Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 31:18

18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

It might be easy to forget, all of the last seven chapters has been Moses receiving instructions from the Lord back up in Mount Sinai. He had already gone up once to retrieve the law, brought it back down to the Israelites, and was then called back up. Because the Israelites had accepted the first set of instructions, they were to be rewarded with the second. This was not a quick visit to the mountain either. We were told previously that Moses was in mount for 40 days and 40 nights.

From what we’ve already read it is clear that the Lord showed Moses the appearance of the tabernacle and all of its parts in a vision. It also seems that He verbally gave the dimensions and description of it all. Not only this, but in today’s verses we hear that God wrote the same information on two tables of stone with His very finger. Thus, Moses had received the information in triplicate, to ensure that everything would be done correctly.

Unfortunately, even while Moses was receiving the instructions that would allow God to dwell in harmony amongst the Israelites, they were rapidly diverging from the Lord down at the base of the mountain. We will hear about this in detail in the next chapter’s opening verses. This moment seems to be an allegory for all the world, where people are divided between those up at the summit seeking the spiritual and those down in the earth seeking the carnal. Let us keep that dichotomy in mind when we read what transpires when the two are reunited.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 31:15-17

15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

God states that observing the sabbath will be a sign between Him and the Israelites, and gives as a reason that He, too, did His work of creation in six days and rested on the seventh. Thus, for the Israelites this was an opportunity to pattern themselves after God, to be like Him all the way down to the level of how they conducted their weeks.

This speaks to our natural tendency to emulate those we most admire. We go far beyond just accepting their principles as our own, we try to use the same sorts of words and wear the same sorts of clothes that they do. There seems to be an intuition that if we can immerse ourselves in the surface behaviors, something will seep deeper into our soul to make us feel and think like our model as well.

While that doesn’t seem like it could be physically true, it may be true psychologically. When we feel ourselves in the shape and pattern of another, I believe we really do start acting and thinking differently. We should be careful who we start to look like, being sure it is someone that we really ought to act like. Certainly, there is no greater model than God Himself, so it makes sense to set aside the sabbath day in imitation of Him. Perhaps in following His pattern of weeks we will gradually develop His qualities.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 31:12-14

12 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.

14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

This chapter changes its subject at the end, now becoming a reminder from God that the Israelites are not to break the sabbath day. God’s words reiterate the same requirements that were given with the ten commandments, the key feature being that there must be no work done on that day. It is to be holy, and therefore free of the crass pursuit of worldly wealth and resources. It is to be a day dedicated to rest and worship.

In verse 13 God calls this commandment to keep the sabbath day holy a “sign between me and you throughout your generations.” Other commentators have noted that the word used for “sign” here is also applied to the law of circumcision. Depending on the translation it may be called “token,” but it is the same Hebrew word in both cases (אוֹת). Thus, keeping the sabbath was going to be an identifying sign and token, something that set the Israelite apart from all the rest of the world, just as circumcision was.

In verse 14 God gives the penalty for those that break the sabbath, which is death. God further explains that this is because such a person’s soul is already “cut off from among his people.” That person has already made himself an outsider, a non-Israelite, and physical damnation was to immediately follow the spiritual.

Today this sounds extremely harsh, though even the modern Christian living under the new law will still testify that sin brings upon us the death of the soul. We also say that the loss of the soul is far more tragic than the temporary cessation of life in the body. Thus, there are many modern Christians that are scandalized by physical death as a punishment yet maintain belief in a far worse fate. This is a contradiction caused by a lack of conviction in the true value of the soul.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 31:7-11

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.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 31:6

6 And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;

Bezaleel is to be joined by Aholiab as well. Aholiab’s skills are not specified, but perhaps he was skilled in needlework and tailoring, so that he could take charge of the curtains and clothing for the priests.

This verse also states, “and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom,” suggesting that Bezaleel and Aholiab were not the sole artisans, but rather the chief craftsmen, with teams that they would lead in the construction of the tabernacle. And so, the work was delegated from God to Moses, to these to two men, and finally to a number of others. God’s work would percolate down and across until enough men had been called to accomplish the task.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 31:1-5

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:

3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,

4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,

5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

Today’s chapter begins by introducing us to the first artisan whom God had called to fashion the parts of the tabernacle. Bezaleel’s name means “in the shadow of God,” a particularly appropriate name for one who would be “filled with the spirit of God” to know how to build according to the Lord’s design.

Specifically, we are told that Bezaleel had expertise in working with metal, cutting stones, and carving timbers. This would allow him to assemble the wooden bodies of the furniture, to overlay them in gold, silver, and brass, and to etch the stones set upon the shoulders and in the ephod of the priest.

A skill that is not mentioned for him is the working of thread and cloth, which would be necessary for the curtains and the clothing of the priests. That work, it would seem, would be assigned to another. Perhaps someone else would also be required to prepare the anointing oil and the perfume, assuming there was more to the process than just measuring the ingredients and stirring them together.

When we think about being empowered by the Spirit of the Lord, we often think of things like prophecy, healing, and the working of miracles, but the Bible also sets the precedent for divinely inspired creativity, both of the artistic and inventive variety. There are these inspired artisans that crafted the tabernacle, but also the building of Noah’s Ark, the poems of David and Solomon, and even the stories told by Jesus. The act of creation has a divine source after all, each of us inheriting it from the greatest creator in all the universe.