We have seen that the things offered by the people are of six categories. The first category is the articles of gold. Exodus 35:22 says, “And they came, men together with women, as many as were of a willing heart, and brought nose rings and earrings and signet rings and pendants, all kinds of articles of gold; even every man who waved a wave offering of gold to Jehovah.” Gold signifies the divine nature of Christ. The divine life and nature are the first item we experience of Christ. As long as we are regenerated by Christ, we have the divine nature and the divine life of God (2 Pet. 1:4; John 3:15-16). This is the first item of the riches of Christ we possess by experiencing Him. If you do not have this, you have not yet been saved. If you have been saved, you at least have this item of spiritual wealth.
The gold here is not something hidden or covered. It is something manifested as your beauty. The articles of gold in verse 22 are the ornaments worn on the exposed parts of the body, such as the face, neck, and arms. This signifies that the divine nature and the divine life of God in Christ are now manifested upon you as your beauty. People could see and realize that in you there is the divine beauty of the divine life and nature.
Our experiences of the divine life and nature are in resurrection. Therefore, the offerings of gold are the wave offerings (v. 22). The meaning of the wave offering is different from that of the heave offering. To wave implies movement and means that you are living, you are alive. When you come to the meeting, you must “wave.” You should not sit or stand still; you have to have some “motion.” Whenever we come together and a brother or a sister offers a prayer or gives a testimony, we may say that they are waving a wave offering. All the beauties of God’s divine nature which are manifested upon us must be something alive, something living and full of life. They are not dead or motionless but full of life, full of motion and action. When we love a brother or do something in the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus, there is the beauty of life full of “motion.” This is something done in the resurrection power of the life of God. This is the manifestation of the divine life and nature.
Because we experience the divine life and nature, we have the surplus of the divine life and nature as the wealth in our hands. Then we can bring this to wave to the Lord as the wave offering for the building of the Lord.
The second item of the offerings is the coverings, whether for the covering of the tent or for the clothing for the priests. Exodus 35:23 says, “And every man with whom was found blue and purple and scarlet strands and fine linen and goats’ hair and rams’ skins dyed red and porpoise skins brought them.” The coverings were mostly of the woven materials. Although it does not clearly mention whether these are called the heave offering or the wave offering, we must realize that these are surely something of the heave offering. All these materials are something of the ascended Christ.
Verse 23 mentions the heavenly color, blue; the color of kingship, purple; the color of redemption, scarlet; and the color of Christ as righteousness, white, as implied by fine linen. All these characteristics of the ascended Christ, the heavenly Christ, have to be woven into our life. In this way all these characteristics will be a covering to the Lord’s people, who should be the priests serving God. The entire tent as well as the priesthood is covered with these characteristics. The fellowship between God and His people as signified by the priestly garments with the breastplate and shoulder plates also depends on these coverings. The coverings were woven of these materials, which are the various heavenly aspects and characteristics of Christ.
The blue, purple, scarlet, and white threads were of linen, something of the vegetable life, while the goats’ hair, the rams’ skins dyed red, and the porpoise skins were of the animal life. The animal life signifies the redeeming aspect of Christ as our life. Christ gave up His life to suffer judgment, punishment, and death. He also suffered the attacks and trials from man and Satan, and the tests from God. All these sufferings of Christ for redemption are typified by the animal life. The porpoise skins are for protection and typify Christ as the One who has the strength and the energy to suffer and endure all kinds of attacks. Christ as the porpoise skins can withstand every attack, whether from people or from the evil spirits. Christ can endure any kind of circumstance. We must experience the ascended Christ in this aspect.