Exodus 28:23

Exodus 28:23  says, And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.  This is further details about the breast plate.  

Verse twenty-four adds, And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate.  This was the golden chain described in verse twenty-two.  

 Verse twenty-five continues, And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it.   The golden chains were to be attached to the breast plate at one end and to ephod at the other.  

Verse twenty-six states, And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward.  There were to be two golden rings on the ends of the breast plate.  

Verse twenty-seven adds, And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.  There were to be two more golden rings on the two sides of the ephod, underneath to serve as a coupling for the curious girdle.  

Verse twenty-eight continues, And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod.  The breast plate and the ephod were to be bound together with piece of blue lace running between the golden rings.  God gave Moses specific details for the wardrobe of Aaron.  The only specific requirement we have in order to come before God today is that we come by the way of the cross.  We don't have to be dressed a specific way and are not limited in our access to God.  

Verse twenty-nine concludes, And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.  The names of the children of Israel would be close to Aaron's heart when he went into the holy place.  As followers of Christ, wherever we go, the Holy Spirit goes with us to keep us close to the heart of God.

Exodus 28:9

Exodus 28:9 says, And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:  There were to be two oryx stones engraved with the names of the children, or tribes, of Israel.  

Verse ten adds, Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.  Six were to be named on one stone and six on the other, according to birth order.  

Verse eleven continues, With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.  These were to be precious stones, which would represent all the people of Israel appearing before God when the High Priest went in to the holy of holies.  Christ represents each believer by name before God today, and we should realize what a precious thing this is.  

Verse twelve states, And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.  Aaron was to bear the two stones, representing all God's people, on his shoulders, just as Christ bears all of those who believe in and follow Him upon His shoulders today.  

Verse thirteen adds, And thou shalt make ouches of gold;  

Verse fourteen continues, And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches. This was to be a very precious and ornate garment, much more so than the ordinary priestly garments.  

Verse fifteen says, And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.  There was to be a breast plate of judgment made, in the same manner as the ephod.  

Verse sixteen adds,  Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.  The breast plate was to be of double thickness, or two ply.  These next few verses give details of the breast plate.  

Verse seventeen says,  And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. 

Verse eighteen adds, And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.  

Verse nineteen continues, And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. 

Verse twenty states, And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.   

Verse twenty-one adds, And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.  There were to be a total of twelve different stones, each with the name of one of the tribes of Israel on it.  Though we are all different, like these stones representing the people, we are all equally precious to God, and today Jesus is the One and only One Who can represent us before God.  He is our High Priest.  Verse twenty-two says, And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold.  This is simply more of the way the breast plate was to be made ornate.

Today we celebrate Thanksgiving Day.  This is a day set aside to remember and give thanks for all the blessings that we have in life.  Even when we don't have much, if we are still alive then we have reason to celebrate.  As followers of Christ, we have reason to celebrate each day, and setting aside one day in which to celebrate and give thanks to God for all that He has blessed us with is the least we can do.  Thanksgiving Day has been reduced to Turkey day or the day to plan where we are doing to spend Black Friday too often in the world today.  This was not what the Pilgrims had in mind that first Thanksgiving Day.  They were simply thanking God for keeping them safe, and we should return to that same attitude.  So, happy Thanksgiving, and remember to give thanks to God today.

Exodus 28:1

Exodus 28:1 says, And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.  After the specifications for the tabernacle were complete, God told Moses to take Aaron and his sons to minister to God as priests.  Aaron had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.  Though God does not call families as preachers all at the same time today, if a person is to be a preacher, it must be because God called him.  The priests were to be God's representatives to the people and were not called simply to lord it over others.  As a priesthood of believers, our task today is to present God and His word to people and not to simply feel morally superior to them.  

Verse two adds, And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.  Aaron was to have holy garments made for him, for both glory and beauty.  The glory was to be shown to God, not Aaron.  We today have no special garments as Christmas, but whatever we wear should show honor to God.  

Verse three continues,  And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.  God told Moses that he was to speak to those that were wise hearted so they could make and consecrate the garments for Aaron.  The wise hearted would be those who truly believed in God, and just as Moses called Aaron and his sons to be priests, He called these people to make garments for them.  We do not all serve the same purpose in God's kingdom, but we are all called for a purpose in that kingdom.  

Verse four states, And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.  Moses was told what garments in particular were to be made for Aaron and his sons so that they could minister as priests of God.  These garments were to identify Aaron and his sons as priests, so that they might serve God and bring honor to Him.  The call from God, and not the garments, was what made them priests, just as our acceptance of the call to salvation through Christ makes us priests of God today.  

Verse five adds, And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.  These next few verses are simply details for the garments, beginning with what they were to be made of.  

Verse six continues, And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.  This was the specifications for the ephod.  

Verse seven says, It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. 

Verse eight adds, And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

Exodus 27:9

Exodus 27:9 says, And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:  This is a continuation of the instructions for the court of the tabernacle.  

Verse ten adds, And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.  The pillars and sockets were to be made of brass, or more for strength, and the hooks and fillets were to be of silver, or more ornate.  I believe that today the church building should be functional, but it should also be made as beautiful as possible to reflect honor to God.  We should never put more money and effort into maintaining the building than we do into maintaining the function of the church, which is to reach the lost and to edify one another.  

Verse eleven continues, And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.  This was to be a duplication of the south side.  

Verse twelve states, And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.  Moses is now given the specifics for the west side of the tabernacle.  

Verse thirteen adds, And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.  The east side of the tabernacle was to contain the gate.  

Verse fourteen continues, The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.  

Verse fifteen says,  And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.  The hangings at the gate were to cover thirty of the fifty Curtis.  

Verse sixteen adds, And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.  The other twenty cubits of the gate  were to be of blue, purple and scarlet.  This would be the access point.  Just as there was but one way into the tabernacle then, there is but one way into a saving relationship with God today, and that is through Christ.  

Verse seventeen continues, All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.  

Verse eighteen states, The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.  

Verse nineteen continues. All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.  This concluded the instructions for building and furnishing the tabernacle.  

Verse twenty proclaims, And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.  Moses was to instruct the people of Israel to bring pure olive oil to keep the lamps burning always.  We today as followers of Christ have the command to keep the gospel light shinning in the world always.  Just as providing the oil then was not just a one time thing, but an ongoing one, so is our command to share the gospel today.  

Verse twenty-one adds, In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.  Aaron and his sons were given the responsibility of keeping the areas outside the veil in order.  We today are given the responsibility of keeping the church in order in the world.  This is not the building, but the fellowship of believers.

Exodus 27:1

Exodus 27:1 says, And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.  There was to be an altar in the tabernacle.  I believe that today we could say that our heart is the altar of our tabernacle, where we should place everything as a sacrifice to God.  

Verse two adds,  And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.  There were to be horns of brass on the four corners of the altar.  The brass would keep the wood from being burned up when the fire came down from heaven.  The altar was not a place of beauty, but of sacrifice, just as it should be today.  

Verse three continues, And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.  As just stated, this was to be a place of death, not beauty.  When we come to the altar today, it should be to die to self.  

Verse four states, And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof.  There was to be a brass net under the altar.  

Verse five adds, And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.  The net was to be placed under the altar in the middle of it.  

Verse six continues, And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.  

Verse seven says, And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.  

Verse eight adds, Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.  These staves were to be made to fit into the net, just as God had instructed Moses to make it.  Just like the altar, the cross was not a place of beauty, but a place of death.  We today must sacrifice everything to God at the cross when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord.

Exodus 26:31

Exodus 26:31 says,And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:   The veils were to separate the holy place from the most holy place.  Only priest were allowed to go beyond the first veil.  There was limited access to God's holiest place.  This is the veil that was wrent in two when Jesus died for our sins, and as follows of Christ, we are all a part of the priesthood of believers.  Through our faith in Christ, nothing stands between God and us.  

Verse thirty-two adds, And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.  

Verse thirty-three continues, And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.  The ark of testimony was to be behind the veil, which separated the holy place from the most holy place.  

Verse thirty-four states, And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.  The mercy seat was to be placed on the ark of the covenant,in the most holy place.  When we come to God through His mercy shown to us through the death of Christ on the cross, we see God at His most holiest.  

Verse thirty-five adds, And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side.  

Verse thirty-six continues, And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.  

Verse thirty-seven concludes, And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.  There was to be an ornate covering for the door.