Curtains

February 2, 2017

Against Kedar (Jer 49:28-49:29)

“Concerning Kedar

With the kingdoms of Hazor

That King Nebuchadnezzar

Of Babylon

Defeated.

Thus says Yahweh.

‘Rise up!

Advance against Kedar!

Destroy the people of the east!

Take their tents!

Take their flocks!

Take their curtains!

Take all their goods!

Carry off their camels

For yourselves!

A cry shall go up.

‘Terror is all around!’”

Kedar was the second son of Ishmael, the step brother of Isaac. However, this biblical term was applied to a group of nomadic tribes in the northwest Arabian desert, east of the Jordan River and Ammon, in what is today Saudi Arabia. They were considered to be the people of the east, the Arabs. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was going to defeat them. He was going to take their possessions since they had no buildings to burn. They were going to lose their tents, flocks, curtains, and most importantly their camels. They would cry out that terror was all around them. They had no fortresses to defend themselves. Both Kedar and Hazor were not restored, but left as wastelands.

October 20, 2016

The lamentation over this sudden disaster (Jer 4:19-4:22)

“My anguish!

My anguish!

I writhe in pain!

O!

The walls of my heart!

My heart is beating wildly!

I cannot keep silent!

I hear the sound of the trumpet.

I hear the alarm of war.

Disaster overtakes disaster.

The whole land is laid waste.

Suddenly my tents are destroyed.

My curtains are destroyed in a moment.

How long must

I see the standard?

How long must

I hear the sound of the trumpet?

‘My people are foolish.

They do not know me.

They are stupid children.

They have no understanding.

They are skilled in doing evil.

But they do not know

How to do good.’”

Jeremiah laments the actions that are taking place. He is pained and in anguish. His heart is beating wildly as he hears the sound of the war trumpet. There was disaster after disaster in the land, as their tents and curtains were also destroyed quickly. He wondered how long this was going to last. He realized that his people were foolish, acting like stupid children, not listening to him. They had no understanding of what was happening. The only thing that they knew was evil, since they did not know how to do good things.

February 2, 2014

The court of the tabernacle (Ex 27:9-27:19)

“You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twisted linen one hundred cubits long for that side.  Its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver.  And likewise for its length on the north side there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, their pillars twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver.  For the width of the court on the west side there shall be fifty cubits of hangings, with ten pillars and ten bases.  The width of the court on the front to the east shall be fifty cubits.  There shall be fifteen cubits of hangings on the one side, with three pillars and three bases. There shall be fifteen cubits of hangings on the other side, with three pillars and three bases.  For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework.  It shall have four pillars and with them four bases.  All the pillars around the court shall be banded with silver.  Their hooks shall be of silver, and their bases of bronze.  The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits.  The width fifty and the height five cubits, with hangings of fine twined linen and bases of bronze. All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.”

The court yard is outside the tabernacle.  Here the hangings of fine twisted linen are 100 cubits long with 20 pillars and 20 bronze bases.  However, the hooks on the pillars are silver.  These linens are over a 150 feet long and the same is on the south side as on the north side.  The west side is half that size about 75’, with ten pillars and bases, so that it will be about 75’ x 150’ and about 9’ high.  There is a screen for a gate to the courtyard that is about 35’ wide.  It has the same color of twisted linen as above, with four silver pillars and bases.  The screen before the sanctuary became part of the Orthodox Christian and the Roman Catholic baroque practices.  However, all the utensils for the tabernacle and all the pegs of the court should be bronze.

February 2, 2014

The curtain (Ex 26:31-26:37)

“You shall make a curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twined linen.  It shall it be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it.  You shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, which have hooks of gold and rest on four bases of silver.  You shall hang the curtain under the clasps.  Bring the Ark of the Covenant in there, within the curtain, and the curtain shall separate for you the holy place from the most holy.  You shall put the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant in the most holy place.  You shall set the table outside the curtain, and the lamp stand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table.  You shall put the table on the north side.”

Now we enter the most holy area versus the just holy area with everything in a certain place.  This veil or curtain is made of blue, purple, and crimson yarn like the first curtain.  The Ark of the Covenant is within the curtain, because the curtain separates the holy place from the most holy place.  The mercy seat goes on top of the Ark of the Covenant in this most holy place.  The table, however, is outside the curtain on the north side. The lamp stand is on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table.

“You shall make a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. You shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold.  Their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them.”

You also have a screen for the entrance of the tent with the same colors as above.  You also use gold acacia word for the screen framework with hooks of gold and bronze bases.

February 2, 2014

Curtains covering the tabernacle (Ex 26:1-26:14)

“Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen, and blue, purple, and crimson yarns.  You shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them.  The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits.  All the curtains shall be of the same size.  Five curtains shall be joined to one another.  The other five curtains shall be joined to one another.  You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set.  Likewise you shall make loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set.  You shall make fifty loops on the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set.  The loops shall be opposite one another. You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and join the curtains to one another with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be one whole.”

This is a combination of what to do with the ark in the desert and when the temple is constructed.  The tabernacle should have 10 curtains of twisted blue, purple, and crimson yarns and fine linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into them.  The length and width of each curtain should be the same, 28 cubits long and 4 cubits wide.  These colorful 50’ long curtains would be joined together in two groups of 5.  There will be 50 loops on the edge of both sets of the curtains oppose each other with 50 clasps of gold to join the 2 curtains.

“You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle.  You shall make eleven curtains. The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits.  The eleven curtains shall be of the same size.  You shall join five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you shall double over at the front of the tent.  You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.  You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and join the tent together, so that it may be one whole. The part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle.   The cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, of what remains in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and that side, to cover it.  You shall make for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and an outer covering of fine leather.”

The tent for the tabernacle should have 11 curtains made of goat’s hair.  These are a little longer, 2 cubits more than the linen curtains, or about a little over a yard longer.  These will be divided into 5 and 6.  Once again, you have 50 loops and 50 bronze, not gold, clasps to join them together. Part of the curtains should hang over on the sides of the tabernacle.  Then on top of this you take tanned rams’ skins and an outer covering of fine leather. This then was the covering for the tabernacle.