Exodus 35-Exodus 40 (Click title for audio access)
"It's Your Turn!" • 7.21.11 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Thursday Night Bible Study
Intro.
- We'll finish the book of Exodus tonight, largely because much of what we are about to consider, has already been considered at length here on Thursday nights.
- If there are any who have need of review, I commend you to our site which has a mound of notes and audio files that can be accessed.
- Moses has been given the map and the details of the Tabernacle implements. Tonight, we'll examine how the people of God responded to what has been shown.
Text
• Exodus 35:1-3 : "Then Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said to them, 'These are the words which the Lord has commanded you to do: Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day.” : Before Moses instructs them about the work, he founds it on the rest that they were to experience. 6 days on, 1 day off, with a severe penalty for disobedience.
- The life of God's people is to be regulated and founded upon rest and trust in Him.
- God is a God of rest, not a God of works! Jesus is our Rest, our Sabbath and any life that is not founded on Him will not last! It will fizzle out and die.
- He tells them that they are not to kindle a fire, meaning that they are not to begin a new fire on the Sabbath day within their homes. They knew why and what for.
• Exodus 35:4,5 (through 19) : "And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, 'This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying: ‘Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze;..." : Moses now begins the process of bringing in what was necessary to construct the tabernacle.
- This was not Moses' idea. It was what the Lord commanded for him to communicate and what the Tabernacle would require. Additionally, the offering was to the Lord.
- Moses collected their materials, but it was God who required them. He is the sole recipient of their giving, as He is the sole recipient of our giving.
- The materials for what God would build would come from the congregation, the children of Israel. But here is the condition: It's to come from a willing heart.
- The NLT translates this, representing the majority other as, "generous hearts." If there was an inclination toward giving to the Lord, that was to be the initiative that God was looking for.
- If He puts it into your heart to give, then do so. Otherwise, keep what you have and watch God work in another way.
- Never feel pressure from anyone else. That is not biblical. But neither should you ignore God's prompting. Their resources would fund their worship.
- Ironically, we have no problem funding the other things that we worship! Those who worship the Lord never see it as a compulsion. They see it as a joy and a blessing to partake.
- From verse 5, through the end of verse 19, we see the list of materials that the Lord required of them. From silver and gold toto the materials needed for the veils and the Priest's clothing.
• Exodus 35:20-22 : "And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold, that is, every man who made an offering of gold to the Lord." : You gotta love that Moses didn't prime the pump or manipulate the moment right then!
- Israel left the assembly and had time to think about it. Soon, everyone came whose heart was stirred. Literally, every one came whose heart bore them up.
- Their hearts moved them. They were motivated from within, not without. Notice that it was both men and women. Everyone had the opportunity to give.
- They found materials everywhere, originating from the backwages given to them on the night of their departure from Egypt.
- Gold was found in their earrings, nose rings, necklaces, etc. In the same way, they gathered or manufactured all of the other materials from verses 23-28.
• Exodus 35:29 : "The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work which the Lord, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done." The materials were extensive and varied and all of it came from a heart of willingness not guilt.
- You will never hear from my lips, a call to give and any Pastor who might be listening, if God wants something built or done, He can do it without your manipulation and weirdness!
• Exodus 35:30-35 : "And Moses said to the children of Israel, 'See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of artistic workmanship. And He has put in his heart the ability to teach, in him and Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to do all manner of work of the engraver and the designer and the tapestry maker, in blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine linen, and of the weaver—those who do every work and those who design artistic works." : Moses details the calling of Bezalel, the Artisan filled with God's Spirit, able to create all sorts of things. He was the ultimate utility man. At the same time, he also had the ability to teach.
- He was not just a guy who could make things happen. He could replicate himself!
• Exodus 36:1-7 : "And Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom the Lord has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the Lord has commanded. Then Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, everyone whose heart was stirred, to come and do the work. And they received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, and they spoke to Moses, saying, 'The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.' So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, 'Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.' And the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done—indeed too much." : You have to love what the result of this was. They continually brought offerings before the Lord. Every morning a fresh supply would come before the artisans.
- It got to be so much that they told Moses that they had more than enough! They did not need any more! They had a surplus. Moses had to go before the people and ask them to stop giving!
• Exodus 36:8 : "Then all the gifted artisans among them who worked on the tabernacle made ten curtains woven of fine linen, and of blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim they made them." : Verse 8 begins the record of the actual construction of the pieces of the tabernacle, beginning with the enclosing curtains.
- Verses 9-13 speak of the size, length and amount of curtains made.
- Verses 14-19 details the making of the covering for the tent of meeting, which were for weatherproofing and darkening.
- Verses 20-34 cover the frame of the Tabernacle court, with the sockets of silver and the acacia wood covered in gold for the pillars.
- Verses 35 through the end of the chapter (38) covers the making of the veil between the Holy and Most Holy Place, as well as the screen for the entrance into the tent of meeting.
• Exodus 37:1 : "Then Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits was its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height." : Chapter 37 moves us into the construction of the parts within the tent of meeting, begininng with the Ark of the Covenant, the place where God would meet with His people.
- Verses 1-9 give us the details of it's construction. It would be the sole piece of furniture constructed within the Holy Of Holies.
- Verses 10-16 record the making of the Table of Showbread, representing fellowship with the nation of Israel, 12 loaves representing each tribe.
- Verses 17-24 tells us of the construction of the Golden Lampstand representing the Church.
- Think of this: Jesus lives within the people of God by His Spirit. Light comes from Jesus who is the light of the world, meaning that He shines through all who believe upon Him.
- It is not we who shine intrinsically, but He who shines through us!
- Revelation 1:20 tells us that the churches are seven golden lampstands and if some would not repent, they would have their lampstand removed!
- Right here within the Tabernacle, in the eternal wisdom of God, the church is represented!
- Moving onto verse 25-28, we see the making of the Altar of Incense, which are the prayers of the saints, both from Israel, as well as the church. Verse 29 is the making of the annointing oil.
• Exodus 38:1 : "He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood; five cubits was its length and five cubits its width—it was square—and its height was three cubits." : The Altar was the largest piece of furniture and the one that would confront every person entering into the Tabernacle structure. It was the killing place.
- Verses 2-7 detail it's construction, including all of the utensils, which were made of bronze, the symbol of judgment.
• Exodus 38:8 : "He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting." : The bronze laver was the wash basin behind the Altar. It was made from the mirrors of the serving women and it represented the Word of God.
- The Word washes us from the filth of the world. It corrects our view of life and when we look into it, it's a mirror that shows us where we error.
- Chapter 38:9-20 details the construction of the outer court, with it's curtains and foundations.
• Exodus 38:21-23 : "This is the inventory of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, which was counted according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Lemvites, by the hand of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord had commanded Moses. And with him was Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer, a weaver of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and of fine linen." : These verses represent a record of what had been done and by whom, as well as the beginning of the accounting of what had been given.
• Exodus 38:24 : "All the gold that was used in all the work of the holy place, that is, the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary." : This is the reckoning for the gold that was used. This came out to somewhere between 1900 and 2200 pounds of gold.
- All of it free will offering, all of it employed throughout the Tabernacle.
• Exodus 38:25-29 : "And the silver from those who were numbered of the congregation was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary: a bekah for each man (that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone included in the numbering from twenty years old and above, for six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men. And from the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil: one hundred sockets from the hundred talents, one talent for each socket. Then from the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, overlaid their capitals, and made bands for them." : The amount of silver used was over 7500 pounds, given by over 600 thousand men!
• Exodus 38:29-31 : "The offering of bronze was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels. And with it he made the sockets for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating for it, and all the utensils for the altar, the sockets for the court all around, the bases for the court gate, all the pegs for the tabernacle, and all the pegs for the court all around." : Bronze accounted for over 5300 pounds of that which was made for the Tabernacle of witness.
- There are varying estimates of modern day equivalence, ranging from 10 to 13 million dollars!
• Exodus 39:1 : "Of the blue, purple, and scarlet thread they made garments of ministry, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses." : Chapter 39 deals with the clothing of the priests, all of which speak of what the life of the believer is all about.
- Verses 2-7 speak of the creation of the Ephod. 8-21 detail the making of the Breastplate, with verse 22-31 detailing the making of the linen tunic.
• Exodus 39:32,33, 42,43 : "Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished. And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses; so they did. And they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings...42 According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. Then Moses looked over all the work, and indeed they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, just so they had done it. And Moses blessed them." : Moses looked at what had been constructed. They presented all of it to him for his approval. He inspected them and made sure it was made to specs.
- They had done it all and done it all according to God's command. Nothing was made in other way. When Moses saw it, he blessed them. He put his hand on them and set them to use for God.
• Exodus 40:1,2 : "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting." : Chapter 40, the final chapter in this book speaks to the initial set up of the Tabernacle, 1 year from the Exodus.
- Verses 3-33 detail the order that things were set up, beginning with the pieces of furniture. Verse 8 tells us that the courtyard was to come next.
- At that point, from verse 9 to verse 16, Moses took the annointing oil and annointed the furniture and the priests. The most important part of that section is that Moses finished the work.
- From receiving the concept to overseeing the construction, to the final set up, Moses saw it.
• Exodus 40:34,35 : "Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." : After it was all set up, God's presence filled the Tabernacle. Listen: It doesn't matter how many millions get spent, if God does not show up, it's worthless!
- God's promise had been that He would dwell with His people. He fulfills that promise here.
- Why did He come to fill the Tabernacle? Was it because of Moses' complete obedience? No. It was because this perfectly represented the Son of God!
- God's Spirit would come down and shine upon Jesus at His baptism, the Lord attesting, this is my Son in whom I am well pleased!
- The Tabernacle became a place where He allowed His presence to be. While He was in there, even Moses could not enter! Every part of the weight of God was present in that place.
• Exodus 40:36-38 : "Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys." : God's presence over the Tabernacle, in a cloud by day or a fire by night, meant that they were to stay put.
- They were to wait upon Him for movement. He would decree their steps for all their journey.
Conclusion
- Worship begins with God. Our response is enthusiastic giving and complete obedience!
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