KJV Exodus 26:14 “And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers’ skins.”

NASB Exodus 26:14  “You shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red and a covering of porpoise skins above.”

In the instructions for building the tabernacle, a section filled with the minutest details of material, size, placement, and colour, there is a covering mentioned without any dimensions, simply described as “the rams’ skin dyed red.”

Consider also its placement. We are told of the curtain of blue, purple, scarlet and fine twined linen that served as the covering for the tabernacle. Priestly men serving in the holy place could look up and see with admiration the beauty of this curtain. On top of this innermost curtain was a covering of goats’ hair. It was larger than the bottom-most covering and would be visible on the sides as it hung down over the linen covering. Third, there was a covering of rams’ skim dyed red, over which was placed the badger skin to cover everything.

Priestly men could view the linen covering; those in the court could see something of the goats’ hair covering. Everyone could view the badgers’ skin, which overlaid everything and was the most external. But who could view the rams’ skin? And if not seen, what was its purpose?

It appears the rams’ skin was not visible, as it was covered below and beneath. Of course, since we are not given its dimensions, it is difficult to be dogmatic, but it certainly appears that no one saw it —except the eye of God.

At least two truths advance themselves for consideration. Keeping in mind the ram is the animal of consecration, the dimensions or measure of Christ’s consecration to death (dyed red) cannot be measured by anyone apart from God. It was not mere duty or the external pressure exerted by a demanding God, but the willing, intelligent, and voluntary devotion, out of love, to please His Father.

We cannot even begin to fathom the cost or the measure of that consecration. It was unwavering; there was never a struggle, a thought of turning back, or a waver in His ways.

Second, no eye saw the rams’ skin because no human eye could appreciate the consecration displayed at Calvary. We view the external sufferings of Christ, inflicted by men, and can have a small measure of understanding. But we move into the realm of the unexplored, the deep ocean unfathomed when we think of what He endured at the hand of God for our sins. The Christ Who was not only consecrated through life, but unto death, a cross death, is depicted in the rams’ skin dyed red.

Though we cannot comprehend or appreciate these aspects of Calvary, they do not hinder us from worshiping Him for these very truths. Worship is not only for what we comprehend, but for the counsels of God and the experience of Christ that we can only gaze on from afar, removing the shoes from our feet and, with bowed head, owning what grace has accomplished.

Consider

Look for some other “unseen” or “unmeasured” objects in the tabernacle.