Commentary - Exodus 26:15-25

Bird's-eye view

In this portion of Exodus, we are given the divine blueprint for the very structure of God's house, the tabernacle. This is not a tedious architectural specification for an ancient tent; it is a profound theological statement written in wood, silver, and precise measurements. God is detailing how He, the holy Creator, will dwell in the midst of a sinful people. The passage describes the creation of the rigid framework for the tabernacle walls, composed of acacia wood boards standing upright, set in silver bases, and joined together. This structure is a picture, a type, of the Church of Jesus Christ. Each board represents an individual believer, made of humble material but overlaid with glory, standing firm not on his own merit but on a foundation of redemption. They are not a loose pile of lumber but are fitted together, forming a unified dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. The precision of the instructions underscores a central truth: God alone dictates the terms of His worship and the nature of His dwelling. Man does not get to improvise.

The details here are rich with gospel meaning. The acacia wood, resistant to decay, speaks to the incorruptible humanity of Christ, and by extension, to the new, resilient nature of His people. The silver bases, founded on the redemption money of the Israelites, teach us that the entire structure of the church rests upon the atonement. The unity of the boards, especially the ingenious design of the corner boards, prefigures the joining of Jew and Gentile into one new man, one holy temple in the Lord. This is God building His own house, and He does not work with shoddy materials or haphazard plans.

Outline

Context In Exodus

This passage comes in the third major section of Exodus. The first part detailed Israel's deliverance from Egypt (Exod 1-18). The second part recorded the giving of the Law at Sinai (Exod 19-24). Now, in this third section (Exod 25-40), God gives instructions for the construction of the tabernacle, the place where His presence will dwell among the people He has redeemed and to whom He has given His law. This is the grand climax of the exodus. God did not bring them out of Egypt to leave them to their own devices in the wilderness. He brought them out to bring them in to fellowship with Himself. The tabernacle is the visible manifestation of the covenant relationship. These meticulous instructions, given directly to Moses on the mountain, demonstrate that fellowship with a holy God is possible only on His terms and through His gracious provision. The building of the tabernacle is the goal of redemption; God saves a people in order to inhabit them.

Key Issues

The Walls of Salvation

When God builds a house, He begins with the foundation and the frame. And because this is God's house, every detail of that foundation and frame is saturated with meaning. We are not simply reading about how to build a portable tent; we are being taught about the very nature of the church, the people of God. The world sees the church as a random assortment of individuals, a mere human institution. But God sees it as His meticulously designed dwelling place, a holy habitation built of living stones. The instructions for these boards are a detailed schematic of what it means to be the people of God, redeemed by blood and fitted together by the master Carpenter.

The structure had to be strong enough to support the weight of the beautiful curtains and coverings, yet portable enough to be disassembled and moved through the wilderness. This combination of strength and mobility is a picture of the church on its pilgrimage through the wilderness of this world. We are a temple, a fixed dwelling for God, yet we are also an army on the march. These boards, standing shoulder to shoulder on a silver foundation, show us how this is possible. It is through divine design, redemptive grounding, and structural unity.

Verse by Verse Commentary

15-16 “Then you shall make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright. Ten cubits shall be the length of each board, and one and a half cubits the width of each board.

The basic building block of the tabernacle's structure is the board. The material is specified: acacia wood. This was a common tree in the Sinai wilderness, but it was also known for its hardness and durability. It was resistant to decay and insects, making it an apt symbol for that which is incorruptible. In a typological sense, this points to the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a man, grown from the dry ground of this world, yet He was without sin, without corruption, without decay. And because we are united to Him, we are made partakers of His incorruptible nature. The boards are to be standing upright, not lying down. This speaks of life, of service, of readiness. We are not just a pile of materials; we are a standing structure. The dimensions are precise, roughly 15 feet tall by 2 feet 3 inches wide, signifying that God's work has order, proportion, and intelligent design, not chaos.

17 There shall be two tenons for each board, fitted to one another; thus you shall do for all the boards of the tabernacle.

Each board was not meant to just sit flat on the ground. It was to have two tenons, which are pegs or feet, carved at its base. These tenons would then be inserted into the silver bases or sockets. The number two in Scripture often speaks of established witness and support. A single tenon would be unstable, but two provide a firm footing. This teaches that each believer is not grounded in himself, but is made to be fitted into a foundation that God provides. The phrase fitted to one another likely means the two tenons on each board were parallel and uniform, ensuring a consistent fit across the entire structure. God's plan for His church is not one of haphazard, individualistic spirituality. He makes us to fit together, and He provides the means of our stability.

18-19 You shall make the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side. You shall make forty bases of silver under the twenty boards, two bases under one board for its two tenons, and two bases under another board for its two tenons;

Now the assembly begins. Twenty boards are set for the south side. And here we see the foundation: forty bases of silver. Each board, with its two tenons, rests in two silver sockets. Where did this silver come from? Exodus 30 tells us that it came from the "atonement money," a half-shekel tax paid by every Israelite man twenty years and older for the "redemption of his soul" (Exod 30:12-16). This is glorious. The entire tabernacle, the entire dwelling place of God, stands on a foundation of redemption. Every single believer (each board) is supported and upheld by the price of atonement. We do not stand on our own righteousness or strength, but on the solid, precious foundation of the ransom paid for us. This points directly to the precious blood of Christ, the price of our redemption.

20-21 and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty boards, and their forty bases of silver; two bases under one board and two bases under another board.

The north side is to be an exact mirror of the south side. Twenty boards, forty silver bases. This symmetry and repetition is not just for structural integrity; it is to drum into our heads the fundamental truths being taught. The way God deals with His people is consistent. The foundation of redemption is the same for all. There is not one way into the church for one group and a different way for another. All stand on the same silver sockets. All are built according to the same divine pattern.

22-23 For the rear of the tabernacle, to the west, you shall make six boards. You shall make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the rear.

The back wall, the western end, is constructed differently. It has six standard boards, but then two special boards for the corners. Corners are crucial architectural points; they are where two walls meet and are joined together. In a structure made of flat boards, creating a strong, stable corner requires a special design. These corner boards were not like the others; they were designed to bind the north and south walls to the west wall, making the structure a unified whole.

24 They shall be separated beneath, but together at their completion at its top, at the first ring; thus it shall be with both of them: they shall form the two corners.

The description here is concise and has been interpreted in various ways, but the principle is clear. These corner boards were designed to provide unity and strength. The language of being separated beneath, but together at their completion at its top suggests a design where two parts form an angle at the bottom to meet both walls, but are joined as one unit at the top by a ring. Whatever the precise mechanics, the theological point is potent. These boards represent a powerful unifying force. They are a beautiful type of Christ, who is the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, fitly framed together, grows into a holy temple (Eph 2:20-21). He is the one who joins disparate peoples, like Jews and Gentiles, into one body. He is the one who makes the corners strong.

25 There shall be eight boards with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one board and two bases under another board.

This verse summarizes the western wall. The six standard boards plus the two corner boards make eight boards in total. And consistently, each board stands on its two silver bases, making sixteen bases for the rear wall. The number eight in Scripture is often associated with new beginnings, resurrection, and a new creation (the eighth day is the first day of a new week). It is fitting that the back of the Most Holy Place, where God's presence would dwell, is built on this number. The entire structure is a new creation, built on redemption, foreshadowing the great work of Christ who makes all things new.

Application

The first and most glaring application is that God cares immensely about the details of how He is to be approached and worshiped. We are not free to invent our own forms of worship any more than Moses was free to use six-inch boards when God commanded boards of one and a half cubits. God provides the blueprint for His church, and our task is to build according to the pattern, which is revealed to us in His Word.

Second, we must never forget our foundation. Each of us, as a board in God's house, stands on silver. We stand on redemption. The moment we begin to think we are standing on our own two feet, on our own merits or accomplishments, we have forgotten the gospel. The stability of the entire structure depends on every single piece resting firmly on the foundation of Christ's atoning work. Your standing before God is not based on your performance this week, but on the ransom paid for your soul once for all.

Finally, we must see ourselves as part of a whole. These boards were not a collection of individual pieces leaning against each other. They were fitted together. They were joined by tenons, bound by corners, and held fast by bars (described later). You were not saved to be a lone-ranger Christian. You were saved to be a board in a building, a member of a body. Your stability affects the person next to you. The corner boards remind us that God's plan is to bring together people who are very different and make them one. The church is God's house, His tabernacle. And as Peter tells us, we are the living stones, or in this case, the living boards, being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood (1 Pet 2:5). Let us therefore stand firm on our silver foundation, and stand together, providing mutual support, as a holy habitation for the living God.