This last portion of
Shemot – Vayakel – ends with the construction of the Tabernacle with all its
furniture, coverings, garments and vessels. All the materials had been
collected, now was time to create a “space” where YHVH could dwell with His
people and reveal to them who He was and what He desired them to be.
These events remind us
that YHVH has allowed all the events in our lives to come about so as to
prepare a dwelling place for Himself to dwell in our hearts. Nothing has
happened to us by accident. If YHVH has called you, He is preparing you for a
vessel of His habitation.
The most discussed topic
of the Torah is the “Mishkan” – the Tabernacle.
Where does the
construction of this Tabernacle begin? With the “Ark of the Covenant”.
Is this just a co incidence?
When did our lives really
begin on this earth? The day or time when YHVH introduced Yahshua into our
lives (hearts) and everything about our lives changed. The Father and His Son
came to seek a dwelling place in our hearts. The Torah and all of YHVH’s Word
was also meant to change our thoughts and actions.
And so the construction of
the Tabernacle begins with the “Ark of the Covenant” the very dwelling place of
YHVH amongst men …until the first coming of Messiah.
Exo 37:1 And
Betsal’ĕl made the ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, and a cubit
and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. (1.125mx 0.675m x 0.45m)
Exo 37:2
And he overlaid it with clean gold inside and outside, and made a
moulding of gold all around it.
Exo 37:3
And he cast four rings of gold for it, for its four feet, two rings on
its one side, and two rings on its other side.
Exo 37:4
And he made poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold.
Exo 37:5
And he put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark, to lift the
ark.
Exo 37:6
And he made a lid of atonement of clean gold, two and a half cubits long
and a cubit and a half wide.
Exo 37:7
And he made two keruḇim of beaten gold. He made them from the two ends
of the lid of atonement,
Exo
37:8 one keruḇ at one end on this side, and the other keruḇ at the other end on that side. He made the keruḇim from the lid of atonement, from the two ends.
Exo
37:9 And the keruḇim spread out their wings above, and covered the lid of atonement with
their wings, with their faces toward each other, the faces of the keruḇim were turned toward the lid of atonement.
A total circumference of 8 cubits – 8 the number
of new beginnings, only that which is perfect enters into His Presence of
Perfection. From the very beginning of Creation – YHVH had our perfection, our
completeness as part of His plan and purpose for our lives. His Presence
creates – Perfection!
The contents of the ark represent the Messiah –
the perfect one – who would become our perfection.
Messiah would come to teach us the Torah the way it was meant to be taught – two
tablets.
Messiah would come and reveal the priesthood
would show us the truth – rod.
Messiah would come to give life the way life was meant to be received – the pot
of manna.
YHVH takes common wood and covers it with gold –
He takes man, a clay vessel and fills him with His Esteem –
2Co 4:7
And we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the excellence of
the power might be of Elohim, and not of us –
Before anything of lasting eternal value can take
place in our lives, our hearts need to be transformed by His indwelling
Presence. Only then can we break bread with Him …
What
shall we say about the kerubim and the lid of atonement and the poles and the
rings?
Exo
37:10 And he made the table of acacia
wood, two cubits long, and a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high.
Exo
37:11 And he overlaid it with clean
gold, and made a moulding of gold all around it.
Exo
37:12 And he made a rim of a handbreadth
all around it, and made a moulding of gold for the rim all around it.
Exo
37:13 And he cast four rings of gold for
it, and put the rings on the four corners that were at its four legs.
Exo
37:14 The rings were next to the rim, as
holders for the poles to lift the table.
Exo
37:15 And he made the poles of acacia
wood to lift the table, and overlaid them with gold.
Exo
37:16 And he made the utensils which
were on the table, its dishes, and its cups, and its bowls, and its jars for
pouring, of clean gold.
The
table is a place where we break bread and have fellowhip with YHVH – it’s a
place where Yahshua reveals the heart of His Father to us – and so our “first
love” for Him is established – Rev 2:4
However
this “first love” causes us to want more – we thirst for more ….. the
enlightening and infilling of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Set apart Spirit) –
symbolized in the Menorah – Yesh 11:2
Joh 7:37
And on the last day, the great day of the festival, יהושע stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone
thirsts, let him come to Me, and let him who believes in Me drink.
Joh
7:38 “As the Scripture said, out of His
innermost shall flow rivers of living water.”1 Footnote: 1Isa.
44:3, Jer. 2:13, Jer. 17:13, Zech. 14:8, Ps. 36:8,9, Prov.14:27, John 4:10,
John 6:63, 1 Cor. 10:4, Rev. 7:17, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:1 & 17.
Joh
7:39 And this He said concerning the
Spirit, which those believing in Him were about to receive, for the Set-apart
Spirit was not yet given,1 because יהושע was not yet esteemed. Footnote: 1Ezek.
36:26-27, Joel 2:28-32, Acts 1:4-8, Acts 2:4 & 33, Acts 10:44-47, Acts
11:15-16, Eph. 5:18.
Luk 3:16
Yoḥanan answered, saying to them all, “I indeed immerse you in water, but
One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal straps I am not worthy to loosen.
He shall immerse you in the Set-apart Spirit and fire.
Luk
3:17 “His winnowing fork is in His hand,
and He shall thoroughly cleanse His threshing-floor, and gather the wheat into
His storehouse, but the chaff He shall burn with unquenchable fire.”
Exo
37:17 And he made the lampstand of clean
gold. He made the lampstand of beaten work, its base, and its shaft, its cups,
its ornamental knobs, and its blossoms were from it.
Exo
37:18 And six branches came out of its
sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of
the lampstand out of the other side.
Exo
37:19 There were three cups like almond
flowers on one branch, with ornamental knob and blossom, and three cups like
almond flowers on the other branch, a knob and a blossom – so for the six
branches coming out of the lampstand.
Exo
37:20 And on the lampstand were four
cups like almond flowers, its knobs and blossoms,
Exo
37:21 and a knob under the first two
branches of the same, and a knob under the second two branches of the same, and
a knob under the third two branches of the same, for the six branches coming
out of it.
Exo
37:22 Their knobs and their branches
were of it, all of it was one beaten work of clean gold.
Exo
37:23 And he made its seven lamps, and
its snuffers, and its trays, of clean gold.
Exo
37:24 He made it of a talent of clean
gold, and all its utensils.
When
the Ruach Ha Kodesh came upon Yahshua, he went into the wilderness to pray for
40 days.
Luk 4:1 And יהושע, being filled with the Set-apart Spirit,
returned from the Yardĕn and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Isa 61:1 The
Spirit of the Master יהוה is upon Me,
because יהוה has anointed Me to bring good news to the
meek. He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim release to the
captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound,
Exo
37:25 And he made the incense altar of
acacia wood, a cubit long and a cubit wide, square, and two cubits high. Its
horns were of it.
Exo
37:26 And he overlaid it with clean
gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns. And he made a moulding
for it of gold all around it.
Exo
37:27 And he made two rings of gold for
it under its moulding, at its two corners on both sides, as holders for the
poles with which to lift it.
Exo
37:28 And he made the poles of acacia
wood, and overlaid them with gold.
Exo
37:29 And he made the set-apart
anointing oil and the clean incense of sweet spices, according to the work of
the perfumer.
Now we begin to understand how we entered into
His Presence and were filled with His Ruach ….the altar of burnt offerings and
the laver…..
Exo 38:1 And he
made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, five cubits long and five
cubits wide, square, and three cubits high.
Exo 38:2
And he made its horns on its four corners, the horns were of it. And he
overlaid it with bronze.
Exo 38:3
And he made all the utensils for the altar: the pots, and the shovels,
and the basins, and the forks, and the fire holders. He made all its utensils
of bronze.
Exo 38:4
And he made a grating for the altar, a bronze network, under its rim,
midway from the bottom.
Exo 38:5
And he cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating, as
holders for the poles.
Exo 38:6
And he made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with bronze.
Exo 38:7
And he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with
which to lift it. He made the altar hollow with boards.
Exo
38:8 And he made the basin of bronze and
its stand of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who did
service at the door of the Tent of Meeting. – See 1 Pet 3
Exo 38:9
And he made the courtyard: for the south side the screens of the
courtyard were of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long,
Exo 38:10
their twenty columns and their twenty sockets, of bronze. The hooks of
the columns and their bands were of silver.
Exo 38:11
And for the north side the screens were one hundred cubits long, their
twenty columns and their twenty sockets, of bronze. The hooks of the columns
and their bands were of silver.
Exo 38:12
And for the west side there were screens of fifty cubits, their ten
columns and their ten sockets. The hooks of the columns and their bands were of
silver.
Exo 38:13
And for the east side eastward, fifty cubits:
Exo 38:14
fifteen cubits of screens on the one side, with their three columns and
their three sockets,
Exo 38:15
and fifteen cubits of screens the other side of the courtyard gate, on
this side and that side, with their three columns and their three sockets.
Exo 38:16
All the screens of the courtyard all around were of fine woven linen.
Exo 38:17
And the sockets for the columns were of bronze, the hooks of the columns
and their bands were of silver, and the overlay of their tops was of silver.
And all the columns of the courtyard had bands of silver.
Exo 38:18
And the covering for the gate of the courtyard was the work of an
embroiderer, of blue and purple and scarlet material, and of fine woven
linen, and twenty cubits long, and the height along its width was five cubits,
corresponding to the screens of the courtyard.
Exo 38:19
And the columns were four, and their sockets of bronze four, their hooks
were of silver, and the overlay of their tops and their bands was of silver.
Exo 38:20
And all the pegs of the Dwelling Place, and of the courtyard all around,
were of bronze.