"Oholiab, Bezalel, and all the skilled craftsmen come together and begin construction on the tabernacle and create everything God commanded. This chapter details the construction of the tabernacle."
The Tabernacle Underwritten
“Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skilled person in whom the Lord has put ability and understanding to know how to do all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall work according to all that the Lord has commanded.”
2 So Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person in whom the Lord had put ability, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to do the work. 3 They received from Moses all the offerings which the Israelites had brought for the construction of the sanctuary, to prepare it for service. And they continued to bring him freewill (voluntary) offerings every morning. 4 And all the skilled men who were doing all the work on the sanctuary came, each one from the work which he was doing, 5 and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the Lord commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses issued a command, and it was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the sanctuary offering.” So the people were restrained from bringing anything more; 7 for the material they had was sufficient and more than enough to do all the work.
- ALL ACCORDING TO GOD'S COMMAND. How can everything be done according to God's plans and commandments? It's because God is great, and His plans always prevails. And His ways are always perfect. Even through the imperfect people of Israel. God has put abilities to the (chosen) people, even though they were just 'slaves' in Egypt before, and with His spirit also stirred their hearts to willingly help, serve, and contribute to the building of Tabernacle.
- THE GOD OF MORE THAN ENOUGH. It's amazing how in the middle of the wilderness, everything was provided by God, even to the point that all the offerings of the Israelites were more than enough! Indeed, God is unlimited, and we can never out-give Him.
8 All the skilled men among them who were doing the work on the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and scarlet fabric, with cherubim [worked into them], the work of an embroiderer, Bezalel made them. 9 Each curtain was twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide; all the curtains were one size. 10 Bezalel joined five curtains one to another, and [the other] five curtains he joined one to another. 11 He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set; he also did this on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second set. 12 He made fifty loops in the one curtain [of the first set] and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain which was in the second set; the loops were opposite one another. 13 He made fifty gold hooks and joined the curtains together with the hooks, so that the tabernacle became a unit.
14 Then he made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains in all. 15 Each curtain was thirty cubits long and four cubits wide; the eleven curtains were of equal size. 16 Bezalel joined five curtains by themselves and [the other] six curtains by themselves. 17 He made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of the second set. 18 He made fifty bronze hooks to join the tent together into a unit. 19 He made a [third] covering for the tent of rams’ [a]skins dyed red, and above it a [fourth] covering of [b]porpoise skins.
20 Bezalel made boards of acacia wood for the upright framework of the tabernacle. 21 Each board was ten cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. 22 Each board had two tenons (dovetails), fitted to one another; he did this for all the boards of the tabernacle. 23 And [this is how] he made the boards [for frames] for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side; 24 and he made under the twenty boards forty silver sockets; two sockets under one board for its two tenons (dovetails), and two sockets under another board for its two tenons. 25 For the other side of the tabernacle, the north side, he made twenty boards, 26 and their forty silver sockets; two sockets under [the end of] each board. 27 And for the rear of the tabernacle, to the west, he made six [frame] boards. 28 And he made two boards for each corner of the tabernacle in the rear. 29 They were separate below, but linked together at the top with one ring; thus he made both of them in both corners. 30 There were eight boards with sixteen silver sockets, and under [the end of] each board two sockets.
31 Bezalel made bars of acacia wood, five for the [frame] boards of the one side of the tabernacle, 32 and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle’s other side, and five bars for the boards at the rear side to the west. 33 And he made the middle bar pass through [horizontally] halfway up the boards from one end to the other. 34 He overlaid the boards and the bars with gold and made their rings of gold as holders for the bars.
35 Further, Bezalel made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet fabric, and fine twisted linen; he made it with cherubim, the work of an embroiderer. 36 For the veil (partition curtain) he made four support poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold; their hooks were gold, and he cast for them four silver sockets. 37 He made a screen (curtain) for the doorway of the tent, of blue, purple, and scarlet fabric, and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer; 38 and [he made] the five support poles with their hooks, and overlaid their [ornamental] tops and connecting rings with gold; but their five sockets were bronze.
Footnotes: Exodus 36:19 Similar to morocco leather.
Exodus 36:19 Hebrew uncertain.
After reading, I always check out the Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik (very helpful!):
a. The people bring much more than enough: This shows how blessed giving can be when free from human manipulation and tricks. Willing hearts will always give enough as God blesses the work – indeed, the people were restrained from bringing.
i. “When the heart is truly stirred, and the spirit makes willing, giving is robbed of all meanness; indeed, it ceases to be calculating. Nothing is too precious to be given, no amount is too great.” (Morgan)
ii. “Compare the story of the anointing at Bethany (Matthew 26:7), and the generosity of the Philippian church (Philippians 4:14-19).” (Cole)
iii. This also shows that Moses and the planners of the work knew how much was enough. They job was organized and planned to the extent that they understood what they needed, and when they had more than enough. When God’s people are asked to give to something, they should expect that it be well organized, planned, and managed.
b. And the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient: Moses showed great integrity by not gathering more than the project needed. God told him to take an offering for the building of a tabernacle, and when the tabernacle was provided for the offering was over. The purpose wasn’t to amass endless resources, but to properly put those resources into action.
i. Indeed too much: This follows the pattern of God’s giving to us. God gives us much more than we ever need, and our giving is simply a response to His.
Reference and credits to https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Exd/Exd-36.cfm ©2013 David Guzik
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