Read Exodus 37
The Ark
1 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. 2 He overlaid it with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it. 3 He cast four gold rings for it and fastened them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. 4 Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 And he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it.
6 He made the atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 7 Then he made two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 8 He made one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; at the two ends he made them of one piece with the cover. 9 The cherubim had their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the cover.
The Table
10 They made the table of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. 11 Then they overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold molding around it. 12 They also made around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim. 13 They cast four gold rings for the table and fastened them to the four corners, where the four legs were. 14 The rings were put close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. 15 The poles for carrying the table were made of acacia wood and were overlaid with gold. 16 And they made from pure gold the articles for the table—its plates and dishes and bowls and its pitchers for the pouring out of drink offerings.
The Lampstand
17 They made the lampstand of pure gold. They hammered out its base and shaft, and made its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. 18 Six branches extended from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. 19 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on one branch, three on the next branch and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. 20 And on the lampstand were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. 21 One bud was under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. 22 The buds and the branches were all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.
23 They made its seven lamps, as well as its wick trimmers and trays, of pure gold. 24 They made the lampstand and all its accessories from one talent of pure gold.
The Altar of Incense
25 They made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long and a cubit wide and two cubits high—its horns of one piece with it. 26 They overlaid the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and made a gold molding around it. 27 They made two gold rings below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. 28 They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
29 They also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense—the work of a perfumer.
Go Deeper
Let’s be honest: This is a chapter that you would have skipped over if you weren’t committed to the Bible Reading Plan. Why read a passage that’s just filled with descriptions about an arc? How can that help you grow in your love for Jesus? But skipping over this chapter would have been such an ironic mistake. The very lesson that we learn from Exodus 37 is that the Israelites didn’t skip a single detail when it came to their relationship with God. They wanted to serve and honor Him in each and every way. So these men and women made sure to dot every i and cross every t. They even cared about the details of a lampstand. The Israelites simply didn’t cut any corners in their walk with God.
For us though, it can be easy to skip over the hard parts of following Jesus. We know we’re supposed to get up early to pray, but do we really have to? Does God really care if we skip it? Does God really care about that little sin in our lives? Do we really have to confess it? Do we really have to do every little detail that God asks of us? In a word, yes.
He’s given us detailed instructions in His word because he wants us to have life to the full. Simply put, God doesn’t want us to miss out on His grace in any area of our lives. The more we follow His instructions (even the most detailed ones that we might not even understand), the more we’ll get to experience his goodness. So today, let’s not cut any corners in our walk with Jesus. Give your entire life to him. Surrender every nook and cranny of your heart. Because when we’re fully devoted to Him, we get to better experience His full devotion to us.
Questions
- How hard is it for you to follow instructions or rules you don’t understand?
- Where have you cut corners in your walk with Jesus?
- What does it mean to you when you hear that our God is a God of the details?
Did You Know?
Bezalel had the responsibility of making all of the sacred furniture. Clearly he was the most skilled craftsman, so the most important furniture was made by the best they had.
2 thoughts on “Exodus 37”
I can only imagine the excitement in the Israelite camp as piece by piece the sanctuary becomes a reality. The people must have been in awe as their offerings were carefully crafted into the ark, table, lamp stand and alter of incense. It surely put the golden calf to shame they had once fashioned as their god. God’s plan was immensely good! Just like the Israelites, God has a carefully crafted plan for our lives. He calls us to join & participate with him, for surely he doesn’t need us, he WANTS us! He is calls us into a deep relationship that will impact our families, workplaces, schools & churches. Will we choose to build lives that honor him and show others his glory? I pray so.
I think it would have been cool if it was also mentioned how long it took to make each piece, because we read this and go “oh he made these things and covered it in gold” then continue reading like that wasn’t back breaking work and that to craft the delicate pieces, to fashion the wood, to lay the gold must have taken a steady patience and endurance. To craft something is to pour your love into it steadily.