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Exodus 38:21–31
“These are the records of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest” (v. 21).
Lavish generosity characterized the response of the Israelites when they obeyed the command to contribute the raw materials needed to build the tabernacle. They gave so much that it got in the way of the sanctuary’s construction, and the people had to be told to stop bringing their gold, fabrics, and so on long before the tabernacle was completed (Ex. 35:4–9; 36:2–7). Today’s passage gives the precise quantity of the precious metals that the Israelites contributed.
Moses begins by noting that the records of the tabernacle contributions were composed by “the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest” (Ex. 38:21). It makes sense that the Levites would keep this record, for they were tasked with care for the tabernacle and the worship that took place there (Num. 1:47–54). It was part of their job to make sure that everything was done properly and thus that a sufficient quantity of metal was contributed. Ithamar, who was in line to succeed Aaron as high priest (see 1 Chron. 24:2), was an obvious choice to supervise this inventory work, since he would be one of the leading priests in Israel.
Next, Moses informs us again that Bezalel and Oholiab played leading roles in the building of the tabernacle. This is now the fourth time that these two craftsmen have been mentioned together as builders of the sanctuary (Ex. 38:22–23; see Ex. 31:1–11; 35:30–35; 36:1–2). We should not miss the important point of this repetition. Moses tells us the tribal affiliations of Bezalel and Oholiab, who were not from the tribe of Levi but were from Judah and Dan, respectively (Ex. 38:22–23). This showed the Israelites that even though the Levites had charge over the sanctuary, building it had been the work of other Israelite tribes as well. Thus, worship was an obligation of all the people, not just the clergy. That remains true today. Although not everyone is called to pastoral ministry (Acts 6:4; 1 Tim. 3:1–7), participation in worship is the duty of every Christian.
Translating the weights of the metals given into modern equivalents, we find that the Israelites contributed upwards of about 2,200 pounds of gold, 7,500 pounds of silver, and 5,300 pounds of bronze (Ex. 38:24–31). These are enormous quantities, and they help demonstrate that the tabernacle was built according to the exact specifications given. As one commentator puts it, Israel “cut no corners” in constructing the sanctuary.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The New Testament does not give us precise instructions for church buildings, but we can learn something from today’s passage. We might be tempted to build structures on the cheap, seeking to spend as little money as possible. Yet while we should be good stewards and not overburden our congregations with construction costs, the list of materials used in today’s passage suggests that economy should not necessarily be our sole consideration.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
- 1 Chronicles 29:1–9
- 2 Chronicles 3:8–9
- Ezra 2:68–69
- Revelation 21:9–21