King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Saturday, February 07, 2026
Chapters: Exodus 25-27
Message: Exodus: Building A Tabernacle
Hello My Friend,
As we continue in the reading of Exodus we learn that God desires to fellowship with His people, and provides specific instructions for the dwelling place where His presence would abide among them. Earlier, before the Israelites departed from Egypt, God had commanded them to borrow items from the Egyptians, [Exodus 11:2]. Today, we will learn the purpose behind that command. Now, as Moses stands atop Mount Sinai, God begins to give detailed instructions for a sanctuary. This sanctuary would not only serve as the center for spiritual worship and service, but it would also be the place where God Himself would dwell among His people through His Spirit.
[Exodus 25:2–9 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. 3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, 4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, 5 And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, 6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, 7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. 8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.]
It is important to understand that God would only accept an offering if it was given willingly and from the heart. There are two distinct characteristics of the heart that we must pay close attention to. The first is the emotional heart, which can be deceiving, for it responds solely to our feelings and impulses, [Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.]
The second is the core of our being—the seat of our will, conviction, and sincerity—and this is the heart to which God looks. It is this inner heart, grounded in truth rather than emotion, that God desires when we give, when we worship, and when we obey, [Mark 12:30-31 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.]
Notice also that God reveals the pattern for everything that pertains to Him. If He is this detailed about the very structure in which He was to be worshiped, imagine what He expects of us—His living Tabernacle today? We are the dwelling place of His Spirit, and therefore the pattern He sets is not merely for buildings, but for our lives, our conduct, and our devotion. We do need to understand that the Holy Spirit was here prior to Christ passion. At this time God was preparing to send His Spirit to dwell within the Tabernacle. Within the Tabernacle would be an altar, tables, chairs, lamps—everything one would expect to find in a sanctuary. Yet this sanctuary would contain something uniquely precious to God: the Ark of the Covenant. God goes on to give the instructions on how it was to be constructed.
[Exodus 25:10-13,16 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. 12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. 13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. 16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.]
God wants Moses to understand that He Himself would be giving him the Ark of the Testimony, which are the two tablets of stone upon which the Ten Commandments will be written. This sacred chest would rest in the very place where the Spirit would manifest His presence when He chose to dwell there, a place known as the Most Holy Place. It will also be where God would actually sit above it on what He called the mercy seat.
[Exodus 25:17-18,21-22 And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. 21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. 22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.]
The mercy seat of God—how fitting it is that the very place where He would sit is called a place of mercy. The cherubim that overshadowed it were no ordinary angels; they were the appointed guardians of that sacred throne. Notice that He says that He will commune or talk with him (or the high priest) from above the mercy seat. Is it not wonderful that God still sits upon the mercy seat today and meets with us each time we come before Him? Believe it or not, God delights in speaking to and fellowshipping with us. The next items for which God gives Moses specific instructions is the table of showbread along with the tableware and linens.
[Exodus 25:23-25,29-30 Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 24 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. 25 And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. 29 And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them. 30 And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.]
This table was to be placed before the Ark and the mercy seat, but was separated with a veil that divided the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. There, in that holy chamber, the priests would talk with God and, in a very real sense, dine in His presence. Jesus extends that same invitation today. He calls all who will come to sit at His table, to fellowship with Him, and to partake of the life that He alone provides, [Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.]
Notice that the furniture was overlaid with pure gold, while certain other items were made entirely of pure gold. This was done primarily to protect the wood and preserve the sacred pieces for generations. The next item God describes is what would later become known as the menorah, though God Himself referred to it simply as the golden lampstand or candlestick.
[Exodus 25:31-32, 37-40 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. 32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: 37 And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it. 38 And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold. 39 Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels. 40 And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.]
This lampstand would come to be known as the menorah, the knops and branches extending from what we might call the “vine” of the candlestick were all one piece, formed together as a single work. There were seven branches in total, the number of completion. In the same way, once we receive Jesus as our Saviour, He completes us. We become one with Him—He is the Vine, and we are the branches, [John 15:5-6 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.]
Notice that God gives every detail concerning what was to be made and how it was to be made, down to the very rings placed on the corners. These rings, by the way, were used to carry the heavy pieces of furniture, as poles would be inserted through them to make transportation possible. God is just as detailed about us. He forms, shapes, and equips every part of our lives with purpose, intention, and care, ensuring that we are able to carry what He has called us to bear, [Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.]
First, God gave the instructions for what would be placed inside the Tabernacle, and now He proceeds to give the instructions for the Tabernacle itself. The order is intentional. God begins with what is closest to His presence—the Ark, the mercy seat, the table, the lampstand—and then moves outward to the structure that would house these sacred items. In doing so, He shows us that His work always begins from the inside and moves outward. He establishes the heart before He forms the walls around it.
[Exodus 26:1-4 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them. 2 The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure. 3 The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another. 4 And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.]
Both the curtains on the outside and the curtains on the inside were fashioned together to form one Tabernacle. That is exactly what Jesus does with every soul He saves. He joins us together, making us one body in Him. Even down to the very last tack, every soul that receives Him as Saviour becomes part of the body of Christ, fitted together with purpose, unity, and divine intention, [I Corinthians 12:12-13 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.]
As God gives the instructions for the Tabernacle itself, He makes a point to show Moses that He already knows there will be an overhang, and He even goes into great detail about how Moses was to address it. Nothing escapes God’s attention; every measurement, every fold, and every overlap was intentional and purposeful.
[Exodus 26:9-12 And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle. 10 And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second. 11 And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. 12 And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the tabernacle.]
The overhang reminds me that it does not matter who we are; if we have sincerely received Christ as our Saviour, we are still a part of the body of Christ. In fact, the more feeble we may appear, the more usable we often are to Him. God places great value on what seems small, overlooked, or insignificant, and He weaves every believer into His work with purpose and grace, [I Corinthians 12:18-22 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 19 And if they were all one member, where were the body? 20 But now are they many members, yet but one body. 21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:]
As we walk with Jesus, we become more like Him, and what we often perceive as infirmities or weaknesses are the very things God shapes into our greatest strengths as we allow Him to mold us according to His pattern. Yet we must remember that although we are all one in Christ, that unity does not mean He leads us all down the same path. Each believer serves a specific purpose in the body of Christ, just as every piece of the Tabernacle was necessary for it to fulfill its God‑given function. And from here, God begins to give Moses the instructions for the veil that would separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
[Exodus 26:31-34 And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: 32 And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. 33 And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. 34 And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.]
That veil was there for a very good reason. Even if it had been possible for someone to pass beyond it, they would not have lived to tell about it, for God is a consuming fire, and anything unholy in His presence would be instantly judged. Without a blood sacrifice there is no atonement, and it cannot be just any blood offered in any place. It was imperative that Christ Himself be the sinless offering, and that His sacrifice take place on the cross, otherwise we would still be going before a priest to confess our sins and bring our sin offering, []
Thanks to Jesus and His permanent atonement sacrifice, there is no longer a veil separating us from God. Once we are saved, we may go directly to Him, speak with Him, and fellowship with Him freely. Now from here, God begins giving Moses the instructions for what was to stand outside the Tabernacle, beginning with the Bronze (brazen) Altar.
[Exodus 27:1-3,6-7 And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. 2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass. 3 And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. 6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass. 7 And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.]
Just picture a large barbecue pit and you can begin to imagine what the Bronze Altar looked like. Why brass? Because it could withstand the intense heat in a way that gold could not. Brass is also beautiful to behold the more it gets heated; its brightness and luster reflect the glory of Christ, who—like shining brass—was able to bear all of our sins, consuming them upon the altar of the cross. And through His atonement sacrifice, He not only endured the fire of judgment for us, but He also sustains us with the life that flows from His finished work.
[Hebrews 9:14-15 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.]
The altar was placed in the court before the Holy Place, and it was there that the people brought their offerings to God. When we come to God at the altar, it is Jesus who holds us up. He is truly present to hear us, to receive us, and to cleanse us from the guilt of every burden we carry. Now God begins to give Moses the instructions for the court itself, as well as the oil that would keep the lamp burning continually.
[Exodus 27:9-12 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side: 10 And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. 11 And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. 12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.]
Within this enclosure the priests and Levites offered the sacrifices for the people. These distinctions represented the difference between the visible church and the true spiritual church, for only the latter has continual access to God and unbroken communion with Him twenty‑four hours a day, seven days a week. Finally, God gives the instructions for the oil that would be placed in the lamps to keep the Tabernacle lit.
[Exodus 27:19-21 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass. 20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. 21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.]
Pure olive oil was to be burned before God daily, and the light was never to go out. Without that continual flame, the Tabernacle would have been so dark that a person could not see even a hand in front of his face. The lamp was to burn all day and all night, and it serves as a picture of the Holy Spirit who indwells every saved soul. We are His Tabernacle until the day He brings us home, and His light within us is what enables us to walk, to see, and to shine in a world otherwise filled with darkness.
[II Corinthians 5:1-5 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ to become the sacrifice needed that would redeem me of my sins and bring me to know that You are always with me. Thank You also for taking the veil off my heart so that I could see You, it is comforting to know that You indwell in me. Lord, I want to offer myself to You willingly, and be used in anyway that You need me. Lead me and guide me, help me know Your will and follow it so I can shine Your Light upon so many desperately searching for You. And give me Your power to understand and know Your Word so that I can be ready and prepared to handle any situation You place before me. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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