Read Exodus 39
The Priestly Garments
1 From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary. They also made sacred garments for Aaron, as the Lord commanded Moses.
The Ephod
2 They made the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 3 They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen—the work of skilled hands. 4 They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached to two of its corners, so it could be fastened. 5 Its skillfully woven waistband was like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen, as the Lord commanded Moses.
6 They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings and engraved them like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. 7 Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.
The Breastpiece
8 They fashioned the breastpiece—the work of a skilled craftsman. They made it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 9 It was square—a span long and a span wide—and folded double. 10 Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. The first row was carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; 11 the second row was turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; 12 the third row was jacinth, agate and amethyst; 13 the fourth row was topaz, onyx and jasper. They were mounted in gold filigree settings. 14 There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
15 For the breastpiece they made braided chains of pure gold, like a rope.16 They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the rings to two of the corners of the breastpiece. 17 They fastened the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 18 and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. 19 They made two gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. 20 Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. 21 They tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband so that the breastpiece would not swing out from the ephod—as the Lord commanded Moses.
Other Priestly Garments
22 They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth—the work of a weaver— 23 with an opening in the center of the robe like the opening of a collar, and a band around this opening, so that it would not tear. 24 They made pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen around the hem of the robe. 25 And they made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates. 26 The bells and pomegranates alternated around the hem of the robe to be worn for ministering, as the Lord commanded Moses.
27 For Aaron and his sons, they made tunics of fine linen—the work of a weaver— 28 and the turban of fine linen, the linen caps and the undergarments of finely twisted linen. 29 The sash was made of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn—the work of an embroiderer—as the Lord commanded Moses.
30 They made the plate, the sacred emblem, out of pure gold and engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal: holy to the Lord. 31 Then they fastened a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Moses Inspects the Tabernacle
32 So all the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses. 33 Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent and all its furnishings, its clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; 34 the covering of ram skins dyed red and the covering of another durable leather and the shielding curtain; 35 the ark of the covenant law with its poles and the atonement cover; 36 the table with all its articles and the bread of the Presence; 37 the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and all its accessories, and the olive oil for the light; 38 the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; 39 the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the basin with its stand; 40 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the ropes and tent pegs for the courtyard; all the furnishings for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; 41 and the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when serving as priests.
42 The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.
Go Deeper
So much of our reading over the past couple of weeks has been focused on instructions and details and in Exodus 39 (finally) the work is done! While the beginning of Exodus 39 describes the garments worn by the priests, by the end of this chapter we see that the tabernacle is completed. Not only is it completed, the passage tells us something else: it was done just as the Lord commanded (v. 32 & 42).
There are a couple of lessons we can learn from this chapter. First, it’s really important for us to do whatever it is that the Lord commands us to do. Too often we let pride get in the way. We decide we know best. We look for workarounds and loopholes. God has given us both scripture and the Holy Spirit to serve as a guide for us. Think about that! James 1:22 tells us that it’s not enough to simply hear the word–we have to do what it says. The last 39 chapters in Exodus have shown us the importance of not wandering or straying away from what God has instructed and here, at the culmination of the construction of the tabernacle, the Israelites nailed it.
The second principle we can pull from this chapter is that God is honored by excellence. The construction of the tabernacle wasn’t thrown together with duct tape and shoestring–it was a masterpiece. When we work hard and do things with excellence with our hearts in the right place, God receives the glory in that. Proverbs 22:29 says that someone skilled in their work will stand before kings. When we do things with excellence and we’re faithful with the skills and abilities God has entrusted to us, He entrusts us with even more. This is a theme we see repeated continuously throughout scripture and the Israelites are yet another example of that.
Questions
- What does Exodus 39 teach you about God’s character?
- Have there been times that you have been more of a hearer of the word than a doer? How can you make sure you are someone who lives out what you say you believe?
- When was the last time you honored God with excellence?
Did You Know?
The end of the creation narrative ends with a blessing (Genesis 1:28), and so does the end of the tabernacle construction (Exodus 39:43). The text tells us that Moses blessed them as a result of a job well done.
5 thoughts on “Exodus 39”
I don’t want to miss the phrase that appears 10 times in this chapter “as the Lord commanded Moses”. From the start to the completion of the masterpiece the people heeded the plan laid out by God. Everyday we have opportunities to do the work of God, for he can turn our mundane moments into holy ground where he ushers in his presence and his kingdom to a watching world. Let’s be people of excellence who know the Word & go above & beyond to carefully follow biblical principles. He will surely be honored and bless our obedience.
I love this quote, “Work becomes worship when you dedicate it to God and perform it with an awareness of his presence.”
Thank you for sharing this quote!
This is a really beautiful peace of scripture in the way that it lays out their hearts in the work. Sometimes we find ourselves yearning to serve God, with alot of talk around purpose in the body of Christ as well, sometimes our focus turns into wanting to do and find out what the big thing is. Here we receive, almost a permission, to allow our hearts in enter into the rest of worshipping and serving Him with all of the small things in our lives, and to do it with excellence.
1 – that God knew what was possible and doable for the Israelites. It was no doubt challenging and intricate, but doable for God had provided everything in advance. Showing one more that God knows best what we are capable of and what not. And I think we can safely say that it wasn’t as smooth of as Sale as described and did not happen in 4 days like we read it, they still made it. So we don’t have to feel like the projects we do have to go so as we read it, but we should do these things; be willing of heart, come and do the work, as the Lord commands.
2 – absolutely, I’m not that long into my journey with God and especially in the beginning I was just taking it in and not doing anything really. And I still have trouble with it now, for how do you implement what you learned when emotions are on the loose? But, to also mention the good, I have also grown a lot and have noticed the spirit in me correcting or questioning me on why this action or reaction. Which helps me to be more aware, change mij way and repent or say sorry for what I did. I wish to read more, understand more and grow more in my relationship with God and how I out that, so that I can give him glory and be a business card for him.
3 – I don’t know, to be honest I don’t know anytime where I was excellent in what I did. And quite frankly I do not know how I could be excellent. But thank God it does not depend on me or on my excellence, but on the Lord and what He did and can do for us and me. But still that doesn’t mean I should not try and do it fully.