Key Verses: Exodus 36:1, 36:5, 36:7
Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skillful man whom the LORD has gifted with ability set to work on the sanctuary according to all that the LORD has commanded. Moses gives them the freewill offerings the people have brought, and still the people keep bringing more, morning after morning, until the craftsmen leave their work to report that the people are bringing much more than enough for the tasks the LORD commanded. So Moses issues a proclamation restraining the people from bringing any more, for the material is more than sufficient to do all the work-a remarkable problem of surplus generosity. The workers then construct the tabernacle itself: ten curtains of fine twined linen with blue, purple, and scarlet yarns, worked with cherubim, joined by loops and golden clasps into one whole. Over these they make curtains of goat hair for a tent, with coverings of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins. They build the upright frames of acacia wood overlaid with gold, set in silver bases, with bars running through rings, and they make the veil of blue, purple, and scarlet, worked with cherubim, to separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, along with the screen for the entrance.
This chapter’s refrain, that the work was done “as the LORD had commanded,” celebrates the beauty of exact obedience, contrasting sharply with the golden calf that Israel devised according to its own imagination. The extraordinary detail that the people had to be restrained from giving is a rebuke and encouragement to every generation, for God’s work is rarely hindered by too much devotion. The tabernacle’s construction mirrors the creation account, where God’s servants complete the work He appoints, making the sanctuary a small ordered cosmos where God will dwell. The veil separating the Most Holy Place testifies that sinful people cannot yet freely approach the holy God, a barrier that would be torn in two at the death of Christ (Matthew 27:51). Every curtain and clasp made according to the pattern points to the true and heavenly tent that the Lord has pitched, of which this is only a copy and shadow (Hebrews 8:5).
Key Terms & Words:
- מְלָאכָה (melakah) - Exodus 36:1 - “Work/craftsmanship”; the sacred work of building the sanctuary, echoing the work of creation
- מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan) - Exodus 36:8 - “Tabernacle/dwelling”; God’s dwelling place among His people, where heaven meets earth
- פָּרֹכֶת (paroket) - Exodus 36:35 - “Veil”; the curtain guarding the Most Holy Place, torn at Christ’s death
Cross-References:
- Matthew 27:51 - The temple veil torn in two at the death of Jesus
- Hebrews 8:5 - The earthly sanctuary a copy and shadow of the heavenly
- Hebrews 10:19-20 - Access to God through the new and living way, the torn veil
- Exodus 26:1-37 - The original command matching this construction
- 2 Corinthians 8:2-4 - Overflowing generosity in giving beyond expectation
Discussion Questions:
- What does the repeated phrase “as the LORD had commanded” teach about the nature of true worship?
- Have you ever given so freely that you had to be restrained, and what holds you back?
- How does the veil separating the Most Holy Place point to the work of Christ on the cross?