Exodus

35.1-35

In Exodus 25-30, Moses delivered to the sons of Israel the commandments of God for the building of the Tabernacle. These details were delivered with specificity, including all the means by which each implement was to be constructed, the dimensions, and the materials of which they were to be made. Now here, Moses has come down from Mount Sinai and experienced the presence of God. This was after the Israelites had worshipped a graven image of a golden calf, and Moses sent the Levites among them, slaughtering 3,000 (32:28). With a different attitude, the people now stand at the entrances of their tents to worship when Moses goes to meet with God (33:10). Moses' face now shines because he has been in the presence of God and because he has heard God speak His own Name directly to him. Now (chapter 35), as Moses delivers a summary of all that is to be included in building the Tabernacle and states that those whose hearts are wise will come and make all that God has commanded (v10), the people do not have to be reminded of the further details. Their response is immediate "Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel went out from Moses' presence" (v20). They didn't wander about to consider what Moses commanded. They went directly to the tasks he stated. "All whose hearts were willing" (v22) brought gold (v22), fine linen and leathers (v23), silver and bronze (v24), and acacia wood (v24), and the women spun the linen and goats hair (vv25-26) and the rulers brought stones for setting for the ephod and for the breastplate (v27), and spice and oil for anointing and incense (v28). Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, "See, Yahweh has called Bezalel (and filled him with all knowledge for craftsmanship)" and Oholiab to do every work of the engraver and embroidery (vv30-35), just as had been delivered in 31:1-11. What a great response! But it began with a solemn stipulation, that it be done ONLY according to God's plan - working six days, but resting on the seventh, "a sabbath of complete rest to Yahweh" (v2). Breaking this statute was of offense to God and demanded that "whoever does any work on it shall be put to death." (v2). God is indeed "compassionate and gracious, slow to anger" (34:6), as He said of Himself. "yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished." (34:7)

CHAPTER 35

The Sabbath Command

1 Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that Yahweh has commanded you to do:
2 “Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a sabbath of complete rest to Yahweh; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.

Willing Hearts Contribute to Yahweh

3 “You shall not kindle a fire in any of your places of habitation on the sabbath day.”
4 And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded, saying,
5 ‘Take from among you a contribution to Yahweh; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as a contribution to Yahweh: gold, silver, and bronze,
6 and blue, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen, goats’ hair,
7 and rams’ skins dyed red, and porpoise skins, and acacia wood,
8 and oil for lighting, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense,
9 and onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.
10 ‘And let everyone wise at heart among you come and make all that Yahweh has commanded:
11 the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its clasps and its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;
12 the ark and its poles, the mercy seat, and the curtain of the screen;
13 the table and its poles, and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;
14 the lampstand also for the light and its utensils and its lamps and the oil for the light;
15 and the altar of incense and its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the doorway at the entrance of the tabernacle;
16 the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils, the laver and its stand;
17 the hangings of the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court;
18 the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court and their cords;
19 the woven garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests.’”

Contributions Brought by the People

20 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel went out from Moses’ presence.
21 And everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit was willing came and brought the contribution to Yahweh for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments.
22 Then all whose hearts were willing, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who waved it as a wave offering of gold to Yahweh.
23 And every man, who had in his possession blue and purple and scarlet material and fine linen and goats’ hair and rams’ skins dyed red and porpoise skins, brought them.
24 Everyone who could raise up a contribution of silver and bronze brought the contribution to Yahweh; and every man who had in his possession acacia wood for any work of the service brought it.
25 All the women wise at heart spun with their hands and brought what they had spun, in blue and purple and scarlet material and in fine linen.
26 And all the women whose heart stirred with wisdom spun the goats’ hair.
27 And the rulers brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting for the ephod and for the breastpiece;
28 and the spice and the oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense.
29 The sons of Israel—all the men and women whose heart was willing to bring material for all the work, which Yahweh had commanded through the hand of Moses to do—brought a freewill offering to Yahweh.
30 Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, “See, Yahweh has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
31 “And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in discernment, and in knowledge, and in all craftsmanship;
32 to devise designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze,
33 and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to do well in every work of thoughtful design.
34 “He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
35 “He has filled them with wisdom in their heart to do every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as those who do every work and make designs.