Exodus 36

The offering for the sanctuary (vs. 1-7)--Verse 1 appears to belong with chapter 35, being a summary of what was commanded there. In verses 2-3, the work begins, with the people bringing their offerings on a continual basis ("every morning" (v. 3). They brought more than was necessary (v. 5), so Moses ordered them to cease their contributions (v. 6-7). Wouldn't it be wonderful if today the people of God gave more than was necessary to accomplish the work He has given us to do. The children of Israel had given "too much" (v. 7).

I hate to denigrate the act in view here--it is about the only time these people do something right--but financial giving is about the easiest part of any religion. It's the giving of our time, effort, and sacrifice that is the challenge. So while the children of Israel should certainly be commended for their generosity, it would have been nice if they had followed through with an active faithfulness to Jehovah.

The curtains made (vs. 8-19)--What we have for the next few chapters is almost a verbatim of what God told Moses in chapters 26ff. The key point is actually in 25:40, where the Lord says, regarding the tabernacle, "And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain." The repetition in chapters 36ff. of the instruction God gave earlier is to emphasize the importance of doing exactly what God said in the way He said do it. Moses was a faithful man of God, and that faithfulness is indicated in the fact that he did not attempt to change or "improve" on the Lord's plan. That is a serious crime committed by too many in Christendom today. There is a "pattern" today which we are to which we are to "hold fast" (II Tim. 2:13); there is nothing but condemnation, all through the Bible, of those who add to or take from His word. These chapters in Exodus, as tedious as they might be, are full indications of Moses' insistence of faithfully following exactly what Jehovah had instructed him.

These verses (8-19) are basically a repetition of Exodus 26:1-14 regarding making of the curtains of the tabernacle.

The supporting beams (vs. 20-34)--The reader may look at Exodus 26:15-29 for the initial account of this design.

The veil (vs. 35-36)--See Exodus 26:31-32. I have discussed these matters in some detail in those earlier posts, so I will not repeat them here. I will link to Exodus 26 at the end of this post.

The screen for the tabernacle door (vs. 37-38)--From Exodus 26:36-37.

Again, readers who wish more complete information on these tabernacle objects can refer to my posts on Exodus 26.