Exodus 25 - Instructions for the Tabernacle and its Furnishings
Timeline: 1450 BC
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Israelite Journeys Rameses
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God was very precise when giving the instructions for the tabernacle to Moses. But this tabernacle was a temporary dwelling for God to be closer to the children of Israel. The tabernacle was later replaced by Solomon with a more permanent structure called the temple. However, before the tabernacle or the temple was built on earth, the original tabernacle already existed since the tabernacle was patterned after that which is in heaven. More space is devoted to the tabernacle than any other object in the bible. Jesus spoke of Himself as a Temple:
Exodus 25:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats' hair; ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. God told Moses to ask for contributions, presenting to God all the materials needed for sacred purposes for the building of the tabernacle. He didn't command that they tithe. God will have no gifts not freely offered. If a man gives grudgingly God rejects the gift. The Israelites possessed all the supplies they needed. They were a wealthy nation when they left Egypt. Some of their wealth came from what they had obtained from the Egyptians, some came from the plunder of the Amalekites and the rest was inherited from their forefathers. Fourteen different kinds of materials were needed for the project. If we were to build the tabernacle according to these specifications today, it would cost millions of dollars. God showed Moses the pattern of the tabernacle and its furnishings. Not only did He give him the blueprints, Moses saw God's vision. He was divinely instructed to build the tabernacle to mirror the one that is in heaven. Exodus 25:10 "And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around. You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you. The ark was a wooden box made from acacia wood. That wood was taken from the massive trees that grew in the Sinai. These trees are renowned for their adaptation to harsh environments. The wood of the trunk is stronger, denser and harder than oak and is naturally resistant to moisture and decay. The chest was 45 inches long, 27 inches wide and 27 inches high. It was then covered inside and out with thin plates of pure gold and a gold molding was made all round the edge of the chest at the top, probably made to keep the mercy-seat, in place. The Hebrew word for gold means to "shimmer" and gold represents God's divinity. The four rings were cast and fastened to the ark. Poles were made from the acacia wood, gold plated and inserted into the rings. They were designed so that they could carry the ark without touching the ark itself and were not to be removed. Hebrews 9:4 states that the Ark contained "the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.Exodus 25:17 "You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel. The mercy seat is made of pure gold. It measured 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. The cherubim are made from hammered gold, a technique in which gold is beaten or hammered into thin sheets. This method causes the gold to become harder and more durable. The cherubim are the most frequently occurring heavenly creatures in the Hebrew Bible. They are considered to be among the higher orders of angels who continually praise God. Cherubim are guardians of the Glory of God. God spoke from above the mercy seat, His shekinah glory guarded by the cherubim. One time each year, the high priest would sprinkle blood on the seat. The blood covered and hid the failure of the people to keep God's law. So God was able to show them mercy and not give them what they deserve in spite of what they have done. Exodus 25:23 "You shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around. You shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a gold molding for the frame all around. And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs. The rings shall be close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table. And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them. You shall make its dishes, its pans, its pitchers, and its bowls for pouring. You shall make them of pure gold. And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always. This is the first time the word "table" is used in the Bible. The showbread table is 3 feet long, 1.5 feet wide, and 2.25 feet high. It is made from the same wood as the ark was made and also overlaid with pure gold. The crown molding, or rim was designed to prevent the showbread from slipping off the table. Like the ark, it seems it is not to be touched. It was made with rings on the corners so the poles could be used to carry it. The table stood on the right side of the Holy Place across from the lampstand and held exactly twelve loaves of bread, arranged into two rows of six. Showbread (aka shewbread) literally translated as "face bread". Some scholars believe that the earthly Bread of the Face was a visible sign of the invisible face of God that was meant to be a kind of memorial of the heavenly banquet at the foot of the mountain. The twelve loaves of bread were a food offering to God from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. In addition to the pans for the showbread, were pitchers, or flagon, for the wine which was used to pour drink offerings into the bowls, and the plates and dishes likely held the frankincense.  Exodus 25:31 "You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it. And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.
 The Hebrew word for "lampstand" is menorah, and it derives from a verb that means "to flame." The menorah was a work of art beaten from one piece of pure gold. About seventy-five pounds of pure gold worth upwards of twenty-five thousand dollars was used for the lampstand and all the utensils such as tongs and trays. Although the Bible text does not specify the size of the lampstand, rabbinic sources teach that the menorah stood about five feet and about three and a half feet wide. It stood on the south side (to the left as they entered) of the Holy Place. There were no windows in the sanctuary; the Lampstand was the sole means of light. The lampstand with its branches was modeled after a flowering almond tree. A tree symbolized eternal life for the true people of God. It not only looked back to the tree of life in the garden, but it also anticipated the tree of life that stands in the new heavens and the new earth in Revelation. There was only one lampstand in the Old Testament tabernacle, whereas there were many lampstands in the New. At the end of the Bible, in Revelation 1, there are seven golden lampstands symbolizing the seven local churches. Bible Study Questions 1. What materials did God ask the children of Israel to bring for the tabernacle? 1. Ten percent of their income 2. Why did God want them to build the tabernacle? 1. So He could dwell among them. 3. What was the ark made of? 1. Wood from the burning bush covered with gold 4. What will go into the ark?
5. What will be on top of the mercy seat?
6. Where will God be in the tabernacle? 1. Above the mercy seat 7. What is the purpose of the table made of acacia wood covered with gold? 1. To place the offering 8. How many branches does the lampstand have? 1. Three 9. The lampstand has four bowls that will be made like what flower? 1. Rose blossoms. 10. What pattern should the tabernacle be made from? 1. The one God showed them before they left Egypt. |
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