Explore the Bible Sunday School Lesson for Jan. 26

Here’s the Explore the Bible Sunday School lesson commentary for Jan. 26, written by Douglas K. Wilson, Ph.D., professor of Biblical Studies, University of Mobile.

Explore the Bible Sunday School Lesson for Jan. 26

By Douglas K. Wilson, Ph. D.
Professor of Biblical Studies, University of Mobile

TABERNACLE INSTRUCTIONS

Exodus 25:1–9; 31:1–6

Immediately after God communicated covenant living instructions through Moses, He gave extensive details regarding the tabernacle (Ex. 25–40), the sacrifices to be offered (Lev. 1–7) and the priests who would serve as intermediaries (Lev. 8–10). Israel would not obey God’s commandments, so He made plans to teach them about substitutionary sacrifice. God was preparing Israel for the once-for-all atonement that came through Jesus.

The Mishkan (tabernacle) was to be a moveable meeting place for God and man. Fathers would bring their sacrifices and ceremonially pass on to the animals the guilt for family sins. Priests would receive animals, sacrifice them, burn incense, pray and make atonement for the sins of families. Once each year, the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place to make atonement for the entire nation. These passages introduce the physical structure of the tabernacle and the artisans who were gifted to create it.

The Task (25:1–7)

Giving. Building a place for worship required materials, and those materials were to be donated. God had already provided the people of Israel some of the necessary materials from their Egyptian neighbors, who had given them gold and silver jewelry before they left Egypt (11:2–3; 12:35–36).

Good will. The materials were given as freewill gifts for the benefit of all Israel. They were donated out of devotion to God: “So the Israelites brought a freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women whose hearts prompted them” (35:29).

God’s Presence (8–9)

Presence. God would manifest His visible presence over the tabernacle. Once it was constructed, the tribes would know when to travel and when to remain where they were. In time, the Levites would bear the responsibility to transport the contents when the Lord’s presence lifted off the tabernacle.

Pattern. God revealed the heavenly pattern of the tabernacle to Moses. The material construction of the earthly tabernacle was to represent what Moses had seen. The writer of Hebrews addressed this in his commentary: “These serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle”
(Heb. 8:5).

Equipped (31:1–6)

Leader. Bezalel, from the tribe of Judah, was a particularly gifted artisan. Though his skilled hands qualified him for the required tasks of this labor, it was the Spirit of God in his life that uniquely qualified him to lead in the task of creating objects for use in worship. This infilling of the Spirit also equipped him to teach the other artisans (35:31, 34).

Laborers. Oholiab was entrusted with the task of assisting Bezalel, while the other artisans labored with them. They were willing workers skilled in woodwork, metalwork, needlework and gemwork. See Exodus 36 for additional details about the laborers.

List. There were three sets of objects that made up the tabernacle. First were the stands, rings and curtains that marked the outer courtyard. Second, the objects in the courtyard included the bronze altar and the water laver for washing. Finally, there was the covered inner dwelling that included the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The details for each of these areas are found in the chapters that follow this passage.

I’d like to recommend Mishkan Galleries in Theodore to our readers visiting or living in the Mobile area. This beautiful location provides guests an opportunity to view full-scale artifacts that represent the type of artistry called for in Exodus.