The order in which the materials for the building are mentioned in Exodus 35:22-29 is very significant. The first category of materials is the articles made of gold (v. 22). As we have seen, this category represents the experiences of the divine nature of Christ. This is the beginning of all our spiritual experiences.
The second category is the weaving materials and the coverings for the tabernacle. 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.” Silver and bronze, the third category, and acacia wood, the fourth category, are mentioned in verse 24. However, following this, verses 25 and 26 again speak of the woven materials. We must have the experiences of the weaving materials in a more detailed way. Verses 25 and 26 say that the weaving materials—the blue and the purple and the scarlet strands, the fine linen, and the goats’ hair—had to be spun by the women. The aspects and characteristics of Christ typified by the weaving materials have to be experienced by us in a very detailed way. We must labor by the Holy Spirit to experience Christ as our righteousness, the heavenliness of Christ, the kingship of Christ, and the redemption of Christ. Then these characteristics of Christ will be subjectively “spun” into us, and Christ will be wrought into our being in our experience. We should not view the heavenliness of Christ, the kingship of Christ, the authority of Christ, the redemption of Christ, or Christ as our righteousness in an objective way. All these are very subjective and must be experienced by us. We must labor to “spin” all these characteristics of Christ that they may be subjectively ours as the material which we could offer to the Lord for His building.
We may know what the heavenliness, the kingship, the authority, and the redemption of Christ are. We may also know what it means for Christ to be righteousness to us. However, we need to experience all these matters. We need to spend our energy to labor on these things so that they will all become something belonging to us as our wealth. Even though the weaving materials in verse 23 are listed as the second category of materials, they are repeated in verses 25 and 26 after the silver, the bronze, and the acacia wood. The experience of the weaving materials is more subjective than the experiences of the silver, the bronze, and even the acacia wood.
The acacia wood is listed as the fourth category of materials in verse 24b. We have pointed out that acacia wood refers to our transformed character. The experience of the transformed character is more subjective than the experience of the silver, Christ’s redemption, and the bronze, the judgment and test which Christ suffered. To experience Christ as our transformed character for the renewing and transformation of our human nature, our human character, is more subjective than the experiences of the silver and the bronze, which represent the foundation and the safeguard of the building.
The order of the offered materials is arranged in such a way as to list the most subjective things at the end. According to spiritual experience, the experience of the last two categories, the precious stones (35:27) and the spices and oil (v. 28), are the most subjective. Verse 27 says that these last two categories of materials were offered by the leaders. The leaders signify the mature ones who have a certain degree of authority among the Lord’s children. The “leaders” are more mature and have the most subjective experiences of the spiritual life.
The precious stones were offered for the fellowship of God with His people, while the oil and spices were offered for the service to God. The precious stones were materials for the breastplate and the ephod (v. 27), which were part of the priests’ garments. The breastplate is the instrument by which the priests could contact God and have fellowship with God and could know the mind, the thought, and the will of God. Thus, it represents the fellowship between the people of God and God Himself. This fellowship is based upon the precious experiences of the matured persons. If among us there were not a group of matured ones with such subjective experiences, we could not have much real fellowship with God. In order to have a real fellowship with God among us, we need certain ones who are very mature and have the subjective experiences as the precious stones. We need the subjective and precious experiences as the precious stones to offer to the Lord as materials to build an instrument for the fellowship with the Lord. The fellowship with the Lord among His children is based upon the experiences of the mature ones.
The leaders also offered the spices and oil for the service to the Lord (v. 28). The spices are for incense, while the oil is for the light of the lamp and the holy anointing oil. To light the lamp, to anoint the persons and items related to the tabernacle, and to burn the incense are the main items of the service to the Lord. In order to have the service of the Lord, we must have the oil for the lighting and for the anointing, and we must have the spices for the incense to be burned before the Lord. We have seen that incense signifies the resurrection of Christ, and the oil represents the Holy Spirit. We must experience the resurrection of Christ and the Spirit of Christ to such an extent that we can have something to offer to the Lord for His service.
The tent, the fellowship, and the service are all constituted of the experiences of Christ by the Lord’s children. Whether we shall have the real Tent of Meeting, the real fellowship with the Lord among us, and the real service to the Lord depends on our experiences of Christ. Without the experiences of Christ, we will be poor and will have nothing to offer to the Lord as the materials to build up these basic matters. The more we experience Christ, the more materials we will have, and the more the tent of meeting, the dwelling place of God, the fellowship, and the service will be built up among us.