A Community Task (Exodus 36)

Was building the tabernacle very much a community task, all who were willing? Is building a healthy local church also an undertaking involving the whole congregation, all who are willing? Let’s look at Exodus 36.

How did Bezalel and Aholiab proceed to work with the freewill offerings of the people?

Now Bezalel and Oholiab and every person wise at heart, to whom Yahweh has given wisdom and discernment to know how to do all the work of the service of constructing the sanctuary, shall do in accordance with all that Yahweh has commanded. Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every person wise at heart to whom Yahweh had given wisdom, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to do it. And they received from Moses the entire contribution which the sons of Israel had brought to do the work in the service of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. (Exodus 36:1-3 LSB)

Was the freewill offering from the people generous enough for the work to be done?

And all the skillful people who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which they were performing, and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the Lord commanded us to perform.” So Moses issued a command, and circulated a proclamation throughout the camp, saying, “No man or woman is to perform work any longer for the contributions of the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing any more. For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it. (Exodus 36:4-7 NASB)

What three colors were used for the curtains? Could blue picture heaven where Jesus came from, purple represent the royalty of the King of kings, and red symbolize His blood?

All those who were skilled among the workers made the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim woven into them by expert hands. All the curtains were the same size—twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide. They joined five of the curtains together and did the same with the other five. (Exodus 36:8-10 NIV)

How were the curtains to be attached to the tabernacle and to each other?

He made loops of blue yarn on the edge of the curtain on the selvedge of one set; likewise he did on the outer edge of the other curtain of the second set. Fifty loops he made on one curtain, and fifty loops he made on the edge of the curtain on the end of the second set; the loops held one curtain to another. And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains to one another with the clasps, that it might be one tabernacle. (Exodus 36:11-13 NKJV)

What layers were there to protect the curtains from the elements?

He made eleven curtains of goat-hair cloth to serve as a tent covering for the Tabernacle. These eleven curtains were all exactly the same size—45 feet long and 6 feet wide. Bezalel joined five of these curtains together to make one long curtain, and the other six were joined to make a second long curtain. He made fifty loops for the edge of each large curtain. He also made fifty bronze clasps to fasten the long curtains together. In this way, the tent covering was made of one continuous piece. He completed the tent covering with a layer of tanned ram skins and a layer of fine goatskin leather. (Exodus 36:14-19 NLT)

Acacia is a particularly strong and durable wood especially suited to outdoor use. Natural boards of this width are not readily available today, perhaps indicating that they came from ancient forests no longer in existence. What was the purpose of these hardwood boards?

He made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing up. Ten cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the width of each board. Each board had two tenons, joined to one another. He made all the boards of the tabernacle this way. He made the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side southward. He made forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons. (Exodus 36:20-24 WEB)

What about the north and west sides of the tabernacle?

For the dwelling’s other side on the north, they made twenty boards and forty silver bases, two bases under the first board, two bases under the next board, and so on. For the back of the dwelling on the west, they made six boards. They made two additional boards for the dwelling’s rear corners. They were spread out at the bottom but joined together at the top with one ring. In this way, these two boards formed the two corners. And so there were eight boards with their sixteen silver bases, with two bases under every board. (Exodus 36:25:30 CEB)