Exodus Chapters 25 - 27
Special thanks are given to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, for the gift of writing and the privilege of sharing this Bible Study. His guidance and blessings have made this work possible, and it is with a grateful heart that can share my study with you. I hope you find it informational and helpful in your spiritual journey. I am asking that you open your hearts and minds to accept the word of Christ into your hearts and accept His word to transform your life in positive ways. This is the first part of my online Christian Bookstore Fellowship and I do accept donations that will further my mission to have a Bookstore in our community, a place where we can sit down face to face and enjoy this Bible Study over open and honest conversation. I will continue this online Study as well to complete the entire year. Thank you for following The Mustard Seed Christian Bookstore Fellowship & Café online Bible Study.
This Bible study is written with inspiration and wisdom from the Holy Spirit, Scripture from the Holy Bible (NIV), NKJV Life Application Study Bible, analytical support and help in organizing and presentation from Grok AI and writing assistance with drafting and editing from Microsoft Co-Pilot.
🙏Heavenly Father,
We come before You with hearts full of gratitude and reverence as we gather to study Your Word. Thank You for the opportunity to delve into Exodus 25-27 and learn about the significance of the tabernacle and the instructions You provided for Your people. We ask for Your guidance through the Holy Spirit to open our minds and hearts to understand the lessons You wish to impart.
Help us to reflect on the importance of willing giving, the beauty of Your holiness, and the sacredness of worship. May this study strengthen our relationship with You and encourage us to apply these principles in our daily lives.
Lord, may our discussions be filled with insight and unity as we seek to grow closer to You and to one another. We dedicate this time to You and trust that You will lead us in truth.
In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
A Look Back at Yesterday’s study of Exodus 22-24, God provides the Israelites with a comprehensive set of laws aimed at promoting justice, social harmony, and ethical conduct within the community. These laws cover a range of issues, including theft, violence, and property rights, establishing clear consequences for wrongdoing. This framework emphasizes the importance of treating others with respect and fairness.
The chapters also introduce the concept of the covenant, where God reaffirms His commitment to the Israelites and sets forth guidelines for their conduct. Following these commandments is crucial for maintaining a strong relationship with Him; failure to uphold them would jeopardize this relationship.
Additionally, specific instructions for worship and offerings are outlined, reinforcing the sacredness of approaching God in reverence. Moses plays a vital role throughout these chapters by mediating between God and the Israelites, receiving the Law on Mount Sinai, and ensuring that the people understand their commitments.
Ultimately, these passages set the foundation for Israel's identity as a covenant community committed to living according to God's standards.
As we begin our study into Exodus 25 – 27 we get a look at what God teaches about worship and obedience in building the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant.
Exodus 25
Offerings for the Sanctuary
1Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2“Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. 3And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; 5ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; 6oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 7onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. 8And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 9According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.
The Ark of the Testimony
10“And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around. 12You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. 13And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. 15The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.
17“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.
The Table for the Showbread
23“You shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 24And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around. 25You shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a gold molding for the frame all around. 26And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs. 27The rings shall be close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table. 28And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them. 29You shall make its dishes, its pans, its pitchers, and its bowls for pouring. You shall make them of pure gold. 30And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.
The Gold Lampstand
31“You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. 32And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. 33Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. 34On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. 35And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 36Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. 37You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it. 38And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.
📖The text details instructions from the Lord regarding offerings for the construction of a sanctuary. The children of Israel are to give voluntarily, providing materials such as gold, silver, bronze, and various textiles. The ark of the testimony is to be crafted from acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold, measuring two and a half cubits (A cubit is an ancient unit of length that is approximately 18 inches (or about 45.72 centimeters). It is typically defined as the length from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. ) in each dimension, with gold rings and poles for carrying. Above the ark, a mercy seat will be placed, featuring two cherubim made of gold, facing each other with wings spread over the seat. In addition, a table for showbread will be built from acacia wood, overlaid with gold, and accompanied by poles for transport. Finally, a lampstand will be fashioned from pure gold, arranged with six branches, and designed with decorative knobs and almond blossom motifs, providing light as prescribed. All components must adhere to the pattern given on the mountain.
Exodus 26
The Tabernacle
1“Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them. 2The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits. And every one of the curtains shall have the same measurements. 3Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. 4And you shall make loops of blue yarn on the edge of the curtain on the selvedge of one set, and likewise you shall do on the outer edge of the other curtain of the second set. 5Fifty loops you shall make in the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is on the end of the second set, that the loops may be clasped to one another. 6And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, so that it may be one tabernacle.
7“You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair, to be a tent over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven curtains. 8The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; and the eleven curtains shall all have the same measurements. 9And you shall couple five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the forefront of the tent. 10You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the second set. 11And you shall make fifty bronze clasps, put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. 12The remnant that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. 13And a cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side, of what remains of the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and on that side, to cover it.
14“You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and a covering of badger skins above that.
15“And for the tabernacle you shall make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright. 16Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the width of each board. 17Two tenons shall be in each board for binding one to another. Thus you shall make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18And you shall make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side. 19You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under each of the boards for its two tenons. 20And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, there shall be twenty boards 21and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under each of the boards. 22For the far side of the tabernacle, westward, you shall make six boards. 23And you shall also make two boards for the two back corners of the tabernacle. 24They shall be coupled together at the bottom and they shall be coupled together at the top by one ring. Thus it shall be for both of them. They shall be for the two corners. 25So there shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver—sixteen sockets—two sockets under each of the boards.
26“And you shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle, 27five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the far side westward. 28The middle bar shall pass through the midst of the boards from end to end. 29You shall overlay the boards with gold, make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlay the bars with gold. 30And you shall raise up the tabernacle according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain.
31“You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. 32You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver. 33And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy. 34You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy. 35You shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand across from the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.
36“You shall make a screen for the door of the tabernacle, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. 37And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be gold, and you shall cast five sockets of bronze for them.
📖The text outlines the specifications for constructing the tabernacle. It begins with instructions for ten curtains made from fine woven linen in blues, purples, and scarlet threads, each measuring twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide. Five curtains will be coupled together to form sections. Additionally, curtains of goats’ hair will be created, totaling eleven with each measuring thirty cubits long. The design includes loops and clasps to secure the curtains. The structure will consist of boards of acacia wood, where twenty boards are designated for the south side, supported by forty silver sockets. Lastly, a veil woven with designs of cherubim will serve as a divider between the holy place and the Most Holy, complementing the tabernacle's overall design.
Exodus 27
The Altar of Burnt Offering
1“You shall make an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide—the altar shall be square—and its height shall be three cubits. 2You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay it with bronze. 3Also you shall make its pans to receive its ashes, and its shovels and its basins and its forks and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze. 4You shall make a grate for it, a network of bronze; and on the network you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. 5You shall put it under the rim of the altar beneath, that the network may be midway up the altar. 6And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. 7The poles shall be put in the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar to bear it. 8You shall make it hollow with boards; as it was shown you on the mountain, so shall they make it.
The Court of the Tabernacle
9“You shall also make the court of the tabernacle. For the south side there shall be hangings for the court made of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long for one side. 10And its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets shall be bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be silver. 11Likewise along the length of the north side there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, with its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of bronze, and the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver.
12“And along the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits, with their ten pillars and their ten sockets. 13The width of the court on the east side shall be fifty cubits. 14The hangings on one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets. 15And on the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets.
16“For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. It shall have four pillars and four sockets. 17All the pillars around the court shall have bands of silver; their hooks shall be of silver and their sockets of bronze. 18The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits, made of fine woven linen, and its sockets of bronze. 19All the utensils of the tabernacle for all its service, all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.
The Care of the Lampstand
20“And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually. 21In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.
📖The text describes the specifications for the Altar of Burnt Offering, which should be constructed from acacia wood in a square shape measuring five cubits long and wide, with a height of three cubits. This altar will feature horns at its corners, made from a single piece, and be overlaid with bronze. Various bronze utensils, including pans, shovels, and firepans, are to be made for the altar. A network of bronze will be integrated into the altar's design, with poles made from acacia wood to support it. Additionally, the Court of the Tabernacle is outlined with specific lengths of fine woven linen and corresponding bronze elements, including pillars and sockets. The entrance is set to have a beautifully woven screen, and instructions for maintaining the light within the tabernacle include providing pure oil of pressed olives for continual illumination, which is to be managed by Aaron and his sons.
What is God’s Teachings in These Chapters?
In Exodus 25-27, God imparts several key teachings through His instructions to Moses regarding the establishment of the tabernacle and its furnishings. First, He calls for willing offerings from the Israelites, which teaches the principle that true giving must come from the heart, reflecting one's willingness to contribute to God’s work. The construction of the sanctuary signifies the importance of God's presence among His people, indicating that He desires a close relationship with them.
God provides meticulous instructions for the construction of various items, including the ark of the testimony, mercy seat, table for showbread, and lampstand. This attention to detail underscores the importance of adhering to God's commands as an expression of faith and respect. Additionally, the tabernacle’s design creates a holy space that separates the sacred from the ordinary, illustrating the need for purity and reverence in worship practices.
Finally, the communal effort involved in building the sanctuary emphasizes the collective responsibility of the Israelites in maintaining their covenant with God and fostering a strong community of worship. Overall, these chapters convey God's desire for a dwelling among His people and the necessary steps for maintaining a holy relationship with Him.
Study Questions
What materials did God instruct the Israelites to bring for the sanctuary, and why might the choice of these materials be significant?
What does the design and structure of the tabernacle reveal about God's holiness and the approach to worship?
How do the instructions given for the construction of the tabernacle and its furnishings reflect God's desire for relationship with His people?
Application to My Life Today
How can I apply the principles of willing giving and reverence in worship from Exodus 25-27 to my everyday life?
Summary
Exodus 25-27 describes God's instructions for the construction of the tabernacle and its furnishings, emphasizing the importance of proper materials and craftsmanship. The Israelites are asked to bring offerings willingly, including gold, silver, acacia wood, and various fabrics. The Ark of the Covenant, made of acacia wood and covered with gold, serves as the central artifact, symbolizing God's presence.
Construction guidelines for the tabernacle detail its size and the arrangement of items such as the table for showbread and the lampstand. The design highlights the relationship between God and His people, indicating that the tabernacle is a sacred space where God will dwell among them. Overall, these chapters illustrate the significance of worship, community contribution, and obedience to God’s commands.
Thank you for Joining me in today’s study. There are going to be days where there is not too much to say about what is being taught in the reading so I will try to bring out as much as I can about what God is teaching and how we can apply it to our lives as much as I can. Sure would be nice to know what happened to the Ark of the Covenant. Wonder if the Tablets are still inside? Hope to see you tomorrow for Exodus 28 - 29. Have a Blessed Day. I love you.
