:9), Ezek. 27:7,16⁷Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee. (Ezekiel 27:7)
¹⁶Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate. (Ezekiel 27:16), Acts 16:4⁴And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. (Acts 16:4), Esther 1:6⁶Where were white, green, and blue, hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble. (Esther 1:6), and 8, 15. In Dan. 5:7, 16, 29⁷The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. (Daniel 5:7)
¹⁶And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom. (Daniel 5:16)
²⁹Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. (Daniel 5:29), the margin is correct, purple not scarlet, scarlet is nowhere found with the Gentile. In Luke 16:19¹⁹There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: (Luke 16:19), its use arises from Roman rule. Its real value seems therefore to express Christ's glory as Son of Man.

Scarlet.—Always connected with Israel. See Gen. 38:28²⁸And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. (Genesis 38:28), Josh. 2:18¹⁸Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. (Joshua 2:18), where the national color being bound in the window of Rahab's house, was sure protection to it when Israel should assault the town. 2 Sam. 1:24²⁴Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. (2 Samuel 1:24), Prov. 31:21²¹She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. (Proverbs 31:21), Isa. 1:18¹⁸Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18). There is no crimson here; the term is expressed in Hebrew by two words "worm dye," and in this passage these are separately used; "Though your sins be as dye, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like worm color, they shall be as wool." A worm was the source of this dye. In Jer. 4:30³⁰And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life. (Jeremiah 4:30), "crimson" should be "scarlet." Lam. 4:5⁵They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. (Lamentations 4:5), Heb. 9:19¹⁹For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, (Hebrews 9:19). It is only in the Jewish gospel that a scarlet robe is put upon our Lord. Mark and John say "purple," but Luke "gorgeous," as scarlet and purple would be. In Rev. 17 and 18., the two colors connect the woman with Israel and the Gentile. Scarlet suggests, therefore, Christ's glory as Son of David.

Fine linen.—Christ's person, as in Heb. 10:20²⁰By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; (Hebrews 10:20), "the veil, that is to say, His flesh." And "righteousnesses" in Rev. 19;8, where it should be plural.

Goat's hair.—Christ the true Nazarite in separation to God. The public sign of a Nazarite's vow was his long hair left uncut the whole period of it. When Israel had forsaken God, then the prophet, as God's man, wore hair as separated from the people to God, 2 Kings 1:8⁸And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. (2 Kings 1:8). When in the future, the nation returns to God, it would be deception for prophets to wear "hairy garments," Zech. 13:4⁴And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: (Zechariah 13:4), margin. Some have thought the goat's hair should be goat's skins because "hair" is in italics; but the fact that the women "spun goat's," Ex. 35:26²⁶And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair. (Exodus 35:26), is conclusive that it was hair.

Ram's skins dyed red.—The only link with this seems to be, that the ram was exclusively the consecration offering, indicating devotedness, "dyed" absolute. Christ absolutely devoted to do His Father's will.

Badger's skins.—Mentioned also, and only, in Ezek. 16:10¹⁰I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. (Ezekiel 16:10). Obviously a tough skin, suggesting Christ essentially proof against all external assault. There appears to be no good reason for supposing it was some other skin, and not that of the badger.

Shittim wood.—The Septuagint has rendered this "incorruptible wood;" it seems to represent in Christ, His un-defileable humanity.

Oil for the light.—"Oil," the Holy Spirit; "for the light," the power of our Lord in testimony to the truth. Grace and truth came by Him.

Spices for anointing oil.—Graces in Christ displayed, and communicated, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Spices for sweet incense.—Graces in Christ, both self fragrant as laid up before the ark, and also of special fragrance as brought out by the action of fire.

Precious stones.—Beauties of the Lord Jesus displayed by light.

Fire.—May be testing, or final, judgment.

Water.—The written word.

Oil.—The Holy Spirit.

All, save these three last, are distinctly found in the Person of our Lord.

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