35 Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do. 2 Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. 3 You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.”
4 Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 5 Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord’s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats’ hair, 7 tanned rams’ skins, and goatskins;1 acacia wood, 8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 9 and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.
10 “Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded: 11 the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; 12 the ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the veil of the screen; 13 the table with its poles and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand also for the light, with its utensils and its lamps, and the oil for the light; 15 and the altar of incense, with its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle; 16 the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand; 17 the hangings of the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court; 18 the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court, and their cords; 19 the finely worked garments for ministering2 in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests.”
20 Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22 So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 And every one who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats’ hair or tanned rams’ skins or goatskins brought them. 24 Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord’s contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. 25 And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 26 All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats’ hair. 27 And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece, 28 and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. 29 All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.
30 Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, 32 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, 33 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. 34 And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.
36 “Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the Lord has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded.”
2 And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. 3 And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, 4 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, 5 and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.
8 And all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains. They were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked. 9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits,3 and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size.
10 He4 coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another. 11 He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain of the first set. Likewise he made them on the edge of the outermost curtain of the second set. 12 He made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set. The loops were opposite one another. 13 And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to the other with clasps. So the tabernacle was a single whole.
14 He also made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle. He made eleven curtains. 15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains were the same size. 16 He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. 17 And he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other connecting curtain. 18 And he made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together that it might be a single whole. 19 And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins.
20 Then he made the upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood. 21 Ten cubits was the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. 22 Each frame had two tenons for fitting together. He did this for all the frames of the tabernacle. 23 The frames for the tabernacle he made thus: twenty frames for the south side. 24 And he made forty bases of silver under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons. 25 For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames 26 and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame and two bases under the next frame. 27 For the rear of the tabernacle westward he made six frames. 28 He made two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear. 29 And they were separate beneath but joined at the top, at the first ring. He made two of them this way for the two corners. 30 There were eight frames with their bases of silver: sixteen bases, under every frame two bases.
31 He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, 32 and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle at the rear westward. 33 And he made the middle bar to run from end to end halfway up the frames. 34 And he overlaid the frames with gold, and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
35 He made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it he made it. 36 And for it he made four pillars of acacia and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four bases of silver. 37 He also made a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework, 38 and its five pillars with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals, and their fillets were of gold, but their five bases were of bronze.
37 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Two cubits5 and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 2 And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold around it. 3 And he cast for it four rings of gold for its four feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side. 4 And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold 5 and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark. 6 And he made a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. 7 And he made two cherubim of gold. He made them of hammered work on the two ends of the mercy seat, 8 one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends. 9 The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.
10 He also made the table of acacia wood. Two cubits was its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a molding of gold around it. 12 And he made a rim around it a handbreadth6 wide, and made a molding of gold around the rim. 13 He cast for it four rings of gold and fastened the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 14 Close to the frame were the rings, as holders for the poles to carry the table. 15 He made the poles of acacia wood to carry the table, and overlaid them with gold. 16 And he made the vessels of pure gold that were to be on the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and flagons with which to pour drink offerings.
17 He also made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it. 18 And there were six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; 19 three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. 20 And on the lampstand itself were four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, 21 and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out of it. 22 Their calyxes and their branches were of one piece with it. The whole of it was a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. 23 And he made its seven lamps and its tongs and its trays of pure gold. 24 He made it and all its utensils out of a talent7 of pure gold.
25 He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit. It was square, and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it. 26 He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And he made a molding of gold around it, 27 and made two rings of gold on it under its molding, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it. 28 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
29 He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure fragrant incense, blended as by the perfumer.
38 He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. Five cubits8 was its length, and five cubits its breadth. It was square, and three cubits was its height. 2 He made horns for it on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze. 3 And he made all the utensils of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its utensils of bronze. 4 And he made for the altar a grating, a network of bronze, under its ledge, extending halfway down. 5 He cast four rings on the four corners of the bronze grating as holders for the poles. 6 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 And he put the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it with them. He made it hollow, with boards.
8 He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.
9 And he made the court. For the south side the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits; 10 their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 11 And for the north side there were hangings of a hundred cubits; their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 12 And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their ten pillars, and their ten bases; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 13 And for the front to the east, fifty cubits. 14 The hangings for one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. 15 And so for the other side. On both sides of the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases. 16 All the hangings around the court were of fine twined linen. 17 And the bases for the pillars were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. The overlaying of their capitals was also of silver, and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. 18 And the screen for the gate of the court was embroidered with needlework in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It was twenty cubits long and five cubits high in its breadth, corresponding to the hangings of the court. 19 And their pillars were four in number. Their four bases were of bronze, their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals and their fillets of silver. 20 And all the pegs for the tabernacle and for the court all around were of bronze.
21 These are the records of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 22 Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses; 23 and with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer and embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.
24 All the gold that was used for the work, in all the construction of the sanctuary, the gold from the offering, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels,9 by the shekel of the sanctuary. 25 The silver from those of the congregation who were recorded was a hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary: 26 a beka10 a head (that is, half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone who was listed in the records, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men. 27 The hundred talents of silver were for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent a base. 28 And of the 1,775 shekels he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their capitals and made fillets for them. 29 The bronze that was offered was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels; 30 with it he made the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and the bronze grating for it and all the utensils of the altar, 31 the bases around the court, and the bases of the gate of the court, all the pegs of the tabernacle, and all the pegs around the court.
39 From the blue and purple and scarlet yarns they made finely woven garments,11 for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
2 He made the ephod of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. 3 And they hammered out gold leaf, and he cut it into threads to work into the blue and purple and the scarlet yarns, and into the fine twined linen, in skilled design. 4 They made for the ephod attaching shoulder pieces, joined to it at its two edges. 5 And the skillfully woven band on it was of one piece with it and made like it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
6 They made the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold filigree, and engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel. 7 And he set them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod to be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
8 He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. 9 It was square. They made the breastpiece doubled, a span12 its length and a span its breadth when doubled. 10 And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row; 11 and the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; 12 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 13 and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree. 14 There were twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They were like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes. 15 And they made on the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold. 16 And they made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. 17 And they put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece. 18 They attached the two ends of the two cords to the two settings of filigree. Thus they attached it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. 19 Then they made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. 20 And they made two rings of gold, and attached them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 21 And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it should lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece should not come loose from the ephod, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
22 He also made the robe of the ephod woven all of blue, 23 and the opening of the robe in it was like the opening in a garment, with a binding around the opening, so that it might not tear. 24 On the hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 25 They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around the hem of the robe, between the pomegranates— 26 a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate around the hem of the robe for ministering, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
27 They also made the coats, woven of fine linen, for Aaron and his sons, 28 and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined linen, 29 and the sash of fine twined linen and of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
30 They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the Lord.” 31 And they tied to it a cord of blue to fasten it on the turban above, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
32 Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses; so they did. 33 Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its utensils, its hooks, its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; 34 the covering of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins, and the veil of the screen; 35 the ark of the testimony with its poles and the mercy seat; 36 the table with all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; 37 the lampstand of pure gold and its lamps with the lamps set and all its utensils, and the oil for the light; 38 the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the entrance of the tent; 39 the bronze altar, and its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin and its stand; 40 the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, and its pegs; and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 41 the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons for their service as priests. 42 According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work. 43 And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.
40 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3 And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. 4 And you shall bring in the table and arrange it, and you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. 5 And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. 6 You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, 7 and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 8 And you shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court.
9 “Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy. 10 You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy. 11 You shall also anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it. 12 Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water 13 and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest. 14 You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, 15 and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”
16 This Moses did; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did. 17 In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected. 18 Moses erected the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars. 19 And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 20 He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark. 21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 22 He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil, 23 and arranged the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 24 He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, 25 and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 26 He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil, 27 and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 28 He put in place the screen for the door of the tabernacle. 29 And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30 He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, 31 with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. 32 When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses. 33 And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.
Section Overview
Finally we come to the building of the tabernacle. It is a highlight of the story. “The building of the tabernacle at the end [of Exodus] is not an appendix but a climax. Exodus moves from ‘service’ (slavery) to Pharaoh in Egypt to the ‘service’ (worship) of Yahweh at Sinai.”808 The Lord now condescends into the Israelites’ midst in the tabernacle so that this service and worship may continue throughout their journeys. God’s goal in redemption is always to be near his people and in relationship with them. That goal is realized powerfully in this last section of the book.
The section’s opening verses (35:1–3) begin by recapping the Sabbath commands given in 31:12–17. Since the Sabbath is the covenant sign, these verses highlight a main theme of the section: the importance of covenant obedience. And, since they recap the verses immediately preceding the golden calf incident in chapter 32, they allow us to pick up on the other side of that account and resume the narrative as it was supposed to be: Israel is moving forward in obedience to the Lord.
The text then turns to the tabernacle contributions and the gifted artisans who will use them to craft the tabernacle and its furniture (35:4–36:7). We read of a river of joyful givers from across the community whose generosity exceeds the artisans’ needs. As for the artisans, emphasis is again placed on their divine gifting from the Lord, whose wisdom extends even to how one practices one’s trade or craft. Covenant obedience is again highlighted; the clause “the Lord has/had commanded” occurs no fewer than five times (35:4, 10, 29; 36:1, 5).
With the materials now in place the text describes the Israelites’ crafting of the tabernacle and related items (36:8–39:43), such as the priestly clothing. Chapter 39 especially emphasizes how they are careful to do everything “as the Lord had commanded Moses,” with some variation of that clause occurring ten times (39:1, 5, 7, 21, 26, 29, 31, 32, 42, 43).
That emphasis continues into the final chapter (40:1–33), which describes the setting up of the tabernacle and mentions Moses’ obedience to the Lord’s commands seven different times (40:16, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29), as well as the priests’ obedience in their future ministry (40:32). This emphasis on obedience throughout Exodus 35–40 underscores that we are reading no longer of the disobedient calf-worshiping Israelites but of the Israelites as they are meant to be obeying their Lord and King cheerfully, faithfully, and wholeheartedly.
This prepares us for the closing verses, in which the Lord comes down in glory to dwell in the tabernacle in the midst of his faithful people (40:34–38). This achieves one of the Lord’s major goals of the exodus, as he had previously stated it: “I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them” (29:46). What is more, that he comes down to dwell with his people so soon after the golden calf tragedy (chs. 32–34) is especially significant. It is “not that the events of those chapters would ever be forgotten. But the arrival of God’s glory and the resumption of the journey demonstrated that they had been forgiven.”809 This makes clear he truly is a God “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgressions and sin” (34:6–7). Hallelujah!
Section Outline
VIII. Israel at Sinai: the Lord’s palace-tent is built and he comes to dwell among his covenant people (35:1–40:38)
A. Introduction (35:1)
B. Command to keep the Sabbath (35:2–3)
1. The command (35:2a)
2. The punishment for breaking it (35:2b)
3. A specific application of the command (35:3)
C. Gathering the materials for the tabernacle and related components (35:4–36:7)
1. The call for tabernacle contributions (35:4–9)
2. The items to be made for the tabernacle (35:10–19)
3. The bringing of the tabernacle contributions (35:20–29)
4. The divinely gifted tabernacle artisans (35:30–36:1)
5. The command to stop bringing tabernacle contributions (36:2–7)
D. Making the tabernacle and related components (36:8–39:43)
1. The tabernacle’s covering of curtains (36:8–13)
2. The tabernacle’s goat hair tent (36:14–18)
3. The tent’s two further coverings (36:19)
4. The tabernacle’s inner structure (36:20–34)
5. The tabernacle’s veil (36:35–36)
6. The tabernacle’s screen (36:37–38)
7. The ark of the covenant (37:1–9)
8. The golden table (37:10–16)
9. The golden lampstand (37:17–24)
10. The golden altar of incense (37:25–28)
11. The holy anointing oil and holy incense (37:29)
12. The altar of burnt offering (38:1–7)
13. The bronze basin (38:8)
14. The walls of the tabernacle’s courtyard (38:9–20)
15. The record of the tabernacle donations (38:21–31)
16. The priestly garments (39:1–31)
17. The tabernacle items are brought to Moses (39:32–43)
E. The setting up of the tabernacle (40:1–33)
1. The Lord commands the tabernacle to be set up (40:1–8)
2. The Lord commands for the tabernacle and its priests to be made holy (40:9–15)
3. The tabernacle is set up according to the Lord’s commands (40:16–33)
F. The glory of the Lord fills the tabernacle (40:34–38)
Response
We may consider some of this section’s main lessons by asking four questions that center around the tabernacle. The first is about giving, the next two are about obedience, and the last is about God’s purposes in creation.
Why Do We Give Gifts to God?
By the time we reach the end of Exodus we might lose sight of how it began: with the Lord’s rescue of his people from cruel bondage in Egypt (Exodus 1–15). That rescue connects directly to what is taking place at the book’s end, especially when we remember one of the main reasons the Lord gives for rescuing Israel: “They shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them” (29:46). Redemption by the Lord is always for the sake of relationship with him. In Israel’s case this means he will come and physically dwell in its midst in his tabernacle.
But the Israelites must build the tabernacle and provide its materials. In other words this is one of the first capital campaigns God’s people ever undertake. And how do they respond? With a tsunami of generosity. When the Lord first calls for contributions he emphasizes that they are to be voluntary (25:2). But the Israelites’ contributions are not only voluntary; they are community wide (35:20–22, 27). They consist not only of material gifts (35:20–29) but also of acts of service (35:25–26; 36:2). And they are so abundantly given that the artisans soon have more than they can use (36:5–7). This is one problem most pastors would be happy to have!
But why does this happen? Surely because the people remember that this is a God who not only redeemed them to begin with (chs. 1–15) but also has forgiven them and taken them back after they have messed up so badly (chs. 32–34). The proper response to God’s initial grace in redemption and his ongoing grace in forgiveness is not only obedience in general but joyful, cheerful, sacrificial giving in particular. The Israelites do not give in order to be rescued or forgiven. They have already experienced both! And this is the point: generous and cheerful giving is a proper response to the God who has been so gracious to us. Such giving might come in the form of material gifts (35:20–29) or acts of service (35:25–26; 36:2), but true thankfulness always seeks an outlet of expression (cf. Response section on 24:12–25:9, “What Is the Proper Response?”).
When the Israelites give, they do so in keeping with what the Lord commands them to give (35:4; 36:5). This leads to a section question.
What Should Obedience Look Like?
A major theme of this last section of Exodus is the Israelites’ obedience to the Lord. This is highlighted not only by the text’s numerous statements that they do “as the Lord commanded” (cf. Overview of 35:1–40:38) but also in its extensive repetition between the Lord’s commands in chapters 25–31 and the Israelites’ obedience to them in chapters 35–39. Such repetition is intended to make clear that the Israelites have followed the Lord’s commands exactly. This is especially important in the context of Exodus. Only a few chapters earlier they had rebelled against the Lord’s commands regarding proper worship by making a golden calf (ch. 32). Now a chastened and repentant people are following his commandments precisely in building the place where they will worship him. When understood this way, the repetition is meant to inspire us to an obedience that follows God’s commands to the letter. To put it as a question, If someone were to describe God’s commands and then describe our obedience to them, would there be the same level of repetition as we find between chapters 25–31 and 35–39?
We can note further that the obedience highlighted in this section centers around the place of God’s worship. This leads to the next question.
Why Does Proper Worship Matter?
“Worship is absolutely basic to a proper relationship to God.”835 This is because worship involves acknowledging who God is and responding appropriately with obedience, thanksgiving, and praise. But we can respond appropriately only when we are responding to who God actually is—which is why our worship must be in direct keeping with what he has revealed about himself in his Word.
The final chapters of Exodus are a case in point. When the Israelites make and worship a golden calf, the Lord’s responds with judgment and even considers wiping out his people (ch. 32). When the Israelites make and set up the tabernacle exactly in keeping with God’s commands, he comes down to dwell in their midst (chs. 35–40). These contrasting responses make a crucial point: not all ways of worship lead to the same place. There are wrong ways, which God condemns, and a correct way, which he blesses and reveals to us in his Word.
This has important implications for us today. Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He is in effect saying, “Every other way to God that does not go through me is like a golden calf, and those taking such paths can expect the Lord to respond in the way he did with Israel. But the one who comes to God through me can know him truly, and ‘we will come to him and make our home with him’” (John 14:23). We need to know Jesus because only in him can we come to know God and have fellowship with him—which is the very reason we have been created. This leads to a final question.
What Does the Tabernacle Have to Do with Eden?
Commentators frequently note the parallels between the tabernacle account in Exodus 39–40 and the creation account in Genesis 1–2 (cf. table 2.12; the words in italic are the same Hebrew words). These parallels are in keeping with other passages that encourage us to see a link between the tabernacle and creation, and in particular with the garden of Eden. For example, as noted earlier,836 the Bible uses a relatively rare form of a verb to describe the Lord’s “walking in the garden” of Eden (Gen. 3:8) and then uses that same verb when recounting the Lord’s promise to the Israelites, “I will make my dwelling/tabernacle837 among you . . . and I will walk among you” (Lev. 26:11–12).838 Such passages encourage us to see that the tabernacle realizes a main purpose of Eden: God is again “walking” among his people.839
TABLE 2.12: Parallels between Tabernacle Account and Creation Account
We must not miss the fact that God’s desire to be with his creation is not restricted to these passages. It is the heartbeat that drives the biblical story forward from beginning to end. To return to earlier comments,840 in Eden God comes to walk in the garden with Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:8); in the tabernacle he comes down so he might walk among the Israelites in their midst (Lev. 26:12).841 In the tabernacle he comes to dwell among them (Ex. 29:45); in Jesus he comes to dwell in our midst (John 1:14),842 and through his Spirit he makes his dwelling among the people of his church and walks among us (2 Cor. 6:16).843 At the end of Revelation, when the heavenly city comes down to earth, John hears a loud voice declare, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 21:3–4).844 God will be so near to us that it will be as though he reaches out his hand to brush away every tear of pain from our eyes. Do we think of God like this? In Jesus we see that this is exactly the type of God he is. If we have not come to know him in this way, what is stopping us? And if we have, what does it mean for how we face our fears and sorrows? He loves us, seeks to be with us, and desires us to know him. Jesus came in our flesh to prove that it is so. This is who God is.Exodus 35–40