LHC Midday Word: The Second Book of Moses called EXODUS

The ark

1 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood – two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. 2 He overlaid it with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold moulding around it. 3 He cast four gold rings for it and fastened them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. 4 Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 And he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it.

6 He made the atonement cover of pure gold – two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 7 Then he made two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 8 He made one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; at the two ends he made them of one piece with the cover. 9 The cherubim had their wings spread upwards, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim faced each other, looking towards the cover.

The table

10 They made the table of acacia wood – two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. 11 Then they overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold moulding around it. 12 They also made around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a gold moulding on the rim. 13 They cast four gold rings for the table and fastened them to the four corners, where the four legs were. 14 The rings were put close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. 15 The poles for carrying the table were made of acacia wood and were overlaid with gold. 16 And they made from pure gold the articles for the table – its plates and dishes and bowls and its pitchers for the pouring out of drink offerings.

The lampstand

17 They made the lampstand of pure gold. They hammered out its base and shaft, and made its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. 18 Six branches extended from the sides of the lampstand – three on one side and three on the other. 19 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on one branch, three on the next branch and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. 20 And on the lampstand were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. 21 One bud was under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair – six branches in all. 22 The buds and the branches were all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.

23 They made its seven lamps, as well as its wick trimmers and trays, of pure gold. 24 They made the lampstand and all its accessories from one talent of pure gold.

The altar of incense

25 They made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long and a cubit wide and two cubits high – its horns of one piece with it. 26 They overlaid the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and made a gold moulding around it. 27 They made two gold rings below the moulding – two on each of the opposite sides – to hold the poles used to carry it. 28 They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.29 They also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense – the work of a perfumer.

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Word by Word Meditations

by Fred Ursell

Exodus 37: “hammered”(vv.7 & 17)

So much “pure gold” (vv.2, 11, 22-24 & 26) was used in the furnishings of the tabernacle, in order to convey the supreme worth of worshipping God. The following items are described as made out of “hammered gold” – shaped from a single piece, under the impact of the hammer blows:

[A] the “two cherubim” (v.7) with “their wings … overshadowing” (v.9) the ark of God’s covenant;

[B] “the lamp-stand” (v.17) with its perfect number of 7 lights (as in Revelation 1-3) from a single source, and thus representing God’s light shining through us. “So let your light shine” (Matthew 5 v.14)! Really HIS!

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READINGS

EXODUS Chapter Thirty Seven

Read by David Suchet