​CHAPTER 25

1. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,

2. "Speak to the descendants of Israel, and let them take a contribution [t'rumah] for Me; from every man whose heart motivates him, you must take up My contribution.

When Moshe ascended Mt. Sinai, he disappeared into a cloud that appeared to the people below a consuming fire. They must have gasped in horror. But the cloud distorted their vision; he had a different vantage point. The people see YHWH’s weightiness as something that will leave one with nothing, but Moshe knows otherwise. This was not the first time he was on this mountain, and at this very place he had seen a burning bush that was not consumed, so he knew that if he was there to seek YHWH’s will, this fire would not burn him up either. On this third ascent, a special project is foremost on YHWH’s heart. T’rumah ("contribution” here) is from a root word meaning “to lift up" or "skim [the best] portion [off the top]" and extend it upward as a present. The things turned over for YHWH’s purposes acquire a new level of holiness and are to be treated with a higher level of respect. The gift also elevates the giver to a higher level. It is not just giving anything we want to give, but for this specific purpose: to raise up a place for YHWH to “dwell”. Everyone’s gift is pooled and becomes YHWH’s, so no one can take it back for himself. No one who gives can “keep” what they give by having a say in how it is used; that would not be giving, but buying. Giving of self is how more of Israel can ascend into the cloud with Moshe. Mere gold and bronze can become things that belong to the Kingdom. Whose heart motivates him: impels him from within, generously, voluntarily, spontaneously—before our minds can rationalize it away with our concerns for continued security. I.e., a heart that immediately accepts what we see is needed. He wants a house built by those who are inclined to give, not those who have to be talked into contributing. Those who do not give spontaneously might end up being permitted to use the sanctuary to be built with these gifts, but only those whose heart is eager to give even before he is asked to are permitted to have a part in building it. The gold they gave would be made into something of eternal value. We are the descendants of the most generous people in history; to carry on the covenant they accepted, we, too, must reflect this trait. Generosity is our greatest tool against our greatest enemy—self. The numeric value of nadav (generous) in Hebrew is the same as L’YHWH (“belonging to YHWH”); it is easier to give up something we see as belonging to Him.  

3. "Now this is the contribution that you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 

Though He wanted gifts from spontaneous hearts, He specified how they were to be generous. YHWH would not just create the materials magically; it was up to the people to give them. Ideally, speaking should be all it took to make the riches pour forth, but Moshe had to in some sense take them. Though Moshe would be inclined to do all the work himself, he was not allowed to, so that others might have the privilege of sharing in the blessing of giving. These three metals are the only ones used in the holiest tent and the only naturally-occurring metals on the periodic table with the same valence shell configuration of orbital electrons in their atomic structure. According to Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, they “always have one electron to donate—or, in our terminology, they are always just a little bit more than whole (shalem)… These metals… have an aspect of finishing a cycle and beginning a new one.”

4. "[sky] blue, [royal] purple, crimson, scarlet [dye], and fine [bleached white] linen, and goats' hair,

The blue dye [t’kheleth] is the same color commanded to be included in the tzitziyoth [fringes] on the garments (Num. 15:38) which was meant to remind the wearer of heaven and thus remind him to Whom he belonged and in turn to remind him to keep the commandments. The dye was taken from a squid. The purple came from a sea-snail. Crimson [tola']—recently identified as orange-red--came from the crushed body of a worm that attaches itself to a tree, lays eggs on it, puts a sac of red juice around the eggs to protect them, then dies, having emptied itself out for them--a wonderful picture to emulate. White linen in Scripture is a picture of righteous deeds. Goats’ hair (see photo above at left) expands when it rains to make a covering that sheds water, then shrinks when it is hot and dry to allow gaps for more air flow in a tent.

5. "rams' skin dyed red, and tahash skins, and acacia wood,

Tahash: Some believe it was a dugong, or “sea elephant”. Much like manatees, these creatures do inhabit the section of the Reed Sea that the Israelites would have crossed, and Bedouins use their skins to make sandal-soles because of their grip. (Erez Soref) They would be a good weatherproofing cover. But the word tahash is related both to a word for jewelry and to nahash, the serpent, which really means "shining one" because of its glistening scales that can look like jewels are set into them.  Tahash skin is now thought to have been a skin embedded with a variety of precious stones. The New Jerusalem is described as being adorned with “every precious stone” (Rev. 21:9-21)—and YHWH’s estranged former bride ("anointed kh'ruv that covered" the throne of YHWH, but later became nahash) is described in the same way. (Y’hezq’El/Ezek. 28:12-15) Is one meant to replace the other?  Acacia: a tree found mainly in semi-arid areas. It is very hard and durable. The Hebrew name means "sticks" or "piercers", because its thorny branches do indeed look like a hodgepodge of twigs. Very few of the branches are thick enough to make boards out of, so articles were made from them by connecting the sticks together to make beams that could support great weight. This ties in wonderfully to the concept of the "two sticks" of Ephraim and Y'hudah being made into "one tree" (Ezekiel 37:17).

6. "oil for the luminary, aromatic spices for the oil of anointing and for the sweet incense;

The anointing oil was not plain olive oil, but somewhat of a perfume as well, so that the high priest himself would also be a sweet aroma to YHWH. Olive oil brought from a heart of generosity would be accepted, while gold and precious stones brought grudgingly would not.

7. "onyx stones, and stones to be set in the efod, and for the pouch.

Efod: a costly outer garment worn by the high priest, woven of gold, blue, 
purple, scarlet, and white linen threads, with shoulder-pieces and a breast 
piece of like material, ornamented with gems and gold; pouch: a pocket 
in the breastplate used to hold the Urim and Thummim ("lights and 
perfections") or to hold up the breastplate itself, on which were fastened 
twelve gems, each inscribed with the name of one of the sons of Yaaqov. 
Onyx stones: representing the tribe of Yosef on the breastplate, but the 
two from which the whole efod hung were also onyx. Yosef kept all the 
sons of Yaaqov alive during a famine through becoming a slave. But 
where did these refugees living in tents get all these things? They asked 
their Egyptian neighbors, and they gave them. Many of the precious 
metals and stones were probably in the form of idols when they received them, and would therefore have to be melted down to be useful to Israel. Our past experiences do not change when we become holier, but they can be re-used in a different way for His Kingdom.

8. "And let them make a sanctuary for Me, in order that I may dwell in their midst,

The next chapters detail what He wants in His "designer house". This, not the conquest of Kanaan, is what Moshe’s longest encounter with YHWH on the mountain is about. "In their midst" can also mean "among them". He was interested in dwelling not in the tent as such, but with His people. Notice it does not say He will dwell in the sanctuary, but that it will allow Him to live among us. No tent or house can hold Him. (Yeshayahu 66:1) The point is forming an environment He can feel at home in. He likes certain things in His “house”, which is a picture of what He really wants us to be. We need enough generous hearts lifting up our parts to get to the point where He can say, “I could live here; it’s just what I want.” It is about how His people treat one another: Are they equitable and just? We are each to contribute whatever we can to create a situation pleasing to Him. He even recognized the builders of the tower of Bavel because of their unity, though they were trying to prevent Him from ruling them. None of us has to build the whole thing; it is a joint venture. Working on it together will leave no time for the griping and bickering that were all too common. We each look at Torah in a different way, and they may not seem to fit with one another, but if we are all about building YHWH’s dwelling place and having Him at our core, these widely-varying people can indeed become one community. But there are limits on this creativity: there are specific things YHWH wants to go into His dwelling place. He does not ask for kerosene, though we might think it would burn more cleanly than olive oil. The Torah will teach us what to contribute in each season. The prophets tell us over and over what He wants. If we contribute, we have an investment in it, and this sense of ownership will motivate us to take better care of it. Some can give gold, others only wood, but everyone has something to bring. So bring it! Let His words be fleshed out again.  

9. "according to all that I am going to reveal to you--the building-plan of the tabernacle and the image of all its vessels--and you shall do [it] just like this.

Building-plan: Moshe saw some depiction of the pattern, whether a blueprint, model, hologram, or vision, and the man YHWH would later choose to head the actual construction was given understanding so he could interpret Moshe’s description. Rabbi Micha'el Washer explains that Torah itself “is not a set of Laws to obey, but rather a set of Pictures to look at and learn about what they are models of... A Tabernacle below, a Tabernacle above, Priests below, Priests above, an altar and menorah and table of showbread below and one above. If you would know what heaven and [YHWH] and the Kingdom are like you MUST see it in the models, the Pictures that [YHWH] gave us …The Tabernacle is a Model of Heaven." We empower our counterparts in the heavenlies when we obey the physical commands with understanding. This pattern also holds a very specific key for the return of the northern kingdom. It is meant to make us ashamed of what we lack. (Yehezq’El/Ezek. 43:10ff) Who could not be ashamed when spontaneous generosity is the standard? But the purpose is that we learn to do better. Just like this: Otherwise we will have no context to learn what He wants to teach us from it.

10. "And they shall make an chest of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high,

This is the "Ark of the Covenant". It parallels the Sabbath in that it is a sign of the covenant between YHWH and Israel. The word "chest” (aron) comes from a root word meaning "to pluck or gather". They would not have had large planks with them in the wilderness. Acacia trees themselves are mostly made up of many small twigs; there is little ready-made “lumber” in them. Many tiny pieces have to be joined together to make it work. A cubit is 18 to 21 inches long (the standardized measure of the length from one’s elbow to fingertips). None of these measures is in whole numbers, and the Hasidic rabbis say this means that no matter how well we 
learn the Torah, there is always another piece
to learn; only when we become what this ark 
represents will it truly be complete.

11. "and you shall overlay it with pure gold. 
You shall overlay it [both] inside and outside, 
and you shall make on it a border-molding of 
gold all around.

Inside and out: Though very few people would ever see inside this box, it must still be the same as the outside. If the outside tells you it is pure, the inside must agree, or it is nothing but "whitewashed tombs". (Matt. 23:25-28) A pig is deceptive because on the outside it appears kosher (it has a split hoof) but inwardly it does not chew the cud, which is a picture of "meditating day and night" on YHWH's words (Psalm 1), sifting them, refining the nutrition that is gotten from them. The pig, instead, eats anything indiscriminately and cannot filter any of it--a bad example that we do not want to make a part of ourselves. Purity goes beyond the Torah’s direct physical commands (as important as they are) to the heart of the matter—loving YHWH and neighbor. We have to understand the deeper meanings so we can make the inside and outside truly match.  

12. "And you shall cast four gold rings for it, then set them on it [at] four [even] intervals: two rings on its one side, and two rings on its other side.

13. "Then make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold,

14. "and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest, in order to carry the chest with them.

Two "sticks" were needed to keep its balance (cf. Y'hezq'El/Ezek. 37); neither Yehudah nor Efrayim can carry the covenant alone.  

15. "The poles shall remain [fixed] in the rings of the chest; they are not to be removed from it.

This is the only way it was to be carried. The poles that carried the table and altar were detached from them at times (25:26-28; 27:7), but those that carried the ark of the covenant were never to be removed. We see why in 1 Chronicles 13:9ff. Touching the ark was a dangerous thing, costing the life of one who did it even with the best of motives. 

16. "You shall put into the chest the Testimony which I will entrust to you.

The box was not decorated for its own sake. It is to hold and to highlight the Testimony. Testimony to what? The real covenant that could not be put into the box, for the writing only bears witness to what we have agreed to do. Our actions are what constitute the covenant. If we are not obeying, we have no covenant; it has to be “written on our hearts” as well as on parchment. It is YHWH’s treasure-chest.

17. "And you shall make a cover of pure gold, its length two and a half cubits, and its width a cubit and a half,

Sometimes called the "mercy-seat", it was the place where the blood from the chosen goat on the Day of Coverings was brought.

18. "and you shall make two kh'ruvim of gold. You shall make them of hammered work [extending] from the two ends of the cover:

Kh'ruvim: or cherubim, a class of beings that have a special connection with guarding something holy—in this case, the Testimony. (They are not mentioned until after Adam and Chavvah's sin made it necessary for the Tree of Life to be guarded from them and their profaned progeny.) The popular image of "cherubs" as pudgy babies with wings is a gross diminishing of the terror they must have aroused with their flaming swords, but there is some truth to it: rabbinic writings say they had childlike faces to symbolize innocence. There is great depth to this picture. The Talmud says they were meant to symbolize YHWH in face-to-face fellowship with His bride. This covenant is indeed meant to be like a marriage, and the depiction is of one piece with the cover, emphasizing the relationship between YHWH and Israel, the other party to the covenant, which is indeed meant to bear His fruit in the earth. Heylel (Lucifer) was once called "the anointed kh'ruv that covers". (Yehezq’El 28:14) But as Ruth's nearer kinsman was unwilling to jeopardize his inheritance by redeeming those who represented both faithful Yehudah as well as the wayward northern kingdom, haSatan's fall was in being unwilling to humble “herself”. We can only imagine how jealous haSatan is to see another "bride" replacing “her”. (Compare the description in Y'hezqel/Ezekiel 28:12-16 with the city-bride portrayed in Rev. 21:9-20; Yeshayahu/Isa. 61:10.) This explains why “she” was so eager to trip up humanity which was made in YHWH's image, often by urging women to try to gain ascendancy over their husbands as “she” did. His image in us was shattered, but YHWH initiated its repair when He created the people of Israel, through which the "second Adam" could be born. Yeshua is the Head of this "one new man" which is being gathered from the seed of Avraham scattered all over the world and any who adhere to them. While we are not innocent anymore, when we become holy enough to be one of the guardians of this reunited Adam, we will be allowed in again; in Messiah's kingdom we will again have access to the Tree of Life, as per Rev. 22. So this lid is a prophetic picture of the restoration of Adam and Chavvah, the rejoining of YHWH and His bride, and a return to the Garden. He sets them here as a reminder of what kind of people He wants us to become—the kind of people He can dwell among, for His deepest desire is simply to be able to walk with Adam again in the Garden. But He must make us fit to be able to stand His presence, and that is what the box’s contents are about.  His instructions must be guarded lest they be changed or watered down, and both YHWH and Israel have taken responsibility for doing so.

19. "Fashion one kh'ruv from this end, and one kh'ruv from that end. You shall make the kh'ruvim from the cover, on its two ends.

20. "And the kh'ruvim shall be spreading [their] wings upward, sheltering the place of atonement with their wings, and the face of each [shall look] toward the other; the faces of the kh'ruvim shall be toward the place of atonement.

Wings: symbols of concealment, covering, and deliverance from danger. Sheltering: Aramaic, "overshadowing". Each look toward the other: literally, "man toward his brother". AT first this seems contradictory--like they are looking two different ways at one time.  But the atonement is thus directly tied to looking into one another's faces and becoming one community. "If one cannot love his brother, whom he has seen, how can he love YHWH, whom he has not seen?" (1 Yochanan 4:20; see verse 22 below.) Wings: the term includes any kind of extremity (often the edge of a garment, as in Numbers 15:38 or Deut. 22:12). It is the same term as the “skirt” Ruth asked Boaz to spread over her to symbolize his taking her in marriage as kinsman-redeemeer for her husband who had died childless. (Ruth 3:9) The kh’ruvim may be spreading a wedding canopy over each other!  

21. "And you shall place the cover upon the ark from above, while inside the ark you shall place the testimony which I shall give you.

22. "And I will meet you there and, above the place of atonement, from between the two kh'ruvim which are on the ark of the testimony, speak with you all that I shall command you concerning the descendants of Israel.

Meet: the term can mean to summon, but can also mean to betrothe! (21:8, 9) Two cannot walk together unless they are agreed (Amos 3:3, in which the term “agreed’ is the same one used here for “meet”). The ark is set behind curtains as if in a bridal chamber. It defines how close He wants Israel to come to Him. One day we will no longer look for the Ark of the Covenant (Yirmeyahu/Jer. 3:16ff), because we will then BE what it represents!    

23. "Then make a table of acacia wood, its length two cubits, a cubit in width, and a cubit and a half in height,

24. "and overlay it with pure gold, and make a border-molding of gold all around.

Wood is often a picture of mortality. So this is a picture of perishing men made pure and "this corruptible putting on incorruptibility" (1 Corinthians 15). Border-molding: The new table made for the third Temple interprets this as a sort of lip or ledge (see photo). 

25. "And make for it a rim a hand's-breadth [in height] all around, and make a border-molding of gold all around for its rim.

26. "Then make for it four rings of gold, and set the rings on the four corners that are at its four feet.

Corners: or sides, edges, extremities. Notice how the table is in many ways designed identically with the ark of the covenant.

27. "And even with the rim there shall be housings for the poles to carry the table.

Even with: or "up against". To carry: Wherever YHWH told Israel to move, these implements of teaching were to go along.

28. "And you shall fashion the poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried by them.

It had to be carried with something at least plated with gold, for nothing less was worthy of its holiness. But it is not pure gold like the ark and the table itself, possibly because this gold is meant to be touched, and YHWH would spare us from the guilt of handling something that has the highest degree of holiness. Acacia wood is also very strong. Having some of heaven and some of earth in it, symbolically, it would be a safe place, allowing some degree of contact at the human level; touching this would not kill anyone. Pure gold is also very soft and the hands of the carriers would leave imprints; it was deliberately mixed with other metals so the gold would hold its shape.  

29. "Then make its trays, its spoons, its pillars, and its ventilation tubes, with which a libation is to be poured out; of pure gold you shall make them.

Trays: platters or forms in which to keep the bread in its prescribed shape until it was time to arrange them on the table. (Menachoth 97a in the Mishnah) Pillars: supports on which to place each loaf, as they were stacked six high in two stacks. The ventilation tubes were "gulleys" or "gutters" that ran between the loaves to allow air to circulate between them to prevent their becoming moldy and to distribute their weight. (Hirsch) As the Holy of Holies is the bedroom, this constitutes YHWH’s kitchen table and its settings! He is furnishing an entire house for His bride. The Hasidic rabbis write that the table stood very close to the ark, because where there is no bread [a picture of community], there is no Torah [instruction], and where there is no Torah, there is no bread.”

30. "And you shall put the Bread of the Faces on the table before Me continually.

Bread of the Faces: actually another depiction of the two kh'ruvim as they faced each other, for the two ends of the loaves were folded upward then back inward toward one another (see picture). Continually: it was baked once a week, on the Sabbath (as work which serves the community rather than one's own interests is legitimate on the Sabbath). Fresh loaves were exchanged within the Holy Place for the old loaves, which in the days of the Temple were then placed on a table in the portico just outside the Holy Place, where the priests could come and eat of them as needed while they worked. Anyone who came to bring his offerings would be able to see this picture. The table held twelve trays with bread stacked in an orderly arrangement, representing the twelve tribes of Israel—the whole community. The Hebrew word for table comes from the word for "send", so right in the sanctuary there was a picture of those "sent" into all the world to regather the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel so that the real Dwelling Place that this one symbolized  could be complete.

31. "And you shall make a pure gold lampstand; the lampstand shall be made of hammered workmanship. Its shaft, it branches, its calyxes, its knobs, and its blossoms shall be of the same.

Lampstand: Heb., menorah. Of the same: all of one piece. Calyxes: or buds, for its design was based on a horticultural theme, being like one plant, which corresponds to an almond tree motif. This reminds us that our purpose is to bear fruit.

32. "Now six branches shall emerge from its sides--three 
branches of the menorah from its one side, and three branches 
of the menorah from its other,

33. "With three almond-shaped calyxes on one branch, along 
with one knob and one blossom; likewise for the six branches 
that come out from the menorah,

Knob: possibly a finial or capital. 

34. "while on the [central] candlestick [itself there shall be] four almond-shaped calyxes, [each with] its knobs and blossoms,

The central shaft is the true "menorah". It is nicknamed the “servant”. Yeshua (called YHWH’s Servant by Yeshayahu) said he is the vine and we are the branches, as he said he was the light of the world, and so are his students. (Yoch. 15:5; 8:12; Matt. 5:14) The oil that fuels it represents the spirit of being set apart, and the light is our righteous works (Matt. 5:16). 

35. "with a knob under [one] pair of its branches, a knob under [another] pair of its branches, and a knob under its [last] pair of branches, for [all] six branches that come out from the menorah.

Altogether there were 22 calyxes (corresponding with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet), 11 knobs, and 9 flowers. (Hirsch)  Under: i.e., at the base of.

36. "Their knobs and branches shall be [part] of itself, the whole [thing] being one piece of hammered workmanship of pure gold.

Researchers at the Temple Institute have found no one alive today who knows how to hammer a single piece of pure gold into something so intricate. It is a lost art that will have to be revived soon. The Institute has made a molded menorah for the third Temple, saying that when the Messiah comes, he will show them how to recast it the proper way. We carry a command as far as we can, even when we are not sure how to. Part of the difficulty is that pure gold is so soft that it will not hold its shape. The hammering made it dense enough. Scimitar swords are folded over and hammered, with this process repeated many times, to the point that they can cut a railroad tie in half. This method may hold the key to how the menorah can be made according to specification.

37. "And you shall fashion its seven lamps, and cause its lamps to ascend so that it may give light across from its face.

Now here is the lamp for YHWH’s “living room”! Cause…to ascend: The lamps must be tended, or as Hirsch puts it, "nurtured" so their intended purpose--giving light--can be optimized. Oil must be kept in each at all times. They would not all be changed at the same time, but one by one,  so that the menorah as a whole would never be fully extinguished. Psalm 119 also says YHWH's Word is a lamp. Give light across from its face: Directly across from it sat the table of showbread, which represents the whole community of Israel --12 loaves for 12 tribes (26:35); this is what the menorah is meant to illuminate.

38. "Its snuffers and firepans shall also be [made] from pure gold.

While most instruments dealing with fire were brass, these tools would not remain intensely hot as the others would, as the extinguishing took only a second, and thus a softer but more valuable metal could be used. 

39. "One shall make it from a talent of pure gold, along with all these vessels.

Talent: the equivalent of 91.15 pounds or 34.02 kilograms.

40. "And be sure they are made according to the construction-plan that was shown you on the mountain.

The actions and imagery in the Torah are all meant to teach us about something even more real but intangible. Teaching that there will never again be a Temple or sacrificial system places a curse on this pattern that was given by YHWH to show us how to line up with His image. The things in these chapters are not just facts; they are instructions meant to set us back in order. It is the blueprint or map showing how we can get back home. It is therefore crucial that we not change any detail to suit our own preferences. We cannot make our own patterns. For thousands of years we have had training in regard to YHWH’s mercy and grace, but lacked training in other areas that only the Temple was able to bring. While someone may lift weights and develop “beach muscles”, this does not mean he can necessarily move other items in ways that would be more practical. We need to be balanced in our training. The tabernacle has a special significance for us right now because we, too, have been “brought out of Egypt” but are not yet in the Promised Land. This is how YHWH chose to dwell among Israel the last time we were there.


CHAPTER 26

1. "Then you shall fashion the Dwelling-place: ten curtains of finely-twisted [white] linen, blue, purple, and crimson-scarlet--with a thoughtfully-crafted design of kh'ruvim you shall make them.

Or, "kh'ruvim worked into them by a skilled craftsman”. This interwoven tapestry concealed the "secret place of the Most High" where He could be known intimately. Josephus tells us that the kh'ruvim were not flat, but three-dimensional, with four faces, one pointing each direction, like the creatures Daniel would later see. Weaving just these curtains would probably take months to complete. Hebrews 8:5 and 9:23-24 say these were copies of the things in the heavenlies—a picture of the Kingdom—which will help us become part of that Kingdom if we understand it. Curtains: from a term meaning “broken up”, i.e., they separate one area from another. Yet several of them need to be joined when intact but separated when they need to be moved, so they will not be unwieldy. But the numbers matter. Since ten was the lowest number which could have spared S’dom, Israel has long taken ten as the quorum needed for group prayer, and hence the symbol of a whole congregation. This is the smallest number by which Israel is represented; “rulers of tens” are the lowest number we have a leader for. It is the tens that become YHWH’s dwelling place; individuals are represented only as part of a ten—a household, congregation, community. YHWH “brings the solitary into families”. (Psalm 68:6) Linen: tradition says each thread consisted of six strands, hence its name, which is the same as the Hebrew word for "six". The six days of creation "built" the Sabbath--YHWH's dwelling-place in time.

2. "The length of one curtain is twenty-eight cubits, and the width of one curtain four cubits; all the curtains [will have] one [and the same] measure.

A cubit at this time was about 18 inches, or nearly half a meter. (It was a measure from the elbow to the fingertips, and standardized according to who was the emperor over the most powerful nation at the time, so at times it measured up to 20 inches.) So each curtain is roughly 42 feet long and six feet wide. But that is just to give us an idea of the size; what counts are the numbers in Hebrew terms: 28 is the numerical value of y'did, the Hebrew word for "beloved friend". The Hebrew word for curtain means "trembler", and that is how we enter the presence of YHWH, who is a consuming fire. But if we fear Him, we need not fear anything else. (20:20) One measure: This clues us in that more than curtains are being spoken of here, because the same terminology is used elsewhere in the Torah: The same laws apply to newcomers as to those born Israelites. (12:49; Num. 15:16) All of Israel is to have equal weights and measures (Lev. 19:35-37). How we measure things is linked to guarding YHWH’s statutes and judgments and carrying them out. If one was a little wider or shorter, it would destroy the picture YHWH wanted to give us of the Kingdom. Each curtain may show a different part of the design, and likewise each tribe is different, but the unifying factor is that the Torah is the standard for us all.

3. "Five curtains shall be coupled together closely, each to its corresponding piece; five curtains shall be coupled together, each to its corresponding piece.

Five curtains therefore become one curtain, then these two sets become one again. Thus ten curtains form one unit as well. They are described, though, as two sets of five, reminding us of our fingers. Each to its corresponding piece: literally, "woman to its sister". One might say this is just an idiom, but it is dangerous to say anything in YHWH’s word is “just” anything. So there are two sets of five women, possibly the basis for Y’shua’s parable of the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. (Mat. 25) The job of each is to keep her lamp trimmed—reminiscent of the menorah in the tabernacle itself. (25:31-37) Prov. 31:22, speaking of the “capable woman”, describes her in the same terms as in v. 1 here. Therefore, that woman is really the Bride of Messiah! Her husband is known in the gates, because he IS the door! (Yochanan 10:7, 9) Proverbs 7:1-4 ties both pictures together: “Keep my commandments… Bind them on your fingers …Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister’…[to] keep you from the strange (or foreign) woman…” YHWH does not want mere placation like the recipients of pagan worship. He wants a much deeper relationship with His people. “What great nation is there that has its elohim so near to it as YHWH…is to us?” (Deut. 4:5-8) There are no cheap substitutes and no shortcuts. He custom-ordered this structure; if we build it another way, He will not want to live there. (R. Webster)

4. "You shall make attaching-loops of blue [wool] on the edge of one curtain, from the side where the joining [will be], and do the same at the outermost edge of the second curtain at the joining-place.

Blue wool: the thread of blue in the tzitzith (Num. 15:38ff) is to remind us to keep YHWH’s commandments. This is what attaches us both to YHWH and to one another.

5. "You shall make fifty loops on the one curtain, and make fifty loops on the side of the curtain that corresponds to the joining-place of the second.

On the side…: LXX: "Opposite each other, corresponding to each other at each point." We could also read this as, “so that each woman receives her sister”. Again, keeping the commandments is what makes it possible to receive one another in sustainable ways.

6. "Then make fifty golden hooks, and couple the curtains together with the hooks, each to its corresponding piece, and it shall become one Dwelling-place.

Hooks: or "clasps". It literally says the Dwelling-place shall become one (united). The tabernacle is about being unified. One principle of biblical interpretation is that the first usage of a term defines how it is to be understood throughout Scripture. The first mention of the number fifty is in reference to there being enough righteous men to spare a city from destruction (Gen. 18:24). Thus the number fifty here should be understood as symbolic of righteous men who preserve the rest. The Hebrew phrase “the Man” has the numeric value of 50. Interestingly enough, we thus see fifty righteous men joining to become one man! (Num. 14:15; Ezra 3:1; Neh. 8:1; Eph. 2:15.) Each to its corresponding piece: literally, sister to sister. So this again shows that it is people, not curtains, that make up the actual dwelling-“place” of YHWH. We saw in v. 2 that the components of the Dwelling-place can correlate with the laws of the Torah, and these are what join us together. For example, if one rescues the ox or donkey belonging to someone who does not like him, that “enemy” will be less likely to continue to harbor hostility for him, and will owe him a favor, thus encouraging additional interaction between them, giving them more occasions to come to agreement on other matters and put one another’s needs ahead of how they make one another feel.

7. "Then make curtains of goats' [hair] to be a tent over the Dwelling-place; you shall make eleven [such] curtains.

The Tabernacle was used for 420 years—the same length of time the Temple at Yerushalayim stood. Why eleven curtains here, when there are only ten on the Dwelling-place itself? A physical reason for why an extra piece was needed is given in v. 9, but there are many deeper mysteries depicted in every aspect of the tabernacle. Though the Dwelling place itself sits on earth, there is something above it--a higher level: the heavenly (eternal or spiritual) realm of which solid but perishable things are a shadow. The two are linked together where the tent touches the Dwelling place, and since we are meant to be YHWH’s Dwelling-place on earth, we are to reflect His heavenly reality. Notice that the dwelling place is something different from the tent. The tapestries are not part of the tent, but are inside it; the unity of the community is YHWH’s dwelling place. The Dwelling place is something to be concealed and entered by invitation only. It is a picture of what is in the heavenly realm (not the sky as such, but the dimensions that will not be fully revealed to us until YHWH’s “Kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven”, per Heb. 8:5) Curtains of goats' hair: the Hebrew text does not have the word “hair”, but the LXX interprets it, "skins with the hair on". This layer was probably wool from goats like Angoras, which is thick like sheep’s. It would lie over the tapestries to protect them from the leaching of the leathery skin or to buffer it from the weight of the upper layers. The bride’s hair is also described as being “like a flock of goats”. (Song of Songs 4:1)   

8. "The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits, and the eleven curtains shall have the same measurement.

Thus each curtain would be (15 meters) long and 6 feet (2 meters) wide.

9. "And you shall join the five curtains by themselves, and the six curtains by themselves, and you shall fold the sixth curtain double toward the front face of the Dwelling-place.

This folded curtain, says Rashi, gave the Dwelling-place the appearance of a veiled bride.

10. "Then you shall make fifty attaching-loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outermost at the place of joining, and fifty loops on the edge of the second curtain that joins [it].

11. "Then you shall make fifty bronze hooks, and insert the hooks into the loops, and connect the tent together so it becomes one.

The tabernacle's design was actually ordained by YHWH, as the Temple (which was patterned after it) apparently was as well (1 Chron. 28:19), so both are pictures of YHWH's intent for our spirituality.  These hooks and loops represent the fifty days beginning with the day after the Sabbath following Passover up until Shavuoth (Pentecost, which means "fifty"). At this time, called the "counting of the measure", waiting for the firstfruits of the wheat crop, we concentrate on attaining to the unity of the faith. The gifts listed in Ephesians 4 are how we reach the maturity of the fullness of Messiah, which is called both "one bread" and "one body". He wants one Dwelling-place, and when we act in unity we form "joints and ligaments" that connect each other to the Head and to one another (Colossians 2:19) and bring about growth and "increase" just like the wheat crops.

12. "And the overlap that is left over from the curtains of the tent--the half [of a] curtain that remains as surplus--shall hang over the back side of the Dwelling-place.

Back: the western side.

13. "And the cubit from this [side] and the cubit from that [side] that is a surplus in the length of the curtains of the tent shall be hung over the sides of the Dwelling place on this [side] and that, to conceal it.

Even what seems to be excess has a usefulness. To conceal it: what is holy is not for just anyone and everyone to see. The more we join together with one another, the more separate we become from many things on the outside. This is a private meeting place.

14. "And make a covering for the tent from rams' hides dyed a reddish [color], and a covering of tahash skins to go over it. 

It came further back than the tapestries, but not all the way to the ground. We are not given the dimensions of these last two layers.  

15. "Then, from acacia wood, make wall-boards for the Dwelling-place standing upright.

Wall-boards: from the word for "driving away"--i.e., keeping the people not specifically designated to come into the Dwelling-place outside, thus keeping the inner sanctum "reserved" for purity. The term is qeresh, a rearrangement of the word sheqer, which means “falsehood”—for the false teachings within Israel must be straightened out before any of us can be useful to YHWH and raised up as His dwelling place. Upright: like trees, a symbol of the righteous people who build a spiritual Dwelling-place for YHWH. They dare not sit down in the King YHWH’s presence!

16. "Ten cubits shall be the length of one board, and a cubit and a half the width of each board.

That is, 15 feet or 5 meters long (tall) and 27 inches (69 cm.) wide.

17. "Two tenons for each board set in equal intervals, each across from its corresponding part; you shall do the same for all the boards of the Dwelling-place.

Tenons: hinges, pins, or projections; literally, "hands", but not in the dual form by which a pair of human hands is described. There are two, but not a pair. Thus it is like two different people holding hands. LXX: "two joints shall you make in one post, answering the one to the other." Set in equal intervals...across: or "mortised one against the other".

18. "And you shall produce the planks for the Dwelling-place [like so]: twenty planks on the south side on the right,

Thus the tent would be 30 cubits (45 feet or about 15 meters) long.

19. "and make forty socket-pedestals of silver [to go] under the twenty boards--two socket-bases under one board for its two tenons, then [again] two socket-bases under one board for its two tenons.

To stand up solidly, one base would have to have two grooves in it, one to fit the tenon (or “foot”) from one board, and the other for the "foot" from the other board. So joining the two together added stability. A direct relationship with YHWH is important, but as with the kh’ruvim, YHWH’s presence is only there in its fullness when at least two are joined together (Mat. 18:20).

20. "Then for the other frame-wall of the Dwelling-place on the northern side, twenty boards

Frame-wall: supporting structure, keeping the two sides balanced and supporting all the curtains.

21. "and their forty socket-pedestals of silver, two socket-bases under the one board, then two socket-bases under the [next] board..

22. "Then for the recessed flanks of the Dwelling-place, westward, you shall make six boards,

23. "and you shall make two boards to be inner corner-buttresses for the Dwelling-place on both sides.

On both sides: that is, of the back wall, since Y’hezq’el 41:1 says the entire tent was 6 cubits wide. Thus, altogether, there are 48 boards standing up to form the walls. 48 is an encrypted message: it is the numeric value of the word for “you may live” or “your life”, which is the description of what the Torah is to Israel. (Deut. 32:47) 48 is also the value of the phrase l’ahavah (for love)—because that is why YHWH made this whole means of atonement available to Israel. (Yoch. 3:16)

24. "And they shall be doubled from underneath, and they shall be joined together to the one ring at its top. It shall be the same for both of them; they shall serve as two corner-buttresses.

Doubled: Aramaic, "They are to be directed towards each other below and into a unity and directed towards each other at their top into one ring...[to] form the two corners." Hirsch: "They shall fit exactly one to the other at the bottom, and at the top they shall taper together into a ring." The corner-pieces would close the 1/2-cubit gap on each side between the 9-cubit-long rear "wall" and the two side "walls".

25. "So there shall be eight boards with their socket-bases of silver--sixteen socket-pedestals, two socket-bases under the one board, [then] two socket-bases under the [next] board.

26. "Then you shall make runners of acacia wood, five for the boards on the one frame-wall of the Dwelling-place,

Runners: LXX "bars", or poles. They ran along the whole length of the "wall" made of boards, making it very stable, but since it was easily disassembled, it was portable as well.  

27. "and five runners for the boards on the other frame-wall of the Dwelling-place, and five runners for the frame of the Dwelling-place on the westward flank,

28. "with the central runner passing through the boards, reaching from end to end.

At least one of the poles ran all the way through the whole row of side-by-side boards via a hole drilled through the narrow edge of each board, holding them all together.

29. "And you shall gold-plate the boards, and their rings you shall fashion of gold [as] housings for the poles, and you shall overlay the poles with gold.

30. "Thus you shall set up the Dwelling-place according to its plan, which you were shown on the mountain.

Plan: literally, judgment—which is how Tzion will be redeemed (Yeshayahu/Isa. 1:27) and which would be the basis for the restored throne in David’s tent (Yesh. 16:5; cf. Amos 9:11). The dwelling place must be raised up according to THIS pattern. YHWH has a way He wants it done, and it has nothing to do with what we think is fair. It may not be amended by anyone, be he pope, pastor, apostle, or evangelist. This is the only additional information we are told that Moshe received on the mountain besides the words, of which he is said to have written down all. (24:4) There is no mention of oral law, though oral tradition later did carry on the particular manner in which certain commands were understood much closer to the time, and that is very valuable, but does not have the same degree of authority as what is written. While the principles in Torah are rigid, the specific applications were meant to be flexible—like the structure of the tabernacle, with its resilient curtains overlaying the “skeleton” of boards. The later Temple, more rigid, was brittle and thus seriously damaged during an earthquake in Uzziyahu’s day; the Tabernacle, YHWH’s original design, would have withstood it much more readily.

31. "Now you shall make a curtain of blue, purple, crimson-scarlet, and fine twisted [white] linen with carefully crafted workmanship. It must be made [with] kh'ruvim.

32. "Then you shall extend it over four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold (their pins being of gold), upon four socket-pedestals of silver.

33. "Hang the curtain below the hooks, and bring the Ark of the Testimony there within the veil. And the veil shall mark for you the division between the Set-apart [place] and the Set-apart [among] set-aparts.


 Within the veil: This separator was there because we asked for it. (20:19) This is His mercy since He knows we do not yet live at a level where we can stand the full force of His presence constantly. But this does not mean we should stop trying to get to that level.  

34. "Then you shall set the Atoning Covering on top of the Ark of the Testimony within the Set-apart [among] Set-aparts.

35. "And you shall put the table outside the veil, along with the menorah directly across from the table on the southward side, the table having been set on the northward side.

Having the menorah on the south and the table on the north was significant. Israeli botanist Nogah Hareuveni cited a rabbinic teaching that both the north and south wind are crucial to ideal crop growth in Israel. If the north is too strong, the olive crop (symbolized by the olive oil that fueled the lamps) suffers, while the wheat (symbolized by the showbread) thrives; if the south wind takes precedence, the olives thrive, but the wheat crop suffers. The juxtaposition of the two symbolizes prayer for the right balance between both. Wind and spirit are the same term in Hebrew. Thus we can see that too much of one aspect of spirit can bring ruinand certainly disunity. One prophet will not interrupt another. (1 Cor. 14:27-40) Southward: based on the word for “right hand” since “easteward” means “advancing” in Hebrew. The one called the “light of the world” (Yochanan 8:12) is seated at the right hand of YHWH’s throne (depicted by the “seat” beind the veil).   

36. "Then make a screen for the opening of the tent, of multicolored embroidery--blue, purple, crimson-scarlet, and fine twisted [white] linen.

Screen: LXX, "veil", i.e., an opaque offset directly in front of but parallel to the opening to hide what was inside, but allow people to pass through. These four are the theme colors of the Tabernacle, including the priestly garments. The same blue dye is to be used in the fringes that all Israelites (at least men) are commanded to hang from our garments. (Num. 15:38) When the veil in the Temple was torn at Yeshua’s death (Mat. 27:2), it was the equivalent of this screen, not the veil mentioned in verse 33. It was symbolic of YHWH tearing His garment, a common mourning ritual in ancient Israel. A way was opened into the (outer or first) Set-apart Place where we can serve YHWH by becoming twelve unified tribes and being the light of the world if we indeed enter in. Through Yeshua, we are free to look behind the veil at the treasures YHWH hid for kings to search out (we have been made a kingdom of priests), but most choose not to do so, because they do not wish to pull back one layer after another of the covering and look into the depths of the Hebrew Scriptures or the Temple, both of which give us multitudes of details about who Yeshua is (Luk. 24:44) and who we can now be through Him--one new man, for only one man (the high priest) may enter the second veil into the holiest place. That veil remains closed until we are so unified that we are ready for that full intimacy with YHWH. Thus the veil can be a bridal veil if we walk in His ways, or a veil of blindness that separates us from Him and His people. 


37. "And for the screen you shall fashion five pillars of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, their pins also [being] of gold. And you shall cast five socket-pedestals of bronze for them.


CHAPTER 27

1. "Then make an altar of acacia sticks, five cubits in length and five cubits wide. The altar shall be a square, and its height three cubits.

There are no half-measures in the altar as there were for the ark and the table. This suggests that there is no longer anything lacking once it is in use. In the stationary temples that later stood, the altar was always what was built first. Thus the altar represents the firstfruits of YHWH’s Dwelling-place. The offerings could again begin even before the sanctuary is built, if necessary.  Pagan altars were made of hewn stone, which represent human alterations to what YHWH made. He did not allow His altars to be made this way, but of uncut stones. Though we have been chiseled at by human theology, if we get back into the river of YHWH’s true word, He can smooth us back out again so we can be acceptable as His firstfruits. (R. Webster)  This altar was the first of several used in YHWH’s sanctuary, but much smaller than later ones. King Shlomo’s in the first Temple was 20 cubits square, and still it was not large enough to handle all the offerings brought to the dedication—a great feast. (2 Chron. 4:1; 7:7ff) The altar in the second Temple was large enough to drive an 18-wheel tractor trailer up and turn it around on top. But this altar was only 7.5 feet by 7.5 feet and 4.5 feet tall. Why, when there were millions of people camped around it? YHWH did not ask for a magnificent altar, but a small one, for He wants Israel to approach Him as one man. The altar was not meant to be about burning huge volumes of animal flesh, but about coming close to YHWH. Only if Israel’s sins against YHWH and one another were to become many (as they did, to our shame) would larger altars be needed. In the wilderness, He wanted a simple approach, and that is where we are again—on our way out of Egypt. He wants us to draw near to Him in the smallest things, which is one reason the dining table is a picture of the altar; even what we eat there or who we eat with must profit the Kingdom.  

2. "Then fashion its projections on its four corners (its projections shall be part of itself), and overlay it with bronze.

Projections: the term is always used for an animal's horn, but these were more like cubes on the corners, looking like horns only from a distance, but making the altar itself appear to "strive upward" (Hirsch). Part of itself: of one contiguous piece, not something attached later. Overlay: the term indicates that it would be with sheets of metal rather than molten metals poured over it. Bronze is a picture of judgment. That sounds negative to one who is guilty, but a cause for rejoicing for those who are not, because it purges away what is out of order. Wood is a picture of ourselves, and the bronze—judgment—is what keeps the fire from destroying us, though it may get very hot.  

3. "Then make for it caldrons [with which] to take away its ashes; its shovels, its tossing-pitchers, its meat-forks, and its firepans--all its implements—you must make of bronze.

“Altar” actually means “place of slaughter” in Hebrew, though it was only in pagan contexts that animals were actually killed on the altar; in Israel the animals were killed away from it, then divided up into which parts were acceptable to offer to YHWH, and which were not. The altar of Israel was like a large barbecue grill; only a few offerings were completely consumed. Most were, in part, cooked for the priests and/or those who offered them to share with those willing to listen to the reason they brought thank offerings to YHWH. The altar was, in a sense, the hearth, the centerpiece of the entire people of Israel. Tossing-pitchers: the vessels used to catch the animals' blood and toss it against the altar. They were pointed on the bottom so they could not be set down while the blood was in them, lest it coagulate before it could be tossed. When a priest encountered anyone on his way to do so, he warned them not to delay him before he got there. (Compare Yochanan 20:17.) Bronze is better suited to handle fire, because it holds its form better than gold or silver, but is still malleable.  

4. "And make a grating of bronze, and on the grating make four bronze rings for its corners.

Grating: or sieve, a tight-meshed grill to prevent the the meat from actually falling into the fire, while allowing ashes and oil to drip through. Rings: to hold it in place.

5. "Then set it lower than the rim of the altar, from beneath, so the network may reach to the mid-point of the altar.  

This way there was also a wall that extended higher than the grill to keep anything from being pushed off the altar when being moved around. Mid-point: 1.5 cubits off the ground. The lower half appears to have had the grating on every side to allow air to circulate beneath the altar, acting as a built-in bellows. In the second Temple, the blood of offerings for sins against Elohim were tossed against the side of the top half, and those against fellow men were tossed against the lower half.  

6. "Then make poles for the altar--poles of acacia timbers--and overlay them with bronze.

7. "And the poles must be inserted into the rings, then the poles will be on both sides of the altar in order to carry it.

8. "You must make it hollow with sheet-boards; it must be made just as you were shown on the mountain.

Sheet-boards: the term now used for chalkboards and the tablets of stone on which the ten commandments were carved--i.e., planks formed into a large sheet of wood (like plywood) on each side.  

9. "Next, prepare the enclosure for the Dwelling-place. For the south side, to the right, there shall be drapes for the enclosure of finely-twisted linen one hundred cubits in length for the one side.

Enclosure: or courtyard. 100 cubits: about 150 feet or 50 meters. This curtain formed an added fence to mark off a buffer zone of secondary holiness. One of the chief rules of the men of the Great Assembly (Sanhedrin) was “make a fence around the Torah” to keep people an added step away from sin so they would not stray too close. This is good as long as we remember that it is not as binding as the actual Torah. The term for enclosure is the root word for that used of metal trumpets (e.g., Numbers 10:2), which are to get Israel’s attention. The curtain was white, so it, too, got people’s attention, and it hid what went on behind it. What offerings one brought in, and why, was only the business of the one coming with his offering and the priests who officiated over it. It was not one’s place to be inside if he was not there to meet with YHWH or to serve Israel. But this was a soft fence. One could cut through it. It could not physically prevent anyone from entering. It was not even completely closed. (v. 16) Those who were meant to approach could, yet to those who respected the purpose of what was inside, it was firm, like a police cordon, when the time was not right to approach; a word, to the wise, was sufficient. Finely-twisted: Egyptian linen still has the finest thread count, and they undoubtedly got the linen from Egyptian garments.

10. "And its twenty upright posts and their socket-pedestals [shall be] of bronze; their pins and connecting rods, of silver.

Thus there is a post every 5 cubits (7.5 feet).

                                                                    11. "In length, the north side shall be the same
                                                                    --drapes a hundred long, and its twenty upright 
                                                                    posts and their socket-pedestals [shall be] of                                                                     bronze; their pins and connecting rods, of 
                                                                    silver.

                                                                    12. "And for the breadth of the enclosure on the
                                                                    west side, there shall be drapes of fifty cubits, 
                                                                    their upright posts [shall total] ten, and their 
                                                                    socket-pedestals, ten.

                                                                    Fifty cubits: 75 feet.  

13. "And the breadth of the court on the east side toward the rising sun, fifty cubits.

East side toward the rising sun: possibly neither a tautology nor redundant. Egyptian historians speak of the sunrise and sunset being reversed several times, and Ipuwer, a contemporary of Moshe and eyewitness of the plagues, tells of the earth turning upside down. They had a term for a second, western sun, which was considered a different deity from Ra. It was necessary at that time to clarify in hieroglyphics that the west meant the direction of the sunset; star charts are reversed from what they are today. Plato (in Politicus) wrote of a time when the sun "used to set in the quarter where [it] now rises, and used to rise where [it] now sets...The god at the time of the quarrel changed all that to the present system." So there was a time when the heavenly powers were seen to be fighting--just like the Exodus account. The more ancient Chinese zodiac also progresses in reverse order from the sun’s track through the constellations today. Ugaritic documents speak of a planet-god that massacred the population of the Levant (Kanaan) and "exchanged the two dawns and the position of the stars". Ancient Mexican documents also speak of a reversal of the northern and southern hemispheres. The Talmud says the same sort of reversal took place just before Noach's deluge. (Tractate Sanhedrin 108b) It also speaks of great disturbances in the sun's motion at the time of the Exodus. (Bavli, Tr. Taanit 20; Avoda Zara 25a) The pillar of cloud went from being in front of the Israelites to behind them. "As morning approached" (14:27) literally reads "at the turning of the morning", which, when used of time, refers to "going down", i.e., setting! The Midrash says that on the day when Israel crossed the Reed Sea, the sun did not move; Psalm 76 says "the earth feared and was still". Amos 8 speaks of the sun going down at noon at that time. Psalm 82 speaks of the world's foundations being off course. Velikovsky explains this as the close bypass of a comet which was captured by the sun and became Venus; this near miss would have major gravitational effects that would cause such "wobbling" of the earth's poles. Patten believes it was a flyby of Mars when its orbit crossed that of earth’s, as it did prior to 701 B.C.E. In any case, it had to be a large celestial body to affect the earth so radically. The sunrise in the east was therefore a new phenomenon for this generation, and east means “toward the ancient” in Hebrew; YHWH’s rescuing Israel and making her a nation symbolizes a major step in the restoration of the most ancient conditions—in the Garden.

14. "The drapes on one ‘shoulder' shall be fifteen cubits, their uprights three, and their pedestals three.

Shoulder: the curtained "fence" was divided into two halves by the entryway (v. 16), a gap in the enclosure on the eastern side, forming two segments connected to the northern and southern "wall", but not contiguous.

15. "And the drapes for the other ‘shoulder', fifteen, their uprights three, and their pedestals three.

16. "For the gateway of the enclosure, a twenty-cubit screen of blue, purple, crimson-scarlet, and finely-twisted [white] linen, of multicolored embroidery; their uprights shall be four, and their pedestals four.

Set back slightly from the outer “wall” but parallel to it (thus like a head on two shoulders) so one could walk in around either end of it, the screen also kept those outside from seeing what was inside the doorway, preserving the sanctity of what went on there. It was made of the same colors the High Priest wore. The rest of the “fence” was made of the same material the ordinary priests wore. (See photo above.)  White linen garments symbolize the righteousness of those set apart (Rev. 19:8), as this courtyard was from the rest of the camp and the world.

17. "The uprights all around the enclosure shall be attached together with silver, their pins of silver, and their socket-pedestals of bronze.

It is never stated overtly, but wherever the Tabernacle was to sit, the site had to be leveled and prepared in order for these components to remain upright. Stones had to be cleared away since the priests went barefoot, and they would probably be used to build a supporting base for the altar. Socket-pedestals of bronze: Right judgment holds everything in place and keeps it all stable.

18. "The length of the enclosure shall be a hundred cubits, its breadth consistently fifty, and their height five cubits of finely-twisted [white] linen, and their socket-pedestals [shall be] of bronze.

Their height: that of the curtains that formed the “fence”. At 7.5 feet high, they would effectively keep anyone from accidentally or intentionally watching the proceedings behind it.

19. "All the implements of the Dwelling-place, in all its service, all its tent-stakes, and all the stakes of the enclosure shall be of bronze."
TORAH PORTION
T'rumah
(Exodus 25:1-27:19)
INTRODUCTION:    Israel has just expressed willingness to hear and do anything YHWH might ask, so He takes advantage of this rare moment of our ancestors’ generosity and asks for a collection to be taken up from those bangles and jewels and linen garments with which the Egyptians bribed them to leave while there was still something left of their nation. And what does He do with it? He asks them to build Him a home—a special tent amid their tents!

First He describes its furniture—a table, dishes, a lamp…but the centerpiece is the inner room, more private than anything else, where He will, no not sleep, but meet with Israel. That in itself is amazing enough—that the infinite Creator of vast galaxies still spreading farther outward would choose to live among this ragtag rabble of former slaves. But soon it becomes clear, by the imagery and descriptions, as we compare them to the rest of Scripture, that He is building a bridal chamber for Himself and this bride whom He just took under a mountainous canopy for a wedding.  

What follows are a whole series of measurements—specifications for the House to be built just so—and then also His barbecue grill where the meals He and His bride share will be cooked and in a few very special cases offered wholly up to Him. It all seems rather tedious until we recognize that each of the words used to specify, each of the numbers, and even the positions where each piece of furniture is placed, have deeper significance. This is not just a practical architecture for wilderness living. It has to correspond exactly to a blueprint YHWH actually showed Moshe on the mountaintop where one might have a brush with the heavens, because this is a picture of something in those very heavens, where the slaughter and serving up and consuming which might seem commonplace anywhere else have much farther-reaching effects that resound throughout those vast reaches of the universe from which He chose this obscure little corner as the venue for the encounters that would conceive the solution to the greatest tragedy that universe had ever seen.

He then adds a buffer—a front yard that sets the House even further back from the everyday life of the nation, for “holy” means “set-apart”, “special”, “unique”--anything but routine! What goes on in here is private, not for just any eyes to see. Not only is it none of anybody else’s business why someone may need to bring an offering so as to restore the relationship to that high level that all this specialness bespeaks; it’s also a bedroom where no one who has not made the all-encompassing commitment has any access. So it is walled off.

In a book called Splendor in the Ordinary (formerly entitled Hallowed Be This House), Thomas Howard wrote, “Are they defensive walls…? No… the flimsy curtain of skins and linen that surrounded the Tabernacle in Israel … was there to mark the place where a particular thing was occurring. It set the bounds. Inside, the priests went about their task, which was to bring the whole life of Israel into specially vivid focus. They weren’t doing something else—something secret and dark and remote from daily life. The rite was simply their daily life taken and set forth in tokens…The decking of ordinary functions so that they become occasions…The commonplace things are both themselves and more than themselves…The bread is no less a bakery product when it is on the Lord’s Table than when it is in the oven: indeed, there is a sense in which it is only on that Table that we see clearly what all bakeries are really about… What goes on in here is a small picture of what ought to go on everywhere...Offering things up in acts of consecration and praise…lifts those things from the heap of mere ordinariness and makes them extraordinary (holy)…Holy things are ordinary things perceived in their true light.”

If His people would follow the instructions set forth here and let Him dwell among us, their lives would be "like the days of heaven on the earth" (Deut. 11:21) --i.e., like a return to Eden! His will being done on earth as it is in heaven. But there is something that prevents that: the fact that our camp is anything but ready for Him to walk in, and that has only been aggravated since that time:

“The House of Israel must no longer defile the place of My throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, or My holy Name... Let them remove their prostitution and their kings' idols far from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever. You, son of man, confront the House of Israel with the House, so that they may be ashamed of their iniquities, then let them measure the pattern." (Ezekiel 43:7-10)

One of the functions of this tent that is tiny by today’s standards is to effect a covering not just for the people of Israel, but one so extensive that this sanctuary and those that followed in its office would become “a house of prayer for all nations”. It has not yet reached that potential. Thus the assignment remains for us to build Him a real Home—not just a physical one that depicts it.  But the first step is to give Him what is most valuable to us so that this grand vision can be fulfilled.  

YHWH’s Base of Operations

The prospect of our Elohim meeting with us (Ex. 25:8) should not be surprising, but if you really think about it, it is amazing, and must have been especially so to Israel after He had been “silent” for hundreds of years and how inaccessible the deities of Egypt were to their adherents.

But most of this portion deals with the details of how to construct the dwelling place YHWH asked to be made for that purpose. What does this have to do with us today? Aside from the fact that many of these implements are being rebuilt and prepared for use again, there are lessons in them for any time and place.













Goats’ hair was the first line of defense against the elements—wilderness and later in the Land, where there was much more rain. Goat-hair tents are a fascinating thing to see, if you ever have the occasion. (One place you can see one in the U.S. is at Explorations in Antiquity/Biblical HIstory Center in LaGrange, Georgia.) The hairs expand when moistened and contract when dry, so the weave will close up and form a water-resistant covering when it rains, and open up to “breathe” when the weather dries out again and heats up, allowing even more refreshing air flow through the tent.

The next was a ram skin, which, as more of a pelt, provided still more waterproofing, and the final, bejeweled layer was more for splendor than for protection. It would shimmer like sequins, only more real, even when viewed from a distance—a place worthy of the One who owns not only “the cattle on a thousand hills” but the very heavens and earth themselves.

But even more than any physical tent or building could ever do (see 1 Kings 8:27), we—both individually and corporately--are designed to be YHWH’s truest dwelling place. So the features of this dwelling place are pictures of what we are meant to be.

Just a few samples: What was “extra” or “left over” (Ex. 26:12-13) was meant to provide a covering. When we have more than enough to meet our basic needs, we should extend our covering over those who have none.

The bars that went through the wall-boards provided stability. (26:26) The job of some of us is to, though hidden out of the limelight, provide stabilization for other members of the House of Israel.

Many elements of the Tabernacle kept the very special things inside set apart from mundane or profaned usage. (26:31) The courtyard was screened to keep those to whom the offerings did not apply from watching, and to keep the offerer from unnecessary distractions outside. (26:33; 27:9ff)

The altar was designed to help people access YHWH. (27: 1-8) That should be the result when people encounter us too.

And some of the tiniest pieces in the whole complex functioned to “make the dwelling place one”. (26:6, 11) No matter how small our part may seem, if it accomplished that, we are very important.

So think about it: How can you cover someone today? How can you facilitate someone else’s access to YHWH? How can you contribute YHWH’s dwelling in our midst today? How can we build a “place” for YHWH to make His base of operations in the world—and both make it more stable and keep it set apart?  
Study Questions:

1. Does YHWH want people who vacillate about giving to donate to His work? (Exodus 25:2)

2. YHWH showed Moshe some kind of picture or blueprint of the Dwelling Place and its furnishings. (25:9, 40; 26:10) Elsewhere Moshe is said to have written down everything YHWH told him on the mountain. (24:4) Is there any evidence in Torah for YHWH’s supplementing what he wrote with anything other than this vision?

3. The ark was overlaid with gold both inside and out. (25:11) What can you deduce from the fact that it was the same inside (where almost no one ever saw it) as outside?

4. How might the event in 2 Shmu’el have been avoided if the specifications in Exodus 25:12-15 had been followed more carefully?

5. How do the kh’ruvim depicted on the ark (25:18) and veil plac limits on our understanding of the second commandment (Ex. 20:3-4)?

6. How is YHWH’s sanctuary unique in the world? (25:22)

7. The menorah was all one piece of gold, including its branches. (25:31, 36) How does this explain why Yeshua could tell his students “I am the light of the world” as well as “You are the light of the world”?

8. What was it that was across from the menorah for it to cast light on? (25:37; 26:35) What might the significance of this be?

9. Why do you think these symbols are required to be of pure gold? (25:39)

10. All of the curtains in each set have the same measure. (26:2) How does this relate to Exodus 12:49/Numbers 15:16, 29?

11. The curtains are literally said to be joined “each woman to her sister”. (26:3,6) What does this tell you about the deeper significance of these components?

12. The reason for the clasps is “so that the tabernacle/tent may be one (whole)” (26:6, 11). What does this tell us about the kind of witness to Himself YHWH prefers?

13. What other “50” (e.g., 26:11) in Scripture connects two things (specifically, festivals)? What other connections can you make wit the numbers used in this portion?

14. Where in life have you seen YHWH use what seemed to just be “leftovers” and it ends up fitting what you need perfectly? (26:12-13)

15. Why would the Tabernacle need so many coverings? (26:14)

16. Why do you think some items (e.g., 26:32) were only overlaid with gold rather than solid?

17. Why would items made of one metal have pedestals of a different? (26:32, 37; 27:10)

18. Why would there be a screen to hide what went on inside from the view of those outside? (27:16)

19. What reasons can you identify for the uses of particular metals for each of the holy items? (e.g., 27:19)
Companion Passage:
1 Kings 5:26 - 6:13
The Sidewalk
for Kids

​If you could only have four pieces of furniture in your home, what would they be? What things are most important? What could you not do without?

When the prophet Elisha used to travel a lot and often passed through the town of Shunem, a family there built him a room so he would have a place to stay overnight. The furniture they put in it were a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. (2 Kings 4:10) That way he could sleep, eat, and maybe study some scrolls he might have with him or write down a prophecy YHWH gave him.

What do you think YHWH would want if He was going to live in a house? Now we know He can’t fit in a house; the whole universe can’t contain Him! But He did say He wants to live among His people, and He did ask for us to build Him a tent. What kind of things did He ask for?

Well, first He asked that His house be built of the best materials. A few weeks before that, these people were slaves and there was no way they would have been able to give what He asked for. But they had suddenly become very rich because the Egyptians gave them all kinds of jewelry and fine clothes, maybe just to get rid of them so the plagues would stop, but maybe because they felt they had not paid these hard workers what they deserved and wanted to make up for it so YHWH would no longer be angry with them. So now our ancestors could melt down all this gold, silver, and bronze to turn into a new kind of tool, some of which might have never been seen before!

It’s very clear that His house has a table. He wants to eat with us, just as you like to eat together with your friends, and that’s really part of what it’s all about. When the different parts of Israel—especially those who used to not like each other, come together to share a meal, He is there with us in a very special way. And that table is the main thing His lamp is designed to light, because when we learn how to have shalom with one another, we have something the rest of the world needs, and Israel can be what it was designed to be—a light to the nations.

We could say He has a fireplace in that room. A fire is a nice warm place to sit together and chat, and the small incense altar is a picture of praying, which is just that—talking with YHWH. Incense smells sweet, and when we take time to talk with Him, it is sweet to Him. His other fireplace—outside—is for cooking, because we couldn’t eat flour or raw meat in their natural form. There are parts of us that have to change before we can sit down with Him in His pure, clean living room, and the washbasin is also part of that process of becoming clean people for those of us who aren’t perfect like He is.

Is His last piece of furniture—all the way inside—is it a chair or a bed? Either way, it is a place where He really feels at home, and it’s where He rests when He wants to communicate with us. No one else gets to sit there, because it’s His special seat, and He won’t use it if we don’t keep it clean. How does YHWH’s place get dirty? When we leave our dirty laundry lying around by letting the worst parts of what comes from inside of us spill all over the place by not being careful to speak to each other in kind, respectful ways and just blurt out whatever we feel like without considering how it is going to affect someone else. He can’t relax in an environment like that.

YHWH doesn’t need a house, but He wants to live with us. So let’s keep His house clean so that He can.
Acacia trees
Pictures from the Temple Institute
Picture from the Temple Institute
Picture from the Temple Institute
Tabernacle replica in Merritt Island, Florida
Tabernacle replica in Timna, Israel
Tabernacle model in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
The Renewal of T'RUMAH

YHWH called for a collection to be taken up from the expensive things the Egyptians had given Israel. But He said He would only accept gifts from certain people: “From every man whose heart makes him willing shall you receive My offering.” (Exodus 25:2) I.e., only those who are ready to be generous and not stingy. This same sentiment is expressed in the Renewed Covenant:

“Whoever sows sparingly will also have a sparing harvest, whereas the one who sows on the basis of blessings will also reap on the basis of blessings. [Let] each [give] according to the priorities he sets in his own mind, and not grudgingly or out of compulsion, because Elohim takes pleasure in a cheerful donor.” (2 Cor. 9:6-7)

The rest of this portion is about what is to be done with this offering: “According to all that I show you, the pattern of the tabernacle (mishkan), and the pattern of all the furniture thereof, even so shall you make it.” (Ex. 25:9; cf. 25:40)

Moshe saw a pattern (blueprint) and made the Mishkan accordingly, but the Mishkan itself is also a pattern (tavnith/prototype) of something else. The idea that the it is a picture of Yeshua, or better, what Yeshua accomplished, is not a modern idea. All the way back in the time the Temple (a permanent structure patterned after the Tabernacle) still stood, the Book of Hebrews told us specifically that the Tabernacle was an allegory or analogy of something that was to come later, a more real “Tabernacle made without hands” in which there was actually a “way into the Most Holy Place” of which the tent built by Betzal’el and Oholiav was a picture (9:1-11), and that these repeated offerings (it especially honed in on the Yom Kippur offerings) were a shadow (foreshadowing) of an “offering to end all offerings” because it only had to be carried out once to accomplish permanently what the ritual depictions of it could only symbolize or, at best, provide a temporary covering, like a tourniquet applied by a paramedic to stop the bleeding so we can survive until we can get to the hospital, where the underlying problem causing the hemorrhage can be dealt with.

So what is its symbolism?  

The first thing we notice is that there is only one way into the first level of holiness, the courtyard. Yeshua speaks of being the only way to the Father. (Yochanan 14:6) Then the next thing we encounter is the altar, which speaks of the requirement of blood as a covering for our sins. (Lev. 17:11) The Letter to the Hebrews, which is largely about the comparison of this Sanctuary and its priesthood with the More Real ones it foreshadows (9:24), says, “Without the shedding of blood no [sin] is covered.” (9:22) Ultimately, not animal blood but only perfect human blood will suffice to not just cover but eradicate our sin. (Heb. 9:12; 10:4; Yochanan 1:29)  

Then the laver (washbasin), which speaks of the “minor” cleansings we need each time we rub up against things that are unclean (of which the physical contamination is a picture), after the foundational cleansing has taken place. Yeshua said we are already clean through the words he has spoken (Yochanan 15:3), as if we had already “bathed”, but we do need to wash the parts of us that interact with the unholy things we encounter daily. (Yochanan 13:8-10)

The outer veil tore when Yeshua died, opening the “way into the Holy [Place]”. (Heb. 9:8) It was called “Elohim’s garment”, and He tore it as a sign of mourning for His firstborn Son, but this also symbolized the tearing of Yeshua’s flesh, which spiritually opened the way for us, who had once been too defiled to come into YHWH’s presence, to enter in and serve YHWH. (Heb. 10:20)

The menorah inside casts light on the table which represents all 12 tribes of Israel in unity. (Ex. 25:37) “Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto you pure crushed olive oil for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.” (Ex. 27:20) Yeshua was crushed in the place named “oil press” (Gath-Shemen/Gethsemane) when his final decision to go through with what YHWH had told him was the only way to save humanity weighed on him so heavily that his blood vessels were bursting. (Luke 22:44) This made it possible for the “light of the world” (Yoch. 8:12)—the servant, the central lamp on the menorah, to spread to the branches he had just spoken about (Yoch. 15:5), whom he also called “the light of the world”. (Mat. 5:14)  

“Aharon and his sons shall set it [the menorah] in order.” (Ex. 27:21) Which son of Aharon set this truer lamp in order? Yeshua’s very own cousin, a priest, Yochanan the Immerser, who by introducing Yeshua to Israel, set the lamp in a place that would give light to the whole house. (Mat. 5:15)

The altar of incense is explained in Rev. 8:4 as being a picture of our prayers, for that is where the real work of service is done; all other acts that please YHWH flow out of the time we spend before Him “judging ourselves”—the Hebrew meaning of the word for “prayer”—and hearing His directions for the specific works He wants each of us to accomplish. Without that, we are only assuming that we are doing good.

 “Put the covering over the ark, and put into the ark the testimony that I will give you, and there I will meet with you…” (Ex. 25:21-22) This is the heart of the purpose of the Mishkan. The inner veil (26:33) is the “bedroom door” which remains shut, because the kh’ruvim atop the ark depict YHWH and His bride. Only when she is complete and spotless will we be able to pass through that curtain and become what the ark depicts.

The coverings of the Tent are linked together "so that it may be one.” (Exodus 26:11) This correlates with Yeshua’s prayer “that they may all be one” (Yochanan 17), for as the “living stones” form the true Temple (1 Kefa 2:5), the Tabernacle is an earlier, more intimate picture of the same spiritual “building”—the Dwelling Place for YHWH which we are to form together.  
So while Yeshua is integral and indispensable as the “cornerstone” (to go back to the other metaphor, per Psalm 118:22) as well as the entry point and the payment on the altar without which we can go no further in returning to YHWH’s presence after our estrangement in Eden, the Tent of Meeting is a picture of all of us—the “many sons” he wants to bring to glorification after we have been cleansed. (Heb. 2:10) That was the goal of what Yeshua did, so while we justly commemorate it, we must not forget that it was meant to lead us to the place beyond it, where there is no longer a reference to sin (Heb. 9:28) but rather to the restored fellowship we were meant to always have with YHWH.

Not just "Among Us"
but in our Very Midst

“From everyone whose heart makes him willing shall you take up My offering… And let them make Me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the furniture thereof, exactly so must you make it.” (Ex. 25:2, 8-9)

A sanctuary is a place separated off and dedicated to a special use, like we have today with wildlife sanctuaries. In this case it was separated off not only in land area, but covered up to be hidden from sight for anyone who was not in the special condition of purity that was a rehearsal of actually having a pure heart; YHWH does not show His secrets to people with a profane attitude.

But it has to be built to exact specifications, or it will not communicate what it is supposed to teach. His dwelling among us is meant to be a means to carry us back to what He had with Adam in the Garden. The steps of atonement prefigure what Yeshua would eventually accomplish in actuality, opening the way back to the Tree of Life. But part of that includes us becoming a dwelling place for Him: “You all, as living stones, are built up into a spiritual House, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to Elohim through the Messiah Yeshua.” (1 Kefa/Peter 2:5)

“Among them” is what it says here, but elsewhere we are told that YHWH walks “in the midst” (the very heart or centermost part) of the camp (Num. 14:14; Deut.7:21; 23:14, etc.), and indeed His dwelling-place was in the dead center of the camp, for it was the focal point from which all of the nation’s culture and purpose was to pulsate—just like a physical heart.

And that is the pattern that is meant to carry over into every situation. YHWH is not meant to be peripheral to the community among whom He lives, but is to be its center, its purpose for existence, and the reason for every other part of the community’s life: “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of Elohim.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) Glory in Hebrew thought means “weightiness”, giving Him the importance and the place He deserves.

And each of us is a microcosm of the Temple of which we are a part. “Your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit…Therefore, give weightiness to Elohim in your body and your spirit, which belong to Elohim.” (1 Cor. 6:19-20) He is to be the center of each of our lives, the criterion through which every decision we make is “vetted”, the fulcrum around which every aspect of our motivations revolves.

And notice the very first line quoted above: He wants the components for this House to come from willing hearts—those whose generosity springs from within. The Renewed Covenant puts it this way: “Everyone brings forth from what is stored up in his heart, not grudgingly(reluctantly) or out of a sense of duty, because YHWH loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:7) That word “cheerful” actually means “ready at a moment’s notice, with a sense of hilarity”.

That may seem unrealistic in our cynical age, but when Paul calls us to “present our bodies as living sacrifices”, it is “in view of the manifestations of Elohim’s compassionate heart” that he had just finished detailing (Romans 12:1) Seeing all He has done for us makes the sentiment well up within us as to what a privilege it is to “pay it forward” through contributing generously to His ongoing work in this world.

Our ancestors got the point (having seen His mercies), and Moshe had to actually stop them from giving once there was already more than enough on hand for the task. (Ex.36:5) Oh that we may truly be the children of our fathers in that regard!

The Kind of Home 
He Really Wants

In this portion we move from lively history to what seem to be dry, detailed specifications about most of the components of and implements to be used in the Mishkan, or tabernacle. The word literally means a “dwelling place” or “settling-place”—a physical location where YHWH could be almost-visibly present with His people in the heart of our camp. It took the form of a tent that could move with the camp.

That He wants to meet with us, speak with us (25:22), and live among us (25:8) again—after what occurred in Eden and the condition it left us in, which is repulsive compared to what He originally designed—is the most remarkable aspect of all of this. Yet still, that is why He made us. He wanted to share His thoughts with those made in His image (sharing some characteristics) so He could have friends who understood Him to some degree, and so He could share His joy with someone other than Himself.

That was all lost one dark day in Eden when, because we broke the relationship, YHWH stopped walking among us as He used to. (Gen. 3:8) This tabernacle was the first step in restoring the fellowship. Every aspect of its architecture and furniture teaches us how to prepare ourselves to reenter His presence.

Later the tabernacle was replaced by a fixed edifice with the same design but on a much grander scale. Though YHWH seems to have preferred the intimacy and flexibility of the tent (2 Samuel 7:7), He let David prepare the materials for Solomon to build it. (1 Chron. 17:12) But in the same way as here (Exodus 25:9, 40), He said it had to follow a certain pattern. (1 Chron. 28:11-12, 19) Why? Because both depicted something bigger that YHWH was doing, of which they are pictures. A clue is in the double-entendre in that 1 Chronicles 17 passage, when YHWH promised David that one of his “sons…shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son…” (17:11-13) Two different kinds of houses were being spoken of here—a physical structure and one that a later descendant of David would build--a household made of people; that’s what YHWH is really interested in.  

"You, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house...to offer up spiritual offerings acceptable to Elohim." (1 Peter 2:5; cf. 2 Cor. 6:16) The main point of the physical Temple is indeed to teach us what a community in which YHWH can make His home is meant to look like. How do we build it? Rather than trying to make the other stones look like us, "eagerly pursue the kinds of things that promote peace, and the things that facilitate the building process in which we fit together with each other." (Romans 14:19)

After the Kingdom, when there is a totally new heaven and earth, Yochanan “heard a great voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of YHWH is with men! He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and YHWH himself will be with them and be their Elohim. And YHWH shall wipe all tears from their eyes; and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying, nor will there be any more pain: for the former things have passed away.’” (Revelation 21:3-4) The “camp” will finally be pure enough for Him to live in.

This also appears in a very similar Essene apocalypse nearly 200 years older, found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. About half of it is the same and half is different from, though not in opposition to, the more familiar vision of Yochanan. It has no reference to Yeshua by name but many parallels and descriptions of a “son of man” as found in Daniel. The later version fills in more specifics about just who that is.

Does the fact that there are so many identical portions mean the latter is plagiarism, a co-opting of the former? I see it differently: if visions of the future are true reflections of what is coming or what goes on behind the scenes in the heavenly dimensions, genuine visions given to one man will agree with genuine visions given to another, though because political and religious climates were different in each recipient group’s era, different emphases were needed. This passage is among the parts appearing in both versions, so there are two witnesses to this beautiful, comforting hope. Two truthful witnesses establish a matter. (Deut. 19:15) 

 So begin now to ask YHWH what part of His dwelling you are meant to become.
Do You Realize 
How Unique This Is?

It’s easy to get lost in all the detailed specifications about the Tabernacle and its component materials, the treasures the Egyptians gave us as our back pay for slavery. There are enough to make your head spin. But why are they all there? Thankfully, amid all the minutiae, we are told what the focal point is:

“Let them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them…and there I will meet with you and I will speak with you.” (Gen. 25:8, 22)  

Those of us who are used to thinking about YHWH often can become inured to how radical a concept this is! The One who made and sustains all the galaxies wants to know and be known by a nation and its individual members on this small planet on the edge of an outlying spiral arm of one not-especially-remarkable galaxy.* Yet He wants to involve us integrally in the enterprise most dear to His heart. If that doesn’t grab your full attention and impress you as extraordinary, you may need to step back a bit.

If we’ve grown used to speaking to YHWH anywhere about anything, we might miss just how special this was the first time it was heard. Having just one place to meet Him might even seem a bit restrictive; if so, maybe we’ve been spoiled by grace. It’s good to look back to how life was before we had ANY way to guarantee contact with Him, lest we take it for granted. 

Remember, idols don’t speak to their worshippers! The demons behind them (1 Cor. 10:20) might. But they don’t want to dwell among their sycophants, but only take advantage of them, and human rulers are rarely better. Having YHWH as our King was an unimaginable advantage, but we grossly undervalued it and lost it because we wanted to keep up with the Syrians (2 Kgs 16:10), though we were really already far ahead in what really counts. There are always greedy scammers ready to fill any vacuum we create with our appalling foolishness.

Many today even address “the universe” as something we can ask for favors or even pray to—possibly to come across as less offensive than what theologians call “the scandal of the particular”. But that “scandal” is alive and well here, because… well, does the universe speak to us--literally? Or is it just the biggest, most beautiful idol men have ever known? YHWH does speak, and when He does, things are created. Things change. Things are renewed--but only if we respond exactly as He prescribes:

“According to all that I show you--the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all of its furniture--you must make it just like that.” (25:9, 40)

Why? Because these are “figures of the true”—pictures of more permanent realities in the heavenly realm (Heb. 9:23-24), so they must be done properly to communicate those realities accurately.

Some of the parts connect “each to her sister, so that the dwelling-place may be one whole.” (26:6) Of course, this personification even in Hebrew prose sets the stage for a parallel idea: the “living stones” which make up the more permanent temple (1 Peter 2:5)—for, yes, at least the broad design for the stone structure that enlarged on the tabernacle was also given by YHWH, to David. (1 Chron. 28:11-19)  

But in addition to all of the antetypes and applications we can derive from their study, might all of these measurements and instructions have been preserved in such detail so that we can build it again? Should we be found worthy to live in that day, might we need it again during the Second and Greater Exodus (Jer. 16:14-15)—so that even during the transition back into His intended order, He can live among us?  

To see, let alone to build that would be a privilege worthy of donating every treasure we’ve found or earned anywhere else.
___________

*Yes, it is proving to be uniquely well-placed for life to thrive (see Rare Earth by Peter Ward and Donald E. Brownlee), and that is far from ordinary, but amid such vast stretches of space it still might seem easy to overlook.
Tabernacle replica in Timna Park, Israel
The Dangers of and Antidotes for Idolatry

The purpose for the Ark of the Covenant is clear: “I will meet you there and speak with you, above the place of atonement, from between the two kh'ruvim which are on the ark...” (Ex. 25:22)

The golden kh’ruvim atop the Ark seem an exception to YHWH’s rule about no “graven images” (Ex. 20:4). But such sculptures were not designed to be worshipped or served--the clarification in 20:5 which YHWH may have added so some types of artistry might not be stifled for fear of crossing that line. There were to be depictions of kh’ruvim on the veil between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies (26:1)--a reminder that real kh’ruvim guard holy places. (Gen.3:24) They were not depictions of the One we worship. Messiah is the only legitimate image of Him (Colossians 1:15)—and one that’s not man-made.

He commissioned one other graven image—the bronze serpent. (Num. 21:8-9) But both did run the risk of becoming idols. Some saw the ark as a god (1 Sam. 4:3-7), probably because what the pagans had in their sanctuaries were considered gods—though I doubt they spoke from within as YHWH did. This may be why the second Temple left the inner sanctum empty but for His own real presence. The serpent was destroyed by a righteous king when Israel started burning incense to it instead of to YHWH. (2 Kgs. 18:4)

King Shlomoh added more graven images to the Temple whose construction is seen in our haftarah (1 Kings 5:26-6:10)—12 oxen under the large laver. (1 Kings 7:44) There is no record of them ever being idolized. But the promise to him from YHWH with which the haftarah ends is much more conditional than the one we began with, after years of our not appreciating the unique gift of His presence: “If you walk in the customs I have prescribed and carry out My legal procedures, and carefully walk in all My commands, then I will confirm with you My word that I promised to David your father, and I will [settle and] reside in the midst of the descendants of Israel, and not abandon My people Israel.” (1 Kgs 6:12-13)

Shlomoh started well, humble and knowing his need of wisdom from YHWH. (2 Chron. 1:8-11) Yet in later years he was led astray by the wives he married for the sake of peace between nations; he was blessed with remaining at peace militarily, but did not remain at peace with YHWH, because of this compromise. It started with just letting his wives worship their idols within Israel, but ended up pulling him in as well. We must always be aware of the innate danger any blessing can carry if we forget that the purpose of all things is to serve YHWH’s interests, not just our own. Even for one with wisdom given by YHWH, it’s always be the case that “friendship with the world is enmity toward YHWH.” (Yaaqov/ James 4:4) That friendship itself ends up being a form of idolatry since “no one can serve two masters” (Mat. 6:24), and the world always ends up demanding our service and loyalty. Its offers of friendship are only a ruse to lure us into its bondage. In the end it is exposed as trafficking in not just the bodies but “the souls of men”. (Rev. 18:13) Our own souls are no longer ours to command if we give it any space!

Has YHWH, then, abandoned His people because Shlomoh did not meet the conditions? Paul responded with a vehement negative (Rom. 11:1), though there have been dreadful consequences to this apostasy, not least a divided kingdom.  

 We need to know these warnings inside and out so we can see it approaching and evade it before it is already upon us and too late to change our course. But more importantly, build the foundation of obedience that Shlomoh did not maintain, so the promises of His presence can stick for us this time. And ultimately His presence is with a people. It is easier for individuals to fall prey to the current; if we band together in tight community, with more minds, we’ll be much more difficult to either deceive or defeat.