Evening Repost: Exodus 25: Offerings for the Sanctuary
25 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. 3 And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; 5 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; 6 oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 7 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate.
Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. "'God loveth a cheerful giver.’ (2 Corinthians 9:7) It is to the great credit of Israel that they responded in that spirit of liberality which naturally belongs to a redeemed people.” (Coffman Commentary)
"The typical meanings of the materials and colors of the tabernacle are believed to be as follows:
Gold, Deity in manifestation--divine glory;
silver, redemption Exodus 30:12-16;
brass, symbol of judgment, as in the brazen altar and in the serpent of brass Numbers 21:6-9;
blue, heavenly in... origin;
purple, royalty;
scarlet, sacrifice.” (Scofield's Reference Notes)
"The offering however was of specific materials for the building of the tabernacle. God designated these.” (L. M. Grant's Commentary)
“RAM’S SKINS DYED RED,.... Of these were made a covering for the tent or tabernacle:..AND BADGER’S KINS, which were for the same use: the Septuagint version calls them hyacinth or blue skins; according to which, they seem to be the rams' skins died blue; and so Josephus (b) seems to have understood it; and it is much questionable whether the same creature is meant we call the badger, since that with the Israelites was an unclean creature...[ACACIA or] shittim wood; supposed by the Jewish writers, as Kimchi, and Ben Melech from him, to be the best and most excellent kind of cedar... (Gill), yet still of this world and temporal.
OIL FOR THE LIGHT,.... For the light of the lamps in the candlestick: this was oil olive, as the Targum of Jonathan, and so Jarchi, see Exodus 27:20,” (Gill) [representing Jesus as the Light of His Church]
"My soul, how much thou needest this, for thy lamp will not long continue to burn without it. Thy snuff will smoke and become an offence if light be gone, and gone it will be if oil be absent. Thou hast no oil well springing up in thy human nature, and therefore thou must go to them that sell and buy for thyself, or like the foolish virgins, thou wilt have to cry, 'My lamp is gone out.' Even the consecrated lamps could not give light without oil; though they shone in the tabernacle they needed to be fed, though no rough winds blew upon them they required to be trimmed, and thy need is equally as great. Under the most happy circumstances thou canst not give light for another hour unless fresh oil of grace be given thee.” (C. H. Spurgeon)
"SPICES FOR ANOINTING OIL.—Rather, for the anointing oil. Here, again, there is an assumption that anointing oil will be needed, and that spices will be a necessary ingredient in such oil. We find afterwards that the Tabernacle itself, all its vessels, and the priests appointed to serve in it, had to be consecrated by anointing (Exodus 29:7; Exodus 29:36; Exodus 30:26-30). The particular spices to be mixed with the 'anointing oil' are enumerated in Exodus 30:23-24.
AND FOR SWEET INCENSE.—Rather, for the sweet incense—the incense, i.e., which would have to be burnt…” (Ellicott's Commentary)
"THE TWO SARDONYX STONES— Two sardonyx stones were fixed in settings of gold on the High Priest's shoulders; one on the right, and one on the left. The names of the tribes of Israel were engraved upon these two stones, according to the instructions of the verse: 'And you shall take two sardonyx stones, and engrave upon them the names of the children of Israel; there shall be six names on one stone, and six names on the second stone in the order of their birth.' (Ex. 28:9-10)Remembrance Stones— The Bible calls these two stones 'remembrance stones' as it is written, 'And you shall place the two stones on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod as remembrance stones for the children of Israel. And Aaron shall carry their names before G-d on his two shoulders as a remembrance.’" http://www.templeinstitute.org/beged/priestly_garments-7.htm
8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.
"In one sense the tabernacle was to be a palace, the royal residence of the King of Israel, in which He was to dwell among His people, receive their petitions, and issue His responses. But it was also to be a place of worship, in which God was to record His name and to enshrine the mystic symbols of His presence.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown)
9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.
It was a place of learning and a place to draw nigh onto Yahweh… and for Him to dwell among them— "Not by my essence, which is every where; but by my grace and glorious operations.” (Benson Commentary)
"What have we each seen in the Tabernacle? How did it appear viewed from without? A long black, unattractive tent of badgers' skins [earthly vessels and types that perish]. But when we come inside, we find ourselves surrounded by shining gold: looking up to the curtained roof, we see the wings of the cherubim woven in blue and purple and scarlet and fine twined linen. All the beauty within is revealed by the light of the golden candlestick. So it is with Christ Himself. The natural man, beholding Him, sees no beauty that he should desire Him. But to those who know the Lord Jesus Christ, His beauty satisfies their souls." (A M Hodgkin)
Morning Repost: Exodus 25: The Ark of the Testimony
10 And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. 13 And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. 15 The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.
"Moses is first shown, not the pattern of the tabernacle, but the patterns of those things which it was to contain - the ark, the table of shew-bread, and the seven-branched candlestick, or lamp-stand, with its appurtenances. The ark, as the very most essential part of the entire construction, is described first.” (Pulpit Commentary)
"The ark of the covenant was the central point of the sanctuary. It was designed to contain the testimony Exodus 25:16; Exodus 40:20; Deuteronomy 31:26, that is, the tables of the divine law [the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God], the terms of the covenant between Yahweh and His people.” (Barnes Notes) "The tables of the law were carefully preserved in the ark, to teach us to make much of the word of God, and to hide it in our inmost thoughts, as the ark was placed in the holy of holies. It intimates likewise the care which Divine Providence ever did, and ever will take to preserve the records of divine revelation in the church, so that even in the latter days there shall be seen in his temple the ark of his testament. See Revelation 11:19.” (Benson) and thus a remnant of His people by the operation of the Mercy Seat.
Overlay it with pure gold— "To set forth the majesty of Christ’s kingdom, or the eternity of his deity; which, as a crown or circle, had neither beginning nor end.” (John Trapp) It was made of beaten gold; Jesus was beaten prior to his death on the cross.
"Four rings of gold.—Though the ark was not to be carried in procession, like Egyptian arks, yet it would have to be carried when the Israelites resumed their journeyings. The four rings were made to receive the two ‘staves' or poles by which the ark was to be borne at such times on the shoulders of the priests (Exodus 25:13-14).
In the four corners… Literally, at the four feet thereof. The rings were to be affixed, not at the four upper corners of the chest, but at the four bottom corners, in order that the ark, when carried on men’s shoulders, might be elevated above them, and so be in no danger of coming in contact with the bearers’ persons. The arrangement might seem to endanger the equilibrium of the ark when carried; but as Kalisch observes, 'the smallness of the dimensions of the ark rendered its safe transportation, even with the rings at its feet, not impossible.’" (Ellicott's Commentary)
The image in the tabernacle in the wilderness prepares us to understand the precept of the temple of our bodies, as a housing of the Holy Spirit. "The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it.” We must always be ready to move when the Spirit beckons.
17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width.
"The mercy-seat was the covering of the ark, made exactly to fit the dimensions of it. This propitiatory covering, as it might well be translated, was a type of Christ the great propitiation, whose satisfaction covers our transgressions, and comes between us and the curse we deserve.” (Benson Commentary) See 1 John 2:2 and Hebrews 9:5. "There are several facts relating to this object that are of paramount importance.
First, it was above the mercy-seat that Jehovah promised to focus his presence on behalf of Israel (Ex. 25:22).
Second, it should be remembered that just below were the tables on which the commandments were written.
Third, these tables stood as a constant reminder that no Israelite could be justified by perfectly observing of the law (see Gal. 3:10), thus all stood condemned.
Fourth, in a manner of speaking, the mercy-seat shielded the view of the holy God from the condemnation of the law.
Fifth, the mercy-seat was sprinkled with blood by the high priest yearly on the day of atonement, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the nation (Lev. 16:11ff ). It was this ritual, performed 'year by year' (Heb. 10:3), that enabled Jehovah to preserve his justice yet extend his mercy until the death of Christ should occur, thus providing a permanent redemptive system (Heb. 9:24ff ).
This is why the mercy-seat was designated as the 'propitiatory' (Heb. 9:5). It served, in effect, as a visual aid, an object lesson, pointing to the reality of the sacrifice of Jesus, whose blood provides the ultimate and final atonement for sin." https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1549-lessons-from-the-ark-of-the-covenant
18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.
"The cherubim were fixed to the mercy - seat, and of a piece with it, and spread their wings over it. It is supposed these were designed to represent the holy angels, (who always attend the Shechinah, or divine majesty,) not by any effigies of an angel, but some emblem of the angelical nature, probably one or more of those four faces spoken of Ezekiel 1:10 . Whatever the faces were, they looked one towards another, and both downwards towards the ark, while their wings were stretched out so as to touch one another. It notes their attendance upon the Redeemer, their readiness to do his will, their presence in the assemblies of saints, Psalm 68:17 ; 1 Corinthians 11:10 , and their desire to look into the mysteries of the gospel, which they diligently contemplate, 1 Peter 1:12 . God is said to dwell or sit between the cherubim, on the mercy - seat, Psalm 80:1 , and from thence he here promiseth for the future to meet with Moses, and to commune with him. Thus he manifests himself, willing to keep up communion with us, by the mediation of Christ.” (Wesley's Notes)
Exodus 25: The Table for the Showbread
23 You shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 24 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around. 25 You shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a gold molding for the frame all around. 26 And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs. 27 The rings shall be close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table. 28 And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them. 29 You shall make its dishes, its pans, its pitchers, and its bowls for pouring. You shall make them of pure gold. 30 And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.
"From the description of the ark, which constituted the sole furniture of the most holy place, God proceeded to describe the furniture of the holy place, or body of the tabernacle, which was to consist of three objects -
1. A table, called the table of shew-bread ('bread of presence' or 'bread of setting-forth').
2. A candelabrum, or lamp-stand; and
3. An altar for the offering of incense. Of these the table seems to have been regarded as of primary importance; and its description is therefore made to follow immediately on that of the ark.” (Pulpit Commentary)
The ark— representing the throne of God— was in the holy of holies and it was approached through a veil, annually on the Day of Atonement, and that only by the High Priest as a representative of the people with the threat of death to himself, if he had sin in his life. But here in the holy place was a place for God to meet with the priests. And we find a very wonderful truth in the Bible: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) AND ALSO "But this Man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God." (Hebrews 10:12)
The Table for the Showbread-- “Its principal use was to set the shewbread on, as after mentioned, and was typical of Christ, and communion with him, both in this life, and that to come. There is the table of the Lord, to which his people are now admitted, where he sits down with them, and they with him, to have fellowship with him in the ministration of the word and ordinances, of which he is the sum and substance; and this is very desirable and delightful, and an instance of his condescending grace, Sol 1:12, and he will have a table in his kingdom hereafter, where his saints shall eat and drink with him, in which their chief happiness will consist, Luke 22:30 This table may be considered as typical of Christ himself, for he is both table and provisions and everything to his people; and of him in both his natures; in his human nature, it being made of shittim wood, incorruptible; for though Christ died in, that nature, yet he saw no corruption, he rose again and lives for evermore; in his divine nature, by the gold it was covered with:
two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof; it was two Jewish square cubits in length, which are about six English square feet and above half, viz. ninety four inches, according to Bishop Cumberland. It was neither so long nor so broad as the ark by half a cubit, but was of the same height with it, being about thirty two inches high and three quarters, according to the Jewish and Egyptian cubit, which was about twenty one inches and more and was a proper height for a table; and this measure, no doubt, takes in the thickness of the table, and the height of the seat, as Jarchi and Aben Ezra observe.” (Gill’s Exposition)
"The 'table of shewbread' was a receptacle for the twelve loaves, which were to be 'set continually before the Lord' (Leviticus 24:8) as a thank-offering on the part of His people—a perpetual acknowledgment of His perpetual protection and favour. It was to be just large enough to contain the twelve loaves, set in two rows, being a yard long, and a foot and a-half broad. The vessels belonging to the table (Exodus 25:29) were not placed on it.” (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)
"At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, 'Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!'
But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests(1 Samuel 21)? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? (Numbers 28) Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ [Hosea 6:6] you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Matthew12:1-8)
"Or have ye not read in the law?- not the Mosaic code but rather In the Torah, or books of Moses… In defending His Sabbath activity, Jesus “referred them to the conduct of the priests also. On the Sabbath days they were engaged, as well as on other days, in killing beasts for sacrifice, Numbers 28:9-10. Two lambs were killed on the Sabbath, in addition to the daily sacrifice. The priests must be engaged in killing them, and making fires to burn them in sacrifice, whereas to kindle a fire was expressly forbidden the Jews on the Sabbath, Exodus 35:3. They did that which, for other persons to do, would have been ‘profaning’ the Sabbath. Yet they were blameless. They did what was necessary and commanded. This was done in the very temple, too, the place of holiness, where the law should be most strictly observed.” (Barnes Notes) Likewise believers are allowed to enter the Holy Place and sup with Jesus in His Word and fellowship with Him and the church in the sacrament of Holy Communion.
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup." (1 Corinthians 11:26-28)
Exodus 25: The Gold Lampstand
31 You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. 32 And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side.
"The tabernacle had no windows, all its light was candle-light, which denotes the comparative darkness of that dispensation, while, the Sun of righteousness was not as yet risen, nor had the Day-star from on high visited his church. Yet God left not himself without witness, nor them without instruction; the commandment was a lamp, and the law a light, and the prophets were branches from that lamp, which gave light in their several ages... ” (Benson Commentary)
"The lampstand was hammered out of pure gold, with no specific dimensions given, but after the pattern of a modern-day menorah. It had one middle shaft with three branches coming out of each side, for a total of seven places for lamps." (David Guzik) "This candlestick had many branches drawn from the main shaft, which had not only bowls to put the oil and the kindled wick in for necessity, but knops made in the form of a pomegranate and flowers for ornament."(Wesley's Explanatory Notes)
"This candlestick was set in the holy place, on the south side of it, opposite the shewbread table, Exodus 26:35 and was typical of the church of God; so the candlesticks John had a vision of signify seven churches, Revelation 1:13, the general use of which is, to hold forth light put into it, for it has none of itself, but what is put there by Christ: and this is not the light of nature and reason, nor the law of Moses, but the Gospel of Christ; which where it is set, gives light and dispels darkness; is useful to walk and work by; does not always burn alike, and will shine the brightest in the end of the world: this light is put into the candlestick by Christ the fountain of all light, and from whom all light is communicated, particularly the Gospel; and being put there, lost sinners are looked up by it, strayed ones are brought back, hypocrites are detected, and saints are enlightened, comforted, and refreshed: and this candlestick being made of 'pure gold', may denote the worth and value of the church of God, and the members of it, their splendour, glory, and purity they have from Christ, and their duration; and thus the seven churches of Asia are compared to seven golden candlesticks, Revelation 1:12, and under the form of a golden candlestick is the Gospel church set forth in Zechariah 4:2.” (Gill’s Exposition)
"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a Son of Man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.” (Revelation 11:12-14) And in Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary we find “Zechariah 4:1-14. Fifth Vision. The golden candlestick and the two olive trees. The temple (church) shall be completed by… God’s Spirit.""The church is still dark, as the tabernacle was, in comparison with what it will be in heaven; but the word of God is a light shining in a dark place” (Henry)
33 Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. 34 On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. 35 And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 36 Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall beone hammered piece of pure gold. 37 You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it. 38 And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils.
"The repetition of the almond blossom motif was important because it was the first tree to blossom in the springtime. It reminded everyone of new life and the fresh nature of God's ongoing work." (David Guzik)
"Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch,.... There were three bowls or cups in the form of almond nuts to each branch, which were either to hold oil for the lamps, as before observed, or, as others think, to catch the snuff which fell from them; and there were a ‘knop', which, according to the signification of the word, was in the form of a pomegranate, and a flower, which the Targum of Jonathan renders a lily; and they are both in Scripture emblems of the saints endowed with the gifts and graces of the Spirit:
and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch; on the other side of the candlestick, opposite to the former:
so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick; there were the same number of bowls, with a knop and a flower in the rest of the branches, as in those mentioned." (Gill’s Exposition)
40 And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.
--Because of it's "religious instruction and benefit of mankind, by shadowing forth in its leading features the grand truths of the Christian Church.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'" (John 8:12)
Hanukkah- "Now it was the Feast of Dedication (Lights) in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, 'How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.’" (John 10:22-30)