E
X O D U S
CHAP. XXXVI.
In
this chapter, I. The work of the tabernacle is begun, ver. 1-4. II. A stop is
put to the people's contributions, ver. 5-7. III. A particular account is
given of the making of the tabernacle itself; the fine curtains of it, ver.
8-13. The coarse ones, ver. 14-19. The boards, ver. 20-30. The bars, ver.
31-34. The partition veil, ver. 35, 36. And the hanging for the door, ver. 37,
&c.
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Appointment
of Bezaleel and Aholiab.
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B.
C. 1491.
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1 Then wrought Bezaleel
and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD
put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the
service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD
had commanded. 2 And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every
wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD
had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto
the work to do it: 3 And they received of Moses all the offering,
which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the
sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free
offerings every morning. 4 And all the wise men, that wrought all
the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made;
5 And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough
for the service of the work, which the LORD
commanded to make. 6 And Moses gave commandment, and they caused
it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman
make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were
restrained from bringing. 7 For the stuff they had was sufficient
for all the work to make it, and too much.
I. The workmen set in without delay. Then they wrought, v. 1. When God
had qualified them for the work, then they applied themselves to it. Note, The
talents we are entrusted with must not be laid up, but laid out; not hid in a
napkin, but traded with. What have we all our gifts for, but to do good with
them? They began when Moses called them, v. 2. Even those whom God has
qualified for, and inclined to, the service of the tabernacle, yet must wait
for a regular call to it, either extraordinary, as that of prophets and
apostles, or ordinary, as that of pastors and teachers. And observe who they
were that Moses called: Those in whose heart God had put wisdom for
this purpose, beyond their natural capacity, and whose heart stirred them
up to come to the work in good earnest. Note, Those are to be called to
the building of the gospel tabernacle whom God has by his grace made in some
measure fit for the work and free to engage in it. Ability and willingness
(with resolution) are the two things to be regarded in the call of ministers.
Has God given them not only knowledge, but wisdom? (for those that would win
souls must be wise, and have their hearts stirred up to come to the work, and
not to the honour only; to do it, and not to talk of it only), let them come
to it with full purpose of heart to go through with it. The materials which
the people had contributed were delivered by Moses to the workmen, v.
3. They could not create a tabernacle, that is, make it out of nothing, nor
work, unless they had something to work upon; the people therefore brought the
materials and Moses put them into their hands. Precious souls are the
materials of the gospel tabernacle; they are built up a spiritual house,
1 Pet. ii. 5. To this end they are to offer themselves a free-will offering to
the Lord, for his service (Rom. xv. 16), and they are then committed to the
care of his ministers, as builders, to be framed and wrought upon by their
edification and increase in holiness, till they all come, like the curtains of
the tabernacle, in the unity of the faith, to be a holy temple, Eph.
ii. 21, 22; iv. 12, 13.
II. The contributions restrained. The people continued to bring free
offerings every morning, v. 3. Note, We should always make it our
morning's work to bring our offerings unto the Lord; even the spiritual
offerings of prayer and praise, and a broken heart surrendered entirely to
God. This is that which the duty of every day requires. God's compassions are
new every morning, and so must our duty to him be. Probably there were some
that were backward at first to bring their offering, but their neighbours'
forwardness stirred them up and shamed them. The zeal of some provoked many.
There are those who will be content to follow who yet do not care for leading
in a good work. It is best to be forward, but better late than never. Or
perhaps some who had offered at first, having pleasure in reflecting upon it,
offered more; so far were they from grudging what they had contributed, that
they doubled their contribution. Thus, in charity, give a portion to seven,
and also to eight; having given much, give more. Now observe, 1. The
honesty of the workmen. When they had cut out their work, and found how their
stuff held out, and that the people were still forward to bring in more, they
went in a body to Moses to tell him that there needed no more contributions, v.
4, 5. Had they sought their own things, they had now a fair opportunity of
enriching themselves by the people's gifts; for they might have made up their
work, and converted the overplus to their own use, as perquisites of their
place. But they were men of integrity, that scorned to do so mean a thing as
to sponge upon the people, and enrich themselves with that which was offered
to the Lord. Those are the greatest cheats that cheat the public. If to murder
many is worse than to murder one, by the same rule to defraud communities, and
to rob the church or state, is a much greater crime than to pick the pocket of
a single person. But these workmen were not only ready to account for all they
received, but were not willing to receive more than they had occasion for,
lest they should come either into the temptation or under the suspicion of
taking it to themselves. These were men that knew when they had enough. 2. The
liberality of the people. Though they saw what an abundance was contributed,
yet they continued to offer, till they were forbidden by proclamation, v.
6, 7. A rare instance! Most need a spur to quicken their charity; few need a
bridle to check it, yet these did. Had Moses aimed to enrich himself, he might
have suffered them still to bring in their offerings; and when the work was
finished might have taken the remainder to himself: but he also preferred the
public before his own private interest, and was therein a good example to all
in public trusts. It is said (v. 6), The people were restrained from
bringing; they looked upon it as a restraint upon them not to be allowed
to do more for the tabernacle; such was the zeal of those people, who gave to
their power, yea, and beyond their power, praying the collectors with
much entreaty to receive the gift, 2 Cor. viii. 3, 4. These were the
fruits of a first love; in these last-days charity has grown too cold for us
to expect such things from it.
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Construction
of the Tabernacle.
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B.
C. 1491.
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8 And every wise hearted
man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of
fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of
cunning work made he them. 9 The length of one curtain was
twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the
curtains were all of one size. 10 And he coupled the five
curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one
unto another. 11 And he made loops of blue on the edge of one
curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost
side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. 12
Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the
curtain which was in the coupling of the second: the loops held one curtain
to another. 13 And he made fifty taches of gold, and coupled the
curtains one unto another with the taches: so it became one tabernacle.
The first work they set about was the framing of the house, which must be done
before the furniture of it was prepared. This house was not made of timber or
stone, but of curtains curiously embroidered and coupled together. This served
to typify the state of the church in this world, the palace of God's kingdom
among men. 1. Though it is upon the earth, yet its foundation is not in the
earth, as that of a house is; no, Christ's kingdom is not of this world, nor
founded in it. 2. It is mean and mutable, and in a militant state; shepherds
dwelt in tents, and God is the Shepherd of Israel; soldiers dwelt in tents,
and the Lord is a man of war, and his church marches through an enemy's
country, and must fight its way. The kings of the earth enclose themselves in
cedar (Jer. xxii. 15), but the ark of God was lodged in curtains only. 3. Yet
there is a beauty in holiness; the curtains were embroidered, so is the church
adorned with the gifts and graces of the Spirit, that raiment of
needle-work, Ps. xlv. 14. 4. The several societies of believers are united
in one, and, as here, all become one tabernacle; for there is one Lord, one
faith, and one baptism.
14 And he made curtains of
goats' hair for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made
them. 15 The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and
four cubits was the breadth of one curtain: the eleven curtains were
of one size. 16 And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and
six curtains by themselves. 17 And he made fifty loops upon the
uttermost edge of the curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon
the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second. 18 And he made
fifty taches of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be
one. 19 And he made a covering for the tent of rams' skins
dyed red, and a covering of badgers' skins above that.
20 And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing
up. 21 The length of a board was ten cubits, and the
breadth of a board one cubit and a half. 22 One board had two
tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards
of the tabernacle. 23 And he made boards for the tabernacle;
twenty boards for the south side southward: 24 And forty sockets
of silver he made under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his
two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.
25 And for the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north
corner, he made twenty boards, 26 And their forty sockets of
silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another
board. 27 And for the sides of the tabernacle westward he made six
boards. 28 And two boards made he for the corners of the
tabernacle in the two sides. 29 And they were coupled beneath, and
coupled together at the head thereof, to one ring: thus he did to both of them
in both the corners. 30 And there were eight boards; and their
sockets were sixteen sockets of silver, under every board two
sockets. 31 And he made bars of shittim wood; five for the boards
of the one side of the tabernacle, 32 And five bars for the boards
of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the
tabernacle for the sides westward. 33 And he made the middle bar
to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other. 34 And
he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be
places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
Here, 1. The shelter and special protection that the church is under are
signified by the curtains of hair-cloth, which were spread over the
tabernacle, and the covering of rams' skins and badgers' skins over them, v.
14-19. God has provided for his people a shadow from the heat, and a covert
from storm and rain, Isa. iv. 6. They are armed against all weathers; the
sun and the moon shall not smite them: and they are protected from the storms
of divine wrath, that hail which will sweep away the refuge of lies,
Isa. xxviii. 17. Those that dwell in God's house shall find, be the tempest
ever so violent, or the dropping ever so continual, it does not rain in. 2.
The strength and stability of the church, though it is but a tabernacle, are
signified by the boards and bars with which the curtains were borne up, v.
20-34. The boards were coupled together and joined by the bars which shot
through them; for the union of the church, and the hearty agreement of those
that are its stays and supporters, contribute abundantly to its strength and
establishment.
35 And he made a vail of
blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims
made he it of cunning work. 36 And he made thereunto four pillars of
shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of
gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver. 37 And he made
an hanging for the tabernacle door of blue, and purple, and scarlet,
and fine twined linen, of needlework; 38 And the five pillars of
it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters and their fillets with
gold: but their five sockets were of brass.
In the building of a house there is a great deal of work about the doors and
partitions. In the tabernacle these were answerable to the rest of the fabric;
there were curtains for doors, and veils for partitions. 1. There was a veil
made for a partition between the holy place, and the most holy, v. 35,
36. This signified the darkness and distance of that dispensation, compared
with the New Testament, which shows us the glory of God more clearly and
invites us to draw near to it; and the darkness and distance of our present
state, in comparison with heaven, where we shall be ever with the Lord
and see him as he is. 2. There was a veil made for the door of the
tabernacle, v. 37, 38. At this door the people assembled, though
forbidden to enter; for, while we are in this present state, we must get as
near to God as we can.
Contents
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