"We see, in many a land, the proudest dynasties and tyrannies still crushing, with their mountain weight, every free motion of the Consciences and hearts of men. We see, on the other hand, the truest heroism for the right and the greatest devotion to the Truth in hearts that God has touched. We have a work to do, as great as our forefathers and, perhaps, far greater. The enemies of Truth are more numerous and subtle than ever and the needs of the Church are greater than at any preceding time. If we are not debtors to the present, then men were never debtors to their age and their time. Brethren, we are debtors to the hour in which we live. Oh, that we might stamp it with Truth and that God might help us to impress upon its wings some proof that it has not flown by neglected and unheeded." -- C.H. Spurgeon . . . "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31, 32 . . . . .

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Wednesday, July 7, 2021

EXODUS – GOD’s MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE of ISRAEL FROM EGYPT – Chapter THIRTY SEVEN & THIRTY EIGHT

Contributing commentaries by pastors Sonny Islas, Albert Lopez and James Fire

Complete Study of Exodus by pastor Chuck Smith 

EXODUS 37 & 38: “The Hebrew Doers of the Word” – by James Fire, Facebook video.

INTRODUCTION: Earlier in the book of Exodus, starting with Chapter 26, GOD described every detail of what the Tabernacle was to look like, and what to use in its construction. The same for all the furnishings of the Tabernacle as well as all of the priestly garb that Aaron and his sons were to wear while officiating in the Tabernacle.

It’s in these chapters we’ll be looking at here, as well as Chapters 35 and 36 previously, that we are seeing the actual construction of the Tabernacle and everything else that GOD revealed to Moses while he was on Mount Horeb (or Sinai).

It’s vital that we not only hear the Word of GOD and pay attention to GOD’s instructions and guidance but also that we obey GOD and do everything in accordance with His Holy will. Otherwise, we don’t get the blessings of seeing ‘GOD’s Tabernacle’ in our midst. Someone else will have the blessing to see this work of GOD, who will obey His Holy will, and we’re left out.
There are many valuable lessons of the spiritual sort we can perceive as we read about the construction of the Tabernacle, as we will, LORD willing, see in this teaching.

EXODUS 37 ~ ~ 

EXODUS 37:1-5
1 Then Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits was its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 2 He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside and made a molding of gold all around it. 3 And he cast for it four rings of gold to be set in its four corners: two rings on one side, and two rings on the other side of it. 4 He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 And he put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.

As we saw last time, pastor Albert taught us that this man Bezelel, has an awesome name: “protected by GOD” or “in the shadow of GOD”. What does this mean ‘the shadow of GOD’ and how is this our protection?

People who lived in nomadic tribal communities (“tent dwellers”) understood what it meant to dwell under the shadow of other. It was the custom of people in those days, that if they had a visitor, who came under the shadow of their host’s tent, that the host would offer every hospitality to their guest, including personal protection.

This man Bezelel, an artisan for the LORD (EXOD 35:10), was instructed by GOD Who offered to him every hospitality, at it were - everything he needed: the wisdom, the craftsmanship, the discerning heart, with which he was guided by the Spirit of the LORD, in the construction of these holy furnishings (EXOD 35:35; 36:1).

Here we have the construction of the ark of the covenant, and if you ever saw the movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, you saw a pretty fair representation of what the ark looked like!

Note that of all the furniture in the Tabernacle, the one first to be constructed is the ark of the covenant. In the Bible, whenever you have a list of persons or things, the first one mentioned is usually the priority, the one of most importance.

This is certainly the case here with the ark of the covenant. The two cherubim, bowing towards the center of the mercy seat (that is the lid for the ark) represents the holy cherubim that are at the very throne of GOD, worshiping the Almighty, day and night, crying, “Holy, holy, holy”.

This is where the LORD Jesus Christ presented His atoning blood before the Father, for the forgiveness of sins of all the world (HEB 9:12). 

The place where the blood of the LAMB of GOD was offered, pictured here in the Old Testament at the ark of the covenant, inside of the Holy of Holies, is the place where the beloved bride of the LORD Jesus will worship Him forever – we who are the passion and love of the One Who laid down His life for us.
This is the center of the Tabernacle, the very center of the Holy of Holies, the very depths of the heart of GOD where He keeps His redeemed!

EXODUS 37:6-9

6 He also made the mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits was its length and a cubit and a half its width. 7 He made two cherubim of beaten gold; he made them of one piece at the two ends of the mercy seat: 8 one cherub at one end on this side, and the other cherub at the other end on that side. He made the cherubim at the two ends of one piece with the mercy seat. 9 The cherubim spread out their wings above and covered the mercy seat with their wings. They faced one another; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.

Remember at the tomb of the LORD Jesus Christ, on that glorious Resurrection Sunday, when the LORD was raised from the dead and by doing so took the sting out of death, robbed the grave of its victory (1 COR 15:55); Mary Magdalene was weeping at His tomb, not knowing He had risen, and she peered into the tomb and what did she see?
JOHN 20:12
12 . . .two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
Here we have a picture of the mercy seat, the sacrificed Lamb Who was slain and where He had been placed, and these angels sitting on either side.

Note that the ark of the covenant is made of acacia wood, overlaid with gold inside and out: the picture of the humanity of Jesus represented by the wood, and His divinity represented by the gold. The mercy seat is of pure gold – which is representative of the LORD GOD to Whom the blood atonement was offered.
1 PETER 1:17-21
17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
EXODUS 37:10-16
10 He made the table of acacia wood; two cubits was its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And he overlaid it with pure gold and made a molding of gold all around it. 12 Also he made a frame of a handbreadth all around it and made a molding of gold for the frame all around it. 13 And he cast for it four rings of gold and put the rings on the four corners that were at its four legs. 14 The rings were close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table. 15 And he made the poles of acacia wood to bear the table and overlaid them with gold. 16 He made of pure gold the utensils which were on the table: its dishes, its cups, its bowls, and its pitchers for pouring.

Here is the table of Shewbread that holds the twelve loaves, representative of the 12 tribes of Israel. This has an even greater significance as it symbolizes Christ Himself Who is the Bread of Life:
JOHN 6:33-35
For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. 34 Then they said to Him, Lord, give us this bread always. 35 And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
EXODUS 37:17-24
17 He also made the lampstand of pure gold; of hammered work he made the lampstand. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and its flowers were of the same piece. 18 And six branches came out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. 19 There were three bowls made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower-and so for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. 20 And on the lampstand itself were four bowls made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. 21 There was a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches extending from it. 22 Their knobs and their branches were of one piece; all of it was one hammered piece of pure gold. 23 And he made its seven lamps, its wick-trimmers, and its trays of pure gold. 24 Of a talent of pure gold he made it, with all its utensils.

The is the menorah, the seven branched lampstand, made without any of the acacia wood; this is pure, solid gold, and it’s filled with oil. This represents the LORD Jesus Christ in His Deity, Who Himself is the Light of the world, anointed without measure of the Spirit of GOD.

Notice that there are seven branches – not six, not eight, but seven. Seven is the number of perfection or completeness. This speaks of the light of GOD’s Revelation of His Son the LORD Jesus Christ, and the Word of GOD, which is a complete revelation of the Light of the LORD, granting us spiritual sight and understanding of the truth. In the gift of GOD’s Word we find nothing lacking – the Scriptures are complete for everything we need to live godly in Christ Jesus:
2 PETER 1:3
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
And in a very significant way, this menorah represents the church – because the LORD called us the Light of the world (MATT 5:14): just as the sun gives light to the Earth by its own power, the moon also gives light, but its only a reflection of the sun.
Likewise the church has no light of her own; she only reflects the Light from the power of the Son of GOD!

In the book of Revelation, John sees the menorah – these seven lampstands, and the LORD Jesus is in their midst; in this vision, these lampstands represent the seven churches (REV 1:20). This is the vision that John receives before he is transported to heaven to witness the revelation of Jesus Christ, which is what Revelation is all about. The next time he sees these lampstands is when he himself is brought to heaven (REV 4:5) before the loosing of the seven seals that begins the time of tribulation:
REVELATION 4:2,5
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
This transport of the seven lampstands is fascinating, representing both the church and the Spirit of GOD that indwells the church, so that she is called the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Scripture states in:
2 THESSALONIANS 2:6-8
6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
For me, this is just one example of such evidence to show that the church will not be here for the time of anti-Christ. That we will be transported – raptured – before the beginning of this seven year period known as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble (JER 30:7).
The Light of GOD not only reveals the glory of GOD, bringing understanding to all who seek Him diligently; the Light of GOD also dispels darkness, and defeats evil. It’s the brightness of the LORD Jesus’ Coming that destroys the anti-Christ (2 THESS 2:8).

As we are the Light of the world (MATT 5:14), our lives glorify GOD, and we expose and destroy the influences of evil, just as ultraviolet light destroys bacteria. We are called the salt of the Earth as well, and salt is effective against corruption.

EXODUS 37:25-29

25 He made the incense altar of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit and its width a cubit-it was square-and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it. 26 And he overlaid it with pure gold: its top, its sides all around, and its horns. He also made for it a molding of gold all around it. 27 He made two rings of gold for it under its molding, by its two corners on both sides, as holders for the poles with which to bear it. 28 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 29 He also made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the perfumer.

Again, this altar of incense is representative of the prayers of the saints; in this specific instance, the prayers of the Levitical priesthood. Elsewhere, in REVELATION, we see an angel gathering incense from off the altar with a golden censer and he mixes it with fire from the altar and cast it onto the Earth resulting in thunder, lightning, and an earthquake. Here, this incense is associated with “the prayers of the saints” and I can well imagine in this time of great judgment against those rejecting Christ as LORD, that these represent the prayers of all saints of all times (REV 8:4)!

As I pointed out in EXODUS 30, this altar of incense is closest to the Holy of Holies and the ark of the covenant with the mercy seat. Remember that the mercy seat represents the presence of GOD and His throne, so too, when we pray, we are nearest to the heart of GOD, attending in a spiritual sense, His regal and royal throne where He commands all of creation in majesty and glory. That is the One we are praying to saints!

My favorite author on prayer, Edward M. Bounds said the following:

Prayer is not [opposed] to work; it doesn’t paralyze activity. IT works mightily; prayer itself is the greatest work.”
The [prayer] closet…is the battlefield of the Church; its citadel; the scene of heroic and unearthly conflicts.”

EXODUS 38 ~ ~ 

We have seen then the construction of all the furnishings and utensils of the tabernacle that belongs to the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place – now we are outside of the Tabernacle Nous or Tabernacle Proper, the tent structure that contains these; and in the outer court of the Temple. You will note that everything inside the Tabernacle Proper is made of acacia wood and gold, sometimes solid gold.

In the outer court, the furnishings are made of acacia wood and bronze. As mentioned previously, gold represents Deity and Kingly authority. Bronze stands for judgment and testing, as does fire; both are biblical types for these. What does this tell us?

That no one approaches GOD unless they are first judged worthy to do so, and if unworthy, they will not see GOD. Only the holy, the pure in heart will see GOD (MATT 5:8). How remarkably blessed we are – that we have the very holiest representative to stand before GOD on our behalf, and indeed, the Bridge that allows repentant sinners to be transformed into saints and able to cross that Bridge to commune with our Abba Father!

Yet those same feet that were pierced by Roman nails and led us to salvation are also seen in REVELATION with the appearance of bronze and His eyes like flames of fire (REV 2:18). On the Day of Judgment, the LORD Himself will trample “the grapes of wrath” and pour out His fury on the wicked and unrepentant who rejected His salvation.
ISAIAH 63:1-3
1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? (REV 19:13,15) 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.
EXODUS 38:1-7
1 He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood; five cubits was its length and five cubits its width-it was square-and its height was three cubits. 2 He made its horns on its four corners; the horns were of one piece with it. And he overlaid it with bronze. 3 He made all the utensils for the altar: the pans, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the firepans; all its utensils he made of bronze. 4 And he made a grate of bronze network for the altar, under its rim, midway from the bottom. 5 He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating, as holders for the poles. 6 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 Then he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to bear it. He made the altar hollow with boards.

We are to be living sacrifices to the LORD, and such so-called sacrifices are only reasonable for us to make, seeing what the LORD sacrificed for us (ROM 12:1-2)! Any sacrifice we make cannot possibly be compared to this, but we should willingly respond with offering up all our lives to Him Who loves us that much to bear our sins for us.

Just as these Old Testament sacrifices were burned up, may we find ourselves consumed by the fire of the Holy Spirit, until all the things of the flesh are crispy critters, and the work of GOD increases as JESUS is seen in our lives more and more!

I recall a time when I couldn’t get a handle on this besetting sin early on in my Christian life and the LORD had me turn to Obadiah and I read the following:
OBADIAH 1:17-18
17 But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness; The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. 18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau shall be stubble; They shall kindle them and devour them, And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau," For the LORD has spoken.
On another note, here is a spiritual principle: We who are consumed by the fire of GOD that tempers and strengthens the saint, won’t be influenced by the fires of persecution. In that sense, we fight fire (persecution) with fire (the sanctifying Holy Spirit)! [Fighting Fire with Fire].

There are some similarities between the brazen altar where sacrifices are burned, and the altar of incense where incense is burned, besides the fact that both are altars and both are places of burning: they both have horns at each of their corners, and both are positioned at entry points. The brazen altar is located just inside the door that leads into the outer court; the altar of incense is located just on the other side of the veil where the ark of the covenant is located.

What can we learn from these things:

Firstly, our passion and zeal for GOD should be at fever pitch, not lukewarm, or even cold, but hot.

Secondly, horns in the Bible speaks of strength as by the horns on various animals where their strength is used to overcome adversaries. Kings would gather horns and attach them on round bands of iron and make crowns out of them – so horns represent authority, strength, and power. David glorified GOD Who exalted him as His authority as King of Israel (PSALM 92:10) But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil). What authority do we have as Christians?

Thirdly, in sacrificing our very lives, as sacrifices were made at the brazen altar, we do so by the authority of GOD Who directs us how to worship Him. Sacrificial worship is what obedience is, at its heart (“to obey is better than sacrifice" [of animals and their shed blood] 1 SAM 15:22) This is worshiping GOD in Spirit and in Truth, and this grants authority to us as we enter into the throne room of GOD as it were.

We also enter into the LORD’s presence in the ministry of prayer, as with the altar of incense, being positioned at the entry point of the Holy of Holies. By the authority of Christ’s own words, we are granted access in praying directly to GOD our Father (JOHN 16:23).


EXODUS 38:8
8 He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

This laver is a bathing pool for the priests to wash ceremonially, and it also is made of bronze. This speaks of the Word of GOD: by the Holy Scriptures which is like a mirror we see ourselves in its reflection and see what the Holy Spirit sees – where we need to wash. (JAMES 1:23; only in this passage, the person looks into the Word and forgets! Let’s not follow that bad example! Let us hide His Word in our hearts and let it cleanse us, so we won’t offend GOD; PSALM 119:11), The Word of GOD is also seen as water by which we wash and are clean (EPH 5:26).

The Word of GOD, like this brazen laver that speaks of judgment, judges and discerns our hearts as we allow its entrance into our hearts and minds and yield to its Truth to cleanse and change us!
1 CORINTHIANS 11:31-32
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
Spiritual inspection using the light of GOD’s Word is necessary on a regular basis, and if we find ourselves in need of repentance, that we do so, and not put it off until finally GOD has to step in and chasten us! At the same time, the Word of GOD will confirm for us those things we’re doing in the Spirit, and so we can find commendation in the Scriptures as well!

EXODUS 38:9-17

9 Then he made the court on the south side; the hangings of the court were of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long. 10 There were twenty pillars for them, with twenty bronze sockets. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver. 11 On the north side the hangings were one hundred cubits long, with twenty pillars and their twenty bronze sockets. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver. 12 And on the west side there were hangings of fifty cubits, with ten pillars and their ten sockets. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver. 13 For the east side the hangings were fifty cubits. 14 The hangings of one side of the gate were fifteen cubits long, with their three pillars and their three sockets, 15 and the same for the other side of the court gate; on this side and that were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets. 16 All the hangings of the court all around were of fine woven linen. 17 The sockets for the pillars were bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver, and the overlay of their capitals was silver; and all the pillars of the court had bands of silver.

We see here a mixture of sockets of bronze that are the bases or foundations for the pillars (columns) which are bound side by side and capped with silver hooks and bands. Bronze stands for judgment, and silver for redemption.

Everyone gets judged, no exceptions, but the judgment against saints for sin is already accomplished at the Cross where Christ suffered for our sake; we are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Judgment and redemption all on the same Cross; here in Exodus we see the foundation of GOD’s just and holy judgment, but then crowned with redemption that binds us saints in cords of love and brings unity among us!

EXODUS 38:18-23

18 The screen for the gate of the court was woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and of fine woven linen. The length was twenty cubits, and the height along its width was five cubits, corresponding to the hangings of the court. 19 And there were four pillars with their four sockets of bronze; their hooks were silver, and the overlay of their capitals and their bands was silver. 20 All the pegs of the tabernacle, and of the court all around, were bronze. 21 This is the inventory of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, which was counted according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. 22 Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD had commanded Moses. 23 And with him was Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer, a weaver of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and of fine linen.

Observe these woven materials and the order in which they are presented: there is the blue, then the purple, then scarlet and then the fine woven linen which was almost always white. What’s the significance here?


Blue speaks of the heavens, the firmament above, and of Him Who came down from Heaven’s throne (with the appearance of sapphire, almost always blue in color) to Earth, taking upon Himself flesh and blood (JOHN 1:14) – the LORD Jesus Christ.

Then there is purple – this color is almost always the color of choice for royalty; purple and scarlet dyes came from rare mollusks and worms, so any material dyed in scarlet and purple were very expensive, and so usually only royalty could afford them.

Purple speaks of the LORD Jesus Christ’s kingly and glorious nature – we beheld His glory, the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (JOHN 1:14,17). There is NO king to compare with KING JESUS – KING of Kings and LORD of Lords!

The third of these thread woven materials is scarlet: This speaks of sacrifice by blood; and the LORD Jesus shed every drop, spilling out of Him as freely as His love for us! We understand that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (HEB 9:22). The LORD Jesus had the power to lay His life down for us – which He did! And He had the power to take it up again (JOHN 10:15-17) – which He also did, with resurrection power!

Of course we know that though our sins are as scarlet they shall be made white as snow (ISAIAH 1:18).

And that is the fine white linen, which according to REVELATION 19:8 is the righteousness of the saints – purchased for them, by the Bridegroom, the LORD Jesus, for us – His bride!

EXODUS 38:24-31

24 All the gold that was used in all the work of the holy place, that is, the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 25 And the silver from those who were numbered of the congregation was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary: 26 a bekah for each man (that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone included in the numbering from twenty years old and above, for six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men. 27 And from the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil: one hundred sockets from the hundred talents, one talent for each socket. 28 Then from the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, overlaid their capitals, and made bands for them. 29 The offering of bronze was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels. 30 And with it he made the sockets for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating for it, and all the utensils for the altar, 31 the sockets for the court all around, the bases for the court gate, all the pegs for the tabernacle, and all the pegs for the court all around.


As costly as all of these sacred things were, costlier still are the sacrifices that sanctified them (MATT 23:18-20); and most costly of all, The Supreme Sacrifice made by our Savior!
HEBREWS 9:22-26
22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

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