God's Holy Courtyard: Fences and the Gospel Text: Exodus 27:9-19
Introduction: The Necessity of Boundaries
We live in an age that despises boundaries. Our culture celebrates the tearing down of fences, the blurring of distinctions, and the erasure of lines. We are told that inclusivity requires the abolition of all standards that might make someone feel excluded. Whether it is the distinction between right and wrong, male and female, or sacred and profane, the modern spirit wants to flatten everything into a uniform, gray paste. The highest virtue is to be non-judgmental, which is another way of saying that you must not distinguish between things.
Into this chaotic and sentimental goo, the Word of God speaks with architectural precision. God is a God who draws lines. He is a God who builds fences. The entire act of creation was an act of separation: light from darkness, waters above from waters below, land from sea. And when He establishes His presence among His people in the wilderness, He does not set up an open-air festival where anyone can wander in and out. He commands the construction of a highly defined, meticulously ordered courtyard. He builds a fence.
These instructions for the tabernacle court are not some dusty architectural details for bored antiquarians. They are a foundational lesson in the grammar of holiness. They teach us how a sinful people can approach a holy God. This courtyard is a great, white fortress of righteousness in the middle of a dusty, fallen world. And we must understand that this is not about arbitrary exclusion. It is about divine definition. God is defining the terms of fellowship. You do not come to God on your terms; you come to Him on His. And as we shall see, every detail of this holy enclosure, from the linen walls to the bronze bases and the silver hooks, preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Text
"You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side there shall be hangings for the court of fine twisted linen one hundred cubits long for one side; and its pillars shall be twenty, with their twenty bases of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver. Likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, and its twenty pillars with their twenty bases of bronze; the hooks of thepillars and their bands shall be of silver. For the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits with their ten pillars and their ten bases. The width of the court on the east side toward the sunrise shall be fifty cubits. The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits with their three pillars and their three bases. And for the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits with their three pillars and their three bases. And as for the gate of the court there shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver, with their four pillars and their four bases. All the pillars around the court shall be furnished with silver bands with their hooks of silver and their bases of bronze. The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, and the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits of fine twisted linen, and their bases of bronze. All the utensils of the tabernacle used in all its service, and all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze."
(Exodus 27:9-19 LSB)
The White Wall of Righteousness (vv. 9, 18)
The first thing God commands is the perimeter, the boundary itself.
"You shall make the court of the tabernacle... there shall be hangings for the court of fine twisted linen..." (Exodus 27:9)
Imagine you are an Israelite in the camp. In the center of everything is this large rectangular enclosure, 150 feet long and 75 feet wide. The walls are made of "fine twisted linen." In the middle of a brown, dusty desert, this would have been a stunning, brilliant white. It was a declaration of purity, of separation, of holiness. This fence screamed, "Something different is happening here."
The height of this linen wall was five cubits, which is about seven and a half feet. This is significant. It is too high to casually peer over. You cannot be a voyeur with God's holiness. You cannot stand at a safe distance and observe the worship as a detached spectator. If you want to see what is inside, you must humble yourself and enter through the prescribed way. God's presence is not for the casually curious; it is for the repentant participant.
This fine white linen is not just a pretty fabric. The Bible interprets itself. In the book of Revelation, we are told exactly what this linen represents. "And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints" (Revelation 19:8). The courtyard, which represents the visible covenant community, is enclosed by a wall of righteousness. This is the standard for God's people. We are to be a holy nation, a people set apart, whose lives are marked by a brilliant righteousness that stands in stark contrast to the dusty grime of the world.
Foundations of Judgment, Fasteners of Redemption (vv. 10-11, 17)
A linen fence cannot stand up by itself. It needs a structure. And the materials of that structure are profoundly theological.
"...and its pillars shall be twenty, with their twenty bases of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver." (Exodus 27:10 LSB)
Let us consider this from the ground up, just as it was built. The pillars that hold up the white linen stand in bases of bronze. In the symbolism of the tabernacle, bronze is the metal of judgment. The great altar of burnt offering, where sin was judged and sacrifice was made, was overlaid with bronze. These bases sat directly on the desert floor, on the earth. The foundation of this entire holy enclosure, the very thing that allows the wall of righteousness to stand, is rooted in the fact that God's judgment against sin has been met. Without the bronze foundation of judgment satisfied, all our attempts at righteousness are just filthy rags that collapse in the dust.
But then look at what holds the linen to the pillars. The hooks and the connecting bands were made of silver. What does silver represent? Throughout Exodus, silver is the metal of redemption. Every Israelite man was required to pay a ransom for his soul, a half shekel of silver (Exodus 30:11-16). This atonement money was used to make the silver components of the tabernacle. So, do you see the picture? The white linen of our righteousness is held up and held together by the silver of redemption. Our righteous acts are only acceptable to God because they are fastened to the structure by the price that has been paid for our souls. Righteousness that is not hung on the hooks of redemption is nothing more than proud, Pharisaical self-righteousness. But righteousness that is founded on judgment met (bronze) and enabled by redemption paid (silver) is the true righteousness of the saints.
The One, Glorious Gate (vv. 13-16)
This white fortress of righteousness is not an impenetrable prison. It has an entrance. But it only has one.
"And as for the gate of the court there shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver..." (Exodus 27:16 LSB)
The gate is on the east side, "toward the sunrise." This is the direction of hope, of new beginnings. The entrance to Eden was guarded on the east after the fall. The glory of God would later depart from the Temple to the east, and Ezekiel sees it returning from the east. This gate is the entry point of hope.
And what a gate it is. In contrast to the stark, uniform white of the rest of the fence, the gate is a glorious burst of color. It is a tapestry woven with blue, purple, and scarlet. This is a portrait of our Lord Jesus Christ, painted in the colors of the gospel. Blue speaks of His heavenly origin; He is the Lord from heaven. Purple is the color of royalty; He is the King of Kings. Scarlet is the color of blood, of sacrifice; He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And it is all woven together with fine twisted linen, because His sacrifice was perfect and His righteousness without flaw.
This gate is Christ. Jesus said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved" (John 10:9). He is the only way to the Father. Our culture wants to tell us there are many gates, many ways to God. But God's Word here is architecturally clear. There is one hundred and fifty feet of impenetrable white wall on the north and south sides. There is seventy-five feet of it on the west. And on the east side, there is only one twenty-cubit gate. All other approaches are blocked by a wall of perfect righteousness that no man can scale. To preach any other way to God is to lie to people, telling them they can climb a fence that is infinitely high.
The Bronze Tools of Service (v. 19)
Finally, the passage concludes with a summary of the equipment.
"All the utensils of the tabernacle used in all its service, and all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze." (Exodus 27:19 LSB)
All the practical tools, the utensils, and even the pegs that anchor the entire structure to the ground, were made of bronze. The entire service of God, the entire stability of His dwelling place among men, is secured by the reality of judgment. The church is not anchored in the world by sentimentality, or by good programs, or by political savvy. The church is staked to the ground with the bronze pegs of Christ's finished work on the cross, where He absorbed the judgment of God for us. That is our stability. That is our anchor in the wilderness of this world.
Conclusion: The Church as God's Courtyard
This is not just a history lesson. The tabernacle court is a type, a model, of the visible church in the world. We, the church, are to be God's holy courtyard. We are to be enclosed by the fine white linen of righteousness, living lives that are visibly different from the world around us.
Our standing is not in ourselves. Our feet are planted on the bronze bases of a judgment that has been fully satisfied by our substitute. Our lives of righteousness are held together and held up by the silver hooks of a redemption we did not earn.
And we must be jealously protective of the gate. There is only one way into the fellowship of God's people, and that is through the beautiful, multicolored gate who is Jesus Christ in His heavenly origin, His kingship, and His atoning blood. Our job is not to make the wall lower, or to cut more gates in the fence to make it more accessible. Our job is to stand at the one true gate and proclaim His glory, inviting all to enter through Him. We must be a people of clear distinctions, a people with fences, because our God is a God of glorious and life-giving order.