The Tabernacle of Israel

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Chapter VI. Copper and Linen

The twelve materials offered for the construction of the tabernacle are to be divided into three groups of four each, according to their spiritual significance. In each group the first two materials mentioned in the list recorded in Exodus have reference to the internal mind, and the last two to the external. The gold and the silver, being the first in order represent respectively, the will and the understanding of the internal mind, while the brass and the linen represent the will and the understanding of the external mind.

Wherever brass is mentioned in the Sacred Scripture it is said to represent "natural good" (AC 9465) By this is meant the love of justice and uprightness, of honesty and fair-dealing, of honor and all the moral virtues. However, the meaning of the Hebrew word which is translated as "brass" in the Authorized Version of the Bible is not known. In Deuteronomy 8:7, 9 the same word obviously denotes copper: "For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land ... a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass." Of course the native metal is meant here, and not a man-made alloy. There is no historic record to show that brass was known at the time of Moses. It is an alloy of copper and zinc. We know that bronze, the alloy of copper and tin, was used as early as 2000 B.C. because tools, weapons, and knives made of that metal have been found belonging to that era. It is probable, however that copper rather than bronze was used in the building of the tabernacle because it was more practical. This applies especially to the construction of the altar of burnt offering, copper being more resistant to heat than is bronze.

Gold was used only in the tabernacle itself, while copper was used in the court. The gold boards of the tabernacle walls could indeed be seen from the court, because they extended 2 cubits beyond the hanging of the door, forming a sort of porch at the entrance to the holy place. The bases of the pillars supporting the outer veil were of copper, although they were inside the holy place. In both cases something is represented that is intermediate between the court and the holy place. This is indicated by the fact that the court not only provided a protective space around the tent of meeting, but also afforded a way of entrance into it.

The laver was made entirely of copper, the altar of burnt offering was lined with copper, and the bases of the pillars in the court, together with their stakes, were of the same metal.

Religion is of life. It is a life according to the law of God, which is the spiritual truth of the Word. That truth must, of course be known, and in some measure understood. But faith in abstract doctrines, by itself, is not sufficient for man's salvation. It must be applied to life; that is, to the solution of the practical problems with which everyone is confronted each day of his life. Medieval ascetics sought the good life by separating themselves from the world because they regarded all earthly things as evil and fled from them into a world of prayer and religious meditation. In modern times many Christians have gone to the opposite extreme, considering that religion requires no more of man than to meet the responsibilities of every-day life here on earth. If he does this, they believe, the life after death will take care of itself. Neither of these concepts of religion is correct. The medieval church might be compared to a tabernacle divested of its outer coverings and of its surrounding court, while the Christian Church, based on what has been called "the social gospel" may be compared to the court alone, without the tent of meeting with its holy place and its holy of holies.

If it is to have saving power, religion must find expression in the performance of useful services to the neighbor. Yet these services must be performed according to true principles derived from the teaching of the Word. Every act must be governed by the dictates of a conscience based on spiritual truth, and thus on the law of God. It must be an act of obedience to Divine command rather than one of mere conformity with the demands of society. Only when this is the case does a life in accord with the laws of civil justice, and of moral probity, become a life of religion.

Both the civil and the moral law are of Divine origin. Without them society could not exist. Without them the order on which all human freedom rests could not be maintained; and without freedom of action and of thought, there could be no religion. They are provided by the Lord, therefore, as a necessary protection to the church and to the life of religion, and also as a mode of approach to the true worship of God. For this reason they represent the court of the tabernacle.

Religion must pervade all things of man's life. It must govern not only his faith and his inmost love, but also his thought, his speech, and his action in the performance of his business and his profession. By inherited nature every man tends to love himself, and to strive for worldly wealth, power, and prestige, as the most important goals to be achieved. Such worldly ambition may be purely selfish, but if it is subject to the spiritual teaching of the Word, it may be inspired by love to the Lord and by the love of use to others without thought of personal reward. Such a love of use is not innate with man. It is a gift from God. It is insinuated from heaven during infancy and childhood, and man is made consciously aware of it in adult age by means of the Word. No one can achieve it by his own power. Yet everyone can perceive it as an ideal to be attained by willing obedience to the spiritual principles of religion. The will to do this, and the determination to persist in it through every temptation, is what is represented by the copper that was offered for the construction of the tabernacle.[1]

The linen of the court was related to the copper as the gold of the tabernacle was related to the silver, the first representing the will and the second the understanding. The curtains of the court were made of plain white linen. Only the gate was embroidered in the four sacred colors. This linen, when presented to Moses as an offering, represents the teaching of religion received in childhood with affection and unquestioning faith. It is stored in the mind in the form of knowledges, which are however understood only in a childish way. Loyal acceptance of parental teaching is the only means of introduction to a religious faith. However, any religious belief, whether true or false, may be imparted in this way to the next generation. By this means many of the religions of the world have been perpetuated for countless ages. If human errors are ever to be corrected, each individual at adult age, must approach the Word for himself, and seek direct instruction from the Lord. This is possible only if a reverence for the Word has been instilled in childhood, and a desire to investigate and discover spiritual truth by personal reading of the Word and reflection upon its teachings. This spiritual curiosity is what is meant by the gift of linen for the tabernacle.

If such a desire to learn the truth concerning spiritual things is not inspired during childhood and youth, religion in adult age cannot be based on spiritual understanding or insight. It becomes a traditional faith, to be observed from habit, and from training. It loses any vital relation to man's daily life. Because of this men accept it only with reservations and observe it only so far as it is convenient and helpful to their worldly success to do so. When this comes to pass the church with man has lost its soul.

It is vitally important, therefore, that religious education should inculcate a love of spiritual truth that will lead in adult age to the Word as the source of all enlightenment and wisdom. Even in childhood, whatever is learned in a sphere of holiness when there is a sense of awe and reverence is deeply impressed upon the mind. It is perceived as something wonderful, precious, and to be valued above all other knowledges. As it is recalled at adult age it inspires one to seek instruction from the Lord. This is what protects the inner life of religion and invites the Lord to enter each individual mind, there to build a tabernacle for Himself. It provides throughout life a protecting wall, guarding from injury the inner loves and thoughts of man's internal mind.[2]

The four colors woven into the linen curtain that formed the gate of the court, the veils and the curtain of the tabernacle, represent the various ways in which one may approach the Word for Divine instruction. The Sacred Scripture contains infinite depths of Divine truth, and yet it is clothed in human ideas, and words that bring its general meaning within the comprehension even of little children. The insight that may be derived from it depends upon the motive, the purpose, or the end of love from which it is approached. The light of the mind is love, and the degree of the light that is seen in the Word depends upon the quality of the love that inspires the one who reads it.

There are in general four degrees of love, each being represented by one of the sacred colors. If the Word is read merely to gain intellectual knowledge, the truth that is seen is called "fine twined linen." It will reveal the literal sense with its historical implications, all of which are valuable as a background of a deeper understanding. It will store the mind with technical details on which the spiritual representation depends. It includes all scholarly research, and critical analysis of the text.

If, on the other hand, the Word is studied with an end of use to society on earth, all its teachings take on a different color in the mind. If we approach the Scripture seeking therein a Divine guide to direct us in determining questions of justice and honor in civil and moral affairs the Word shines with a new light. This is the light of charity, the light of love to the neighbor, the love of country, and of society in general. The color which this love casts over all the teachings of the Word is represented by what is called "scarlet double-dyed." This color everywhere in the Sacred Scripture represents the letter of the Word, that is, the natural understanding of the Word.[3] This is meant by "the vesture dipped in blood" worn by the man on the white horse, spoken of in the Apocalypse. (Revelation 19:13; AR 825) It is described in the Writings as the color of mutual love. It is interesting to note how in the history of humanity, Divine revelation has been the source and origin of all human ideas and ideals of justice, of law, of moral and ethical standards.

If, again, the Word is approached not with a view to the external application of its teachings to human conditions, but with a thirst for knowledge concerning heaven, eternal life, the nature and attributes of God, and the laws of His operation, then does all its doctrine take on still another color. For then the eyes of the spirit are lifted up from the earth. They look beyond space and time into the eternal world, where all that exists is to us on earth abstract, intangible, and imponderable. We think of such things as purely theoretical, yet all the central problems of human life lead us back to this realm of spiritual thought, where alone their solution is to be found. We can truly understand nothing except as we look back of nature to the Source of all things and learn from the teachings of the Word concerning both the beginning and the end of life. The desire to search out this higher truth is implanted by the Lord in the human mind. It is a distinctly human love in the light of which the spiritual implications of the Scripture may be seen. The color that this love casts over all the doctrine of the Word is described as cerulean blue, the blue of the sky, which represented heaven to the ancients.[4]

Such abstract principles of thought, regarded as the means of attaining a deeper understanding of life are indeed essential; but above it, more important still, is the use to which that heavenly knowledge should be put. There is in the inmost of the human mind a love of use that is celestial. It is the love of heaven, the Lord's love of saving human souls. In man this becomes a love of cooperating with the Lord in the work of regeneration. When from this love we draw near to the Word, its teaching takes on that color in the mind which is here called purple.[5] It is a color halfway between cerulean blue and scarlet double-dyed.[6] It is a color in which the red predominates, but is tinged with blue to form a brilliant rich crimson, the royal purple of ancient times.[7] When so approached the teaching of the Word becomes illuminated as to heavenly uses; not as to its external application to the civil and moral needs of men on earth, but as to its application to the eternal uses of man's spirit into which he will enter after death. These also are the spiritual uses by which he is prepared for heaven.

In a human mind that is fully regenerate, all things of memory, of thought, of understanding, and of perception are woven into a perfect harmony by love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor. The Word is then perceived as to all the degrees of its internal sense. This is why the veil of linen, woven of the four sacred colors formed both the gate of the court, and the door of the tabernacle through which alone one could gain entrance to the holy place, and the holy of holies.

As has been pointed out, the first four materials mentioned in the list of those that were offered for the building of the tabernacle represent the delights of re mains stored up by the Lord during infancy and childhood. There is, however, another kind of preparation necessary to the establishment of the Church with man, and this is represented by the next four materials in the list.

For the most part remains lie above the region of man's consciousness. They can be felt only when angels are present, and angelic presence is possible only when the mind is in a state of external order. When evil loves are active, the hells inflow, and the influence of the angels is withdrawn. It is most important, therefore, that external order be established and induced upon the mind by habit until it becomes as it were instinctive. This must be done by means of instruction, education, and training. So far as orderly habits of thought and life are formed, the way is opened for influx from heaven that inspires good loves, and from them instills into the mind a conscience of justice, and mercy, and reverence for the Word. These orderly habits are represented by the gifts of wool, rams' skins dyed red, badgers' skins, and [acacia] wood.

The first three of these were to be used as coverings to protect the tabernacle and its furniture. They were made into curtains and placed over the tabernacle on top of the linen covering. The wool curtain was placed next to the linen. Over this was spread the curtain of rams' skins, and above this the final covering of badgers' skins. All three were needed to provide an adequate protection for the holy things contained in the tabernacle. So also, orderly habits of affection and thought are needed to protect the interiors of the human mind, where spiritual faith and love abide. Every one appears before the world by his speech and action. He must be adjusted to the demands of society by learning to observe the forms of politeness, decorum, and consideration for others. Some of these forms are but gestures of the body, while others are deeper, having to do with attitudes of the mind; but all together cover over and protect man's deeper feelings from intrusion by others.

Without some measure of privacy man would have no freedom. Indeed, the power to conceal our inner thoughts and feelings is necessary at the present day for our protection, in order that we may be able to combat the hereditary tendencies to evil into which we have been born, and not be condemned on account of them before we have had an opportunity to fight against them. Without this protection regeneration would be impossible. Indeed if this protection were not given society could not exist because evils of every kind would burst forth like a destroying fire. Such external bonds, therefore, are absolutely necessary.

However, many at the present day make the mistake of supposing that these modes of behavior are the final end and goal of education. Training by means of which children learn to act instinctively according to the requirements of the civil and. the moral law, is what is meant by that "adjustment of the individual to his environment" about which so much is written by modern educators. It is true, of course, that from earliest childhood every one is subjected to the pressure of public opinion. We all seek to do those things that will gain for us the approval of others, and we naturally avoid those things that bring about disapproval and punishment. We must learn to adjust ourselves to these pressures of our environment; but to make this adjustment the final end of education is a serious mistake. It does not build character, but only induces on man's behavior the external appearance of character. To do this is necessary and useful, but it will not change man's internal nature. Habits of civil and moral order do play a necessary part in the development of character, but only because they provide the external conditions under which character may be formed. They are not the end, but only the means that looks to the achievement of a higher goal.

There is truth in the motto adopted by one of the colleges of Oxford: "Manners Maketh Man." Yet all the forms of politeness and consideration for others may be observed solely to conceal inner feelings of pride, ill-will, and enmity toward others. When this is the case, the outer forms are hypocritical, and they provide the basis of influx from hell rather than from heaven.

What is specifically meant by the three curtains of the tabernacle above referred to, is not man's physical behavior so much as his attitude of mind. By observation and imitation everyone learns from others how to think, and how to act. Children derive their opinions from parents and teachers; but affections are aroused by spirits and angels. Influences from both worlds are intimately associated. They are perceived as the pressure of family customs, and of local and national traditions, all of which combine to form the growing mind. Thence arise national characteristics of thought, of speech, and of life, which are passed down from generation to generation. With the passage of time they acquire increasing sanctity, and exercise an ever greater power over the minds of men. The reason is that those who have been deeply affected by these things during their life on earth, continue to love them after death, and inflow with affection when they are observed by men. Because of this, long established traditions can become very binding, not only with children, but also with adults. Nevertheless, a man can rebel against these influences, and break their power over him. The ability to do this is essential to human freedom, and for this reason every generation tends to oppose what parents and ancestors seek to impose upon them, and to establish modes of life which they feel to be their own. It is vital to human progress that this should be so.

Nevertheless, each generation exerts an influence upon the next that is quite unavoidable. External forms are temporary, and may be replaced; but there are attitudes of mind which are of permanent value. These have to do with religion, with the acknowledgment of God, with reverence for the Word, with a deep respect for law and justice. Such attitudes as these are most effectively imparted to the young when they are natural and spontaneous attitudes with parents and teachers. The most important of these mental attitudes is represented by the curtain of wool. It is an attitude of trust and confidence that arises from a deep sense of the Lord's presence, and of His protecting providence over all things of life. It is an inner sense of security that makes one willing to listen, to learn, and to obey. It is called in the Writings the "good of innocence."

In Exodus chapter 26, verse 7, this curtain is said to be made of "goats," thread from the hair of goats being implied. In the Writings (AC 3519) "kids" or young goats are said to represent "the innocence of the external or natural man." In the Word, Explained it is said that the wool of sheep was used.[1] Why this is we do not know, but the signification given is the same in both cases.

What is specifically meant by the good of innocence?[2] The Lord said to the young man in the Gospel, "Why callest thou Me good; there is none good but the one God." (Matthew 19:17) Only the Lord is truly innocent. Any innocence that exists with men is derived from Him. The good of innocence is the delight of acknowledging the Lord and of exercising charity toward the neighbor, such as exists with the angels of heaven.[3] It is the love of obeying the Lord's will, that is, of living according to the truth of the Word. This is what opens the mind toward heaven, that spiritual light or understanding may be received.

Natural truth derived from the facts of nature is not revealed in the Sacred Scripture, but is discovered by observation and experience. The Word of God treats throughout of what is heavenly and Divine. The Word and nature are called in the Writings "the two foundations of truth."[4] Yet between these two there can be perfect accord, for there is but one truth, and in order to see this men must acquire an understanding, even of natural things, from the light of heaven. Between spiritual and natural truth there must be an intermediate which coordinates the two, and this is what is called philosophy. Man is permitted, as it were, from himself, by his own investigation and rational analysis, to discover the truth of philosophy. And yet he can so discover it only if he thinks from the Lord, from the Word, from the acknowledgment of the Lord's immediate presence and operation in nature. If, therefore, a true philosophy of life is to be built up that will bridge the seeming gap between spiritual and natural things, showing how spiritual truth, which is to us abstract, may be applied to the world as we know it from experience, then must there be impressed upon the mind from earliest childhood that attitude which here is meant by "goats," that is, the good of innocence. Indeed, it is against this attitude that all the training and education of the day is arrayed. By a natural process of adjustment one who is well educated in a school of our time absorbs an attitude of mind which is opposed to any real recognition of the Lord's immediate presence in nature, or the operation of His providence in the external affairs of life. And this is a serious stumbling block in the way of building a spiritual church in adult life. It is one of the essential reasons why there must be a new kind of education, designed to prepare the mind for the reception of spiritual truth in adult age. This is the function of a true philosophy. Philosophy forms a covering over the spiritual truths of religion, even as the wool formed a cover to protect the tabernacle. It clothes spiritual truth with forms that are tangible to man's thought, and brings it down to the plane of worldly affairs that it may be of practical use and value.

The second attitude of mind which is a necessary offering for the building of the spiritual church is represented by the "rams' skins dyed red." This may be called a habit not only of acting but also of thinking from a regard for the neighbor. Thus it is an attitude of mind affirmative to moral and ethical ideals. It is an adjustment of the thought to principles of justice and honor. All power to influence others depends upon the ability to appear just and honorable. This is the only basis of mutual confidence. The term "ram" in the original Hebrew is derived from the root meaning "power," from which we see the origin of its signification. Such an attitude may indeed have a selfish motive, and at first it does so with all men. But if a child is associated with men who are sincere, upright, honorable and just from a spiritual motive, that association will impress upon the child's mind a form of order which can be a basis of influx from heaven. Such ethical and moral principles of life form a more external covering over the mind, by which a man is seen and known. A man's philosophy of life may not be known to others, but his principles of action will in some degree be sensed as the "spirit of the man," by all who have more than a passing acquaintance with him. That which appears as his spirit to others covers over and protects those deeper things which are of the essence of his religion. And for this reason a curtain of rams' skins was laid over the curtain of wool, almost completely covering it, though at one point the wool could be seen from the court, as will be described later.

The third attitude of mind is that which is represented by the outmost covering of kids' skins. It is called in the Writings "external good itself"[5] or that outward thing which obviously appears before others as the man. In its social aspect it is to be understood as the habits of decorum, politeness, etc., by which he is known, and it produces that indefinable quality that we call "presence." But in its more essential meaning it has reference to the external love of truth. This love inspires man to search out and discover facts and to demand historic or experimental proof for his beliefs. It is commonly referred to as "the scientific attitude of mind." Because the facts of experience are seemingly opposed to the truth of revelation, and indeed are actually opposed to the doctrines which are considered orthodox by the churches, this attitude of mind has been widely condemned. Yet it has been the means of setting free the minds of men from the external force of dogma, especially from the idea that they must keep their understanding under obedience to a blind faith. As a result of the conflict between science and religion, this attitude of mind has come to be associated with materialistic or atheistic thought. Such, however, is by no means necessarily the case, for both a true religion and a true philosophy will be found to be in perfect agreement with the facts of experience. There is a scientific attitude of mind which it is essential that we should acquire and should instill in our children. It is an attitude of intense curiosity which arises from a love of truth. It is an attitude which will cause everyone of adult age to insist upon testing opinions received from others in the light of his own observation and experience. This attitude applies to spiritual things as well as to natural things. It applies to truth derived from the Word, as well as to that discovered from nature. Both the Word and nature are Divine creations. Through both of them the Lord speaks directly to man. From Him must be received all the truths of which the tabernacle is formed in the mind of man.

These attitudes of mind are imparted to children, not so much by obvious teaching, as by insinuation through the sphere of parents and teachers with whom they have become matters of the life; for in that sphere angels will be present and the delight of those attitudes will be felt as the child's own delight, to which he will freely return when he begins to formulate his own principles of conduct and of thought in adult age. They will then become, in the youth, materials out of which an embodiment of spiritual religion can be built by the Lord, and will serve as a protecting guard for the things of heaven and the Church.[6]….

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