Exodus 35-40
From Blueprint
to Blessing

Psalm 16:1-6 Where to Find Joy And Pleasure

1.“Preserve me, God, for in You do I take refuge.2.My soul, you have said to Yahweh, "You are my Lord. Apart from You I have no good thing."3.As for the saints who are in the earth, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.4.Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god. Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take their names on my lips.5.Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup. You made my lot secure.6.The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance.

Observation

16:1-6.

God is concerned (more than we know) about our joy and pleasure, for He created those things, and knows best what will satisfy and fulfill us.

Application

Set God as your highest good, and you will be overwhelmed with His goodness.

Prayer

Try paraphrasing the verses above in your own words and pray it back to God.

Proverbs 4:24-27 Lips, Eyes, Feet, Fingers

24.“Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.25.Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.26.Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.27.Don’t turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.“

Observation

4:24-27.

After instructing his son about the path of wisdom, the author ends the chapter with a few choice verses about staying on it. Wisdom consists of having the right speech, the right direction/focus, the right steps/actions, and the right resolve, not deviating from what we know is wise and good and right.

Application

Do a quick inventory of your body parts and make sure they are all present and accounted for, and headed in the way of wisdom. The alternative is not good.

Prayer

Lord, thanks for imparting Your wisdom so I can embrace it and walk in it. Show me whatever isn't pleasing in Your sight, and give me the power, desire, and knowledge to fix it. Amen.

Exodus 35-40 From Blueprint to Blessing

These chapters largely reiterate the previous content, in completing the building of the Tabernacle, showing that the people actually obeyed. The book climaxes in Chapter 40 with God's glory residing in the midst of His people.

Exodus 35 The Willing Heart Offers and Obeys

1.Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said to them, "These are the words which Yahweh has commanded, that you should do them.2.`Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of solemn rest to Yahweh: whoever does any work in it shall be put to death.5.Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, Yahweh`s offering: gold, silver...10."Let every wise-hearted man among you come, and make all that Yahweh has commanded:21.They came, everyone whose heart was lifted up, and everyone whose spirit was stirred/willing, and brought Yahweh`s offering...29.The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to Yahweh; every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all the work, which Yahweh had commanded to be made by Moses.

Observation

35:1-21.

The structure in the following chapters parallels the previous content in reverse order. This is called “chiastic” A-B-C-c'-b'-a', which emphasizes what is in the middle Cc', which was the breaking and renewal of the covenant in the last post. God is serious about obedience to the Sabbath. What NT command do you think gets emphasized? Note that God doesn't control the heart. In response to God, hearts were moved to offer what they had and their services to the work of the Lord.

Exodus 36 Enough Already

1."Bezalel and Oholiab shall work with every wise-hearted man, in whom Yahweh has put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all the work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that Yahweh has commanded."5.They spoke to Moses, saying, "The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which Yahweh commanded to make."6.Moses gave commandment, "Let neither man nor woman make anything else for the offering for 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.

Observation

36:1-7.

God “power-charges” His people when they are correctly related to Him. God's work, done God's way, will never lack God's resources.

Application

The values of our heart are reflected in what we do and give.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, please give me wisdom, understanding, skill, and a will to do what glorifies You during my short sojourn on earth. Amen.

Exodus 37 Busy Bezalel

1.Bezalel made the ark...6.He made a mercy seat of pure gold.17.He made the lampstand of pure gold.25.He made the altar of incense29.He made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, after the art of the perfumer.

Observation

37:1.

Bezalel was one busy guy, but he had help. His name means “in the shadow of God.”

Exodus 38 Group Effort

1.He made the altar of burnt offering3.He made all the vessels9.He made the court:21.This is the amount of material used for the tent,22.Bezalel the grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that Yahweh commanded Moses.23.With him was Oholiab, an engraver, and a skillful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen.24.All the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents, and seven hundred thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.25.The silver...26...those who were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty men.

Observation

38:24-26.

A couple of people have estimated the current value of the materials used were around $45 million, not counting labor. That comes out to about $75 per man, but since the women also gave, half that. It took about nine months to build and was used for about 600 years.

Exodus 39 Capstone and Blessing

1.Of the blue, purple, and scarlet, they made finely worked garments, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as Yahweh commanded Moses.3.They beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, in the purple, in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, the work of the skillful workman.30.They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it a writing, like the engravings of a signet: "HOLY TO YAHWEH."31.They tied to it a lace of blue, to fasten it on the turban above, as Yahweh commanded Moses.32.Thus all the work of the tent of the tent of meeting was finished. The children of Israel did according to all that Yahweh commanded Moses; so they did.33.They brought the tent to Moses, the tent, with all its furniture, its clasps, its boards, it bars, its pillars, its sockets,34.the covering of rams` skins dyed red, the covering of sea cow hides, the veil of the screen,35.the ark of the testimony with its poles, the mercy seat,36.the table, all its vessels, the show bread,37.the pure lampstand, its lamps, even the lamps to be set in order, all its vessels, the oil for the light,38.the golden altar, the anointing oil, the sweet incense, the screen for the door of the Tent,39.the brazen altar, its grating of brass, its poles, all of its vessels, the basin and its base,40.the hangings of the court, its pillars, its sockets, the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, its pins, all the instruments of the service of the tent, for the tent of meeting,41.the finely worked garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest`s office.42.According to all that Yahweh commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work.43.Moses saw all the work, and, behold, they had done it as Yahweh had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.

Observation

39:20-32.

The capstone was in fact a cap, on which was fastened the golden plate, epitomizing everything that was done as Holy To Yahweh.

Application

When God commands, we do it until it's done, as a holy offering to Him.

Prayer

Holy God, thank You that You give purpose and meaning to our endeavors on planet earth; may all that I do be a holy offering to You, which You can bless. Amen.

Exodus 40 Glory and Guide

1.Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,2."On the first day of the first month you shall raise up the tent of the Tent of Meeting.3.You shall put the ark of the testimony in it, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.4.You shall bring in the table, and set in order the things that are on it. You shall bring in the lampstand, and light the lamps of it.5.You shall set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the screen of the door to the tent.6.You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tent of the tent of meeting.7.You shall set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shall put water therein.8.You shall set up the court around it, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court.9.You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tent, and all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its furniture: and it will be holy.10.You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and sanctify the altar: and the altar will be most holy.11.You shall anoint the basin and its base, and sanctify it.12.You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tent of meeting, and shall wash them with water.13.You shall put on Aaron the holy garments; and you shall anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest`s office.14.You shall bring his sons, and put coats on them.15.You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to me in the priest`s office. Their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.16.Thus did Moses: according to all that Yahweh commanded him, so he did.17.It happened in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tent was raised up.33.He raised up the court around the tent and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.34.Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of Yahweh filled the tent.35.Moses wasn`t able to enter into the tent of meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and Yahweh`s glory filled the tent.36.When the cloud was taken up from over the tent, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys;37.but if the cloud wasn`t taken up, then they didn`t travel until the day that it was taken up.38.For the cloud of Yahweh was on the tent by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

Observation

40:1-36.

All the pieces of the plan come together as the Tabernacle is set up. Ark goes in first. The secret to Moses' success. The climax of the book, God now dwells in the midst of His people. They only traveled on cloudy days.

Application

A willing heart and sustained obedience are necessary to experience the glory and guidance of God.

Isaiah 57:15 "For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Prayer

Holy God who inhabits eternity and the hearts of the humble, thank you for making it possible to have a relationship with You. Wow! Amen.

Digging Deeper

God in a nutshell: God dwells with man, but only on His terms. He provides what we need to do His will. His Revelation is primary.

Us in a nutshell: Sometimes we get lost in the details and fail to see the bigger picture. But faithful obedience in the little things is necessary to experience God according to His plan. Teamwork of a unified and structured people brings about results greater than could be done individually.

Where to go for more

Truthbase.net