7 The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,

8 And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense,

9 And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot,

10 And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office,

11 And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.

God continues describing the tasks for those He has called and inspired to create the tabernacle. He runs through all the articles for the tabernacle that have been detailed in the previous chapters, which these artisans will fashion. The Ark of the testimony, the table of shewbread, the candlestick, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering, the laver of washing, all the clothing for the priests, the anointing oil, and the incense.

There is a principle in the scriptures that “the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them” (1 Nephi 3:7). Long before this commandment came, God had been preparing the way for it to be fulfilled. He had been preparing the skills and experiences of the artisans, He had been preparing Israel to be freed from Egypt, He had been preparing the resources that had to be used. Thus, while God was asking for effort from these people to make the tabernacle a reality, the great brunt of the work had already been borne by Him.

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