Exodus 25
The Materials for the Sanctuary
1The Lord spoke to Moses:
Moses received divine revelation from God. He was not sitting in a lotus position with thumbs together and humming. God was speaking to Moses in an audible voice.
2 “Tell the Israelites to take an offering for me; from every person motivated by a willing heart you are to receive my offering.
God invited the Israelites to take up an offering. God only wanted the offering to come from those who desired to give to God. God will not use the money of stingy Christians.
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.
All of these items were plundered from Egypt. The fine leather was sea cow skins, which were predominant in the Mediterranean Sea.
8 Let them make for me a sanctuary, so that I may live among them.
God wanted the Israelites to use their gifts to build a sanctuary. At this time in the wilderness, the Shekinah Glory could always be seen as a cloud by day or as a pillar of fire by night. Later in the Exodus, the Shekinah Glory would contain Himself in the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle.
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.
There is an actual tabernacle in heaven. Moses was to build the tabernacle on earth after the model in heaven.
The Ark of the Covenant
10 “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.
This ark was to be made of acacia wood. It would be similar to Noah’s ark, but in miniature form.
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.
The wooden box was to be covered with gold.
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.
The golden rings were made to carry the ark through their wilderness marches.
13 You are to make poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold,
The poles would slide through the golden rings.
14 and put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark with them.
The Levites would carry the ark through the wilderness.
15 The poles must remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it.
The poles must remain in the rings of the ark. They were not to be removed.
16 You are to put into the ark the testimony that I will give to you.
Moses will later place the tablets, Aaron’s rod, and a pot of manna in the ark.
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.
The lid of the ark was to be made of pure gold. This lid was the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. It was the throne of God. It was the place of propitiation. The blood of the goat would be poured upon this mercy seat once a year. Once the blood was poured on the ark, then God would no longer be angry at Israel for her sin. He would be satisfied that the price of sin had been paid. This satisfaction of God is called propitiation.
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.
There were three levels of angels. The common angel possessed no wings. The seraphim possessed six wings. The highest angels were the cherubim, who possessed two wings. Only the cherubim were ever mentioned with the Shekinah Glory. The cherubim figures were made of pure gold.
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.
The two cherubim were placed on the ends of the mercy seat. According to Psalm 80:1-3, the mercy seat was the throne of God.
20The 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.
The cherubim faced each other and looked down at the mercy seat. When Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden, the last thing they saw were two cherubim angels, possibly looking down at a lamb that was slaughtered. The lamb could have possibly been the clothes of Adam and Eve. God most likely killed a lamb to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve.
21 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.
The mercy seat was to be placed on the top of the ark. The ten commandment tablets, Aaron’s rod, and the pot of manna would later be stored inside the ark.
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.
The new meeting place for God and Moses was between the cherubim of the mercy seat.
The Table for the Bread of the Presence
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.
A table was to be made of acacia wood. It was to be placed inside the new sanctuary.
24 You are to overlay it with pure gold, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold for it.
The table was to be covered with pure gold.
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.
The frame was to be made of pure gold.
26You are to make four rings of gold for it and attach the rings at the four corners where its four legs are.
The four rings were created for the two poles.
27 The rings are to be close to the frame to provide places for the poles to carry the table.
The poles were created to slide through the rings.
28 You are to make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them.
The poles were to be overlaid with gold. Levites would carry the table across the wilderness by these two poles.
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.
The plates were created to carry the shewbread. The ladles, pitchers, and bowls were created to carry the blood for the sacrifice.
30 You are to set the Bread of the Presence on the table before me continually.
The Bread of Presence was a picture of Christ, who is the Bread of Life.
The Lampstand
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.
The lampstand was a picture of Christ as “the light of the world.” There were no windows in the holy place, so this lampstand provided the light. The Shekinah Glory provided the light in the Holy of Holies.
The lamp stand was hammered out of one piece of pure gold. The seven lamps were made of cups of almond blossoms.
32 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.
There were six branches of the lampstand.
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.
Each branch contained a cup to hold the candles. The cups were shaped like almond branches.
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.
There were no windows in the Holy Place. The lampstand gave light to the Holy Place.
38 Its trimmers and its trays are to be of pure gold.
The trimmers were used to extinguish the light. The trays were used to hold the candle utensils. The trimmers and trays were made of pure gold.
39 About seventy-five pounds of pure gold is to be used for it and for all these utensils.
The utensils weighed 75 pounds of gold. Today, the trimmers and trays alone would be worth over one million dollars.
40 Now be sure to make them according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain.
Moses was to make the earthly tabernacle after the pattern of the heavenly tabernacle.