The fine linen signifies the human living of Christ. Our expression of righteousness should be the expression of Christ’s human living.
The linen used for the hangings was fine. It was even, not coarse or rough. If we read the four Gospels, we shall see that Christ’s human living truly was fine, even.
The linen was also twined. This signifies dealt with through sufferings. As a result, it was not loose. While Christ was living on earth, He was dealt with through sufferings.
Now we come to the size of the hangings. The length of the curtains on each side was one hundred cubits, the width of the back side was fifty cubits, and the length of the hangings on each side of the gate at the front was fifteen cubits. This made a total of two hundred eighty cubits. This was equal to the total length of the ten curtains of the tabernacle (26:1-2). The fact that the length of the hangings and the total length of the ten curtains above the tabernacle were the same indicates that what made the boundary of the outer court of the tabernacle equaled the covering of the tabernacle. Likewise, today the expression of the church outwardly should also be the covering of the church. Both this expression and this covering are Christ. Furthermore, both the curtains over the tabernacle and the hangings around the outer court were made of linen. The only difference was that the hangings around the outer court were without color or embroidery, whereas the curtains over the tabernacle were embroidered and had different colors.
The number two hundred eighty is composed of forty times seven. In the Bible forty is the number of trial and testing, and seven is the number of completion in this age. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He experienced intense trials and tests. He was tried everywhere, and He was tested by everyone. His tests and trials surely were sevenfold, fully complete; they were forty times seven.
According to 27:18, the height of the hangings was five cubits. We have pointed out that five signifies responsibility. With the hangings we see two main things: righteousness signified by the white linen, and responsibility signified by the number five.
Righteousness can never be separated from responsibility. If you do not bear responsibility, you cannot be righteous. You are righteous only when you fulfill your responsibility. We all have certain responsibilities. As a husband or wife, as a parent or child, as an employer or employee, and even as a neighbor, we must fulfill our responsibilities. Otherwise, we cannot be righteous. If we would be right with others, we need to bear our responsibilities and fulfill them.
We in the Lord’s recovery all must express God in Christ as righteousness. We can do this only by bearing our responsibility in every way. Wherever we are, at school, at home, at work, in our neighborhood, or with our relatives, we must bear our responsibility. If we are careless and neglect our responsibility, we are not righteous. If we do not have righteousness, then we shall be short of the expression of God in Christ as our righteousness. Therefore, we must express righteousness by fulfilling our responsibility.
The sockets of bronze (38:29-31) signify Christ judged by God being the base of the separation of God’s building. This is not easy to understand. We have seen that God’s building has a boundary, and this boundary is a separation. Furthermore, this separation, this boundary, has a base— the sockets of bronze. The Christ who has been judged by God is now the base of this separation.
The fine linen hangings were on pillars of bronze, and the pillars stood in sockets of bronze. Therefore, with the outer court we can see bronze and linen, bronze signifying God’s judgment and linen signifying God’s righteousness. This indicates that the linen is the issue of the bronze. This means that the righteousness of God comes out of God’s judgment.
We have emphasized the fact that the expression of the church should be righteousness. But where does this righteousness come from? It comes from God’s judgment. Every aspect of our living needs to be judged by God. Anything we do that has not been judged by God cannot be righteous.
The Christ who lives in us is the One who has been judged by God. The bronze sockets typify this Christ. The Christ who has been judged by God is now our life within. When we live by Him, everything we do and everything we have in our daily life will be judged. Our speaking will be judged, and our attitudes will be judged. Our memory, intention, thoughts, inclination—all these must be judged by God. The Christ living in us is the judged Christ.
Such a Christ is the base for the separating boundary of righteousness. When everything in our daily life is judged by God, the result will be righteousness. Many brothers and sisters in the Lord, however, do not live a judged life. They do not live a life always under the judgment of God.
We need to experience God’s judgment upon our talking. Whenever I open my mouth to speak, my speaking must be under the judgment of God. Because of God’s judgment, certain words will not be uttered. Eventually, I shall say certain things, but these words, having passed through God’s judgment, will be righteous.
Do you know what the source of gossip is? Gossip comes from talk that has not been judged by God. Suppose I am tempted to gossip about a brother. If I am under God’s judgment, I shall not be able to gossip. Furthermore, the person who may enjoy hearing that gossip also needs to experience God’s judgment. This judgment is implied by the bronze sockets upholding the bronze pillars.
Married brothers need God’s judgment on the way they talk with their wives. Sometimes their talk is too free, and things are spoken which should not be uttered. If we are living Christ, we shall experience in His life a judging element, an element that puts us under the judgment of God. The Christ by whom we live is a God-judged Christ, and His life is a God-judged life.
Some may think that God’s judgment is the same as the inner sense which keeps a saved person from doing certain things. Actually, this sense is a prohibition; it is not the judgment of God. As we grow in the Lord, we shall go from the stage of prohibition to the stage of judgment. Then we shall realize the difference between prohibition and judgment.
We need to experience Christ as righteousness and also as the life which has been judged by God. Hallelujah, we have a righteous life and also a judged life! It is out of this judged life that the righteous life issues forth. This is the experience of the bronze sockets as the base for the boundary and separation of God’s building.