| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| |
|
| 1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, |
|
| 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me a heave-offering: of every one whose heart prompteth him, ye shall take my heave-offering. |
|
| 3 And this is the heave-offering that ye shall take of them: gold, and silver, and copper, |
Gold – Representing the divine nature. T18
And silver – Symbol of truth. T114
And brass – Copper, symbol of perfect human nature. T18
|
| 4 and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and byssus, and goats' hair, |
And blue – Symbol of faithfulness. T30
And purple – Symbol of royalty. T34
And scarlet – Symbol of the blood of the ransom. T34, T109
And fine linen – Symbol of righteousness. T29, T30, T36
|
| 5 and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins; and acacia-wood; |
And badgers' skins – As God covered the Tabernacle with unsightly skins, so the glory and beauties of spiritual things are seen only by the "Royal Priesthood." T127
|
| 6 oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil, and for the incense of fragrant drugs; |
Anointing oil – Symbol of the holy Spirit. T29, T37, T116; D650; R5654:5
|
| 7 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. |
Stones to be set – The Lord's jewels, his "Little Flock." T36
In the ephod – Type of the Abrahamic covenant (front part), and the New covenant (back part). T30
In the breastplate – Type of the Law. T34
|
| 8 And they shall make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. |
|
| 9 According to all that I shall shew thee, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the utensils thereof, even so shall ye make it2. |
Tabernacle – The lessons of the Tabernacle represent both progress and completion. R4579:1
|
| |
|
| 10 And they shall make an ark of acacia-wood; two cubits and a half the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. |
Shall make an ark – It represented the eternal purpose of God for mankind in The Christ, Head and Body. T121
Wood was used as a base to make the articles more easily portable. T18
Representing Christ, in whom are hidden all the wisdom and power of God. R5680:5
Tradition says that the Jewish high priests took the ark and other temple treasures to Abyssinia for safe keeping at the time of the captivity and that they will be found in the monastery islands of Lake Zonai. R3450:5
Of shittim wood – Wood not typical, used merely for lightness. R1236:6
|
| 11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold: inside and outside shalt thou overlay it; and shalt make upon it a border of gold round about. |
With pure gold – Representing the divine nature. T18
The fact that all things in the Tabernacle were made of gold implies that it represented the condition of such only as are called to the divine nature. T20
|
| 12 And cast four rings of gold for it, and put them at the four corners thereof, that two rings may be upon the one side thereof and two rings upon the other side thereof. |
|
| 13 And make staves of acacia-wood and overlay them with gold. |
|
| 14 And put the staves into the rings upon the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. |
|
| 15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not come out from it. |
|
| 16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony that I shall give thee. |
The testimony – To show that Christ would meet in full all the requirements of God's perfect Law and also that legal authority would be vested in him as the Law-executor. T121
|
| 17 And thou shalt make a mercy-seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. |
Make a mercy seat – Representing the underlying principle of Jehovah's character-justice. T124
Representing the chariot or throne. R529:6*
|
| 18 And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold; of beaten work shalt thou make them, at the two ends of the mercy-seat. |
Make two cherubims – Representing love and power. T125
They are always connected with the immediate presence, or with the throne, of God. R529:6*
|
| 19 And make one cherub at the end of the one side, and one cherub at the end of the other side; out of the mercy-seat shall ye make the cherubim at the two ends thereof. |
|
| 20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings over it, covering over with their wings the mercy-seat, and their faces opposite to one another: toward the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubim be turned2. |
Toward the mercy seat – Neither love nor power can be exercised until justice is fully satisfied; hence they look inward toward justice to know when to move. T125
|
| 21 And thou shalt put the mercy-seat above on the ark, and shalt put in the ark the testimony that I shall give thee. |
|
| 22 And there will I meet with thee, and will speak with thee from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, everything that I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. |
|
| |
|
| 23 And thou shalt make a table of acacia-wood, two cubits the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. |
Also make a table – Representing the Church as a whole, holding forth the word of life. T115
|
| 24 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make upon it a border of gold round about. |
|
| 25 And thou shalt make for it a margin of a handbreadth round about, and shalt make a border of gold for the margin thereof round about. |
|
| 26 And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings at the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. |
|
| 27 Close to the margin shall the rings be, as receptacles of the staves to carry the table. |
|
| 28 And thou shalt make the staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold; and the table shall be carried upon them. |
|
| 29 And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and cups thereof, and goblets thereof, and bowls thereof, with which to pour out: of pure gold shalt thou make them. |
|
| 30 And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me continually. |
Shewbread – Representing the truth, the word of life. T22, T115
Spiritual food. R5418:5, R5621:6
Only for the priests to eat. Granted to the fully consecrated that by these they might be strengthened to carry out fully their consecration unto death. R4782:4
|
| |
|
| 31 And thou shalt make a lamp-stand of pure gold; of beaten work shall the lamp-stand be made: its base and its shaft, its cups, its knobs, and its flowers shall be of the same. |
Make a candlestick – Representing the entire Church, the true light-bearers. T116; R243:3*
Representing the light of God's truth. R5621:6, R5418:5
Had seven branches, typifying perfection or completeness. R243:3*
No dimensions given. Truth, like its author, is boundless. R243:3*
We may gain an accurate conception of its appearance from the Arch of Titus in Rome. R3650:6
It was the light in the Holy, as the Shekinah glory was the light in the Most Holy. R3650:5
Does not represent the Church in the future state of glory giving light to the world; that will be as the "Sun of righteousness." (Mal. 4:2) R3650:6
Same as that in Zech. 4:2 and Rev. 1:20, showing all elopment. R1491:1
In Revelation the same candlestick is brought to our attention, but the parts are separated, the union being supplied by the antitypical High Priest. R3569:4
Of beaten work – Not cast wholesale in a mold. As is the shaft, so are the branches-all of beaten work. R243:4*
|
| 32 And six branches shall come out of the sides thereof--three branches of the lamp-stand out of one side thereof, and three branches of the lamp-stand out of the other side thereof; |
|
| 33 three cups shaped like almonds in the one branch, a knob and a flower: and three cups shaped like almonds in the other branch, a knob and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the lamp-stand. |
Like unto almonds – In the almond tree fruit buds appear before leaves. So with the Royal Priesthood, they begin to sacrifice, to bring forth fruit, before the leaves of profession are seen. T121
The Hebrew word for "almond" is from a root meaning "to hasten." Regarded by the Jews as a harbinger of spring. Remarkable for early blossoming (even in January) and flowers appearing before the leaves. R244:1*
A knop and a flower – Representing the true Church as both beautiful and fruitful from first to last. T116
In continuous succession, typifying the beautiful graces of a Christian spirit accompanying the solid fruits of Christian life-faith and works. R243:5*
A vigorous ever-developing plant, always blooming, continually fruit-bearing; like the trees by the river of life, yielding fruit every month. R243:5*
|
| 34 And in the lamp-stand four cups shaped like almonds, its knobs and its flowers; |
|
| 35 and a knob under two branches of it, and again a knob under two branches of it, and again a knob under two branches of it, for the six branches that proceed out of the lamp-stand. |
|
| 36 Their knobs and their branches shall be of itself--all of one beaten work of pure gold. |
|
| 37 And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof, and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may shine out before it; |
Light – One of the most powerful forces in nature; one of the most quiet: it is peculiarly expressive of the character of God and his people. R243:2*
|
| 38 and the snuffers thereof, and the snuff-trays thereof, of pure gold. |
|
| 39 Of a talent of pure gold shall they make it, with all these utensils. |
|
| 40 And see that thou make them according to their pattern, which hath been shewn to thee in the mountain. |
After their pattern – Because it illustrated something greater and more important to come afterward. T12
|