Exodus 38:9
And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, an hundred cubits: And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, an hundred cubits:
The verse describes the south side of the uncovered court around the wilderness sanctuary, whose hangings of fine-twined white linen ran one hundred cubits as part of an oblong enclosure one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and five cubits high, hung on brass pillars with silver fittings. It is one minute detail in the full account in Exodus 25 to 40 of the sanctuary built exactly according to the pattern shown to Moses in the mount. The sanctuary was erected at God's command from freewill offerings as His dwelling place among Israel and as an object lesson of the plan of salvation. That movable dwelling centered true worship until Christ's sacrifice, yet it was always typical of the better temple, the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man, serving as the shadow of heavenly things. Its fine linen hangings represent the righteousness of the saints, which they receive through Christ, who is their righteousness.
Sanctuary Setting and Purpose
Exodus 38:9 is one small detail in the minute, full description in Exodus 25 to 40, to the end of the book, of the sanctuary built in the days of Moses exactly according to the pattern and directions shown to Moses in the mount. That full description covers the sanctuary and its furnishings, including the hangings of fine-twined linen forming the court, with the hangings at the east end closing the building and brushed aside for passage into it. The building and setting up of the sanctuary recorded in Exodus 33 to 40 immediately followed the instruction concerning the sanctuary in Exodus 25 to 31 given to Moses in the mount, coming in chronological order after the events of Exodus 19 to 32 inclusive. That account of preparing and fitting the Tabernacle closes with its being set up on the first day of the first month of the second year after the Exodus.
The sanctuary was made at God's command and by His instructions from freewill offerings, as a dwelling place for God among His people Israel. It was a place for God to dwell among Israel and an object lesson of the plan of salvation, built with the detailed building particulars God instructed Israel to carry out so He might dwell among them. The wilderness tabernacle thus constructed was Israel's earthly center of worship, which centered on the holy of holies, where God's law rested beneath the mercy seat. That tabernacle built at God's command was later replaced by Solomon's temple.
The verse belongs to the law given through Moses, which included ceremonial laws and regulations as well as moral laws, civil rules, and health laws. These laws concerning offerings, sacrifices, and types revealed the shadows of the old dispensation, from which the substance of the new dispensation could be traced. The movable wilderness dwelling-place first pitched after Israel came out of Egypt, that God might dwell among men, answered every purpose for which it was constructed, centering true worship until Christ's sacrifice when the veil was rent and it passed away entirely and forever. Yet it was always typical of and foreshadowed the better temple, the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man, serving unto the shadow of heavenly things as an object lesson pointing to the Lamb of God and His power to forgive sin, transform character, and deliver from burdens.
Court Hangings and Meaning
The south side of the uncovered court enclosing the sanctuary was hung with fine-twined white linen yarn extending one hundred cubits. It formed part of an oblong court one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and five cubits high, enclosed by linen curtains suspended from brass pillars with silver fittings. The description of the linen hangings in Exodus 38:9-20 belongs to that court with its stated length, breadth, and height.
The court had twenty curtains on each side and ten on each end, hung on sixty pillars of brass with silver capitals placed five cubits apart. Those pillars rested in sockets of brass fastened to the earth with brass pins, the curtains being five cubits long so that the pillars were about the same length. The hangings were only about half as high as the walls of the tabernacle, so the building could be plainly seen by the people without.
The eastern end at the entrance was excepted from the plain white linen and made of blue and purple and scarlet and fine-twined white linen, closing the building. Cords served to raise or slide them when the priests entered the court, and they were brushed aside for passage into it.
The making of the courtyard hangings was part of carrying out God's instructions for the sanctuary, work completed according to God's direction. The fine-twined linen of those hangings represents the righteousness of the saints, which they receive through Christ, who is their righteousness.