Four Corners Church by Four Corners Church

February 18, 2024 The Tabernacle Constructed

Sermon 88 in Series

Exodus 36:8–38

[8] And all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains. They were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked. [9] The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size.

[10] He coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another. [11] He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain of the first set. Likewise he made them on the edge of the outermost curtain of the second set. [12] He made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set. The loops were opposite one another. [13] And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to the other with clasps. So the tabernacle was a single whole.

[14] He also made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle. He made eleven curtains. [15] The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains were the same size. [16] He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. [17] And he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other connecting curtain. [18] And he made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together that it might be a single whole. [19] And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins.

[20] Then he made the upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood. [21] Ten cubits was the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. [22] Each frame had two tenons for fitting together. He did this for all the frames of the tabernacle. [23] The frames for the tabernacle he made thus: twenty frames for the south side. [24] And he made forty bases of silver under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons. [25] For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames [26] and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame and two bases under the next frame. [27] For the rear of the tabernacle westward he made six frames. [28] He made two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear. [29] And they were separate beneath but joined at the top, at the first ring. He made two of them this way for the two corners. [30] There were eight frames with their bases of silver: sixteen bases, under every frame two bases.

[31] He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, [32] and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle at the rear westward. [33] And he made the middle bar to run from end to end halfway up the frames. [34] And he overlaid the frames with gold, and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.

[35] He made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it he made it. [36] And for it he made four pillars of acacia and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four bases of silver. [37] He also made a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework, [38] and its five pillars with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals, and their fillets were of gold, but their five bases were of bronze.

Exodus 37

[1] Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. [2] And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold around it. [3] And he cast for it four rings of gold for its four feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side. [4] And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold [5] and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark. [6] And he made a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. [7] And he made two cherubim of gold. He made them of hammered work on the two ends of the mercy seat, [8] one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends. [9] The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.

[10] He also made the table of acacia wood. Two cubits was its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. [11] And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a molding of gold around it. [12] And he made a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and made a molding of gold around the rim. [13] He cast for it four rings of gold and fastened the rings to the four corners at its four legs. [14] Close to the frame were the rings, as holders for the poles to carry the table. [15] He made the poles of acacia wood to carry the table, and overlaid them with gold. [16] And he made the vessels of pure gold that were to be on the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and flagons with which to pour drink offerings.

[17] He also made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it. [18] And there were six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; [19] three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. [20] And on the lampstand itself were four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, [21] and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out of it. [22] Their calyxes and their branches were of one piece with it. The whole of it was a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. [23] And he made its seven lamps and its tongs and its trays of pure gold. [24] He made it and all its utensils out of a talent of pure gold.

[25] He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit. It was square, and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it. [26] He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And he made a molding of gold around it, [27] and made two rings of gold on it under its molding, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it. [28] And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

[29] He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure fragrant incense, blended as by the perfumer.

Exodus 38

[1] He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. Five cubits was its length, and five cubits its breadth. It was square, and three cubits was its height. [2] He made horns for it on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze. [3] And he made all the utensils of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its utensils of bronze. [4] And he made for the altar a grating, a network of bronze, under its ledge, extending halfway down. [5] He cast four rings on the four corners of the bronze grating as holders for the poles. [6] He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. [7] And he put the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it with them. He made it hollow, with boards.

[8] He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.

[9] And he made the court. For the south side the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits; [10] their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. [11] And for the north side there were hangings of a hundred cubits; their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. [12] And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their ten pillars, and their ten bases; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. [13] And for the front to the east, fifty cubits. [14] The hangings for one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. [15] And so for the other side. On both sides of the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases. [16] All the hangings around the court were of fine twined linen. [17] And the bases for the pillars were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. The overlaying of their capitals was also of silver, and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. [18] And the screen for the gate of the court was embroidered with needlework in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It was twenty cubits long and five cubits high in its breadth, corresponding to the hangings of the court. [19] And their pillars were four in number. Their four bases were of bronze, their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals and their fillets of silver. [20] And all the pegs for the tabernacle and for the court all around were of bronze.

[21] These are the records of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. [22] Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses; [23] and with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer and embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.

[24] All the gold that was used for the work, in all the construction of the sanctuary, the gold from the offering, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. [25] The silver from those of the congregation who were recorded was a hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary: [26] a beka a head (that is, half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone who was listed in the records, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men. [27] The hundred talents of silver were for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent a base. [28] And of the 1,775 shekels he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their capitals and made fillets for them. [29] The bronze that was offered was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels; [30] with it he made the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and the bronze grating for it and all the utensils of the altar, [31] the bases around the court, and the bases of the gate of the court, all the pegs of the tabernacle, and all the pegs around the court.

Exodus 39

[1] From the blue and purple and scarlet yarns they made finely woven garments, for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

[2] He made the ephod of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. [3] And they hammered out gold leaf, and he cut it into threads to work into the blue and purple and the scarlet yarns, and into the fine twined linen, in skilled design. [4] They made for the ephod attaching shoulder pieces, joined to it at its two edges. [5] And the skillfully woven band on it was of one piece with it and made like it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

[6] They made the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold filigree, and engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel. [7] And he set them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod to be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

[8] He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. [9] It was square. They made the breastpiece doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth when doubled. [10] And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row; [11] and the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; [12] and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; [13] and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree. [14] There were twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They were like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes. [15] And they made on the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold. [16] And they made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. [17] And they put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece. [18] They attached the two ends of the two cords to the two settings of filigree. Thus they attached it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. [19] Then they made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. [20] And they made two rings of gold, and attached them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. [21] And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it should lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece should not come loose from the ephod, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

[22] He also made the robe of the ephod woven all of blue, [23] and the opening of the robe in it was like the opening in a garment, with a binding around the opening, so that it might not tear. [24] On the hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. [25] They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around the hem of the robe, between the pomegranates—[26] a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate around the hem of the robe for ministering, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

[27] They also made the coats, woven of fine linen, for Aaron and his sons, [28] and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined linen, [29] and the sash of fine twined linen and of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

[30] They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the LORD.” [31] And they tied to it a cord of blue to fasten it on the turban above, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

[32] Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses; so they did. [33] Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its utensils, its hooks, its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; [34] the covering of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins, and the veil of the screen; [35] the ark of the testimony with its poles and the mercy seat; [36] the table with all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; [37] the lampstand of pure gold and its lamps with the lamps set and all its utensils, and the oil for the light; [38] the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the entrance of the tent; [39] the bronze altar, and its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin and its stand; [40] the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, and its pegs; and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, 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 for their service as priests. [42] According to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work. [43] And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions

1. What are some benefits of looking at the tabernacle construction all at once? What connections stand out to you? 2. In what ways does the tabernacle emphasize holiness? How does this enhance your theology and challenge your practice?3. How does the tabernacle foreshadow Christ both generally and specifically? How do those observations deepen your appreciation for the tabernacle as well as its fulfillment in Christ?4. How does this section emphasize the obedience of Israel and its leaders? Why must we trace this back to God’s grace in renewing the covenant?

5. Read John 14:15 and Luke 6:46? How do these words of Jesus impact you?

6. What would Moses’ blessing in 39:43 have meant to Israel? How does it push us back to Eden and forward to the New Covenant and New Creation?

References: Exodus 25:10 – 30:8; 24:7; Joshua 8:34-35; 2 Kings 23:2; Nehemiah 8:1-8; 1 Timothy 4:13; Colossians 4:16; John 1:14; 14:6; Hebrews 10:20; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; John 14:15; Luke 6:46; Genesis 2:1; 1:28; Ephesians 1:3.

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