Exodus Chapters 36 - 38

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.

Opening Prayer

🙏Heavenly Father,
We come before You with grateful hearts, thankful for the gift of Your Word and the opportunity to gather in study and fellowship. As we reflect on Exodus 36-38, open our minds and hearts to receive Your wisdom and guidance. May Your Holy Spirit inspire us, deepen our understanding, and transform our lives as we seek to know You more.
Bless this time together, and let Your truth shape us in faith, hope, and love.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Summary of Exodus 33–35

After the Israelites’ idolatry with the golden calf, God tells Moses to lead the people to the Promised Land but warns that He will not go with them due to their stubbornness. Instead, God offers to send an angel to guide them. Moses pleads for God’s presence, emphasizing that without God, their journey would be meaningless. God ultimately agrees to Moses’s request, promising that His presence will go with them and give them rest. Moses also asks to see God’s glory, and God reveals His goodness to Moses, but not His face.

God instructs Moses to make new tablets to replace the ones broken after the golden calf incident. God proclaims His character—merciful, gracious, forgiving, yet just—and renews the covenant with the Israelites. He gives instructions about worship, festivals, and offerings, warning them not to make covenants with the inhabitants of the land or worship other gods. Moses spends forty days and nights with God, and when he returns, his face shines from being in God’s presence.

Moses gathers the Israelites and reiterates the Sabbath regulations. He calls for offerings to build the tabernacle, and the people respond generously, bringing materials and gifts. Skilled artisans, filled with God’s Spirit, are appointed to carry out the work. The chapter highlights obedience, worship, and the willingness of the people to serve God with their gifts.

Now we begin the study of Exodus 36 – 38 where moses begins the building of the tabernacle and the Ark of the testimony.

Scripture NKJV

Exodus 36

1“And Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom the Lord has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the Lord has commanded.”

The People Give More than Enough

2Then Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, everyone whose heart was stirred, to come and do the work. 3And they received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. 4Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, 5and they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.”

6So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained from bringing, 7for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done—indeed too much.

Building the Tabernacle

8Then all the gifted artisans among them who worked on the tabernacle made ten curtains woven of fine linen, and of blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim they made them. 9The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the curtains were all the same size. 10And he coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another. 11He made loops of blue yarn on the edge of the curtain on the selvedge of one set; likewise he did on the outer edge of the other curtain of the second set. 12Fifty loops he made on one curtain, and fifty loops he made on the edge of the curtain on the end of the second set; the loops held one curtain to another. 13And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains to one another with the clasps, that it might be one tabernacle.

14He made curtains of goats’ hair for the tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains. 15The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains were the same size. 16He coupled five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves. 17And he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops he made on the edge of the curtain of the second set. 18He also made fifty bronze clasps to couple the tent together, that it might be one. 19Then he made a covering for the tent of ram skins dyed red, and a covering of badger skins above that.

20For the tabernacle he made boards of acacia wood, standing upright. 21The length of each board was ten cubits, and the width of each board a cubit and a half. 22Each board had two tenons for binding one to another. Thus he made for all the boards of the tabernacle. 23And he made boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side. 24Forty sockets of silver he made to go under the twenty boards: two sockets under each of the boards for its two tenons. 25And for the other side of the tabernacle, the north side, he made twenty boards 26and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under each of the boards. 27For the west side of the tabernacle he made six boards. 28He also made two boards for the two back corners of the tabernacle. 29And they were coupled at the bottom and coupled together at the top by one ring. Thus he made both of them for the two corners. 30So there were eight boards and their sockets—sixteen sockets of silver—two sockets under each of the boards.

31And he made bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle, 32five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle on the far side westward. 33And he made the middle bar to pass through the boards from one end to the other. 34He overlaid the boards with gold, made their rings of gold to be holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.

35And he made a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen; it was worked with an artistic design of cherubim. 36He made for it four pillars of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold, with their hooks of gold; and he cast four sockets of silver for them.

37He also made a screen for the tabernacle door, of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver, 38and its five pillars with their hooks. And he overlaid their capitals and their rings with gold, but their five sockets were bronze.

Exodus 37

Making the Ark of the Testimony

1Then Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits was its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 2He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold all around it. 3And he cast for it four rings of gold to be set in its four corners: two rings on one side, and two rings on the other side of it. 4He made poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. 5And he put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. 6He also made the mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits was its length and a cubit and a half its width. 7He made two cherubim of beaten gold; he made them of one piece at the two ends of the mercy seat: 8one cherub at one end on this side, and the other cherub at the other end on that side. He made the cherubim at the two ends of one piece with the mercy seat. 9The cherubim spread out their wings above, and covered the mercy seat with their wings. They faced one another; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.

Making the Table for the Showbread

10He made the table of acacia wood; two cubits was its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a molding of gold all around it. 12Also he made a frame of a handbreadth all around it, and made a molding of gold for the frame all around it. 13And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that were at its four legs. 14The rings were close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table. 15And he made the poles of acacia wood to bear the table, and overlaid them with gold. 16He made of pure gold the utensils which were on the table: its dishes, its cups, its bowls, and its pitchers for pouring.

Making the Gold Lampstand

17He also made the lampstand of pure gold; of hammered work he made the lampstand. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and its flowers were of the same piece. 18And six branches came out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. 19There were three bowls 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 coming out of the lampstand. 20And on the lampstand itself were four bowls made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. 21There was 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 extending from it. 22Their knobs and their branches were of one piece; all of it was one hammered piece of pure gold. 23And he made its seven lamps, its wick-trimmers, and its trays of pure gold. 24Of a talent of pure gold he made it, with all its utensils.

Making the Altar of Incense

25He made the incense altar of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit and its width a cubit—it was square—and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it. 26And he overlaid it with pure gold: its top, its sides all around, and its horns. He also made for it a molding of gold all around it. 27He made two rings of gold for it under its molding, by its two corners on both sides, as holders for the poles with which to bear it. 28And he made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold.

Making the Anointing Oil and the Incense

29He also made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the perfumer.

Exodus 38

Making the Altar of Burnt Offering

1He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood; five cubits was its length and five cubits its width—it was square—and its height was three cubits. 2He made its horns on its four corners; the horns were of one piece with it. And he overlaid it with bronze. 3He made all the utensils for the altar: the pans, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the firepans; all its utensils he made of bronze. 4And he made a grate of bronze network for the altar, under its rim, midway from the bottom. 5He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating, as holders for the poles. 6And he made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with bronze. 7Then he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to bear it. He made the altar hollow with boards.

Making the Bronze Laver

8He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

Making the Court of the Tabernacle

9Then he made the court on the south side; the hangings of the court were of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long. 10There were twenty pillars for them, with twenty bronze sockets. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver. 11On the north side the hangings were one hundred cubits long, with twenty pillars and their twenty bronze sockets. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver. 12And on the west side there were hangings of fifty cubits, with ten pillars and their ten sockets. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver. 13For the east side the hangings were fifty cubits. 14The hangings of one side of the gate were fifteen cubits long, with their three pillars and their three sockets, 15and the same for the other side of the court gate; on this side and that were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets. 16All the hangings of the court all around were of fine woven linen. 17The sockets for the pillars were bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver, and the overlay of their capitals was silver; and all the pillars of the court had bands of silver. 18The screen for the gate of the court was woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and of fine woven linen. The length was twenty cubits, and the height along its width was five cubits, corresponding to the hangings of the court. 19And there were four pillars with their four sockets of bronze; their hooks were silver, and the overlay of their capitals and their bands was silver. 20All the pegs of the tabernacle, and of the court all around, were bronze.

Materials of the Tabernacle

21This is the inventory of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, which was counted according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest.

22Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord had commanded Moses. 23And with him was Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer, a weaver of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and of fine linen.

24All the gold that was used in all the work of the holy place, that is, the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 25And the silver from those who were numbered of the congregation was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary: 26a bekah for each man (that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone included in the numbering from twenty years old and above, for six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men. 27And from the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil: one hundred sockets from the hundred talents, one talent for each socket. 28Then from the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, overlaid their capitals, and made bands for them.

29The offering of bronze was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels. 30And with it he made the sockets for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating for it, and all the utensils for the altar, 31the sockets for the court all around, the bases for the court gate, all the pegs for the tabernacle, and all the pegs for the court all around.

God's Message in Exodus 36-38

1. Obedience and Generosity God's message in these chapters centers on the importance of obedience to His instructions and the generous response of His people. The Israelites, led by Moses, followed God's detailed commands for building the sanctuary. The artisans, inspired by wisdom from God, worked faithfully, and the people gave offerings so abundantly that Moses had to ask them to stop—their gifts were more than enough. This demonstrates that when hearts are stirred by God, generosity and willingness to serve overflow.

2. The Value of Skilled Work and Unity God chose skilled artisans like Bezalel and Aholiab, filling them with wisdom and understanding to carry out the work. Their craftsmanship and teamwork reflect God's appreciation for skill, creativity, and unity in fulfilling His purposes. The construction of the tabernacle required careful collaboration, attention to detail, and a shared commitment to God's instructions.

3. Holiness and Worship The chapters describe the making of sacred objects—the Ark of the Testimony, the Table for Showbread, the Lampstand, the Altar of Incense, and the Altar of Burnt Offering. Each item was crafted according to God's design, symbolizing His holiness and the centrality of worship. The tabernacle and its furnishings were set apart for God's presence, teaching that worship should be approached with reverence and according to God's will.

4. Community and Accountability The inventory of materials and the roles of individuals like Ithamar, Bezalel, and Aholiab highlight the importance of community and accountability. Everyone contributed—whether through offerings, skilled labor, or leadership. The careful record-keeping and organization show that God values order and stewardship in His work.

Key Lessons for Today from Exodus 36-38

1. Obedience to God's Guidance

• When God gives instructions, following them faithfully leads to blessings and fulfillment. The Israelites' careful obedience in building the sanctuary shows that honoring God's direction is essential for spiritual growth.

2. Generosity and Willingness to Serve

• The people gave so freely and abundantly that Moses had to ask them to stop. This teaches that when our hearts are moved by God, generosity and service naturally overflow. Giving with a willing heart is a sign of spiritual maturity and trust in God's provision.

3. Value of Skills and Teamwork

• God values skilled work and unity. He chose artisans, filled them with wisdom, and encouraged collaboration. Using our talents for God's purposes and working together strengthens community and fulfills God's plans.

4. Reverence in Worship

• The construction of the tabernacle and its sacred objects reminds us to approach worship with reverence and respect. Setting aside time, space, and resources for God honors His holiness and deepens our relationship with Him.

5. Community and Accountability

• Everyone contributed to the project—through offerings, labor, or leadership. Careful record-keeping and organization show that God values order, stewardship, and accountability. We are called to participate in community, support one another, and be responsible with what God entrusts to us.

In Summary

Obey God’s guidance, give generously, use your skills for His purposes, worship with reverence, and build accountable community—these are the key lessons for today.

Thank you for joining me today. I really didn’t have a lot to discuss. We know that Moses is guiding God’s people in building the Temple and the Ark for the commandments and the lesson is teaching the people to work together. I will see you tomorrow for Exodus 39 - 40 then we begin our journey into Leviticus. God Bless, love to you all.