The video version is at: https://youtu.be/JpmZ5zfsMlA
Reading
– Exodus 35:1-19; Exodus 40:17-38
By
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
After
the sin of the golden calf, Moses made atonement for the children of Israel.
God renewed the covenant with them. The plans for building God’s dwelling place
in the midst of their camp could go forward. This Torah portion details the
steps that were followed to build the tabernacle and to make the garments for
Aaron and his sons to serve as priests in God’s dwelling place. What is God
communicating to us through these instructions and the steps that the children
of Israel followed?
The
time had finally arrived. Moses spent forty days outside the camp in
supplication with God to forgive the children of Israel. Then, God called Moses
back up the mountain for an additional forty days. When he came down from the
mountain with the new tablets of the Commandments, Moses’ face shone with the
glory of God.
Exodus 34:29 NKJV 29 Now it was so,
when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony
were in Moses' hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not
know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.
This
was different from when Moses came down from the mountain the first time. What
was different during this second forty days in God’s presence? This time, after
Moses successfully interceded for the children of Israel, God revealed His
glory to Moses and proclaimed His name to him. When Moses came down from the
mountain, he reflected both God’s glory and God’s name. From then on, every
time Moses went into the presence of God, he came out reflecting that glory.
Exodus 34:34 NKJV 34 But whenever
Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take the veil off
until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel
whatever he had been commanded.
Moses,
as a type of Messiah, foreshadows Yeshua’s coming as a human dwelling place for
God in our world and His role to build the kingdom of God as God’s permanent
dwelling place on Earth. This will be realized when the New Jerusalem comes
down out of heaven.
Revelation 21:2-3 NKJV 2 Then I, John,
saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven
saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with
them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their
God.
The
day that Moses came down from the mountain would have been the tenth of Tishri
which God would set aside as the Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. We, also,
recognize this day as the day of Judgment. When Yeshua returns from His stay in
the presence of God, He will shine with the glory of the Father and the
revelation of His name.
Revelation 1:7-8 NKJV 7 Behold, He is
coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And
all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. 8 "I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord,
"who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
Peter,
James, and John received a glimpse of this glory when Yeshua was transfigured
in their presence.
Matthew 17:1-2 NKJV 1 Now after six
days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high
mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone
like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
Returning
to the time of Moses, as the building of the Tabernacle and the creation of
Aaron’s garments progressed throughout the next six months, Moses probably went
into God’s presence frequently to receive instructions and guidance. The first
instruction Moses relayed to the people was to keep the Sabbath.
Exodus 35:1-3 NKJV 1 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: 2
"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. 3 "You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the
Sabbath day."
This
instruction was especially important. There seems to have been a fierce desire
and impatience to get on with the work of completing the dwelling place for
God. After eighty days of not knowing whether God would still take them as His
people and would still want to dwell with them, there must have been immense
relief as well as excitement that God still wanted them to build a tabernacle
for Him. They must have been tempted to work every day to get the tabernacle
completed as soon as possible. However, God reminded them to keep the Sabbath. In
this context, that meant no work on the tabernacle on the Sabbath. Even
kindling a fire to heat the metal to prepare it for the work was prohibited.
Resting on the Sabbath day, even as they built the tabernacle, was a reminder of
both their covenant with God and that God is the creator who created for six
days and rested on the seventh.
Exodus 31:16-17 NKJV 16 'Therefore the
children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout
their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 'It is a sign between Me and the
children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the
earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.'"
We,
also, are eager to build God’s dwelling place on Earth. If we follow this
model, we are to work for six days to build God’s kingdom, and on the seventh
day, we are to rest. It seems that we have this backward! We tend to work only
one day a week on building God’s tabernacle.
With
this boundary established for the work, Moses put out the call for the people
to bring an offering for the construction of the Tabernacle and for the
garments for Aaron and his sons.
Exodus 35:4-9 NKJV 4 And Moses spoke
to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, "This is the
thing which the LORD commanded, saying: 5 '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; 6 'blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine
linen, and goats' hair; 7 'ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; 8
'oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense;
9 'onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate.
The
people were so willing to give that, eventually, Moses had to cut off their
offerings. Everything needed for the tabernacle had been provided.
Exodus 36:6-7 NKJV 6 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.
We,
also, are to bring our offerings of fine gems, metal, and fabric for the
building of the temple. They are not to be substandard, but the very best.
1 Corinthians 3:12-14 NKJV 12 Now if
anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay,
straw, 13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it,
because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of
what sort it is. 14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will
receive a reward.
The
work on the tabernacle required that the materials be organized, that the plans
be carefully followed, and that the craftsmanship be of the highest quality. To
accomplish this, God told Moses to appoint two men to head the work. These men
were Bezalel and Aholiab.
Exodus 36:1-2 NKJV 1 "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." 2 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.
It
seems that Bezalel’s expertise was in the building of the structure and the
furnishings of the tabernacle such as the Ark of the covenant while Aholiab’s
expertise was with the fine detail such as the engraving and the design of the
fabric and intricate metal work.
Exodus 38:22-23 NKJV 22 Bezalel the
son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD had
commanded Moses. 23 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
two men and those assisting them were filled with the Spirit of God and,
through the Spirit, were gifted with wisdom and understanding. The meanings of
these names reveal interesting additional insight into these men who were
chosen by God. Bazalel was the son of Uri, the son of Hur from the tribe of
Judah. His name, “bets-al-ale,” number 1212 in Strong’s Concordance, means in
the shadow of God. Uri, number 217 means fiery, and Hur, number 2354, can mean
one of two things from either number 2353 or 2352, meaning either white linen
or to bore. As “white linen”, we see purity and the forgiveness of God, as “to
bore,” we see Bazelel’s skill in working with metal. Aholiab was the son of
Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. His name, “O-hol-e-awb,” Number 171, means “the
tent of his father.” Ahisamach, number 294, means brother of support. So,
Bazelel works in the shadow of God, using fire to refine the metal bringing
purity and the forgiveness of God. Aholiab supported his brother Bazalel in
building the tent of their Father God! All this through the power of the Spirit
of God.
We,
also, are filled with the Spirit of God to have wisdom and understanding to
build the dwelling place of God. Paul talks about some of the gifts of the
spirit for the building up of the spiritual temple of God in his first letter
to the assembly in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7 NKJV 4 There are
diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of
ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but
it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit
is given to each one for the profit of all:
As
work on the tabernacle began, two things stand out. The first is that all the
work of the artisans is combined together and described as being done by an
anonymous person referred to as “he.”
Exodus 36:8-10 NKJV 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. 9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight
cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the curtains were all the
same size. 10 And he coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five
curtains he coupled to one another.
Notice
in verse ten that “he coupled five curtains to one another.” As the description
of building the parts of the tabernacle continue, the account is written as if it
is all done by a single person indicated by the pronoun “he.” The Hebrew
grammar doesn’t use pronouns as we use them in English. The separate word “he”
doesn’t exist. Instead, the verbs are masculine singular indicating one person.
This use of the masculine singular indicates that all of the work is viewed as
being done by one person. Collectively, the artisans work as one with no
distinction to build the tabernacle.
In
the continuation of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he emphasizes that we,
also, are one body, each with his role to support one another in the building
of the body of Christ, that is the spiritual temple.
1 Corinthians 12:12 NKJV 12 For as the
body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being
many, are one body, so also is Christ.
The
second thing to notice in the construction of the tabernacle is that it is all
done as the LORD had commanded. In Exodus 35:10, those who volunteered as
artisans where those the LORD had commanded. In Exodus 35:29, the work was as
the LORD had commanded. In Exodus 38:22, Bezalel made all that the LORD
commanded. It goes on and on throughout the description of the construction of
the tabernacle and the making of the garments for the priesthood.
Finally,
all the work is completed. It is ready to be assembled. The garments for Aaron
and his sons are waiting for them to begin their service to God. It was all
completed as the LORD commanded Moses.
Exodus 39:42-43 NKJV 42 According to
all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the
work. 43 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.
All
the work was done! Everything was in place and ready to be assembled. They
brought the work of their hands to Moses and he blessed them. When we have
completed our work, we bring it to Yeshua. Yeshua compared the kingdom of
heaven to the return of a master who was on a long journey. When the master
returned, he evaluated the work of his servants. He praised the servant who
expanded the wealth of the master.
Matthew 25:23 NKJV 23 "His lord
said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over
a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of
your lord.'
When
our Master Yeshua returns, we long to hear His words spoken of us, “Well done,
good and faithful servant.”
So
Moses received the parts of the tabernacle and the garments for Aaron and his
sons. He took the parts and carefully assembled them to make the dwelling place
of God on Earth. On the first day of the first month exactly one year after God
spoke to Moses about making that day the first of months for them, Moses set up
the tabernacle.
Exodus 40:1-2 NKJV 1 Then the LORD
spoke to Moses, saying: 2 "On the first day of the first month you shall
set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
This
dwelling place for God would be the place where God would meet with His people.
Moses put up the tabernacle, placed the ark of the testimony in its place and
set it apart by putting up the vail. He brought in the table for the showbread,
the menorah, and the incense altar. He put the screen over the entrance to the
tabernacle. He set up the bronze altar and the laver in the courtyard along
with the curtains and the gate to the courtyard. He anointed and consecrated
that altar and laver. He brough Aaron and his sons before the LORD and clothed
them in their garments. He anointed them as priests. He did all that the LORD
commanded him to do.
Exodus 40:16-17 NKJV 16 Thus Moses
did; according to all that the LORD had commanded him, so he did. 17 And it
came to pass in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the
month, that the tabernacle was raised up.
When
all was complete, Moses and Aaron stood outside the tabernacle and the glory of
God filled the place.
Exodus 40:34-35 NKJV 34 Then the cloud
covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the
tabernacle. 35 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.
When
Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, he built it according to the pattern
that God had given David.
1 Chronicles 28:11-12 NKJV 11 Then
David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its
treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the mercy
seat; 12 and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the
house of the LORD, of all the chambers all around, of the treasuries of the
house of God, and of the treasuries for the dedicated things;
The
details for building the temple in Jerusalem follow the same pattern as that of
building the tabernacle from the free will offering of the people, to the
skilled artisans, to the filling of the temple with God’s presence.
There
will be a day when the construction of the temple of God’s permanent dwelling
place, the New Jerusalem will be complete. John describes the New Jerusalem as
a bride prepared for her husband. One of the angels shows John the New
Jerusalem descending out of heaven built with the precious stones and filled
with God’s glory. Notice that it descends after the Day of Judgment.
Revelation 21:9-11 NKJV 9 Then one of
the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues
came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride,
the Lamb's wife." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and
high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out
of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most
precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
Like
with the tabernacle and the temple, God’s description of this city is detailed.
It is being built exactly according to the LORD’s command. We have a role in
building this city and, also, as being built as part of the city. God has
entrusted the building of His permanent dwelling place on earth to us. May we,
like Bezalel and Aholiab, be given the spirit of wisdom and understanding to
build our part of the eternal New Jerusalem as the LORD commanded us.
Study
Questions:
2.
The children of Israel willingly
brought more than enough offerings to build the tabernacle and garments of the
priesthood. What lesson can we learn from this?
3.
The meanings of names are important
throughout scripture. What deeper understanding about the building of the
tabernacle is revealed through the meanings of Bezalel and Aholiabl’s names?
General
Portion Questions
4.
The title of this teaching, “As the
LORD Commanded Moses” indicates that the entire construction process as well as
making the garments for the priests was done precisely as commanded. What are
the commands given to us about building the New Jerusalem, the eternal dwelling
place of God with man?
5.
In what way are the artisans a single
entity as they build the various parts of the Tabernacle? How are we to be a
single entity or body? Why is this so important?
6.
What other insights
did you gain from this teaching? What indicators are there in this Torah
Portion that point to Messiah Yeshua?
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2023 Moed Ministries International. All Rights Reserved.
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