Exodus 39
Bezaleel made the High Priest’s garmentsverse 1
And of the blue and purple and scarlet – they made CLOTHES of service
to do service in the holy place
and made the holy garments for Aaron
as the LORD commanded Moses
Ephod for the High priestverses 2-4
And he made the EPHOD of GOLD – blue – purple – scarlet
fine twined linen
And they did beat the GOLD into thin plates – and cut it into wires
to work it in the blue – purple – scarlet
and in the fine linen – with cunning work
They made shoulder pieces for it – to couple it together
by the two edges was it coupled together
Girdle for the High Priestverses 5-7
And the curious girdle of his EPHOD – that was on it – was of the same
according to the work thereof – of gold – blue – purple – scarlet
fine twined linen – as the LORD commanded Moses
And they wrought onyz stones enclosed in ouches of gold – graven
as signets are graven – with the names of the children of Israel
And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod
that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel
as the LORD commanded Moses
Breastplate for the High Priestverses 8-14
And he made the BREASTPLATE of cunning work
like the work of the EPHOD – of gold – blue – purple
scarlet – fine twined linen
It was foursquare – they made the BREASTPLATE double
a span was the length thereof
and a span was the breadth thereof
being doubled
And they set in it four rows of stones
the first row was a sardius – topaz – carbuncle
this was the first row
the second row – emerald – sapphire – diamond
the third row- ligure – agate – amethyst
the fourth row- beryl – onyx – jasper
they were enclosed in ouches of gold in their enclosings
And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel
twelve – according to their names – like the engravings of a signet
every one with his name – according to the twelve tribes
Breastplate and Ephod connectedverses 15-21
And they made upon the BREASTPLATE chains at the ends
of wreathed work of pure gold
And they made two ouches of gold – and two gold rings
and put the two rings in the two ends of the BREASTPLATE
And they put the two wreathed chains of gold in the two rings
on the ends of the BREASTPLATE
and the two ends of the two wreathed chains they
fastened in the two ouches
and put them on the shoulder pieces
of the EPHOD – before it
And they made two rings of gold
and put on the two ends of the BREASTPLATE
upon the border of it
which was on the side of the EPHOD inward
And they made two other golden rings
and put them on the two sides of the EPHOD underneath
toward the forepart of it – over against the other coupling
thereof – above the curious girdle of the EPHOD
And they did bind the BREASTPLATE by his rings unto the
rings of the EPHOD with a lace of blue
that it might be above the curious girdle of the EPHOD
and that the BREASTPLATE might not be
loosed from the EPHOD
as the LORD commanded Moses
Robe made for the High Priestverses 22-26
And he made the ROBE of the EPHOD of woven work – all of blue
and there was a hole in the midst of the robe
as the hole of an habergeon
with a band round about the hole
that it should not rend
And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of
blue – purple – scarlet – twined linen
And they made bells of pure gold
and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the
hem of the robe
round about between the pomegranates
a bell and a pomegranate – a bell and a pomegranate
round about the hem of the robe to minister in
as the LORD commanded Moses
Coats made for priestsverse 27
And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron
and for his sons
Miter of fine linen made for priestsverse 28
And a miter of fine linen
and goodly bonnets of fine linen
and linen breeches of fine twined linen
Girdle of fine twined linen made for priestsverses 29
And a girdle of fine twined linen – blue – purple – scarlet
of needlework – as the LORD commanded Moses
Golden medallion for High Priestverses 30-31
And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold
and wrote upon it a writing like the engravings of a signet
HOLINESS TO THE LORD
And they tied unto it a lace of blue
to fasten it on high upon the miter
as the LORD commanded Moses
Moses inspects Bezaleel’s workverses 32-41
THUS was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation
FINISHED – and the children of Israel did according to all that the
LORD commanded Moses – so did they
And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses – the tent
and all his furniture – his taches – his boards – his bars
his pillars – his sockets
and the covering of rams’ skins- dyed red
and the covering of badgers’ skins
and the veil of the covering
the ark of the testimony – and the staves thereof – and the mercy seat
the table and all the vessels thereof – and the showbread
the pure candlestick with the lamps thereof
even with the lamps to be set in order
and all the vessels thereof
and the oil for light
the golden altar – the anointing oil – the sweet incense
and the hanging for the tabernacle door
the brazen altar and his grate of brass
his staves and all his vessels – the laver and his foot
the hangings of the court – his pillars – his sockets
the hanging for the court gate – his cords – his pins
and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle
for the tent of the congregation
the clothes of service to do service in the holy place
and the holy garments for Aaron the priest
and his sons’ garments
to minister in the priest’s office
Moses blessed the workverses 42-43
ACCORDING to all that the LORD commanded Moses
so the children of Israel made all the work
And Moses did look upon all the work – and behold
they had done it as the LORD had commanded
even so had they done it
and Moses BLESSED them
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of serviceto do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses. (8334 “service” [sharath] means ministry, to wait upon, be attentive to, attend, render assistance, to take care of, officiate, or higher domestic service)
DEVOTION: When Aaron or any of the High Priests were dressed in the garments of ministry it was a time when they were the representative of the people to the LORD.
Their clothes were a symbol of a time of officiating a special ministry to the LORD. They had to wear the clothes with the idea that they were doing something to help the people in their relationship to the LORD. They were the one who stood before God representing the people being willing to obey the LORD’S commands.
Proper dress meant proper service and representation to the LORD. If the High Priest was obedient to the commands of the LORD in times of worship then the rest of the people could follow his example in their worship of the LORD.
Proper leadership caused proper worship. It all seemed to be representative of the type of clothes the High Priest worn in his time of attending to the commands of worship from the LORD.
The blood sacrifice was necessary for the remission of sins for the individual people as well as the nation of Israel. God wanted everything to be done decently and in order when it came to having a proper representative in the office of High Priest.
If the High Priest didn’t do everything according to the commands of the LORD he would die. This was a warning to the people regarding their worship of the LORD. They had to do it decently and in order too.
Are we dressing properly in our times of worship of the LORD? Is our internal dress proper before the LORD? We all have to stand before the LORD on a daily basis.
On any given Sunday we are standing before the LORD and need to be properly dressed both internally and externally. That is the way we show respect for the LORD we have come to worship.
CHALLENGE: All believers are ministers of the LORD. We may not stand in the front of the church but we are in the presence of the LORD and our dress is important to HIM. Show respect for HIM that you worship.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 14 And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, everyone with his name, according to the twelve tribes. (2368 “signet” [chowtham] means seal, a device incised to make an impression, used to secure a closing or the authenticate documents, signet-ring or an implement used as a sign of one’s personal official identification mark by impressing in clay or wax, worn on a cord around the neck or on the hand)
DEVOTION: The High Priest was a representative of all twelve tribes of Israel before the LORD. HE was the one who brought the sins of all the people before the LORD on the Day of Atonement. Each tribe was represented on the breastplate on the chest of the High Priest. No one was left out in the representative breastplate.
Remember there were tribes throughout the history of the children of Israel that tried to rebel against the LORD. They were judged for their actions but their stone was never taken off the breastplate of the High Priest. They were still part of the family of God.
If the pastor is the representative of the LORD for his congregation he should wear the names of the people in his time of prayer. His responsibility is to train the congregation in proper worship of the LORD through his time of instruction in the Word of God. He is to be an example before the people of one called to serve.
Once the pastor brings the people before the LORD in a worship service, each member should bring the rest of the congregation before the LORD in their personal prayer life as well.
If the individual people of the church remember the names of those who attend the church before the LORD during their personal time with the LORD many individuals would learn how to genuinely love each other as the LORD loves each member of a congregation.
Children should be praying for those who are in their Sunday School class. If the children are praying for each other than they can have a proper relationship with each other. This could cause the children to get along better together.
However, they should be following the example of the adults in the congregation who they observe praying for one another and loving one another. Children caught on better than most adults think they do about how to treat each other.
CHALLENGE: Adults need to watch the example they are setting before the children of the church. They listen to every word that comes out of the mouths of the adults.
: 32 Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they. (3615 “finished” [kalah] means consume, end, accomplish, done, ended, come to an end, completed, or be fulfilled)
DEVOTION: Partial obedience in not what the LORD expects of HIS people. HE wants them to be totally obedient to HIS command. The ones making the Tabernacle did everything according to the plan that the LORD set before Moses on the mountain. They didn’t deviate from HIS plan.
Once the Tabernacle was done it met all the specifications that HE had given Moses. The ministry of building the Tabernacle was over with every part of it done according to the commands of the LORD through Moses to the people.
They were ready to worship the LORD according to HIS plan. Nothing was done according to the thinking of the people but only according to the thinking of the LORD.
Now it was up to them to stay true to the LORD in their worship. It is not easy to worship the LORD in a proper manner. HE expects us to not to just show up to worship but to come prepared to worship which means that there had to be proper dress before the LORD.
HE wants us to come into HIS presence with praise and worship from our hearts. It is not to be just an outward service to HIM but an inward service to HIM. Too often people think that they can just show up and spend their hour or so with HIM without having their attitude and actions in proper control according to HIS Word the Holy Bible.
When we come into the presence of the LORD are we doing it with the same attitude as the High Priest going into the Tabernacle on the Day of Atonement first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people.
Our sins have to be brought before the LORD through our personal confession and that established a proper fellowship between us and the LORD. We also have to have a good relationship with the people around us when we come or it is not a real time of proper worship before the LORD.
CHALLENGE: When we worship, we have to do it the way the LORD wants us to do it.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
:41 The clothes of service to do service in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons’ garments, to minister in the priest’s office. (3547 “minister” [kahan] means 1 to act as a priest, minister in a priest’s office. 1a (Piel). 1a1 to minister as a priest, serve as a priest. 1a2 to be or become a priest. 1a3 to play the priest. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship].)
DEVOTION: God saw to it that the priests had the special garments which they to wear in the tabernacle. But it is clear that the purpose of these garments was to fulfill their function as ministers of God. They were not simply ordinary people who were dressed in royal clothing; rather, God had called them to the ministry.
Often, we are tempted to treat those in ministry as though they are not anything special, and we especially act this way when it comes to criticizing our pastors after their Sunday sermons. We act as though the cliché “a pastor only works one hour a week” is true. Instead, we should really be heaping appreciation on those whom God has called into the ministry, and praising them for their devotion to Him.
Likewise, those in ministry have an obligation to serve with a whole heart toward God. There should be no slacking off in their work, but rather they are to serve the sheep selfless and tirelessly (1 Peter 5:2-3). Their service is to mirror the one who is the Chief Shepherd. If they do this well, they will bring honor upon themselves. Seeking to be in the ministry is a good thing if God has called one into this position.
CHALLENGE: Do you honor your minister at regular intervals? Make a special effort to go out of your way to thank your minister this week for something he has done for you. (MW)
: 43 And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them. (1288 “blessed” [barak] means to kneel, act of adoration, congratulate, praise or thank)
DEVOTION: The LORD had commanded Moses on the mountain regarding what the Tabernacle should look like. HE has shown Moses the Tabernacle in heaven. Moses told the people what needed to be done. God has chosen certain men that HE had gifted to build the Tabernacle and all the accessories.
Now we come to the period in time when the work had been completed. Moses was the quality assurance man who inspected the work to see if it was done right. He examined the work and found that it had been done according the commands of the LORD.
The workers had followed all the instructions to the “T.” There was nothing done wrong. They had done everything right. Every detail was followed. Moses knew that the LORD would be pleased.
The chapter ends with Moses congratulating the people for a job well done. Moses thanked the men for doing the work on the tabernacle. Moses not only congratulated the men but also all of the children of Israel for their parts in the project.
Remember that there are two parts to every project. The job needed to be done and it needed to be done right. There are many people who start projects but never finish them. There are many who just want to get the job done and don’t care if the project is done right. In the work of the LORD we need to do the project and do it right. Once this is accomplished and the inspection is done there needs to be a time of thanksgiving.
All leaders need to congratulate their congregations when they do a good job. There needs to be public recognition for good work. The people would get discouraged if they were never thanked for a job well done. How often do we not thank people who are doing a good job? When someone does a good job, we should say thank you.
There are many people in the world that are doing a good job and we forget to say thank you. Let’s try to remember to say thank you to someone today. Remember that this is not flattery, it is proper praise for proper work done.
If someone has helped you grow in the LORD – say thank you. If someone has helped you with a project around the house – say thank you. If someone has helped you with a family matter – say thank you. Encouragement is needed today more than at any other time.
CHALLENGE: Are you willing to say THANK YOU???? First say thank you to the LORD and then to others.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Cloths of serviceverse 1
Holy garmentsverse 1
Ephodverses 2-7, 20-22
Breastplate of cunning workverses 8-21
Robe of Ephodverses 22-26
Bells of pure gold at bottom
Coats of fine linen and goodly bonnetsverse 27
Mitre of fine linenverse 28
Linen breechesverse 28
Girdle of fine twined linenverse 29
Plate of the holy crownverse 30
HOLINESS TO THE LORD
Tabernacle of the tentverse 32
FINISHED
All brought togetherverse 32
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 1, 5, 7, 21, 26, 30-32, 42, 43
HOLINESS TO THE LORDverse 30
LORD commandedverse 43
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Serviceverse 1
Obey commandverses 1, 5, 7
Ministerverses 26, 41
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Moses (LORD commanded)verses 1, 5, 7, 21, 29, 31-33, 42, 43
Blessed people
Aaronverses 1, 27, 41
Children of Israelverses 6, 7, 32, 42
Memorial
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org Also if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
QUOTES regarding passage
Finally, around the hem of this garment hung pomegranates made of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, with golden bells hanging between them. The pomegranates symbolized fruitfulness and the golden bells gave witness that the high priest was ministering in the holy place. The bells and pomegranates remind us that our priestly walk must be fruitful and faithful, always giving witness that we’re serving the Lord with integrity. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1998). Be delivered (pp. 156–157). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.)
The bells, which jingled as the high priest served in the tabernacle, assured all who listened that he had not died in the Holy Place and that he continued to minister on their behalf (v.35). (Kaiser, W. C., Jr. (1990). Exodus. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 467). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House)
The tinkling bells would allow the people to hear the high priest when he ministered in the holy place. The sound of the bells assured the people of God’s mercy in allowing a priest to minister on their behalf. Only a priest properly attired could enter the holy place. Disregarding these instructions would result in death (cf. v. 13). (Hannah, J. D. (1985). Exodus. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 152). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
This term is used most frequently as the special term for service in worship. The Levitical priests “stand before the Lord to minister unto him” (Deut. 10:8). They also are “to stand before the congregation to minister unto them” (Num. 16:9). In the post-exilic temple, the Levites who had earlier “ministered” in idolatry will not be allowed “to serve” as priests but rather as maintenance workers in the temple (Ezek. 44:11-14) (Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.)
The special status of the priest was not merely one of ritual or ceremony. He had the grave responsibility of representing the people before God, and it was through his ministry that Israel had access to God. He also stood before the people as God’s official representative. As such they settled disputes among individuals (Deut 2:15), and in Deut 17:12 God decrees that whoever refuses to heed the priest, God’s servant, shall be put to death. (Austel, H. J. (1999). 2472 שָׁרַת. (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke, Eds.)Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press.)
Acts 15
Paul begins his second missionary journey.
INSIGHT
Inherent within man is a tendency to want to work his way to heaven. Accepting a gift with gratitude does not seem to be enough; human beings want to do something to earn it. While Paul and Barnabas are at Antioch, some men come down from Judea and teach: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (v. 1). This issue grows into a major debate involving the leaders in Jerusalem, but in the final analysis, Peter’s argument wins out: “Why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” (v. 10). The council in Jerusalem then sends a letter to the Gentile churches encouraging their faith and assuring them that they are not under bondage. (QuietWalk)
|
CLAIMS OF DIVINITY
…the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father…. John 1:18
The Bible makes many claims to the effect that Christ is divine; it asserts and teaches His divinity or, still more accurately, His deity. The first evidence is that certain names are ascribed to Him, each of which clearly implies His deity. Here are some of them. He is described as the “Son of God” forty times; He is referred to as “his Son” (God’s Son); God refers to Him audibly as “my Son.” So there, in various forms, is that title “Son,” “Son of God.”
Then five times He is also referred to as the “only begotten Son of God.” You find it in John 1:18 (“…the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father”), and there are many others. A notable one is the Parable of the Wicked Husbandman, when God says, “They will reverence my son” (Matthew 21:37). The teaching there is perfectly clear–the words are uttered by our Lord Himself.
He is described in Revelation 1 as “the first and the last,” and in the same chapter as “the Alpha and Omega,” the beginning and the end. These are obviously terms of deity; there is nothing before the beginning and nothing after the end. Then Peter, preaching in Jerusalem–you will find it recorded in Acts 3:14–refers to Him as “the Holy One”: “But ye denied the Holy One and the Just.” Again, these are terms of deity.
Then He is actually referred to as “God.” Thomas says, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). He is also described as “Emmanuel…God with us” in Matthew 1:23; and there is a most remarkable statement in Titus 2:13 where He is referred to as our “great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” So there you have a number of names that are ascribed to Him, all of which are divine names.
A Thought to Ponder: Certain names are ascribed to Him, each of which clearly implies His deity.
(From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 266-267, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Labor or Service?
“Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work.” (Deuteronomy 5:13)
The term “labor” to many seems to connote drudgery or routine, repetitive, demeaning toil. As used here in the fourth of God’s Ten Commandments, however, the Hebrew word abad means rather to “serve” and is so translated 214 times in the King James. Only one other time is it translated “labor,” and that is in the first rendering of the commandments (Exodus 20:9). Thus, the command could well be read: “Six days shalt thou serve….”
Furthermore, the word for “work” (Hebrew melakah) does not denote servile labor but “deputyship” or “stewardship.” The one whom we are to serve or act as deputy for, of course, is God Himself when we do our work. In the ultimate and very real sense, the Lord is our employer, and we serve Him, not man. Therefore, “whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23). Every honest occupation, if carried out for the Lord’s sake and to His glory, is “divine service,” and every Christian who holds this perspective on his or her work (be it preaching, or bookkeeping, or homemaking, or whatever) is in the Christian ministry—for “ministry” simply means “service.”
Note also that God has ordained not a four-day or five-day workweek: “Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work,” He says, thus commemorating the six days in which He worked in the beginning, “for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth” (Exodus 31:17).
One day, Lord willing, we shall hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant:…enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matthew 25:21). Then, throughout the ages to come, “his servants shall serve him” (Revelation 22:3) with everlasting joy.
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.