Exodus 27:9-19 (ESV)

“You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side. Its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. And likewise for its length on the north side there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, its pillars twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. And for the breadth of the court on the west side there shall be hangings for fifty cubits, with ten pillars and ten bases. The breadth of the court on the front to the east shall be fifty cubits. The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. On the other side the hangings shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. It shall have four pillars and with them four bases. All the pillars around the court shall be filleted with silver. Their hooks shall be of silver, and their bases of bronze. The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, the breadth 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.”

A fillet is a band around the pillar to attach the hook to the pillar.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fillet

The court of the tabernacle is too large to have cross-pieces. Fortunately, there’s no fabric stretching across to pull the pillars inward – but there’s still wind. How do they keep the pillars from blowing over?

Exodus 35:18 mentions, “pegs of the court, and their cords.” So, it seems that the pillars were steadied by guy-wires.

Most importantly, at 7’6” (5 cubits) high, the courtyard walls blocked people from seeing anything other than the roof of the tabernacle. The goings on inside aren’t for show.

This sets a standard that will continue forever.

Phony religions are all show. The truth is not.

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.” – Matthew 6:5-6 (ESV)

Pray for your pastors. Most of what they do is in secret – so they get little praise (in this world) for their efforts. Lift them up to the LORD for a special blessing.

Specifically, ask God to encourage them by letting them see something of the difference they are making in someone’s life. Pastors endure a lot of discouraging things.

The occasional glimpse of why it’s all worth it is the fuel that keeps them going.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies