Exodus (Lesson 72)

Welcome to the Preaching the Cross Radio Podcast, featuring the radio ministry of Pastor James W.

Knox of the Bible Baptist Church of Delaney, Florida.

Our prayer is that these half-hour Bible study programs will bring the lost to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and enable the saved to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Savior.

Now here's your host, Pastor James W.

Knox.

This is the Preaching of the Cross Radio Broadcast.

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This is a half-hour program, and we try to fill up that time with Bible preaching and Bible teaching.

Try to do our best to instruct you in the things of God.

We are studying the Bible book of Exodus.

We have built up a pretty good head of steam here as we're racing through these latter chapters, restating much of the material found in earlier parts of Exodus.

When Moses was on the mountain, God gave him specific instructions as to how the tabernacle was to be built.

And now in these chapters, we're reading of godly men filled with the Spirit of God who obeyed those instructions explicitly and busied themselves with the work of constructing this tabernacle.

We have come to Exodus chapter 36 and verse number 31, and we're going to read through this and just get what we can from it.

Exodus 36 · chapter mention

It's all God's word, it's all good.

We just aren't able to perceive as much from some portions as we are from others.

Exodus 36, verse 31.

Exodus 36:31

And he made bars of shit of wood, five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the sides westward, and he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other.

And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.

And he made a veil of blue and purple and scarlet and fine twine linen, with cherubims made he had of cunning work.

And he made thereunto four pillars of shitamwood, and overlaid them with gold, and their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four sockets of silver, and he made an hanging for the tabernacle door of blue and purple and scarlet and fine twine linen of needlework, and five pillars of it were their hooks, and he overlaid the chapeters and their fillets with gold, but their five sockets were of brass.

Now, why is the tabernacle made that way?

Why isn't it longer?

Why isn't it taller?

Why was it made of a different type of wood?

Why were the curtains of that color?

I'll tell you why.

This is what God desired.

This is what God desired.

You know, we could sit and debate as to whether or not or as to why God said not to look upon the wine when it's red and move itself in the cup.

We could argue about why God said let women adorn themselves in modest apparel.

We could argue and fight about uh why God said go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, but it really doesn't matter.

We're just here to please God.

And obedience pleases God.

And many things are right because God says they're right.

Now, if we had more wisdom and better understanding, we'd know that right is in place to protect and preserve our lives and to make our lives blessed, and the do-nots of the Bible are in place to protect and preserve us, but when we don't perceive and don't understand and don't comprehend, we just trust and obey.

That's the best rule of life.

Verse 1, in chapter 37, and Bezileel made the ark of shit of wood, two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it, and he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about.

And he cast forth four rings of gold to be set by the four corners of it, even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it, and he made staves of shit'em wood, and overlaid them with gold, and he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark to bear the ark.

This ark, called the Ark of the Covenant, Ark of the Testimony, if you've been with us through the course of this study, you know that.

This ark was the container, the vessel, in which God placed his words, the law, the commandments, the statutes, the ordinances written on those tables of stone were placed within that Ark of the Covenant.

It was God's word.

That ark of the covenant did not fly.

Not at this time.

It was carried about, it was transported.

God said he wanted two rings on either side of the ark, four rings in all, then two staves, long poles, like a staff.

And he wanted those two staves, one on each side, put in the four rings, two on each side, and he wanted the Ark of the Covenant carried, the word of the testimony in the Ark of the Covenant carried about by those staves.

Now, my friend, I want you to think with me for a few minutes about something that seems to be rather insignificant, and yet it presents to us a beautiful picture of the gospel work and the gospel ministry.

God has ordained that his word, his gospel, his truth does not fly about the world on its own, but that it is carried through this world by believers.

We are not, we are not much in our natural state.

Look at those trees growing out there in the wood.

They're not good for much as far as carrying the testimony of God around.

So they're cut down out of their natural state.

They're formed and fashioned by a wise master builder, and then they are fit for carrying the testimony of God, carrying the ark of the testimony.

So true with you and with me.

In our natural state as unsaved sinners living out in that world, we're not of much use to God.

We're certainly not fit to carry his word.

But you know what he does?

He cuts us down out of that old life.

He places us into the hands of a wise master builder.

He forms and fits and shapes and fashions us.

So we're just perfectly suited to carry his words through this world.

Then, then those staves, those staves now made fit for use in the transport of God's word, they are overlaid with gold.

Why, who would ever know they're just old pieces of wood?

Who would ever know?

They're just a couple of sticks, but God enriches them.

And God gives them a covering that gives them the glorious and beautiful appearance, being of great worth and of great value.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, if you were saved and born again, God has not only formed you and fashioned you and made you fit for service in his great work of carrying the gospel, but he has enriched your life and beautified your life and made it something of great value, like it never was and never could have been, growing out there in its natural state.

Consider also that the staves carried forward the testimony.

There were a plurality of staves.

It wasn't just one, it was two.

This suggests fellowship in the burden bearing of the testimony.

We're not in this thing alone.

We don't work independent of others, but we are part of a larger work, part of something more than self.

We're part of a great church, spreading the gospel, carrying the word of God to all the world.

Notice their position, the position of these staves.

They're not above the ark, because they are not greater than the testimony they bear.

They're not beneath the ark, for the burden was not crushing or debasing, but rather they were beside the ark to show their intimate association therewith.

How about that, my friends?

You're not over the Word of God.

You're not greater or more important than the Word of God, but the Word of God is not a crushing burden weighing down upon you either.

God has allowed you and enter that ministry to come alongside.

A great work.

Come alongside, saints of all the ages, and carry, carry the gospel, carry the good news.

Notice also that the staves are bound by gold rings to the testimony.

This keeps them from slipping away and from failing to perform their function.

In 1 Chronicles 13, we read of the deadly error of turning from the God ordained means of bearing the testimony.

Somebody tried to use new carts, and death came, and the judgment of God fell.

The oxen that pulled that cart had no care for the ark, and soon the testimony was shaken, was unsteady and ready to fall.

God doesn't need new methods, He doesn't need new modern means or ways.

He just needs one man to tell another man and one woman to tell another woman.

He just needs people that know the Word of God to take that word of God to others.

It'll work, it's always worked.

And then finally, not in tabernacle days, for that's a temporal matter, but in temple days, solid foundation, stone, unmovable.

In temple days, Solomon had the Ark of the Covenant brought into what was designed to be its permanent dwelling place.

And when he did, when he did, the staves were drawn out and placed alongside that ark in the Holy of Holies with God, the presence of God, never to be removed again.

And so when you're done, when I'm done, with our travels down here, carrying God's word from place to place, one day, one day, we will enter the holy of holies in that new Jerusalem, that heavenly city, and there we will rest in the presence of the Lord, our labors and trials over, our work all done, and we'll surely say it was good, it was good to have been engaged in the work of bearing about God's holy word.

Verse 6.

And he made the mercy seat of pure gold.

Two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece, made he them on the two ends of the mercy seat, one cherubim uh cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side.

Out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof, and the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered were their wings over the mercy seat, and their faces one to another.

Even of the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims.

And the Bible says of that fallen, that fallen creature.

We know him now as Satan.

He was once known as Lucifer.

He was indeed a cherubim.

Cherub, the anointed cherub, that covereth.

What did cherubs do?

They cover the mercy seat round about the throne.

What did he want to do?

He didn't want to sit, to stand, to bow, to kneel, in the glorious presence of Almighty God, beholding his grace and his mercy and his truth and his righteousness and his love and his goodness.

Oh no, oh no.

He wanted to kick God off that throne and seize it for himself.

And he fell.

And so have all who have chosen to follow him in the paths of pride and self-righteousness, self-exaltation, self-love and self-aggrandizement.

And oh my friend, can you not be content to abide in the presence of God and behold how merciful, how kind, how gracious, and how good he is to all his people.

Verse ten, and he made the table of shit'em wood.

Two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit and half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and half the height thereof, and he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereunto a crown of gold roundabout.

Also he made thereunto a border of a handbreadth roundabout.

He made a crown of gold for the border thereof round about.

And he cast it for it four rings of gold, and put the rings upon the four corners that were in the four feet thereof, over against the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table.

And he made the staves of shit'em wood, and overlaid them with gold to bear the table.

And he made the vessels which were upon the table, his dishes, and his spoons, and his bowls, and his covers to cover with all of pure gold.

You know, some of these items might seem more important than others, and some might seem more insignificant than others, and yet the Lord saw fit to overlay every one of them with pure gold, so that they all had a beauty.

They all had a uh a great value and worth.

And so all of God's saved people aren't the same.

We don't all have the same shape or size or form or function or uh duty, job within the house of God.

And yet every one of us has been covered with the blood of Jesus Christ, every one of us been made valuable and precious and of great worth because of God's goodness and God's marvelous working in our lives.

And he made the candlestick of pure gold, of beaten work, made the candlestick his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, his flowers were of the same.

Six branches going out of the sides thereof, three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof, three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knob and a flower.

So throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick, and in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops and his flowers, and a knob under two branches of the same, and a knob under two branches of the same, and a knob under two branches of the same.

According to the six branches going out of it, their knops and their branches were of the same.

All of it was one beaten work of pure gold.

And he made his seven lamps and his snuffers and his snuff dishes of pure gold, of a talent of pure gold, made heat, and all the vessels thereof.

We are believers, saved people.

We are the light of the world.

God put the light of the world on a candlestick.

He said in Revelation 1, Revelation 1, that the seven candlesticks represent, in New Testament terminology, they represent the seven churches.

So God put saved people in churches so that their light could so shine.

So them that were without could see the light and be drawn thereunto.

Now, we're not separate, we're not individual, we're not independent one of another, because though they are different branches, they're all of one, one solid mass of gold, formed and shaped into seven branches, and yet it remained one candlestick.

So many believers, many assemblies, many gatherings, but one church, all one work of God, all joined together in Jesus Christ through his precious blood.

Verse 25.

And he made the incense altar of shit of wood, the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit.

It was four square, and two cubits was the height of it, the horns thereof were of the same, and he overlaid it with pure gold, both the top of it and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it, also he made unto it a crown of gold round about, and he made two rings of gold for it unto the crown thereof, by the two corners of it, upon the two sides thereof, to be places for the staves to bear it with all.

And he made the staves of shit'em wood and overlaid them with gold.

And he made the holy anointing oil and pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary, and we've talked about that in previous broadcasts.

Now 38 1.

And he made the altar of burnt offering of shit'em wood.

Five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof.

It was four square, and three cubits the height thereof.

And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it, and the horns thereof were the same, and he overlaid them with brass.

And he made all the vessels, all of them, all the vessels.

Think about this the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the flesh hooks, the firepans, all the vessels thereof made he of brass.

Don't conduct the heat, safe to use.

We talked about that previously.

And he made for the altar a brazen gate of network under the compass thereof, beneath unto it, the midst of it.

And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass, to be places for the The staves, and he made the staves of shinim wood and overlaid them with brass, and he put the staves into the rings of the sides of the altar to bear it withal.

He made the altar hollow with boards, and he made the labor of brass, and the foot of it brass, of the looking glasses of the women assembly, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Now, now think about this.

The women gathered at the door to well, you know what they did.

They took out their mirrors to check their appearance.

How do I look?

These hearts God touched, and they gave up interest in their own appearance, that the eyes of those in the assembly might be on God and not on them.

The labor of brass was made from the looking glasses.

The women gave up their mirrors for the work of God.

Now, I could park right there and rev the engine for a while.

I could, as some have uh said, I could sit under that bush and shake it a while and see what falls out.

But suffice it to say that these women gave up their looking glasses for the labor of brass, where people washed and were made clean before they entered into the place where they would worship God.

And so I wonder, I wonder, and this is all that needs to be said, but I wonder, men and ladies, I wonder if we concern ourselves as much with making sure we are inwardly clean and pure when we come into the place of worship, as we as we are careful to make sure that our hair is right and our teeth are right and our clothes are right and our makeup is right.

Ah, yes.

Ah yes.

We sure want to make certain that outside looks good to man.

I wonder if we're as careful to make sure the inside looks good to God.

And he made the court on the south side southward.

The hangings of the court were of fine twined linen and hundred cubits, their pillars were twenty, their brazen sockets twenty, the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver, and for the north side the hangings were in hundred cubits, their pillars were twenty, and their sockets of brass twenty, the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver, and for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, their sockets ten, the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver, and for the east side eastward fifty cubits, the hangings of the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, their pillars three, and their sockets three.

And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand were hangings of fifteen cubits, their pillars three, and their sockets three.

All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen, and the sockets for the pillars were of brass, the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver, and the overlaying of their chapters of silver, and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver, and the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework of blue and purple and scarlet, and fine-twined linen, and twenty cubits was the length, and the height of it in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court.

And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four, their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapters and their fillets of silver, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court roundabout were of brass.

This is the sum of the tabernacle.

Even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the servants of the Levites, by the hand of Ithmar, son to Aaron the priest.

And Bezalil, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, and of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses.

And with him was Aholiab, the son of Ahasmach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and scarlet in fine linen.

So everybody did what they could.

Everybody did the best they could.

Everybody did what God told them to do, in the way that God told them to do it, and that stood as a testimony.

Look, inside the Holy of Holies was God's testimony.

This is my word.

I give you my word, people.

But the tabernacle itself, which contained the word of God's testimony, was the testimony of the people.

Look, we use the colors you prescribed, we use the hanging materials that you ordained, we use the size and dimensions that you set forth.

We constructed in accord with our God given abilities.

We did so with all our heart, and we did so in complete obedience to your commandment, that is our testimony.

We trust you, we believe you.

So God testifies to man, and man testifies back to God.

And when God's testimony and man's testimony meet together so that man's actions and God's words are in line one with another.

What sweet fellowship there is between the Lord and his people.

All the gold that was c uh occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents, seven hundred and thirty sheikals after the shequal of the sanctuary, and the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and three score and fifteen sheikals after the sheikhal of the sanctuary, a becah for every man, that is half a sheikl after the sheikhal of the sanctuary, for everyone that went to be numbered from twenty years old and upward for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.

Everybody contributed to the work.

Everybody had a part in constructing that place where God would be worshipped.

You know, it's a bit tedious, I admit that, to read about these things, and yet what a blessing it had to have been to God to see these people who had been so, so, so rebellious, now so obedient and so faithful.

My friend, you may have made a blunder or two or three or a hundred yesterday, but that's no reason you can't be pleasing unto God today.

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