Reflections on Exodus 36

 

Exodus 36 (Contemporary English Version)

1. The LORD has given to Bezalel, Oholiab, and others the skills needed for building a place of worship, and they will follow the LORD's instructions.
2. Then Moses brought together these workers who were eager to work,
3. and he gave them the money that the people of Israel had donated for building the place of worship. In fact, so much money was being given each morning,
4. that finally everyone stopped working
5. and said, "Moses, there is already more money than we need for what the LORD has assigned us to do."
6. So Moses sent word for the people to stop giving, and they did.
7. But there was already more than enough to do what needed to be done.
8. The skilled workers got together to make the sacred tent and its linen curtains woven with blue, purple, and red wool and embroidered with figures of winged creatures. Each of the ten panels was fourteen yards long and two yards wide,
9. (SEE 36:8)
10. and they were sewn together to make two curtains with five panels each.
11. Then fifty loops of blue cloth were put along one of the wider sides of each curtain, and the two curtains were fastened together at the loops with fifty gold hooks.
12. (SEE 36:11)
13. (SEE 36:11)
14. As the material for the tent, goat hair was used to weave eleven sections fifteen yards by two yards each.
15. (SEE 36:14)
16. These eleven sections were joined to make two panels, one with five and the other with six sections.
17. Fifty loops were put along one of the wider sides of each panel,
18. and the two panels were fastened at the loops with fifty bronze hooks.
19. Two other coverings were made--one with fine leather and the other with ram skins dyed red.
20. Acacia wood was used to build the framework for the walls of the sacred tent.
21. Each frame was fifteen feet high and twenty-seven inches wide
22. with two wooden pegs near the bottom. Then two silver stands were placed under each frame with sockets for the pegs, so they could be joined together. Twenty of these frames were used along the south side and twenty more along the north.
23. (SEE 36:22)
24. (SEE 36:22)
25. (SEE 36:22)
26. (SEE 36:22)
27. Six frames were used for the back wall along the west side
28. with two more at the southwest and northwest corners. These corner frames were joined from top to bottom.
29. (SEE 36:28)
30. Altogether, along the back wall there were eight frames with two silver stands under each of them.
31. Five crossbars were made for each of the wooden frames, with the center crossbar running the full length of the wall.
32. (SEE 36:31)
33. (SEE 36:31)
34. The frames and crossbars were covered with gold, and gold rings were attached to the frames to run the crossbars through.
35. They made the inside curtain of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool, and embroidered with figures of winged creatures.
36. They also made four acacia wood posts and covered them with gold. Then gold rings were fastened to the posts, which were set on silver stands.
37. For the entrance to the tent, they used a curtain of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool and embroidered with fancy needlework.
38. They made five posts, covered them completely with gold, and set them each on a gold-covered bronze stand. Finally, they attached hooks for the curtain.
    

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    In the previous chapter, Moses had gathered the people and given them the Lord's instructions. Along with instructions about observing the sabbath, he gave instructions for taking an offering to gather materials for construction of the tabernacle, and told them of the Lord's appointment of Bezalel and Oholiab to oversee construction of the tabernacle and train the workers. Chapter 36 tells of the follow through on these instructions. First, Bezalel and Oholiab were summoned along with "every skilled person in whose heart the LORD had placed wisdom, everyone whose heart moved him, to come to the work and do it." (36:2) These newly summoned workers moved the materials, brought to Moses as an offering to the Lord for building the tabernacle, to the construction site.
    
    Meanwhile, the people continued to bring materials daily. The offering of materials coming from the people was totally voluntary motivated by hearts willing to "bring this as the Lord's offering." (35:5) The people were enthusiastic about this project and gave so freely that the craftsmen went to Moses and said, "The people are bringing more than is needed for the construction of the work the LORD commanded to be done." (36:5) So an order was given to stop bringing the offerings.
    
    The remainder of the chapter is an account of the first phase of construction. This included the making of the curtains that formed the outter and inner walls of the tabernacle, the wooden frames that formed the framework of the tent, and the two entrance curtains, one dividing the interior of the tent into two chambers, and one at the entrance.