And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:
And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about.
And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it.
And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.
And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.
And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat;
One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims.
And he made the table of shittim wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof:
And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereunto a crown of gold round about.
Also he made thereunto a border of an handbreadth round about; and made a crown of gold for the border thereof round about.
And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings upon the four corners that were in the four feet thereof.
Over against the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table.
And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table.
And he made the vessels which were upon the table, his dishes, and his spoons, and his bowls, and his covers to cover withal, of pure gold.
And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same:
And six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof:
Three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knop and a flower: so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick.
And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops, and his flowers:
And a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches going out of it.
Their knops and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure gold.
And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuffdishes, of pure gold.
Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof.
And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns thereof were of the same.
And he overlaid it with pure gold, both the top of it, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it: also he made unto it a crown of gold round about.
And he made two rings of gold for it under the crown thereof, by the two corners of it, upon the two sides thereof, to be places for the staves to bear it withal.
And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.
And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary.
I. The ark of the covenant, Exodus 37:1-9. The mercy-seat was its cover, and was typical of Christ, the great propitiation. There he would meet with his people, and manifest his glory.
II. The table on which the show-bread was to be set, Exodus 37:10-16.
III. The golden candlestick, Exodus 37:17-24. These were to be put in the holy place, to give light to those who ministered there.
IV. The altar of incense, Exodus 37:25-29. On this they were to burn incense every morning and evening, near the ark, as a memorial before the Lord, typifying the mediation of Christ, and the prayers of the saints which are acceptable to God through him.
Exodus 37 details the meticulous craftsmanship of Bezaleel and his team as they brought to life the divine blueprint for the tabernacle. It's a powerful testament to obedience and the importance of following God's instructions precisely. As Hebrews 8:5 reminds us, everything was made according to the pattern shown to Moses on the mountain, echoing the sentiment in Exodus 39:42: "They did all as the Lord commanded Moses." This serves as a timeless principle: all of God's work must be done according to His will, with a sense of accountability to Him. Exodus 37 serves as a vivid illustration that the skilled workers also made everything related to the tabernacle exactly as God commanded. The description of each item repeats the instructions Moses received from God. Each item was constructed according to the divine plan: the ark (37:1-9; cp. 25:10-22), the table (37:10-16; cp. 25:23-30), the lampstand (37:17-24; cp. 25:31-40), the altar of incense (37:25-28; cp. 30:1-5), the altar of burnt offering (38:1-7; cp. 27:1-8), the bronze basin (38:8; 30:17-21), and the courtyard (38:9-20; cp. 27:9-19).
The Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 37:1-9)
The ark, a symbol of God's presence and covenant with His people, was crafted with precision. Crucially, the mercy seat served as its cover. This mercy seat was typical of Christ, the great propitiation. It was there, above the ark, that God promised to meet with His people and manifest His glory, providing a place of atonement and reconciliation.
The Table of Showbread (Exodus 37:10-16)
The construction of the table for the showbread is also described. This table, placed in the holy place, held the bread that symbolized God's provision and the ongoing covenant relationship.
The Golden Lampstand (Exodus 37:17-24)
The golden lampstand, designed to provide light within the holy place for those ministering there, is detailed. Its intricate design and constant illumination served as a symbol of God's light and guidance.
The Altar of Incense (Exodus 37:25-29)
Finally, the altar of incense is presented. This altar, positioned near the ark, was where incense was burned every morning and evening, serving as a memorial before the Lord. It beautifully foreshadows the mediation of Christ and the prayers of the saints, which are made acceptable to God through Him. The rising incense symbolizes the lifting up of prayers to God.
And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:
And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about.
And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it.
And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.
And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.
And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat;
One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims.
And he made the table of shittim wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof:
And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereunto a crown of gold round about.
Also he made thereunto a border of an handbreadth round about; and made a crown of gold for the border thereof round about.
And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings upon the four corners that were in the four feet thereof.
Over against the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table.
And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table.
And he made the vessels which were upon the table, his dishes, and his spoons, and his bowls, and his covers to cover withal, of pure gold.
And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same:
And six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof:
Three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knop and a flower: so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick.
And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops, and his flowers:
And a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches going out of it.
Their knops and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure gold.
And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuffdishes, of pure gold.
Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof.
And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns thereof were of the same.
And he overlaid it with pure gold, both the top of it, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it: also he made unto it a crown of gold round about.
And he made two rings of gold for it under the crown thereof, by the two corners of it, upon the two sides thereof, to be places for the staves to bear it withal.
And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.
And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary.
I. The ark of the covenant, Exodus 37:1-9. The mercy-seat was its cover, and was typical of Christ, the great propitiation. There he would meet with his people, and manifest his glory.
II. The table on which the show-bread was to be set, Exodus 37:10-16.
III. The golden candlestick, Exodus 37:17-24. These were to be put in the holy place, to give light to those who ministered there.
IV. The altar of incense, Exodus 37:25-29. On this they were to burn incense every morning and evening, near the ark, as a memorial before the Lord, typifying the mediation of Christ, and the prayers of the saints which are acceptable to God through him.
Exodus 37 details the meticulous craftsmanship of Bezaleel and his team as they brought to life the divine blueprint for the tabernacle. It's a powerful testament to obedience and the importance of following God's instructions precisely. As Hebrews 8:5 reminds us, everything was made according to the pattern shown to Moses on the mountain, echoing the sentiment in Exodus 39:42: "They did all as the Lord commanded Moses." This serves as a timeless principle: all of God's work must be done according to His will, with a sense of accountability to Him. Exodus 37 serves as a vivid illustration that the skilled workers also made everything related to the tabernacle exactly as God commanded. The description of each item repeats the instructions Moses received from God. Each item was constructed according to the divine plan: the ark (37:1-9; cp. 25:10-22), the table (37:10-16; cp. 25:23-30), the lampstand (37:17-24; cp. 25:31-40), the altar of incense (37:25-28; cp. 30:1-5), the altar of burnt offering (38:1-7; cp. 27:1-8), the bronze basin (38:8; 30:17-21), and the courtyard (38:9-20; cp. 27:9-19).
The Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 37:1-9)
The ark, a symbol of God's presence and covenant with His people, was crafted with precision. Crucially, the mercy seat served as its cover. This mercy seat was typical of Christ, the great propitiation. It was there, above the ark, that God promised to meet with His people and manifest His glory, providing a place of atonement and reconciliation.
The Table of Showbread (Exodus 37:10-16)
The construction of the table for the showbread is also described. This table, placed in the holy place, held the bread that symbolized God's provision and the ongoing covenant relationship.
The Golden Lampstand (Exodus 37:17-24)
The golden lampstand, designed to provide light within the holy place for those ministering there, is detailed. Its intricate design and constant illumination served as a symbol of God's light and guidance.
The Altar of Incense (Exodus 37:25-29)
Finally, the altar of incense is presented. This altar, positioned near the ark, was where incense was burned every morning and evening, serving as a memorial before the Lord. It beautifully foreshadows the mediation of Christ and the prayers of the saints, which are made acceptable to God through Him. The rising incense symbolizes the lifting up of prayers to God.