In our study of Exodus chapter thirty eight, we see the details of the construction of the courtyard and an inventory of the materials used in all of the construction.
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He made the altar for burnt offerings of acacia-wood, seven-and-a-half feet long and seven-and-a-half feet wide - it was square - and four-and-a-half feet high. He made horns for it on its four corners, the horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze. He made all the utensils for the altar -its pots, shovels, basins, meat-hooks and fire pans; all its utensils he made of bronze. He made for the altar a grate of bronze netting, under its rim, reaching halfway up the altar. He cast four rings for the four ends of the bronze grate to hold the poles. He made the poles of acacia-wood and overlaid them with bronze. He put the carrying-poles into the rings on the sides of the altar; he made it of planks and hollow inside.
Now. we see the construction of the altar for burnt offerings and we are reminded that this altar stood in the courtyard between the courtyard entrance and the entrance to the tabernacle. We see that the construction is much like the furnishings for inside the tabernacle but the acacia wood was covered with bronze instead of gold.
He made the basin of bronze with its base of bronze from the mirrors of the women serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
Now, we see the construction of the bronze basin where the priests would wash before ministering and we see new details. We see that the basin had mirrors on it and these mirrors were donated by the women that served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Although we do not know how these women were ministering, we do see that they willingly gave up there mirrors for this construction project.
He made the courtyard. On the south side, facing southward, the tapestries for the courtyard were made of finely woven linen, 150 feet long, supported on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets; the hooks on the posts and the attached rings for hanging were of silver. On the north side they were 150 feet long, hung on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets, with the hooks on the posts and their rings of silver. On the west side were tapestries seventy-five feet long, hung on ten posts in ten sockets, with the hooks on the posts and their rings of silver.
Once again, we see the construction of three sides of the courtyard and it consisted of basically a fabric fence with posts that held up the fabric. The courtyard was rectangular with the two longer sides twice as long as the shorter sides.
On the east side were tapestries seventy-five feet long. The tapestries for the one side were twenty-two-and-a-half feet long, hung on three posts in three sockets; likewise for the other side - on either side were tapestries twenty-two-and-a-half feet long on three posts in three sockets. All the tapestries for the courtyard, all the way around, were of finely woven linen; the sockets for the posts were of bronze; the hooks on the posts and their rings were of silver; the capitals of the posts were overlaid with silver; and all the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver. The screen for the gateway to the courtyard was the work of a weaver in colors, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. Its length was thirty feet and its height seven-and-a-half feet all the way along, like the tapestries of the courtyard. It had four posts in four bronze sockets, with silver hooks, capitals overlaid with silver and silver fasteners. The tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard around it were of bronze.
Next, we see the construction of the east side of the courtyard where the only entrance was located. This is a reminder that their is really only one way to enter worship and that is the way that God desires which speaks of Yeshua Messiah. We also see that bronze pegs were used to hold the covering over the tent of meeting as well as the posts that held up the fabric fence which reminds us that our worship must be anchored in the word of God.
These are the accounts of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, recorded, as Moshe ordered, by the L'vi'im under the direction of Itamar the son of Aharon, the cohen. B'tzal'el the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Y'hudah, made everything that ADONAI ordered Moshe to make. Assisting him was Oholi'av the son of Achisamakh, of the tribe of Dan, who was an engraver, a designer and a weaver in colors - in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and in fine linen.
Here, we see that it was the Levites that constructed the tabernacle and we are reminded that all of the priests were Levites but not all of the Levites were priests. We also see that the tabernacle is called the tabernacle of testimony and this reminds us that this structure would be a testimony that God was with the people of Israel.
All the gold used for the work in everything needed for the sanctuary, the gold of the offering, weighed 29 talents 730 shekels, using the sanctuary shekel. The silver given by the community weighed 100 talents 1,775 shekels, using the sanctuary shekel. This was a beka per person, that is, half a shekel, using the sanctuary shekel, for everyone twenty years old or older counted in the census, 603,550 men. The hundred talents of silver were used to cast the sockets for the sanctuary and the sockets for the curtain - one hundred sockets made from the hundred talents, one talent per socket. The 1,775 shekels he used to make hooks for the posts, to overlay their capitals and to make fasteners for them. The bronze in the offering came to 4,680 pounds. He used it to make the sockets for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar, its bronze grate, all the utensils for the altar, the sockets for the courtyard around it, the sockets for the gateway to the courtyard, all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and all the tent pegs for the courtyard around it.
Finally, we see the inventory of the metals that were used in construction of the tabernacle and we are reminded that God had caused the Egyptians to give His people this stuff as they were leaving the country. We also see that the count of the men that were at least 20 years old was 603,550 and we see how God multiplied His people during their exile in Egypt. We also see that this large transfer of wealth from the Egyptians to God's people was used for worship and not just to make them wealthy.
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