They made upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle.
(The Lord gave specific directions for building the tabernacle, all of which, if we better understood them, would be deeply symbolic
and picture for us more truths of God's redemptive plan. Here He instructs the builders to use acacia wood for the frame of the tent of meeting. The wood He instructs them to use is a long-lasting wood. Like man, the acacia tree is earthly in nature. It lives in the soil of the earth, reaches its branches upward toward heaven, and returns to dust when it dies. The tree pictures humanity and represents God's people
who are planted here on earth and reach upward to heaven as we realize our needs that can only be supplied from the Lord. The wood is used to build the precise place where the Lord chooses to dwell right in the midst of His people,
just as the Lord has chosen us in whom He dwells today)
They made twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle and made forty silver bases to go under them— two bases for each frame, one under each projection. (Though the wood itself refers to the earthly and to mankind, it is not to be planted into the earth, but is to be encased in costly silver bases, the silver representing redemption, a picture for us of our foundation being set in Christ's costly redemption. A comparison of the worth of wood to that of silver also shows us the high value of the redemption of Christ into which we are planted. Only the Lord would use the valuable silver of Christ's redemption as the foundation and base for the mere wood of humanity.) They also made crossbars of acacia wood. . . . They overlaid the frames with gold and made gold rings to hold the crossbars. They also overlaid the crossbars with gold. (The crossbars of the tent of meeting were also made of acacia wood, but were encased in gold, representing God's royalty and righteousness. Again, the Lord is showing us that His dwelling place is in the midst of humanity, but that His redemption covers us with the pure gold of His royalty and righteousness. He sees beyond the earthly wood of our nature and encases us with the gold of His divine presence and goodness.)
