Exodus 25:10-40

Exodus 25:10-40

[10] And they shall make  an ark  of shittim  wood:  two cubits  and a half  shall be the length  thereof, and a cubit  and a half  the breadth  thereof, and a cubit  and a half  the height  [11] And thou shalt overlay  it with pure  gold,  within  and without  shalt thou overlay  it, and shalt make  upon it a crown  of gold  round about.  [12] And thou shalt cast  four  rings  of gold  for it, and put  them in the four  corners  thereof; and two  rings  shall be in the one  side  of it, and two  rings  in the other  side of it. [13] And thou shalt make  staves  of shittim  wood,  and overlay  them with gold.  [14] And thou shalt put  the staves  into the rings  by the sides  of the ark,  may be borne  with them. [15] The staves  shall be  in the rings  of the ark:  they shall not be taken  [16] And thou shalt put  into the ark  the testimony  which I shall give  [17] And thou shalt make  a mercy seat  of pure  gold:  two cubits  and a half  shall be the length  thereof, and a cubit  and a half  the breadth  [18] And thou shalt make  two  cherubims  of gold,  of beaten work  shalt thou make  them, in the two  ends  of the mercy seat.  [19] And make  one  cherub  on the one end,  and the other  cherub  on the other  end:  even of the mercy seat  shall ye make  the cherubims  on the two  ends  [20] And the cherubims  shall stretch  forth their wings  on high,  covering  the mercy seat  with their wings,  and their faces  shall look one  to another;  toward the mercy seat  shall the faces  of the cherubims  [21] And thou shalt put  the mercy seat  above  upon the ark;  thou shalt put  the testimony  that I shall give  [22] And there I will meet  with thee, and I will commune  with thee from above the mercy seat,  from between  the two  cherubims  which are upon  the ark  of the testimony,  of all things which I will give thee in commandment  unto the children  of Israel.  [23] Thou shalt also make  a table  of shittim  wood:  two cubits  shall be the length  thereof, and a cubit  the breadth  thereof, and a cubit  and a half  the height  [24] And thou shalt overlay  it with pure  gold,  and make  thereto a crown  of gold  round about.  [25] And thou shalt make  unto it a border  of an hand breadth  round about,  and thou shalt make  a golden  crown  to the border  thereof round about.  [26] And thou shalt make  for it four  rings  of gold,  and put  the rings  in the four  corners  that are on the four  feet  thereof. [27] Over against  the border  shall the rings  be for places  of the staves  to bear  the table.  [28] And thou shalt make  the staves  of shittim  wood,  and overlay  them with gold,  that the table  may be borne  with them. [29] And thou shalt make  the dishes  thereof, and spoons  thereof, and covers  thereof, and bowls  thereof, to cover  withal:  of pure  gold  shalt thou make  [30] And thou shalt set  upon the table  shewbread  before  me alway.  [31] And thou shalt make  a candlestick  of pure  gold:  of beaten work  shall the candlestick  be made:  his shaft,  and his branches,  his bowls,  his knops,  and his flowers,  [32] And six  branches  shall come  out of the sides  of it; three  branches  of the candlestick  out of the one  side,  and three  branches  of the candlestick  out of the other  side:  [33] Three  bowls  made like unto almonds,  with a knop  and a flower  in one  branch;  and three  bowls  made like almonds  in the other  branch,  with a knop  and a flower:  so in the six  branches  that come  out of the candlestick.  [34] And in the candlestick  shall be four  bowls  made like unto almonds,  with their knops  and their flowers.  [35] And there shall be a knop  under two  branches  of the same, and a knop  under two  branches  of the same, and a knop  under two  branches  of the same, according to the six  branches  that proceed  out of the candlestick.  [36] Their knops  and their branches  shall be of the same: all it shall be one  beaten work  of pure  gold.  [37] And thou shalt make  the seven  lamps  thereof: and they shall light  the lamps  thereof, that they may give light  over against  it.  [38] And the tongs  thereof, and the snuffdishes  thereof, shall be of pure  gold.  [39] Of a talent  of pure  gold  shall he make  it, with all these vessels.  [40] And look  that thou make  them after their pattern,  which was shewed  thee in the mount. 

What does Exodus 25:10-40 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

One writer identified three major problems the interpreter faces as he or she seeks to understand God"s revelation concerning the tabernacle. [1]
1.What was the length of the cubit, the standard measure of length? This is a problem because various nations had different lengths for their cubits. A cubit was usually the distance between the elbow and the middle fingertip. The length ranged from about17 inches to21inches, but there is good reason to believe the Hebrew cubit at this time was175 inches or about one and a half feet.
2.What about the information omitted in the text? Anyone who has tried to make a model or detailed drawing of the tabernacle and its furnishings has experienced frustration. The data given in the text is incomplete. Undoubtedly God revealed all the details to Moses. However, He has preserved only those details necessary for our understanding of the fundamental significance and functioning of the tabernacle in Scripture.
3.What was the exact shape of the tabernacle? The text does not enable us to know for certain if it had a flat roof or a gabled roof formed by a ridgepole. Both possibilities have problems connected with them, but the flat roof design seems more probable all things considered. A gabled roof would increase the measurement of the roof beyond the width of15 feet so the curtains over the roof and sides would not fully cover the sides.
Another problem is the extent of typological teaching that God intended. A "type" is a divinely intended illustration. [1] Thus all types are illustrations, but not all illustrations are types. How much detail did God intend to illustrate His character and relationship with His people?
We know the major aspects of the tabernacle and its furnishings are types because the New Testament writers identified them as such ( Hebrews 3:4-5; Hebrews 8:5; Hebrews 9:8-9; Hebrews 9:23-24; Hebrews 10:20). However the amount of detail Moses preserved and the obvious correspondence of certain details not identified as types have led many commentators to conclude that God intended these details to be instructive too. Some commentators have taken this teaching to extend to the numbers and colors used that, in some cases in scriptural usage, do have symbolic significance. Some commentators have taken this too far in the judgment of other students of Exodus.
I prefer a cautious approach myself. It seems to me that there are many illustrations of New Testament truth in the Old Testament. This seems clear in view of the amount of detail God preserved here. It also seems clear since the illustrative significance of some features of the tabernacle is so obvious even though the New Testament does not identify them as types. An extremely conservative approach would be to identify as types only those things that the New Testament calls types (Gr. typos, cf. antitypos). These would include Adam ( Romans 5:14), the wilderness wanderings of Israel ( 1 Corinthians 10:6; 1 Corinthians 10:11), the holy place in the tabernacle and temple ( Hebrews 9:24), and the flood in Noah"s day ( 1 Peter 3:21). We could refer to other foreshadowings simply as illustrations. [3], Notes on the Pentateuch, vols3-5; A. J. Pollock, The Tabernacle"s Typical Teaching; Samuel Ridout, Lectures on the Tabernacle; and H. W. Soltau, The Tabernacle, the Priesthood and the Offerings.]
Josephus, following Philo, interpreted the tabernacle, its furniture, and the priests" garments symbolically. He wrote that the seven branches of the lampstand represent the courses of the planets. The colors of the curtains and clothing represent the four elements (earth, water, air, and fire). The two shoulder stones stand for the sun and moon. The12breastplate stones represent the12months or the12signs of the Greek zodiac. [4] His suggestions do not seem to be the best interpretations of the significance of these things.
Note that the order in which Moses described the things associated with the tabernacle in the text is not what one would normally expect. For example, we would expect that after the description of the altar of burnt offerings we would have a description of the laver. The altar of burnt offerings was the major piece of furniture in the courtyard and the first one the Israelite would meet as he entered the courtyard. The laver was the second most prominent item. It would catch the Israelite"s eye next. It was also the object between the altar and the tabernacle. However instead we read about the altar of burnt offerings, then the priestly vestments, then the consecration of Aaron, and then the laver. This order is due to the two emphases in the revelation. First, Moses described things that primarily manifest God, and second, things dealing with His people"s fellowship with God. The author described first things in the holy of holies where God dwelt, then things in the holy place, then things in the courtyard. This order focuses attention on the presence of Yahweh among His people, which was the most important feature of Israel"s life. The tabernacle itself also reflects the importance of Yahweh"s presence at the center of His people.
"The tabernacle was built on a ratio of Exodus 2:1 and on a radiating decrease value of metal: gold, silver, bronze, from the center [5] to the outer edges." [6]
The materials that the Israelites were to use in the construction of the tabernacle and its worship were the finest and rarest available. This reflected the fact that nothing but the best was appropriate for response to Yahweh. What was at the center of priestly concern was not a building or a ritual but the Lord Himself, present as a gift to His people. [7]