¹ “Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and ¹blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. ² “The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall have the same measurements. ³ “Five curtains shall be joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be joined to one another. ⁴ “You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set, and likewise you shall make them on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. ⁵ “You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite each other. ⁶ “You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the ²tabernacle will be a unit.

When it came to doing God’s work, He wanted the Israelites to put their best effort into it. He didn’t want just anyone to make the tabernacle. He wanted the best workman available. He has given us talents too, and He wants us to use them to the best of our ability. We may not think too much of ourselves at times, but when we do it for Him, He will do something amazing with our talents.

³¹ “Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. ³² “Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its other side. ³³ “Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in the one branch, a ²bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bulb and a flower–so for six branches going out from the lampstand; ³⁴ and in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers.³⁵ “A bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. ³⁶ “Their bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold. ³⁷ “Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it. ³⁸ “Its snuffers and their trays shall be of pure gold. ³⁹ “It shall be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. ⁴⁰ “See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.

The lamp was made to shed light on the space in front of it. In other words, it was made for going forward. Which is the direction God always wants us to be looking. He doesn’t want us to dwell on the past, but to always keep looking forward (and moving that way also).

²³ “You shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long and one cubit wide and one and a half cubits high. ²⁴“You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold border around it. ²⁵ “You shall make for it a rim of a handbreadth around it; and you shall make a gold border for the rim around it. ²⁶ “You shall make four gold rings for it and put rings on the four corners which are on its four feet. ²⁷ “The rings shall be close to the rim as holders for the poles to carry the table. ²⁸ “You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that with them the table may be carried. ²⁹ “You shall make its dishes and its pans and its jars and its bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. ³⁰ “You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.

God never sleeps, and He expected the Israelites to be cognizant of this at all times. Thus they were to have the bread of the Presence on the table at all times. He is fully aware of us at all times, and we should not fail to remember this. As Paul said in the New Testament, we are to pray without ceasing. Maybe not literally, but as much as we possibly can.

¹⁰ “They shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. ¹¹ “You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it. ¹² “You shall cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it. ¹³ “You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ “You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. ¹⁵ “The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. ¹⁶ “You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.

¹⁷ “You shall make a ¹mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. ¹⁸“You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹“Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. ²⁰ “The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. ²¹“You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. ²² “There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.

God told Moses that the cherubim were to be made of one piece. Why? He didn’t want something that was pieced together. He wanted it to be skillfully made, and done properly. He didn’t want the craftsman to take the easy way out. He wanted things done right. So it is with our lives. Often there are two options: an easy way, and the right way. The right way is often difficult, but everything we do, we are to do as unto God. So do it the right way, no matter what it is, as an act of worship unto God.

¹ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution. ³ “This is the contribution which you are to raise from them: gold, silver and bronze, ⁴ blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, ⁵ rams’ skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood, ⁶ oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, ⁷onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece. ⁸ “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. ⁹ “According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.

Often times, when it comes to giving, people think it’s a forced thing, that they have to give, or God won’t be happy with them. We talk about tithing being ten percent of our income, and think that He will be pleased so long as we follow that rule. But that’s not what we see here. God wanted the Israelites to give from their hearts. He wanted a sincere gift, that was not coerced. He wants the same from us. Yes, ten percent is a good guideline. But don’t let that hold back your giving. Give from your heart.

¹² Now the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.” ¹³ So Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. ¹⁴ But to the elders he said, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal matter, let him approach them.” ¹⁵ Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. ¹⁶ The glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷ And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. ¹⁸ Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

The glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire. That’s exactly what God wants to be in our lives. He wants to consume all the sin, and burn it away. He wants us to return to a pure relationship with Him. He created us specifically for that relationship. To fellowship with God Himself. So let Him be that consuming fire in your life.

¹ Then He said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance. ² “Moses alone, however, shall come near to the LORD, but they shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him.”

³ Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!” ⁴ Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ He sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD. ⁶ Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. ⁷ Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” ⁸ So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

⁹ Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, ¹⁰ and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹ Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank.

In those days, it was a pretty big deal to even be allowed to talk to God, much less to see Him at a distance. So it’s a bit amazing that the New Testament tells us to boldly approach the throne of God. No, we can’t actually come see God, but we can talk to Him directly, without mediation. Even the princes of Israel and the priests could not do that, but through Jesus, we have that privilege. Don’t be bashful, talk to Him. All the time, and about everything. That’s what He created us for, and that’s what He desires.

²⁰ “Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. ²¹ “Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. ²² “But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. ²³ “For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. ²⁴ “You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces. ²⁵ “But you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst. ²⁶ “There shall be no one miscarrying or barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. ²⁷ “I will send My terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. ²⁸ “I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. ²⁹ “I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. ³⁰ “I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land. ³¹ “I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. ³² “You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. ³³ “They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

God wanted them to be extra careful when dealing with the ‘gods’ that the inhabitants of the land served. He knew it would be a temptation, because they would be new and novel. So He warned them not to make any compromises or covenants with them or their gods. In the same way, we must be careful of our associations, and where we spend our time. Don’t compromise, and don’t let your relationship with non-believers influence your faith.

¹⁴ “Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. ¹⁵ “You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. ¹⁶ “Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. ¹⁷ “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

¹⁸ “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor is the fat of My feast to remain overnight until morning.

¹⁹ “You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God.

“You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother.

God wanted them to remember what He had done for them, thus the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He didn’t want excuses, He just wanted them to remember how He saved them from Egypt with many miracles. Take a moment, think what God has done for you. Have you thought about it lately? Have you thanked Him for it lately?

¹⁰ “You shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, ¹¹ but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

¹² “Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as your stranger, may refresh themselves. ¹³“Now concerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth.

God knew the allure and the enticement of serving ‘other gods’. It seems that whatever you aren’t doing is always more fun then what you have been doing. So God warned them not to even talk about or mention the name of other gods. If you talk about something, you can start dwelling on it. And if you do that, pretty soon it will lure you in, and you can let down your guard much easier. So focus on God, the one true God, and stay on the path He has set for you.