Exodus
35
REITERATION OF THE LAW CONCERNING THE
SABBATH (vs. 1-3)
The work
commanded during the time of Moses’ first stay upon Sinai (ch.
25-31.), and
hindered first by the infraction (ch.
32.), and then by the renewal (chs. 33., 34.) of the
covenant, was now about to commence under the direction
of Moses, who alone knew
what was to be constructed. Before giving his orders
upon the matter, he assembled the
people (v. 1) and once more recited to them in a
solemn manner the law of the sabbath
(v. 2),
adding to the general law a special injunction concerning the kindling of fire
(v. 3), which may have been required by some recent breach of the law
in this respect.
The
iteration of a command, already so often enjoined upon the people
(chps.16:23-30;
20:8-11;
23:12; 31:13-17), is best accounted for by the consideration, that a caution
was needed, lest the people, in their zeal to hurry on the work
of the tabernacle, and
regarding that work as a sacred one, and so exceptional,
might be tempted to
infractions of the law, or even to an entire neglect of it,
while the work was in
progress.
vs. 1-3 – “And Moses gathered all the
congregation of the children of
together” – All had to be summoned,
to learn what was required – “and said
unto
them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should
do them. Six
days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be
to you an holy day, a sabbath
of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work
therein shall be put to death. Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your
habitations upon the sabbath
day.” - The kindling of fire in early times involved
considerable labor. It was ordinarily affected by rubbing
two sticks together, or
twisting one round rapidly between the two palms in a
depression upon a board. Fire
only came after a long time. Moreover, as in the
warm climate of Arabia and
artificial warmth was not needed, fire could only have
been kindled there for cooking
purposes, which involved further unnecessary work, and
had already been forbidden
(ch. 16:23).
The
Sabbath Rest was not to be Broken even for Sacred Work
Note here a
difference. Some work is rendered necessary by the very nature of that
public worship which is especially commanded on the sabbath. “On the sabbath days
the priests in the temple,” says our
Lord, “profane the sabbath
day and are
blameless “(Matthew
12:5). Offering sacrifice was a
heavy work — cleansing the
altar and its precincts after sacrifice was perhaps a
heavier one — reading aloud,
teaching, preaching
are works, the last named to many a most exhausting work.
Against
such kinds of work there is no law. But physical toil, not needed for Divine
worship, and so not necessary to be undergone on the sabbath day, stands on a
different footing, and was forbidden, at any rate to the
Jews. The spinning, weaving,
dying, embroidering, carpentering, metallurgy, which
occupied hundreds during the
rest of the week, were to cease upon the sabbath. Men were not to consider that the
fact of the purpose whereto the fabrics were about
to be applied so sanctified the
making of them as to render that a fit occupation for
the “day of holy
rest” — of
“rest
to the Lord.” Christians
will do well to apply the lesson to themselves,
and not allow themselves in occupations, on their “day of holy rest,” which
are really secular, because it may be argued that they have, in
some respects,
a sacred aspect.. Whatever our rule of Sunday observance, let us beware of evading
it under the excuse that our employment has a
connection with religion when it is
essentially secular in its character.
THE PEOPLE INVITED TO BRING GIFTS AND ASSIST IN THE
WORK OF THE TABERNACLE (vs. 4-20)
Having
warned the Israelites against breaches of the sabbath, Moses proceeded to
enumerate the offerings which God had said that they
might bring (vs. 4-9), and the
works which He had required to be constructed (vs.
10-19). In the former
enumeration, he follows exactly the order and wording of
the Divine command to
himself, as recorded in ch.
25:3-7; in the latter, he changes the order, mentioning first
the building, with its component parts (v.11), then the
contents of the building
(vs.12-15),
then the court with its contents (vs. 16-17) together with some details
which had been omitted in the former account (v.18),
and finally the holy garments
(v.19). After hearing him, the people returned to their several
tents (v.20).
vs. 4-20 – “And Moses spake
unto all the congregation of the children of
Israel, saying, This is the thing which the
LORD commanded, saying, Take ye
from among you an offering unto the LORD:
whosoever is of a willing heart, let
him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and
silver, and brass, And blue,
and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and
goats’ hair, And rams’ skins dyed
red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, And
oil for the light, and spices for
anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, And onyx
stones, and stones to be set for
the ephod, and for the breastplate. And every wise hearted among you shall come,
and make all that the LORD hath commanded; The tabernacle, his tent, and his
covering, his taches, and
his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets, The ark,
and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat,
and the vail of the covering, The table,
and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread, The candlestick also for the
light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with
the oil for the light, And the incense altar,
and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the
sweet incense, and the hanging for the
door at the entering in of the tabernacle, The altar of burnt offering, with his brasen
grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the
laver and his foot, The hangings of the
court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging
for the door of the court,
The
pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords, The cloths
of service, to do service in the holy place,
the holy garments for Aaron the priest,
and the garments of his sons, to minister in
the priest’s office. And all the
congregation of the children of
the symbolism of the Tabernacle and its parts, see chps. 25:10-39; 26; 27:1-8; and
30:1-10 –
(this web site) On
the symbolism of the anointing oil and the holy incense,
see ch. 30:23-28.
The
Duty and Privilege of Making Offerings to God
That God
allows us to offer to Him of His own, and accepts such offerings as free gifts,
is one of His many gracious condescensions. It is the
part of all ministers to give opportunity
for such offerings — to encourage them, suggest them, elicit
them. Moses now summoned
“all
the congregation of the children of
all, without partiality or favoritism, the opportunity for a good action, which would
obtain its due reward. Doubtless he pointed out that the object was one for
the glory of
God and the
edification of His people — no less an object than the substitution for that
poor
“tent
of meeting,” which he had extemporized on the morrow of his first
descent from Sinai
(ch. 33:7), of a glorious structure,
Of the richest materials, designed by God Himself, worthy
of Him, and suited to intensify and spiritualize the devotions
of all worshippers. It was fit that
the structure should, if possible, be raised by means of the free
gifts of the faithful. For this
Moses now,
like a faithful minister of Christ, made appeal to all. In doing so, he pointed
out the two modes in which such offerings may
be made:
SACRED USE OF A
PORTION OF OUR SUBSTANCE. All who had
gold,
silver, brass, blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goat’s hair, etc., were
invited to
contribute out of their abundance to the erection of the new
sanctuary.
It was especially urged that, if they did so, it should be with “a
willing heart” (v. 1) — “not
grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a
cheerful giver” (II Corinthians 9:7). Such a mode of offering is
open to
those only
who have property of some kind or other, and is especially
suited to
the rich and well-to-do classes; and it was no doubt the wealthy
who at this
time chiefly contributed in this way. But, as God is “no
respecter of persons,” and
regards the poor and needy fully as much as
those who
are of high estate, some further mode of making him an offering
is
necessary. Note, in this connection, that:
OF SOME PORTION
OF OUR TIME AND LABOR “Every
wise-hearted
among you shall come, and make all that
the Lord hath commanded”
(v. 10). All who
had sufficient skill were invited to join in the actual work of
preparing and making the various fabrics. Carpenters, weavers, dyers, smiths,
embroiderers, metallurgists, might contribute their time and
work, and so make
an offering to God as acceptable as that of the gold or
jewels of the wealthy.
Even poor women, whose
only skill was to spin thread with their hands (v. 25),
might “bring that which they had
spun,” and were accepted as offering
worthily. In this way there
were few families that might not have their part in
the work, for spinning
was a wide-spread accomplishment. And so, in our own
day, whenever
any good work is taken in hand, it will always be found that
every one
who wills can have some part in it — can help, by headwork or
by
handiwork, to effect the end desired. And the value of such participation
is quite
equal to that rendered by rich contributors, at any rate, in the sight
of God. For
observe, the women who spun goat’s hair are placed side by
side with
the “rulers” who “brought onyx stones,” and costly
spices, and
jewels to
be set in the high-priest’s breastplate (vs. 26-28).
THE
ZEAL OF THE PEOPLE IN OFFERING (21-29)
Moses dismissed
the people; but they soon began to return, bringing their offerings
with them. There was a general, if not a universal,
willingness. Men and women
alike “brought bracelets (brooches?), and earrings, and rings, and armlets — all
articles of gold,” and
offered them to the Lord (v. 22). Others brought blue and
purple and scarlet and fine linen, and goats’ hair
and rams’ skins dyed red, and badger
(or rather, seal) skins (v. 23). Silver and bronze and shittim
wood were contributed by
others (v. 24). The women, who were the only spinners, brought
their spun yarn
of blue and purple and scarlet and fine linen, and their yarn
of goats’ hair (vs. 25-26);
while the richest class of all — “the rulers” — gave, as their contribution, the onyx
stones for the ephod, the jewels for the high-priest’s
breastplate, and the oil needed
for the light, together with rare spices for the anointing
ointment and the incense
(vs. 27-28). Subsequently,
we are told that what was contributed was “much
more
than enough” (ch. 36:5), and that the
people had to be “restrained from
bringing”
(ibid. v. 6).
vs. 21-29 – “And they came, every one whose
heart stirred him up, and every
one whom his spirit made willing, and they
brought the LORD’s offering -
“their
offering to Jehovah” – “to
the work of the tabernacle of the congregation,
and for all His service, and for the holy
garments. And they came, both men and
women, as many as were willing hearted, and
brought bracelets, and earrings,
and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold:
and every man that offered offered an
offering of gold unto the LORD. And every man, with whom was found blue,
and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and
goats’ hair, and red skins of rams,
and badgers’ skins, brought them. Every one that did offer an offering of silver
and brass brought the LORD’s
offering: and every man, with whom was found
shittim wood for any work of the service, brought
it. And all the women that
were wise hearted did spin with their hands,
and brought that which they had
spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of
scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the
women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun
goats’ hair. And the
rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set,
for the ephod, and for the
breastplate; And spice, and oil for the light, and for
the anointing oil, and for
the sweet incense. The
children of
LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them
willing to bring for
all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to
be made by the
hand of Moses.”
Zeal
in Offering
Appeals are
made to men, in all parts of the world, and in all ages, for
material contributions towards the erection of
structures in which God is to
be worshipped. The spirit in which such appeals are met
varies:
house, and cannot build one for
himself! He must beg contributions, put
out a subscription list! And for what? To make a huge building, which will
be of no practical use — not a
school, not a hospital, not a corn-exchange,
but a Church! Catch us giving
anything!”
there for
so large a building, or for such rich ornament, or for such
architectural
display?” And the general inclination, is to give as little as it
is decent
to give.
meetings be
held — let a committee be formed — let our advice be taken.
If we give, we must be consulted —
we must have a voice in the
arrangements
— we must examine the plans and express our opinion upon
them. Then
perhaps we may head the subscription-list with something
handsome.” Very
different was the spirit which now animated the
Israelites, and which is here held
up for our imitation. Their response to
the appeal
made to them by Moses was:
ü DEVOUT. None
objected. None asked why a tabernacle was wanted,
or why the tent which Moses had made a place of worship would
not
suffice. None scoffed
at the idea of a “House
of God.” All seemed to
see the propriety of it. All felt that what they brought was
“the Lord’s
offering” - (vs. 21,
24) — a real gift to Jehovah. All longed to have a
place of worship of a worthy character.
ü UNGRUDGING
AND SPONTANEOUS. Their “hearts
stirred them
up,” their “spirits
made them willing” (v.21). They “brought
a willing
offering unto the Lord” (v.29). The rich
brought jewels and precious
spices;
the men and women of the middle class brought their personal
ornaments;
the poor men gave brass, or silver, or a ram’s skin, or a piece
of
acacia wood; the poor women gave the labor of their hands, and spun
thread
for the hangings. There was no murmuring, no complaining, no
fabrication
of excuses — so far as appears, no open refusing to give,
though
there was some abstention.
ü IMMEDIATE. In one
verse we read “they departed” (v.
20), in the
next
(v. 21) “they came.” There was no
delay, no considering, no
discussing
one with another, no asking “How much do you intend to
give?”
Each man seemed to be well persuaded of the truth of the adage -
“Bis
dat qui cito dat,” and brought his offering at once.
ü UNSELFISH
AND UNCONDITIONAL. No one wanted to have a
quid
pro quo as the condition of his giving. No one asked to “see the
plans.” All were
willing to leave the ordering of the work to Moses, and
put
their contributions absolutely in his hands. A spirit of enthusiasm was
stirred
up, and none thought of anything but how much he could possibly
spare
for the grand work which they understood Moses to contemplate.
The wealth of Easterns is stored chiefly in the form of ornaments, and to
denude
themselves of these was a great effort of self-sacrifice.
THE
APPOINTMENT OF BEZALEEL AND AHOLIAB
TO
SUPERINTEND THE WORK (vs. 30-35)
Though, in
some real sense, “learned in all the
wisdom of the Egyptians,” –
(Acts 7:22)
- still Moses was probably devoid of the technical
knowledge requisite for
a “superintendent of
the works” on the present occasion. At any rate, his other duties
imperatively required that he should decline to undertake,
in addition to them, so
onerous an office. And God had told him whom it would
be best for him to set over
the work (ch. 31:1-6). Accordingly,
he now made known to the people that the
construction of the tabernacle and its appurtenances would
be committed to two men –
Bezaleel, the son of Uri, as principal, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, as
his
assistant — who would “teach” those under them what they were to do (v.34)
vs. 30-35 – “And Moses said unto the children
of
called by name Bezaleel
the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of
And He hath filled him with the spirit of God, in
wisdom, in understanding,
and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; And to devise curious
works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in the cutting of stones,
to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.
And
He hath put in his heart that he may teach” - He
(God) has given him the
gift of being able to teach others, and so has
enabled him to form a body of
workmen competent to carry out His conceptions – “both
he, and Aholiab, the son
of Ahisamach, of
the tribe of Dan. Them hath he filled
with wisdom of heart, to
work all manner of work,
of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of
the embroiderer,
in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of
the
weaver, even of them that do any work, and of
those that devise cunning work.”
God
gave them genius and artistic skill, so that both their designs, and their
execution
of them, were of unusual excellence.
Master
Craftsmen
The
qualities needed for a master-craftsman are fourfold. These are here enumerated
in v.31 as:
Vulgate sapientia), the highest
gift of all — the power of original conception,
which, if He
combines with it the other necessary qualities, makes the true artist,
the master-workman,
in whatsoever branch of art his work may lie. This is
appropriately
placed first as the most necessary quality for those who are
to direct a
great construction of an artistic character.
putting
together, i.e. intelligence or (concretely)
the intellect: — knowledge,
understanding
– Vulgate - intelligentia), a
desirable, but very inferior quality,
consisting
in the power of appreciating the work of others, and estimating it
aright.
This power is needed in master-craftsmen, to qualify them for passing
judgment on
the work produced by those under their direction.
the mind upon, i.e. comprehend, or be
acquainted with: — know, understand.
Vulgate - scientia),
or acquaintance with the laws and facts of science bearing
on their art. In the present case, acquaintance with such
things as elementary
mechanics, the method of cutting hard stones, the process of
dyeing, the best
mode of working different metals, and the like. An inferior
quality this, which
the master-craftsman should not lack, but which will avail
him little without
the higher excellences
ar-khee-tek’-tonia; a chief
constructor, i.e. “architect”: — masterbuilder.
Vulgate - doctrina),
or power of execution, next to genius the most necessary
quality of
the artist, and accepted to a large extent in lieu of genius, as placing
a man high
in the artistic scale. This excellence does not consist in mere
dexterity
of hand, but in a happy way of working out designed effects,
producing
the feeling of complete mastery over the materials. It is by their
wonderful
execution that the genuine works of great masters are known
from
copies. Note, that all these qualities were possessed by both of the
master-craftsmen
in an eminent degree, and that all of them were the gift of
“the Spirit of God” (v.31), from whom comes down “every good gift
and every perfect gift” (James
1:17). Artists should bear this in
mind,
and sanctify their art by directing it to holy, or at any
rate to good ends.
(Witness
Mapplethorpe, Warhol, etc. – CY – 2010)!
What a sad spectacle is
genius
prostituted to the service of Satan!
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