Exodus 36:8-38 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Exodus 36:8-38. Let’s go!
Exodus 36:8-38 (NIV)
8 All the skilled men among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim worked into them by a skilled craftsman.
9 All the curtains were the same size–twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide.
10 They joined five of the curtains together and did the same with the other five.
11 Then they made loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and the same was done with the end curtain in the other set.
12 They also made fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other.
13 Then they made fifty gold clasps and used them to fasten the two sets of curtains together so that the tabernacle was a unit.
14 They made curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle–eleven altogether.
15 All eleven curtains were the same size–thirty cubits long and four cubits wide.
16 They joined five of the curtains into one set and the other six into another set.
17 Then they made fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the other set.
18 They made fifty bronze clasps to fasten the tent together as a unit.
19 Then they made for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of hides of sea cows.
20 They made upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle.
21 Each frame was ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide,
22 with two projections set parallel to each other. They made all the frames of the tabernacle in this way.
23 They made twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle
24 and made forty silver bases to go under them–two bases for each frame, one under each projection.
25 For the other side, the north side of the tabernacle, they made twenty frames
26 and forty silver bases–two under each frame.
27 They made six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle,
28 and two frames were made for the corners of the tabernacle at the far end.
29 At these two corners the frames were double from the bottom all the way to the top and fitted into a single ring; both were made alike.
30 So there were eight frames and sixteen silver bases–two under each frame.
31 They also made crossbars of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle,
32 five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle.
33 They made the center crossbar so that it extended from end to end at the middle of the frames.
34 They overlaid the frames with gold and made gold rings to hold the crossbars. They also overlaid the crossbars with gold.
35 They made the curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman.
36 They made four posts of acacia wood for it and overlaid them with gold. They made gold hooks for them and cast their four silver bases.
37 For the entrance to the tent they made a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen–the work of an embroiderer;
38 and they made five posts with hooks for them. They overlaid the tops of the posts and their bands with gold and made their five bases of bronze.
On verses 8-38: When I read these verses I’m once again struck by how intricate, intentional and detailed was the work that went into the tabernacle. God’s original designs for the tabernacle were full of intricate details, and He entrusted those designs into the “expert hands” (v8) of Bezalel, Oholiab and the skilled craftspeople they worked with (v1, 8).
Just as the tabernacle was made up of different parts, each with its own purpose and function, so the church today is made of different parts, each with its own purpose and function. As 1 Corinthians 12 teaches us:
1 Corinthians 12:12 (NIV)
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:14 (NIV)
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
1 Corinthians 12:27 (NIV)
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Whether it was a strand of yarn (v8), a curtain (v9), a curtain loop (v12), a gold clasp (v13), a wooden frame (v20), a silver base (v24), a wooden crossbar (v31), a post or a hook (v36), it would be tough to understand the purpose and function of any one part when seen in isolation. It’s only when you see how one small part fits into the bigger whole that you can more fully appreciate that part’s usefulness, beauty and value.
Likewise, it is tough to understand your purpose and function just by seeing yourself in isolation. You need to see how you as one small part fit into the bigger picture. When you do, that’s when you’ll more fully appreciate your purpose, your usefulness, your beauty and your value.
You don’t figure out what your purpose is just by looking at yourself in isolation, but by looking at how you fit into a much larger picture.
Father, thank You for making me to be part of something much bigger than just myself. You made me to be part of Your family, a team, a bigger body called Your church. I pray that You would help every person reading this GAME sharing today to see more clearly how they fit into the bigger body called Your house and thus better appreciate their own purpose, usefulness, beauty and value. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
