T’rumah (Exodus 25:1 – 27:19)
“Tell the people of Israel to take up a collection for me – accept a contribution from anyone who wholeheartedly wants to give” (Exodus 24:3).
The portion of T’rumah (contribution) begins the intricate narrative focusing on the construction of the Tabernacle in the wilderness; instructions that will account for one-third (1/3rd) of the Book of Exodus itself; and as Moses elaborates on the pattern revealed to him on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 25:9), ultimately hundreds of verses will describe its construction and purpose – a purpose that will serve Israel for nearly five hundred years.
It is easy to overlook, or even ignore, the complex details that are recorded to ensure that the Tabernacle is built to the exact specifications of heaven. With something that long ago slipped into the history of Israel, do we really need to consider these details at all? While it is beyond the scope of this article, and a series of articles, to examine in detail the meaning of the elements of the Tabernacle, we do note its importance by simple comparison.
The Torah opens in Genesis 1 with the account of creation. In this chapter we find the beginning of all things – the heaven, the earth and all their array – described in thirty-four verses. By comparison, the Tabernacle and its ministry, which inhabited but the tiniest speck of creation, is detailed in fifty chapters, and hundreds of verses. Why is the Tabernacle given such attention? Is it of greater importance than creation itself? Not greater importance, just a different importance. Creation is a general revelation of the majesty, sovereignty and glory of the Lord, as we read in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God, the dome of the sky speaks the work of his hands.” The Tabernacle is part of His special revelation to man, specifically covenant man; and its purpose is to change the heart of man who is living and working in His creation.
When we consider the flow of the narrative from Exodus 24 to Exodus 25, something seems to be amiss. The rabbinic sages noted that Exodus 25 appeared to be the cure sent before the illness of the Golden Calf in Exodus 32:1, “When the people saw that Moses was taking a long time to come down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, ‘Get busy; and make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moses, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt – we don’t know what has become of him.” Aaron then receives contributions of gold from people whose hearts were motivated to give to this cause – the cause to manufacture the Golden Calf.
Why place the cure before the illness, textually speaking? At times it is not necessarily what you are saying that has the greatest impact, but rather, the order in which you are saying it. For future generations of God’s covenant people, to read of the molding of the Golden Calf, and the plague that resulted, might have become a stumbling block of fear in light of so great a transgression. Nevertheless, by placing the instructions for the Tabernacle, with its furnishings, offerings and sacrifices ministering reconciliation before the record of the Golden Calf, demonstrated that His forgiveness, grace and mercy is greater than our transgression.
The sin of the Golden Calf began as an issue of covetousness – thus violating the tenth commandment. This transgression led Israel to violate the second commandment – that of idolatry. In both cases we find a heart issue. The hearts of the covenant people desired a visible god to go before them, revealing that an idol had already crept into the “holy of holies” in their hearts and established itself in the place of the covenant Lord. To remedy this, atonement had to be made and the hearts of the people had to be changed – the ministry of the Brazen Altar.
When building a house, the standard practice is to first build the foundation and then add the furnishings. As the Lord reveals the Tabernacle, He does not reveal the boards or coverings of the Tabernacle, but what will be placed in the most sacred of locations – the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. This is the place where the blood on the Day of Atonement will be sprinkled, the stones of the commandments will be set, where the light of the Lord is the only light, and where the two cherubim, those armed angels guarding the way into the Garden (Genesis 3:24), will be still in the presence of atonement. Here we see, in type, the changing of the heart by repentance, blood covering and sanctification.
The Tabernacle is built by contributions from those whose hearts moved them to give (Ex. 25:1), just as the Golden Calf was created by the stirring of motivated hearts to contribute. While the Golden Calf led to exaltation, partying (Ex. 32:4-6) and ultimately despair, the pattern of the Tabernacle leads to reconciliation by the symbolic death of those approaching the holy one of Israel and ultimately joy.
The Tabernacle demonstrates to us that our first love must, in fact, be first. When the children of Israel wholeheartedly contributed of their treasure to the construction of the Tabernacle, they were placing their treasure where their hearts desired to be – and in that place the Lord would “dwell among them” (Ex. 25:8). Messiah said, “Do not store up for yourselves wealth here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and burglars break in and steal. Instead, store up for yourselves wealth in heaven, where neither moth nor rest destroys, and burglars do not break in or steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Israel shows us that any attempt to replace the covenant Lord with something of our own creation will only end in failure and heartache. How can we determine where our treasure is? Where our first love is? We must ask ourselves this question, “To what do we flee when things go wrong?” Do we flee to the Lord? Or do we flee from Him?
The record of the Tabernacle reminds us that our treasure is, and is with, the Lord; Who redeemed us, provides for us, and Who mercifully waits for us even while we are yet far off, “For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
May our hearts be ever changed by the shedding of the blood of Messiah, this grace shown to us before our need was recognized by our minds, or our hearts desired for Who it truly lacked.
Shalom;
Dr. J.D. Elwell