mh_parser/vol_split/2 - Exodus/Chapter 38.xml

<div2 id="Ex.xxxix" n="xxxix" next="Ex.xl" prev="Ex.xxxviii" progress="50.02%" title="Chapter XXXVIII">
<h2 id="Ex.xxxix-p0.1">E X O D U S</h2>
<h3 id="Ex.xxxix-p0.2">CHAP. XXXVIII.</h3>
<p class="intro" id="Ex.xxxix-p1">Here is an account, I. Of the making of the brazen
altar (<scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:Exod.38.1-Exod.38.7" parsed="|Exod|38|1|38|7" passage="Ex 38:1-7">ver. 1-7</scripRef>), and the
laver, <scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:Exod.38.8" parsed="|Exod|38|8|0|0" passage="Ex 38:8">ver. 8</scripRef>. II. The
preparing of the hangings for the enclosing of the court in which
the tabernacle was to stand, <scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:Exod.38.9-Exod.38.20" parsed="|Exod|38|9|38|20" passage="Ex 38:9-20">ver.
9-20</scripRef>. III. A summary of the gold, silver, and brass,
that was contributed to, and used in, the preparing of the
tabernacle, <scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:Exod.38.21-Exod.38.31" parsed="|Exod|38|21|38|31" passage="Ex 38:21-31">ver. 21</scripRef>,
&amp;c.</p>
<scripCom id="Ex.xxxix-p1.5" osisRef="Bible:Exod.38" parsed="|Exod|38|0|0|0" passage="Ex 38" type="Commentary"/>
<scripCom id="Ex.xxxix-p1.6" osisRef="Bible:Exod.38.1-Exod.38.8" parsed="|Exod|38|1|38|8" passage="Ex 38:1-8" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Exod.38.1-Exod.38.8">
<h4 id="Ex.xxxix-p1.7">The Tabernacle and Its
Furniture. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Ex.xxxix-p1.8">b. c.</span> 1491.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Ex.xxxix-p2">1 And he made the altar of burnt offering
<i>of</i> shittim wood: five cubits <i>was</i> the length thereof,
and five cubits the breadth thereof; <i>it was</i> foursquare; and
three cubits the height thereof.   2 And he made the horns
thereof on the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of the
same: and he overlaid it with brass.   3 And he made all the
vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basons,
<i>and</i> the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels
thereof made he <i>of</i> brass.   4 And he made for the altar
a brazen grate of network under the compass thereof beneath unto
the midst of it.   5 And he cast four rings for the four ends
of the grate of brass, <i>to be</i> places for the staves.   6
And he made the staves <i>of</i> shittim wood, and overlaid them
with brass.   7 And he put the staves into the rings on the
sides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made the altar hollow
with boards.   8 And he made the laver <i>of</i> brass, and
the foot of it <i>of</i> brass, of the looking-glasses of <i>the
women</i> assembling, which assembled <i>at</i> the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ex.xxxix-p3">Bezaleel having finished the gold-work,
which, though the richest, yet was ordered to lie most out of
sight, in the tabernacle itself, here goes on to prepare the court,
which lay open to the view of all. Two things the court was
furnished with, and both made of brass:—</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ex.xxxix-p4">I. An altar of burnt-offering, <scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p4.1" osisRef="Bible:Exod.38.1-Exod.38.7" parsed="|Exod|38|1|38|7" passage="Ex 38:1-7"><i>v.</i> 1-7</scripRef>. On this all their
sacrifices were offered, and it was this which, being sanctified
itself for this purpose by the divine appointment, sanctified the
gift that was in faith offered on it. Christ was himself the altar
to his own sacrifice of atonement, and so he is to all our
sacrifices of acknowledgment. We must have an eye to him in
offering them, as God has in accepting them.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ex.xxxix-p5">II. A laver, to hold water for the priests
to wash in when they went in to minister, <scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p5.1" osisRef="Bible:Exod.38.8" parsed="|Exod|38|8|0|0" passage="Ex 38:8"><i>v.</i> 8</scripRef>. This signified the provision that
is made in the gospel of Christ for the cleansing of our souls from
the moral pollution of sin by the merit and grace of Christ, that
we may be fit to serve the holy God in holy duties. This is here
said to be made of the <i>looking-glasses</i> (or mirrors) of the
women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ex.xxxix-p6">1. It should seem these women were eminent
and exemplary for devotion, attending more frequently and seriously
at the place of public worship than others did; and notice is here
taken of it to their honour. Anna was such a one long afterwards,
who <i>departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings
and prayers night and day,</i> <scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p6.1" osisRef="Bible:Luke.2.37" parsed="|Luke|2|37|0|0" passage="Lu 2:37">Luke ii.
37</scripRef>. It seems in every age of the church there have been
some who have thus distinguished themselves by their serious
zealous piety, and they have thereby distinguished themselves; for
devout women are really honourable women (<scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p6.2" osisRef="Bible:Acts.13.50" parsed="|Acts|13|50|0|0" passage="Ac 13:50">Acts xiii. 50</scripRef>), and not the less so for their
being called, by the scoffers of the latter days, <i>silly
women.</i> Probably these women were such as showed their zeal upon
this occasion, by assisting in the work that was now going on for
the service of the tabernacle. They assembled by <i>troops,</i> so
the word is; a blessed sight, to see so many, and those so zealous
and so unanimous, in this good work.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ex.xxxix-p7">2. These women parted with their mirrors
(which were of the finest brass, burnished for that purpose) for
the use of the tabernacle. Those women that admire their own
beauty, are in love with their own shadow, and make the putting on
of apparel their chief adorning by which they value and recommend
themselves, can but ill spare their <i>looking-glasses;</i> yet
these women offered <i>them</i> to God, either, (1.) In token of
their repentance for the former abuse of them, to the support of
their pride and vanity; now that they were convinced of their
folly, and had devoted themselves to the service of God at the door
of the tabernacle, they thus threw away that which, though lawful
and useful in itself, yet had been an occasion of sin to them. Thus
Mary Magdalene, who had been a sinner, when she became a penitent
wiped Christ's feet with her hair. Or, (2.) In token of their great
zeal for the work of the tabernacle; rather than the workmen should
want brass, or not have of the best, they would part with their
mirrors, though they could not do well without them. God's service
and glory must always be preferred by us before any satisfactions
or accommodations of our own. Let us never complain of the want of
that which we may honour God by parting with.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ex.xxxix-p8">3. These mirrors were used for the making
of the laver. Either they were artfully joined together, or else
molten down and cast anew; but it is probable that the laver was so
brightly burnished that the sides of it still served for mirrors,
that the priests, when they came to wash, might there see their
faces, and so discover the spots, to wash them clean. Note, In the
washing of repentance, there is need of the looking-glass of
self-examination. The word of God is a glass, in which we may see
our own faces (see <scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p8.1" osisRef="Bible:Jas.1.23" parsed="|Jas|1|23|0|0" passage="Jam 1:23">Jam. i.
23</scripRef>); and with it we must compare our own hearts and
lives, that, finding out our blemishes, we may wash with particular
sorrow, and application of the blood of Christ to our souls.
Usually the more particular we are in the confession of sin the
more comfort we have in the sense of the pardon.</p>
</div><scripCom id="Ex.xxxix-p8.2" osisRef="Bible:Exod.38.9-Exod.38.20" parsed="|Exod|38|9|38|20" passage="Ex 38:9-20" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Exod.38.9-Exod.38.20">
<p class="passage" id="Ex.xxxix-p9">9 And he made the court: on the south side
southward the hangings of the court <i>were of</i> fine twined
linen, an hundred cubits:   10 Their pillars <i>were</i>
twenty, and their brazen sockets twenty; the hooks of the pillars
and their fillets <i>were of</i> silver.   11 And for the
north side <i>the hangings were</i> an hundred cubits, their
pillars <i>were</i> twenty, and their sockets of brass twenty; the
hooks of the pillars and their fillets <i>of</i> silver.   12
And for the west side <i>were</i> hangings of fifty cubits, their
pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and
their fillets <i>of</i> silver.   13 And for the east side
eastward fifty cubits.   14 The hangings of the one side <i>of
the gate were</i> fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their
sockets three.   15 And for the other side of the court gate,
on this hand and that hand, <i>were</i> hangings of fifteen cubits;
their pillars three, and their sockets three.   16 All the
hangings of the court round about <i>were</i> of fine twined linen.
  17 And the sockets for the pillars <i>were of</i> brass; the
hooks of the pillars and their fillets <i>of</i> silver; and the
overlaying of their chapiters <i>of</i> silver; and all the pillars
of the court <i>were</i> filleted with silver.   18 And the
hanging for the gate of the court <i>was</i> needlework, <i>of</i>
blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty
cubits <i>was</i> the length, and the height in the breadth
<i>was</i> five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court.
  19 And their pillars <i>were</i> four, and their sockets
<i>of</i> brass four; their hooks <i>of</i> silver, and the
overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets <i>of</i> silver.
  20 And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court
round about, <i>were of</i> brass.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ex.xxxix-p10">The walls of the court, or church-yard,
were like the rest curtains or hangings, made according to the
appointment, <scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p10.1" osisRef="Bible:Exod.27.9-Exod.27.19" parsed="|Exod|27|9|27|19" passage="Ex 27:9-19"><i>ch.</i> xxvii.
9</scripRef>, &amp;c. This represented the state of the
Old-Testament church: it was a garden enclosed; the worshippers
were then confined to a little compass. But the enclosure being of
curtains only intimated that the confinement of the church in one
particular nation was not to be perpetual. The dispensation itself
was a tabernacle-dispensation, movable and mutable, and in due time
to be taken down and folded up, when the place of the tent should
be enlarged and its cords lengthened, to make room for the Gentile
world, as is foretold, <scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p10.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.54.2-Isa.54.3" parsed="|Isa|54|2|54|3" passage="Isa 54:2,3">Isa. liv. 2,
3</scripRef>. The church here on earth is but the court of God's
house, and happy they that tread these courts and flourish in them;
but through these courts we are passing to the holy place above.
<i>Blessed are those that dwell in that house</i> of God: they well
be <i>still praising him.</i> The enclosing of a court before the
tabernacle teaches us a gradual approach to God. The priests that
ministered must pass through the holy court, before they entered
the holy house. Thus before solemn ordinances there ought to be the
separated and enclosed court of a solemn preparation, in which we
must wash our hands, and so draw near with a true heart.</p>
</div><scripCom id="Ex.xxxix-p10.3" osisRef="Bible:Exod.38.21-Exod.38.31" parsed="|Exod|38|21|38|31" passage="Ex 38:21-31" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Exod.38.21-Exod.38.31">
<p class="passage" id="Ex.xxxix-p11">21 This is the sum of the tabernacle,
<i>even</i> of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted,
according to the commandment of Moses, <i>for</i> the service of
the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest.
  22 And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe
of Judah, made all that the <span class="smallcaps" id="Ex.xxxix-p11.1">Lord</span>
commanded Moses.   23 And with him <i>was</i> Aholiab, son of
Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman,
and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine
linen.   24 All the gold that was occupied for the work in all
the work of the holy <i>place,</i> even the gold of the offering,
was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels,
after the shekel of the sanctuary.   25 And the silver of them
that were numbered of the congregation <i>was</i> an hundred
talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen
shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:   26 A bekah for
every man, <i>that is,</i> half a shekel, after the shekel of the
sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty
years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand
and five hundred and fifty <i>men.</i>   27 And of the hundred
talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the
sockets of the vail; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a
talent for a socket.   28 And of the thousand seven hundred
seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and
overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them.   29 And the
brass of the offering <i>was</i> seventy talents, and two thousand
and four hundred shekels.   30 And therewith he made the
sockets to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the
brazen altar, and the brazen grate for it, and all the vessels of
the altar,   31 And the sockets of the court round about, and
the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle,
and all the pins of the court round about.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ex.xxxix-p12">Here we have a breviat of the account
which, by Moses's appointment, the Levites took and kept of the
gold, silver, and brass, that was brought in for the tabernacle's
use, and how it was employed. Ithamar the son of Aaron was
appointed to draw up this account, and was thus by less services
trained up and fitted for greater, <scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p12.1" osisRef="Bible:Exod.38.21" parsed="|Exod|38|21|0|0" passage="Ex 38:21"><i>v.</i> 21</scripRef>. Bezaleel and Aholiab must bring
in the account (<scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p12.2" osisRef="Bible:Exod.38.22-Exod.38.23" parsed="|Exod|38|22|38|23" passage="Ex 38:22,23"><i>v.</i> 22,
23</scripRef>), and Ithamar must audit it, and give it in to Moses.
And it was thus:—1. All the gold was a free-will offering; every
man brought as he could and would, and it amounted to twenty-nine
talents, and 730 shekels over, which some compute to be about
150,000<i>l.</i> worth of gold, according to the present value of
it. Of this were made all the golden furniture and vessels. 2. The
silver was levied by way of tax; every man was assessed half a
shekel, a kind of poll-money, which amounted in the whole to 100
talents, and 1775 shekels over, <scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p12.3" osisRef="Bible:Exod.38.25-Exod.38.26" parsed="|Exod|38|25|38|26" passage="Ex 38:25,26"><i>v.</i> 25, 26</scripRef>. Of this they made the
sockets into which the boards of the tabernacle were let, and on
which they rested; so that they were as the foundation of the
tabernacle, <scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p12.4" osisRef="Bible:Exod.38.27" parsed="|Exod|38|27|0|0" passage="Ex 38:27"><i>v.</i> 27</scripRef>.
The silver amounted to about 34,000<i>l.</i> of our money. The
raising of the gold by voluntary contribution, and of the silver by
way of tribute, shows that either way may be taken for the
defraying of public expenses, provided that nothing be done with
partiality. 3. The brass, though less valuable, was of use not only
for the brazen altar, but for the sockets of the court, which
probably in other tents were of wood: but it is promised (<scripRef id="Ex.xxxix-p12.5" osisRef="Bible:Isa.60.17" parsed="|Isa|60|17|0|0" passage="Isa 60:17">Isa. lx. 17</scripRef>), <i>For wood I will
bring brass.</i> See how liberal the people were and how faithful
the workmen were, in both which respects their good example ought
to be followed.</p>
</div></div2>