Exodus 37

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. ^[a] 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. ^[b] 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 ^[c] made the table of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high. ^[d] 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 ^[e] 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 and hammered it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms were of one piece with it. 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 ^[f] 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 ^[g] —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 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.

Observation and Application

God gives his people very specific instructions. A place for everything and everything in it's place. Sounds like He has nothing better to do than boss people around. Sitting on His thrown, bored, what can He think up to amuse Himself. On the surface this may be the only thing a person might be able to come up with. Look deeper. If you desire a closer relationship with the Father you have to. You have to look deeper. Go deeper. Farther down the rabbit hole if you will.

These instructions in Exodus 37 are not merely busy work. They are an exercise in discipline, obedience, patience. These were the directions on how to construct the Ark of the Covenant. God's throne in His dwelling place in the Tabernacle. In order for God to be with His chosen people they needed to follow His specific, good and perfect instruction.

This is where this chapter can be applied to our lives. Pay attention to what God has laid out for us. Follow His details. Be disciplined in the pursuit of His will and enjoy the fruit of that obedience; quality time with the Father. Of course we don't have to go through the process of constructing our own Ark, our own Tabernacle. Jesus' work on the cross tore that separation away. Now we can boldly go before the Father and enjoy His presence, His peace. However, this is not done without listening to Him and following His instruction.

Prayer

Father I pray, in the name of Jesus, you would show me your will. Show me where you want me to go. Give me a finely detailed plan. Continue to instill in me the wisdom to follow that plan, that I may enjoy the fruits of your discipline and obedience. Refine my heart o Gos, make as pure gold in your sight! Amen.