Part 4 The Tabernacle - Exodus 25

Chapter 25 is interesting because now we shift from instruction of law to the construction of the tabernacle. It’s long and if I remember correctly from the last time I read through the Old Testament in full, there is a significant portion that discusses dimensions of the tabernacle and the drapes size, shape, and color, etc. and when I read through it last time I was bored. The IM says almost nothing about the next 5 chapters, however TB spends 2 ½ lectures just on chapter 25 alone, so let’s see what I can get out of it that I find profitable.

TB notes “chapter 24 ended the 3rd division of Exodus, called Covenant and Law. With chapter 25, we enter the 4th division, a new and central theme of Exodus, concerning the Wilderness Tabernacle and the rituals associated with it.” So it seems like I’m not the only one who noticed a shift is instruction.

25:1-9 – First thing set out is a list of what the Lord wants Moses to collect from the people of Israel for use in the temple. These things are to be collected from the people “willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.” I thought about why God would want to collect things from the people for use in the tabernacle instead of just using what occurred around them naturally or by providing the stuff Himself miraculously, and one of the thoughts that I had was that contributing, willingly, to the construction of the tabernacle could give the people a sense of investment in it, thus giving it more meaning in their lives.

There is a whole list of things that are needed such as gemstones, different woods, oils, and animal products for use in construction and also decoration of the temple. Interestingly, just like with Nephi, Noah, and the brother of Jared, this is going to be constructed in a way that God will show Moses, this won’t be like anything else any human has designed, the construction will be completely dictated by God.

25:10-40 - First is the instruction for the ark of the covenant, followed by the mercy seat, then the table for the shewbread and all the dishes that go with that, then the “candlestick” and bowls, lamps and tongs and “snuffdishes”. That ends this chapter without even getting to the construction of the actual physical structure. TB makes an interesting point, noting “BEFORE the blueprint of the Tabernacle is given, we’re first given the construction details of several of the pieces of sacred furniture and sacrificial instruments. So the instructions regarding the building of the Tabernacle begin, in essence, from the inside and work their way outward.”