The order in which the Tabernacle and its contents are described is most significant. The first thing mentioned is the ark (Exodus 25:10) and its covering—the mercy-seat (Exodus 25:17), which was Jehovah’s throne in Israel’s midst.
Then comes the table (Exodus 25:23) and the candlestick (Exodus 25:31), the curtains (Exodus 26:1), and boards (Exodus 26:15) of the Tabernacle proper, with the separating veil (Exodus 26:31). Last comes the brazen altar (Exodus 27:1) and the hangings of the court (Exodus 27:9). Thus it will be seen that the order is from the interior to the exterior.
It is the order of sovereign grace, God coming from His throne right to the outer door where the sinner was! How this reminds us of the Incarnation; the sinner in his sins could not go from earth to heaven, so God in the person of His Son came from heaven to earth, and died the Just for the unjust "that He might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18). Blessedly was this emphasized by Christ in His teaching—the Shepherd going after the lost sheep (Luke 15:4), the good Samaritan journeying to where the wounded traveler lay (Luke 10:33), etc.
In the second description of the Tabernacle, where we have the record of its manufacture and set up, there is a notable variation. Instead of beginning with the contents of the holy of holies where Jehovah dwelt, we have described the Tabernacle and curtains of the outer court, which the common people saw. Here, the order is from without to within—the experimental order, the order in which Divine truth is apprehended by the soul. This same twofold order may be seen in the Epistles to the Romans and Ephesians. In Romans, the Holy Spirit begins with man’s sinfulness, guiltiness, and ruin; goes on to speak of God’s provision in Christ, and then closes the doctrinal section by showing us the redeemed sinner in the presence of God, from whom there is no separation. In Ephesians, the Spirit begins with God’s eternal counsels, choosing us in Christ before the foundation of the world, and then treats of redemption and regeneration and the consequent privileges and responsibilities flowing therefrom. In Romans, it is the sinner going in to meet God; in Ephesians, God comes out to meet the sinner. Such is the double teaching in the twofold order of the description of the Tabernacle.
From KGD-02e – Seeing the Bible as Whole in Christ (020602PM)
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