Exodus 30-31: “Regulations For Construction Of Golden Altar & Bronze Laver / Making Of Anointing Oil & Incense

By

Jim Bomkamp

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1.                  INTRO:

 

1.1.            In our last study, we looked at chapters 28-29.

 

1.1.1.      We looked at the regulations for making the priestly garments and then saw the priests consecrated for service.  We saw that Jesus Christ was symbolized in the priesthood as the scripture tells us that He is the “Great High Priest.”

 

1.2.            In our study today, we are going to look at chapters 30-31 of Exodus.

 

1.2.1.      We will look at the requirements given by the Lord to Moses for the construction of the Golden Altar for burning incense in the Holy Place, and well as the Bronze Laver in the Court of the Tabernacle for cleansing one’s hands and feet.

 

1.2.2.      We will also look at the regulations for the creation of both the Anointing Oil as well as the Incense.

 

1.2.3.      Again, Jesus Christ will be symbolized in everything that is constructed in the Tabernacle.  Its all about Him!

 

1.2.4.      Finally, we will look at how the Lord gifted and called certain men to perform the various crafts necessary for the construction of the various elements of the Tabernacle.  We will see how this parallels how He gives gifts to people in the body of Christ for the building of itself up in love.

 

 

2.                  VS 30:1-6  - 1 Moreover, you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 “Its length shall be a cubit, and its width a cubit, it shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3 “You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it. 4 “You shall make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two side walls—on opposite sides—and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. 5 “You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 “You shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you.” -  The requirements for the construction of the Golden Altar for burning incense is given, along with those for the poles for carrying it

 

 

2.1.            Now that the Ark of the Testimony, Table of Showbread, Menora, and the Brazen Altar, along with the curtains and boards and the outside construction of the pillars and their hangings, was completed, along with the priestly garments and priestly consecration was established, the Golden Altar and Bronze Laver will have their construction defined.  The Golden Altar, or Altar of Incense, is a piece of furniture that symbolizes worship, intercession and supplication (prayer). 

 

2.2.            It has been said that the furnishings previously described have to do with the things that God has done in providing salvation for us, and that the furnishings that we will now consider are placed here because they have to do with our response back to Him.

 

2.3.            The Golden Altar, as with all of the rest of the furniture in the Tabernacle, symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ in His role as intercessor on our behalf.  Like the Ark of the Testimony, and Table of Showbread, it is to be constructed of acacia wood overlaid by gold.  And just as with those other two pieces of furniture, the two materials symbolize the two natures of Jesus Christ, the wood His humanity and the gold His divinity.

 

2.4.            We see in many places in scripture that prayer is symbolized by the burning of incense, including:

 

2.4.1.      Psalm 141:2:  2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.” 

 

2.4.2.      Revelation 5:8:  8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” 

 

2.4.3.      Revelation 8:3-4:  3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.” 

 

2.4.4.      On the yearly Day of Atonement for the sins of the nation, when first atoning for his own sin, the high priest was to put some of the incense in a firepan full of coals before the Lord inside the veil:  Leviticus 16:11-13, “11 Then Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering which is for himself and make atonement for himself and for his household, and he shall slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself. 12 “He shall take a firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil. 13 “He shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the ark of the testimony, otherwise he will die.” 

 

2.5.            In Numbers 16: 46-48, we read about how that when Korah instigated a rebellion against the Lord and many prominent leaders from Israel joined with him that the plague of the Lord broke out amongst Israel, that Moses told Aaron to placate the Lord’s wrath by taking his censor and putting in it fire and incense and running into the midst of the people:  46 Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put in it fire from the altar, and lay incense on it; then bring it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone forth from the Lord, the plague has begun!” 47 Then Aaron took it as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people. So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 He took his stand between the dead and the living, so that the plague was checked.” This reveals that intercession before the Lord is directly associated with the incense from the Golden Altar. 

 

2.6.            The Lord requires also that two poles be made for the carrying of the Golden Altar.  These poles are likewise to be made of acacia wood overlaid with gold.  As with the other poles for the other furniture within the Tabernacle, these poles symbolize the two natures of Jesus Christ.

 

3.                  VS 30:7-10  - 7 “Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. 8 “When Aaron trims the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 “You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering or meal offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it. 10 “Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”” -  The Lord gives requirement for perpetual burning of incense on the Golden Altar, as well as a yearly atonement requirement for it

 

3.1.            The incense here is called ‘fragrant incense’ since that is what is most characteristic about it.  In Ephesians 5:1-2, we see that Paul saw Christ as symbolized in that incense that was burned as he calls Christ a ‘fragrant aroma’ and then tells us as Christ to be imitators of Him in this way:  1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”   

 

3.2.            The incense was to continually burn in the Holy Place and this parallels the fact that Jesus Christ “ever lives to make intercession for us” who are His people (Hebrews 7:25).

 

3.3.            In this study we will read about now only the precise requirements for making the Golden Altar for burning incense, but also the requirements for creating the incense and anointing oil itself.  It may seem like it shouldn’t really matter how these things were made, but because everything is to be made after the pattern in heaven, every detail is important. In Leviticus 10:1-2, the two eldest sons of Aaron decided to burn incense to the Lord however they saw fit, and because they offered what is termed ‘strange fire’ (that is, worship that was not first proscribed by the Lord), they were consumed by fire that came out from the presence of the Lord:  1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.”

 

3.4.            Note that the Lord requires that even the Golden Altar has to have atonement of blood made for it yearly, on the Day of Atonement.

 

3.5.            The Lord tells Moses that the Golden Altar is ‘most holy to the Lord.’

 

4.                  VS 30:11-16  - 11 The Lord also spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you number them. 13 “This is what everyone who is numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a contribution to the Lord. 14 “Everyone who is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to the Lord. 15 “The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel, when you give the contribution to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves. 16 “You shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.”” -  The Lord gives the requirement for Moses that when he takes the census of the sons of Israel that each one of the sons of Israel is to give a ransom for himself of a half shekel, and this is supposed to go to the Lord for the service of the tent of meeting

 

4.1.            It is interesting that the Lord tells Moses that the children of Israel each need to bring a ‘half a shekeltowards the tent of meeting and that this is to be for ‘a ransom’ for themselves.  This Hebrew word “kopher” that is translated ‘ransom’ has the following entry in Strong’s Enhanced Lexicon:  “AV translates as “ransom” eight times, “satisfaction” twice, “bribe” twice, “camphire” twice, “pitch” once, “sum of money” once, and “village” once. 1 price of a life, ransom, bribe. 2 asphalt, pitch (as a covering). 3 the henna plant, name of a plant (henna?). 4 village.”

 

1.1.            We as Christians often fail to recognize that when the scriptures tell us that the Lord redeemed us that this is also now implies that we belong to Him.  Our live is not our own now because we have been bought with a price and now are the Lord’s possession and property to do with us whatever He wants (1 Cor. 6:20).  Therefore, if the Lord tells us to do something such as provide a half shekel of gold for the tent of meeting, then we are required to do so, and should do so joyfully. 

 

1.2.            The price was the same for all, regardless of your financial standing.  If you were twenty years or older you had to pay the half a shekel for the tent of meeting.

 

1.3.            Further, the Lord says that the half a shekel was also to be ‘a memorial for the sons of Israel’ in making atonement for themselves.

 

2.                  VS 30:17-21  - 17 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. 19 “Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it; 20 when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the Lord. 21 “So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.”” -  The Lord gave the requirement to Moses for the construction of a laver of bronze, as well as its use

 

2.1.            The next piece of furniture, the Bronze Laver, is to go in the Courtyard of the Tabernacle just outside the curtain into the Holy Place. 

 

2.2.            Note several unique characteristics in the required construction for the Bronze Laver: 

 

2.2.1.      It alone is made entirely of bronze with no wood frame undergirding it.

 

2.2.2.      Neither its shape or dimensions are specified.

 

2.3.            Because neither the shape nor the dimensions of the Bronze Laver are given this leads us to the conclusion that what is really important about it is the water itself.  It is the water that brings the cleansing.  A.B. Simpson has written:  The figure of water is universally familiar, and represents one of the most important and necessary elements in the physical universe.  We find it in the vast ocean, comprising by far the largest inland lakes and rivers, which form such exquisite networks both of beauty and convenience and of commercial value.  We find it in the vapour of the skies;  and the dews that gather about the vegetable creation, and preserve it from withering through torrid summer.  We find it forming the largest proportion of our own bodies.  It is a figure of purity and refreshing; of quickening life and power; of vastness and abundance.  Without it, life could not be for a month maintained.  And so we find it in the bible as one of the most important symbols of spiritual things.”

 

2.4.            Water is seen at the beginning of creation as the Spirit of God moved over the waters, in the garden of Eden in the river which watered the garden (Gen. 2:10), in the vehicle by which God destroyed the world during the flood, in the many wells where God met His people and preserved them during their journeys (for example Gen. 16:7; 21:19), and even in the water than shall one day flow from God’s throne (Rev. 22:1).  The first miracle was to turn water into wine (John 2), water and blood flowed from the Savior’s pierced side upon the cross, it is water into which we are baptized, the Holy Spirit flows like rivers of living water within the hearts of believers, the ceremonial cleansings of the Old Testament involved water, and the Word of God itself is symbolized by water as it performs the function of washing us:   Ephesians 5:25-27:  25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”

 

2.5.            The blood of the sacrifice placed on the Brazen Altar provided the atonement for the sins of the people, including the priests.  The sons of Aaron alone were allowed to minister within the Tabernacle, but before entering the Tabernacle they always had to come to the Bronze Laver and ‘wash their hands and feet’ before they could enter.  Their hands would be stained with blood from the sacrifices and their feet dirty from walking in the sand.  This required washing of the hands and feet symbolizes the fact that a necessary qualification for every one who ministers for the Lord is to not only have sins atoned for through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, but also to have the defilement of sin cleansed from off of them.  The ‘hands’ being washed symbolized cleansing for deeds you have done.  The ‘feet’ being washed symbolized cleansing necessary from walking in this sinful and fallen world. 

 

2.6.            The Lord is adamant about this cleansing being necessary before entry into the Tabernacle and states even that this cleansing is prevent them from dying if they were to enter in a defiled manner.

 

2.7.            An interesting piece of trivia is the fact that Exod. 38:8 tells us that the laver was at least in part manufactured from the donated eye pieces of the women in Israel:  8 And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation..

 

3.                  VS 30:22-33  - 22 Moreover, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty, 24 and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. 25 “You shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 “With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand. 29 “You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. 30 “You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me. 31 “You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32 ‘It shall not be poured on anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in the same proportions; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 ‘Whoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people.’ ”” -  The Lord gives the requirements for the making of anointing oil

 

3.1.            The ingredients for the Anointing Oil are very specifically defined by the Lord as it also refers to the Lord and is to be made according to the pattern.  These verses demonstrate that the Anointing Oil refers to Jesus Christ: 

 

3.1.1.      Quoting from Psalm 45:7, the author to the book of Hebrews writes in Hebrews 1:9 that Jesus was “anointed with the oil of gladness” above His companions:  9You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.”  Psalm 45:7-8 tells us about the fragrance on the Messiah’s garments that will be associated with that oil of gladness:  7 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows. 8 All Your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made You glad.” 

 

3.1.2.      In Isaiah 61:1-3, the Messiah speaks out here about the nature of His ministry (words quoted by Jesus at the beginning of His ministry to the synagogue in Nazareth where He grew up), and the Messiah says that He will give to the brokenhearted and captives “the oil of gladness instead of mourning”:  1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; 2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3 To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

 

3.2.            The root word for the word translated ‘spices’ means “sweet smelling.”

 

3.3.            The primary ingredient in the Anointing Oil is ‘olive oil.’  However, other fine spices were to be added to it to give it also a fragrance.  Here are the portions for each ingredient as well as their symbolic significance:

 

3.3.1.      Myrrh.

 

3.3.1.1.500 shekels worth.

 

3.3.1.2.Arthur Pink quotes a Mr. Rideout concerning the nature of Myrr:  This was the gum from a dwarf tree of the terebinth family, growing in Arabia.  The gum exudes from the trunk either spontaneously or through incisions made for the purpose.  That prescribed for the ointment was ‘pure,’ literally, free’—the best, what had flowed spontaneously. . . It is fragrant to the smell but bitter to the taste.”

3.3.1.3.Arthur Pink brings out how that the 8 uses of this word in the Song of Solomon (For example:  Song of Solomon 1:13, “13My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh Which lies all night between my breasts.”) indicates that it symbolizes “love.”  But, the fact that it was bitter to the taste and was one of the spices in which our Lord’s body was mummified with indicates symbolically also the great price by which love paid on Calvary’s cross where Jesus died for the sins of the world.

 

3.3.2.      Cinnamon.

 

3.3.2.1.250 shekels worth.

 

3.3.2.2.Arthur Pink writes the following about the nature of this Cinnamon tree:  It is the bark of a small evergreen tree of the laural family.  Another tree of the same family is the fragrant camphor.  The odor of the cinnamon is sweet and its taste is agreeable;  it is largely used for flavouring.  A valuable essential oil is extracted from the bark, having these properties in an intensified form.  It is obtained chiefly from Ceylon, and probably brought from India in the times of the Exodus.  The bark is obtained from the young shoots.  As a medicine, it is a stimulant and cordial.”

 

3.3.2.3.Arthur Pink also mentions that Mr. Ridout believes that the name may come as the result of two well-known Hebrew words that together mean “appearance of jealousy.”  He suggests that it might then symbolize the type of thing that characterized our Lord when He drove the money-changers out of the temple, and it was mentioned that of the Messiah that He would be “consumed with zeal for God’s house.”   

 

3.3.3.      Fragrant cane.

 

3.3.3.1.250 shekels worth..

 

3.3.3.2.The root word for this cane is a word that means “to stand upright,” and it is very likely the cane that is referred to as “spikenard” in the scriptures.  The reed was crushed to get the fragrance out of it.   This is perhaps the same aromatic reed mentioned in Song of Solomon 1:12:  12While the king was at his table, My perfume gave forth its fragrance.”  It is perhaps that very expensive perfume also which Mary used to anoint Jesus feet John 12:3:  3 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”

 

3.3.3.3.So, taking from what we know about this cane, maybe we can say that it symbolizes the holy and righteous life of one who stands upright and pure in the midst of the corruption of this world, just as was the case with Jesus Christ.

 

3.3.4.      Cassia.

 

3.3.4.1.500 shekels worth.

 

3.3.4.2.In Ezekiel 27:19 we read that Tyre traded in Cassia.  It was a fragrance that was recognized by the people of this world, but also one of which Psalm 45:8 tells us that the Messiah’s garments would smell like.

 

3.4.            Putting all of the fragrances and their symbolisms together, Arthur Pink writes the following about this Anointing Oil:  summarizing the emblematic significance of these four principal spices, we learn that, the “myrrh” pointed to the outpouring of Christ’s love in a bitter but fragrant death;  the “cinnamon” to His holy jealousy for the honour and glory of God;  the “calamus” to His uprightness and righteousness in a world of sin and wickedness;  the “cassia” to His submission to and worship of God.”

 

3.5.            The Lord states to Moses here that everything having to do with the construction of the Tabernacle, including the priests and their garments, was to be anointed with this special oil.

 

3.6.            The Lord is so concerned that His people treat Him as being holy and that everything be made according to the pattern in heaven, He states that if anyone made an oil that is even like this Anointing Oil that the person was to be cut of from among His people.  He alone should ever be characterized by the olive oil and these four spices.

 

4.                  VS 30:34-38  - 34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. 35 “With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36 “You shall beat some of it very fine, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. 37 “The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the Lord. 38 “Whoever shall make any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people.”” -  The Lord gives the requirements for the making of incense

 

1.1.            The incense for burning on the Golden Altar is specified to be made of equal parts of ‘stacte, and onycha and galbanum spices with pure frankincense.’  And there is to be an ‘equal part of each’ of these that make up the incense.

 

1.2.            Because there are four different spices that combine in equal portions to make the incense that is to continually burn in the Tabernacle, some have suggested that this symbolizes the four fold nature of Christ’s work as told by the four gospels of the New Testament.  Matthew reveals Christ the King.  Mark reveals Christ the Servant.  Luke reveals Christ the man.  John reveals Christ the divine Son of God.

 

1.3.            The incense was to always be a fragrant aroma, just as Jesus Christ Himself is a fragrant aroma to His Father.  We have already seen that the incense symbolizes prayer in the scriptures and the continual burning of the incense in the Tabernacle symbolizes the continual intercession of Christ in heaven, the true tabernacle, for His people.

 

1.4.            I think you can deduce from this that interceding in prayer for others to the Lord is seen by Him as being a fragrant aroma, and it is very critical that we do pray for each other and our various needs continually.

 

1.5.            The fact that the incense was holy to the Lord is seen that if anyone were to unsolicited try to make any incense like that which was to be made for the temple, that man was to be put to death.

 

2.                  VS 31:1-11  - 1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 “I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, 5 and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. 6 “And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, and the ark of testimony, and the mercy seat upon it, and all the furniture of the tent, 8 the table also and its utensils, and the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, 9 the altar of burnt offering also with all its utensils, and the laver and its stand, 10 the woven garments as well, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, with which to carry on their priesthood; 11 the anointing oil also, and the fragrant incense for the holy place, they are to make them according to all that I have commanded you.”” -  The Lord points out to Moses the men that He has called and appointed to make the various designs for the Tabernacle

 

2.1.            The calling and gifting of the Lord upon individuals for the service in the construction and operation of the Tabernacle and its various elements directly parallels the way in which the Lord works when He calls people together into the church and builds up a group of people to function together under His leading as a church, just as it says in Eph. 4:7-13:  7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”  God first gifts a person and then calls him/her to use their gifts in the body of Christ. 

 

2.2.            Now, we see the Lord is telling Moses the names of men He is calling to oversee and complete the work of construction of the various elements of the Tabernacle.  In these callings we get a glimpse into how God gives spiritual gifts to people in the church even today.  The Lord tells Moses that He has worked into these men’s the ‘Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship.” 

 

2.3.            Bezalel’ is the first man mentioned by the Lord in this regard, and we read here that he is ‘the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.’  We see here that the Lord has prepared this man ‘to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, 5 and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship.’ This man is not only called to be a craftsman in the construction of these sorts of items, he is also being called by the Lord to oversee the work of those under him.

 

2.4.            The second man mentioned is to work with Bezalel, and his name is ‘Oholiab,’ and he is the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 

 

2.5.            The Lord tells Moses that He has worked in many people’s lives so that at this time they would come together for the construction of the Tabernacle and its various elements, ‘in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill that they may make all that I have commanded you.’

 

2.6.            It will take people with various skills and wisdom in their craftsmanship in order to make everything according to the pattern that the Lord has communicated to Moses.

 

2.7.            Each one who had been gifted from God with wisdom to perform certain crafts was to be involved in the construction of the various elements of the Tabernacle.  In the same way, in the body of Christ it is essential that every member of the body of Christ use the spiritual gifts that they have received.  1 Peter 4:10:  10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”  If every member of our physical body is not performing its proper function then the body is not healthy nor able to function as it was created to function.  Each member of the body of Christ is to led by Jesus Christ, the head, but is also supposed to work in interdependence upon each other member.  A foot is not connected to the neck, nor is a hand, nor a kidney.  Each member is interconnected and needs to work interdependent upon the other members of the body in order for the body to be able to function effectively. 

 

3.                  VS 31:12-18  - 12 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 13 “But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 14 ‘Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 ‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death. 16 ‘So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.’ 17 “It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.” 18 When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.” -  The Lord instructs Moses that the children of Israel are always throughout their generations to observe the Sabbath and that anyone who profanes the Sabbath by working shall be cut off from among his people, then the Lord gave the two tablets of the testimony to Moses

 

3.1.            In concluding the requirements for the construction of the Tabernacle, the Lord reminds Moses of the fourth commandment, that of keeping the Sabbath day holy.  The one who works or in some way profanes the Sabbath day is to be cut off from his people.  The commandment is called ‘a perpetual covenant’ that is to be observed ‘throughout their generations.’

 

3.2.            For the first time, the Lord calls the Sabbath observance as a ‘sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever.’ 

 

3.3.            In conclusion, the Lord ‘gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony,’ which were the stone tablets in which the Ten Commandments were inscribed by the finger of God.

 

4.                  CONCLUSIONS:

 

4.1.            As we consider this last study regarding the requirements for the construction of the Tabernacle it is just amazing to see how the Lord created each element of the Tabernacle to reflect Jesus Christ.  It is all about Jesus Christ.  He is preeminent in all things, all things exist to Him and for Him, and all things will be consummated in Christ.

 

4.2.            Jesus Christ is worthy of all of our worship, and when we look in the book of Revelation we see that as He is seated on the throne in the heavenlies that all of the mighty cherubs and creatures there are continually giving Him the worship that He is due:  Revelation 5:12:  12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.””. 

 

4.3.            Is Jesus Christ your Lord and your Savior?  Is He your all and all?  Is He reflected in every aspect of your life?       

 

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