LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
The Atrium
The description of the tabernacle concludes, in this portion of Exodus, with the court. This is the outer environment, and as such, it symbolizes the aspect of the church that is in contact with the world. It is the part that is at least partially visible from the outside. The church has a testimony before the world.
The perimeter of the atrium is rectangular, one hundred cubits long by fifty wide. Along the length there are twenty bronze columns, while along the length there are ten. The sum of all the pillars is 60, that is, 6 times 10. Here we have two numbers that represent the entire human race. The Lord wants to have men from every place in his house.
The fact that the pillars are of brass indicates that the world is judged, so there is a separation from the world. But the pillars had capitals and moldings of silver, which means that this separation is a product of redemption. We are not separated from the world because we are better than they are, but because we were bought at a high price. It is the blood of Christ that separates us for God.
The curtains that enclosed the perimeter of the court were to be of twisted linen. The linen represents "the righteous acts of the saints" (Rev. 19:8). The Scripture points out that the church is like a city built upon a hill, or like a light set on a lampstand, very visible to the eyes of men. When men see her good works, they glorify the Father who is in heaven.
The world sees no further into the tabernacle - not even the pillars that support the curtains; it sees only the curtains that are the good works of the children of God. In one aspect, the church is separated from the world -because it is for God-, but it has an attitude of mercy towards the world, because God loved it so much that he gave his Son for its ransom.
The door of the court is toward the east, for from there the sun rises (Christ is the Sun of Righteousness, Mal. 4:2). The light that illuminates the tabernacle comes from the eastern sun. So also the life of the Christian, and of the church, is illuminated by the Lord Jesus Christ. The door had four pillars and three spaces between them. Each of these spaces represents each of the persons of the Trinity. However, the gate itself was located in the central space, because the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, is the Gate (Jn. 10:7).
The court with its three rooms also represents the individual Christian, with his body (court), soul (Holy Place), and spirit (Holy of Holies). The court is the body, which is in contact with the physical, external world. The soul is the place where the personality resides, with thinking, feeling and willing. And the spirit is that secret place where the Holy Spirit has come to dwell.
The consecration of the Christian begins with the body (the court), as the apostle Paul points out, and then continues inward: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1). Whether personally or corporately, as a church, the court should be set apart for God.