Verse 9 says, “And you shall double over the sixth curtain at the front of the tent,” and verse 12 says, “And the overhanging part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle.” This indicates that after Christ became sin and was judged by God for us, He became the covering and protection of the believers, who are the components of God’s dwelling place.
Verse 13 says, “And the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, of that which remains in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall be hung over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side to cover it.” One cubit hanging over each side of the fine linen tabernacle signifies the redeeming Christ becoming the protection of the tabernacle on its two sides, north and south, under any situation. North implies hardship, and south implies ease. Thus, under any situation, whether hardship or ease, the redeeming Christ is our covering. No matter what the circumstances may be, Christ is our protection.
Verse 14 says, “And you shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering of porpoise skins over that.” Rams are males and signify Christ as a strong man. The covering of rams’ skins dyed red typifies Christ’s suffering death and shedding His blood. Before there could be rams’ skins for the third layer, these rams had to be put to death. Furthermore, the rams’ skins were dyed red. This signifies the shedding of blood for redemption.
Although there was scarlet on the first layer of covering, neither the first layer nor the second layer was dyed red. The third layer, however, is completely red. This indicates that because the perfect man, Jesus Christ, was made sin for us, redemption has been accomplished. Thus, the first layer signifies the perfect man, Jesus; the second layer, Christ as our substitute; and the third layer, redemption. The perfect man Jesus was our substitute to bear our sins. This made it possible for redemption to be accomplished. Now Christ’s redemption covers God’s chosen and redeemed people. Praise the Lord that today we are under the rams’ skins dyed red! We are covered by the full and complete redemption of Christ. Christ Himself is our redemption; He is the covering of rams’ skins.
The tent of goats’ hair is stronger than the tabernacle of fine linen, and the covering of the rams’ skins is stronger than the tent of goats’ hair. First Christ was a perfect man. Then on the cross He became our substitute. After that, He became our redemption to cover us before God.
According to verse 14, the fourth layer, the outermost layer, was a covering of porpoise skins. These porpoise skins typify Christ as the One who is able to withstand any attack. They also signify that toward Satan, the principalities, and the demons, Christ is rough and tough. As the rams’ skins, Christ enables us to stand before God, but as the porpoise skins He enables us to stand against Satan and all his attacks. He also protects God’s dwelling place from storms, rain, and snow. Water can penetrate rams’ skins; however, it is impossible for it to permeate the layer of porpoise skins. The function of the porpoise skins is to protect us not from God’s judgment, but from the attack of the enemy. As the porpoise skins, Christ is without comeliness or beauty (Isa. 53:2). In the face of Satan’s attack, He truly is rough and tough.
The first layer of the covering is of the plant life, but the other three layers are of the animal life. The fine linen comes from plants, whereas the goats, the rams, and the porpoises are all animals. This indicates that Christ’s life is composed of the plant life for living and producing and the animal life for redeeming. Furthermore, the animal life from the sea is for protection.
We thank the Lord for the details concerning Christ revealed in the four layers of the covering of the tabernacle. As we consider these details, our appreciation for the Lord is greatly increased.