Ex. 35:1 And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them.
Moses begins to instruct the people regarding everything that the LORD had given as commands (not requests) for them to obey. As we go into this section, we will find much repetition from previous scripture. When we read it before, it was God talking to Moses. This time it is Moses relaying God’s instructions to the people. Notice that the instructions call for action on the part of the hearer.
Ex. 35:2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.
Ex. 35:3 Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.
Again, we have a little more instruction given regarding the keeping of the Sabbath. Disobedience in keeping the Sabbath was to be punished by death. We learned earlier that harvest is not an exception. Now we learn that you can’t even kindle a fire. The Hebrew indicates that this is a reference to cooking; I guess that means you were only to eat food that didn’t require the exertion of making a fire. (I wonder if it was acceptable to maintain a fire that had already been started when it was cold outside.)
God is setting out His priorities for the people. This is a day intended for their rest and refreshment. It is a time to meditate on all their blessings from God.
God knows us well. If there is not a specific time set apart for us to devote our thoughts to Him, we will allow the cares of this world to crowd Him out—to the point that He only gets a few minutes here and a few minutes there, if any minutes at all. All of His instructions to us are for our good, and He wants us to take the time to be able to absorb His words to and instructions for us, and ponder His actions on our behalf.
Ex. 35:4 And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,
Ex. 35:5 Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,
Ex. 35:6 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,
Ex. 35:7 And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood,
Ex. 35:8 And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense,
Ex. 35:9 And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate.
Moses next explains that the LORD has asked him to take an offering from all of those who have a willing (voluntary, generous, magnanimous) heart. Then he gives them a list of the things they need:
Gold, silver, and brass
Blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen (white) material
Goats’ hair, rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins
Shittim wood
Oil (olive oil), spices for the anointing oil and sweet incense
Onyx stones and the other stones needed for the ephod and breastplate for the priests.
The specifics regarding the need for these items are presented in Exodus 25-31.
Ex. 35:10 And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded;
“Wisehearted” – intelligent, skillful
Our talents are God-given, and He is asking them to use their talents in God’s service. Next is a listing of all the things they are to make.
Ex. 35:11 The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets,
Ex. 35:12 The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering,
Ex. 35:13 The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread,
Ex. 35:14 The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light,
Ex. 35:15 And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle,
Ex. 35:16 The altar of burnt offering, with his brasen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,
Ex. 35:17 The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court,
Ex. 35:18 The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords,
Ex. 35:19 The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office.
Again, the details regarding the making of these items are given in Exodus 25-31.
Ex. 35:20 And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.
Ex. 35:21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.
Moses presented the materials needed to fulfill God’s directives, and the people went out to see how they could contribute. (That is a principle that is so seldom followed today. Many pastors try to browbeat or shame you into giving, and many people don’t think beyond their own needs.) God only wanted those with a willing heart to contribute the materials and labor used in making His dwelling place among them and the items needed to worship before Him and maintain their relationship with Him.
God doesn’t need our offerings to accomplish His work; but He often gives us the opportunity and privilege to be a part.
Courson: “They heard the invitation; they had a project before them; and they departed. In other words,Moses didn’t pass the basket right then. He didn’t pressure the people. He didn’t try to manipulate the situation. He simply said, ‘Go home and think about this.’”
Ex. 35:22 And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD.
Ex. 35:23 And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought them.
Ex. 35:24 Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD’S offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it.
Ex. 35:25 And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.
Ex. 35:26 And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats’ hair.
Ex. 35:27 And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate;
Ex. 35:28 And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.
This is strictly a listing of all the things that were willingly contributed for the making of the tabernacle, its vessels, and for the garments of the priests. Again, the details are in Exodus 25-31.
Ex. 35:29 The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.
“willing offering” = spontaneous, abundant, free will, plentiful, voluntary, offering
God is emphasizing the importance that the materials and workmanship are provided by willing individuals. Why would that be so important if the response is a result of accomplishing what God had commanded? Man has been given the freedom to choose, and this does not make God any less God. It makes Him more God. He is able to accomplish His will in spite of the choices made by individuals. He can use a person’s choice whether in submission to or rejection of Him in accomplishing His purposes (e.g., Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Judas……).
Ex. 35:30 And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;
Ex. 35:31 And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;
Ex. 35:32 And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
Ex. 35:33 And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.
Ex. 35:34 And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
Ex. 35:35 Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.
Moses is letting the people know that God had called out a specific man for a position of honor in accomplishing the craftsmanship needed to construct the tabernacle—Bezaleel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. He gifted Bezaleel by filling him with the Spirit of God. (Most of us—believers--really don’t appreciate what it means to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and ready to fill us up with power to serve Him if we but ask. At this stage of history, the Spirit was given to specific people at specific times for specific purposes.)
The Spirit gifted Bezaleel in four specific ways:
Wisdom – The capacity to make use of what you know.
Understanding – The ability to comprehend intention and meaning
Knowledge – A clear perception of fact or truth, enlightenment, learning by experience
All manner of workmanship – The execution or manner of making anything by manual labor
That workmanship included the ability to create elaborate works with elegance:
using gold, silver and brass
cutting stones (like a mason) and setting them
carving wood
God had also given Bezaleel the desire and ability to teach Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, as his assistant. The LORD filled both of these men with the ability to work in all the areas that were necessary for the completion of the building of the tabernacle and be able to teach others. They would have the ability to utilize all the items produced by the gifted engravers, embroiders, and weavers.
Again, we are presented with the idea that God has a purpose, a plan for the individual in service to Him. We aren’t all chosen to be leaders; but as is pointed out in the next chapter, these two leaders will be assisted by many other skilled and gifted individuals. The talents we are given aren’t by accident. They are by divine purpose for use in His service.
Ex. 36:1 Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.
Ex. 36:2 And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:
Ex. 36:3 And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning.
Bezaleel and Aholiab and all the other men God had gifted with skill and talent went to work to accomplish all that the LORD had commanded regarding the tabernacle. They used the materials given to them by Moses. Moses had received the materials from the free will offerings of the people.
Ex. 36:4 And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made;
Ex. 36:5 And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.
Ex. 36:6 And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.
Ex. 36:7 For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
All of the skilled craftsmen who made the items needed for the sanctuary, the tabernacle, came to Moses to tell him that the people had given a lot more than was needed. So, Moses sent word throughout the camp telling the men and women that they had enough materials to complete the tabernacle and its furnishings and to stop bringing their offerings. The people complied.
God only asks for what is needed.
My daughter-in-law observed that the workers weren’t interesting in taking advantage of the people’s generosity. Sadly, so much different from the prevailing culture of our day.
Ex. 36:8 And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them.
Ex. 36:9 The length of one curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the curtains were all of one size.
Ex. 36:10 And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another.
Ex. 36:11 And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.
Ex. 36:12 Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second: the loops held one curtain to another.
This is a repeat of Exodus 26:1-5.
Wiersbe: “Gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and white are the major colors used in the hangings and coverings of the tabernacle. The linen fence around the sacred area was white, reminding us of the holiness of God. The thirty-foot gate at the east end of the tabernacle was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet against the white background. Blue is the color of the sky and reminds us of heaven and the God of heaven. Purple is the royal color that speaks of the King, and scarlet makes us think of blood and the sacrifice of the Savior.”
Ex. 36:13 And he made fifty taches of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the taches: so it became one tabernacle.
This restates Exodus 26:6.
Ex. 36:14 And he made curtains of goats’ hair for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them.
Ex. 36:15 The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits was the breadth of one curtain: the eleven curtains were of one size.
Ex. 36:16 And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.
Ex. 36:17 And he made fifty loops upon the uttermost edge of the curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.
Ex. 36:18 And he made fifty taches of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one.
This basically repeats Exodus 26:7-11.
Ex. 36:19 And he made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers’ skins above that.
See Exodus 26:14.
Ex. 36:20 And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up.
Ex. 36:21 The length of a board was ten cubits, and the breadth of a board one cubit and a half.
Ex. 36:22 One board had two tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
Ex. 36:23 And he made boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward:
Ex. 36:24 And forty sockets of silver he made under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.
Ex. 36:25 And for the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north corner, he made twenty boards,
Ex. 36:26 And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
Ex. 36:27 And for the sides of the tabernacle westward he made six boards.
Ex. 36:28 And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.
Ex. 36:29 And they were coupled beneath, and coupled together at the head thereof, to one ring: thus he did to both of them in both the corners.
Ex. 36:30 And there were eight boards; and their sockets were sixteen sockets of silver, under every board two sockets.
Ex. 36:31 And he made bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
Ex. 36:32 And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the sides westward.
Ex. 36:33 And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other.
Ex. 36:34 And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
These verses basically repeat Exodus 26:15-29.
Ex. 36:35 And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work.
Ex. 36:36 And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.
See Exodus 26:31-33.
Ex. 36:37 And he made an hanging for the tabernacle door of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, of needlework;
Ex. 36:38 And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters and their fillets with gold: but their five sockets were of brass.
See Exodus 26:36-37.