CompleteConcise
What should have been said and done upon Moses' coming downthe first time from the mount, if the golden calf had not broken the measuresand put all into disorder, now at last, when with great difficultyreconciliation was made, begins to be said and done; and that great affair ofthe setting up of God's worship is put into its former channel again, and goeson now without interruption. I. Moses gives Israel those instructions, receivedfrom God, which required immediate observance. 1. Concerning the sabbath (v.1-3). 2. Concerning the contribution that was to be made for the erecting of thetabernacle (v. 4-9). 3. Concerning the framing of the tabernacle and theutensils of it (v. 10-19). II. The people bring in their contributions (v. 20-29).III. The head-workmen are nominated (v. 30, etc.).
It was said in general (ch. 34:32), Moses gave them incommandment all that the Lord has spoken with him. But, the erecting andfurnishing of the tabernacle being the work to which they were now immediatelyto apply themselves, there is particular mention of the orders given concerningit.
I. All the congregation is summoned to attend (v. 1); that is,the heads and rulers of the congregation, the representatives of the severaltribes, who must receive instructions from Moses as he had received them fromthe Lord, and must communicate them to the people. Thus John, being commanded towrite to the seven churches what had been revealed to him, writes it to theangels, or ministers, of the churches.
II. Moses gave them in charge all that (and that only) which Godhad commanded him; thus he approved himself faithful both to God and Israel,between whom he was a messenger or mediator. If he had added, altered, ordiminished, he would have been false to both. But, both sides having reposed atrust in him, he was true to the trust; yet he was faithful as a servant only,but Christ as a Son, Heb. 3:5, 6.
III. He begins with the law of the sabbath, because that wasmuch insisted on in the instructions he had received (v. 21, 3): Six daysshall work be done, work for the tabernacle, the work of the day that wasnow to be done in its day; and they had little else to do here in thewilderness, where they had neither husbandry nor merchandise, neither food toget nor clothes to make: but on the seventh day you must not strike astroke, no, not at the tabernacle-work; the honour of the sabbath was above thatof the sanctuary, more ancient and more lasting; that must be to you a holy day,devoted to God, and not be spent in common business. It is a sabbath of rest. Itis a sabbath of sabbaths (so some read it), more honourable and excellentthan any of the other feasts, and should survive them all. A sabbath ofsabbatism, so others read it, being typical of that sabbatism or rest, bothspiritual and eternal, which remains for the people of God, Heb. 4:9. Itis a sabbath of rest, that is, in which a rest from all worldly labour must bevery carefully and strictly observed. It is a sabbath and a little sabbath, sosome of the Jews would have it read; not only observing the whole day as asabbath, but an hour before the beginning of it, and an hour after the ending ofit, which they throw in over and above out of their own time, and call alittle sabbath, to show how glad they are of the approach of the sabbath andhow loth to part with it. It is a sabbath of rest, but it is rest to the Lord,to whose honour it must be devoted. A penalty is here annexed to the breach ofit: Whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. Also a particularprohibition of kindling fires on the sabbath day for any servile work, as smith'swork, or plumbers, etc.
IV. He orders preparation to be made for the setting up of thetabernacle. Two things were to be done:
1. All that were able must contribute: Take you from amongyou an offering, v. 5. The tabernacle was to be dedicated to the honour ofGod, and used in his service; and therefore what was brought for the setting upand furnishing of that was an offering to the Lord. Our goodness extendsnot to God, but what is laid out for the support of his kingdom and interestamong men he is pleased to accept as an offering to himself; and he requiressuch acknowledgements of our receiving our all from him and such instances ofour dedicating our all to him. The rule is, Whosoever is of a willing heartlet him bring. It was not to be a tax imposed upon them, but a benevolenceor voluntary contribution, to intimate to us, (1.) That God has not made ouryoke heavy. He is a prince that does not burden his subjects with taxes, nor makethem to serve with an offering, but draws with the cords of a man,and leaves it to ourselves to judge what is right; his is a governmentthat there is no cause to complain of, for he does not rule with rigour. (2.)That God loves a cheerful giver, and is best pleased with the free-willoffering. Those services are acceptable to him that come from the willing heartof a willing people, Ps. 110:3.
2. All that were skilful must work: Every wise-hearted amongyou shall come, and make, v. 10. See how God dispenses his gifts variously;and, as every man hath received the gift, so he must minister, 1 Pt.4:10. Those that were rich must bring in materials to work on; those that wereingenious must serve the tabernacle with their ingenuity; as they needed oneanother, so the tabernacle needed them both, 1 Co. 12:7-21. The work waslikely to go on when some helped with their purses, others with their hands, andboth with a willing heart. Moses, as he had told them what must be given (v.5-9), so he gives them the general heads of what must be made (v. 11-19),that, seeing how much work was before them, they might apply themselves to itthe more vigorously, and every hand might be busy; and it gave them such an ideaof the fabric designed that they could not but long to see it finished.
Moses having made known to them the will of God, they went homeand immediately put in practice what they had heard, v. 20. O that everycongregation would thus depart from the hearing of the word of God, with a fullresolution to be doers of the same! Observe here,
I. The offerings that were brought for the service of thetabernacle (v. 21, etc.), concerning which many things may be noted. 1. It isintimated that they brought their offerings immediately; they departed to theirtents immediately to fetch their offering, and did not desire time to considerof it, lest their zeal should be cooled by delays. What duty God convinces usof, and calls us to, we should set about speedily. No season will be moreconvenient than the present season. 2. It is said that their spirits madethem willing (v. 21), and their hearts, v. 29. What they did they didcheerfully, and from a good principle. They were willing, and it was not anyexternal inducement that made them so, but their spirits. It was from aprinciple of love to God and his service, a desire of his presence with them inhis ordinances, gratitude for the great things he had done for them, faith inhis promise of what he would further do (or, at least, from the presentconsideration of these things), that they were willing to offer. What we giveand do for God is then acceptable when it comes from a good principle in theheart and spirit. 3. When it is said that as many as were willing-heartedbrought their offerings (v. 22), it should seem as if there were some who werenot, who loved their gold better than their God, and would not part with it, no,not for the service of the tabernacle. Such there are, who will be calledIsraelites, and yet will not be moved by the equity of the thing, God'sexpectations from them, and the good examples of those about them, to part withany thing for the interests of God's kingdom: they are for the true religion,provided it be cheap and will cost them nothing. 4. The offerings were of diverskinds, according as they had; those that had gold and precious stones broughtthem, not thinking any thing too good and too rich to part with for the honourof God. Those that had not precious stones to bring brought goats' hair, andrams' skins. If we cannot do as much as others for God, we must not thereforesit still and do nothing: if the meaner offerings which are according to ourability gain us not such a reputation among men, yet they shall not fail ofacceptance with God, who requires according to what a man hath, and notaccording to what he hath not, 2 Co. 8:12; 2 Ki. 5:23. Two mites from apauper were more pleasing than so many talents from a Dives. God has an eye tothe heart of the giver more than to the value of the gift. 5. Many of the thingsthey offered were their ornaments, bracelets and rings, and tablets or lockets(v. 22); and even the women parted with these. Can a maid forget herornaments? Thus far they forgot them that they preferred the beautifying ofthe sanctuary before their own adorning. Let this teach us, in general, to partwith that for God, when he calls for it, which is very dear to us, which wevalue, and value ourselves by; and particularly to lay aside our ornaments, anddeny ourselves in them, when either they occasion offence to others or feed ourown pride. If we think those gospel rules concerning our clothing too strict (1Tim. 2:9, 10; 1 Pt. 3:3, 4), I fear we should scarcely have done as theseIsraelites did. If they thought their ornaments well bestowed upon thetabernacle, shall not we think the want of ornaments well made up by the gracesof the Spirit? Prov. 1:9. 6. These rich things that they offered, we maysuppose, were mostly the spoils of the Egyptians; for the Israelites in Egyptwere kept poor, till they borrowed at parting. And we may suppose the rulers hadbetter things (v. 27), because, having more influence among the Egyptians, theyborrowed larger sums. Who would have thought that ever the wealth of Egyptshould have been so well employed? but thus God has often made the earth tohelp the woman, Rev. 12:16. It was by a special providence and promise ofGod that the Israelites got all that spoil, and therefore it was highly fit thatthey should devote a part of it to the service of that God to whom they owed itall. Let every man give according as God hath prospered him, 1 Co. 16:2.Extraordinary successes should be acknowledged by extraordinary offerings. Applyit to human learning, arts and sciences, which are borrowed, as it were, fromthe Egyptians. Those that are enriched with these must devote them to theservice of God and his tabernacle: they may be used as helps to understand thescriptures, as ornaments or handmaids to divinity. But then great care must betaken that Egypt's gods mingle not with Egypt's gold. Moses, though learnedin all the learning of the Egyptians, did not therefore pretend, in the leastinstance, to correct the pattern shown him in the mount. The furnishing of thetabernacle with the riches of Egypt was perhaps a good omen to the Gentiles,who, in the fulness of time, should be brought into the gospel tabernacle, andtheir silver and their gold with them (Isa. 60:9), and it should be said, Blessedbe Egypt my people, Isa. 19:25. 7. We may suppose that the remembrance ofthe offerings made for the golden calf made them the more forward in theseofferings. Those that had then parted with their ear-rings would not testifytheir repentance by giving the rest of their jewels to the service of God: godlysorrow worketh such a revenge, 2 Co. 7:11. And those that had kept themselvespure from that idolatry yet argued with themselves, "Were they so forwardin contributing to an idol, and shall we be backward or sneaking in ourofferings to the Lord?" Thus some good was brought even out of that evil.
II. The work that was done for the service of the tabernacle (v.25): The women did spin with their hands. Some spun fine work, of blueand purple; others coarse work, of goats' hair, and yet theirs also is said tobe done in wisdom, v. 26. As it is not only rich gifts, so it is not only finework that God accepts. Notice is here taken of the good women's work for God,as well as of Bezaleel's and Aholiab's. The meanest hand for the honour ofGod, shall have an honourable recompence. Mary's anointing of Christ's headshall be told for a memorial (Mt. 26:13); and a record is kept of the women thatlaboured in the gospel tabernacle (Phil. 4:3), and were helpers to Paul inChrist Jesus, Rom. 16:3. It is part of the character of the virtuous woman thatshe layeth her hands to the spindle, Prov. 31:19. This employment washere turned to a pious use, as it may be still (though we have no hangings tomake for the tabernacle) by the imitation of the charity of Dorcas, who madecoats and garments for poor widows, Acts 9:39. Even those that are not in acapacity to give in charity may yet work in charity; and thus the poor mayrelieve the poor, and those that have nothing but their limbs and senses may bevery charitable in the labour of love.
Here is the divine appointment of the master-workmen, that theremight be no strife for the office, and that all who were employed in the workmight take direction from, and give account to, these general inspectors; forGod is the God of order and not of confusion. Observe, 1. Those whom God calledby name to this service he filled with the Spirit of God, to qualify themfor it, v. 30, 31. Skill in secular employments is God's gift, and comes fromabove, Jam. 1:17. From him the faculty is, and the improvement of it. To hishonour therefore all knowledge must be devoted, and we must study how to servehim with it. The work was extraordinary which Bezaleel was designed for, andtherefore he was qualified in an extraordinary manner for it; thus when theapostles were appointed to be master-builders in setting up the gospeltabernacle they were filled with the Spirit of God in wisdom andunderstanding. 2. The were appointed, not only to devise, but to work (v.32), to work all manner of work, v. 35. Those of eminent gifts, that arecapable of directing others, must not thing that these will excuse them inidleness. Many are ingenious enough in cutting out work for other people, andcan tell what this man and that man should do, but the burdens they ind onothers they themselves will not touch with one of their fingers. Thesewill fall under the character of slothful servants. 3. They were not only todevise and work themselves, but they were to teach others, v. 34. Not only hadBezaleel power to command, but he was to take pains to instruct. Those that ruleshould teach; and those to whom God had given knowledge should be willing tocommunicate it for the benefit of others, not coveting to monopolize it.
