Exodus 35 - 40 May 9th

Finishing and Filling the Tabernacle
It had been a very good year. Tho it may seem like years since the Israelites left Egypt 12:37, actually only one year has elapsed since the Exodus. The first 3 months were spent journeying to Mt. Sinai. There the people camped for an additional 9 months while they received the law and erected the tabernacle.
Exodus closes with the record of the actual construction of the tabernacle—the building in which God will meet his people as they journey to Canaan. The vast project requires the cooperation of many individuals. When the tabernacle is completed at last, God gives his approval by filling the structure with the cloud of his glory. Israel is now prepared to worship God while “on the march”.
Actually this four chapter block of Scripture covers a wonderful happening in the hearts of the people…they were stricken with the desire to GIVE.
Imagine this scene taking place in our church next Sunday: Right in the middle of the offering, Bro Johnny is handed a note and rushes to the microphone to announce to the congregation, “Please stop the offering! The plates are overflowing with gifts, and all our needs have been met. You’ve already given too much!”
Sounds like a far-fetched story, doesn’t it? But that is precisely what happened when the Israelites willingly and wholeheartedly contributed to the tabernacle as God had commanded. It may seem as tho they impoverished themselves by giving to God’s work, but that was not the case. God was already supplying all their needs, as He would continue to do for the next 40 years.
36:3 …. And they continued to bring him freewill offerings every morning. And all the wise and able men who were doing the work on the sanctuary came, every man from the work he was doing and they said to Moses, The people bring much more than enough for doing the work which the Lord commanded to do…………….. so Moses commanded and it was proclaimed in all the camp, Let not man or woman do anything more for the sanctuary offering. So the people were restrained from bringing; for the stuff they had was sufficient to do all the work and more.
EXCEEDINGLY GIVING!!!! Wow…for the touch of giving to invade our hearts today!
When you realize that everything you have is a gift from God’s hand I Cor. 4:7 your giving will take on a fresh new meaning.
Let us copy the motivational gift of GIVING…The spiritual gift of GIVING: Romans 12: 6 – 8
Definition: Contribute to the needs of God’s people—sharing in the necessities of the saints – pursuing the practice of hospitality.
READ: 16-21
Chapter 35…
A Sabbath of rest to the Lord…don’t work on that day…difference between Sabbath and the Lord’s Day that we have today on the first day of the week. N.T.
Take an offering (v.5) WHOEVER IS OF A WILLING AND GENEROUS HEART… V.10 instructions – details. V.21 each one whose heart stirred him up and whose spirit made him willing and brought the Lord’s offering to be used for the [new] tent of meeting, for all its service, and the holy garments…they came both men and women all who were willing-hearted …….everyone bringing an offering of gold to the Lord….everyone who could make an offering of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord’s offering….v.25 All the women who had ability and were wisehearted ….v.26 and all the women who had ability and whose hearts stirred them up in wisdom …..v.29 The Israelites brought a freewill offering to the Lord every man and woman whose heart made them willing and moved them to bring anything for any of the work … v.31 And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and wisdom with intelligence and understanding and with knowledge and all craftsmanship…v.34 God has put in Bezalel’s heart that he may teach….He has filled them with wisdom of heart and ability to do all manner of craftsmanship ….
Chp.36 …Bezalel and Aholiab and every wise-hearted man in whom the Lord has put wisdom and understanding to know how to do all the work for the service of the sanctuary, shall work according to all that the Lord has commanded…every able and wise-hearted man in whose mind the Lord had put wisdom and ability, every one whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work.
THE LORD GIVES DESIRE AND ABILITY! May my heart be willing, Lord!!! Move me toward Your work for me!
AND THE WORK THEY CONTINUED TO DO v. 13 “so the tabernacle became one unit. We should not be a segmented temple, but one unit under the Lord.
v. 8 we think of O.T. women being put down, but here it describes the laver and its base of bronze made of the mirrors of the women who ministered at the door of the tent of meeting.
v.22 Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah made all that the Lord commanded Moses.
A LEADER ASSIGNS AND THEN FOLLOWS UP WITH INSPECTION. In this case, he found the work “well done”. 39:43 And Moses inspected all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, so had they done it. And Moses blessed them.
40:7 Why was it necessary for one exact position for the laver to be demanded of Moses by God? The laver was to be placed directly between the doors of the tent of meeting and altar of burnt offering; thus, completing the Cross made by the arrangement of the furniture, from the ark to the altar. It could have no significance to the Jews of that time, but the One Who planned it had those in mind to whom Christ would one day say. “And these very Scriptures testify about Me!” How fitting that at the foot of that Cross there should be the altar, picturing our complete surrender, and then the laver, picturing our cleansing, that we may enter in through Him Who alone is “the Door” to the eternal Holy of Holies. John 10:1-9
Oh, that it might be said of me: “Thus did Moses according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did. 40:16
v.20 He took the testimony 10 Commandments and put it into the ark, and set the poles in the rings on the ark and put the mercy seat above upon the ark. = Atonement covering sin Romans 3:25…TO COVER OUR SIN
40:36-38 …CLOUD WAS TAKEN UP FROM OVER THE TABERNACLE, THE Israelites went onward; but if the cloud was not taken up, they did not journey on till the day that it was taken up, for throughout all their journeys the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night in the sight of all the house of Israel. They did not have a schedule but daily followed after the Lord!
LIKEWISE: Today we have the small quiet voice of the Lord, the indwelling Holy Spirit…referee of daily activities…
The people of Israel had no idea what Moses had experienced on the mountain and how close they had come to being rejected by God and destroyed. Oh, the spiritual power of a dedicated man or woman who knows how and is willing to intercede with God.
…the word “commanded” is used 18 times in ch. 39 and 40 to remind us that the workers did what God had told them to do. Moses was a faithful servant who did all that God told him to do. Heb. 3:1-6
Doing exactly as the Lord commanded was critical. Too many sincere people have tried to do God’s work their own way and then have asked God to bless their effort. But ministry doesn’t work that way. 1st we find out what God wants us to do and we do it to glorify Him. If we obey His will and seek to honor His name then He will come and bless the work with His powerful presence. After everything and everybody associated with the tabernacle was dedicated to the Lord then the glory of God filled the tabernacle and abode there.
The glory of the Lord departed in the times of great sin. The glory of God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ John 1:14. What did the world do with this glory? Nailed it to a cross!
Where is God’s glory today? The body of every true believer is the temple of God I Cor. 6:19-20. God today does not live in buildings. Buildings are dedicated to God to be used as tools for His work and His workers. But God does dwell in His people, and it is our responsibility to glorify God individually and collectively. What a tragedy it would be if the glory departed! How much better it would be if, like Moses, we did everything according to the heavenly pattern so that God’s glory would be obvious in and through our lives.