Make Yourself a Fit Sanctuary for the Lord – Exodus 24:12-25:9; Exodus 40:1-17,34-38
Exodus 24:12-25:9
24 (12) Jehovah said to Moses, Come up to me on the mountain and stay there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandments I have written, so that you may instruct them. (13) So Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses ascended the mountain of God. (14) He said to the elders, Wait here for us, until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you; if anyone has a dispute, let him go to them. (15) Moses ascended the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. (16) The glory of Jehovah settled upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he summoned Moses from the midst of the cloud. (17) In the eyes of the children of Israel, the appearance of the glory of Jehovah looked like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain. (18) Then Moses entered into the midst of the cloud and ascended the mountain. Moses stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
25 Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, (2) Tell the children of Israel to bring me an offering. You shall receive the offering for me from every man whose heart makes him willing to give. (3) This is the offering you are to receive from them: gold and silver and bronze; (4) blue and purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; (5) rams’ skins dyed red and goatskins;* and acacia wood; (6) also olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; (7) and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and the breastplate. (8) Have them make a sanctuary for me, so that I may dwell among them. (9) You shall make this tabernacle and all its furnishing exactly like the pattern I will show you.
*Or, “sealskins”
Exodus 40:1-17,34-38
40 Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, (2) On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle, that is, the Tent of Meeting. (3) You shall put the ark of the Testimony into it and shield the ark with the curtain. (4) Next you shall bring in the table and place on it the items that pertain to it. Then you shall bring in the lamp stand and light its lamps. (5) You shall set the golden altar of incense in front of the ark of the Testimony, and hang the curtain across the entrance to the tabernacle. (6) Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting. (7) Place the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it. (8) Set up the courtyard around it and hang the curtain as a gateway to the courtyard. (9) You shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that pertains to it; you shall consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it shall be holy. (10) You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; you shall sanctify the altar and the altar shall be most holy. (11) You shall anoint the basin and its stand, you shall sanctify it. (12) Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. (13) You shall dress Aaron in the holy garments, anoint him and sanctify him, so that he may serve me as a priest. (14) You shall bring his sons and dress them in tunics; (15) then you shall anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may serve me as priests. Their anointing shall consecrate them for a perpetual priesthood extending throughout their generations.
(16) Moses did all this; he did everything just as Jehovah commanded him. (17) So it was that the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month of the second year…(34) Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle. (35) Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle. (36) Throughout all their journeys, the children of Israel would set out whenever the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle; (37) but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out until the day it did lift. (38) The cloud of Jehovah was over the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of the whole house of Israel throughout all their journeys.
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
