Exodus 37

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:31:15utc

The making of the inner sanctum furniture

37:1-29

This chapter deals entirely with the making of the furniture for the two rooms in the sanctuary. The articles described are: the ark (vs. 1-5); the atonement cover for the ark (vs. 6-9); the table with its plates and dishes and bowls and its pitchers (vs. 10-16); the lampstand (vs. 17-24); the altar for the burning of incense (vs. 25-28); and finally, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the gold altar. (vs. 29).

The vs. 1-9 are all in the third person singular, referring to Bezalel. From vs. 10 on every verse is in the third person plural. "They" must refer to the group of craftsmen that stood under the supervision of Bezalel and Oholiab. It is interesting to see that the making of the ark was entrusted to one person only: Bezalel. We read about him that God had "filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship."[ 1 ] It must have been an awesome responsibility for one man to make that which was to represent the throne of God in heaven from which the whole universe is ruled. He was also to prepare the place of which God Himself had said: "There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites."[ 2 ] Bezalel must have been one of the most unusual artists who ever lived.

The vs. 1-5 follow to the letter the instructions God gave to Moses about the making of the ark in ch. 25:10-14. It was as if Bezalel had the blue print before him and he looked at it continuously as he was carrying out the instructions. We have seen before that TLB translates the measurements in units that we can understand, making the ark a chest 3 ¾ feet long, 2 ¼ feet wide, and 2 ¼ feet high. In metric measures that would be approximately 115 x 70 x 70 cm, a rather moderate size. The impressive feature of the ark was not its size but the material used. The acacia wood was not a very valuable substance. It was one of the more ordinary kinds of wood for multiple purpose use. Since the ark was a symbol of the Incarnation, we may draw the line between this piece of furniture and the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can say that, from a human viewpoint, there was nothing unusual about Christ's body. He must have been a man of average height, who distinguished Himself in nothing from the average Israelite of His day. What set Him apart was the glory of God. In working on the ark, Bezalel painted a portrait of the Word of God who became flesh. We can hardly presume that this man would have understood what he was actually doing, but his artistic intuition may have told him that the object he worked on was more than a wooden chest covered with gold; that it was something that went far beyond his human comprehension.

Vs. 6-9 describe the making of the atonement cover out of pure gold, with the image of two cherubim, or angels on either end of the cover. TLB uses the words "guardian angels" here. These verses, also, follow to the letter the instructions given to Moses in ch. 25:17-20. We are told that the cherubim were of one piece with the cover. The technique for the making of this cover is not revealed to us. The cherubim were of "hammered gold." Whether this means that no mold was used in the making of the cover, we don't know. It is unlikely that the figures were engraved upon the lid, as some commentators assume. The fact that they are looking toward each other and are facing the cover gives the impression that they were either standing up or kneeling down on top of the cover. In the unlikely event that the lost ark will ever be found, we will know what it looks like.

We know very little about the meaning of the name cherubim. Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary writes about them: "winged angelic beings, often associated with worship and praise of God. The cherubim are first mentioned in the Bible in <Genesis 3:24>. When God drove Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, He placed cherubim at the east of the garden, 'and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.'" … And: "Symbolic representations of cherubim were used in the tabernacle in the wilderness. Two cherubim made of gold were stationed at the two ends of the Mercy Seat, above the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies <Ex. 25:17-22; 1 Chr. 28:18; Heb. 9:5>. Artistic designs of cherubim decorated the ten curtains <Ex. 26:1; 36:8> and the veil <Ex. 26:31; 2 Chr. 3:14> of the tabernacle." It is obvious that there is a whole hierarchy of heavenly beings we know little about, except for, in some cases, the names.

In this instance, also, Bezalel made something that was far beyond his own comprehension. He was probably aware of God's Word to Moses that the atonement cover was the dwelling place of the Shekinah glory and the very name "atonement cover" was to convey the thought that it was the place where God would deal with the sins of His people. Of the mystery of salvation in Jesus Christ, of whom this piece of art was a representation, he cannot have known anything. The Greek word the Septuagint uses for the atonement cover is hilasterion, which is the word Paul uses in Romans when he says that God presented him [Jesus] as a sacrifice of atonement.[ 3 ] The KJV uses here the word "propitiation" as the translation for the Greek hilasterion. What Bezalel made in the form of a precious metal was the very essence of the Incarnation. In Jesus Christ God and man came together and this man made atonement for the sin of the world by pouring out His soul into death. On the Day of Atonement the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice upon the atonement cover,[ 4 ] in a symbolic gesture to point toward the time when God would deal with the sin of mankind in a complete and final way.

The teamwork begins with the making of the table. From here on the personal pronoun "they" is used instead of "he." The NIV is the only translation, however, that makes this transition. The Hebrew does not specify anything, since the personal pronoun in implied in the verb. Now we move back into the first chamber of the tent, the place that is called the Holy Place. The account of the making of the table corresponds exactly with the instructions given in ch. 25:23-29. There is no indication as to how this table was used while Israel was in the desert. Grain for baking bread was not available until the people entered Canaan. We read nowhere that, during their forty years' journey in the desert, the manna was used to make the shew bread, but this was probably the case. The main purpose of the table was the exhibition of the shew bread. But the table was, obviously, used for other purposes also, since we are told that "they made from pure gold the articles for the table-- its plates and dishes and bowls and its pitchers for the pouring out of drink offerings." There is no further explanation about these utensils. From New Unger's Bible Dictionary, we copy the following about the table and the bread: "The table of the bread of the Presence, or showbread (Heb. shulhan lehem panim, 'table of the face,' i.e., of Jehovah) was placed on the N, or right, side, facing the lampstand <Exo. 40:22>. It was made of acacia wood, two cubits long, one broad, and one and one-half high. This proportion between the length and the height is accurately maintained in the sculptural form on the Arch of Titus. The surface, or top of the table, rested on a frame a handbreadth deep; around it ran a rim with a border of gold projecting above the top to keep articles from slipping off the table. The legs were apparently mortised into the sides (as is usual today), with rings near each corner for the carrying staves <25:23-30; 37:10-16>. The bread placed upon the table (Heb. 'Bread of the Presence') was made of fine wheat flour (unleavened), baked in twelve loaves (cakes), each containing one-fifth of an ephah of flour. These, according to Jewish tradition, as well as the dimensions of the table, would seem to have been placed upon plates in two piles of six each. They were renewed every Sabbath, were to be eaten by the priests exclusively (and that in the sanctuary only), and were then replaced by fresh loaves <1 Sam. 21:6>, which had been prepared overnight by the Levites <1 Chr. 9:32>. To each pile of loaves incense was added, probably placed in bowls beside the bread, for "a memorial portion for the bread, even an offering made by fire to the Lord <Lev. 24:5-9>."

In the context of this chapter, the shew bread that was exhibited on the table from Sabbath to Sabbath is not mentioned. The bread was not part of the work project this team had to carry out. But it is difficult to mention the table without making some remarks about the bread. The shew bread seems to symbolize more than one divine truth. This bread was not meant for general consumption. It remained on the table for a whole week and was eaten only by the priests after it had been replaced with the new. The first lesson to be drawn from the symbolism of the shew bread seems to be, in Moses' words: "That man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."[ 5 ] The Word of God was the instrument of creation. We owe our existence to God's speaking. We also owe our subsisting to the Word of God. The writer to the Hebrews says about Jesus that He is "sustaining all things by his powerful word."[ 6 ] But more than anything else, we owe our salvation to the Word. Jesus identifies Himself with the bread, when He says: "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."[ 7 ] The main truth expressed by the bread seems to have been the Word of God as a vital ingredient on to fellowship with God. It is this Word, whether in spoken or written form, or as revealed in the Incarnation, that draws us into communion with God. Without the Word there is no fellowship.

The next item is the making of the lampstand or the menorah. There can be no confusion as to the purpose of this lampstand; it is to produce light, God's light. The lampstand itself is made in the form of a budding, blooming and fruit-bearing almond tree. There is a trunk with seven branches on the top of which are seven lamps. This project also, is made exactly according to the specifications given earlier in ch. 25:31-38. That the lampstand portrays the Person and work of the Holy Spirit is obvious from John's report about the vision he received of the throne of God. In Revelation we read: "Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God."[ 8 ]

The most amazing feature of the lampstand is its suggestion of life and growth. The menorah represents a living tree which bears the fruit of light. The fact that God's light is represented in the symbol of a growing tree suggests that it stands for the work of the Holy Spirit through man. Israel was the steward of God's revelation in this world. In that sense the lampstand symbolized Israel as a nation.

In Zechariah's beautiful vision of the lampstand, the angel explains the meaning of it as the work of the Holy Spirit as contrasted to the force of arms of the Persian empire. "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."[ 9 ] But when Zechariah asks for the meaning of the details, he is told that they represent "the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth," meaning the High Priest Joshua and the governor Zerubbabel. We read: "Then I asked the angel, 'What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?' Again I asked him, 'What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?' He replied, 'Do you not know what these are?' 'No, my lord,' I said. So he said, 'These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.' "[ 10 ]

The same double meaning is found in Jesus' words to the New Testament believers. At one place He says: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."[ 11 ] But He also says to the believers: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."[ 12 ] So, we may conclude that the lampstand represents the supernatural element in the testimony of the child of God on earth. John sees the risen Lord in heaven, standing among seven lampstands.[ 13 ] But we also hear the Lord say to the church in Ephesus: "Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."[ 14 ] We are to be God's light in this world through the enabling of the Holy Spirit. But being a light is a growing process. It begins with a bud and opens into a bloom and finally it bears fruit. Paul expresses this truth when he says: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)."[ 15 ]

This lampstand was made of pure gold, weighing one talent, or, as the Good News Bible says: "He used seventy-five pounds of pure gold to make the lampstand and all its equipment." TLB, however, gives a different value to the "talent of pure gold." We read: "The entire lampstand weighed 107 pounds, all pure gold." Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines the talent as: "The heaviest unit of weight in the Hebrew system. The talent was used to weigh gold <2 Sam. 12:30>, silver <1 Kin. 20:39>, iron <1 Chr. 29:7>, bronze <Ex. 38:29>, and many other commodities. The common talent weighed about 3000 shekels or the full weight that a man could carry. The shekel weighed about 11.4 grams, or less than an ounce." This definition makes the talent 3000 x 11.4 grams = 34.2 kilograms or 75.24 lb."

The last item mentioned in this chapter is the altar of incense, vs. 25-29, which corresponds again exactly with the command recorded in ch. 30:1-6. The Pulpit Commentary states that the mention of this altar is "in its right place, among the furniture of the outer chamber of the tabernacle-- not, as in ch. xxx. 1-6, out of place." We commented already on the fact that there was a logical reason for postponing the mention of this altar until after the rules and regulations for the ordination of the priests were given, so it would add emphasis to the most important part of the priests' ministry.

The Good News Bible gives the measurements of this altar as follows: "It was square, 18 inches long and 18 inches wide, and it was 36 inches high." TLB concurs with these by saying: "It was 18 inches square and 3 feet high, with its corner-horns made as part of the altar so that it was all one piece."

This altar symbolized in a unique way the worship of God by man in a way that was acceptable to God. The altar stands for prayer. It is a copy of the original John saw in Revelation, where we read: "Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne."[ 16 ] The writer to the Hebrews connects this altar directly to the ark. We almost get the impression that he mistakenly puts the altar at the wrong place, behind the curtain instead of in front. We read: "Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant."[ 17 ] The idea expressed, however, is that the altar and the ark belonged together and that the curtain that separated the two was temporary.

As we said before, the most essential part of the priests' duty was to worship God; this worship was done in a symbolic way by burning incense on the golden altar. All the other pieces of furniture, especially those outside the tent, spoke of sin that had to be reconciled and of a condition that was a transient phase in the history of creation. Worship of God is eternal. We will spend eternity burning our incense before the Lord, our Creator and Redeemer. Prayer is the way our spirit interacts with the Spirit of God. There is a mistaken notion that prayer is somehow a way of communicating with God that is limited to our life on earth. The hymn writer was wrong when he saw himself taking his flight from Mount Pisgah to seize his everlasting prize, singing: "Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!"[ 18 ] Our Lord Jesus Christ spent hours and whole nights in prayer on earth, but at present, in heaven, He still intercedes for us. How could the apostle Paul otherwise say: "Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-- more than that, who was raised to life-- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us?"[ 19 ] And the author of the epistle to the Hebrews adds: "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."[ 20 ] And, finally, as we saw before, we do see the original altar of incense, of which this one was a copy, in heaven being used by saints and angels.

The incense represents more than human prayer. We read about the angel in Revelation: "he was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne." The incense is added to man's prayers as a divine element that transforms our imperfect and halting utterances before God into a sacrifice that is a delightful odor to Him. Paul refers to this divine addition when he says: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."[ 21 ] Prayer is a complicated and profound activity, the depth and effect of which we will not be able to completely understand as long as we are on this earth. We will surely have a better understanding of what we do when we pray in heaven.

No explanation is given as to the purpose of the horns of this altar. We only read that Aaron has to apply some of the blood of the sacrifice that was brought on the Day of Atonement on these horns. "Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the LORD."[ 22 ]

In addition to this last piece of furniture for the inner sanctuary, the making of the anointing oil and the incense is mentioned. The list of ingredients is not given at this point. The recipe for the anointing oil is found in ch. 30:23-25. Also the ingredients for the incense to be burnt on the altar are not repeated here; the recipe for those is found in ch. 30:34,35.

The mention of the incense at this point, right after the making of the golden altar is mentioned, seems logical, but the mention of the anointing seems out of context. The place for the oil should have been in the context of ch. 39, where the making of the priestly garments is described. The fact that the oil and incense are found here together emphasizes the divine element in the service at the golden altar. It is the priest, who has been set apart by the anointing oil who serves at this altar and burns the incense, that gives the supernatural touch to the prayers of men. If the incense mixed with human prayers exemplifies the ministry of the Holy Spirit through us, the anointing shows us that only the saints of God, those who are under the unction of the Spirit can serve at this altar. The Spirit only intercedes with groans that words cannot express for those who are filled with the Spirit.[ 23 ] How effective these prayers are and how influential in the balance of power in the heavenlies is clear when we turn again to Revelation. In the same part where the angel in heaven mixes the prayers of the saints with incense to make them rise before God, we see that those prayers have an immediate effect upon what happens on earth. "Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake." It is the prayer of God's people that make the peals of thunder roll on earth and cause the earthquakes that make the walls crumble. That is how the walls of Jericho and of Berlin came down.

[ 1 ] Ex. 35:31-33

[ 2 ] Ex. 25:22

[ 3 ] Rom. 3:25

[ 4 ] Lev. 16:14,15

[ 5 ] Deut. 8:3

[ 6 ] Heb. 1:3

[ 7 ] John 6:35

[ 8 ] Rev. 4:5

[ 9 ] Zech. 4:6

[ 10 ] Zech. 4:11-14

[ 11 ] John 8:12

[ 12 ] Matt. 5:14

[ 13 ] See Rev. 1:13, 20

[ 14 ] Rev. 2:5

[ 15 ] Eph. 5:8,9

[ 16 ] Rev. 8:3

[ 17 ] Heb. 9:3,4

[ 18 ] "Sweet Hour of Prayer" by William W. Walford

[ 19 ] Rom. 8:34

[ 20 ] Heb. 7:25

[ 21 ] Rom. 8:26

[ 22 ] Ex. 30:10. (See also Lev. 16:18)

[ 23 ] See Rom. 8:26