Bible Study & Affirmations

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EXODUS 25

Verses 1-9

The Lord told Moses to tell the Israelites to bring to Him offerings and that he should receive the offering for Him.  Only those whose hearts are prompted will give.  They will bring for you to receive offerings of gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and another types of durable leather and acacia wood.  They will bring olive oil to be used for the light; spices to be used for the anointing oil providing fragrant incense for the temple.  The onyx stones and other gems they bring are to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece (a ceremonial garment worn by the high priest of ancient Israel).  With all of this, have them to make a sanctuary for Me that I may dwell among them.  Do all of this exactly as the pattern I will show you to follow.

Verses 10-22

God continues to instruct Moses to have them make an ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits (an ancient unit of length between 18-22 inches) long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.  Cast (the process of pouring liquid into a mold) four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other.  Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.  Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it.  The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. Put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law, which I will give you.

After this, make an atonement cover out of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.  Make two cherubim (celestial beings often described as powerful angelic guardians with multiple faces, four wings and a human-like body) out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover placing one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other making the cherubim one piece with the cover that has two ends.  Be sure the cherubim have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover.  Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you. There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

Verses 23-30

God further instructs Moses to make a table of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding and a rim of handbreadth (a unit of linear measurement about 2.5-4 inches wide) around it.  Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are placing the rings close to the rim in order to hold the poles used to carry the table. Make the poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold as you will carry the table with them.  Then make its plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings. Place the bread, representing My Presence on this table to be before Me at all times.

Verses 31-40

Finally, God told Moses to make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other.  Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand.  On the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms.  One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.  Place these seven lamps and set them up so that they light the space in.  Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. A talent (a unit of weight around 75 pounds) of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all its accessories. See that you make them according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain.

Observation and Overview

This 25^th chapter of Exodus details the instructions God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai for the building and adorning of the tabernacle.  The first nine verses describe how Moses is to acquire the things needed through an offering from God’s people.  The chapter (verses 10-22) goes on to explain what is needed for the Ark of the Covenant which will reside in the tabernacle and is where the presence of God will reside.  In the last 18 verses God lays out the table giving specific instructions for how to build and affix the lampstands providing light within the temple.  All of this was done to create a holy place for God to dwell among His people, a physical place where they could meet with Him.  The instructions given to Moses was the heavenly pattern God had instructed for His presence to dwell therein.  It was Moses blueprint for how it should be according to Heaven’s (i.e., God’s) direction.  Glory to God for this level of detail.  This Chapter really reminds me of the beauty we saw in the temples in Panama.  I have so many pictures I took inside the temples, and I will definitely be going back to review them now that I have studied out this chapter.  To God be the Glory for the great opportunity to see all this beauty with several of his tabernacles in Panama.  Only God!