And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses.
Bezaleel carried out all that the Lord commanded Moses in erecting the wilderness tabernacle, making its structure and furnishings exactly according to the pattern shown to Moses in the mount. Nothing was left to human fancy as to how it should be built or how large, for God gave explicit instructions in dimensions, material, and furnishings that were not to be disregarded. The work was done to make God a sanctuary that He might dwell among Israel, where His glory would remain and their worship would center. That divinely given pattern was a great object-lesson of the plan of salvation, with its worship centering on the holy of holies and the law of God beneath the mercy seat. God's Spirit blessed Bezalel and the other devoted workers in carrying it out, showing that He is willing to bless consecrated workers in practical, material work as well as in spiritual work.
Sanctuary Built in Obedience
The verse belongs to the account of the tabernacle erected by Israel in the wilderness at God's command, recording how Bezaleel made what the Lord commanded Moses as part of the construction of the sanctuary. That record in Exodus 35-40 shows how the directions for building the sanctuary and making its furniture given in Exodus 25-30 were complied with, while the same building and setting up are also described as recorded in Exodus 33-40 and minutely described in Exodus 25-40. Bezaleel, with the other workmen, made all that the Lord commanded Moses exactly according to the pattern shown to Moses in the mount, in its dimensions, material, furnishings, and all, including the ark and its furnishings. The sanctuary pitched in the wilderness after the deliverance from Egypt was thus constructed as a dwelling-place wrought by God's people far from their enemies so their Divine Deliverer might dwell among them, first in the wilderness and later in the temple built after the same pattern, and the work was inspected and found to match God's command.
The sanctuary was not left to man's fancy as to how it should be built or how large. God gave explicit instructions and showed the pattern after which it was to be made, and endowed special ones with wisdom and skill and sufficient wisdom to carry out the directions. Those instructions were not to be disregarded under penalty of death, and the work was carried out in obedience to all the Lord commanded Moses as a great multiple object-lesson of the plan of salvation. The richly made structure had two apartments separated by a veil, with the outer apartment twice the size of the inner. Its sides and one end were walls of acacia boards overlaid with gold, set upright on tenons fitted into silver sockets weighing a talent each and held above by bars through rings attached to the boards, with gold-covered boards, embroidered curtains, and several coverings. Curtains formed its roof and reached to the ground on both sides, and linen hangings closed the east end.
The verse belongs to the account of building and inaugurating the sanctuary and its services. The manifestation of God's glory at the completion of this work showed His acceptance of the people's repentance.
Purpose and Spiritual Lessons
The work recorded here was done to make God a sanctuary that He might dwell among Israel, where His glory would remain and their worship would center, revealing its sacred character as a holy place. It was made as God's dwelling place among His people, first in the wilderness and later in the temple built after the same pattern. It was built with its holy and most holy places and their furnishings from the pattern God showed Moses in the mount, so that God might dwell among Israel. It was a dwelling-place wrought by the people of God in the wilderness far from their enemies so that their Divine Deliverer might dwell among them, constructed exactly according to the explicit directions given to Moses in the mount in its dimensions, material, furnishings, and all.
Worship in that sanctuary centered on the holy of holies and the law of God beneath the mercy seat. The divine pattern carried out from the mount was a great multiple object-lesson of the plan of salvation for Israel after deliverance from Egyptian bondage, built in obedience to all the Lord commanded Moses by workmen specially endowed by God with skill for the work. It belongs to the worship part of Exodus, which means going out with reference to the departure of Israel from Egypt. It shows how after great deliverance from bitter bondage, where they had grown more and mightier than the Egyptians, Israel became a nation with thorough organization, efficient leadership under Moses, a complete code of laws, and an established form of worship.
The gold-covered inner walls represented the reflected light of God's glory in the New Jerusalem, and the embroidered angels on the ceiling curtains represented the angels of heaven waiting to do God's bidding. God's Spirit blessed Bezalel, Oholiab, and other devoted workers in carrying out the work in building the ark and its furnishings according to the sanctuary instructions. This shows God is willing to bless consecrated workers in practical, material work as well as workers in spiritual work.
Bezaleel carried out all that the Lord commanded Moses in erecting the wilderness tabernacle, making its structure and furnishings exactly according to the pattern shown to Moses in the mount. Nothing was left to human fancy as to how it should be built or how large, for God gave explicit instructions in dimensions, material, and furnishings that were not to be disregarded. The work was done to make God a sanctuary that He might dwell among Israel, where His glory would remain and their worship would center. That divinely given pattern was a great object-lesson of the plan of salvation, with its worship centering on the holy of holies and the law of God beneath the mercy seat. God's Spirit blessed Bezalel and the other devoted workers in carrying it out, showing that He is willing to bless consecrated workers in practical, material work as well as in spiritual work.
Sanctuary Built in Obedience
The verse belongs to the account of the tabernacle erected by Israel in the wilderness at God's command, recording how Bezaleel made what the Lord commanded Moses as part of the construction of the sanctuary. That record in Exodus 35-40 shows how the directions for building the sanctuary and making its furniture given in Exodus 25-30 were complied with, while the same building and setting up are also described as recorded in Exodus 33-40 and minutely described in Exodus 25-40. Bezaleel, with the other workmen, made all that the Lord commanded Moses exactly according to the pattern shown to Moses in the mount, in its dimensions, material, furnishings, and all, including the ark and its furnishings. The sanctuary pitched in the wilderness after the deliverance from Egypt was thus constructed as a dwelling-place wrought by God's people far from their enemies so their Divine Deliverer might dwell among them, first in the wilderness and later in the temple built after the same pattern, and the work was inspected and found to match God's command.
The sanctuary was not left to man's fancy as to how it should be built or how large. God gave explicit instructions and showed the pattern after which it was to be made, and endowed special ones with wisdom and skill and sufficient wisdom to carry out the directions. Those instructions were not to be disregarded under penalty of death, and the work was carried out in obedience to all the Lord commanded Moses as a great multiple object-lesson of the plan of salvation. The richly made structure had two apartments separated by a veil, with the outer apartment twice the size of the inner. Its sides and one end were walls of acacia boards overlaid with gold, set upright on tenons fitted into silver sockets weighing a talent each and held above by bars through rings attached to the boards, with gold-covered boards, embroidered curtains, and several coverings. Curtains formed its roof and reached to the ground on both sides, and linen hangings closed the east end.
The verse belongs to the account of building and inaugurating the sanctuary and its services. The manifestation of God's glory at the completion of this work showed His acceptance of the people's repentance.
Purpose and Spiritual Lessons
The work recorded here was done to make God a sanctuary that He might dwell among Israel, where His glory would remain and their worship would center, revealing its sacred character as a holy place. It was made as God's dwelling place among His people, first in the wilderness and later in the temple built after the same pattern. It was built with its holy and most holy places and their furnishings from the pattern God showed Moses in the mount, so that God might dwell among Israel. It was a dwelling-place wrought by the people of God in the wilderness far from their enemies so that their Divine Deliverer might dwell among them, constructed exactly according to the explicit directions given to Moses in the mount in its dimensions, material, furnishings, and all.
Worship in that sanctuary centered on the holy of holies and the law of God beneath the mercy seat. The divine pattern carried out from the mount was a great multiple object-lesson of the plan of salvation for Israel after deliverance from Egyptian bondage, built in obedience to all the Lord commanded Moses by workmen specially endowed by God with skill for the work. It belongs to the worship part of Exodus, which means going out with reference to the departure of Israel from Egypt. It shows how after great deliverance from bitter bondage, where they had grown more and mightier than the Egyptians, Israel became a nation with thorough organization, efficient leadership under Moses, a complete code of laws, and an established form of worship.
The gold-covered inner walls represented the reflected light of God's glory in the New Jerusalem, and the embroidered angels on the ceiling curtains represented the angels of heaven waiting to do God's bidding. God's Spirit blessed Bezalel, Oholiab, and other devoted workers in carrying out the work in building the ark and its furnishings according to the sanctuary instructions. This shows God is willing to bless consecrated workers in practical, material work as well as workers in spiritual work.