Exodus 38:15
And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.
Exodus 38:15 records one side of the court gate, with hangings of fifteen cubits carried on three pillars standing in three sockets. It belongs to the minute account in Exodus 25-40 of the wilderness sanctuary pitched in the days of Moses, whose directions and building, setting up and inauguration are there fully told. Nothing in its dimensions, materials and furnishings was left to human fancy, but all was made exactly after the divine pattern shown to Moses in the mount by workmen specially endowed for the task. After redeeming Israel from Egypt, God gave this sacred and beautiful dwelling from free-will offerings that He might dwell among them, because long slavery had unfitted them to grasp His salvation and the character He required. Thus the court and its gate were part of a great object-lesson of the plan of salvation, whose fine linen signifies the righteousness saints receive through Christ, and whose building calls each person to examine how his soul temple is adorned for God's indwelling.
Gate and Court Described
The entrance of the court gate was formed with hangings of fifteen cubits on each side, each side supported by three pillars standing in three sockets. These hangings, pillars, and sockets belonged to the account of building and adorning God's sanctuary in Exodus 36 to 38. The court and its fittings were part of the sanctuary erected as God's habitation among Israel. The sanctuary and its furnishings were made according to the pattern God showed to Moses. The tabernacle court itself measured one hundred cubits long by fifty cubits wide and five cubits high, or about nine feet.
The hangings of the court were of fine linen, except for the gate, which was made of blue and purple and scarlet with fine-twined linen. Fine linen represents the righteousness of the saints, which they receive through Christ, who is their righteousness. This adorning of God's sanctuary calls each person to examine how his own soul temple is adorned for God's indwelling.
Sanctuary Setting and Purpose
Exodus 38:15 belongs to the very minute description in Exodus 25-40 of the worldly sanctuary first pitched in the wilderness in the days of Moses. Exodus 25-30 and Exodus 25-31 give the directions for building the sanctuary and making its furniture, while Exodus 33-40, Exodus 35-40, and Exodus 36-40 record their compliance in building, setting up, and inaugurating the sanctuary and its services. The Tabernacle of that account was prepared and fitted and then set up on the first day of the first month of the second year after the Exodus.
The sanctuary and all its dimensions, material, furnishings, ark, and equipment were not left to human fancy in plan or size but were made exactly according to the explicit instructions and divine pattern shown to Moses in the mount. The directions were carried out explicitly by workmen specially endowed by God. Exodus 38 records that carrying out of God's instructions, with the court gate having hangings fifteen cubits long on each side, supported by three pillars with three sockets.
The sanctuary means a sacred or holy place, marvelously beautiful and built from free-will offerings of the children of Israel, so that God might dwell among them and their worship might center there as His habitation. After redeeming Israel from Egyptian bondage with a mighty hand, God gave this structure because hundreds of years of slavery had unfitted them to comprehend His great salvation and the character He required. The sanctuary was a great, multiple object-lesson which by various forms and rites comprehended the great plan of salvation.
The verse is part of the account of the laws and instructions given through Moses, which encompass more than the Ten Commandments. They also include statutes and judgments, civil and health regulations, moral and ceremonial laws, and rules for sacrifices and offerings. These laws preserve the types and offerings through which the substance of the new dispensation can be traced from the shadows of the old. When the work was complete, God's glory and blessing came upon the congregation and the building, manifesting His acceptance of the people's repentance.