Exodus 36:1

The Bible says in Exodus 36:1-2, “Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded. And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it.” These verses remind us one more time that there is no difference between the secular and the sacred, if you know the Lord and are serving the Lord in what you do. Bezaleel and the others who worked with him were making the tabernacle and the objects in it from the raw materials that the people had given. Notice that the practical work that Bezaleel and the others were doing was as it says in Exodus 36:1, “according to all that the Lord had commanded.” The important thing for us to remember in order to follow this principal of giving is to make sure that what we do for our work is God’s will. That involves prayer and surrender to God’s will. If you are surrendered to God’s will, and if you enter into the work that God gives you to do, then in regards to your work you can be sure Jesus will do the same for you that He did for Bezaleel in Exodus 36:2, “in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom.”

The Bible says in Exodus 36:3-7, “And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning. And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.” This passage settles an important theological question once and for all. Anyone who thought that Moses was a Baptist preacher can now rest assured that he was not. No Baptist preacher ever told a congregation that they had given enough and that now they can stop giving. But that is exactly what Moses did. It says in Exodus 36:6, “And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.”

The rest of Exodus chapter 36 describes the tabernacle and how it was made. It says in Exodus 36:8, “And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them.” Notice the beautiful colors of “blue, and purple, and scarlet” and the embroidery of “cherubims of cunning work.” These would have been the most expensive of materials of that day. We know that the colors “blue, and purple, and scarlet” were reserved for royalty and for the rich. Another fact about the construction of the tabernacle that stands out to us is all of the gold and silver that went into its construction. In addition to these fine linens that made up the sides and roof of the tabernacle, there were also many boards of “shittim wood” that were used in the construction. Exodus 36:20-2 tells us some details about these boards: the large size and the quantity of them, and then Exodus 36:34 tells us that all of the boards were overlaid in gold. It says in Exodus 36:20-24, “And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up. The length of a board was ten cubits, and the breadth of a board one cubit and a half. One board had two tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle. And he made boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward: And forty sockets of silver he made under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.” And it says in Exodus 36:34, “And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.”

One of the lessons to learn about all of the beauty and all of the rich materials used in the tabernacle has to do with material things. Money is not evil. God commanded that the tabernacle be built with this beauty and richness. It is normal and godly to want to make things beautiful. Get the best stuff that you can, as God wills. There is nothing wrong with that. But there is something wrong with the love of money. The Bible says in First Timothy 6:6-10, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” The love of money is the root of all evil. When someone starts to love money, their priorities change. Loving money leads to committing other sins in order to get money. People who love money will lie, cheat, steal, and even kill to get money. That is one reason that Jesus said in Matthew 19:24, “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Evidently in many cases the rich became rich because they loved money. And then their love of money enslaves them and keeps them from turning to the Lord Jesus in repentance of their sins. That love for money becomes an obstacle like chains and fetters that bind them to unbelief. A person who is not rich or who does not have the love of money has no such chain, and therefore more readily will turn to Christ and seek His mercy.

Notice what Jesus said in Mark 4:18-19 about riches: “And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” One of the main reasons that some people will not receive the truth is what Jesus called “the deceitfulness of riches.” Anything that will lead you into hell is definitely deceitful, and anything that will keep you from Christ will definitely lead you to hell.

The Bible says in Luke 18:18-27, “And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

The love of riches will keep some people from heaven. But there are also some rich people who are Christians, but who have not learned how to properly use their riches. They may not lose their soul, but they are in danger of losing their rewards if they do not use their riches properly. Everything that you have is given to you from Christ: your possessions, your abilities, your opportunities, and your spiritual gifts. Each one of these should be dedicated to His glory for His use as He guides and directs you. It says in James 5:1-6, “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.” In reality riches are an extra responsibility. If the Lord gives you riches, the question should always be, “Now what does the Lord Jesus want me to do with this money?” It is alright to save for retirement and save for the future and save for a rainy day, but if you save too much instead of using what you have for the glory of the Lord, you will be in the category of those mentioned in James 6:3, “Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.”

Exodus 36:35-36 tells us about a vail inside of the tabernacle. It says, “And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work. And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.” This vail had a purpose. It blocked the entrance to the Holy-of-holies, which symbolized the place where the presence of God was found in its greatest measure. This place was restricted so that only the High priest could enter there, and he could only do so once a year. Leviticus 16:3-34 goes into detail and tells us exactly how the ceremony was performed on that one day in the year when the High Priest would enter into the other side of the vail into the closest presence of God. It says, “Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on. And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there: And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people. And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar. And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp. And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung. And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp. And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments: And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation. And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.”

This passage about the vail and what must take place to enter into the other side of the vail tells us very clearly that sin is exceeding sinful, and God does not like sin. He will not allow sin into His presence. Anyone who wants to know God and be with God has a problem: the sin problem. That is where Jesus comes in. The vail represented a restriction that gave only very limited access into the presence of God from a symbolic standpoint. Therefore, it is very important to notice one of the events that took place when Jesus died on the cross of Calvary. It says in Mark 15:37-39, “And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.” And then this is explained for us in Hebrews 10:18-22, “Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

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