Exodus 25:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Tell the Israelites to take an offering for Me. You are to take My offering from everyone who is willing to give. 3 This is the offering you are to receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair; 5 ram skins dyed red and manatee skins; acacia wood; 6 oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 7 and onyx along with other gemstones for mounting on the ephod and breastpiece.
Here the Lord is instructing Moses on what materials will be necessary to make the tabernacle of the Lord and the items that will be inside of it. You should notice that the Lord did not command Moses to take these items from the people, but he said that Moses should take from those who are willing to give.
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Today, the Lord does not force us to give Him anything. He wants us to, but will not force us. He wants us to give to Him because we want to and he wants us to be happy about it.
Exodus 25:8 “They are to make a sanctuary for Me so that I may dwell among them. 9 You must make it according to all that I show you—the pattern of the tabernacle as well as the pattern of all its furnishings.
The Lord did not make the Israelites guess as to how the tabernacle should be be built, but he gave them specific instructions. The Lord wanted a place where He could dwell among His people. Today, the Holy Spirit dwells in those who believe, but before the sacrifice of Christ, no one could have anything holy within them since they were full of sin, so God required a separate place to dwell. He could no dwell within men as he does today. Christ's sacrifice on the cross means that those today who are believers are covered by the blood of Christ and when our Heavenly Father looks at us, he will see Christ.
Exodus 25:10 “They are to make an ark of acacia wood, 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.
Why acacia wood? What I know of acacia is that it is a thorny tree that grows in parts of Africa and giraffes like to eat it... thanks Discovery Channel! -- Anywho, I did some looking up about acacia and found that they are all over the world, not just Africa. The plants have some medicinal purposes, but I could not find anything specific about that. In Egyptian myths, acacia is associated with life. In Asian cultures, acacia bark is burned and used as an incense to keeps demons away and to put the gods a good mood. (
Wikipedia) So, knowing in other traditions acacia is associated with life and is something to ward away demons, it seems to be fitting to use acacia wood for various things in the tabernacle.
Exodus 25:11 Overlay it with pure gold; overlay it both inside and out. Also make a gold molding all around it. 12 Cast four gold rings for it and place them on its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. 13 Make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark with them. 15 The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it. 16 Put the tablets of the testimony that I will give you into the ark. 17 Make a mercy seat of pure gold, 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. 18 Make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. At its two ends, make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 The cherubim are to have wings spread out above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and are to face one another. The faces of the cherubim should be toward the mercy seat. 21 Set the mercy seat on top of the ark and put the testimony that I will give you into the ark. 22 I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony; I will speak with you from there about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.
So, the Lord will appear on the ark, in the mercy seat between the two cherubim. All of these things described are covered in gold. Inside and out. The ark would be heavy and since they were not allowed to touch it (we will see this later on) the poles were necessary to carry it.
Exodus 25:23 “You are to construct a table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high. 24 Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding all around it. 25 Make a three-inch frame all around it and make a gold molding for it all around its frame. 26 Make four gold rings for it, and attach the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 27 The rings should be next to the frame as holders for the poles to carry the table. 28 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, and the table can be carried by them. 29 You are also to make its plates and cups, as well as its pitchers and bowls for pouring drink offerings. Make them out of pure gold. 30 Put the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.
Bread of Presence? Anyone know this?
Exodus 25:31 “You are to make a lampstand out of pure, hammered gold. It is to be made of one piece: its base and shaft, its ornamental cups, and its calyxes and petals. 32 Six branches are to extend from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from one side and three branches of the lampstand from the other side. 33 There are to be three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a calyx and petals, on the first branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a calyx and petals, on the next branch. It is to be this way for the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 34 There are to be four cups shaped like almond blossoms on the lampstand shaft along with its calyxes and petals. 35 For the six branches that extend from the lampstand, a calyx must be under the first pair of branches from it, a calyx under the second pair of branches from it, and a calyx under the third pair of branches from it. 36 Their calyxes and branches are to be of one piece. All of it is to be a single hammered piece of pure gold.
The sculpture of this piece must have been very skilled to make such an object out of a single piece of gold.
Exodus 25:37 “Make seven lamps on it. Its lamps are to be set up so they illuminate the area in front of it. 38 Its snuffers and firepans must be of pure gold. 39 The lampstand with all these utensils is to be made from 75 pounds of pure gold. 40 Be careful to make them according to the pattern you have been shown on the mountain.
I am suddenly reminded of this:
Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” 12 I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven gold lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe and with a gold sash wrapped around His chest.
I wonder if there is any significance to this.
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