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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Exodus, Chapter XXV].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1></center>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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[<A HREF="MHC02024.HTM">Previous</A>]
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[<A HREF="MHC02026.HTM">Next</A>]<BR>
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<TD ALIGN="RIGHT" VALIGN="TOP">
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1706)
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</TD></TR></TABLE>
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>E X O D U S</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. XXV.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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At this chapter begins an account of the orders and instructions God
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gave to Moses upon the mount for the erecting and furnishing of a
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tabernacle to the honour of God. We have here.
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I. Orders given for a collection to be made among the people for this
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purpose,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:1-9">ver. 1-9</A>.
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II. Particular instructions,
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1. Concerning the ark of the covenant,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:10-22">ver. 10-22</A>.
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2. The table of showbread,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:23-30">ver. 23-30</A>.
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3. The golden candlestick,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:31-40">ver. 31</A>,
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&c.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Ex25_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Tabernacle and Its Furniture.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 1491.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 And the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> spake unto Moses, saying,
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2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an
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offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye
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shall take my offering.
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3 And this <I>is</I> the offering which ye shall take of them; gold,
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and silver, and brass,
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4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats'
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<I>hair,</I>
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5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim
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wood,
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6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet
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incense,
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7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the
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breastplate.
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8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among
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them.
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9 According to all that I show thee, <I>after</I> the pattern of the
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tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even
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so shall ye make <I>it.</I>
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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We may suppose that when Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and
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abode there so long, where the holy angels attended the
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<I>shechinah,</I> or divine Majesty, he saw and heard very glorious
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things relating to the upper world, but they were things which it was
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not lawful nor possible to utter; and therefore, in the records he kept
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of the transactions there, he says nothing to satisfy the curiosity of
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those who would intrude into the things which they have not seen, but
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writes that only which he was to speak to the children of Israel. For
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the scripture is designed to direct us in our duty, not to fill our
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heads with speculations, nor to please our fancies.</P>
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<P>
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In these verses God tells Moses his intention in general, that the
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children of Israel should build him a sanctuary, for he designed to
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<I>dwell among them</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>);
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and some think that, though there were altars and groves used for
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religious worship before this, yet there never was any house, or
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temple, built for sacred uses in any nation before this tabernacle was
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erected by Moses, and that all the temples which were afterwards so
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much celebrated among the heathen took rise from this and pattern by
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it. God had chosen the people of Israel to be a peculiar people to
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himself (above all people), among whom divine revelation, and a
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religion according to it, should be lodged and established: he himself
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would be their King. As their King, he had already given them laws for
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the government of themselves, and their dealings one with another, with
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some general rules for religious worship, according to the light of
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reason and the law of nature, in the ten commandments and the following
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comments upon them. But this was not thought sufficient to distinguish
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them from other nations, or to answer to the extent of that covenant
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which God would make with them to be <I>their God;</I> and
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therefore,</P>
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<P>
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I. He orders a royal palace to be set up among them for himself, here
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called <I>a sanctuary,</I> or <I>holy place,</I> or <I>habitation,</I>
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of which it is said
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+17:12">Jer. xvii. 12</A>),
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<I>A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our
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sanctuary.</I> This sanctuary is to be considered,</P>
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<P>
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1. As ceremonial, consonant to the to the other institutions of that
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dispensation, which consisted in carnal ordinances
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+9:10">Heb. ix. 10</A>);
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hence it is called a <I>worldly sanctuary,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+9:1">Heb. ix. 1</A>.
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God in it kept his court, as Israel's King.
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(1.) There he manifested his presence among them, and it was intended
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for a sign or token of his presence, that, while they had that in the
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midst of them, they might never again ask, <I>Is the Lord among us or
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not?</I> And, because in the wilderness they dwelt in tents, even this
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royal palace was ordered to be a tabernacle too, that it might move
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with them, and might be an instance of the condescension of the divine
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favour.
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(2.) There he ordered his subjects to attend him with their homage and
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tribute. Thither they must come to consult his oracles, thither they
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must bring their sacrifices, and there all Israel must meet, to pay
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their joint respects to the God of Israel.</P>
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<P>
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2. As typical; the holy places made with hands were the <I>figures of
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the true,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+9:24">Heb. ix. 24</A>.
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The gospel church is the true <I>tabernacle, which the Lord hath
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pitched, and not man,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+8:2">Heb. viii. 2</A>.
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The body of Christ, in and by which he made atonement, was the
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<I>greater and more perfect tabernacle,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+9:11">Heb. ix. 11</A>.
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<I>The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,</I> as in a
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tabernacle.</P>
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<P>
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II. When Moses was to erect this palace, it was requisite that he
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should first be instructed where he must have the materials, and where
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he must have the model; for he could neither contrive it by his own
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ingenuity nor build it at his own charge; he is therefore directed here
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concerning both.</P>
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<P>
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1. The people must furnish him with the materials, not by a tax imposed
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upon them, but by a voluntary contribution. This is the first thing
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concerning which orders are here given.</P>
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<P>
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(1.) <I>Speak unto the children of Israel that they bring me an
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offering;</I> and there was all the reason in the world that they
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should, for
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>),
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[1.] It was God himself that had not only enlarged them, but enriched
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them with the spoils of the Egyptians. He had instructed them to
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borrow, and he had inclined the Egyptians to lend, so that from him
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they had their wealth, and therefore it was fit they should devote it
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to him and use it for him, and thus make a grateful acknowledgement of
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the favours they had received. Note, <I>First,</I> The best use we can
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make of our worldly wealth is to honour God with it in works of piety
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and charity. <I>Secondly,</I> When we have been blessed with some
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remarkable success in our affairs, and have had, as we say, a good
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turn, it may be justly expected that we should do something more than
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ordinary for the glory of God, consecrating our gain, in some
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reasonable proportion of it, to the Lord of the whole earth,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mic+4:3">Mic. iv. 13</A>.
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[2.] The sanctuary that was to be built was intended for their benefit
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and comfort, and therefore they must be at the expense of it. They had
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been unworthy of the privilege if they had grudged at the charge. They
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might well afford to offer liberally for the honour of God, while they
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lived at free quarters, having food for themselves and their families
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rained upon them daily from heaven. We also must own that we have our
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all from God's bounty, and therefore ought to use all for his glory.
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Since we live upon him, we must live to him.</P>
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<P>
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(2.) This offering must be given willingly, and with the heart, that
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is,
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[1.] It was not prescribed to them what or how much they must give, but
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it was left to their generosity, that they might show their good-will
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to the house of God and the offices thereof, and might do it with a
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holy emulation, the zeal of a few <I>provoking many,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+9:2">2 Cor. ix. 2</A>.
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We should ask, not only, "What must we do?" but, "What may we do for
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God?"
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[2.] Whatever they gave, they must give it cheerfully, not grudgingly
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and with reluctance, for <I>God loves a cheerful giver,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+9:7">2 Cor. ix. 7</A>.
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What is laid out in the service of God we must reckon well
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bestowed.</P>
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<P>
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(3.) The particulars are here mentioned which they must offer
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:3-7"><I>v.</I> 3-7</A>),
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all of them things that there would be occasion for in the tabernacle,
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or the service of it. Some observe that here was gold, silver, and
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brass, provided, but no iron; that is the military metal, and this was
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to be a house of peace. Every thing that was provided was very rich and
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fine, and the best of the sort; for God, who is the best, should have
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the best.</P>
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<P>
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2. God himself would furnish him with the model: <I>According to all
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that I show thee,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>.
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God showed him an exact plan of it, in miniature, which he must conform
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to in all points. Thus Ezekiel saw in vision the form of the house and
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the fashion thereof,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+43:11">Ezek. xliii. 11</A>.
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Note, Whatsoever is done in God's service must be done by his
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direction, and not otherwise. Yet God did not only show him the model,
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but gave him also particular directions how to frame the tabernacle
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according to that model, in all the parts of it, which he goes over
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distinctly in this and the following chapters. When Moses, in the
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beginning of Genesis, was to describe the creation of the world, though
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it is such a stately and curious fabric and made up of such a variety
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and vast number of particulars, yet he gave a very short and general
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account of it, and nothing compared with what the wisdom of this world
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would have desired and expected from one that wrote by divine
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revelation; but, when he comes to describe the tabernacle, he does it
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with the greatest niceness and accuracy imaginable. He that gave us no
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account of the lines and circles of the globe, the diameter of the
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earth, or the height and magnitude of the stars, has told us
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particularly the measure of every board and curtain of the tabernacle;
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for God's church and instituted religion are more precious to him and
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more considerable than all the rest of the world. And the scriptures
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were written, not to describe to us the works of nature, a general view
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of which is sufficient to lead us to the knowledge and service of the
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Creator, but to acquaint us with the methods of grace, and those things
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which are purely matters of divine revelation. The blessedness of the
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future state is more fully represented under the notion of a new
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Jerusalem than under the notion of new heavens and a new earth.</P>
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<A NAME="Ex25_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_17"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_18"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_19"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_20"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_21"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ex25_22"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>10 And they shall make an ark <I>of</I> shittim wood: two cubits and
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a half <I>shall be</I> the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the
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breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
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11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without
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shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold
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round about.
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12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put
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<I>them</I> in the four corners thereof; and two rings <I>shall be</I> in
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the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.
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13 And thou shalt make staves <I>of</I> shittim wood, and overlay
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them with gold.
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14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of
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the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.
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15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not
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be taken from it.
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16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall
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give thee.
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17 And thou shalt make a mercy seat <I>of</I> pure gold: two cubits
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and a half <I>shall be</I> the length thereof, and a cubit and a half
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the breadth thereof.
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18 And thou shalt make two cherubims <I>of</I> gold, <I>of</I> beaten
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work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
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19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on
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the other end: <I>even</I> of the mercy seat shall ye make the
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cherubims on the two ends thereof.
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20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth <I>their</I> wings on high,
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covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces <I>shall
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look</I> one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of
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the cherubims be.
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21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in
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the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
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22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with
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thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims
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which <I>are</I> upon the ark of the testimony, of all <I>things</I> which
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I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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The first thing which is here ordered to be made is the ark with its
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appurtenances, the furniture of the most holy place, and the special
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token of God's presence, for which the tabernacle was erected to be the
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receptacle.</P>
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<P>
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I. The ark itself was a chest, or coffer, in which the two tables of
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the law, written with the finger of God, were to be honourably
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deposited, and carefully kept. The dimensions of it are exactly
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ordered; if the Jewish cubit was, as some learned men compute, three
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inches longer than our half-yard (twenty-one inches in all), this chest
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or cabinet was about fifty-two inches long, thirty-one broad, and
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thirty-one deep. It was overlaid within and without with thin plates of
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gold. It had a crown, or cornice, of gold, round it, with rings and
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staves to carry it with; and in it he must put the testimony,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:10-16"><I>v.</I> 10-16</A>.
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The tables of the law are called the <I>testimony</I> because God did
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in them testify his will: his giving them that law was in token of his
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favour to them; and their acceptance of it was in token of their
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subjection and obedience to him. This law was a testimony to them, to
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direct them in their duty, and would be a testimony against them if
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they transgressed. The ark is called the <I>ark of the testimony</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+30:6"><I>ch.</I> xxx. 6</A>),
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and the tabernacle <I>the tabernacle of the testimony</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Nu+10:11">Num. x. 11</A>)
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or witness,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ac+7:44">Acts vii. 44</A>.
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The gospel of Christ is also called a testimony or witness,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+24:14">Matt. xxiv. 14</A>.
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It is observable,
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1. That the tables of the law were carefully preserved in the ark for
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the purpose, to teach us to make much of the word of God, and to hide
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it in our hearts, in our innermost thoughts, as the ark was placed in
|
|
the holy of holies. It intimates likewise the care which divine
|
|
Providence ever did, and ever will, take to preserve the records of
|
|
divine revelation in the church, so that even in the latter days there
|
|
shall be seen in his temple the <I>ark of his testament.</I> See
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+11:19">Rev. xi. 19</A>.
|
|
|
|
2. That this ark was the chief token of God's presence, which teaches
|
|
us that the first and great evidence and assurance of God's favour is
|
|
the putting of his law in the heart. God dwells where that rules,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+8:10">Heb. viii. 10</A>.
|
|
|
|
3. That provision was made for the carrying of this ark about with them
|
|
in all their removals, which intimates to us that, wherever we go, we
|
|
should take our religion along with us, always bearing about with us
|
|
the love of the Lord Jesus, and his law.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. The mercy-seat was the covering of the ark or chest, made of solid
|
|
gold, exactly to fit the dimensions of the ark,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:17,21"><I>v.</I> 17, 21</A>.
|
|
|
|
This <I>propitiatory covering,</I> as it might well be translated, was
|
|
a type of Christ, the great propitiation, whose satisfaction fully
|
|
answers the demands of the law, covers our transgressions, and comes
|
|
between us and the curse we deserve. Thus he is the <I>end of the law
|
|
for righteousness.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. The cherubim of gold were fixed to the mercy-seat, and of a piece
|
|
with it, and spread their wings over it,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>.
|
|
|
|
It is supposed that these cherubim were designed to represent the holy
|
|
angels, who always attended the <I>shechinah,</I> or divine Majesty,
|
|
particularly at the giving of the law; not by any effigies of an angel,
|
|
but some emblem of the angelical nature, probably some one of those
|
|
four faces spoken of,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+1:10">Ezek. i. 10</A>.
|
|
|
|
Whatever the faces were, they looked one towards another, and both
|
|
downward towards the ark, while their wings were stretched out so as to
|
|
touch one another. The apostle calls them <I>cherubim of glory
|
|
shadowing the mercy-seat,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+9:5">Heb. ix. 5</A>.
|
|
|
|
It denotes their attendance upon the Redeemer, to whom they were
|
|
ministering spirits, their readiness to do his will, their special
|
|
presence in the assemblies of saints
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+68:17,1Co+11:10">Ps. lxviii. 17; 1 Cor. xi. 10</A>),
|
|
|
|
and their desire to look into the mysteries of the gospel which they
|
|
diligently contemplate,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Pe+1:12">1 Pet. i. 12</A>.
|
|
|
|
God is said to dwell, or sit, <I>between the cherubim,</I> on the
|
|
mercy-seat
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+80:1">Ps. lxxx. 1</A>),
|
|
|
|
and thence he here promises, for the future, to meet with Moses, and to
|
|
<I>commune with him,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:22"><I>v.</I> 22</A>.
|
|
|
|
There he would give law, and there he would give audience, as a prince
|
|
on his throne; and thus he manifests himself willing to be reconciled
|
|
to us, and keep up communion with us, in and by the mediation of
|
|
Christ. In allusion to this mercy-seat, we are said to come boldly to
|
|
<I>the throne of grace</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+4:16">Heb. iv. 16</A>);
|
|
|
|
for we <I>are not under the law,</I> which is covered, <I>but under
|
|
grace,</I> which is displayed; its wings are stretched out, and we are
|
|
invited to come under the shadow of them,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ru+2:12">Ruth ii. 12</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_23"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_24"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_25"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_26"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_27"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_28"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_29"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_30"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>
|
|
23 Thou shalt also make a table <I>of</I> shittim wood: two cubits
|
|
<I>shall be</I> the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof,
|
|
and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
|
|
24 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a
|
|
crown of gold round about.
|
|
25 And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth
|
|
round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border
|
|
thereof round about.
|
|
26 And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the
|
|
rings in the four corners that <I>are</I> on the four feet thereof.
|
|
27 Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the
|
|
staves to bear the table.
|
|
28 And thou shalt make the staves <I>of</I> shittim wood, and
|
|
overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.
|
|
29 And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof,
|
|
and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: <I>of</I> pure
|
|
gold shalt thou make them.
|
|
30 And thou shalt set upon the table showbread before me alway.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Here is,
|
|
|
|
1. A table ordered to be made of wood overlaid with gold, which was to
|
|
stand, not in the holy of holies (nothing was in that but the ark with
|
|
its appurtenances), but in the outer part of the tabernacle, called the
|
|
<I>sanctuary,</I> or <I>holy place,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+9:2,23">Heb. ix. 2, 23</A>,
|
|
|
|
&c. There must also be the usual furniture of the sideboard, dishes and
|
|
spoons, &c., and all <I>of gold,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:29"><I>v.</I> 29</A>.
|
|
|
|
2. This table was to be always spread, and furnished with the
|
|
show-bread
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:30"><I>v.</I> 30</A>),
|
|
|
|
or <I>bread of faces,</I> twelve loaves, one for each tribe, set in two
|
|
rows, six in a row; see the law concerning them,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Le+24:5-10">Lev. xxiv. 5</A>,
|
|
|
|
&c. The tabernacle being God's house, in which he was pleased to say
|
|
that he would dwell among them, he would show that he kept a good
|
|
house. In the royal palace it was fit that there should be a royal
|
|
table. Some make the twelve loaves to represent the twelve tribes, set
|
|
before God as his people and <I>the corn of his floor,</I> as they are
|
|
called,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+21:10">Isa. xxi. 10</A>.
|
|
|
|
As the ark signified God's being present with them, so the twelve
|
|
loaves signified their being presented to God. This bread was designed
|
|
to be,
|
|
|
|
(1.) A thankful acknowledgement of God's goodness to them, in giving
|
|
them their daily bread, manna in the wilderness, where he prepared a
|
|
table for them, and, in Canaan, the corn of the land. Hereby they
|
|
owned their dependence upon Providence, not only for the corn in the
|
|
field, which they gave thanks for in offering the sheaf of
|
|
first-fruits, but for the bread in their houses, that, when it was
|
|
brought home, God did not <I>blow upon it,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Hag+1:9">Hag. i. 9</A>.
|
|
|
|
Christ has taught us to pray every day for the bread of the day.
|
|
|
|
(2.) A token of their communion with God. This bread on God's table
|
|
being made of the same corn with the bread on their own tables, God and
|
|
Israel did, as it were, eat together, as a pledge of friendship and
|
|
fellowship; he supped with them, and they with him.
|
|
|
|
(3.) A type of the spiritual provision which is made in the church, by
|
|
the gospel of Christ, for all that are made priests to our God. <I>In
|
|
our Father's house there is bread enough and to spare,</I> a loaf for
|
|
every tribe. All that attend in God's house shall be abundantly
|
|
satisfied with the goodness of it,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+36:8">Ps. xxxvi. 8</A>.
|
|
|
|
Divine consolations are the continual feast of holy souls,
|
|
notwithstanding there are those to whom <I>the table of the Lord,</I>
|
|
and the <I>meat thereof</I> (because it is plain bread), are
|
|
<I>contemptible,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mal+1:12">Mal. i. 12</A>.
|
|
|
|
Christ has a table in his kingdom, at which all his saints shall for
|
|
every eat and drink with him,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+22:30">Luke xxii. 30</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_31"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_32"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_33"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_34"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_35"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_36"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_37"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_38"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_39"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Ex25_40"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>31 And thou shalt make a candlestick <I>of</I> pure gold: <I>of</I>
|
|
beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his
|
|
branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the
|
|
same.
|
|
32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three
|
|
branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three
|
|
branches of the candlestick out of the other side:
|
|
33 Three bowls made like unto almonds, <I>with</I> a knop and a
|
|
flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the
|
|
other branch, <I>with</I> a knop and a flower: so in the six branches
|
|
that come out of the candlestick.
|
|
34 And in the candlestick <I>shall be</I> four bowls made like unto
|
|
almonds, <I>with</I> their knops and their flowers.
|
|
35 And <I>there shall be</I> a knop under two branches of the same,
|
|
and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two
|
|
branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed
|
|
out of the candlestick.
|
|
36 Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it
|
|
<I>shall be</I> one beaten work <I>of</I> pure gold.
|
|
37 And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall
|
|
light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against
|
|
it.
|
|
38 And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, <I>shall
|
|
be of</I> pure gold.
|
|
39 <I>Of</I> a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these
|
|
vessels.
|
|
40 And look that thou make <I>them</I> after their pattern, which
|
|
was showed thee in the mount.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. The next thing ordered to be made for the furnishing of God's palace
|
|
was a rich stately candlestick, all of pure gold, not hollow, but
|
|
solid. The particular directions here given concerning it show,
|
|
|
|
1. That it was very magnificent, and a great ornament to the place; it
|
|
had many branches drawn from the main shaft, which had not only their
|
|
bowls (to put the oil and the kindled wick in) for necessity, but knops
|
|
and flowers for ornament.
|
|
|
|
2. That it was very convenient, and admirably contrived both to scatter
|
|
the light and to keep the tabernacle clean from smoke and snuffs.
|
|
|
|
3. That it was very significant. The tabernacle had no windows by
|
|
which to let in the light of the day, all its light was candle-light,
|
|
which intimates the comparative darkness of that dispensation, while
|
|
the Sun or righteousness had not as yet risen, nor had the day-star
|
|
from on high yet visited his church. Yet God left not himself without
|
|
witness, nor them without instruction; the commandment was a lamp, and
|
|
the law a light, and the prophets were branches from that lamp, which
|
|
gave light in their several ages to the Old-Testament church. The
|
|
church is still dark, as the tabernacle was, in comparison with what it
|
|
will be in heaven; but the word of God is the candlestick, <I>a light
|
|
shining in a dark place</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Pe+1:19">2 Pet. i. 19</A>),
|
|
|
|
and a dark place indeed the world would be without it. The Spirit of
|
|
God, in his various gifts and graces, is compared to the <I>seven
|
|
lamps</I> which <I>burn before the throne,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+4:5">Rev. iv. 5</A>.
|
|
|
|
The churches are golden candlesticks, the lights of the world,
|
|
<I>holding forth the word of life</I> as the candlestick does the
|
|
light,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Php+2:15,16">Phil. ii. 15, 16</A>.
|
|
|
|
Ministers are to light the lamps, and snuff them
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:37"><I>v.</I> 37</A>),
|
|
|
|
by opening the scriptures. The treasure of this light is now put into
|
|
<I>earthen vessels,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+4:6,7">2 Cor. iv. 6, 7</A>.
|
|
|
|
The branches of the candlestick spread every way, to denote the
|
|
diffusing of the light of the gospel into all parts by the Christian
|
|
ministry,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+5:14,15">Matt. v. 14, 15</A>.
|
|
|
|
There is a <I>diversity of gifts,</I> but the same Spirit gives to each
|
|
to profit withal.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. There is in the midst of these instructions an express caution
|
|
given to Moses, to take heed of varying from his model: <I>Make them
|
|
after the pattern shown thee,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+25:40"><I>v.</I> 40</A>.
|
|
|
|
Nothing was left to his own invention, or the fancy of the workmen, or
|
|
the people's humour; but the will of God must be religiously observed
|
|
in every particular. Thus,
|
|
|
|
1. All God's providences are exactly according to his counsels, and
|
|
the copy never varies from the original. Infinite Wisdom never changes
|
|
its measures; whatever is purposed shall undoubtedly be performed.
|
|
|
|
2. All his ordinances must be administered according to his
|
|
institutions. Christ's instruction to his disciples
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+28:20">Matt. xxviii. 20</A>)
|
|
|
|
is similar to this: <I>Observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
|
|
you.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
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