|
Exodus 23:14-25:40
24:1-8 The Lord called Moses, Aaron and his sons, and 70 elders to come up to Him and worship at a distance. First Moses went to the people and told them everything the Lord had told him-- all His words and laws. The people all responded, "Everything the Lord has said we will do." Then Moses wrote it all down. The next morning he offered sacrifices at the foot of Mount Sinai and set up 12 pillars. Moses took the Book of the Covenant, read it to the people and they responded again, "We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey." Moses confirmed the covenant by sprinkling half the blood on the altar and the other half on the people. Moses said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made." Notice the striking similarity to Jesus' words, "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many" (Mark 14:24).
v. 9-11 Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the 70 elders went up "and saw the God of Israel." But He did not kill them. Remember, they had been told before that anyone who approached the mountain would be put to death. They saw God and under His feet was what looked like pavement made of clear sapphire. These men ate and drank there. They would now be able to testify to the rest of the Israelites that the Lord their God was real.
v. 12-18 The Lord called Moses to come up and stay there with Him so He could give him stone tablets with "the law and commands" that the Lord Himself had written down. So Moses told the other men to wait and he went up with Joshua. The cloud covered the mountain for six days, then on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. From down below, the Israelites could see the glory of the Lord on the mountain. It looked like a consuming fire. Remember, Moses' first encounter with the Lord was the fire of the burning bush. Moses entered the cloud on the mountain and stayed there 40 days and 40 nights. Remember, Jesus was in the wilderness 40 days and 40 nights. Also, the Israelites were in the wilderness 40 years.
25:1-40 The Lord had Moses tell the people to bring a very specific offering so a Tabernacle could be built. This Tabernacle would be His sanctuary and He would dwell among them. Moses would be shown a pattern of it during his time on the mountain. Click here for the full handout. We estimated what the gold, silver and bronze would be worth today -- well over 55 million dollars. This doesn't include the other materials or the cost of labor. The original Tabernacle was a very expensive piece of fine craftmanship that was intended to honor the Lord.
v. 3-7 Offerings for the Tabernacle
-gold (29 talents and 730 shekels = 2,000 pounds) $ 51,840,000 today's value
-silver (100 talents and 1,775 shekels = 7,500 pounds) $ 3,528,000
-bronze (70 talents and 2,400 shekels = 5,000 pounds) $ 28,000
-blue yarn
-purple yarn
-scarlet yarn
-fine linen
-goat hair
-ram skins dyed red
-sea cow hides
-acacia wood
-olive oil for light
-spices for anointing oil and incense
-onyx stones
-other gems for ephod and breastpiece
v. 10-22 The Ark to Hold the Testimony
-1 chest made of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold inside and out
-4 gold rings fastened to its 4 feet
-2 poles made of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold
-1 atonement cover made of pure gold
-2 cherubim made of hammered gold and facing each other with their wings spread upward overshadowing the cover of the ark
v. 23-30 The Table for the Bread of the Presence
-1 table made of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold
-4 gold rings fastened to the four corners close to the rim
-2 poles of acacia wood overlaid with gold
-plates, dishes, pitchers and bowls made of pure gold
-bread
v. 31-39 The Lampstand
-1 lampstand made of pure gold with 6 branches
extending from it
-4 cups made of pure gold shaped like almond flowers
-7 lamps made of pure gold
-wick trimmers and trays made of pure gold
-clear oil made of pressed olives to burn in the lamps
Next time we will continue with the description of the Tabernacle and its courtyard.
--Sandy Blank
| 
