Only priests see the inner beauty; only God sees in the rams’ skin His Son’s consecrated heart.
We’ve noticed that only priests saw the tabernacle’s inner beauty; and believers as priests today can “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!” (Ps 96:9). Similarly, only God saw the covering of rams’ skin dyed red. The ram was called “a ram of consecration” (Ex 29:22), and speaks of God seeing His Son’s consecrated heart, His willingness to become a Man in order to die for humanity. This is illustrated in the red dye, where the word “red” here is adam! There was one fact about the many sacrifices that were made on Jewish altars that did not satisfy the Lord. Not one willingly offered itself to God! That’s why we read, “‘Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the law), then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God’” (Heb 10:8-9). It’s wonderful to join with Paul and say, “the Son of God…loved me and gave Himself for me”(Gal 2:20). More broadly, we can declare, “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Eph 5:25). Wider still, we proclaim, “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 Jn 2:2). But we realize the highest view of the Cross is this: “Christ…offered Himself without spot to God” (Heb 9:14). God must be satisfied, and He is—proven by the resurrection! Now a final note on the outermost covering. There is doubt as to what animal (Heb, tachash) is meant, but one thing is sure. The same kind of leather was used to make shoewear (Ezek 16:10). The people donated this leather for the tabernacle, yet God says 40 years later, “your sandals have not worn out on your feet” (Deut 29:5). If we take care of His business, He’ll look after ours!