Exodus 38:21-31 - Temple Completed to Plan

Exodus 38:21-31

Materials of the Tabernacle

21 This 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.

22 Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD had commanded Moses. 23 And 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.

24 All 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. 25 And 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: 26 a 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. 27 And 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. 28 Then from the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, overlaid their capitals, and made bands for them.

29 The offering of bronze was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels. 30 And 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, 31 the 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.

The materials used to construct the tabernacle of the Testimony (witness) of the Covenant of God with His people, the traveling tent temple of Israel, is described here using earthly elements to follow the pattern of the tabernacle in heaven (Hebrews 8:5, 9:24) where God is worshipped continually.  The Levitical priests counted the materials used and the amounts of each to show accountability as good stewards as well as confirm the correct implementation of God’s plans handed to Moses on the mountain for all to read and testify to.  The gold, silver, and bronze are summed up and explained where each was used in which part of the temple.  Everything is covered in detail here so it could be reproduced later if needed as when the permanent temple was built, razed, and rebuilt later.  God’s heavenly plans are recorded in scripture not only for the physical tabernacle and later permanent temple, but also for the spiritual tabernacle of our lives to demonstrate that the best is required of us to honor and serve God who sits on the mercy seat of eternal grace (Hebrews 9:11, 14, 23-24, 28) as we come near to obtain mercy (Hebrews 10:11-12, 19-20) and grace (Hebrews 12:28) when needed (Hebrews 4:16) as we stumble in sin.  The materials we use to construct our lives, our temples to serve our Lord Jesus Christ, are found throughout scripture as culminated in the clearer explanations and exhortations in the epistles of the New Testament which uncover the meaning of the same hidden in the Old Testament.  The entire word of God is needed (2 Timothy 3:16-17) to mature us and make us complete for every good work (Hebrews 13:21).  These temples are to be completed according to His plans as a template for our lives just as those were handed to Moses for the physical tabernacle.