Exodus 25:1 - Meaning and Application

We can suppose that when Moses went into the middle of the cloud and stayed there so long, with the holy angels around the shechinah, or divine glory, he saw and heard wonderful things about the world above. But these things were not lawful to repeat, and they were more than human speech could hold. So, in the record he kept of that meeting, he does not try to satisfy curious people who pry into things they have not seen. He writes only what he was meant to tell the children of Israel.

Scripture is meant to guide our duty, not to feed speculation or entertain our imaginations. In these verses, God tells Moses his general purpose, that the children of Israel were to build him a sanctuary, because he planned to live among them (Exodus 25:8). Some think that although altars and groves were used for worship before this, no nation had yet built a house or temple for sacred use until Moses raised this tabernacle, a portable holy tent. They also think that later heathen temples took their pattern from this one.

God had chosen Israel to be his special people, above all other nations, the people among whom divine revelation and true religion would be kept and established. He himself would be their King. As their King, he had already given them laws for their own life and for dealing with one another, along with broad rules for worship based on reason and the law of nature, especially in the Ten Commandments and the explanations that follow them. But that was not enough to set them apart from other nations, or to fully answer the covenant by which God would be their God.

So, first, he orders a royal palace to be built among them for himself, here called a sanctuary, a holy place, or a dwelling. Jeremiah says, “A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary” (Jeremiah 17:12). This sanctuary is to be seen in two ways. It was ceremonial, fitting the rest of that covenant system, which consisted in outward rules and rites (Hebrews 9:10). That is why it is called a worldly sanctuary (Hebrews 9:1). There God held court as Israel’s King.

There he showed his presence among them. It was meant to be a sign that he was truly in their midst, so they would never again need to ask, “Is the Lord among us or not?” And because they lived in tents in the wilderness, this royal palace was also made into a tent, so it could travel with them. That showed how kindly God lowered himself to their condition. There he also required his people to come and honor him. They had to come there to ask for his guidance, bring their sacrifices, and gather as one people to show respect to the God of Israel.

The sanctuary was also a type, or picture, of greater spiritual realities. The holy places made by human hands were copies of the true ones (Hebrews 9:24). The gospel church is the true tabernacle that the Lord set up, not man (Hebrews 8:2). The body of Christ, in and by which he made atonement, was the greater and more perfect tabernacle (Hebrews 9:11). “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” as if in a tabernacle.

Second, when Moses was to set up this palace, he first needed to know where to get the materials and what pattern to follow. He could not design it by his own skill or pay for it himself, so God directed him in both matters. The people were to supply the materials, not by a forced tax, but by a willing gift. This is the first instruction given here.

God said, “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering.” There was every reason for them to do so. It was God himself who had enlarged them and enriched them with the spoils of Egypt. He had told them to borrow, and he had moved the Egyptians to lend, so their wealth had come from him. It was fitting, then, that they should give it back to him and use it for his service, as a thankful response to his kindness.

The best use of our earthly wealth is to honor God with it in acts of worship and mercy. And when God gives us notable success in our work, when we have had, as we say, a good turn, it is reasonable to do something extra for his glory, setting apart part of our gain for the Lord of all the earth (Micah 4:13). The sanctuary they were to build was for their own good and comfort, so they should not resent the cost. They could well afford to give generously for God’s honor while living at free expense, with food for themselves and their families raining down from heaven each day. We too must admit that all we have comes from God’s generosity, and therefore all we have should be used for his glory. Since we live on him, we must live for him.

This offering was to be given freely and from the heart. That means, first, nothing was fixed in advance as to what or how much each person must give. It was left to their generosity, so they could show their goodwill toward God’s house and its service, and so that holy eagerness in a few could stir up many (2 Corinthians 9:2). We should ask not only, “What must we do?” but also, “What may we do for God?” Second, whatever they gave, they were to give cheerfully, not unwillingly, because God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). What is spent in God’s service should be counted as well spent.

The items they were to offer are named here (Exodus 25:3-7), and all of them were suitable for the tabernacle and its service. Some note that gold, silver, and bronze were provided, but no iron. Iron is the metal of war, and this was to be a house of peace. Everything given was rich, fine, and the best of its kind, because God, who is best, should have the best.

God himself would provide the pattern: “According to all that I show you” (Exodus 25:9). God showed Moses an exact model in miniature, and Moses had to follow it in every detail. Ezekiel saw the form and design of the house in a vision in the same way (Ezekiel 43:11). Whatever is done in God’s service must be done by his direction, and not otherwise. But God did not only show Moses the model, he also gave him detailed instructions for shaping the tabernacle according to it, part by part, and he goes over those instructions clearly in this chapter and the next.

When Moses began Genesis, he gave a very short account of the creation of the world. It is a vast and wonderful work, full of many details, yet he did not describe it at length, as human wisdom might have expected from a writer guided by God. But when he comes to describe the tabernacle, he does so with great care and exactness.

The same God who did not tell us the lines and circles of the globe, the earth’s diameter, or the size of the stars, does tell us the exact measurements of every board and curtain of the tabernacle. The reason is clear: God values his church and his appointed religion more highly than all the rest of the world. Scripture was not given to explain the works of nature in detail. A general view of creation is enough to lead us to know and serve the Creator. Instead, Scripture was written to show us the way of grace, and the things that can be known only by divine revelation.

For the same reason, the future happiness of God’s people is described more fully as a new Jerusalem than as new heavens and a new earth.