Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 38:21-23

21 This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest.

22 And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses.

23 And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.

This chapter ends by giving a summary of the creation of the tabernacle. We hear, once again, that Bezaleel was the chief architect, and alongside him was Aholiab. It sounds like Aholiab specialized in the engravings and the embroidering, and that Bezaleel led in everything else.

We also hear that Ithamar, one of the sons of Aaron, is the scribe that has been recounting all of the work of the tabernacle to us. Aaron had four sons, and Ithamar was the youngest of them all. This is the first time we have heard of his work, in which he was chosen to witness and prove to the world the obedience of the Israelites in following the mandate of the Lord. We will hear of him a few more times in the other books of Moses.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 38:9-20

9 And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, an hundred cubits:

10 Their pillars were twenty, and their brasen sockets twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.

11 And for the north side the hangings were an hundred cubits, their pillars were twenty, and their sockets of brass twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.

12 And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.

13 And for the east side eastward fifty cubits.

14 The hangings of the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

15 And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

16 All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen.

17 And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver.

18 And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court.

19 And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets of silver.

20 And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass.

Today finishes the creation of the tabernacle. We still have yet to review the creation of the garments for the priests, but at least the edifice and its accompanying instruments and furniture are covered.

I do wonder how much of this creation was erected prior to the completion of it all. Did the workers verify their work by installing the pillars and stretching the curtains between them, laying out the entire courtyard and construct the tabernacle in the middle? Or did they simply trust the measurements and wait for Moses’s word to construct everything at once? There is a verse in the next chapter which suggest that when they presented their work to Moses, it was in a disassembled form, so at the very least it seems that there was an official assembly from individual parts when the tabernacle was deemed ready.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 38:1-8

1 And he made the altar of burnt offering of shittim wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof; it was foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof.

2 And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of the same: and he overlaid it with brass.

3 And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basins, and the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass.

4 And he made for the altar a brasen grate of network under the compass thereof beneath unto the midst of it.

5 And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass, to be places for the staves.

6 And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with brass.

7 And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made the altar hollow with boards.

8 And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Today covers the creation of the altar for burnt offering and the washing basin. In the last verse we get an interesting detail, which tells us that the washing basin was made from the looking glasses—or mirrors—of the Israelites gathered at the entrance to the tabernacle.

One might wonder how mirrors would be used to create a brass washing basin. The explanation is that the mirrors of ancient times were quite different from the ones of today. These were not silver-backed glass mirrors, they were brass, extremely polished so that they could reflect an image back to the holder. Thus, these were brass mirrors, presumably melted down and reformed, that became the washing basin.

This is an important reminder that the Israelites were not bringing to the tabernacle random hunks of metal that were just lying about their house. Much of the material that was donated was already being used in personal heirlooms and household items. They weren’t just sacrificing the material, they were sacrificing things that they were actually using, things that already served a purpose, so that they could serve a higher purpose for the Lord.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 37:25-29

25 And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns thereof were of the same.

26 And he overlaid it with pure gold, both the top of it, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it: also he made unto it a crown of gold round about.

27 And he made two rings of gold for it under the crown thereof, by the two corners of it, upon the two sides thereof, to be places for the staves to bear it withal.

28 And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.

29 And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary.

We hear of the construction of the incense altar, which completes all of the furniture of the tabernacle, and then we move on to the formulating of the anointing oil and the spices, which would be used for certain rituals within the tabernacle. Thus, we finish the chapter by concluding the house of the Lord, and next chapter we will go into the elements that were in the courtyard.

Reading these verses, it occurred to me that the holy anointing oil and the sweet spices were two things that the priests would run out of and have to have replaced. I wonder if there was any specific instruction as to how and where new batches could be created and who could do it. If so, we do not have those records.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 37:17-24

17 And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same:

18 And six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof:

19 Three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knop and a flower: so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick.

20 And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops, and his flowers:

21 And a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches going out of it.

22 Their knops and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure gold.

23 And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuffdishes, of pure gold.

24 Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof.

I am no expert, but it seems to me that the crafting of the golden candlestick may have been the most impressive work done in the creation of the temple. Note that it says it was a “beaten work.” This means that the candlestick was hammered into shape, not cast from a mold.

Casting from a mold would have greatly simplified the creation of the candlestick, as it would have allowed the mold to be designed from softer materials, and each mold could be used to cast multiple branches. But casting would have required a very powerful forge to melt the metals down to liquid form, something the Israelites were unlikely to have in their nomadic lifestyle. Thus, hammering was likely the only viable option.

The process of hammering gold is to heat the material until it becomes soft, and then beating it with a hammer, slowly stretching, dividing, and forming it into the shape of the candlestick. Every branch would have to be shaped individually. Every minute detail of almonds and flowers meticulously hammered with tiny strikes. Every symmetry verified by eye and measurement.

Clearly it would take a great master to create something of beauty and symmetry. It would require the patience, passion, and attention to detail that every disciple ought to strive for in his service of the Lord.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 37:10-16

10 And he made the table of shittim wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof:

11 And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereunto a crown of gold round about.

12 Also he made thereunto a border of an handbreadth round about; and made a crown of gold for the border thereof round about.

13 And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings upon the four corners that were in the four feet thereof.

14 Over against the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table.

15 And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table.

16 And he made the vessels which were upon the table, his dishes, and his spoons, and his bowls, and his covers to cover withal, of pure gold.

Today covers the creation of the table of shewbread. Reading these verses, I had the thought occur to me that this whole account must be a summary of the entire work done, not necessarily a sequential log of what order all that work was accomplished in. It seems most likely that several instruments for the tabernacle were being worked on simultaneously. One man could be turning shittim wood into boards, another man could be fitting those into the structure of the table, another man could be carving the staves, and a fourth man could be making the golden dishes. And, simultaneously, even more men working on the ark, the candlestick, the laver, etc.

God often leaves those sorts of logistics to the individual. Sometimes He might give a specific process to follow, but often He only mandates an end result, a clear vision of what one needs to accomplish, and then man must determine his own methodology to divide that labor and bring the vision to reality.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 37:1-9

1 And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:

2 And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about.

3 And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it.

4 And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.

5 And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.

6 And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

7 And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat;

8 One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof.

9 And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims.

We continue the record of the tabernacle’s creation, today by hearing the description of Bezaleel crafting the Ark of the Covenant. I would say that this was the single most sacred piece in all of the tabernacle, and an interesting question is at what point did the ark become holy?

Was it holy back when it was a tree in the middle of the desert? Or when it was half-carved on the carpenter’s workbench, with shavings still littering the floor? Or after the main piece was fully formed and overlaid with gold? Or only after the lid, rings and staves were finally attached?

I believe the answer is none of those moments. Those were all stages in the development of a worthy vessel, but I believe that vessel did not become sacred until God’s presence rested within the tabernacle and sanctified everything therein. Before that moment of divine touch, it was just beautiful workmanship. After that moment, it was dedicated to the work of the Lord.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 36:31-38

31 And he made bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,

32 And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the sides westward.

33 And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other.

34 And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.

35 And he made a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work.

36 And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.

37 And he made an hanging for the tabernacle door of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, of needlework;

38 And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters and their fillets with gold: but their five sockets were of brass.

The record of the tabernacle’s creation continues. As with yesterday, all the specifications here are the same that God described, but written from a fresh perspective, with occasional differences in wording or emphasis. For example, previously we were told, “and the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end,” and now it is “and he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other.”

This is evidence to me that the author of this record took the time to write it out with as much detail as the record of God’s commands had been. There is no copying word-for-word, and no abbreviating. The author took the time to recount it fully as it happened, as if the other record of God’s commands didn’t exist.

It may not make for the most exhilarating reading, treading through such familiar sentences all over again, and it probably wasn’t the most exhilarating writing either, but I believe it matters. I certainly suspect that the author believed that it mattered, too. I think that it matters, because it is a witness of the Israelite’s obedience, it is proof of the craftsmen’s care, and it is an acknowledgement that the planning and the doing are each their own separate journey.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 36:20-30

20 And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up.

21 The length of a board was ten cubits, and the breadth of a board one cubit and a half.

22 One board had two tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle.

23 And he made boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward:

24 And forty sockets of silver he made under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.

25 And for the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north corner, he made twenty boards,

26 And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

27 And for the sides of the tabernacle westward he made six boards.

28 And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.

29 And they were coupled beneath, and coupled together at the head thereof, to one ring: thus he did to both of them in both the corners.

30 And there were eight boards; and their sockets were sixteen sockets of silver, under every board two sockets.

We’ll progress through these verses quickly, given that they are repeating information that we have discussed previously. These are not word-for-word rewrites, however. The differences are small, but they are there. For example, verse 22’s detail that the two tenons were “equally distant” from one another was not included in the first description. Presumably, this detail means that the gap between each tenon was perfectly centered, and perhaps that there was an equivalent gap on the ends before reaching the tenons of the next board.

Was that design decision detailed by God, and just not recorded in the earlier chapter, or was there enough room for personal design decisions that Bezaleel was able to exercise his own judgment? We do not have a clear answer. What we do see, though, is that the recording of both the vision and the execution were two separate events. As I just said, the scribe did not copy word-for-word from the previous account. Each was observed and recorded individually, and so the great symmetry between the two speaks to how precisely the Israelites adhered to the Lord’s commands.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 36:14-19

14 And he made curtains of goats’ hair for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them.

15 The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits was the breadth of one curtain: the eleven curtains were of one size.

16 And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.

17 And he made fifty loops upon the uttermost edge of the curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.

18 And he made fifty taches of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one.

19 And he made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers’ skins above that.

The previous post detailed Bezaleel’s creation of the linen covering, which was the innermost layer, the one that was visible from the interior. Today we hear about all the following layers: the ones of goats’ hair, rams’ skin, and badgers’ skin. These would be visible from the outside, and I would imagine that they effectively blocked out the sun, such that the only illumination would be from the seven lamps on the menorah.

Of course, the menorah was only on one side of the inner curtain, which means there would have been no direct light source for the most holy place, only whatever light leaked in. We do not know how thick the inner curtain was, so maybe light was able to pass through or maybe not. If the most holy place was quite dim, this might seem like a strange choice given the common connection between God and light; but there are a couple possible reasons why this feature could have been fitting.

One explanation could be that this would help the priest to disconnect from the material world. Cutting off his sight may have helped him to surrender his own perception and reason, encouraging him to listen to his spiritual senses instead. Another reason might have been to symbolize the great shroud of mystery that still surrounds God, even when we are at our closest to Him. His depth and breadth are simply unfathomable and imperceivable to us. A third possibility is that the room might have been illuminated, but not by a natural light source. If Moses’s face was made to shine from his visits into the tabernacle, perhaps there was a divine glow that originated in there.