Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 36:1
Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.
1. in whom, &c.] cf. Exo 31:6 b.
the service of ] i.e. the business of constructing, as Exo 35:24. So v. 3.
according to ] with regard to.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
See the notes to Exo. 26.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Exo 36:1-38
Every wise-hearted man in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding to know how to work.
Consecrated art
Dannecker, the German sculptor, occupied eight years upon a marble statue of Christ. He believed then, and ever afterward, that he had been inspired of God to do that thing. He thought that he had seen a vision of Christ in his solitary vigils. He had but transferred to the marble the image that the Lord had shown to him. His rising fame attracted the attention of Napoleon, and he was requested to make a statue of Venus similar to Ariadne, for the gallery of the Louvre. He refused, saying, A man who has seen Christ would commit sacrilege if he should employ his art in the carving of a pagan goddess. My art is therefore a consecrated thing. Is there not an experience of communion with God in Christ, not uncommon with mature believers, which is equivalent to a vision of the Lord, and which renders life and life work, even its humblest occupations, sacred? The lowliest not less than the loftiest life may have this element of an infinite dignity.
Indolence in the Church
A North American Indian convert, being catechised upon original sin, stated that he rather thought that in his case it was laziness. Original sin certainly seems to take this form in the case of many members of our Churches. What is the proportion of Christian workers in any Church? Are they not invariably a small minority? Why so? What exemption can the majority plead? It is said the working bees cast out the drones from the hive. Were we to proceed upon this principle, what terrible depletion would our Churches suffer! (J. Halsey.)
False estimates of Church-workers
We sometimes form a too favourable estimate of the number of workers in our Churches, erroneously judging from the number of departments of service, and imagining that each department has its own distinct staff; whereas, as a rule, it is the individuals who are active in one sphere who display the same activity in another. I believe that in dramatic exhibitions the impression of a large army is sometimes produced upon the spectators by the device of marching the same band of persons over and over again across the stage. We get our impressions of the noble army of Christian workers very much in the same way. (J. Halsey.)
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See Exo 25:10-40; Exo 30:1-6; Exo 30:23-38.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER XXXVI
Moses appoints Bezaleel, Aholiab, and their associates, to the work,
and delivers to them the free-will offerings of the people, 1-3.
The people bring offerings more than are needed for the work, and are
only restrained by the proclamation of Moses, 4-7.
The curtains, their loops, taches, c., for the tabernacle, 8-18.
The covering for the tent, 19.
The boards, 20-30.
The bars, 31-34.
The veil and its pillars, 35, 36.
The hangings and their pillars, 37, 38.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXXVI
Verse 1. Then wrought, c.] The first verse of this chapter should end the preceding chapter, and this should begin with verse the second as it now stands, it does not make a very consistent sense. By reading the first word veasah, then wrought, in the future tense instead of the past, the proper connection will be preserved: for all grammarians know that the conjunction vau is often conversive, i.e., it turns the preterite tense of those verbs to which it is prefixed into the future, and the future into the preterite: this power it evidently has here and joined with the last verse of the preceding chapter the connection will appear thus, Ex 35:30-35, c.: The Lord hath called by name Bezaleel and Aholiab them hath he filled with wisdom of heart to work all manner of work. Ex 36:1: And Bezaleel and Aholiab SHALL WORK, and every wise-hearted man, in whom the Lord put wisdom.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Moses comitteth the work to Bezaleel and Aholiab Exo 36 1-4. The liberality of the people is forbid Exo 36:5,6. The curtains of cherubims, Exo 36:8-13. The curtains of goats hair, &c. all belonging to the tabernacle, Exo 36:14-38
Of the sanctuary, or, of the holy place, to wit, of the tabernacle, so called by a prolepsis and synecdoche.
BC 1491
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1. Then wrought Bezaleel andAholiab, and every wise-hearted man, c.Here is an illustriousexample of zeal and activity in the work of the Lord. No unnecessarydelay was allowed to take place and from the moment the first polewas stuck in the ground till the final completion of the sacrededifice, he and his associates labored with all the energies both ofmind and body engaged in the work. And what was the mainspring oftheir arduous and untiring diligence? They could be actuated by noneof the ordinary motives that give impulse to human industry, by nodesire for the acquisition of gain; no ambition for honor; no view ofgratifying a mere love of power in directing the labors of a largebody of men. They felt the stimulusthe strong irresistible impulseof higher and holier motivesobedience to the authority, zeal forthe glory, and love to the service of God.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man,…. Or every ingenious artificer under them: when they began to work is not precisely said, but it is very probable they set about it directly, as soon as they were furnished with materials for it, nor is it said where they wrought; it is very likely there was a particular place, where they were ranged according to their respective manufactories, and where they did their work under the inspection, and by the direction of these two men:
in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding, to know how to work all manner of work, for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord had commanded; for as all the wisdom and understanding, which Bezaleel and Aholiab had for the building of the tabernacle, and making everything appertaining to it, and for instructing others to do the same, were from the Lord; so all the wisdom, understanding, and capacity in the artificers to learn of them, and work according to their directions, were also from him; who in a very extraordinary manner enlarged their faculties, and increased their natural abilities, to take in what was suggested to them, and perform their work exactly agreeable thereunto.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| Appointment of Bezaleel and Aholiab. | B. C. 1491. |
1 Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded. 2 And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it: 3 And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning. 4 And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; 5 And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make. 6 And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. 7 For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
I. The workmen set in without delay. Then they wrought, v. 1. When God had qualified them for the work, then they applied themselves to it. Note, The talents we are entrusted with must not be laid up, but laid out; not hid in a napkin, but traded with. What have we all our gifts for, but to do good with them? They began when Moses called them, v. 2. Even those whom God has qualified for, and inclined to, the service of the tabernacle, yet must wait for a regular call to it, either extraordinary, as that of prophets and apostles, or ordinary, as that of pastors and teachers. And observe who they were that Moses called: Those in whose heart God had put wisdom for this purpose, beyond their natural capacity, and whose heart stirred them up to come to the work in good earnest. Note, Those are to be called to the building of the gospel tabernacle whom God has by his grace made in some measure fit for the work and free to engage in it. Ability and willingness (with resolution) are the two things to be regarded in the call of ministers. Has God given them not only knowledge, but wisdom? (for those that would win souls must be wise, and have their hearts stirred up to come to the work, and not to the honour only; to do it, and not to talk of it only), let them come to it with full purpose of heart to go through with it. The materials which the people had contributed were delivered by Moses to the workmen, v. 3. They could not create a tabernacle, that is, make it out of nothing, nor work, unless they had something to work upon; the people therefore brought the materials and Moses put them into their hands. Precious souls are the materials of the gospel tabernacle; they are built up a spiritual house, 1 Pet. ii. 5. To this end they are to offer themselves a free-will offering to the Lord, for his service (Rom. xv. 16), and they are then committed to the care of his ministers, as builders, to be framed and wrought upon by their edification and increase in holiness, till they all come, like the curtains of the tabernacle, in the unity of the faith, to be a holy temple,Eph 2:21; Eph 2:22; Eph 4:12; Eph 4:13.
II. The contributions restrained. The people continued to bring free offerings every morning, v. 3. Note, We should always make it our morning’s work to bring our offerings unto the Lord; even the spiritual offerings of prayer and praise, and a broken heart surrendered entirely to God. This is that which the duty of every day requires. God’s compassions are new every morning, and so must our duty to him be. Probably there were some that were backward at first to bring their offering, but their neighbours’ forwardness stirred them up and shamed them. The zeal of some provoked many. There are those who will be content to follow who yet do not care for leading in a good work. It is best to be forward, but better late than never. Or perhaps some who had offered at first, having pleasure in reflecting upon it, offered more; so far were they from grudging what they had contributed, that they doubled their contribution. Thus, in charity, give a portion to seven, and also to eight; having given much, give more. Now observe, 1. The honesty of the workmen. When they had cut out their work, and found how their stuff held out, and that the people were still forward to bring in more, they went in a body to Moses to tell him that there needed no more contributions, Exo 36:4; Exo 36:5. Had they sought their own things, they had now a fair opportunity of enriching themselves by the people’s gifts; for they might have made up their work, and converted the overplus to their own use, as perquisites of their place. But they were men of integrity, that scorned to do so mean a thing as to sponge upon the people, and enrich themselves with that which was offered to the Lord. Those are the greatest cheats that cheat the public. If to murder many is worse than to murder one, by the same rule to defraud communities, and to rob the church or state, is a much greater crime than to pick the pocket of a single person. But these workmen were not only ready to account for all they received, but were not willing to receive more than they had occasion for, lest they should come either into the temptation or under the suspicion of taking it to themselves. These were men that knew when they had enough. 2. The liberality of the people. Though they saw what an abundance was contributed, yet they continued to offer, till they were forbidden by proclamation, Exo 36:6; Exo 36:7. A rare instance! Most need a spur to quicken their charity; few need a bridle to check it, yet these did. Had Moses aimed to enrich himself, he might have suffered them still to bring in their offerings; and when the work was finished might have taken the remainder to himself: but he also preferred the public before his own private interest, and was therein a good example to all in public trusts. It is said (v. 6), The people were restrained from bringing; they looked upon it as a restraint upon them not to be allowed to do more for the tabernacle; such was the zeal of those people, who gave to their power, yea, and beyond their power, praying the collectors with much entreaty to receive the gift,2Co 8:3; 2Co 8:4. These were the fruits of a first love; in these last-days charity has grown too cold for us to expect such things from it.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
EXODUS – CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Verses 1-3:
This text begins the sub-section which extends through chapter 39. Verse 1 means that Bezaleel and Aholiab, and those who worked under their direction, began the work of constructing the tabernacle, exactly as Jehovah had commanded. They carried out in minute detail the plans described in Ex 26-28.
When enough materials were received to begin the work, Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab before him, and delivered the offerings to them. The workmen proceeded to the task.
Each morning the materials continued to flow in, as the people brought additional offerings.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
1. Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab. Although Moses might have seemed to be unnecessarily prolix in recording the injunctions which God gave respecting the building of the tabernacle, yet he repeats the same narrative here almost in the same words; and this he does with the best design, and for very good reasons. For it was of much importance that it might be seen by actual comparison how exactly the artificers had conformed everything to the pattern laid down by God: and this, not only in commendation of their obedience, but because it behooved that there should be nothing human in the structure; for although they might each of them have exerted themselves strenuously in the work, still it was not lawful for them to give the slightest scope to their own inventions; nay, this would have been a profanation of the sacred edifice, not to follow in every part what had been so carefully dictated to Moses. And this might avail as a restraint upon them in future times, so that they might not violate God’s commands by any change or innovation. They did not indeed understand the reason of everything either in reference to number or measure; but it became them to be assured that God had commanded nothing without a purpose. Hence, also, their minds should have been elevated to the heavenly pattern, so as reverently to look up to the mysteries, obscure as they were, which it contained, until its full manifestation. This verbal repetition, then, reminds us how accurately the labor and art of men in the building corresponded with the command of God.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Exo. 36:1. According to all that the Lord had commanded]. Bezaleel and Aholiab and every wise-hearted man (Exo. 36:2) were not permitted to indulge in using their artistic skill in working things of an arbitrary kind, but were restricted to work only such things as they were commanded. The nature of these instructions which restricted the sphere in which they might employ their skill, but yet within an assigned sphere, allowed them the amplest scope for the exercise of their skill, served both sthetical and moral ends. Probably the severe lesson which the Israelites learned in consequence of the making of the golden calf fitted them for the right appreciation of the restrictive commandment in regard to the works of the tabernacle, as may be seen from the entire absence of any spirit of self-assertion; they brought their gifts cheerfully and liberally, and ceased to do so as they were commanded. Showing how thoroughly cured they were, for a long time at any rate, of ritualistic fancies and innovations.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH
I. The skill of the workmen. Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab and every wise-hearted man. It is obvious that though Bezaleel was, as has been said, the master of the works, and Aholiab his principal assistant, there was associated with them, but acting under them, a large company of skilled workmen, master craftsmen, as they might be called, who directed the labours of other artizans beneath them. The expression every wise-hearted man applies, in all probability, to all but the last. Notice
(1.) How far their skill extended. They know, it is stated, how to work all manner of work; by which it is not necessary to understand that every one of them was a sort of Jack-of-all-trades, but only that among them were individuals qualified to perform every variety of work that was needed for the Tabernaclespinners, weavers, silversmiths, goldsmiths, workers in wood and brass, &c., &c. And so within the Church of God to-day is every kind of talent that is needful for the erection of the better Tabernacle of which that simple structure was but a typepersons qualified to do the noblest services, as well as persons exactly fitted for the meanest, skilled expounders of the Word, and gifted champions of the faith, as well as humble preachers of the Gospel, and earnest teachers of the young. Yet it would seem as if Bezaleel and Aholiab were specially endowed. Aholiab, we learn, was an engraver and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer, and Bezaleel was qualified to think out inventions; while it would seem as if they both possessed such a knowledge of all the different arts as to enable them to teach the artizans in any department whatsoever. And so in the Church, while the rule is to find the gifts distributed among many,the Holy Ghost dividing to every man severally as he will,occasionally there are discovered those who possess a whole cornucopia of endowments, a sort of spiritual Admirable Crichtons.
(2.) Whence their skill proceeded. Distinctly stated in the narrative to have been supernatural in its origin: Every wise-hearted man, in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding. In a sense this is true of all men, whatsoever be the amount of wisdom and understanding they possess. The mind with all its faculties is Gods gift; and the best talents are dependent on the divine blessing for success in acquiring knowledge (cf. Psalms 127). But obviously the historian refers to a communication of wisdom which was special and extraordinary. Yet not of such a character as to preclude, but rather to presuppose, the possession of superior natural endowments, and diligent application of the same. As already hinted, the All-Wise Artificer works no superfluous miracles, and certainly never dispenses with His ordinary rules in conducting men to wisdom, unless in cases where these customary methods are altogether inapplicable, as, e.g., in revealing His will to prophets. Poeta nascitur, non fit, is a maxim which holds true in large measure of all gifted men. Bezaleel, Aholiab, and their co-workers, were doubtless naturally gifted men. But in this case their abilities were supernaturally assisted by divine influence. Hence God spoke of them as gifts which He had given for the work of the Tabernacle. It should teach us to recognise not only that all our mental endowments are the gift of God, but that special proficiency in any particular profession, trade, art, is equally due to Him, while it also reminds us that whatever talent we may possess, as Christians for helping on His Church, has been originally bestowed by Him, and by Him has been rendered successful, and that if at any time God is pleased to raise up within the Church any eminent sons of wisdom,men who know what Israel ought to do, and competent to direct their fellows,we should cheerfully recognise such as His gift.
(3.) To what their skill was directed: The service of the sanctuary. The great talents of these artificers were not applied to any selfish purposes. As if vividly recognising whence their gifts had proceeded, they joyfully returned them in willing consecration to their Heavenly Donorin this supplying a lesson for us all, both as men and as Christians. Nothing more lamentable can be witnessed than the consecration of great powers of mind or body to the ignoble object of self-aggrandisement, the making of money, the acquiring of fame, the sipping of pleasure. Even in the commonest of callings a loftier purpose is attainable. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, whether ye sweep a crossing or cobble a boot, or build a ship, or command an army, or rule a senate, do all to the glory of God. It is beautiful to see life pervaded by this sublime idea. More especially is it beautiful to see Christians upon whom God has conferred special qualifications for the service of the sanctuary, whether of mind or of body, devoting them to His service. Besides being beautiful it is right. He surely has the first claim upon those talents which He Himself has bestowed.
II. The liberality of the people.
1. The liberality of the people was for a sacred object: for the work of the service of the sanctuary; i.e., for the erection of the Tabernacle, or the building of the Church. In other words, it was designed for the maintenance of religious ordinances in their midst. With this they were charged by Divine commandment (Exo. 35:4). So have Christians been charged with the duty of maintaining and extending the New Testament Church by means of their liberality (1Co. 9:14; 1Co. 16:1-2; 2Co. 7:7,&c). Hence, whatever be the opinions of Gods people about the legality or expediency of State endowments, this much is clear, that they are not exempted from the obligation of contributing as God hath prospered them for the support and diffusion of the Gospel. This commandment, which was given to the people through Moses, was not that Israel as a State should endow the Church, but that Israel as a Church should support herself.
2. The liberality of the people was voluntary in its character: the offerings were free. Though by a Divine commandment they were charged with the duty of building the Tabernacle, the people were not compelled to give for that object by means of pains and penalties. Whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring an offering unto the Lord (Exo. 35:5). Cf. Exo. 36:21-22. And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom His Spirit made willing. Nothing can more clearly indicate that this was not a State-tax, or a compulsory Church-rate, but a veritable free-will offering, a voluntary contribution. Of this character were all the offerings of the Hebrew Church: not only those which were free-will in the sense of being prompted by the offerer, but those which were prescribed by divine statute. See Lev. 1:3; Lev. 19:5; Lev. 22:19-29. The sword of the magistrate was not employed to enforce payment of any offerings in the Hebrew Church. By divine appointment the Hebrew Church was a voluntary Church; and so is the Church of the New Testament (2Co. 8:12; 2Co. 9:7). This being the case, are not State endowments both unnecessary and wrong?
3. The liberality of the people was abundant in its measure. One of the chief objections urged against Voluntaryism is its insufficiency. Were the Church to be left solely to the free-will offerings of Gods people, the Gospel ministry would starve, and Church Extension would be at an end. It was not so with the Hebrew Church. The people brought much more than enough for the service of the work, and required to be restrained. And if, in the New Testament Church, the same superabundant liberality has not been manifested, it is not because it has not been requiredMat. 28:19-20, will consume all the free-will offerings that Christs people can bring; nor because it has not been commanded (2Co. 9:6). May it not be because the New Testament Church has too often sought to lean on State support? All experience proves that State support and voluntary offerings are antagonistic, and tend to mutually destroy one another. State support represses Christian liberality. Christian liberality, when allowed free scope, will not long be satisfied to lean upon the crutch of State support.
4. The liberality of the people was widely diffused in its extent. Possibly it was universal, although that is not exactly affirmed. The probability is, there were those who offered nothing, whose hearts did not make them willing. At the same time, the impression is that the people generally contributed. So in the Christian Church liberality should be generally diffused, should in fact be universal. Were it always of the character of that displayed by these Hebrews, as general, as liberal, as cheerful, it would never be objected to as insufficient.
III. The disinterested conduct of Moses.
The workmen having reported that the people had brought more than enough for the service of the work, Moses caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp that no more offerings were to be received. So the people were restrained from bringing, Exo. 36:6. Had Moses or the workmen ever been inclined to enrich themselves, they had ample opportunity. But they were men of integrity, that scorned to do so mean a thing as to sponge upon the people, and enrich themselves with what was offered unto the Lord. Those are the greatest cheats that cheat the public. If to murder many is worse than to murder one, by the same rule to defraud communities, and to rob the Church or State, is a much greater crime than to pick the pocket of a single person. But these workmen were not only ready to account for all they received, but were not willing to receive more than they had occasion for, lest they should come either into the temptation or under the suspicion of taking it to themselves. These were men that knew when they had enough.Henry. Had Moses been intent upon gain, and had he not been perfectly disinterested, he would have encouraged them to continue their contributions, as thereby he might have multiplied unto himself gold, silver, and precious stones. But he was doing the Lords work, under the inspiration of the Divine Spirit, and therefore he sought no secular gain.A. Clarke. In this Moses served as a pattern to all public men, to ministers of State, to magistrates and rulers, but especially to Christian ministers, not to use their offices for self-enrichment. The minister who can say like Paul, I seek not yours, but you, wields a mighty power for good over the members of his flock in comparison with him who seeks into the priests office, like Micahs Levite, for a piece of bread, and preaches the Gospel for filthy lucres sake.
THE PREPARATION OF THE DWELLING
And every wise-hearted man among them that wrought the work of the Tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue and purple and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them, &c., Exo. 36:8-38.
The dwelling () was an oblong of thirty yards in length, and ten yards in breadth and height, built on the southern, northern, and western sides of upright planks of acacia-wood, overlaid with gold. Over the whole, there were placed four coverings. The inner one, consisting of costly woven materials (byssus woven in different colours, with figures of cherubim upon it), was so arranged as to form the drapery of the interior of the dwelling, whilst the other three were placed outside. In front of the building, towards the east, there were five gilded pillars of acacia-wood; and on these a curtain was suspended, which closed the entrance to the dwelling, and bore the name of . The interior of the dwelling was divided into two parts by a second curtain, sustained by four pillars, and made of the same costly fabric and texture as the innermost covering. Of these two parts, the further (or westerly) was called the Most Holy , and was a perfect cube of ten cubits in length and breadth and height; so that the other part, or the Holy, , was of the same height and breadth, but twice as long. This inner curtain was called Parocheth . KurtzSacrificial Worship.
In the present section these various parts are again described:A. The coverings:
(1.) The inner covering, consisting of ten curtains, of blue and purple and scarlet, ornamented with cherubim, and joined together, curtain to curtain, by means of fifty loops and fifty golden taches, Exo. 36:8-13.
(2.) The second covering, of eleven curtains of goats hair, for the tent over the Tabernacle, Exo. 36:14-18.
(3.) The third covering, of rams skins dyed red, Exo. 36:19.
(4.) The fourth covering, of badgers skins, Exo. 36:19. B. The framework, Exo. 36:20-34. C. The veils:
(1.) The inner vail, Exo. 36:35-36.
(2.) The outer vail, Exo. 36:37-38. See Exo. 26:1, In which all these articles are described.
That the Tabernacle was symbolic of the better things of the Christian dispensation, as well as of the spiritual condition of the covenanted nation, we have the authority of the writer of the Hebrews for asserting. For the explanation of its symbolic import, see Exo. 40:17-33. To suppose that every pin, and bolt, and pillar, and curtain, had a special spiritual significance, is only the imbecility of exegesis. The Irvingites, e.g., believe that their ecclesiastical council was shown at the time of its formation, by the word of prophecy, to have been shadowed in the construction of the Mosaic Tabernacle. The forty-eight boards of that structure, it was said, typified the six elders from each of the seven churches in London, together with six of the apostles; the five bars, which upheld all the boards, represented a ministry committed to other five of the apostles, whose duty it is to instruct the council in the principles upon which counsel is to be given: the two tenons, with their sockets of silver for each board, had reference to the deaconal ministry, through which the eldership is rooted in the love of the people. Two elders, appointed to act as scribes of the council, have their shadow in the two corner boards of the Tabernacle. The heads of the fourfold ministryapostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastorcorrespond to the four pillars between the Most Holy and the Holy Place: five evangelists to the five pillars at the entrance: the seven angels of the Churches to the lights of the candlestick; and sixty evangelists are the antitypes of the sixty pillars of the court, four of whom form the outer door of entrance. This council is declared to be the model according to which Gods purpose is to be effected in every land.Eadies Ecclesiastical Cyclopdia, art. Irvingites.
Scarcely less fanciful is the explanation which Josephus, following Philo, gives: When Moses distinguished the Tabernacle into three parts, and allowed two of them to the priests, as a place accessible and common, he denoted the land and the sea, these being of general access to all; but he set apart the third division for God, because heaven is inaccessible to men. And when he ordered twelve loaves to be set on the table, he denoted the year as distinguished into so many months. By branching out the candlestick into seventy parts, he secretly intimated the Decani, or seventy divisions of the planets; and as to the seven lamps upon the candlesticks, they referred to the course of the planets, of which that is the number. The vails, too, which were composed of four things, they declared the four elements; for the fine linen was proper to signify the earth, because the flax grows out of the earth; the purple signified the sea, because that colour is dyed by the blood of a sea shell-fish; the blue is fit to signify the air, and the scarlet will naturally be an indication of fire. Now, the vestment of the high priest, being made of linen, signified the earth; the blue denoted the sky, being like lightning in its pomegranates, and in the noise of the bells resembling thunder. For continuation, see Josephus, Ant Exo. 3:7; Exo. 3:9.
Though not symbolic in the senses described, the structure of the Tabernacle may be suggestive of true and profitable thoughts; as, e.g.I The character and condition of the Church of God on earth:
1. Its mean and insignificant appearance, like a tent.
2. The excellence and variety of its materials, gold and silver and precious stones, &c. (1Co. 3:12; 1Pe. 2:4).
3. The unity and compactness of its parts, suggested by the joined curtains and fastened framework, in whom all the building fitly framed together, &c. (Eph. 2:21).
4. The protection and security of the whole, pictured in the threefold covering (Isa. 32:2; Zec. 12:8), &c.
II. The fidelity and diligence of Christian Ministers, who, like Bezaleel and his fellow-craftsman, should be
(1.) Obedient to the Divine orders, the wise-hearted men, who wrought the raw material, were honoured to be fellow-workers with God, but not fellow-designers. They were not invited to plan the Tabernacle either in whole or in part, but only to construct what God had previously designed and commanded: which is precisely what the Christian minister, as a wise master builder, has to do, not originate a church according to his own conceptions, but fashion all things, the doctrines and ordinances of the Church, according to the pattern supplied to him by Christ.
(2.) Diligent and minute in their execution, doing everything with good will as to the Lord and not to men, counting no trouble too great if so be they can fulfil their ministry in connection with Christs temple, and being equally solicitous about all their duties to have them well done, not bestowing more care upon the larger offices and less upon the smaller, but transacting everything with due attention to the approbation of the Master.
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY
REV. WILLIAM ADAMSON
Symbolism! Exo. 36:1-38. Atwater notices that symbolic language was in common use at the time of Moses. True, the art of alphabetic writing was used to some extent at this period; but it is equally certain that symbolic writing must have been more common. May it not, therefore, have been the more effective medium of communication of moral and religious truth! Egypt furnishes an emphatic affirmative. Much use was made by them, not only of symbolic writing, but of what may properly be styled symbolic institutions. The construction of their templesthe rites performed in themthe garments worn by the priests, were all designed to represent, in a visible form, the doctrines of their religion. It is, consequently, a natural supposition that Israel would require a form of language by which they might be most readily and effectively taught the Divine mysteries. Possibly they understood symbolic language quite as well as the Greek understood writing, &c.
The ancient Hebrew clad with mysteries;
The learned Greek rich in fit epithets,
Blessed in the lovely marriage of pure words.
Brewer.
Human Help! Exo. 36:1, &c.
(1.) Human agency! As God sent down the manna from heaven, so could He have planted the tabernacle upon the sands of the desert in all its unique completeness of design and ornament. But He wisely employed human agency in its design and construction. The glorious temple of His Church could be executed and established by Himself without any of the instrumentality of man. Yet God wisely enlists human agency.
(2.) Human activity! As God brought forth water from the flinty rock; so could He have furnished Moses with the materials for the construction of the tabernacle. But He graciously counselled the offering of the necessary articles by man. He called forth the activity of the human hand and heart. The wonderful structure that attracts angelic observation, as it rises daily more complete, is associated with human activity. The gifts and graces of the human mind and heart are employed by God to achieve its adornment.
(3.) Human adoration! As God was alone adored when the structure was perfect, so to Him alone will adoration be ascribed through the eternal ages. We are told that the topstone shall be brought forth with shouts of Grace, grace unto it. No man could claim praise for the tabernacle glories, still less can he do so in connection with the beauties of the Church-Temple. Not unto us, Lord, not unto us; but unto Thy name be the praise.
Thy works all praise Thee; all Thy angels praise;
Thy saints adore, and on Thy altars burn
The fragrant incense of perpetual love.
Pollok.
Genius-Inspiration! Exo. 36:2. It is recorded of Smith, the great Assyrian explorer, that he felt endowed with a certain natural predestination to be an Orientalist, especially in the connection of Oriental discovery with the Bible. In what various ways does that wonderful old book stimulate the human mind! Thus, inspired from childhood, Smith was always directing his attention towards it. As he grew up, this interest increased in intensity and attraction. He made a series of discoveries in deciphering the tablets deposited in the British Museum. In 1872, he accomplished his most brilliant featthe finding and translating the tablets containing the Assyrian account of the deluge. His labours and researches, thus directed from childhood, have resulted in our being able to corroborate from profane memorials and ruins the early statements of Genesis and Exodus. He has not merely achieved the resurrection of primitive history, but out of those resurrected materials he has constructed a tabernacle of testimony to the verity of the Christian Faith. For the Christian Faith,
Unlike the timorous creeds of Pagan priest,
Is frank, stands forth to view, inviting all
To prove, examine, search, investigate.
Fame-Immortality! Exo. 36:2, &c. In his recent explorations near Troy, the great German explorer has found many curiously wrought, richly enchased jewels of gold and silver, &c. In the temple ruins of Pompeii, as well as of Corinth and Antioch, beautiful specimens of architecture, sculpture, and art decoration have been discovered. But nothing is known of the makers. Their works remain, more or less tarnished or disfigured, but their names are a blank. Magnificent temple ruins, surrounded by most exquisitely carved and sculptured elephant statues, may be seen by the traveller in Cinghalese woods and wilds; but who worshipped within those idol-fanes, or who exerted art and genius in their design and erection? Echo answers, Who? Humble as was the tent-house of God, its designers and builders are known to fame. The names of Bezaleel and Aholiab are phonoscopestelling the sons of men down the ages that it is service for God which immortalises; that the fame of loving, holy service for Jehovah is handed down in the imperishable amber of the Divine purpose, and that as the drops of Junos milk abide in the Milky Way above, so throughout eternity they who serve God shall shine as the stars of heaven.
Oh, who shall lightly say that fame
Is nothing but an empty name!
When memory of the mighty dead
To earthworm Christians wistful eye
The brightest rays of cheering shed,
That point to IMMORTALITY.
Baillie.
Tabernacle-Costs, &c.! Exo. 36:5-6. Its cost was defrayed chiefly by the voluntary contributions of the people, and probably amounted to 250,000. This was, says Kitto, from a poor people, and yet the liberality of the people was such that their gifts were more than sufficient for the purpose. The value of the precious metals alone, which were used in the construction, must have been immense. Dilworth, in his description of the tabernacle, notes that the worth was upwards of 200,000 of our money. Cobbin says we may hope that the time is coming when there shall be more than enough for the evangelisation of the world unto Christ. At present, Home and Foreign Missionary Societies in England and America are continually crying. Give more, give more, or we must give up various mission stations and missionaries. At home and abroad, churches stand unfinished, their spireless forms a loud-voiced reproach to Christendom, that with all her light and liberty, with all her blessings and benedictions, she comes very far short of realising the Mosaic record, The people were restrained from bringing. For men still
Lavish their wealth on bloodshed, but begrudge
A tithe for Gospel progress, and the means
Of Christian industry, and the behoof
Of fellow creatures growth in grace.
Nature-Teachings! Exo. 36:8-13.
(1.) Nature, that great missionary of the Most High, preaches to us for ever in all tones of love, and writes truth in all colours, on manuscripts illuminated with stars and flowers. And yet the nineteenth century, with all its excessive nature-worship, fails to hear those tones, or learn those truths. Landscapes form favourite subjects in our galleries of art; yet how few of the artists, or their admirers, have listened to their preaching. The pages of our poets radiate with exuberant imagery from nature, like the rainbow hues that flicker on the neck of a dove; yet neither the poets, nor their students, read the lessons.
(2.) The Tabernacle, as richly and beautifully adorned,and after natures model,has also its tones and truths. Yet how few hear, or hearing understand. What an elegant writer has put into natures lips may well be conceived to come from the tabernacle and its surroundings, Oh, it is the saddest of all things that even one human soul should dimly perceive the beauty that is ever around us, a perpetual benediction. It is the beauty of Christ and Christianity vailed.
Mysterious thesebecause too large for eye
Of man, too long for human arm to mete.
Beautiful and Good! Exo. 36:14-38.
(1.) When God made a house for man to dwell in, He blended the beautiful and good, illuminating it with the lamps of heaven, threading it with silver streams, embroidering it with rainbow tinted flowers, perfuming it with incense from ten thousand painted chalices, and appointing a band of feathered choristers in every grove.
(2.) When God gave man commission to build a house for Him to dwell in, He modelled the plan upon His own principle of combining the beautiful and good. True, it was but of limited extent, but it had the concentration of loveliness and excellence. The choicest productions, as well as the loveliest hues and most graceful forms in nature, were enlisted to achieve the construction of Gods beautiful house.
(3.) When God makes a building of Goda house not made with hands, eternal in the heavensfor Himself and redeemed humanity to dwell in, it will likewise combine the beautiful and good. It, too, will have its everlasting light, its ever-living stream, its never-fading flowers, its ever-fragrant incense, and its ever-abiding priesthood. Hence it is called the heavenly sanctuary, to point it out as a place of holy worship (Rev. 7:15-17).
His people were a royalty of priests,
And offered in His temple ceaseless prayer,
And incense of uninterrupted praise.
Method-Order! Exo. 36:16-18, &c.
(1.) Gray remarks, that by the distribution of gold, silver, brass, &c., and by the clearly defined numberings and loopings, we are reminded of the fitness of things and the Divine orderright things in right places. We see this Divine method and order in nature, acknowledged and admired by the most bigoted of materialistic thinkers. Linnus said that the more he explored the tabernacle of nature, and the deeper he penetrated behind its vail, the more he saw of orderthe more, 100, he admired the wisdom of the Creator.
(2.) The same method and order apparent and appointed in nature and the tabernacle are expected by God in the Christian Church, and in the tabernacle of a Christians life-purpose. There are individual communities of Christians, and there are individual Christians, who place gold and silver and brass, taches and curtains and skins, numberings and looping in discreditable confusion. They talk of the Divine Profusion as though it was Divine Confusion. God would have method-order in grace, as in natureunder the Gospel, as under the law. For
Order is Heavens first lawa glorious law,
Seen in those pure and beauteous isles of light;
Nor less on earth discerned,
Mid rocks snow-clad, or wastes of herbless sand
Throughout all climes, beneath all varying skies,
Fixing in place the smallest flower that blooms.
Milton.
Badgers! Exo. 36:19. Kirby says, that Ruppel, an African traveller, held that the animal here was in reality the dugong. These now nearly extinct dugongs of the Indian Seas form the connecting link between the real whale and the walrus. When they raise themselves with the front part of their body out of the water, a lively fancy might easily be led to imagine that a human shape was surging from the deep. Hence they have been named sea-sirens and mermaids, and have given rise to many extravagant fictions. Like the whale; the dugong has no hind feet, but a powerful horizontal tail. The anterior extremities are, however, less finlike and more flexibly jointed, so that they can lean on them while cropping the seaweeds on the shallow shores. It is the only animal yet known that grazes at the bottom of the sea, usually in shallow inlets. It feeds upon the seaweeds much in the same manner as a cow does upon the herbage.
Part single or with mate
Graze the seaweed their pasture, and through groves
Of coral stray, or sporting with quick glance,
Then to the sun their wavd coats dropt with gold.
Labour-Benefits! Exo. 36:20.
(1.) Carlyle says that work is of a religious naturework is of a brave nature, which it is the aim of all religion to be. All work of man is as the swimmers. A waste ocean threatens to devour him; if he front it not bravely, it will keep its word. By incessant wise defiance of it, lusty rebuke and buffet of it, behold how it legally supports himbears him as its conqueror along. Goethe says that it is so with all things man undertakes in this world. And it is so with labour.
(2.) When Satan came to Adam and Eve in Paradise, it was to contradict thisto lure them into the belief that labour dishonoured and debased; and that true honour and happiness consisted in reclining at ease amid the bowers of Eden, and enjoying all things by a mere wish. They gave up dressing and tending the garden, only to learn that Satan finds mischief for idle hands to doonly to learn, too late, that work in itself is the essential condition of mans growth and happiness.
(3.) God might have given Israel the boards all ready sawn and planed and carved; but He did not. Why? for He never acts without a purposewithout a design worthy of Himself. When resting under Sinai, Israel fell into golden-calf revelry; therefore, they are now kept busily occupied. As has been fitly said, labour-toil is meant to be for a being who cannot stand alone in his helplessness, the trellis along which he is to be trained and disciplined to bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness.
Labour is restfrom the sorrows that greet us;
Rest from all petty vexations that meet us;
Rest from sin promptings that ever entreat us;
Rest from world-sirens that lure us to ill.
Osgood.
Work-Design! Exo. 36:23.
(1.) It was an act of policy with some of the Roman consuls to keep the people constantly at war, that they might be diverted from hatching mischief and seditions at home. The dangerous humours in the body politic were supposed to find their outlets in the strife with foreign nations in which the people were engaged. Whatever the wisdom of this form of doing evil to others that good may continue with ones self, it shows that even the heathen mind understands that idleness and mischief are closely related.
(2.) Conscious of this disposedness to evil on the part of man after his fall, God enjoined upon His progeny the pre-occupation of labour. So Israel were kept employed in the wilderness. Daily work, then, is not an aimless and capricious thing. It has a wise plana noble purpose; if only to deter us from the commission of crime. That is labour in its toil-aspect. But labour or work in itself is no deliverance from sin and strife, for work existed before the fall. There was work in Eden, and there shall be work in heaven; for the paradise of saints,
Like Eden with its toiless husbandry,
Has many plants to tend, and flowers to twine,
And fruit-trees in the garden of the soul,
That ask the culture of celestial skill.
Bickersteth.
Mutual Usefulness! Exo. 36:25-30.
(1.) The carpenter and goldsmith are not ordinarily ranked as of the same standing and position; yet is not the carpenter as necessary as the goldsmith, if not more so? Were all carpenters goldsmiths, where would be our houses, our stately bridges, our exquisite art carvings? Both have their place in the economy of the tabernacle-structure. Both are mutually useful, the one giving prominence to the useful, the other giving prominence to the beautiful. The carpenter prepared the pillars, but he required the co-operation of the silversmith, so that sockets might be made for his pillars. On the other hand, the goldsmith might beat out his gold, burnish and cunningly enchase it, but he could not say to the carpenter, I have no need of thee.
(2.) In the New Testament St. Paul illustrates this mutual usefulness ideal in the Christian Church, by the analogy of the members of the human body. And so the curtains cannot say to the bars, nor the pillars to the sockets, nor the carpenters to the goldsmiths, We have no need of you. Vessels of wood and brass, and silver and gold, are alike essential and useful in the Christian Church. The efforts of none, however humble, should be despised. Common material, if honouring God, should be as much thought of and esteemed as rare gems and precious metals; they are so by God, who is no respecter of persons. Then let us act
For each new dawn, like a prolific tree,
Blossoms with blessings and with duties, which
So interwoven grow, that he who shirks
The latter, fails the first to win.
Union-Strength! Exo. 36:31-34.
(1.) The coupling bars, says Gray, by which the boards of the tabernacle were held together, may well remind us of some of the advantages of union. By it, weak things become strong, plain things beautiful, useless things of the highest service, and detached things a compact whole. As De Snancur says, union does everything when it is perfect. It satisfies desires, simplifies needs, foresees the wishes of the imagination. It is an aisle always open, and becomes a constant fortune.
(2.) Union among the barons of England established the Magna Charta liberties. Union amongst the tribes and nations of England and Scotland made them a compact nationality, and mistress of the worlds many seas. Union amongst the Vaudois of the valleys, secured them strength to resist the utmost satanic combinations of Rome. Union amongst the Canadians is enabling them to build up the mightiest kingdom of the future.
(3.) When has the Church achieved her greatest triumphs over ancient and modern idolatry, except when she was united? Why is Christendom so far behind in the missionary conquest of the world? Because the churches are not united. Because bars and boards, loops and links, pillars and sockets, curtains and taches, are not bound together in the unity of the Spirit, and the bond of peace. When the different portions and branches of the Church of Christ are thus united in the latter days, then the universe will read in the result, Union is Strength.
The Christ again has preached through thee
The Gospel of humanity!
Then lift once more thy towers on high,
And fret with spires the western sky,
To tell that God is still with us,
And Love is still miraculous.
Whittier.
Mosaic-Mystery! Exo. 36:35-38.
(1.) There is a celebrated picture of Raphael, in which the Virgin and her child are represented as surrounded by a halo, which appears at a distance to be nothing else than vapour. This, when seen near at hand, is found to be made up, of innumerable cherub facesborne close to the tabernacle vail, and what at the distance appears to be vapour, resolves itself into cherubic forms, behind which is the Omnipresent. So with the doctrines of the New Testament.
(2.) The beast of the field sees the sunset, but he does not understand it. He gazes upon its glory and beauty, but finds that sunset a sealed book. The brute mind gazes upon the setting sun of Mosaism, but discovers nothing that can be understood. But let the brute mind become a new creature in Christ Jesus, and things are different. Mosaism has then its beauty, its sublimity, its moral law. The spiritually enlightened man reads truth in its sunset.
(3.) The poet has branded the atheist as an owl coming forth to the sunlight, shutting its eyes, and hooting, I see it not. Our shutting our eyes does not extinguish the Shekinah behind the cherubic vail. The Omnipresent is there, for all our blinking and blinding. In that innermost Holiest Christianity finds a personal Omnipresence, lifting up the light of His countenance upon His devout and devoted worshippers.
No more the rising sun shall gild the morn,
Nor evening Cynthia fill her silver horn;
But lost, dissolved in His superior rays,
One tide of glory, one unclouded blaze,
The Light Himself shall shine
Revealed, and Gods eternal smile be thine,
Pope.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
THE TEXT OF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
36 And Be-zal-el and O-ho-li-ab shall work, and every wise-hearted man, in whom Je-ho-vah hath put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all the work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that Je-ho-vah hath commanded.
(2) And Mo-ses called Be-zal-el and O-ho-li-ab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart Je-ho-vah had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it: (3) and they received of Mo-ses all the offering which the children of Is-ra-el had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, wherewith to make it. And they brought yet unto him freewill-offerings every morning. (4) And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they wrought; (5) and they spake unto Mo-ses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which Je-ho-vah commanded to make. (6) And Mo-ses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. (7) For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
(8) And all the wise-hearted men among them that wrought the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cher-u-bim, the work of the skilful workman, Be-zal-el made them. (9) The length of each curtain was eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits: all the curtains had one measure. (10) And he coupled five curtains one to another: and the other five curtains he coupled one to another. (11) And he made loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the second coupling. (12) Fifty loops made he in the one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain that was in the second coupling: the loops were opposite one to another. (13) And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to another with the clasps: so the tabernacle was one.
(14) And he made curtains of goats hair for a tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them. (15) The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the breadth of each curtain: the eleven curtains had one measure. (16) And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. (17) And he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which was outmost in the second coupling. (18) And he made fifty clasps of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one. (19) And he made a covering for the tent of rams skins dyed red, and a covering of sealskins above.
(20) And he made the boards for the tabernacle, of acacia wood, standing up. (21) Ten cubits was the length of a board and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board. (22) Each board had two tenons, joined one to another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle. (23) And the made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side southward; (24) and he made forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons. (25) And for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards, (26) and their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. (27) And for the hinder part of the tabernacle westward he made six boards. (28) And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the hinder part. (29) And they were double beneath; and in like manner they were entire unto the top thereof unto one ring: thus he did to both of them in the two corners. (30) And there were eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; under every board two sockets.
(31) And he made bars of acacia wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, (32) and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the hinder part westward. (33) And he made the middle bar to pass through in the midst of the boards from the one end to the other. (34) And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold for places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
(35) And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cher-u-bim, the work of the skilful workman, made he it. (36) And he made thereunto four pillars of acacia, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver. (37) And he made a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer; (38) and the five pillars of it with their hooks, and he overlaid their capitals and their fillets with gold; and their five sockets were of brass.
EXPLORING EXODUS: CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
(Questions over Exo. 36:1-7 are included in the notes on chapter 35.)
1.
Topic: It is helpful to remember the contents of this chapter under the title of ENCLOSINGS, because it tells of the curtains, boards, bars, etc. that enclosed the tabernacle.
2.
Outline: (1)
Workmen called; Exo. 36:2.
(2)
Excessive materials donated by people; Exo. 36:3-7.
(3)
Tabernacle curtains made; Exo. 36:8-13.
(4)
Tent of goats hair made; Exo. 36:14-19.
(5)
Boards; Exo. 36:20-30.
(6)
Bars; Exo. 36:31-34.
(7)
Veil and screen; Exo. 36:35-38.
3.
Parallel passages: (See the notes on the earlier parallel passages.)
(1)
Exo. 36:2-7 (Offering) Exo. 25:1-7; Exo. 35:4-9; Exo. 35:20-29.
(2)
Exo. 36:8-19 (Curtains) Exo. 26:1-14.
(3)
Exo. 36:20-30 (Boards) Exo. 26:15-25.
(4)
Exo. 36:35-38 (Veil and screen) Exo. 26:31-37.
4.
Notes:
Exo. 36:1 The A.S.V. translation shall work is a better translation than the King James translation wrought. According to all is more clearly translated with respect to all.
Exo. 36:3 The offering is pictured as having been brought and placed in a heap before Moses. The craftsmen then came and took from it whatever they needed.
The people brought offerings every morning. The Hebrew idiom is picturesque: In the morning, in the morning.
Exo. 36:4 Wrought is an old past tense form of the verb work. The Hebrew text emphasizes the continuity of the work: they were doing it.
Exo. 36:5 The generosity of the Israelites reminds us of that of the churches of Macedonia (2Co. 8:2-3). These people are examples for us.
Exo. 36:8 The subject of the last verb (made) in Exo. 36:8 is not stated, but the verb is singular: he made them. The same is true of numerous verbs in the following verses (Exo. 36:10-11; Exo. 36:13 ff). It is probable that the subject is Bezalel (as in Exo. 37:1). The A.S.V. supplies this reading in italics. Possibly the subject is indefinite, and refers to whichever craftsman did each work.
Exo. 36:8 does not indicate that the items were made in the exact order in which they are mentioned. Probably they were all being made simultaneously.
Exo. 36:16 The instructions in Exo. 26:9 b about doubling back the sixth curtain (the one that lay at the front of the tabernacle) is not repeated here, because chapters 3639 do not give details about how the tabernacle parts were positioned. Similarly Exo. 26:12-13 is not repeated after Exo. 36:18.
Exo. 36:38 He overlaid their capitals and fillets with gold. In the passage parallel to this (Exo. 26:37) it says only that he was to overlay them (the pillars) with gold. This is an example of the infrequent but interesting variations between chapters 2631 and 3639.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
XXXVI.
THE WORK COMMENCED AND THE LIBERALITY OF THE PEOPLE RESTRAINED.
(1) This verse is introductory to the entire section, which may be viewed as extending from the present point to the close of Exodus 39. It states, in brief, that Bezaleel and Aholiab, with the skilled workmen at their disposal, proceeded to the accomplishment of the work which Moses had committed to them, and effected it according to all that the Lord had commanded. i.e., according to the instructions given to Moses in Mount Sinai, and recorded in Exodus 25-30. The entire section is little more than a repetition of those chapters, differing from them merely in recording as done that which had in them been ordered to be done. The minute exactness of the repetition is very remarkable, and seems intended to teach the important lesson, that acceptable obedience consists in a complete and exact observance of Gods commandments in all respects down to the minutest point.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
BEZALEEL AND AHOLIAB, Exo 36:30-35.
See notes on Exo 31:1-11 .
SUPERABUNDANCE OF OFFERINGS,
5. Much more than enough Such a result of the willingness of the people to give was a noble exhibition of their devotion to Jehovah, and their purpose to keep their covenant with him . It furnishes a happy offset to the liberality which was too conspicuous for evil in their offerings for the golden calf, Exo 32:3. When the heart is all aglow with religious enthusiasm, no gifts seem too great or costly to express the measure of devotion .
THE TABERNACLE CURTAINS, BOARDS, AND HANGINGS, Exo 36:8-38.
See notes on Exo 26:1-37.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Gifts Exceed the Needs
v. 1. Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab and every wise-hearted man in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord had commanded. v. 2. And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab and every wise-hearted man in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it, v. 3. and they received of Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the Sanctuary, to make it withal. v. 4. And all the wise men that wrought all the work of the Sanctuary, v. 5. and they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded to make. v. 6. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the Sanctuary. v. 7. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much;
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
Exo 36:1-3, Exo 36:8-38
THE PROGRESS OF THE WORK, AND THE SUPERFLUOUS LIBERALITY OF THE PEOPLETHE LATTER HAS TO BE RESTRAINED (Exo 36:3-7). Bezaleel and Aholiab felt that the time for action was now come. They at once addressed themselves to their task. Moses delivered into their hands all the various offerings which the people, rich and poor, had brought in (Exo 35:21-29); and skilled workmen were immediately called upon to shape it for the designed uses. The fact of the work being commenced did not stop the inflow of gifts. More and yet more continued to be brought “every morning” (Exo 36:3). At last it became clear that the supply had exceeded the demand; and the workmen reported so to Moses (Exo 36:4, Exo 36:5), who thereupon commanded that the offerings should cease (Exo 36:6). The progress of the work is then reported in detail, and in the following order:
1. The covering for the tabernacle (Exo 36:8-13);
2. The goats’ hair covering for the tent above the tabernacle (Exo 36:14-18);
3. The outer coverings of rams’ skins and seals’ skins (Exo 36:19);
4. The boards for the walls of the tabernacle (Exo 36:20-30);
5. The bars for the boards (Exo 36:31-34);
6. The veil of the most holy place (Exo 36:35, Exo 36:30);
7. The hanging for the entrance to the tabernacle (Exo 36:37, Exo 36:38).
The chapter, from Exo 36:8, runs parallel with Exo 26:1-37; differing from it mainly in describing as made that which in Exo 26:1-37. is ordered to be made.
Exo 36:1
Then wrought Bezaleel, etc. This is introductory to the entire sub-section, which extends to the end of Exo 39:1-43. It means”Then, under the direction of Bezaleel and Aholiab, began the work of constructing that place of meeting for which commandment had been given to Moses in the mount.” The master-craftsmen, and those under them, “wrought,” and took care that all was done according to all that the Lord had commanded. It is to mark the exactitude of the obedience that chs. 36-39, follow so closely, and with such minuteness, the wording of chs. 26-28.
Exo 36:2, Exo 36:3
Moses called Bezaleel, etc. Having received sufficient materials for a beginning, Moses summoned Bezaleel, Aholiab, and their chief assistants, to his presence, and delivered into their hands the various offeringsthe wood, the metal, the precious stones, the thread, the goats’ hair, the rams’ skins, the seals’ skins, etc. Upon these materials they proceeded at once to work. They brought yet unto him free offerings every morning. The people still continued to give. Freewill offerings kept continually flowing in. Morning after morning a fresh supply was brought to Moses, who passed it on to those engaged in the work.
Exo 36:4, Exo 36:5
At last, remonstrance had to be made. The workmen were cumbered with an overplus of materialan embarras de richessesand came in a body to Moses, to make complaint. All the wise men came, every man from his work, with the cry “The people bring much more than enoughwe are hampered in our work by the too great abundancelet an end be put to it.”
Exo 36:6
Moses accordingly had proclamation made through the camp, and so put a stop to further offerings.
Exo 36:8-38
The remainder of this chapter requires no comment, since it goes over ground already covered. The passage from Exo 36:8 to Exo 36:18 corresponds exactly with Exo 26:1-11; that from Exo 26:19-34 with Exo 26:14-29; that consisting of Exo 26:35, Exo 26:36, with Exo 26:33, Exo 26:34; and the two concluding verses with Exo 26:36, Exo 26:37. Under these circumstances a few mistranslations will alone be noticed.
Exo 36:22
Two tenons, equally distant one from another. Rather, as in Exo 26:17, “two tenons, set in order one against an other.”
Exo 36:27
For the sides of the tabernacle westward. Literally correct; but it would be more intelligible to render “for the side,” or “for the back.”
Exo 36:32
For the sides westward. The same alteration should be made.
Exo 36:33
He made the middle Bar to shoot through the boards. Rather, as in Exo 26:28, “to reach from end to end of the boards.”
Exo 36:37
For the tabernacle door. Rather, as in Exo 26:36, “for the door of the tent.” Their chapiters and their fillets. Rather “their capitals and their rods.” These had not been previously mentioned.
HOMILETICS
Exo 35:3-7
Superabundant giving.
Too much is far better than too little. Let a great work be taken in hand, and it is impossible to anticipate the exact quantity of the material that it will require, or the exact cost of work and material together. Care should always be taken to have a margin beyond the supposed necessity. Unless this is done
I. THE WORK IS APT TO BE SCAMPED AND STINTED TOWARDS THE CLOSE. Fear naturally arises lest the material or the money should not hold out; and economies are practised which detract from the beauty, the finish, the perfection of the construction. Or (which is worse) desirable, even necessary, adjuncts are omitted, given up as impracticable under the circumstances.
II. THE WORK MAY ACTUALLY HAVE TO BE LEFT UNFINISHED. All calculations of cost are uncertain. Prices rise while a work is in progress; material purchased, or presented, turns out to be defective, and has to be replaced by something better. Accidents occur. The actual cost of a work almost always exceeds the estimatesome-times greatly exceeds it. How often do we hear of there being a debt upon a building! This would occur far less frequently, if gifts and offerings kept flowing in until the authority entrusted with the work cried “Stop.”
Superabundant giving shows a truly liberal spirit in those who give. It is not a very common thing. Cases are rare of its needing to be “restrained.” The example of the Israelites should stir Christians to emulate them. While these poor wanderers in the desert were so generous, how is it that we are, for the most part, so niggardly?
Superabundant giving is a trial to those who receive the gifts. How easy to appropriate what is not required to our own advantage! Moses withstood this temptation. Bezaleel and Aholiab withstood it. It may be doubted whether all Christians have always done so. The gifts that flowed in at the shrine of Becket, at the exhibition of the holy coat of Troves, at the altar of St. Januarius, were intended as offerings for the service of the sanctuary. Were they always used for sacred purposes? Was there not often a superfluity, which men converted to their own benefit? There have certainly been those in modern times who have enriched themselves out of moneys subscribed for charitable purposes, as the records of our assize courts sufficiently show.
Exo 35:8 -38
Exactitude in obedience.
Kalisch observes on this passage, that, “though even literal repetitions of the same occurrence, or the same command, are not unusual in the Biblical style, yet the lengthened and accurate reiteration” which here occurs, is unusual and must have some special meaning. He himself considers that he has sufficiently accounted for it as intended to draw attention to the importance of the tabernacle in the Mosaic system, and the significance, and especially the symbolical character of the descriptions. To us it seems that there must have been some further reason for the phenomenon; and we are inclined to find it in the importance of the example which Moses here sets of exactitude in obedience. If any one might ever be supposed entitled to depart from the strict letter of observance, where the commands of God are concerned, it would be such an one as Moses, who had conversed as friend to friend with God, and had been twice summoned to a conference of forty days’ duration. But Moses does not seem to feel that he is so privileged. The exact correspondency of paragraph with paragraph, verse with verse, clause with clause, word with word, seems intended to teach and enforce the lesson that what God commands is to be observed to the letter, down to its minutest point. Certainly, what these five concluding chapters of Exodus especially set forth, is the extreme exactitude which Moses and those under him showed in carrying out all the directions that God had given with regard to the tabernacle. If “fifty taches” were ordered (Exo 26:6), “fifty taches” were made (Exo 36:13); if “five pillars” were commanded here (Exo 26:37), and “four pillars” there (Exo 26:32), the five and the four were constructed and set up accordingly (Exo 36:36, Exo 36:38); if this curtain was to have a pattern woven into it (Exo 26:31), and that curtain was to be adorned with embroidery (Exo 26:36), the embroiderer’s and the weaver’s art were employed upon them as ordered (Exo 36:35, Exo 36:37). Nothing commanded was ever neglected; only in one or two cases (notably in verse 38) small additions were made, if not to the orders given, at any rate to the orders recorded. Generally, however, there was an entire effacement of self, a complete restraint of private fancy and private preference. Note
1. The rarity of exact obedience;
2. The difficulty of it;
3. The scant praise which it obtains from men;
4. The certainty that it is approved in God’s sight.
Examples
1. The obedience of Moses as here set out;
2. The perfect obedience of Christ.
“My meat is to do the will of him that sent me” (Joh 4:34). “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (Joh 17:4).
Exo 35:8 -37
On Tabernacle symbolism see the Homiletics on Exo 26:1-11.
HOMILIES BY J. ORR
Exo 35:8
Exo 39:43
The Tabernacle made.
These chapters recount how the tabernacle, etc; was actually made. On the several sections, see the Homiletics and Homilies on chs. 26-28. We have in them
I. WORK DONE. The point to be observed here is that everything was done precisely according to the Divine directions. The makers turned not aside, either to the right hand or to the left, from what had been commanded them. They attempted no alteration on the plans. They did not try improvements; they added no ornaments. This was their wisdom, and secured for their work the Divine approval. Work for Christ should be done in the same way. We cannot improve upon his Gospel. We are not entitled to add to, or take from, his commands.
II. WORK INSPECTED (Exo 39:33-43). When the work was finished the makers brought it to Moses, who looked upon it and pronounced that all had been done according “as the Lord had commanded” (Exo 28:43). The day of inspection will come for our work also (1Co 3:14, 1Co 3:15). Happy for us if the same verdict can be passed upon it!
III. WORK BLESSED. “And Moses blessed them” (Exo 28:43). “If any man’s work abide which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward” (1Co 3:14).J.O.
Exo 35:8 -38
Jehovah’s dwelling-place.
See homily on Exo 26:1-37.J.O.
HOMILIES BY J. URQUHART
Exo 35:1 -38
The work fails not either for gifts or skill.
I. MOSES GOES FORWARD IN FAITH.
1. He makes an immediate beginning. He might have doubted the people’s liberality (so much was required) or the workmen’s ability, and have waited; but it was enough that God had commanded the work. If Christ has commanded us to rear up a tabernacle for God in every land nothing should stay us. He will give offerings and men.
2. He followed the Lord’s guiding. He called the men whom he had named and prepared. There must be obedience as well as faith, not calling those we would choose, but hailing gladly, and honouring, the men whom God has prepared.
3. The materials are committed to them. If we are to be built into God’s temple we must obey them who have the rule over us.
II. THE PEOPLE HAVE TO BE RESTRAINED FROM GIVING.
1. The glory of a liberal spirit. There was no need of a second appeal. Though they knew that much had been contributed they still gave.
2. It consecrated the work.
(1) It was a joy for the workmen to labour amid that generous liberality.
(2) It was a joy to Israel and their children to remember the story of the tabernacle. To labourers in the Lord’s vineyard it is a mighty consecration when hearts are yielded on every side and more is thrust upon them than they can well use for the Master; and the remembrance of such times is power and refreshing in after days.
III. THE WORK PROCEEDS; THE SKILL AND LABOUR FAILED NOT. First the framework of the tabernacle is reared and the inner curtains made and placed; then the outer curtains, and lastly the boards, and bars, and veils are set up. The heart is first gained for God, then more and more of light and power is poured upon the outer life till the whole “grows unto an holy temple in the Lord.”U.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Exo 36:1. Then wrought Bezaleel, &c. As this verse stands, it seems to make the sense incoherent, as if Bezaleel, &c. had set about the work before Moses delivered it to them: see Exo 36:2. Junius, therefore, judiciously connects it with the last chapter; and renders it, therefore Bezaleel and Aholiah shall do the work, and every wise-hearted man, &c. Nothing, says Junius, can be more grammatical than this connexion; and, in consequence of it, this 36th chapter will begin with great propriety at the second verse, Then Moses called Bezaleel, &c.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
FOURTH DIVISION
The building of the tabernacle. The house of the redeemer and lawgiver, the residence of the king of Israel; or the erection of the tent of meeting
Exodus 35-40
FIRST SECTION
Summons to Build and to Furnish Voluntarily the Building Materials
Exo 35:1-19
1And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which Jehovah hath commanded, that ye should do them. 2Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an [a] holy day, a sabbath of rest to Jehovah: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. 3Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations [in any of your dwellings] upon the sabbath day.
4And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which Jehovah commanded, saying, 5Take ye from among you an offering unto [for] Jehovah: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord [Jehovahs offering]; gold, and silver, and brass, 6And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats hair, 7And rams skins dyed red, and badgers [seals] skins, and shittim [acacia] wood, 8And oil for the light, and spices for [for the] anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, 9And onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breast-plate. 10And every wise-hearted [wise-hearted man] among you shall come, and make all that Jehovah hath commanded; 11The tabernacle, his [its] tent, and his [its] covering, his taches [its clasps], and his 12[its] boards, his [its] bars, his [its] pillars, and his [its] sockets, The ark, and the staves thereof, with [thereof,] the mercy-seat, and the veil of the covering [screen], 13The table, and his [its] staves, and all his [its] vessels, and the shew-bread, 14The candlestick also for the light, and his [its] furniture, and his [its] lamps, with 15[and] the oil for the light, And the incense altar, and his [its] staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging [screen] for the door, at the entering in [door] of the tabernacle, 16The altar of burnt-offering, with his [its] brazen grate [grating], his [its] staves, and all his [its] vessels [furniture], the laver, and his foot [its base], 17The hangings of the court, his [its] pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging [screen] for the door of the court, 18The pins of the tabernacle, 19and the pins of the court, and their cords, The cloths [garments] of service, to do service [for ministering] in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priests office [to serve as priests].
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
In general we refer, as other commentaries do, to the previous directions concerning the tabernacle, 2531, the execution of which is treated of here. The execution is the practical proof that the covenant-relation has been restored, with the afore-mentioned modifications designed for a religion of the covenant in process of formation
Exo 35:2. The repetition of the precept concerning the Sabbath is interpreted by Knobel and Keil as having for its object to apply the law of the Sabbath to the time of the building of the tabernacle. But though this object may be included, yet a more general object is to be inferred from the circumstance that the Sabbath law concludes the command concerning the building (Exo 31:12 sqq.), as well as here opens the summons to carry out the command. The Sabbath, or the holy time, is the prerequisite of worship, or the coming together in the holy place. The addition, prohibiting the kindling of fire, indicates that the law of the Sabbath is made more rigorous in the matter of abstinence.
Exo 35:5-9. Summons to take the voluntary contributions, vid.Exo 25:2-7.
Exo 35:10-19. Invitation to men of artistic talent to render voluntary assistance on the building; and specification of their duties, vid.Exo 25:8; Exo 31:6-11.
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Second Section
The Voluntary Consecratory Gifts, or the Holy Tributes for the Building
Exo 35:20-29
20And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought Jehovahs offering to [for] the work of the tabernacle of the congregation [tent of meeting], and for all his [its] service, and for the holy garments. 22And they came, both men and women [the men with the women], as many as were willing-hearted, and brought bracelets [hooks], and earrings, and rings [signet-rings], and tablets [necklaces], all jewels of gold [all kinds of golden things]: and every man that offered offered an [that offered an] offering of gold unto Jehovah. 23And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats hair, and red skins of rams [rams skins dyed red], and badgers [seals] skins, brought them. 24Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass [copper] brought Jehovahs offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim [acacia] wood for any work of the service, brought it. 25And all the women that were wise-hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of [spun, the] blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of 26[and the purple, the scarlet, and the] fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun [spun the] goats hair. 27And the rulers brought onyx [the onyx] stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breast-plate; 28And spice [the spice], and oil [the oil;] for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. 29The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto Jehovah, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of [all the] work, which Jehovah had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Exo 35:20 sqq. A charming passage, illumined by the clear light of spontaneity, gladsomeness and joy; an appearance of New Testament features in the Old Testament. At the same time there is involved a fine contrast between Moses animated summons, issued at Gods command, together with the glad willingness of the people to build a true sanctifying sanctuary, on the one hand, and the peoples cowardly and false-hearted summons, extorted by the sensuous passions of the multitude, and followed by the tumultuous readiness to make offerings for the establishment of an equivocal, barbarizing system of worship, on the other.
Exo 35:22. The men with the women [Lange: to the women].Keil, referring to , as used in Gen 32:12 (11), would read: the men together with the children. But it is probably meant here that the women anticipated the men, as in such religious movements is often the case. In the passage in Genesis, moreover, there is probably an intimation that the enemy first attacks the children, then the mother, who is defending the children; this was suggested in our Commentary on Genesis, though the rendering together with is retained.
Exo 35:23. Every man with whom was found.At first ornaments for the body are offered; then, possessions and treasures; afterwards, the products of female labor; finally also, princely jewels. According to the Talmudists and Rabbins, followed by Braun (Vestitus sacerdotum, p. 92), Bhr (Symbolik I., p. 265), and others, the purple and crimson cloths were of wool, the (byssus) of linen. But if so, the costume of the high-priest must have consisted of a diversity of materials, which conflicts with Lev 19:19; Deu 22:11, and also Eze 44:17 sq., where wool is forbidden to be used in sacerdotal garments (vid. Gen 41:42; Gen 46:34). It is therefore safer to suppose that all the four kinds of material were flaxen yarn, the first three colored, the last bleached and white (Knobel). But it is to be observed in reference to this, that the garments of the high-priest did not consist of a single article, and that the precept in Ezekiel relates to the symbolic aspects of a new, ideal sanctuary.1
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Third Section
Bezaleel and his Assistants Introduced to the People to Receive the Consecrated Materials for the Building
Exo 35:30 to Exo 36:7.
30And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, Jehovah hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner [kinds] of workmanship; 32And to devise curious works [skilful designs], to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass [copper], 33And in the cutting of stones, to set them [stones for setting], and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work [to work in all kinds of skilful work]. 34And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he [to teach, in him], and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner [to do all kinds] of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman [skilful weaver], and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work [skilful designs].
Exo 36:1 Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab [And Bezaleel and Aholiab shall work], and every wise-hearted man, in whom Jehovah put [hath put] wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for [do all the work of] the service of the sanctuary, according to all that Jehovah had [hath] commanded. 2And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart Jehovah had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it; 3And they received of [from] Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet [besides] unto him free [free-will] offerings every morning. 4And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made [were doing]; 5And they spake unto Moses saying, The people bring much more [are bringing too muchmore] than enough for the service of the work, which Jehovah commanded to make [tobe done]. 6And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. 7For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make [do] it, and too much [and there was left over].
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Exo 35:30 sqq. This is not merely a disclosure respecting the future. The skilled workmen under the master workman Bezaleel are introduced to the people as those who, in Moses presence, are to receive the offerings which have already been presented, and to judge of the proportion of them to the need. Two principal classes of workmen are named. The [smith] includes at least three different occupations, according as the work is in metal, stone, or wood. The weavers are of three classes: the skilled workman, who inweaves figures (); the weaver who works together the different colors (); and the plain weaver ().
Exo 36:5. And they spake unto Moses.On all sides there is a superfluity of building material, so that Moses has occasion to cause a proclamation to be made in the camp, asking the contributions to be suspended. A rare instance in the history of collections, though also medival and evangelical institutions have often attained an excess of prosperity. Knobel remarks on this point: The Elohist has a more favorable opinion of Israel in Moses time than the later narrator has. But his archological knowledge ought surely to have presented him here too with examples of how a nation in great crises is lifted above its ordinary level.
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Fourth Section
The Work of the Building and the Priests Ornaments. The Elements of the Typical Sacred Structure
Exo 36:8 to Exo 39:31
A.the curtains of the tent and the coverings
Exo 36:8-19
8And every wise-hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten [work made the tabernacle with ten] curtains of [curtains: of] fine-twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cherubims [cherubim] of cunning work [the work of the skilful weaver] made he them. 9The length of one [each] curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one [each] curtain four cubits; the curtains were all of one size [had all one measure]. 10And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another. 11And he made loops of blue on the edge of one [the one] curtain from the selvedge in the coupling [at the border in the first set]: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second [the samemade he at the edge of the outmost curtain in the second set]. 12Fifty loops made he in one [the one] curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second [which was in the second set]: the loops held one curtain to another [were opposite one to another]. 13And he made fifty taches [clasps] of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the taches [clasps]: so it became one tabernacle [and the tabernacle became one].
14And he made curtains of goats hair for the [a] tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains he made them. 15The length of one [each] curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits was the breadth of one [each] curtain: the eleven curtains were of one size [had one measure]. 16And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. 17And he made fifty loops upon the uttermost edge of the curtain in the coupling [upon the edge of the outermost curtain in the one set], and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second [curtain, the second set]. 18And he made fifty taches [clasps] of brass [copper] to couple the tent together, that it might be one. 19And he made a covering for the tent of rams skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers skins above that [seals skins above].
B.the framework of the tent
Exo 36:20-34
20And he made boards [the boards] for the tabernacle of shittim [acacia] wood, standing up. 21The length of a board was ten cubits, and the breadth of a [each] 22board one cubit and a half. One [each] board had two tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 23And he made boards [the boards] for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward: 24And forty sockets of silver he made under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his [its] two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his [its] two tenons. 25And for the other side of the tabernacle which is toward the north corner [tabernacle, the north side], he made twenty boards, 26And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 27And for the sides [rear] of the tabernacle westward he made six boards. 28And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides [the rear]. 29And they were coupled beneath, and coupled together at the head thereof, to one ring [double beneath, and they were together whole up to the top of it, unto the first ring]: thus he did to both of them in [at] both the corners. 30And there were eight boards; and their sockets were sixteen sockets of silver [sockets of silver, sixteen sockets], under every board two sockets. 31And he made bars of shittim [acacia] wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, 32And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the sides [rear] westward. 33And he made the middle bar to shoot through [pass alongat the middle of] the boards from the one end to the other. 34And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be [for] places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
C.The veil and the screen
Exo 36:35-38
35And he made a [the] veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine-twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work [cherubim, the work of a skilful weavermade he it]. 36And he made thereunto [for it] four pillars of shittim [acacia] wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silex Exo 36:37 And he made an hanging [a screen] for the tabernacle door [door of the tent] of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine-twined linen, of needle-work 38[linen, embroidered work]: And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters [capitals] and their fillets [rods] with gold; but [and] their five sockets were of brass.
Footnotes:
[1][But the ephod was a single thing, and according to Exo 28:6 it was made out of all four of these materials. The same is true of the breast-plate (Exo 35:15).Tr.].
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS
This Chapter contains the relation of the progress of the work, in the building of the tabernacle: the liberality of the people is so great, that Moses desires them, to refrain. Here is the account of the fine curtains of the tabernacle being finished, the boards, and bars, and partition vail, and the vail for the hanging at the door.
Exo 36:1
May we not from hence learn, that, in the spiritual building it must be the Lord which puts it in the heart to build a temple for his honour? Eph 4:11-13 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 36:5
When will the earth again hear the glad announcement that the people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make? Yet, until we bring more than enough, at least until we are kindled by a spirit which will make us desire to do so, we shall never bring enough.
Julius Hare in Guesses at Truth.
References. XXXVII. 7. S. Baring-Gould, Village Preaching for a Year, vol. ii. p. 103. XXXVII. 23. Ibid. vol. ii. p. 145.
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
XXVII
THE TABERNACLE
Exodus 25-31; Exodus 35-40
This chapter covers thirteen chapters of Exodus, and, of course, I can only touch them in places. These chapters are 25-31; 35-40.
1. Was there a temporary tent before this tabernacle was built?
Ans. You will find in Exo 33:7-11 , that there was a temporary tent and on one occasion it was moved outside of the camp.
2. What were the names of the tabernacle and the reasons therefore?
Ans. First, the “tabernacle of testimony, or witness,” Exo 38:21 ; Num 17:7-8 . Those two names mean the same thing. The tabernacle of testimony, or of witness; and the reason of this is that this tent was the depository of the testimonials; anything that was to be kept for a testimony was to be kept in this tent; for example, in it were the tables of testimony or God’s autograph on the two tables of stone containing the Ten Commandments. That copy was kept as a witness; then in it was the book of the covenant, that is, those chapters, Exo 19:1-24:9 . That part is called the book of the covenant. That was in Moses’ handwriting. Then there were the records made by Moses, that is, the Pentateuch, the entire Pentateuch was put in the tent and kept in there; then Aaron’s rod that budded was put in there and a pot of the manna and later the brazen serpent that Moses erected. All of these were memorials. Now the tent that held these testimonials was called the tabernacle of the witness, or the testimony. That accounts for one of its names.
Next name, it is called the “temple of the Lord.” You will find this name in 1Sa 1:9 , and 1Sa 3:3 ; the reason of that name is that there God was approached and propitiated and worshiped and that gave the name “temple.”
The third name is the “house of the Lord,” because he occupied it. He was the dweller in it. As a Shekinah he dwelt in there symbolically between the Cherubim on the mercy seat and hence it was called the “house of the Lord.”
The fourth name is “sanctuary,” that is on account of its holiness. It was holy unto God; the most holy place, the holy place and the whole ground, or campus, was set apart to sacred purposes, hence, the sanctuary.
The fifth name for it was the “holy oracles”; that applied, of course, only to what is called the “most holy place”; that is very frequently in the Bible called the oracle of the temple, the most holy place. It is so called in Psa 28:2 , and in 1Ki 6:5 . Now, it obtained this name because there God spoke. An oracle is to give an answer to questions propounded. There God spoke, and it was also called the oracle, because in it were kept the written words of God, the place of the oracle; the book of the Pentateuch was kept in there. Now, the references here are very numerous on this oracle question. In 2Sa 16:23 ; in Act 7:38 , and in Rom 3:2 are some references to this most holy place as the oracle: “What advantage then hath the Jew? Much every way, but chiefly because unto them were committed the oracles of God.” There the oracles mean the same thing as the Bible, that is, as their Bible grew in volume it was kept in that place; that was the oracle for their Bible.
Now, I repeat the names of this tabernacle: (1) The tabernacle of the testimony, or witness; (2) the temple of the Lord; (3) the tabernacle is called the house of the Lord; (4) the sanctuary; (5) the oracle.
3. What can you say about the pattern of this tabernacle?
Ans. It was God’s pattern, copy, shadow, or type of a true sanctuary in heaven, that is, there is in heaven a true sanctuary, a true holy place, a most holy place, and as the poet Campbell says, “Coming events cast their shadows before,” so that reality in heaven casts its shadow before in the form of this copy or type. And when the real thing came of course the shadow disappeared. Anyone walking from a light casts his shadow before him, and the shadow will get to an object first; now when the substance gets there, the shadow is gone. I give you some very particular references on this word pattern, what it means and about God’s being the author of it. He furnishes the complete plan and every detail of the specifications. Not only for this sanctuary but for its successor, the Temple, and for the Temple’s successor, the church on earth, and for its successor, the church in glory. I give you some scriptures in point: Exo 25:40 ; Exo 26:33 ; Exo 27:9 ; Exo 39:32 ; Act 7:44 ; Heb 8:2 ; Heb 8:5 ; Heb 10:1 .
All of those refer to this sanctuary that Moses built as having been made according to a pattern which God furnished. Moses was commanded to see to it that everything be made according to the pattern. Now to give you an illustration that will come more nearly home to you, I got an architect to draw me a plan of a house to live in near the Seminary in Fort Worth. He drew four floors, that is, four floor plans; two side elevations, a front and a rear elevation; then a long list of specifications as to material, how that material was to be used, and the bill of the lumber, and of the brick and of the stone, and everything in it was put down. Now when I went to let that contract the contractor entered into a contract to build it according to the plans and specifications. If he had varied a hair’s breadth from what that architect put down, I could have held him liable.
I make this remark to you in order to correct some loose thoughts. People that insist upon sticking to God’s plans and specifications on the tabernacle and on the Temple, will deny that he has any plans and specifications on their successor, the church, and that nearly anything will do for a church, and that they can put things in nearly any sort of an order; they can commence with communion on the outside before a man is ever converted, and as a means to conversion; they can baptize him before he is converted, or they can dispense with it altogether. It is one of the most appalling signs of the times, that there is such looseness with reference to God’s positive institutions. It is a thousand times more important that the church be strictly continued and followed in all God’s plans and specifications than it was with this tabernacle, and yet there was not one-eighth of an inch variation in the measurements of this tabernacle. You may settle it that God is a God of order and not of confusion. This tells us here about certain tables and it tells us how those tables were to be constructed, and what was to go on them, and just where they must put them and just how they were to use them. Some people take the table of the church and put it outdoors and just call up Tom) Dick, and Harry to come and partake; a thing that you wouldn’t dare to do in my house; you couldn’t say where my table should be put. I do that. We certainly ought to allow God the same privilege about his table. You could not invite guests to my house, to dine; I must do that. We ought to allow God that privilege. You are the judge of what you put on your table, and we should let the Lord tell us what to put on his table. Then don’t go and invent a hundred things to tack onto what God has specified.
4. What were the materials of this sanctuary and their value?
Ans. There are eight kinds of materials specified. I will commence with the costliest. There are quite a number of very precious stones, jewels, some of them of exceeding great value and beauty. They are enumerated. The next was gold. The pattern tells you just exactly what gold must be put in it. Some of it was simply threads of gold. The gold must be beaten out very thin and then cut into the finest threads of gold and work these threads into the cloth. And the plans must not be varied from by one single thread of that battered gold.
Then the next material used was silver. It specifies in every particular where that silver was to be used. And the next was brass, and then it tells just what should be made of brass, whether the outside mold, or the brazen altar, or some brazen socket in which a pole or post rested.
The fifth material was the acacia wood, very common in that wilderness, and it was a very hard wood, hence exceedingly durable for building purposes of any kind. Now, it is a notable fact that this old tent had a good deal of acacia wood in it in certain places; it was existing up to the time that Solomon built the Temple, all the posts around it, all of acacia wood. When I read about it I am reminded of what a little boy in North Texas said with reference to bois d’arc. He said a bois d’arc fence would last through two eternities; that he and his daddy had tried it several times. In other words, it doesn’t wear out at all and it doesn’t rot. I know a bois d’arc fence now that is ninety-one years old, and it is just as sound as a silver dollar. So that acacia was the kind of wood to be used. The wood that went into the ark of the covenant consisted of a base of wood and then there was a covering of gold, and the wooden base of that ark was there in that Temple nearly a thousand years later when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple. I mention that to show you how much better it was for those people to follow God’s specifications about the wood. Suppose they had put in something that would have rotted in about two years.
The sixth element of material was the various kinds of cloth. This cloth would either be what is called fine twined linen, finished linen made out of the flax, or it was a coarse cloth made of goat’s hair or it was woolen cloth, or it was made out of skins what is called badgers’ skins, though probably not badgers’. It was more likely to have been the skins of sea animals and that skin was impervious to water when the animal was in the water, and remained impervious to water. They needed cloths for all things, for the girdles, and for the different classes of garments that are specified and for the veils. The seventh element of material was olive oil, pure beaten olive oil. That was to be for the lamps, and the eighth and last specification of the material was spices, perfumes that were to be for anointing. For instance he gives a prescription of the holy anointing oil, with olive oil as a base, and his directions will tell you just what spices to put in it and precisely what proportion; so many parts of one and so many parts of another. And they are not only commanded not to vary from that but they were never to make that holy anointing oil to be used for any secular purpose whatever. A king on his throne couldn’t have as much made as would stick to his little finger.
The question says, give the materials and their value. Unfortunately we have no means of valuing all the materials that were used. There is one place in your lesson that gives you the weight, troy weight, of the gold, silver, and brass, and I can tell you what that was: 3,350 pounds, troy weight, of pure gold; 11,526 pounds, troy weight, of pure silver; 8,112 pounds of brass. The measure is given. A shekel was a weight or measure as well as a piece of money. They give it in shekels and these shekels converted into pounds, troy weight, and you can convert these pounds, troy weight, into dollars and cents so far as gold and silver are concerned, into the present worth.
5. How was this vast amount of materials obtained?
Ans. Every bit of it was by voluntary contribution. Chapter 25 commences with the word of God to Moses to call upon the people to make an offering for the sanctuary. But God declines to take any offering unless it is a free will offering; it must be on the part of the willing heart. And when you turn over to read about how David got the material for erecting the Temple it is a most thrilling part of the Old Testament; the biggest contribution the world ever saw was collected. It is a fine thing to preach on, and a good suggestion to preachers when building a sanctuary for the Lord to take contributions from the willing heart.
6. Who were the artificers that made all these things, and how were they qualified to make them?
Ans. Some of the work was very delicate and required the greatest possible skill and nicety in construction. Exo 31:2 : “And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiad the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee.” Only two of them are mentioned by name.
7. What arts were implied in building this tabernacle?
Ans. Well, you can see that they couldn’t have cloths unless there were weavers and they would not have different cloths unless they had industries, and that precious stones couldn’t be cut unless there was lapidaries; and wood couldn’t be carved so beautifully unless there were skilled men in wood carving, and the structure couldn’t be planned and carried out unless there were architects. Then there bad to be the most exquisite work on the high priest’s garment there was to be on the bottom or border a row of pomegranates and bells, a pomegranate and a little bell, then a pomegranate and a bell, and so on all around it. It bad to be the most perfect thing. Whenever the high priest moved the bells would ring, and he couldn’t stop when he was performing the ceremonies in the most holy place. If the bells stopped ringing he would die instantly; and the people ‘would keep praying on the outside as long as they heard the bells on the high priest’s garments ringing. That shows that the high priest rings out to God the petition that they send up, and that shows the intercession. The bells in heaven upon his robe are always ringing, so he is praying for you all the time.
Now you see that to have the instruments to do all these things implied manufacturers; the jeweler’s tools, the carving tools, and the brass; they must have foundries. Think of the number of arts, and what a tremendous change had taken place in these people after they went into Egypt. They were nomads, ranch people, cowboys till then; when they got to Egypt they learned agriculture, city building, architecture, all sorts of fine work, and now it is all brought out with them, and when they go to leave Egypt, the Egyptians are so glad to get rid of them, God put it in the hearts of the Egyptians to bestow on the Jews gold and silver and jewels, and that is where all this gold and silver comes from that they are using now to build the tabernacle.
8. Define the whole space of the court.
Ans. Here the student should make a diagram and let that diagram show the relative places of the entire court, the heights of the curtain wall around that court and the gate of entrance and where the altar, i.e., the brazen altar, is placed, and where the laver is placed, and how they got into the holy place and then into the holy of holies. And he should show in that diagram just where Moses’ place was, and where Aaron’s place was, and the places all around that diagram of the court where the Levites were, and which of them on this side and which on that side, and then show the tribes camped around it; what three tribes on the north side, what three on the south, on the east and on the west. If you want to see a diagram so that you will have nothing to do but copy it, get (and every reader of this book ought to have what I have urged them to have) the Rand-MeNally’s Atlas by J. L. Hurlbut. You ought to read what it has to say about every lesson that we have. And if you have the Hurlbut Atlas it gives you just the picture that I have drawn mentally and orally, showing the length, breadth, and height of the court; showing you where the gate is on the east; showing you just where Moses was to be, where Aaron was to be, where the Levites were to camp, and where the other tribes were to be placed all around it; how big the tabernacle was, how big each division was, and how big the most holy place was in cubic measurement. The question is, Define the whole space of the court.
9. What are the tent divisions, and the sizes of the divisions?
Ans. The tent was divided into two divisions, the holy place and the most holy place, and they were separated by what is called the veil of the Temple, but it came to be a tremendous thing in the Herodian Temple seventy feet long and thirty feet wide, and four inches thick, and so woven that ten yoke of oxen couldn’t tear it, and yet when Jesus died it was rent in twain from top to bottom. The sizes are given in the Atlas.
10. What were the contents of the most holy place?
Ans. There were just two things in there, and don’t you ever put anything else in there. These are the articles, viz.: the ark, which is one thing, and the mercy seat which rested right on top of it; of course, the mercy seat which rested right on top of it had its propitiatory place where the atonement was made, and the Cherubim of pure gold (of course, there were things in the ark the witnesses: the pot of manna, Aaron’s rod, the brazen serpent, and so on). But two things are in there the mercy seat, which is on top of the ark: a chest with its contents inside, and the mercy seat resting on it.
11. How was the most holy place lighted?
Ans. There was no light in it, but clouds of darkness: “a thick pavilion of darkness is my habitation.” Whenever you get to the church in glory the expression, “There is no temple, there is no altar or shrine,” doesn’t mean the general structure about the shrines, just as the mercy seat on top of the ark constituted the shrine. When you get to the church in glory there is no shrine there. Why? Because the Lord God and the Lamb are the light thereof. Now down here in this tabernacle there was a shrine, the Cherubim) and the Shekinah signifying the presence of God.
12. Who enters, and how often, into the most holy place?
Ans. The high priest only, and that only one time a year. Nobody could ever see the outside of what was in there. They couldn’t see the outside of the ark nor the outside of the mercy seat. It was always carried, but it was carried covered. And the tent was first put up upon arriving at a camp and after the tent was put up the bearers of the ark carried it on the inside, and when they went out Aaron alone uncovered it. He was the only one that ever saw it.
13. What were the contents of the holy place, where were the contents set up, and what did they represent?
Ans. Just three things were in there. There was the seven-branched golden candlestick; the light of that lamp was never allowed to go out at night. It was trimmed every morning and lighted every evening just before dark. That candlestick or lampstand was just one lampstand. The one that was in the Temple when Titus captured Jerusalem was carried to Rome as a trophy. Another thing in there was a table, and on the table six loaves of bread in one place and six loaves of bread in another place and a cup; in the third place, there was a little altar called the golden altar in contradistinction from the big one on the outside, the brazen altar. This altar was covered with gold and on that was the frankincense, or incense; the material is frankincense, and it became incense, going up when it was burning in a beautiful smoke and very fragrant. Now as you enter that division from the east, the right hand will be the north. Which one of the things do you out on the north? Do you put a table, a candlestick, or a golden altar? Which one do you put to the south, and which one in the center right opposite the veil that has to be lifted aside by Aaron once a year? The Atlas shows all this.
What do those three things represent?
Ans. They represent the blessings of salvation by grace like the food and the spirit of prayer, as communicants get those spiritual blessings. That bread also represents the twelve tribes shewbread that is, it is bread for exhibition, very sacred, nobody was ever allowed to eat it. David did eat a piece once when he was very hungry and Jesus excused him under the circumstances (he was starving) though “He did eat the shewbread which was against the law.” Now we have found out the contents of the holy place, and how they were set up, and what they represented.
14. Who enters the holy place (not the most holy place) and how often?
Ans. Not the Levites but the priests. The Levites had the run of the court) Aaron the most holy place, the priests the holy place, every day.
15. What are the contents of the court and their respective positions and signification?
Ans. In the open court around the tent there were these things: (1) Near the east gate of the court was the brazen altar, the altar of burnt offering and sin offering. That was the altar of sacrifices. (2) Between that altar and the entrance into the holy place was the laver, a vessel containing water used by the priests in the ablutions necessary to the performance of their duties.
16. Who entered this court and how often?
Ans. Aaron and his sons that constituted the priesthood, and the Levites the whole tribe of Levi that served in the matters of the public worship. They all entered this court. Some of them were in there every day. There were daily offerings, one every morning and one every evening; so that was open all the time to Aaron or his sons or the Levites having special work to perform in there.
17. Where did the people come?
Ans. They came to the gate in the east; they didn’t get inside the gate except in case of their offerings. They brought their offerings to the altar before the tent of meeting.
18. Who were the ministers in the sacrifices and how were they set apart? Divide their respective duties of the court.
Ans. Your lesson tells you all about that: that the ministers consisted of Aaron, the high priest, the priests, and the Levites; just exactly how each one of them was to be consecrated to office; the ritual, etc. Aaron does certain things, and he alone; the priests, certain things, and they alone; the Levites, certain things, and they alone.
XXVIII
THE TABERNACLE (Continued)
1. What was the high priest’s apparel, its use and meaning?
Ans. Your book has a great deal to say about the clothing of the high priest but I shall confine my answer to only two articles of that apparel, viz.: the mitre and the ephod. The mitre was a headdress; towering, and on the front of it just over Aaron’s forehead was a golden plate fastened to the mitre, and on that inscribed, “Holiness to the Lord.” He was never allowed to exercise his high priestly functions unless he had that mitre on.
Now, the other portion of his dress that requires very particular mention is the ephod. The ephod was a garment, a vestment that had a hole cut in it like you see cowboys have in their blankets. It was put on by putting it over the head and the head coming up through that hole, and it came down to the knees. There was an inner robe of course, but I am talking about the ephod. It was carefully hemmed and embroidered around that hole so it wouldn’t tear, just as a buttonhole is, to keep it from widening. At the bottom of the ephod were the pomegranates and little bells that I have told you about. And the bells were to ring all the time that the high priest was performing his functions. It was death to him if they stopped, and their sound was the indication to the people that the high priest’s work was going on and they, on the outside, would pray as long as they heard the bells ringing. That is the ephod proper.
But that ephod had a breastplate, just a span square, at the shoulders; on the ephod was a hook, an ouch, on each side. This breastplate was just a span wide and on it four rows three in a row of very valuable jewels and each jewel had inscribed on it the name of one of the twelve tribes. So that whenever Aaron acted officially he carried over his heart, as a representative, the whole nation of Israel. The twelve tribes of Israel were there, carried on his heart.
The breastplate had two gold chains. The upper part of it had rings and the gold chains went up and fastened to the ouch, or hook, on the shoulder piece of the ephod. Having put on the ephod, he would then take up the breastplate by the two gold chains and hook it to the clasps on the ephod. That would let it drop down on his breast. Then the sides of the breastplate had rings and they were fastened to other hooks on the ephod and that kept it from falling forward, kept it in place.
Now, besides the twelve great jewels that represented the twelve tribes of Israel there were two other jewels, called the urim and thummirn. They went on the breastplate. I am not quite sure but that they were under the breastplate on the inside. The names, urim and thummirn, mean light and perfection. The use of the two particular jewels was to communicate with Jehovah. When the cloud would come down and rest over the tent to signify that Jehovah wanted to have a talk, the high priest would come into the holy place, and the communication would take place. Now, the two jewels Aaron would look at and how, I don’t know and nobody else knows, but through those jewels as a medium, he would understand the communication that had been given to him. Hence a high priest’s method of communicating with God was always through the urim and thummirn. Moses didn’t do it that way, because he was a prophet. God spoke to him direct. But the high priest could only communicate with God through the urim and the thummirn. If he lost those jewels he couldn’t talk with God.
Now, the ephod carrying the breastplate and the two precious stones, the urim and the thummim, was strictly an official robe; so that you often find in the accounts in the Old Testament the expression, “Get me the ephod.” “What do you want with the ephod?” “I want to communicate with God.” The ephod was the robe of communication. You read in the life of David that he went to where the high priest was and told him to put on his ephod and answer him certain questions. Well, the high priest put on the ephod, went up to the door of the holy place, propounded David’s question, looked at the urim and the thummirn, understood the answer, and gave it to David. You read in the book of Judges that Gideon when he assumed to be king had an ephod made so that he could communicate with God. And you read in the prophet Hosea that Israel shall be a long time without a king, without an ephod, and without a prophet. They shall have no means of communicating with God. That is the condition of Israel this day. They have no Temple; they have no high priest; they have lost the urim and thummirn; they have no ephod; no way of communicating with God. Since they reject Christ, the only means of communication, they are shut off. So that the particular thing about the breastplate and its urim and thummirn is that it was a God-appointed means of communicating with the people through the high priest. He adopted a different method when he spoke with the prophets. A prophet was higher than a priest. The prophets communicated with God directly. There are other things about Aaron’s dress, all the details of which had a meaning, but these are the great meanings of the dress of the high priest.
20. What were the regular times of service in this tabernacle?
Ans. Here were the regular times: The daily services every morning and every evening; the sabbath services, that is, once a week; the monthly services, the monthly sabbaths, and the annual sabbaths. Those were the great festivals, three great festivals, and then the Jubilee sabbaths, and in connection with it there came the great Day of Atonement. Those were the regular times of service, but there were provisions for special times of services that I will not now discuss.
21. What the offerings and their meanings?
Ans. I have to answer it so elaborately when I come to Leviticus, I only give now in general terms these offerings: Sin offerings, burnt offerings, eucharistic, or thank offerings; in a burnt offering, all of it had to be burned up. Now, a sin offering had to be burned, but every burnt offering was not a sin offering. I give you this example: If a man wanted to consecrate his whole life to God and brought an offering, that was a burnt offering. Now, that offering had to be burned to ashes on the brazen altar, to signify that God accepted that entire consecration. The sin offering was also burned. Nobody could eat a part of a sin offering. But certain parts of the eucharist, or thank offering, or peace offering, or meat offering could be eaten. Moses ate a certain part, and Aaron and his sons a certain part, and the Levites certain parts.
22. What was the ritual?
Ans. The ritual is that set of rules that told them just how everything was to be done. Almost the whole book of Leviticus is ritual and the larger part of Numbers. For instance, it tells just how every particular offering must be offered. The ritual is the system of rules prescribed, the service and the order of the service in all of its parts.
23. What was the place of the sanctuary in the camp and order of encampment around it?
Ans. I will answer that question more fully when we come to the book of Leviticus. We will suppose Israel is on a march and the cloud stops. As soon as the cloud stops Aaron and Moses stop. As soon as they stop, those carrying the furniture of the most holy place, that is, the ark and mercy seat, set it down there covered. And then the tent is put over it, and then all the arrangements are made about the various articles of the holy place and the court. Then the fence is put up, i.e., the court fence. Now, the Levites come in and camp on three sides, and every tribe knew just where it was to camp one on the north side, one on the east, one on the west, and so on.
24. When was this tabernacle completed and what was the order of setting it up?
Ans. In Exo 39:42 , we have this statement: “According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. And Moses saw all the work, and, behold, they had done it.” Exo 39:42 of that chapter says, “Then was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished and they brought all the material together before Moses.” Now, the other part of the question was: The order of its setting up? That is explained to you in Exo 40:1-8 ; Exo 40:17 , “And it came to pass in the first month in the second year [that is, since they left Egypt], on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. And Moses reared up the tabernacle.” Then it tells how the tent was put up: “Then Moses took and put the testimony into the ark,” brought the ark into its place and then all the other things into their places in order.
25. When was it anointed?
Ans. It was anointed after the setting up, and Exo 40:9-11 , tells about that anointing, that is, setting it apart. And this is what it says on that, “And thou shalt take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is therein and shall hallow it; and all the vessels thereof and it shall be holy, and thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt-offering and all its vessels and sanctify the altar and it shall be an altar most holy.” “Thou shalt anoint the laver; thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons and make them put on their official robes and anoint them. Thus did Moses.”
26. When was it filled?
Ans. As soon as it was set up and was get apart, and anointed, the record says (Exo 40:34 ), the cloud came down and filled the tent and the glory of it was such that Moses couldn’t enter it. Then God says, “My glory sanctifies this tent.” When we get to Lev 18 , we learn that the tabernacle was sprinkled with blood as well as anointed with oil. Now, you will see from a careful reading of the last chapter of Exodus that a great many commandments are given, telling how things are to be done. Go to Leviticus and Numbers to find out how these orders given in the last chapter of Exodus are carried out. They are prescribed here and they tell you how it is to be done; the orders are given, but in Leviticus and Numbers they are carried out.
27. How dedicated?
Ans. Now, although the cloud had filled the tent, you don’t learn how that house was dedicated until you get to Num 7 . Nearly all of Leviticus and about a third of Numbers ought to be studied with the last part of Exodus. I am going to close what I have to say on this by giving you a little subsequent history of this tabernacle. It went with the children of Israel through all their wanderings. When Joshua got over into the Holy Land he set it up at Shiloh and after awhile it was moved to Nob. There it was in David’s time; then it went to Bethel; then in Solomon’s time it was at Gibeon. David erected a new tent. He didn’t make a new ark of the covenant and new altars and things of that kind, but he did make a new tent when he brought the ark up and put it in Jerusalem. Then he sent to Gibeon later on and that old tent that stood empty at Gibeon was brought but not set up, but just rolled up and when the Temple was built it was put in a chamber of the Temple and preserved, how long, I don’t know.
28. Give the parallels of a later date.
Ans. Well, just as that tabernacle was first prepared fully in all its materials, and these materials were brought together in one place, just so it was done with the Temple. So that when they started to put up the Temple they do so without the sound of hammer. Everything was so carefully prepared before it went up. Just as the church in glory will go up when the time comes. Every living stone will be thoroughly complete: body there, glorified; soul there, sanctified; no work to be done that day. It just goes into place by assembling. In my sermon on the church you will find just how the church in glory will be finally set up, and how that when our Lord built his church, John the Baptist prepared some of the material, which Jesus accepted; and Jesus prepared some of the material. But not all the work of the church was completed until Christ died. When he died he said, “It is finished.” The church was completed.
But that church was not anointed until the day of Pentecost, just as the old tabernacle had to be anointed and the smoke came and filled it. So the church that Jesus built stood open after he left it. He was the guide in it. He was the Shekinah as long as he lived, but when he went away it stood open until the day of Pentecost, when, as Daniel says, the most holy place was anointed. The Spirit came down and filled that house just as the cloud filled the house that Solomon built, and the house that Moses built.
29. What was the position of the cloud with reference to this tabernacle and its signals?
Ans. The normal place of the cloud was up in the air above the tabernacle. If the cloud moved, they moved, and they kept right under it. That was the normal place. If the cloud stopped, they stopped. So that one of the cloud’s signals was its moving, or its stopping. Another one of the cloud’s signals was its coming down and resting on the tent. That signified a communication was desired with the people through the priests. Then the high priest put on his ephod with his urim and thummirn, and went in to receive the communication. If a communication was wanted with Moses, he needed no ephod, since he was a prophet and talked direct with God.
30. What was the value of that cloud for light, shade, defense and guidance?
Ans. All night the cloud up in the air was one great pillar of fire, brighter than all the electric lights of New York City. Night couldn’t come up and touch them. Just think of it being forty years that they never saw the night. Then in the daytime the cloud spread out as a shade and kept the burning sun off them. The heat didn’t smite them for forty years. Then the cloud by its movements infallibly guided them just exactly where to go. They didn’t have to make any inquiries concerning the road they were to follow. They were to follow the cloud. They didn’t have to ask about how soon to start next morning. They were just to wait on the cloud. If it didn’t move, they were to stay right there if it was a year. The whole question was settled as to guidance by the cloud. How was it as a defense? Well, as enemies came, if the enemies were in the rear the cloud moved to the rear and got between them and the enemies with the black face of it toward the enemies. It had a black face and a light face. It would turn the light face toward the Israelites. It did that way when Pharaoh came up after them, and it looked to him like the blackest night the world ever saw, coming right between him and the Israelites, and it stayed there; Pharaoh couldn’t see through the black part of the cloud that was throwing light over Israel, and the Israelites passed through the Red Sea; as soon as they were across the cloud rose up and went on ahead of the Israelites, and Pharaoh following when he got into the midst of the sea, he and his army were swallowed up.
31. What was the value of the sanctuary as a center?
Ans. It was absolutely essential to hold this crowd together. Put three million people out and no center of unity and they will disintegrate; they will go in every direction, but no matter how many the people nor how far out the columns had to spread in marching and the herds had to go in grazing, all they had to do at any time was to look up; away yonder they could see, if in the daytime, the pillar of cloud, if at night, the pillar of fire.
32. What was the value of the sanctuary as an oracle?
Ans. An oracle is a supernatural voice that answers questions and tells you what you are to do.
33. Where was the oracle and what was it?
Ans. The most holy place is many times called the oracle, not because it was the oracle, t)ut because it was there that the oracle spoke. Nobody can estimate how much is the value of an infallible oracle. A case would come up that Moses would not know what to do. “Well, I will go and ask the oracle. I will ask God. God will tell me what to do.” In the New Testament Jesus says, “While you are now asking me questions [they were firing questions at him all the time, and right then in that very discussion of his, Philip says, “Lord, this,” and Thomas says, “Lord, this” and Jude says “Lord, this”] when the other Advacate comes, you shall ask me nothing. You will ask him. You will ask the Holy Spirit. I am going away and you think you will have nobody to answer your questions?” Disciples are interrogation points. They ask questions all the time and often very foolish questions, but Jesus patiently listened and answered, but when he went away that was the thing that troubled them: “Who will answer our questions?” “In that day when the Holy Spirit comes, you will ask me nothing. Just ask him,” says Jesus.
34. How was a communication signified?
Ans. If it was the high priest that was to ask a question, he would put on the ephod with the urim and thummirn and come to the Holy Place, and if the cloud was willing to hear him it would settle down and talk to him, and the same way with Moses, only Moses didn’t use the urim and thummirn.
35. How was the answer obtained and give examples?
Ans. If it was a priest wanting it, the answer was obtained through the urim and thummirn; I will give you some examples: 1Sa 23:9-12 ,-1Sa 28:6 ; 1Sa 30:7-8 ; Hos 3:4 . All these are cases when questions were brought, the methods by which they were brought and how answers were obtained.
36. What was the relative value of this tent and all the other tents?
Ans. A great many tents were necessary for three millions of people. I will let the psalmist answer that question. He says, “The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the tents of Israel.” That tent was worth all the rest of them put together. Without that tent the others would not stand. It was not only the center of unity and the place where the oracle spoke and by which they were defended and guided, but it was the place of God’s presence.
37. What description and explanation the best?
Ans. About the best I know is found in Rand-McNally’s Atlas of the Bible. If you had that book you could turn to a certain page and see the picture of the whole tabernacle, see the diagram showing you just how every tribe camped, where Moses stood, where Aaron stood, etc.
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
wise hearted. See note on Exo 35:5.
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Chapter 36
Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and wise hearted, in whom the LORD had put the wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary. And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put the wisdom, even everyone whose heart had stirred him up to come to work to do it ( Exo 36:1-2 ):
So again it was God stirring up people’s hearts to come and do the work. Every fellow that just felt, “Oh man, I would like to come down to work”. God stirred their hearts. They came and worked and it was done. The work of God was done with willing hearts. The work of God is always accomplished through willing hearts. God stirs a person’s heart to do something.
That’s exciting to be around a bunch of men whose hearts have stirred by God, where you don’t have to be constantly be pushing and pressuring and tugging on them. The hardest thing in the world is to try to pastor a church whose nobody’s heart has been stirred and you are just constantly fighting it. But when you get with a bunch of guys whose hearts have been stirred by the Lord, well, just like what happened here, man, you’ve got to put the brakes on. You’ve got to say, “All right, that’s enough; we’ve got enough.”
And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people have brought much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD has commanded to make. And so Moses gave commandment, they caused it to be proclaimed all throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. And so the people were restrained from bringing ( Exo 36:5-6 ).
Man, that’s real revival when you have to tell the people, “All right, that’s enough don’t bring anymore.” Isn’t that neat? For the stuff that they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, actually they had too much.
So they began to make, first of all, the linen curtains that were to cover the tent. And then they began to make these goats’ hair curtains that were to go over the top of the linen curtains that had all this fancy embroidery work in it. Then they made the rams’ skins that they had dyed red as the third covering over the top of the goats’ hair. Then they made the boards and the sockets of silver that the boards set in to go around the perimeter of the tabernacle.
And as you remember it was fifteen feet by forty-five feet. And they made these forty sockets of silver to set these gold overlaid acacia boards in. They made the bars that would run through the rings to hold them in an upright position. And in chapter thirty-eight, we are told that the amount of gold that was used in verse twenty-four, for the work and all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels.
So in reality it was about eight hundred and seventy thousand dollars worth of gold at thirty-two dollars an ounce. So now at four hundred dollars an ounce, just about ten million dollars worth of gold used for the overlaying of the tables and the making of the mercy seat and the cherubim, and so forth. And the silver that was numbered among the congregation was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels after the shekel of the sanctuary. So it was totaled out to in silver again down in the present price at about one hundred and ninety-four thousand dollars at the one dollar and eighty cents per troy ounce. And so this was a beautiful, expensive little tabernacle that they were building for God, a little tent where they might meet God in the wilderness.
And then in chapter thirty-nine they began to make these garments for Aaron, and we went over these last week. And so it’s just sort of a repetition, only now they are making it. They made the robe; they made the blue robe that went over the linen robe. Then they made that little ephod which is sort of an apron, and they made the breastplate. They made the golden girdle, the sash that went around the ephod. They carved out the names in the little onyx stones that held the ephod together at his shoulders. They made the mitre and the crown for the priest to wear.
And in all of these things, notice at the end of verse twenty-six “as the LORD commanded Moses”; the end of verse twenty-nine “as the LORD commanded Moses”; thirty-one “as the LORD commanded Moses”; thirty-two at the end “as the LORD commanded Moses”; “so did they”. Verse forty-two, “according to all that the LORD commanded Moses so the children of Israel made all the work and Moses did look upon all the work and behold they had done it as the LORD had commanded even so they had done it and Moses blessed them.” So everything was done right according to the blueprints, right as the Lord had ordered. Why? Because these were all to be a model of things in Heaven.
“
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
The account of the actual presentation of the offerings to the company of workers inspired of God to use them is full of beauty. All the people offered, but a select number were commissioned for the actual work. These were such as were wise and understanding of heart a fitness which came as a direct gift of God.
The earnestness of the people at this point is made supremely apparent in that they offered more than was needed; indeed, “much more” is the actual word of Scripture.
The work now proceeded, and as in the earlier movements of the Book we have seen something of the symbolism of this center of worship, we now notice only the order in which that work was carried out.
In giving instructions, everything proceeded from the center to the circumference. Here the order is much the same but with slight variations. The place of divine dwelling and revelation was first prepared, and the beginning of this is described. First, the Tabernacle itself; then the Tent which covered it; next the boards and the bars on which the Tabernacle and Tent were raised; and, after that, the veil and the pillars on which it was hung. The supreme thing in the whole structure was this central dwelling place of God and that was made first.
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
Wise-hearted Workers for the Tabernacle
Exo 35:30-35; Exo 36:1-8
What were the driving motives of this marvelous outburst of generosity? They remembered that Jehovah had brought them forth from Egypt, destroying their foes and liberating them from slavery. Again they heard the rattle of the pursuing chariots and the clash of arms! Again they thought of the march through the oozy bottom of the sea, while the walls of water stood on either side, irradiated with the glow of the cloud of fire!
With full hearts they turned to God, saying, The best we have is thine. Thou art worthy to receive glory and honor and riches and power and blessing, for thou hast redeemed us. Upon the heels of that thought came the remembrance of the constant provision for their daily needs. The manna had fallen; the water had gushed from the flinty rock; Amalek had fled! These were the fountains that fed the springs of generosity. But have we not similar reason? I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, yield yourselves. See Rom 12:1-2.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 36 The Work Carried Out
1. The work begun (Exo 36:1-4)
2. The over-supply in the offerings (Exo 36:5-7)
3. The curtains (Exo 36:8-13)
4. The covering of the tent (Exo 36:14-19)
5. The boards and the sockets of silver (Exo 36:20-30)
6. The bars (Exo 36:31-34)
7. The vail and the hanging for the door (Exo 36:35-38)
In the abundant offerings, more than was needed, we see the results of the grace of God. Every morning the offerings were presented. So large was the supply that they had to be restrained. What a contrast with the professing people of God in our days! How little self-sacrifice and self denial; how little willingness to spend and be spent. The methods used to help along the work of the Lord, such as collections from unbelievers, are condemned by the word of God. The willingness of the people was the fruit of the spirit of God. The different curtains and coverings, boards and bars and the vail and hanging were prepared. In chapter 30 we saw God began with that which is within; the building began with the outside things.
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
An, Ex, Is, 1, Tisri to Adar
Bezaleel: Exo 31:1-6, Exo 35:30-35
wise hearted man: Exo 28:3, Exo 31:6
for the service: Exo 36:3, Exo 36:4, Exo 25:8, Num 7:9, Heb 8:2
according: Exo 23:21, Exo 23:22, Exo 39:1-43, Exo 40:1-38, Psa 119:6, Mat 28:20, Luk 1:6
Reciprocal: Exo 10:25 – sacrifices Exo 31:2 – I have Exo 35:10 – General Exo 35:25 – General Exo 38:22 – Bezaleel Exo 39:33 – the tent 1Ki 7:14 – he was filled 1Ch 2:20 – Bezaleel 1Ch 28:21 – willing Job 38:36 – who hath given Pro 8:12 – knowledge 2Ti 2:7 – and Jam 1:5 – any Jam 1:17 – good
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
CONSECRATED ART
Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab.
Exo 36:1
It is sadly instructive to notice that the first application of mechanical skill among the liberated Hebrews was the construction of an idol. The golden calf is the earliest specimen of their art after they obtained their independence. The readiness with which they fell into idolatry reads a humiliating lesson to human kind in every age. Aaron, in his lame apology, says (Exo 32:24), I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. Thus a naughty child, caught in the act, ventures half a lie to hide his transgression. No doubt, he or the workman at his bidding, cast the gold into the furnace, and the calf came out: but this is not the whole truth in the case. They planned and executed the image.
I. From the history of the Exodus, we learn that, while the application of art in the service of idolatry came easy and natural to the artists, the application of art to the worship of God was the result of Divine qualification and call. The workers were chosen, and their work prescribed; I have called by name Bezaleel and Aholiab. Further, at the very time when the men of Israel were applying their skill to the construction of an idol, God was intimating to Moses in the mount His choice of that skill for the purposes of His own worship. Whether the same two men, Bezaleel and Aholiab, who were selected as the architects of the tent-temple for the worship of God, were employed by Aaron to make an idol in imitation of the Egyption Apis, we do not certainly know. The artificer of the golden calf is not named in the Scriptures. But it is in every way probable that the same men who constructed the idol were afterwards employed in the service of true religion. The skill of those men would be well known throughout the community. A talent such as this cannot be hid. It is the ordinary method of the Divine government not to create new faculties, but in a kingly way to take possession of faculties already existing, and impress them by the power of love into the service of the King.
Thus, Saul of Tarsus was taken captive, and his skill transferred to the service of the Conqueror. The chief priests kept that man in constant employment. His task was to destroy the Church. His great and peculiar talents were laid out in the service of the enemy, before he became a vessel to bear the name of Christ. But, as in the case of the ancient Hebrew artists, the decree had gone forth on the mount, while they were in the flagrant act of idol-making in the valley, that their skill should be forthwith consecrated to the service of God; so, at the very time that the young man Saul kept the clothes of the ruffians who murdered Stephen, the purpose of the Lord was sure, and the decree was already on the wing that should arrest the man, and employ his varied learning in establishing the kingdom of Christ.
II. Can art be employed in making the truth more attractive, so that it may win the nations to the Saviour?It may; it shall: but the blessed consummation cannot be attained by any rude material process. Gold and silver, wood and iron, are not plastic in the Holy Spirits hands. In the human soul sits the disease that perverts art; to the human soul must the cure be applied which shall make all art loyal again to the King Eternal. Alas, our art, with the wealth which it brings, seems to gravitate, like that of the Hebrews, to idolatry! We do not make a calf and dance round it. Covetousness is a more refined and equally real idolatry. Other worships, less reputable, but even more imperious, draw devotees in thousands to their shrines. If the skilful, wealthy, powerful persons were converted to Christ, the skill, and wealth, and power would become tribute in his treasury.
The Art of Britain lacks the blessing, because her artisans, the pith and marrow of the nation, are in a great measure ignorant of the gospel, and of the church and its ordinances.
Illustration
(1) It is only our ignorance and unbelief that put any limit whatever to the sphere of the Spirits working. He can give miraculous strength, and health, and skill, to both body and brain. He can make a dull schoolboy bright, and the clumsy fingers of a little needlewoman to grow skilful, and even clever. By His miraculous aid, many a missionary has learned a new tongue in far less than record time; and many a servant, unskilled to cook, has prepared an excellent dinner. All my life Ive been doing the impossible, said one of our most spiritual teachers not very long ago. It is an exhilarating ideal:To be ever filled with the Spirit, and then to face everything, no matter how wearisome, or mundane, or difficult, in the certainty of His sufficient help. Finger-tip Christianity is the teaching of our passage. A vast amount of most artistic work had to be done in six short months. It was a sheer impossibility. Then the Spirit came upon Bezaleel and Aholiab, making them men of genius both to invent, to execute, and to teach and train others.
(2) It is quite clear that we must cease to think of the Divine Spirit as inspiring only hymns and sermons. All that is good and beautiful and wise in human art is of God. The doctrine of this passage is the Divinity of all endowment. Where shall we draw the line, in architecture or in iron-work? Every good gift is from above.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Exo 36:1. The sanctuary; that is, the whole of the tabernacle.
Exo 36:8. Cherubims, or Cherubim. The term signifies an expanse of knowledge. They were made in the figure of young men, with extended wings; so that standing, one on each end of the ark, the extremity of one wing touched the extremity of the other.
Exo 36:14-15. Goats haireleven curtains, forty five feet in length, and six in breadth. These were very strong, and were covered with rams skins dyed red, importing that the blood of the covenant shed on Calvary, is the real cover and defence of the church.
REFLECTIONS.
We know not here which to admire most, the willingness of the people to give, or the diligence and emulation of the artists to expedite the work. In every view they are instructive to the christian church. We should never suffer the work of God to languish for want of support: and God having most amply supplied his ministers with all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in his revealed word, they should all be busy in searching the scriptures, and in the acquisition of every branch of knowledge connected with the ministry. Here is work enough before them for a whole life. We should all be busy and full of energy, for God is raising his glorious and spiritual sanctuary; and that man who is idle in so great a day, will neither be made a pillar in the temple of God, nor suffered to dwell in his house.
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exodus 35 – 40
These chapters contain a recapitulation of the various parts of the tabernacle and its furniture; and inasmuch as, I have already given what I believe to be the import of the more prominent parts, it were needless to add more. There are, however, two things in this section from which we may deduce most profitable instruction, and these are, first, the voluntary devotedness; and, secondly, the implicit obedience of the people with respect to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation. And first, as to their voluntary devotedness, we read, “And all the consecration of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing-hearted, and brought bracelets and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold : and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the Lord. And every man with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought them. Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass, brought the Lord’s offering: and every man with whom was found shittim wood? for any work of the service, brought it. And all the women that were wise-hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats’ hair. And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate: and spice and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring, for all manner of work which the Lord had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.” (Ex. 35: 20-29.) And, again, we read, “And all the wise men that; wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; and they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make, . . . . for the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.” (Ver. 4-7.)
A lovely picture this of devotedness to the work of the sanctuary! It needed no effort to move the hearts of the people to give, no earnest appeals, no impressive arguments. Oh! no; their “hearts stirred them up.” This was the true way. The streams of voluntary devotedness flowed from within. “Rulers,” “men,” “women” – all felt it to he their sweet privilege to give to the Lord, not with a narrow heart or niggard hand, but after such a princely fashion that they had “enough and too much.”
Then, as to their implicit obedience, we read, “according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.” (Ex. 39: 42, 43) The Lord had given the most minute instructions concerning the entire work of the tabernacle. Every pin, every socket, every loop, every tach, was accurately set forth. There was no room left for man’s expediency, his reason, or his common sense. Jehovah did not give a great outline and leave man to fill it up He left no margin whatever in which man might enter his regulations. By no means. “See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount. (Ex. 25: 40; Ex. 26: 30; Heb. 8: 5) This left no room for human device. If man had been allowed to make a single pin, that pin would, most assuredly, have been out of place in the judgement of God. We can see what man’s “graving tool” produces in Ex. 32. Thank God, it had no place in the tabernacle. They did, in this matter, just what they were told – nothing more – nothing less. Salutary lesson this for the professing church! There are many things in the history of Israel which we should earnestly seek to avoid – their impatient murmurings, their legal vows, and their idolatry; but in those two things may we imitate them. May our devotedness be more whole hearted, and our obedience more implicit. We may safely assert, that if all had not been done “according to the pattern showed in the mount,” we should not have to read, “then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” (Ex. 40: 34, 35) The tabernacle was, in all respects, according to the divine pattern, and, therefore, it could be filled with the divine glory. There is a volume of instruction in this. We are too prone to regard the Word of God as insufficient for the most minute details connected with His worship, and service. This is a great mistake, a mistake which has proved the fruitful source of evils and errors, in the professing Church. The word of God is amply sufficient for everything, whether as regards personal salvation and walk, or the order and rule of the assembly. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Tim. 3: 16, 17) This settles the question. If the Word of God furnishes a man thoroughly unto “all good works,” it follows, as a, necessary consequence, that whatever I find not in its pages, cannot possibly be a good work. and, further, be it remembered, that the divine glory cannot connect itself with ought that is not according to the divine pattern.
– – – – – – –
Beloved reader, we have now travelled together through this most precious book. We have, I fondly hope, reaped some profit from our study. I trust we have gathered up some refreshing thoughts of Jesus and His sacrifice as we passed along. Feeble, indeed, must be our most vigorous thoughts, and shallow our deepest apprehensions, as to the mind of God in all that this Book contains. It is happy to remember that through grace, we are on our way to that glory where we shall know, even as we are known; and where we shall bask in the sunshine of His countenance who is the beginning and ending of all the ways of God, whether in creation, in providence, or redemption. To Him I do most affectionately commend you, in body, soul, and spirit. May you know the deep blessedness of having your portion in Christ, and be kept in patient waiting for His glorious advent. Amen.
C. H. M.
Fuente: Mackintosh’s Notes on the Pentateuch
Exo 35:30 to Exo 36:7 Ps. The Craftsmen and their Supplies.The first paragraph (to Exo 36:1) describes the call of Bezalel and Oholiab (cf. Exo 31:2 ff.). The second (Exo 36:2-7) relates, with a glowing idealisation of the conditions of that golden age, how the craftsmen had to restrain the givers from bringing too much.
Exo 36:8-38 Ps. The Tent.This section comes first instead of following the account of its contents as in Exo 36:26. The fourfold curtains are described first (Exo 35:8-19; cf. Exo 26:1-14); then the framework (Exo 35:20-34; cf. Exo 26:15-29); and lastly the veil and screen (Exo 35:35-35, cf. Exo 26:31 f., Exo 26:36 f.). The only new feature is the gradation in gilding by which the veil pillars were all gilt and the screen pillars had gilded capitals (Exo 36:38), while the pillars at the entrance of the court had silvered tops (Exo 38:19).
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
In response to the call of God, Bezaleel and Aholiab and other capable artisans presented themselves willingly for this work (vs.1-2). Then Moses gave into their hand the offerings the children of Israel had brought and were still bringing for some time. But as is always the case when the grace of God works effectively in hearts, the people’s sacrifices were much greater than was necessary for the project (vs.4-5). Moses therefore commanded a proclamation to be made throughout the camp. that the people should give no more (v.6).
MAKING OF THE CURTAINS
(vs.8-19)
The curtains (or coverings) of the tabernacle are spoken of as being first made. All of these speak of Christ in some way. First the ten curtains if fine linen speak of the purity of His Humanity. The interwoven blue speaks of His heavenly glory, the purple, of His kingly dignity, the scarlet, of His world-wide attracting character. Also cherubim were woven into these, symbolizing governmental authority. This was the first covering, and therefore visible on the inside at the top. Each of the ten curtains was four cubits wide and 28 cubits long. They formed two groups of five, coupled to one another by means of loops of blue, indicating a heavenly unity in the person of the Lord. Clasps of gold were also used to fasten the loops. The gold reminds us of the divine glory of the Lord Jesus.
Above the attractively colored curtains were the curtains of goats’ hair (v.14), not ten, but eleven, which would enable the joined edges to be removed from the edges of the first curtains, which they covered. The length of these curtains was thirty cubits, so that they would extend at the bottom one cubit lower than the first curtains These curtains were divided into two groups of six and five. Forty loops were made to attach to the edge of each curtain on both sides, and fifty copper clasps were used to secure them together. These curtains of goats’ hair speak of Christ as the substitutionary sacrifice for His people, and copper speaks of the holiness of this sacrifice.
Then the covering of rams’ skins dyed red was made to be placed above the other two coverings. These red ram skins speak of the redeeming power of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. The details of these are not mentioned, nor of the covering of badger skins (or seal skins) that was seen when the tabernacle was set up. This speaks of Christ as the One in whom, when people first saw Him, “there is no beauty” (Isa 53:2), a contrast indeed to the beauty seen from the inside of the tabernacle, and seen in Christ by those who have been brought near to Him.
THE BOARDS
(vs.20-34)
The boards, to stand upright, were ten cubits long (or high) and one and a half cubits wide. On the sides (both north and south) were twenty boards each, with two sockets of silver underneath to support the boards. On the west end six boards were placed, but added to these were two more at the corners.
The boards were of acacia wood overlaid with gold. The acacia wood symbolizes humanity and the gold, divine glory. But since the boards stood on silver sockets, speaking of redemption, they do not speak of Christ, but of believers who are identified with Christ in His humanity and also partake by grace of His divine nature, as He Himself says to the Father, “the glory which You gave Me I have given them” (Joh 17:22). Thus we are partakers, not of deity, but of the divine nature (2Pe 1:4).
Each board had two tenons which were inserted into the sockets. Then five bars were made of acacia wood covered with gold for each side of the tabernacle, north, south and west. The middle bar stretched the full distance of each side, while four bars were only half the length, so that two were placed above the middle long bar, and two beneath it, each of the two being end to end, to cover the whole distance. They passed through gold rings that were in each of the boards. This emphasizes the unity together of believers to form one house.
THE VEIL AND THE ENTRY CURTAIN
(vs.35-37)
The veil that separated the holy and the most holy place was woven of fine linen and blue, purple and scarlet, with a design of cherubim included. The veil does not speak of believers in any way, but of Christ, as Heb 10:20 tells us, “the veil, that is to say, His flesh.” This involves the perfections of the Lord’s Manhood, not His deity, for no gold was seen in the veil. Thus, when the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom (Mt 28:51) there was no question of the Lord’s deity being involved, but the tearing of the veil signifies the death of the Lord as the Man Christ Jesus, by which alone the way into the holiest is opened for us.
Again, the fine linen speaks of the purity of the Lord’s Manhood; the blue speaks of His heavenly character; the purple, of His royal dignity; and scarlet, of its universal attraction. But the four pillars of acacia wood overlain with gold, by which the veil was upheld, were set on sockets of silver, therefore signifying believers on the foundation of redemption, but upholding Christ as the only way of access to God.
The door curtain was made of the same materials, therefore speaking of Christ, the door of access even into the elementary truths of the Word of God. This was upheld by similar pillars, five in number, but resting on copper sockets, thus emphasizing the holiness of God, so that these pillars do not signify believers, but the principle of holiness which is imperative to be maintained in any approach to God.
The length of the ark was two and one half cubits, the number two inferring its clear witness for God, while the additional half suggests the truth “the half was not told me” (1Ki 10:7), therefore indicating that the person of Christ is infinitely greater than our understanding. The width, one and a half cubits, infers the unity of His person (number one). but again having glory above all our knowledge (the half). The height was the same with the same significance.
Two rings were put on each side of the ark, through which the carrying poles (also of acacia wood covered with gold) were inserted, for it was to be carried by priests, not on a vehicle. Today all believers are priests, and are expected to bear the Lord Jesus in testimony before the world.
The mercy seat was typically the throne of God, but called a mercy seat because when the blood of the sin offering was sprinkled on it and before it, the throne became the very place from which God dispensed His mercy to Israel, — thus mercy being beautifully blended with His authority. The cherubim are symbolical of the principle of divine righteousness in government, the two of these indicating its even balance.
Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible
36:1 Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the {a} sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.
(a) By the sanctuary he means all the tabernacle.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
CHAPTER XXXV.
THE CONCLUSION.
Exo 35:1-35 – Exo 40:1-38.
The remainder of the narrative sets forth in terms almost identical with the directions already given, the manner in which the Divine injunctions were obeyed. The people, purified in heart by danger, chastisement and shame, brought much more than was required. A quarter of a million would poorly represent the value of the shrine in which, at the last, Moses and Aaron approached their God, while the cloud covered the tent and the glory filled the tabernacle, and Moses failed to overcome his awe and enter.
Thenceforth the cloud was the guide of their halting and their march. Many a time they grieved their God in the wilderness, yet the cloud was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire therein by night, throughout all their journeyings.
That cloud is seen no longer; but One has said, “Lo, I am with you all the days.” If the presence is less material, it is because we ought to be more spiritual.
* * * * *
Looking back upon the story, we can discern more clearly what was asserted when we began–the forming and training of a nation.
They are called from shameful servitude by the devotion of a patriot and a hero, who has learned in failure and exile the difference between self-confidence and faith. The new name of God, and His remembrance of their fathers, inspire them at the same time with awe and hope and nationality. They see the hollowness of earthly force, and of superstitious worships, in the abasement and ruin of Egypt. They are taught by the Paschal sacrifice to confess that the Divine favour is a gift and not a right, that their lives also are justly forfeited. The overthrow of Pharaoh’s army and the passage of the Sea brings them into a new and utterly strange life, in an atmosphere and amid scenes well calculated to expand and deepen their emotions, to develop their sense of freedom and self-respect, and yet to oblige them to depend wholly on their God. Privation at Marah chastens them. The attack of Amalek introduces them to war, and forbids their dependence to sink into abject softness. The awful scene of Horeb burns and brands his littleness into man. The covenant shows them that, however little in themselves, they may enter into communion with the Eternal. It also crushes out what is selfish and individualising, by making them feel the superiority of what they all share over anything that is peculiar to one of them. The Decalogue reveals a holiness at once simple and profound, and forms a type of character such as will make any nation great. The sacrificial system tells them at once of the pardon and the heinousness of sin. Religion is both exalted above the world and infused into it, so that all is consecrated. The priesthood and the shrine tell them of sin and pardon, exclusion and hope; but that hope is a common heritage, which none may appropriate without his brother.
The especial sanctity of a sacred calling is balanced by an immediate assertion of the sacredness of toil, and the Divine Spirit is recognised even in the gift of handicraft.
A tragic and shameful failure teaches them, more painfully than any symbolic system of curtains and secret chambers, how little fitted they are for the immediate intercourse of heaven. And yet the ever-present cloud, and the shrine in the heart of their encampment, assure them that God is with them of a truth.