Post by Mark on Mar 20, 2009 8:02:20 GMT -8
The Parashah this week combines two readings, the Vayakhei (Exodus 35:1-38:20) and Pekhoodi (Exodus 38:21-40:38). This is done to balance the calendar according the agricultural seasons, otherwise, the dates would drift later and later in the year.
The title of the
portion is the first distinctive word found in the portion, however, it is understood to be more than that. Our understanding of the entire reading may, to some degree be encapsulated in this title, it serves as a basic thesis under which the reading may be interpreted.
Vayakehel means "to gather or to assemble." Pekhoodi is "the sum". In this final reading of the book of Shemmot, it can be said that we are encouraged to put all the pieces together and see what we’ve got. Yet, is that not the appeal of all Scripture?
Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17 ASV)
Throughout the Scriptures we are reminded to stop and consider the text as whole, taking inventory, declaring the sum of what it is that we believe. While it is the inclination man to take a single doctrine or idea from the text and run with it, Adonai appeals to us to consider the whole and build our understanding, not running off in a zeal toward an imperfect knowledge.
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
(Isaiah 28:9-10 KJV)
Peter appeals to us to remember the prophets of old in 2nd Peter 1:19-21, that no prophecy is given by private interpretation; but that it will line up in consistency with the Word that has been handed down before. "Gather it all together and consider the sum."
Often we are told today that is not relevant because we have Messiah, forgetting that following Messiah (if we are to be imitators of Him) means following (Galatians 4:4). Even more often we are told that the only Law of Christ is to love each other (forgetting that love is the summation of all of the Law and the prophets (Romans 13:9)).
The message of the gospel given in the New Testament is full and beautiful and wonderful; but it’s only half the story. The gentile understanding of the Christian faith is testimony to the richness and beauty of God’s grace; but it is only a taste! Gather it all together and consider the whole. There is a feast waiting for us there.
And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them. (Exodus 35:1 KJV)
It is argued that the commands that Moses refers to here is only in relation to the building of the Tabernacle. Just as vehemently, other scholars declare he is speaking of the entire. Moses will remind the people more than 20 times that they are not only to know, understand, remember and guard the commands; but they are also to do them. Adonai knows us so well. It’s not the thought that counts. It is not enough to spend some intellectual time building a knowledge base of theological understanding. It is rather by our fruits that we shall be known.
Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. (Exodus 35:2 KJV)
Placing the Sabbath regulation here is suggested to reflect the activities of building and servicing the Tabernacle. All of the processes that went into designing, fashioning, erecting and performing the service of worship are representations of the activities that the Most High defines as work. There are 39 of them ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melakha ). There are a couple of ideas that we can take home from this. One is that all the things that we do as work have a place and purpose related to worship, that we may see our daily activities in life as the same function as building the Tabernacle. A second thought is that all of our actions or rest is to be, in itself, an act of worship; but can only be so in it’s proper context: that our work, whatever it is, is beautiful and holy in the sight of God for six days. Equally, despondency and laziness if revolting on when there is work to done outside of the Sabbath.
Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day. (Exodus 35:3 KJV)
This passage has been interpreted in a number of different ways and applied with far greater latitude. It is only given here and will not be referenced later in the Tanakh even once.
One Messianic teacher declared that this is an idiom for creating strife or arguing ( if so the Jewish process of worship is intrinsically flawed, that, this is the only idiomatic phrase (not meaning what it is actually saying) found in).
Many view this as a simple command to neither create or destroy (since the act of kindling a fire does both). This can be taken to such an extreme as to not eat on the Sabbath because such is destruction. Many do not use electricity or participate in any activity that consumes resources.
Still others consider this to be only a prohibition against striking a flame. A fire that is still burning may be maintained; but not started if it has gone out. Some families, who have to travel some distance for their Sabbath worship, even start their cars on erev Shabbat (the evening before) and let it run all night so as not to desecrate this command.
There are a few factors we may consider when determining how Adonai may lead us according to this worship. The first is to remember that this command is given in context of the erection of the Tabernacle: that the elements of the Tabernacle are forefront in our interpretation.
The second factor is to understand the use of fire in a Bedouin culture. We know that fire is used for light and heat. However, the Bedouins did not heat their tents with fire. They built a platform in the center of the tent for their families, then brought animals into the structure to keep them warm. The purposes of fire would be for light and for cooking. We already know that they were not to cook on the Sabbath day, that the food for Sabbath was to be prepared in advance (Exodus 16:23). The practical absence that would be found lacking on the Sabbath day is light. However, understanding that the Tabernacle is the focus of this context, there would be one light still shining brightly, around which the nation of Israel was congregated: the Light of the altar in the Tabernacle would continue to burn: thus making the Tabernacle the single focus of attention, the source of light, for the Sabbath day.
The practical ways we express our worship according to this is ill-defined and sharply argued in many devout ranks of Judaism. I’m certainly not going to defend or promote one position against another. There is much discussion and merited logic that sages have poured centuries of discussion into this one tiny little verse of Scripture.
And Moses spoke unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, (Exodus 35:4 KJV)
Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass, (Exodus 35:5 KJV)
And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, (Exodus 35:6 KJV)
And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, (Exodus 35:7 KJV)
And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, (Exodus 35:8 KJV)
And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate. (Exodus 35:9 KJV)
And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded; (Exodus 35:10 KJV)
The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his tacks, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets, (Exodus 35:11 KJV)
The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the veil of the covering, (Exodus 35:12 KJV)
The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread, (Exodus 35:13 KJV)
The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light, (Exodus 35:14 KJV)
And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle, (Exodus 35:15 KJV)
The altar of burnt offering, with his brazen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, (Exodus 35:16 KJV)
The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court, (Exodus 35:17 KJV)
The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords, (Exodus 35:18 KJV)
The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office. (Exodus 35:19 KJV)
And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. (Exodus 35:20 KJV)
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. (Exodus 35:21 KJV)
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. (Exodus 35:22 KJV)
Nachmanides says "the women came first and the men followed."
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. (Exodus 35:23 KJV)
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. (Exodus 35:24 KJV)
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. (Exodus 35:25 KJV)
And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair. (Exodus 35:26 KJV)
And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; (Exodus 35:27 KJV)
And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. (Exodus 35:28 KJV)
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. (Exodus 35:29 KJV)
Already, the procurement of the elements necessary to build the Tabernacle is unique. Moses asked everyone who would be willing to give rather than appointing a commission to go through the people and take. The strategy is a powerful one, even from a socialistic perspective: the Tabernacle (the focal identity of the nation) is provided and created by the people. Each person who has a willing spirit has an opportunity to participate in building the Tabernacle of Adonai. Paul expresses this same idea in 1st Corinthians 12, describing the Body of Messiah as many distinctive members with a diversity of ministries, all for the single purpose of giving glory and honor to Elohim.
And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; (Exodus 35:30 KJV)
And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; (Exodus 35:31 KJV)
And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, (Exodus 35:32 KJV)
And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work. (Exodus 35:33 KJV)
Here is a distinctive phrase that is grabbed hold of in the New Testament (Acts 2:4) as to how the disciples were empowered to speak with "other tongues." Yet, Bezaleel is considered by most biblical scholars to simply be described as already a skilled craftsman. Here, in Exodus 35, the Holy Spirit fills a person to perform His work. This is invalidated by the Christian understanding that until the Messiah died on the cross, the Spirit must had been held back. The testimony of the Scripture that God can do whatever He wants to whomever He pleases. It is thus worth re-looking at why Messiah must first go so that the "Comforter", the Spirit, may come (John 16:7).
And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. (Exodus 35:34 KJV)
Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, 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. (Exodus 35:35 KJV)
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. (Exodus 36:1 KJV)
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: (Exodus 36:2 KJV)
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. (Exodus 36:3 KJV)
From this example, it is explained that financial contributions toward ministry are never to be delivered into the hands of one person. There should always be two people to receive and handle funds given in dedication to God’s work.
One of the traditional stories is that all persons bringing a gift and the men receiving the gifts wore only a tunic without a belt, without a headdress, without a satchel, without anything that could be used to conceal and remove anything (this begs our memory toward Ananias and Saphira in Acts 5). The point is that, with regard to our entrusting others with ministry, it is a blessing to them not to burden their integrity too heavily. It is not a matter of not trusting; but not giving anyone the opportunity to allow room for doubt.
The man of God must not rely on his reputation to keep him in the blessing of the people. He must not allow the opportunity for doubt to occur. Some ladies are offended that I won’t come and visit them alone. Some fellas are insulted that I won’t receive gifts intended for the synagogue. Don’t put me in the position where I have to rely on my reputation for integrity. Allow me the freedom to minister without fearing what someone might have the opportunity to believe.
And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; (Exodus 36:4 KJV)
And they spoke unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make. (Exodus 36:5 KJV)
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. (Exodus 36:6 KJV)
For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much. (Exodus 36:7 KJV)
What Church have you ever been to that passed the word, "Okay, stop giving. We’ve got plenty." We’re not built that way. In fact, we tend to work just the opposite: as we are given more we tend to look for greater opportunities to spend!
Part of what made the giving of the people so beautiful is that they came willingly and offered what they had without reservation. Another part is that the officers were walking in obedience, doing what Adonai instructed them without looking for ways to add in their own ideas. Often we get frustrated with our financial predicaments and blame God for not providing for the ministry. The truth is that what He is not providing for is our agendas. Often we find ourselves in want for very important matters because He knows that we would misappropriate the resources for our own agendas (though often as legitimate in the eyes of the congregation).
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
(James 4:3 KJV)
At Beit Ahavat Yeshua (our local congregation) we are not a 501c3 tax exempt organization. We don’t even have a bank account. We don’t want to be able to do business without God. As needs arise they are provided for, often miraculously, sometimes from sources absolutely out of the blue.
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. (Exodus 36:8 KJV)
The length of one curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the curtains were all of one size. (Exodus 36:9 KJV)
And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another. (Exodus 36:10 KJV)
And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvage in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. (Exodus 36:11 KJV)
The outer garment of the Tabernacle itself has a strand of blue thread, the same as the command to the people of Israel (Numbers 15:38). In this manner we can identify ourselves as the dwelling place of the Most High.
This idea didn’t originate with the Messiah. There was huge controversy with the building of the Herodian Temple in Jerusalem. Many in Yeshua’s day did not acknowledge the structure financed by this gentile tyrant to be the legitimate Mishkan (or dwelling place of God). Instead, they taught that the heart of every Jew was the Mishkan.
Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second: the loops held one curtain to another. (Exodus 36:12 KJV)
And he made fifty tacks of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the tacks: so it became one tabernacle. (Exodus 36:13 KJV)
And he made curtains of goats' hair for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them. (Exodus 36:14 KJV)
The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits was the breadth of one curtain: the eleven curtains were of one size. (Exodus 36:15 KJV)
And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. (Exodus 36:16 KJV)
And he made fifty loops upon the uttermost edge of the curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second. (Exodus 36:17 KJV)
And he made fifty tacks of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one. (Exodus 36:18 KJV)
And he made a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers' skins above that. (Exodus 36:19 KJV)
And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up. (Exodus 36:20 KJV)
The length of a board was ten cubits, and the breadth of a board one cubit and a half. (Exodus 36:21 KJV)
One board had two tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle. (Exodus 36:22 KJV)
And he made boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward: (Exodus 36:23 KJV)
And forty sockets of silver he made under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons. (Exodus 36:24 KJV)
And for the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north corner, he made twenty boards, (Exodus 36:25 KJV)
And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. (Exodus 36:26 KJV)
And for the sides of the tabernacle westward he made six boards. (Exodus 36:27 KJV)
And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. (Exodus 36:28 KJV)
And they were coupled beneath, and coupled together at the head thereof, to one ring: thus he did to both of them in both the corners. (Exodus 36:29 KJV)
And there were eight boards; and their sockets were sixteen sockets of silver, under every board two sockets. (Exodus 36:30 KJV)
And he made bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, (Exodus 36:31 KJV)
And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the sides westward. (Exodus 36:32 KJV)
And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other. (Exodus 36:33 KJV)
And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold. (Exodus 36:34 KJV)
And he made a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work. (Exodus 36:35 KJV)
And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver. (Exodus 36:36 KJV)
And he made a hanging for the tabernacle door of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, of needlework; (Exodus 36:37 KJV)
And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters and their fillets with gold: but their five sockets were of brass. (Exodus 36:38 KJV)
Each time I read this, I think to myself that I need to spend more time here. There is so much about the Tabernacle that we don’t understand or that we guess at regarding it’s significance. However, the Ruakh Kodesh comforts me and encourages me to go on, reminding me that I don’t need to understand it all. We gather it a little at a time.
It is a fascinating venture to read the descriptions of the Mishkan, then suddenly skip into the minor prophets, then skip to the Revelation of John. I’m not wise enough to put the things that can be found there into words- and to do so may be robbing others from experiencing it for themselves; but there is something there.
And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it: (Exodus 37:1 KJV)
And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about. (Exodus 37:2 KJV)
And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it. (Exodus 37:3 KJV)
And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold. (Exodus 37:4 KJV)
And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. (Exodus 37:5 KJV)
And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof. (Exodus 37:6 KJV)
In Romans 3:25 Paul uses the Greek word "ilasterion" to describe our Messiah as our "propitiation". Later, the writer of Hebrews will use the same word to describe the "mercy-seat" of the Ark in Hebrews 9:5.
And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat; (Exodus 37:7 KJV)
One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof. (Exodus 37:8 KJV)
And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims. (Exodus 37:9 KJV)
And he made the table of shittim wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof: (Exodus 37:10 KJV)
And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereunto a crown of gold round about. (Exodus 37:11 KJV)
Also he made thereunto a border of a handbreadth round about; and made a crown of gold for the border thereof round about. (Exodus 37:12 KJV)
And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings upon the four corners that were in the four feet thereof. (Exodus 37:13 KJV)
Over against the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table. (Exodus 37:14 KJV)
And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table. (Exodus 37:15 KJV)
And he made the vessels which were upon the table, his dishes, and his spoons, and his bowls, and his covers to cover withal, of pure gold. (Exodus 37:16 KJV)
And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same: (Exodus 37:17 KJV)
And six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof: (Exodus 37:18 KJV)
Three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knop and a flower: so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick. (Exodus 37:19 KJV)
And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops, and his flowers: (Exodus 37:20 KJV)
And a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches going out of it. (Exodus 37:21 KJV)
Their knops and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure gold. (Exodus 37:22 KJV)
And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his censers, of pure gold. (Exodus 37:23 KJV)
Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof. (Exodus 37:24 KJV)
Something altogether unique in the description of the Menorah is that "it" is afforded a masculine personal pronoun: "his". None of the articles of the Tabernacle is given this sense of personality. This may well be the underlying reason that, to this day, it is the menorah that most often represents religious Israel: not the ark, not the altar, nor any of the other distinctively Jewish articles of worship.
The flame of the Menorah came to be understood as the Presence of the Ruakh haKodesh (the Holy Spirit) dwelling in the Tabernacle. When the priest would enter, those nearby would peer in carefully to see that the lamp was burning. As long as the lamb burned, the people were confident that the Spirit was abiding with them. This is why the Hanukkah story is so precious. It wasn’t simply an endorsement by God that Jewish worship should continue. It was a declaration that it was not oil that burned the lamp; but the presence of the Shekinah.
And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns thereof were of the same. (Exodus 37:25 KJV)
And he overlaid it with pure gold, both the top of it, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it: also he made unto it a crown of gold round about. (Exodus 37:26 KJV)
And he made two rings of gold for it under the crown thereof, by the two corners of it, upon the two sides thereof, to be places for the staves to bear it withal. (Exodus 37:27 KJV)
And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold. (Exodus 37:28 KJV)
And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary. (Exodus 37:29 KJV)
And he made the altar of burnt offering of shittim wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof; it was foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof. (Exodus 38:1 KJV)
And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of the same: and he overlaid it with brass. (Exodus 38:2 KJV)
And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basins, and the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass. (Exodus 38:3 KJV)
And he made for the altar a brazen grate of network under the compass thereof beneath unto the midst of it. (Exodus 38:4 KJV)
And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass, to be places for the staves. (Exodus 38:5 KJV)
And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with brass. (Exodus 38:6 KJV)
And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made the altar hollow with boards. (Exodus 38:7 KJV)
And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the looking glasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. (Exodus 38:8 KJV)
Brass (or copper… and the debate will go on forever) is said to represent the offerings of sinful man. It must be constantly maintained in order to retain beauty and luster. So, likewise, our offerings are not to be considered the substance of righteousness; but coming to Him with all that we have, understanding that His love, grace and mercy goes the distance. This is not a Christian insertion but a Jewish principle. We are saved and have access to God by no means upon our own merit; but by His grace responding to our faith.
And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits: (Exodus 38:9 KJV)
Their pillars were twenty, and their brazen sockets twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. (Exodus 38:10 KJV)
And for the north side the hangings were a hundred cubits, their pillars were twenty, and their sockets of brass twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. (Exodus 38:11 KJV)
And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. (Exodus 38:12 KJV)
And for the east side eastward fifty cubits. (Exodus 38:13 KJV)
The hangings of the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. (Exodus 38:14 KJV)
And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. (Exodus 38:15 KJV)
All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen. (Exodus 38:16 KJV)
And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. (Exodus 38:17 KJV)
And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court. (Exodus 38:18 KJV)
And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets of silver. (Exodus 38:19 KJV)
The Hebrew word for silver (kessef) means "to yearn." Our Western agenda is to fasten our theology with intellectual prowess: that we have all of our doctrinal ducks in a row. The Hebraic theological fasteners which bind us as one is not in our having it all together but in our passionate desire to become closer and more familiar than we are now. It is not our dogma that holds together our theological house but it is our yearning. We cannot be one with each other if we are satisfied with being complete in ourselves.
And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass. (Exodus 38:20 KJV)
The "pins" are said to be what holds the Tabernacle taunt and upright. There is some question as to exactly what they were. One explanation is that they were tent stakes driven deeply into the ground. This identifies with the Mishkan, the dwelling place of the Most High, being fastened to the earth: that He becomes part of our community, sharing with the same earth with us. One practical argument against this is an understanding that brass (or copper, if you must) is a fairly soft metal and the rocky terrain of the Sinai wilderness is very hard. Driving brass stakes would eventually result in flattened lumps of brass. Another solution is that these "pins" were actually weights that sat upon the ground, theologically representing that the Lord of heaven, while dwelling upon the earth with us, is not bound to it as we are.
This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest. (Exodus 38:21 KJV)
And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 38:22 KJV)
And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen. (Exodus 38:23 KJV)
All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. (Exodus 38:24 KJV)
And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: (Exodus 38:25 KJV)
A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men. (Exodus 38:26 KJV)
And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the veil; a hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. (Exodus 38:27 KJV)
And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them. (Exodus 38:28 KJV)
And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels. (Exodus 38:29 KJV)
And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the brazen altar, and the brazen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar, (Exodus 38:30 KJV)
And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about. (Exodus 38:31 KJV)
And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:1 KJV)
And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. (Exodus 39:2 KJV)
And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work. (Exodus 39:3 KJV)
They made shoulder pieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together. (Exodus 39:4 KJV)
And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:5 KJV)
And they wrought onyx stones enclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel. (Exodus 39:6 KJV)
And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:7 KJV)
And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. (Exodus 39:8 KJV)
It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled. (Exodus 39:9 KJV)
And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row. (Exodus 39:10 KJV)
And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. (Exodus 39:11 KJV)
And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. (Exodus 39:12 KJV)
And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were enclosed in ouches of gold in their enclosings. (Exodus 39:13 KJV)
And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes. (Exodus 39:14 KJV)
And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathen work of pure gold. (Exodus 39:15 KJV)
And they made two ouches of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate. (Exodus 39:16 KJV)
And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate. (Exodus 39:17 KJV)
And the two ends of the two wreathen chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, before it. (Exodus 39:18 KJV)
And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, upon the border of it, which was on the side of the ephod inward. (Exodus 39:19 KJV)
And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. (Exodus 39:20 KJV)
And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:21 KJV)
And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. (Exodus 39:22 KJV)
And there was a hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of a habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend. (Exodus 39:23 KJV)
And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen. (Exodus 39:24 KJV)
And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates; (Exodus 39:25 KJV)
A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:26 KJV)
And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, (Exodus 39:27 KJV)
And a miter of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen, (Exodus 39:28 KJV)
And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:29 KJV)
And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. (Exodus 39:30 KJV)
And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the miter; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:31 KJV)
Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they. (Exodus 39:32 KJV)
And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his tacks, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets, (Exodus 39:33 KJV)
It is interesting to see, though the speculation as to why it is important varies, that there is a clear distinction made between what Bezaleel personally did and what "they" the various artisans did. He made the sockets for the doors and all the articles of the altar. They made the sheets and the hangings. He made the ephod and the breastplate. They affixed the stones and beat the gold. It was clearly a work of the entire community; but equally bore the personal touches of one man. We can largely speculate on this as to why it is important; but one thing I take from it is simply this: that whatever I do for the work of the Kingdom will bear my name as though all the world for all eternity will know that I fashioned it for His glory.
And the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers' skins, and the veil of the covering, (Exodus 39:34 KJV)
The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat, (Exodus 39:35 KJV)
The table, and all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread, (Exodus 39:36 KJV)
The pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light, (Exodus 39:37 KJV)
And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door, (Exodus 39:38 KJV)
The brazen altar, and his grate of brass, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, (Exodus 39:39 KJV)
The hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, his cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation, (Exodus 39:40 KJV)
The cloths of service to do service in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons' garments, to minister in the priest's office. (Exodus 39:41 KJV)
According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. (Exodus 39:42 KJV)
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. (Exodus 39:43 KJV)
Possibly the greatest and most shocking statement in all of Scripture: they got it right! It’s unfortunately our inclination to spend our energies harping on how worthless we are in our service to God- that all of righteousnesses are like dirty tampons (I’m not making that extraordinarily gross, that’s the way the Hebrew reads in Isaiah 64:6). Yet, here we have witness that the people committed themselves to doing exactly what God told them to do in exactly the way that He told them to do it, and they did it. Who’d a thought! So, as we are given clear instruction, we have the incentive and example to follow with clear obedience. We make it altogether way more difficult than it is, not realizing that what He has commanded us to do, He will empower us to do. Or as Paul puts it:
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
(Philippians 2:13 KJV)
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, (Exodus 40:1 KJV)
On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. (Exodus 40:2 KJV)
And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the veil. (Exodus 40:3 KJV)
And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. (Exodus 40:4 KJV)
And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:5 KJV)
And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. (Exodus 40:6 KJV)
And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein. (Exodus 40:7 KJV)
And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate. (Exodus 40:8 KJV)
And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy. (Exodus 40:9 KJV)
And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy. (Exodus 40:10 KJV)
And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it. (Exodus 40:11 KJV)
And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. (Exodus 40:12 KJV)
And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. (Exodus 40:13 KJV)
And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: (Exodus 40:14 KJV)
And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. (Exodus 40:15 KJV)
Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he. (Exodus 40:16 KJV)
At first read, it appears that Moses is instructed to furnish the Tabernacle starting with the Most Holy Place, then working his way out. However, the Ark of the Covenant is placed first, then the Menorah and Table of Showbread; but the second article found in the Tabernacle is the Altar of Incense, which is brought in fourth. The Ark is placed first, representing the Covenant and Presence of God. Next is the Table of Showbread which represents the offerings, the goodness of the people of Israel, then the Menorah (the Holy Spirit). It may be suggested that these are the three representations of God: the Ark is the Father, the Bread of Life is the Son, and the Light is the Spirit… or the Ark is the Father, the Mercyseat the Son and the Menorah the Spirit… but Messiah said that "I am the Light of the World" which would make Him the Menorah. You can see the point that I’m trying to make.
We can come up with all kinds of ideas to explain what these texts are supposed to mean, and there is a lot of value in the discussion. It is always important to realize that these are still our ideas and speculations; realizing that there are layers far deeper than what we currently understand.
And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. (Exodus 40:17 KJV)
And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars. (Exodus 40:18 KJV)
And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:19 KJV)
And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark: (Exodus 40:20 KJV)
And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:21 KJV)
And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the veil. (Exodus 40:22 KJV)
And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:23 KJV)
And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. (Exodus 40:24 KJV)
And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:25 KJV)
And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the veil: (Exodus 40:26 KJV)
And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:27 KJV)
And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:28 KJV)
And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:29 KJV)
And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal. (Exodus 40:30 KJV)
And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat: (Exodus 40:31 KJV)
When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:32 KJV)
And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. (Exodus 40:33 KJV)
Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:34 KJV)
The dedication of the Tabernacle is rightly compared with Solomon’s dedication of the Temple in 1st Kings 8:1-11. The glory of the Most High filled the place. Here is, again, ammunition for those in Messiah Yeshua’s day that were less than enamored with the Herodian Temple… no clouds. It’s difficult for us; but it is worth pausing for a moment and thinking about the idea of there being so much God in a place that we are forced to leave. It’s worth imagining, then recognizing when we come together in worship, when we speak of "the Presence of God among us" we are speaking in extremely limited terms. We don’t like to consider things in these terms- instead referring to Adonai Elohim as our bosom chum. Yet, even Moses, who spoke with God as friend to friend was not able to dwell with Him in the Tabernacle as He descended upon it. Yet, what an amazing goal to aspire to: that our Heavenly Father may be so pleased with our worship that He would come down and there would be suddenly no room for us.
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. (Exodus 40:35 KJV)
And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: (Exodus 40:36 KJV)
But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. (Exodus 40:37 KJV)
For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. (Exodus 40:38 KJV)
Who doesn’t want a glimpse of what heaven must be like. Yet, we glaze over at the repetitive and detailed descriptions of the Mishkan. Moses was shown this as the exact representation of what is in heaven. Who doesn’t want to see and know and understand what God must be really like. Yet, in Revelation 21:22 we are told that the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple. How often we completely miss what is offered to us simply because we have our own ideas as to what it is that we are looking for.
The greatest barrier to the Christian understanding the substance of the Messianic faith is the pre-conceived notion that they already know what they are looking for, that they don’t need any further explanations. Their conclusions are already drawn and the idea their perceptions have been tainted by hellenism and neo-paganism is inconceivable. That Paul clearly declares that the Jewish people have been given the "oracles of God" (Romans 3:2) doesn’t in the least connect with the notion that the a Jewish understanding has something to offer to the gentile believer, or the possibility that most basic understandings of faith could be absolutely misunderstood in biblical terms.
There are a number of very interesting commentaries about the Tabernacle and describing theological significance of each of the articles; yet, so often, these positions are built backwards, reading into them definitions based upon modern conclusions as opposed to reading the text as it was given and learning from God what He is trying to teach us. We have to understand that the establishes building blocks of understanding in order to bring us to faith, not evidences to support our conclusions that we came up with on our own. So often, we need to forget what we thought we knew in order to learn what God is trying to teach us. We have to stop looking for things to support what we believe and start listening for what He is trying to say.
We’ll never find God if we are just looking for ways to defend what we already believe. We’ll never discover truth if we are only looking to support conclusions we have already made.
There are a lot of things in Scripture that make absolute sense and we can connect the dots between righteousness and obedience without any reservation. There are other things that God gives us that just don’t make any sense to us at all- and that is the difference between place where God is invited to dwell and the place that we have erected for our own purposes- that’s difference between being pliable in the hands of God and trying to get God to fit into our own definition and understanding. That is the difference between righteousness and idolatry.
If Israel could do it, God bless ‘em, we can certainly learn to obey. If they have within them the capacity to get it right, so do we. The question is if that is really what our agenda is or if we are still trying to mold God into our own image, fashioning Him according to the pattern of our understanding. If so then we can expect clear skies (thinking we have been blessed) when He is waiting, anxious, to push us out with the cloud of His presence.
The title of the
portion is the first distinctive word found in the portion, however, it is understood to be more than that. Our understanding of the entire reading may, to some degree be encapsulated in this title, it serves as a basic thesis under which the reading may be interpreted.Vayakehel means "to gather or to assemble." Pekhoodi is "the sum". In this final reading of the book of Shemmot, it can be said that we are encouraged to put all the pieces together and see what we’ve got. Yet, is that not the appeal of all Scripture?
Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17 ASV)
Throughout the Scriptures we are reminded to stop and consider the text as whole, taking inventory, declaring the sum of what it is that we believe. While it is the inclination man to take a single doctrine or idea from the text and run with it, Adonai appeals to us to consider the whole and build our understanding, not running off in a zeal toward an imperfect knowledge.
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
(Isaiah 28:9-10 KJV)
Peter appeals to us to remember the prophets of old in 2nd Peter 1:19-21, that no prophecy is given by private interpretation; but that it will line up in consistency with the Word that has been handed down before. "Gather it all together and consider the sum."
Often we are told today that
is not relevant because we have Messiah, forgetting that following Messiah (if we are to be imitators of Him) means following (Galatians 4:4). Even more often we are told that the only Law of Christ is to love each other (forgetting that love is the summation of all of the Law and the prophets (Romans 13:9)).The message of the gospel given in the New Testament is full and beautiful and wonderful; but it’s only half the story. The gentile understanding of the Christian faith is testimony to the richness and beauty of God’s grace; but it is only a taste! Gather it all together and consider the whole. There is a feast waiting for us there.
And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them. (Exodus 35:1 KJV)
It is argued that the commands that Moses refers to here is only in relation to the building of the Tabernacle. Just as vehemently, other scholars declare he is speaking of the entire
. Moses will remind the people more than 20 times that they are not only to know, understand, remember and guard the commands; but they are also to do them. Adonai knows us so well. It’s not the thought that counts. It is not enough to spend some intellectual time building a knowledge base of theological understanding. It is rather by our fruits that we shall be known.Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. (Exodus 35:2 KJV)
Placing the Sabbath regulation here is suggested to reflect the activities of building and servicing the Tabernacle. All of the processes that went into designing, fashioning, erecting and performing the service of worship are representations of the activities that the Most High defines as work. There are 39 of them ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melakha ). There are a couple of ideas that we can take home from this. One is that all the things that we do as work have a place and purpose related to worship, that we may see our daily activities in life as the same function as building the Tabernacle. A second thought is that all of our actions or rest is to be, in itself, an act of worship; but can only be so in it’s proper context: that our work, whatever it is, is beautiful and holy in the sight of God for six days. Equally, despondency and laziness if revolting on when there is work to done outside of the Sabbath.
Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day. (Exodus 35:3 KJV)
This passage has been interpreted in a number of different ways and applied with far greater latitude. It is only given here and will not be referenced later in the Tanakh even once.
One Messianic teacher declared that this is an idiom for creating strife or arguing ( if so the Jewish process of worship is intrinsically flawed, that, this is the only idiomatic phrase (not meaning what it is actually saying) found in
). Many view this as a simple command to neither create or destroy (since the act of kindling a fire does both). This can be taken to such an extreme as to not eat on the Sabbath because such is destruction. Many do not use electricity or participate in any activity that consumes resources.
Still others consider this to be only a prohibition against striking a flame. A fire that is still burning may be maintained; but not started if it has gone out. Some families, who have to travel some distance for their Sabbath worship, even start their cars on erev Shabbat (the evening before) and let it run all night so as not to desecrate this command.
There are a few factors we may consider when determining how Adonai may lead us according to this worship. The first is to remember that this command is given in context of the erection of the Tabernacle: that the elements of the Tabernacle are forefront in our interpretation.
The second factor is to understand the use of fire in a Bedouin culture. We know that fire is used for light and heat. However, the Bedouins did not heat their tents with fire. They built a platform in the center of the tent for their families, then brought animals into the structure to keep them warm. The purposes of fire would be for light and for cooking. We already know that they were not to cook on the Sabbath day, that the food for Sabbath was to be prepared in advance (Exodus 16:23). The practical absence that would be found lacking on the Sabbath day is light. However, understanding that the Tabernacle is the focus of this context, there would be one light still shining brightly, around which the nation of Israel was congregated: the Light of the altar in the Tabernacle would continue to burn: thus making the Tabernacle the single focus of attention, the source of light, for the Sabbath day.
The practical ways we express our worship according to this is ill-defined and sharply argued in many devout ranks of Judaism. I’m certainly not going to defend or promote one position against another. There is much discussion and merited logic that sages have poured centuries of discussion into this one tiny little verse of Scripture.
And Moses spoke unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, (Exodus 35:4 KJV)
Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass, (Exodus 35:5 KJV)
And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, (Exodus 35:6 KJV)
And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, (Exodus 35:7 KJV)
And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, (Exodus 35:8 KJV)
And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate. (Exodus 35:9 KJV)
And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded; (Exodus 35:10 KJV)
The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his tacks, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets, (Exodus 35:11 KJV)
The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the veil of the covering, (Exodus 35:12 KJV)
The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread, (Exodus 35:13 KJV)
The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light, (Exodus 35:14 KJV)
And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle, (Exodus 35:15 KJV)
The altar of burnt offering, with his brazen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, (Exodus 35:16 KJV)
The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court, (Exodus 35:17 KJV)
The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords, (Exodus 35:18 KJV)
The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office. (Exodus 35:19 KJV)
And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. (Exodus 35:20 KJV)
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. (Exodus 35:21 KJV)
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. (Exodus 35:22 KJV)
Nachmanides says "the women came first and the men followed."
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. (Exodus 35:23 KJV)
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. (Exodus 35:24 KJV)
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. (Exodus 35:25 KJV)
And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair. (Exodus 35:26 KJV)
And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; (Exodus 35:27 KJV)
And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. (Exodus 35:28 KJV)
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. (Exodus 35:29 KJV)
Already, the procurement of the elements necessary to build the Tabernacle is unique. Moses asked everyone who would be willing to give rather than appointing a commission to go through the people and take. The strategy is a powerful one, even from a socialistic perspective: the Tabernacle (the focal identity of the nation) is provided and created by the people. Each person who has a willing spirit has an opportunity to participate in building the Tabernacle of Adonai. Paul expresses this same idea in 1st Corinthians 12, describing the Body of Messiah as many distinctive members with a diversity of ministries, all for the single purpose of giving glory and honor to Elohim.
And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; (Exodus 35:30 KJV)
And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; (Exodus 35:31 KJV)
And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, (Exodus 35:32 KJV)
And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work. (Exodus 35:33 KJV)
Here is a distinctive phrase that is grabbed hold of in the New Testament (Acts 2:4) as to how the disciples were empowered to speak with "other tongues." Yet, Bezaleel is considered by most biblical scholars to simply be described as already a skilled craftsman. Here, in Exodus 35, the Holy Spirit fills a person to perform His work. This is invalidated by the Christian understanding that until the Messiah died on the cross, the Spirit must had been held back. The testimony of the Scripture that God can do whatever He wants to whomever He pleases. It is thus worth re-looking at why Messiah must first go so that the "Comforter", the Spirit, may come (John 16:7).
And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. (Exodus 35:34 KJV)
Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, 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. (Exodus 35:35 KJV)
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. (Exodus 36:1 KJV)
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: (Exodus 36:2 KJV)
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. (Exodus 36:3 KJV)
From this example, it is explained that financial contributions toward ministry are never to be delivered into the hands of one person. There should always be two people to receive and handle funds given in dedication to God’s work.
One of the traditional stories is that all persons bringing a gift and the men receiving the gifts wore only a tunic without a belt, without a headdress, without a satchel, without anything that could be used to conceal and remove anything (this begs our memory toward Ananias and Saphira in Acts 5). The point is that, with regard to our entrusting others with ministry, it is a blessing to them not to burden their integrity too heavily. It is not a matter of not trusting; but not giving anyone the opportunity to allow room for doubt.
The man of God must not rely on his reputation to keep him in the blessing of the people. He must not allow the opportunity for doubt to occur. Some ladies are offended that I won’t come and visit them alone. Some fellas are insulted that I won’t receive gifts intended for the synagogue. Don’t put me in the position where I have to rely on my reputation for integrity. Allow me the freedom to minister without fearing what someone might have the opportunity to believe.
And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; (Exodus 36:4 KJV)
And they spoke unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make. (Exodus 36:5 KJV)
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. (Exodus 36:6 KJV)
For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much. (Exodus 36:7 KJV)
What Church have you ever been to that passed the word, "Okay, stop giving. We’ve got plenty." We’re not built that way. In fact, we tend to work just the opposite: as we are given more we tend to look for greater opportunities to spend!
Part of what made the giving of the people so beautiful is that they came willingly and offered what they had without reservation. Another part is that the officers were walking in obedience, doing what Adonai instructed them without looking for ways to add in their own ideas. Often we get frustrated with our financial predicaments and blame God for not providing for the ministry. The truth is that what He is not providing for is our agendas. Often we find ourselves in want for very important matters because He knows that we would misappropriate the resources for our own agendas (though often as legitimate in the eyes of the congregation).
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
(James 4:3 KJV)
At Beit Ahavat Yeshua (our local congregation) we are not a 501c3 tax exempt organization. We don’t even have a bank account. We don’t want to be able to do business without God. As needs arise they are provided for, often miraculously, sometimes from sources absolutely out of the blue.
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. (Exodus 36:8 KJV)
The length of one curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the curtains were all of one size. (Exodus 36:9 KJV)
And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another. (Exodus 36:10 KJV)
And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvage in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. (Exodus 36:11 KJV)
The outer garment of the Tabernacle itself has a strand of blue thread, the same as the command to the people of Israel (Numbers 15:38). In this manner we can identify ourselves as the dwelling place of the Most High.
This idea didn’t originate with the Messiah. There was huge controversy with the building of the Herodian Temple in Jerusalem. Many in Yeshua’s day did not acknowledge the structure financed by this gentile tyrant to be the legitimate Mishkan (or dwelling place of God). Instead, they taught that the heart of every Jew was the Mishkan.
Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second: the loops held one curtain to another. (Exodus 36:12 KJV)
And he made fifty tacks of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the tacks: so it became one tabernacle. (Exodus 36:13 KJV)
And he made curtains of goats' hair for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them. (Exodus 36:14 KJV)
The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits was the breadth of one curtain: the eleven curtains were of one size. (Exodus 36:15 KJV)
And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. (Exodus 36:16 KJV)
And he made fifty loops upon the uttermost edge of the curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second. (Exodus 36:17 KJV)
And he made fifty tacks of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one. (Exodus 36:18 KJV)
And he made a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers' skins above that. (Exodus 36:19 KJV)
And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up. (Exodus 36:20 KJV)
The length of a board was ten cubits, and the breadth of a board one cubit and a half. (Exodus 36:21 KJV)
One board had two tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle. (Exodus 36:22 KJV)
And he made boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward: (Exodus 36:23 KJV)
And forty sockets of silver he made under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons. (Exodus 36:24 KJV)
And for the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north corner, he made twenty boards, (Exodus 36:25 KJV)
And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. (Exodus 36:26 KJV)
And for the sides of the tabernacle westward he made six boards. (Exodus 36:27 KJV)
And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. (Exodus 36:28 KJV)
And they were coupled beneath, and coupled together at the head thereof, to one ring: thus he did to both of them in both the corners. (Exodus 36:29 KJV)
And there were eight boards; and their sockets were sixteen sockets of silver, under every board two sockets. (Exodus 36:30 KJV)
And he made bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, (Exodus 36:31 KJV)
And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the sides westward. (Exodus 36:32 KJV)
And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other. (Exodus 36:33 KJV)
And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold. (Exodus 36:34 KJV)
And he made a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work. (Exodus 36:35 KJV)
And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver. (Exodus 36:36 KJV)
And he made a hanging for the tabernacle door of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, of needlework; (Exodus 36:37 KJV)
And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters and their fillets with gold: but their five sockets were of brass. (Exodus 36:38 KJV)
Each time I read this, I think to myself that I need to spend more time here. There is so much about the Tabernacle that we don’t understand or that we guess at regarding it’s significance. However, the Ruakh Kodesh comforts me and encourages me to go on, reminding me that I don’t need to understand it all. We gather it a little at a time.
It is a fascinating venture to read the descriptions of the Mishkan, then suddenly skip into the minor prophets, then skip to the Revelation of John. I’m not wise enough to put the things that can be found there into words- and to do so may be robbing others from experiencing it for themselves; but there is something there.
And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it: (Exodus 37:1 KJV)
And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about. (Exodus 37:2 KJV)
And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it. (Exodus 37:3 KJV)
And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold. (Exodus 37:4 KJV)
And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. (Exodus 37:5 KJV)
And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof. (Exodus 37:6 KJV)
In Romans 3:25 Paul uses the Greek word "ilasterion" to describe our Messiah as our "propitiation". Later, the writer of Hebrews will use the same word to describe the "mercy-seat" of the Ark in Hebrews 9:5.
And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat; (Exodus 37:7 KJV)
One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof. (Exodus 37:8 KJV)
And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims. (Exodus 37:9 KJV)
And he made the table of shittim wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof: (Exodus 37:10 KJV)
And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereunto a crown of gold round about. (Exodus 37:11 KJV)
Also he made thereunto a border of a handbreadth round about; and made a crown of gold for the border thereof round about. (Exodus 37:12 KJV)
And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings upon the four corners that were in the four feet thereof. (Exodus 37:13 KJV)
Over against the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table. (Exodus 37:14 KJV)
And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table. (Exodus 37:15 KJV)
And he made the vessels which were upon the table, his dishes, and his spoons, and his bowls, and his covers to cover withal, of pure gold. (Exodus 37:16 KJV)
And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same: (Exodus 37:17 KJV)
And six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof: (Exodus 37:18 KJV)
Three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knop and a flower: so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick. (Exodus 37:19 KJV)
And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops, and his flowers: (Exodus 37:20 KJV)
And a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches going out of it. (Exodus 37:21 KJV)
Their knops and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure gold. (Exodus 37:22 KJV)
And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his censers, of pure gold. (Exodus 37:23 KJV)
Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof. (Exodus 37:24 KJV)
Something altogether unique in the description of the Menorah is that "it" is afforded a masculine personal pronoun: "his". None of the articles of the Tabernacle is given this sense of personality. This may well be the underlying reason that, to this day, it is the menorah that most often represents religious Israel: not the ark, not the altar, nor any of the other distinctively Jewish articles of worship.
The flame of the Menorah came to be understood as the Presence of the Ruakh haKodesh (the Holy Spirit) dwelling in the Tabernacle. When the priest would enter, those nearby would peer in carefully to see that the lamp was burning. As long as the lamb burned, the people were confident that the Spirit was abiding with them. This is why the Hanukkah story is so precious. It wasn’t simply an endorsement by God that Jewish worship should continue. It was a declaration that it was not oil that burned the lamp; but the presence of the Shekinah.
And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns thereof were of the same. (Exodus 37:25 KJV)
And he overlaid it with pure gold, both the top of it, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it: also he made unto it a crown of gold round about. (Exodus 37:26 KJV)
And he made two rings of gold for it under the crown thereof, by the two corners of it, upon the two sides thereof, to be places for the staves to bear it withal. (Exodus 37:27 KJV)
And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold. (Exodus 37:28 KJV)
And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary. (Exodus 37:29 KJV)
And he made the altar of burnt offering of shittim wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof; it was foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof. (Exodus 38:1 KJV)
And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of the same: and he overlaid it with brass. (Exodus 38:2 KJV)
And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basins, and the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass. (Exodus 38:3 KJV)
And he made for the altar a brazen grate of network under the compass thereof beneath unto the midst of it. (Exodus 38:4 KJV)
And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass, to be places for the staves. (Exodus 38:5 KJV)
And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with brass. (Exodus 38:6 KJV)
And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made the altar hollow with boards. (Exodus 38:7 KJV)
And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the looking glasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. (Exodus 38:8 KJV)
Brass (or copper… and the debate will go on forever) is said to represent the offerings of sinful man. It must be constantly maintained in order to retain beauty and luster. So, likewise, our offerings are not to be considered the substance of righteousness; but coming to Him with all that we have, understanding that His love, grace and mercy goes the distance. This is not a Christian insertion but a Jewish principle. We are saved and have access to God by no means upon our own merit; but by His grace responding to our faith.
And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits: (Exodus 38:9 KJV)
Their pillars were twenty, and their brazen sockets twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. (Exodus 38:10 KJV)
And for the north side the hangings were a hundred cubits, their pillars were twenty, and their sockets of brass twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. (Exodus 38:11 KJV)
And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. (Exodus 38:12 KJV)
And for the east side eastward fifty cubits. (Exodus 38:13 KJV)
The hangings of the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. (Exodus 38:14 KJV)
And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. (Exodus 38:15 KJV)
All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen. (Exodus 38:16 KJV)
And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. (Exodus 38:17 KJV)
And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court. (Exodus 38:18 KJV)
And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets of silver. (Exodus 38:19 KJV)
The Hebrew word for silver (kessef) means "to yearn." Our Western agenda is to fasten our theology with intellectual prowess: that we have all of our doctrinal ducks in a row. The Hebraic theological fasteners which bind us as one is not in our having it all together but in our passionate desire to become closer and more familiar than we are now. It is not our dogma that holds together our theological house but it is our yearning. We cannot be one with each other if we are satisfied with being complete in ourselves.
And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass. (Exodus 38:20 KJV)
The "pins" are said to be what holds the Tabernacle taunt and upright. There is some question as to exactly what they were. One explanation is that they were tent stakes driven deeply into the ground. This identifies with the Mishkan, the dwelling place of the Most High, being fastened to the earth: that He becomes part of our community, sharing with the same earth with us. One practical argument against this is an understanding that brass (or copper, if you must) is a fairly soft metal and the rocky terrain of the Sinai wilderness is very hard. Driving brass stakes would eventually result in flattened lumps of brass. Another solution is that these "pins" were actually weights that sat upon the ground, theologically representing that the Lord of heaven, while dwelling upon the earth with us, is not bound to it as we are.
This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest. (Exodus 38:21 KJV)
And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 38:22 KJV)
And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen. (Exodus 38:23 KJV)
All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. (Exodus 38:24 KJV)
And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: (Exodus 38:25 KJV)
A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men. (Exodus 38:26 KJV)
And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the veil; a hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. (Exodus 38:27 KJV)
And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them. (Exodus 38:28 KJV)
And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels. (Exodus 38:29 KJV)
And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the brazen altar, and the brazen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar, (Exodus 38:30 KJV)
And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about. (Exodus 38:31 KJV)
And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:1 KJV)
And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. (Exodus 39:2 KJV)
And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work. (Exodus 39:3 KJV)
They made shoulder pieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together. (Exodus 39:4 KJV)
And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:5 KJV)
And they wrought onyx stones enclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel. (Exodus 39:6 KJV)
And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:7 KJV)
And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. (Exodus 39:8 KJV)
It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled. (Exodus 39:9 KJV)
And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row. (Exodus 39:10 KJV)
And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. (Exodus 39:11 KJV)
And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. (Exodus 39:12 KJV)
And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were enclosed in ouches of gold in their enclosings. (Exodus 39:13 KJV)
And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes. (Exodus 39:14 KJV)
And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathen work of pure gold. (Exodus 39:15 KJV)
And they made two ouches of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate. (Exodus 39:16 KJV)
And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate. (Exodus 39:17 KJV)
And the two ends of the two wreathen chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, before it. (Exodus 39:18 KJV)
And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, upon the border of it, which was on the side of the ephod inward. (Exodus 39:19 KJV)
And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. (Exodus 39:20 KJV)
And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:21 KJV)
And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. (Exodus 39:22 KJV)
And there was a hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of a habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend. (Exodus 39:23 KJV)
And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen. (Exodus 39:24 KJV)
And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates; (Exodus 39:25 KJV)
A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:26 KJV)
And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, (Exodus 39:27 KJV)
And a miter of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen, (Exodus 39:28 KJV)
And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:29 KJV)
And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. (Exodus 39:30 KJV)
And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the miter; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:31 KJV)
Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they. (Exodus 39:32 KJV)
And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his tacks, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets, (Exodus 39:33 KJV)
It is interesting to see, though the speculation as to why it is important varies, that there is a clear distinction made between what Bezaleel personally did and what "they" the various artisans did. He made the sockets for the doors and all the articles of the altar. They made the sheets and the hangings. He made the ephod and the breastplate. They affixed the stones and beat the gold. It was clearly a work of the entire community; but equally bore the personal touches of one man. We can largely speculate on this as to why it is important; but one thing I take from it is simply this: that whatever I do for the work of the Kingdom will bear my name as though all the world for all eternity will know that I fashioned it for His glory.
And the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers' skins, and the veil of the covering, (Exodus 39:34 KJV)
The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat, (Exodus 39:35 KJV)
The table, and all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread, (Exodus 39:36 KJV)
The pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light, (Exodus 39:37 KJV)
And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door, (Exodus 39:38 KJV)
The brazen altar, and his grate of brass, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, (Exodus 39:39 KJV)
The hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, his cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation, (Exodus 39:40 KJV)
The cloths of service to do service in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons' garments, to minister in the priest's office. (Exodus 39:41 KJV)
According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. (Exodus 39:42 KJV)
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. (Exodus 39:43 KJV)
Possibly the greatest and most shocking statement in all of Scripture: they got it right! It’s unfortunately our inclination to spend our energies harping on how worthless we are in our service to God- that all of righteousnesses are like dirty tampons (I’m not making that extraordinarily gross, that’s the way the Hebrew reads in Isaiah 64:6). Yet, here we have witness that the people committed themselves to doing exactly what God told them to do in exactly the way that He told them to do it, and they did it. Who’d a thought! So, as we are given clear instruction, we have the incentive and example to follow with clear obedience. We make it altogether way more difficult than it is, not realizing that what He has commanded us to do, He will empower us to do. Or as Paul puts it:
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
(Philippians 2:13 KJV)
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, (Exodus 40:1 KJV)
On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. (Exodus 40:2 KJV)
And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the veil. (Exodus 40:3 KJV)
And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. (Exodus 40:4 KJV)
And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:5 KJV)
And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. (Exodus 40:6 KJV)
And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein. (Exodus 40:7 KJV)
And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate. (Exodus 40:8 KJV)
And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy. (Exodus 40:9 KJV)
And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy. (Exodus 40:10 KJV)
And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it. (Exodus 40:11 KJV)
And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. (Exodus 40:12 KJV)
And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. (Exodus 40:13 KJV)
And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: (Exodus 40:14 KJV)
And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. (Exodus 40:15 KJV)
Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he. (Exodus 40:16 KJV)
At first read, it appears that Moses is instructed to furnish the Tabernacle starting with the Most Holy Place, then working his way out. However, the Ark of the Covenant is placed first, then the Menorah and Table of Showbread; but the second article found in the Tabernacle is the Altar of Incense, which is brought in fourth. The Ark is placed first, representing the Covenant and Presence of God. Next is the Table of Showbread which represents the offerings, the goodness of the people of Israel, then the Menorah (the Holy Spirit). It may be suggested that these are the three representations of God: the Ark is the Father, the Bread of Life is the Son, and the Light is the Spirit… or the Ark is the Father, the Mercyseat the Son and the Menorah the Spirit… but Messiah said that "I am the Light of the World" which would make Him the Menorah. You can see the point that I’m trying to make.
We can come up with all kinds of ideas to explain what these texts are supposed to mean, and there is a lot of value in the discussion. It is always important to realize that these are still our ideas and speculations; realizing that there are layers far deeper than what we currently understand.
And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. (Exodus 40:17 KJV)
And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars. (Exodus 40:18 KJV)
And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:19 KJV)
And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark: (Exodus 40:20 KJV)
And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:21 KJV)
And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the veil. (Exodus 40:22 KJV)
And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:23 KJV)
And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. (Exodus 40:24 KJV)
And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:25 KJV)
And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the veil: (Exodus 40:26 KJV)
And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:27 KJV)
And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:28 KJV)
And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:29 KJV)
And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal. (Exodus 40:30 KJV)
And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat: (Exodus 40:31 KJV)
When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:32 KJV)
And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. (Exodus 40:33 KJV)
Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:34 KJV)
The dedication of the Tabernacle is rightly compared with Solomon’s dedication of the Temple in 1st Kings 8:1-11. The glory of the Most High filled the place. Here is, again, ammunition for those in Messiah Yeshua’s day that were less than enamored with the Herodian Temple… no clouds. It’s difficult for us; but it is worth pausing for a moment and thinking about the idea of there being so much God in a place that we are forced to leave. It’s worth imagining, then recognizing when we come together in worship, when we speak of "the Presence of God among us" we are speaking in extremely limited terms. We don’t like to consider things in these terms- instead referring to Adonai Elohim as our bosom chum. Yet, even Moses, who spoke with God as friend to friend was not able to dwell with Him in the Tabernacle as He descended upon it. Yet, what an amazing goal to aspire to: that our Heavenly Father may be so pleased with our worship that He would come down and there would be suddenly no room for us.
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. (Exodus 40:35 KJV)
And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: (Exodus 40:36 KJV)
But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. (Exodus 40:37 KJV)
For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. (Exodus 40:38 KJV)
Who doesn’t want a glimpse of what heaven must be like. Yet, we glaze over at the repetitive and detailed descriptions of the Mishkan. Moses was shown this as the exact representation of what is in heaven. Who doesn’t want to see and know and understand what God must be really like. Yet, in Revelation 21:22 we are told that the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple. How often we completely miss what is offered to us simply because we have our own ideas as to what it is that we are looking for.
The greatest barrier to the Christian understanding the substance of the Messianic faith is the pre-conceived notion that they already know what they are looking for, that they don’t need any further explanations. Their conclusions are already drawn and the idea their perceptions have been tainted by hellenism and neo-paganism is inconceivable. That Paul clearly declares that the Jewish people have been given the "oracles of God" (Romans 3:2) doesn’t in the least connect with the notion that the a Jewish understanding has something to offer to the gentile believer, or the possibility that most basic understandings of faith could be absolutely misunderstood in biblical terms.
There are a number of very interesting commentaries about the Tabernacle and describing theological significance of each of the articles; yet, so often, these positions are built backwards, reading into them definitions based upon modern conclusions as opposed to reading the text as it was given and learning from God what He is trying to teach us. We have to understand that the
establishes building blocks of understanding in order to bring us to faith, not evidences to support our conclusions that we came up with on our own. So often, we need to forget what we thought we knew in order to learn what God is trying to teach us. We have to stop looking for things to support what we believe and start listening for what He is trying to say.We’ll never find God if we are just looking for ways to defend what we already believe. We’ll never discover truth if we are only looking to support conclusions we have already made.
There are a lot of things in Scripture that make absolute sense and we can connect the dots between righteousness and obedience without any reservation. There are other things that God gives us that just don’t make any sense to us at all- and that is the difference between place where God is invited to dwell and the place that we have erected for our own purposes- that’s difference between being pliable in the hands of God and trying to get God to fit into our own definition and understanding. That is the difference between righteousness and idolatry.
If Israel could do it, God bless ‘em, we can certainly learn to obey. If they have within them the capacity to get it right, so do we. The question is if that is really what our agenda is or if we are still trying to mold God into our own image, fashioning Him according to the pattern of our understanding. If so then we can expect clear skies (thinking we have been blessed) when He is waiting, anxious, to push us out with the cloud of His presence.
