purpose

Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. (NIV) Exodus 25:9

God instructed Moses to construct the tabernacle, a center for worship and a place where the Israelites could focus on the presence of the Lord. God gave Moses specifications down to the smallest detail. Nothing was left up to Moses’ discretion. God gave the people the opportunity to participate in its construction by giving an offering of the needed materials, including rare and beautiful fabrics as well as precious metals.

Moses told the people, “From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering of gold, silver and bronze (Exodus 35:5). . .and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments (Exodus 35:21). . .Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. (Exodus 36:2). . . The people brought more than enough for doing the work . . .Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work (Exodus 36:6-7)

Then the LORD said to Moses: “Set up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the first month (Exodus 40:1-2). . .Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out– until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels. (Exodus 40:33-38)

-murji kruger