Exodus 40

Let’s all celebrate together. 1, 2, 3, YEA!!! We have reached the final chapter of Exodus. For me the celebration is twofold, 1. As much as I enjoy doing a study on each book sometimes it can seem that the book does not end and that can get mundane. I pray that I have been able to keep the studies interesting for you. The second reason is that we get to get into a new book to study.

Chapter 40 is divided into three sections. Section one is verses 1 – 15 deals with the instructions for setting up the tent. Section two is verses 16 – 33 and deals with actually setting up the tent. The final section is verse 34 – 38 and here we see the LORD coming to the tent.

Section 1: We see a specific time and order of setting up the tent in this section. God instructed Moses to set up the tent on the first day of the first month of the year. God then lays out the order of the setting up the tent through the washing and dressing of the priests. Notice in the setting up of the tent includes the anointing of the tent and the priests, a sign of setting the priest and the tent aside for God as holy.

Section 2: Goes through the process of Moses setting up the tent. What I see as important in this section is the repeating of the words, “…following the LORD’s instructions.” I think this is very important. We don’t have the tent of meeting to be able to say whether there was a easier, quicker way to set it up. We only have scripture that says how it was to be set up. Moses could have had a simpler way to set up the tent. There could have been steps that could have been combined any number of things but he made the choice that he was going to do as God had instructed.

Section 3: Once the tent was set up we see that God moves in. This is evident by the fact that the column of smoke that had been with them settled over the tent covering it. The glory of the LORD filled the tent so that Moses was not able to go into it. Just as the column was smoke by day and fire by night as it lead the Israelites through the desert so it was while over the tent. When the column moved the Israelites packed up and moved. When the column stopped they stopped and set up the tent of meeting.

The Application

This whole chapter as I see it is about following instructions. It may not seem like the easiest or the simplest you may even think you have a better way. The bottom line is, are you willing to follow God and the instructions he gives you. For in the following of instructions that is when Gods glory is revealed in your life. That is when God’s blessings are poured out. God’s ways are not ours they are higher. What has he instructed you to do? Are you following his instructions to the letter?

Exodus 39

Chapter 39, just like the previous two chapters speaks of things that were discussed earlier when God was giving instructions to Moses. In this case we see the description of the priestly garments. There are five sections to this chapter the first four sections deal with the priestly garments, the remaining section deals with all the items being brought for Moses to inspect. As I did with the last two chapters I will show the corresponding chapters and then hit the highlights of what I find of importance.

1. The Holy Clothes: 39:1 (Exodus 28:1 – 5)
2. The Ephod: 39:2 – 7 (Exodus 28:6 – 14)
3. The Breastplate: 39:8 – 21 (Exodus 28:15 – 28)
4. Other Clothes: 39:22 – 31 (Exodus 28:31 – 43)

What is different in this chapter that is not in the previous chapter is the descriptive detail of how they created the clothes. Take a look at the verses dealing with the Ephod. The detail work that had to go into creating the cloth and creating this piece of clothing, it is amazing. Specific is the fact that the gold thread is not just gold color thread but actually handmade gold thread. The gold was hammered thin, cut then woven in.

Another point that I find fascinating is found in verse 30. Here we see a crown that is fastened to the priest’s turban that says, “Holy to the LORD”. 1. It is placed on the head and that seems to me to be important in the fact that sometimes it is our head that gets us in trouble. 2. It declares the priest Holy to the LORD. It is declaratory that the priest belongs to the Lord.
The point in this is that God is in the details. He cares about the finest of thread that is put into the making of these clothes.

In the final section, verses 32 – 43, the craftsmen bring all the things to Moses for him to inspect. (I can imagine the clothes being passed on to Aaron and his and as they pull each piece out a tag falling out inspected by MOSES.) We see in verse 43 that Moses found everything was made to the LORD’s instructions and so he blessed them.

The Application

Two things that I see one God is into the details. Since he is into the details so much with these clothes and what is put into them don’t you think that he is even more into the details with you. God cares about you greater than he cares about these clothes. The second thing I see is that God declares us as holy to himself. We are a holy, royal, priesthood set aside for his glory and his purpose.

Exodus 37 - 38

We are speeding through Exodus 37-38. I caution you that I don’t want you to think that these passages are not important but we have dealt with the things in these chapters earlier.

1. The Ark: 37:1-9 (Exodus 25:10-20)
2. The Table: 37:10-16 (Exodus 25:23-30)
3. The Lamp Stand: 37:17-24 (Exodus 25:31-39)
4. The Altar for Incense: 37:25-29 (Exodus 30:1-5)
6. The Altar for Burnt Offerings: 38:1-7 (Exodus 27:1-8)
7. The Bronze Basin: 38:8 (Exodus 27:9-19)
8. The Courtyard: 38:9-20 (Exodus 27:9-19)

Some interesting facts out of these two chapters, or at least I find them interesting.

1. Verse 37:34 – the lamp stand and all the utensils were made out of 75 pounds of pure gold
2. Verse 38:8 – The basin and its stand were made out of the bronze mirrors given by the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meetings.
3. Verses 38:21 – 29: An inventory was taken of the material used.

a. Gold: 2,193 pounds (approximately over 1 ton)

b.Silver: 7,544 pounds (Over 3 tons) approximately one fifth of an ounce for each person 20 years old or 603,550 people. 7500 pounds of silver to cast the 100 bases, 75 pounds per base. 44 pounds of silver to make the hooks, bands, and tops of the posts.

c. Bronze: 5,310 pounds.

Think about this for a minute, the weight of the items made from this material alone, let alone all the other material of wood and fabric used in the construction of the tent of meetings. What an amazing sight to see in the desert, this beautiful tent used in the worship of the LORD.

The Application

Now that you have considered what was put into this tent that was temporary consider what God has put into you. Scripture says our bodies are a temple. Psalms 139 says we are wonderfully made. Genesis says we are created in God’s image. God cares about you. He designed you himself just as he designed this temple. He is the only craftsman that touched you. Treat your body with the same respect you treat his holy of holies.

Exodus 36:3 - 38

We looked at Exodus 36:1 – 2 when we looked at Exodus 35. We start this section in verse 3. Chapter 36, aside from the first two verses, can be divided into two sections. Section one deals with a problem that many pastors would love to have, that of excessive contributions. The second deals with the construction of the tent.

I don’t know a pastor out there, especially in the middle of a building project, which would not want to be in the position Moses and the craftsmen were in. We see that in verse 3 that every morning people continued to bring freewill offerings every morning. The offerings had gotten so numerous that the craftsmen had to stop working and go tell Moses to tell the people to stop. It was not until Moses said something that they stopped. What a moving and listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

The second section describes the construction of the tent. Verse 8 to the end of the chapter corresponds with Exodus 26:1-37 where we see God describing how the tent is to be constructed. The craftsmen here proceed to construct the tent just as the design was given to them by God. When you consider the detail that was put into this it was no small feat. The size was very large. It took men gifted by God to not only build this but to understand God’s guidance and design.

The Application

Two things that we can see in this chapter. 1. The freewill offerings that the people gave. How many times have you been told to put a certain amount into the offering and you were more concerned about how much money you would have left. We should be giving with a joyous heart. We need to be listening to what God wants us to give not what we want to give to him.

2. Following God’s directions. God gives us directions in his word and specifically for our lives. When we follow God’s directions for our lives we can’t go wrong.

Exodus 35:10 - 36:2

This section is matched to Exodus 31:2-6. In chapter 31 we see God telling Moses who was going to be the skilled craftsmen in charge of building the tent of meeting. In this section we have Moses bringing the people together and telling them that Bezalel and Oholiab were going to be in charge of all aspects of crafting the tent of meeting. We see in this passage that there are others involved in building this tent. Aside from the people bringing their gifts other craftsmen would assist.

Notice that both of these men are talented in all types of trades and crafts. They were skilled craftsmen. It appears in this passage that Bezalel is going to be the chief craftsmen guiding the rest in the construction of the tent. We get a hint of Oholiab’s other reason for being chosen. Look at verse 34, it says that along with being a skilled craftsman he also had the ability to teach. So as I look at this Bezalel was going to oversee all construction and Oholiab was going to teach those that were not as skilled in how to do some of the construction.

The most important thing to notice above all things is where their skills come from. Check out verses 31 and 35. In both these verses it speaks of being given or being filled with, verse 31, “The LORD has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, making him highly skilled….” Verse 35 says, “The LORD has made these men highly skilled in all trades.” Their abilities were not attributed to being raised with these skills. It doesn’t come from their own abilities or observing their father’s it came from God.

The Application: We must not forget where our abilities come from. We are to care for them, hone them, and use them for his glory and always give him the praise for our abilities. You are gifted in various ways. Scripture says that there is one Spirit but different gifts are given. Your capabilities are not a mistake but a gift from God. The minute you forget this is when you are headed for a fall. Give God praise today for those abilities you have been given no matter how simple or complex they may seem.

Exodus 35:1 - 9

In chapter 35 the prep work is done. All the directions have been given to Moses and it is time to put God’s plan into action. This chapter is divided into three distinct sections I am going to look at the first two sections in this devotion and the third section the next time. Verses 1 – 3 deals again with the rules about the Day of Worship. Verses 4 – 9 deals with the peoples contributions of their wealth. The third section deals with the craftsmen for the tent this section extends from verse 35:10 – 36:2.

We have in the first part of chapter 35 another emphasis on the rules of worship. At this point in our devotions you should have begun to see a theme when it comes to the Sabbath. It is a day set aside as holy. A day that is to be a day of rest. A precedence was set by God in the opening verses of Genesis when where we find that God rested on the seventh day. We have seen it mentioned a number of times in Exodus and we see it once again mentioned here. This will not be the last time we see the Sabbath emphasized. All of scripture is important and one thing should not be considered less important than another, but when something like this is mentioned so many times we must take note and see what is being said and understand why it is being emphasized. When you considered what our world is like we see that we are a 24/7 society. Society as a whole goes directly against God’s directive by not having a day that is set aside as rest. We then wonder why we are so warn out.

In the second section sets out the contribution of the Israelites for the making of the tent of meetings. This section corresponds with Exodus 25:1-7. Something I want you to notice here there is not set amount that the people are to give. It says in verse 4, “This is what the LORD has commanded: Choose something of your own to give as a special contribution to the LORD. Let everyone who is willing bring this kind of contribution to the LORD….” It then spells the items that God listed as the materials to be used for the building of the tent.

This is what I want you to notice in that section. This is free will. There is no manipulation no begging. God simply said to give something. No specifications just something. We also see the words who is willing. This means that God was not wanting someone to give grudgingly. He wanted it to come from a joyful and giving heart.

The Application

I have said this time and time again. Each time that the Sabbath is mentioned in scripture I will speak of the fact that you need to create a day that is a day of rest once a week. We are not better than God. God rested we need to do that. For some of us Sunday is not a day of rest because we are teaching and ministering on that day. Then set another day aside. Believe me I need to hear this as much as some of you.

When it comes to giving to the ministry. Whichever ministry it is you should be giving from a willing and joyful heart. Yes there is talk in scripture about tithe and we will talk about that when we come to it, but the first thing is to come and give willingly something. God is more interested in ones heart than the amount that they give.