THE MATERIALS FOR THE SANCTUARY THE ARK OF THE COVENANT THE TABLE FOR THE BREAD OF THE PRESENCE THE LAMPSTAND EXODUS 25:1-40

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1 1 THE MATERIALS FOR THE SANCTUARY THE ARK OF THE COVENANT THE TABLE FOR THE BREAD OF THE PRESENCE THE LAMPSTAND EXODUS 25:1-40

2 2 Text: THE MATERIALS FOR THE SANCTUARY THE ARK OF THE COVENANT THE TABLE FOR THE BREAD OF THE PRESENCE EXODUS 25:1-40, THE LAMPSTAND 1. The Lord spoke to Moses: 2. Tell the Israelites to take an offering for me; from every person motivated by a willing heart you are to receive my offering. 3. This is the offering you are to accept from them: gold, silver, bronze, 4. blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goat s hair, 5. ram skins dyed red, fine leather, Acacia wood, 6. oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for fragrant incense, 7. onyx stones, and other gems to be set in the ephod and in the breastpiece. 8. Let them make for me a sanctuary, so that I may live among them. 9. According to all that I am showing you the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings you must make it exactly so.

3 They are to make an ark of Acacia wood its length is to be three feet nine inches, its width two feet three inches, and its height two feet three inches. 11. You are to overlay it with pure gold both inside and outside you must overlay it, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold over it. 12. You are to cast four gold rings for it and put them on its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. 13. You are to make poles of Acacia wood, overlay them with gold, 14. and put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark with them. 15. The poles must remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it. 16. You are to put into the ark the testimony that I will give to you. 17. You are to make an atonement lid of pure gold; its length is to be three feet nine inches, and its width is to be two feet three inches. 18. You are to make two cherubim of gold; you are to make them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid. 19. Make one cherub on one end and one cherub on the other end; from the atonement lid you are to make the cherubim on the two ends. 20. The cherubim are to be spreading their wings upward, overshadowing the atonement lid with their wings, and the cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the atonement lid.

4 You are to put the atonement lid on top of the ark, and in the ark you are to put the testimony I am giving you. 22. I will meet with you there, and from above the atonement lid, from between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will command you for the Israelites. 23. You are to make a table of Acacia wood; its length is to be three feet, its width one foot six inches, and its height two feet three inches. 24. You are to overlay it with pure gold, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold for it. 25. You are to make a surrounding frame for it about three inches broad, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold for its frame. 26. You are to make four rings of gold for it and attach the rings at the four corners where its four legs are. 27. The rings are to be close to the frame to provide places for the poles to carry the table. 28. You are to make the poles of Acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them. 29. You are to make its plates, its ladles, its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings; you are to make them of pure gold. 30. You are to set the Bread of the Presence on the table before me continually. 31. You are to make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand is to be made of hammered metal; its base and its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its blossoms are to be from the same piece.

5 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand, three branches of the lampstand from one side of it and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it. 33. Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, and three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on the next branch, and the same for the six branches extending from the lampstand. 34. On the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms, 35. with a bud under the first two branches from it, and a bud under the next two branches from it, and a bud under the third two branches from it, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 36. Their buds and their branches will be one piece, all of it one hammered piece of pure gold. 37. You are to make its seven lamps, and then set its lamps up on it, so that it will give light to the area in front of it. 38. Its trimmers and its trays are to be of pure gold. 39. About seventy-five pounds of pure gold is to be used for it and for all these utensils. 40. Now be sure to make them according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain. (NET) Introduction: I. Key points: The design of the tabernacle. A. Materials for the sanctuary.

6 6 B. Design and materials for the ark of the covenant. C. The table of the bread of the presence. D. The lampstand. II. Key quote: Exodus 25:8, Let them make for me a sanctuary, so that I may live among them. (NET) Commentary: I. Materials for the sanctuary: Exodus 25:1-9, The Lord spoke to Moses: Tell the Israelites to take an offering for me; from every person motivated by a willing heart you are to receive my offering. This is the offering you are to accept from them: gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goat s hair, ram skins dyed red, fine leather, Acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for fragrant incense, onyx stones, and other gems to be set in the ephod and in the breastpiece. Let them make for me a sanctuary, so that I may live among them. According to all that I am showing you the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings you must make it exactly so. (NET) A. God instructed Moses to gather a free-will offering from the Israelites. 1. This was different from the offering of the first fruits which was designated as a percentage of the harvest and was an ongoing obligation.

7 Worship always comes first, and worship begins with a willing giver and sacrificial gifts. 3. This was to come from a willing heart and was to be given gladly Corinthians 9:7, Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver. (NET) B. A detailed list of materials was given to Moses. C. This clarifies why God had instructed the Israelites to collect silver, gold and precious items from the Egyptians as they departed. 1. Exodus 11:2, Instruct the people that each man and each woman is to request from his or her neighbor items of silver and gold. (NET) 2. Exodus 12:35-36, Now the Israelites had done as Moses told them they had requested from the Egyptians silver and gold items and clothing. The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and they gave them whatever they wanted, and so they plundered Egypt. (NET) D. God had foretold this to Abram approximately 640 years prior to the Exodus from Egypt.

8 Genesis 15:13-14, Then the Lord said to Abram, Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign country. They will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. Afterward they will come out with many possessions. (NET) E. The sanctuary was to be a structure that symbolized God s presence with his people, So that I may live among them. (v. 8) F. There was to be no deviation from the pattern shown to Moses. 1. Acts 7:44, Our ancestors had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as God who spoke to Moses ordered him to make it according to the design he had seen. (NET) 2. Hebrews 8:5, The place where they serve is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, just as Moses was warned by God as he was about to complete the tabernacle. For he says, See that you make everything according to the design shown to you on the mountain. (NET) II. The ark of the covenant: Exodus 25:10-22, They are to make an ark of Acacia wood its length is to be three feet nine inches, its width two feet three inches, and its height two feet three inches. You are to overlay it with pure gold both inside and outside you must overlay it, and

9 9 you are to make a surrounding border of gold over it. You are to cast four gold rings for it and put them on its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. You are to make poles of Acacia wood, overlay them with gold, and put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark with them. The poles must remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it. You are to put into the ark the testimony that I will give to you. You are to make an atonement lid of pure gold; its length is to be three feet nine inches, and its width is to be two feet three inches. You are to make two cherubim of gold; you are to make them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid. Make one cherub on one end and one cherub on the other end; from the atonement lid you are to make the cherubim on the two ends. The cherubim are to be spreading their wings upward, overshadowing the atonement lid with their wings, and the cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the atonement lid. You are to put the atonement lid on top of the ark, and in the ark you are to put the testimony I am giving you. I will meet with you there, and from above the atonement lid, from between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will command you for the Israelites. (NET) A. The ark of the covenant was the most important religious symbol associated with the tabernacle. It was designed to be the repository for the stone tablets, the Decalogue, and the physical symbol of God s presence with his people.

10 10 B. Explicit instructions were given for the construction of the ark. 1. It was to be constructed of Acacia wood. a. The wood of the Acacia tree is a dense, fine grained hardwood that is insect resistant. It is fairly abundant in the Sinai peninsula. 2. Converting cubits to feet, the ark measured approximately four feet long, two and one quarter feet in width and height. 3. The ark was to be overlaid with gold, both outside and inside. C. Since the Israelites were traveling through the Sinai, the ark had to be portable. 1. The design called for poles to be inserted through rings attached to the ark. These were also overlaid in gold. 2. Only Levitical priests could carry the ark. a. Deuteronomy 10:8, At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the Lord s covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve him, and to formulate blessings in his name, as they do to this very day. (NET)

11 11 b. The ark was so holy it was not to be touched. c. 2 Samuel 6:6-7, When they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and grabbed hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord was so furious with Uzzah, he killed him on the spot for his negligence. He died right there beside the ark of God. (NET) D. The lid, or atonement seat. 1. The lid was to be an exact fit for the top of the ark. 2. This was also overlaid with gold. 3. Two cherubim were to be placed on the atonement lid, one at each end facing each other with their wings spread upward. 4. They were to be hammered out of gold. 5. The cherubim signified the presence of the Lord. E. Holman Bible Dictionary, pg. 281, re: cherub, or cherubim, In the O.T. it is the name of a class of winged angels who functioned primarily as guards or attendants. 1. Genesis 3:22-24, And the Lord God said, Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life

12 12 and eat, and live forever. So the Lord God expelled him from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. When he drove the man out, he placed on the eastern side of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries who used the flame of a whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life. (NET) 2. Ezekiel 10:3-22, (The cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.) Then the glory of the Lord arose from the cherub and moved to the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud while the court was filled with the brightness of the Lord s glory. The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard from the outer court, like the sound of the sovereign God when he speaks. When the Lord commanded the man dressed in linen, Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim, the man went in and stood by one of the wheels. Then one of the cherubim stretched out his hand toward the fire which was among the cherubim. He took some and put it into the hands of the man dressed in linen, who took it and left. (The cherubim appeared to have the form of human hands under their wings.) As I watched, I noticed four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub; the wheels gleamed like jasper. As for their appearance, all four of them looked the same, something like a wheel within a wheel. When they moved, they

13 13 would go in any of the four directions they faced without turning as they moved; in the direction the head would turn they would follow without turning as they moved, along with their entire bodies, their backs, their hands, and their wings. The wheels of the four of them were full of eyes all around. As for their wheels, they were called the wheelwork as I listened. Each of the cherubim had four faces: The first was the face of a cherub, the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle. The cherubim rose up; these were the living beings I saw at the Kebar River. When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them; when the cherubim spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not move from their side. When the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still, and when they rose up, the wheels rose up with them, for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. Then the glory of the Lord moved away from the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings, and they rose up from the earth while I watched (when they went the wheels went alongside them). They stopped at the entrance to the east gate of the Lord s temple as the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them. These were the living creatures which I saw at the Kebar River underneath the God of Israel; I knew that they were cherubim. Each had four faces; each had four wings and the form of human hands under

14 14 the wings. As for the form of their faces, they were the faces whose appearance I had seen at the Kebar River. Each one moved straight ahead. (NET) F. God told Moses he would meet with him from above the atonement lid, between the two cherubim. 1. Numbers 7:89, Now when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the atonement lid that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim. Thus he spoke to him. (NET) 2. NET, sn 10, pg. 191, Here is the main point of the ark of the covenant, and the main point of all worship - meeting with God through atonement. 3. God s statement that he would meet Moses from the atonement lid portrays the ark as the footstool of the Lord, that he resides above the ark. a. Psalm 132:7-8, Let us go to his dwelling place! Let us worship before his footstool! Ascend, O Lord, to your resting place, you and the ark of your strength! (NET) b. 1 Chronicles 28:2, King David rose to his feet and said: Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I wanted to build a temple where the ark of the Lord s covenant could

15 15 be placed as a footstool for our God. I have made the preparations for building it. (NET) III. The table for the bread of the presence: Exodus 25:23-30, You are to make a table of Acacia wood; its length is to be three feet, its width one foot six inches, and its height two feet three inches. You are to overlay it with pure gold, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold for it. You are to make a surrounding frame for it about three inches broad, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold for its frame. You are to make four rings of gold for it and attach the rings at the four corners where its four legs are. The rings are to be close to the frame to provide places for the poles to carry the table. You are to make the poles of Acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them. You are to make its plates, its ladles, its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings; you are to make them of pure gold. You are to set the Bread of the Presence on the table before me continually. (NET) A. The table was to be made of Acacia wood overlaid with gold. B. It was to be portable with gold overlaid poles inserted into rings, similar to the ark. C. The utensils used for the offering were to be made of pure gold. D. The bread was to be on the table at all times.

16 16 E. Twelve loaves were to be placed on the table in two rows of six loaves each representing the twelve tribes of Israel. 1. Leviticus 24:6, and you must set them in two rows, six in a row, on the ceremonially pure table before the Lord. (NET) F. The bread symbolizes God s gifts to mankind and is often referred to as the staff of life. G. The importance of bread to the ancient world is revealed by the number of times it is referenced in the Bible. 1. Holman Bible Dictionary, pg , Bread appears 239 times in the NASB OT and 79 times in the NASB NT:... frequency of mention is just one indication that bread... was the basic food of most people... in Bible times. H. Jesus compared himself to life giving bread. 1. John 6:33, 35, 48, 50-51, For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty. I am the bread of life. This is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person may eat from it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will

17 17 live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. (NET) I. Those whom Jesus was addressing would have understood his comparison with bread, which they could not live without. IV. The lampstand: Exodus 25:31-40, You are to make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand is to be made of hammered metal; its base and its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its blossoms are to be from the same piece. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand, three branches of the lampstand from one side of it and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it. Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, and three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on the next branch, and the same for the six branches extending from the lampstand. On the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms, with a bud under the first two branches from it, and a bud under the next two branches from it, and a bud under the third two branches from it, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. Their buds and their branches will be one piece, all of it one hammered piece of pure gold. You are to make its seven lamps, and then set its lamps up on it, so that it will give light to the area in front of it. Its trimmers and its trays are to be of pure gold. About seventy-five pounds of pure gold is to be used for it and for all these utensils. Now be sure to make them according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain. (NET)

18 18 A. Possibly the most beautiful ornament for the tabernacle was the golden lampstand. B. Precise instructions were given for its design and manufacture. 1. The lampstand was to be crafted from seventy-five pounds of gold, in one piece, consisting of a center shaft and six branches, three on each side. 2. The main shaft and the six branches were to hold seven lamps for oil. 3. Once again we see God s repeating pattern of six and seven representing completion. 4. The branches were to be ornately decorated with almond flowers, buds and blossoms. 5. These ornate designs were to be artfully crafted from the single piece of gold. C. This design is what we recognize as the Menorah, a symbol of Judaism. D. There was to be no deviation from this pattern. Not only did God describe it, he showed these things to Moses on the mountain. These were his divine instructions for his tabernacle and all that was to be in it.

19 Acts 7:44, Our ancestors had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as God who spoke to Moses ordered him to make it according to the design he had seen. (NET) E. God requires strict adherence to all of the commands he has given us. From the Decalogue to the design of his temple and everything in it, to worshiping him, faithfulness to his word is necessary. 1. Deuteronomy 7:9, So realize that the Lord your God is the true God, the faithful God who keeps covenant faithfully with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, (NET) F. The lampstand was one more way of foretelling the Son of God, Jesus, who lit the way to the father. Conclusion: 1. John 8:12, Then Jesus spoke out again, I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (NET) 2. Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp to walk by, and a light to illumine my path. (NET) I. God loves beauty. Consider the grandeur and majesty of his creations from the mountain tops to the valleys, from waves of wind through fields of wheat to ocean waves crashing on rocky

20 20 shores, from majestic forests with streams rushing through them on their way to the sea. On a dark night look up at the wonders of the endless star filled universe and marvel at all God has created. A. All of this is beautiful and pleasing to God. 1. Genesis 1:31, Tells us, God saw all that had made and it was very good! (NET) B. It should come as no surprise that God wants us to worship him in beauty. All of the items God instructed Moses to make for his sanctuary were objects of beauty. Even the utensils for the table for the bread and the trimmers and trays for the lampstand were made of pure gold, precious and beautiful. C. These things were shown to Moses, as verses 9 and 40 attest. They were based upon a reality in heaven that Moses could actually observe. D. Ezekiel and John in Revelation both tell of seeing the beauty of heaven. Ezekiel told of a Sapphire shaped throne, and light with the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds, and a brilliant light like the glory of the Lord. (Ezekiel 1:26) E. In Revelation, John records seeing precious stones, Jasper and Carnelian; a rainbow like emerald encircled the throne: in front of the throne was a sea like crystal. (Revelation 4:3, And the one seated on it was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and a

21 21 rainbow looking like it was made of emerald encircled the throne. (NET) F. These writings tell us that God dwells in beauty in heaven and he wanted that beauty to be reflected in his sanctuary where he is to dwell on earth. G. All of this may be a glimpse of the wonder of heaven that awaits us when we are called to join him, and that in holiness is great beauty. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. (Psalm 29:2)

22 22 Questions on Exodus 25: How did the Israelites get gold and silver to donate for the tabernacle? Explain. 2. What was the sanctuary to symbolize? 3. The ark was to be constructed of and overlaid with. 4. The was to be placed in the ark. 5. Only were allowed to carry the ark. 6. Two sat on the atonement lid of the ark.

23 Moses was allowed to make minor changes in the design and construction of the ark. True False 8. The bread for the table of the presence was to consist of loaves, placed in rows of loaves per row signifying the tribes of Israel. 9. Bread is referred to as the. 10. The lampstand for the tabernacle was to be crafted from pounds of. 11. The lampstand design consisted of a shaft, with branches, on each side of the shaft. 12. The lampstand s branches were decorated with almond,, and.