Building the Tabernacle

REVIEW

The priests were supposed to minister every day. According to Acts 19:8-10, Paul had daily discussions with the 12 students at the school of Tyrannus. That’s what we’re doing through Revive School.

In Exodus 34, Moses was given the Ten Commandments. God reestablished His covenant with Israel: Israel was forbidden to make treaties with the Canaanites and commanded to worship only God through the festivals. Moses addressed the people and told them what God had said. His face shone from being in God’s presence, so he put on a veil to hide the fact that it was fading.

In Exodus 35, Moses told the Israelites to build a tabernacle. Bezalel and Oholiab led the charge. God told them to collect an offering for the tabernacle.

TEACHING

Exodus 36:1: Bezalel, Oholiab, and the skilled people went to work on building the tabernacle as God commanded. Nelson’s commentary described the characteristics of these skilled people. Both men and women were among the workers (Exodus 35:20–22, 25). “Their hearts were ‘willing’ or ‘stirred’” (Exodus 35:5, 21–22, 26). They had the skills and giftedness to complete their tasks (Exodus 35:10, 25, 34–35; 36:1–2). “They were generous with their skills . . . [and] possessions” (Exodus 35:5, 22, 29; 36:3–7). Their finished products showed the excellence of their work.¹

Exodus 36:2–3: The skilled people responded immediately to Moses’ call to start the work. The workers collected the freewill offerings the Israelites contributed for the construction of the tabernacle. They brought their gifts “morning after morning” (v. 3). There was no campaign . . . the people just contributed.

When people are called, you don’t have to convince them. When their hearts are moved, they’re going to do the work.

Exodus 36:4: The craftsmen came one by one from the work they were doing. They had to leave other jobs to do the work God called them to. At this point in the biblical story, they were constructing the only God-designed building. I believe there is beauty in the work of these skilled craftsmen. Samuel Mather said, “All the arts are nothing else but the beams and rays of the Wisdom of the first Being in the creatures, shining and reflecting thence upon the glass of man’s understanding; and as from Him they come, so to Him they tend.”²

What we do, exemplifies how God has wired us, and He gets the glory. In the tabernacle, God used mankind to reveal His beauty. In Psalm 27:4, David said, “I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking Him in His temple.” Psalm 96:6 says, “Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.” One by one, the skilled workers came to work on something greater. These skilled craftsmen created a place where His beauty could dwell and be displayed. What if people in the church willingly left their posts and came together to display God’s beauty?

Exodus 36:5: As the craftsmen came together to work, they realized the people had given more than what was needed to construct the tabernacle. The people believed in this calling, and they willingly gave up everything they had. Their actions remind us of what Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” When the Spirit of God is working, you don’t have to convince anybody. They knew, and they kept giving. The people would show similar generosity in the future. When King Joash issued a call to collect money to “renovate the Lord’s temple” (2 Chronicles 24:4), the people responded by giving generously, filling the chest with money each day (2 Chronicles 24:8–11). When people see and sense that God is in something, the money is never short. When King Hezekiah asked the people to give generously so the priests and Levites “could devote their energy to the law of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 31:4), they brought their offerings to the Lord’s temple and there was an abundance left over (2 Chronicles 31:10). People will give when they sense the urgency of God moving.

In Matthew 26:6-13, a woman gave everything she had to honor Jesus. “A woman approached Him with an alabaster jar of very expensive fragrant oil. She poured it on His head as He was reclining at the table.” In Acts 4:34–35, Luke recorded, “For there was not a needy person among them, because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed for each person’s basic needs.” The first century believers didn’t have any needs because they took care of each other. In Luke 21:1–4, a widow gave “two tiny coins”, and Jesus pointed out that where others gave out of their surplus, she had given everything she had to live on. It’s not about what people see! It’s about the heart.

In Exodus 36, people gave radically to God of their skills, gifts, and resources. We cannot come to the table stingy! In Matthew 10:39, Jesus said, “Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it.” When God asks you to do something, you have to leave what you’re doing and give everything to do what He asks. There has to be sacrifice to walk out your calling. These Israelites gave up everything in order for people to experience the presence of God. It’s worth it, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Exodus 36:6–7: Moses had to give an order for the offerings to stop. There were more than enough materials for the people to do all of the work!!

Exodus 36:8–38: The people began the work! The ten inner curtains were made as God described (vv. 8–13). The 11 outer curtains made from goat hair were made and assembled as God directed, from “ram skins dyed red and a covering of manatee skins on top of it” (vv. 14–19). The frame was made with planks of acacia wood and set into bases of silver (vv. 20–30). The crossbars were made of acacia wood, overlaid with gold (vv. 31–34). Then the inner veil and outer veil were made according to God’s design (vv. 35–36). An embroidered screen was then set at the entrance of the tent (vv. 37–38).

CLOSING

A. W. Pink described three meanings of the tabernacle identified by Adolf Saphir.³First, the tabernacle provided a visible illustration of the heavenly place where God dwells. Second, the tabernacle was a type of Christ, or a picture of how we can meet God through Jesus Christ. Third, the tabernacle is a type of Christ inside the church because believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the presence of God.

When skilled people function out of obedience to what the Lord is asking them to do, it points people to God. The obedience of the Israelites pointed us to our deliverance through the Messiah.