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The LORD spoke to Moses:
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“Speak to the children of Israel, that they may take for Me an offering; from every man whose heart moves him, you shall take My offering.
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This is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze;
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blue cloth, purple cloth, scarlet cloth, fine linen, and goats’ hair;
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ram skins dyed red, dolphin skins, and acacia wood;
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oil for the lamp, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,
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onyx stones and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastpiece.
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And let them make a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.
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According to all that I show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, so you shall make it.”
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“They shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, one and a half cubits its width, and one and a half cubits its height.
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You shall overlay it with pure gold; inside and outside you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it.
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You shall cast four gold rings for it and put the rings on its four feet, with two rings on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it.
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You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
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You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, by which the ark may be carried.
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The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.
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You shall put into the ark the testimony which I will give you.
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You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and one and a half cubits its width.
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And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them, at the two ends of the mercy seat.
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Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; of one piece with the mercy seat you shall make the cherubim at its two ends.
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The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall be toward one another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.
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You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give you.
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There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will command you for the children of Israel.”
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“You shall also make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high.
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You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it.
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You shall make a rim for it a handbreadth wide all around, and you shall make a gold molding for its rim all around.
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You shall make for it four gold rings and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs.
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The rings shall be close to the rim, as holders for the poles to carry the table.
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You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with them.
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You shall make its plates, its dishes, its pitchers, and its bowls for pouring offerings; you shall make them of pure gold.
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And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me continually.”
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“You shall make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be made of hammered work, its base and its shaft; its cups, its buds, and its blossoms shall be of one piece with it.
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Six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand from one side and three branches from the other side.
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Three cups shaped like almond blossoms on one branch, with a bud and a blossom, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms on the other branch, with a bud and a blossom; so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand.
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On the lampstand itself there shall be four cups shaped like almond blossoms, with its buds and its blossoms.
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And there shall be a bud under the first pair of branches that come out of the lampstand, and a bud under the second pair, and a bud under the third pair; so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand.
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Their buds and their branches shall be of one piece with it; the whole of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold.
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You shall make seven lamps for it, and the lamps shall be set up on it so as to give light in front of it.
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Its tongs and its trays shall be of pure gold.
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It shall be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils.
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And see that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
🏕️📦🔥 Summary of Exodus 25 – Instructions for Making the Tabernacle and Its Furnishings
Exodus 25 marks the beginning of God’s detailed instructions to Moses concerning the building of the Tabernacle—the holy place where God would dwell among His people.
1. The Command to Gather Offerings (verses 1–9)
- God commanded the Israelites to bring the finest materials (gold, silver, linen, skins, wood, oil, spices, precious stones) voluntarily.
- Purpose: to build a holy place for the Lord, so that He may dwell among them.
- Everything must be made according to the pattern the Lord showed Moses.
2. The Ark of the Covenant (verses 10–22)
- The ark was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, 2.5 cubits long (~112 cm).
- On top of it was the atonement cover (mercy seat) with two cherubim facing one another.
- The Lord said that from above the atonement cover, He would reveal Himself to Moses and give commands for Israel.
3. The Table for the Bread of the Presence (verses 23–30)
- The table was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, used to place the bread of the Presence (12 loaves) continually before the Lord.
- It symbolizes fellowship and the Lord’s care for the 12 tribes of Israel.
4. The Golden Lampstand (Menorah) (verses 31–40)
- The lampstand was made of pure gold, with seven branches and almond-blossom forms.
- It served as light in the Holy Tent.
- Everything was made with precision according to the Lord’s direct instructions.
📖 Main Lessons
- The Lord wants to dwell among His people, not only as an idea, but in a real and personal way.
- The glory and holiness of the Lord are reflected in the grandeur and careful design of the Tabernacle.
- Giving to the Lord must be voluntary and from the heart—not forced.
- The holy place is made not according to human ideas, but according to the divine pattern.
- The Lord arranged His meeting with humanity with full honor and order.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
- The Ark of the Covenant is a symbol of God’s presence and His law—there forgiveness and grace meet.
- The lampstand symbolizes spiritual light, and points to Christ as the light of the world (John 8:12).
- The table of the bread of the Presence symbolizes that the Lord is the source of life and the sustenance of His people—and at the same time points to Jesus as the bread of life (John 6:35).
- The Holy Tabernacle is a shadow of heavenly things (Hebrews 8:5), and points to the body of Christ as God’s dwelling place.
