He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. It was square. Its length was five cubits, its width was five cubits, and its height was three cubits. He made its horns on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze. He made all the vessels of the altar: the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its vessels of bronze. He made for the altar a grating of a network of bronze, under the ledge around it beneath, reaching halfway up. He cast four rings for the four corners of bronze grating, to be places for the poles. He made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with bronze. He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made it hollow with planks.
He made the basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, out of the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 8 Or, fire pans.
Or, fire pans.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On v8 Exo 38:8 And he made the laver [of] brass,…
Exo 38:8 And he made the laver [of] brass, and the foot of it [of] brass, of the lookingglasses of [the women] assembling, which assembled [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Ver. 8. Looking glasses.] Or, Brazen-glasses. These devout women that used to assemble by troops at the door of the tabernacle to pray and serve God, - see Luk 2:37 1Ti 5:5, - frankly gave the instruments whereby they dressed their bodies, to make the instrument whereby, through faith, they might sanctify their souls. Let those who view themselves oft in their looking glasses take his counsel who said, "Art thou fair? be not like an Egyptian temple, varnish without and vermin within. Art thou foul? let thy soul be like a rich pearl in a rude shell." Some such advice as this Pythagoras gave his scholars. St James would have men "look" often "into the perfect law of liberty," that crystal glass, "and continue therein." {Jas 1:25} David did so, and got much good by it. {Psa 119:59} I considered my ways: Heb., I viewed my ways on both sides. The curious works of the sanctuary were wrought on both sides, therefore called works with two faces. Common works are wrought only on one side, on the other full of ends and shreds. The prophet here strives to walk curiously, precisely, accurately, to turn his feet to God’s testimonies: and hence he is so exact in his self-searching.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On v8 Looking-glasses, as now they are sometimes made of polished…
Looking-glasses, as now they are sometimes made of polished steel, so anciently were made of polished brass, as appears both from sacred and from profane writers. See Job 37:18; Phi 3:9, &c. The words following seem to note a company of religious women, who in a more peculiar manner devoted themselves to the service of God in or about his tabernacle, by fasting, prayer, &c. See 1Sa 2:22; Luk 2:37. And whereas some object that the tabernacle was not yet built, it may be replied, either that this is to be understood of the tabernacle spoken of Exo 33:7, which might serve for that purpose till this was built; or that here is a prolepsis or anticipation, and that he speaks not of what the women now did, but of what they did after the tabernacle was built, which was before Moses writ these words.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v1 Bezaleel having finished the gold-work, which, though the richest,…
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: -
I. An altar of burnt-offering, Exo 38:1-7. 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.
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II. A laver, to hold water for the priests to wash in when they went in to minister, Exo 38:8. 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 looking-glasses (or mirrors) of the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle.
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 departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day, Luk 2:37. 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 (Act 13:50), and not the less so for their being called, by the scoffers of the latter days, silly women. 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 troops, so the word is; a blessed sight, to see so many, and those so zealous and so unanimous, in this good work.
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 looking-glasses; yet these women offered them 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.
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 Jam 1:23); 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.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv1, 8 And he made the altar of burnt offering,.... That…
And he made the altar of burnt offering,.... That is, Bezaleel made it, or it was made by his direction, he having the care and oversight of it, wherefore the making of it is ascribed to him, Ch2 1:5 the account of this, its horns, vessels, rings, and staves, is carried on to Exo 38:2 of which See Gill on Exo 27:1, Exo 27:2, Exo 27:3, Exo 27:4, Exo 27:5, Exo 27:6, Exo 27:7, Exo 27:8.
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Exodus 38:8
exo 38:8
exo 38:8
exo 38:8And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass,.... Not of the brass of the offering, for of that were made the brazen altar, its grate and vessels, the sockets of the court and court gate, and the pins of the tabernacle, Exo 38:29 but no mention is made there of the laver; for that was made, as here said:
of the looking glasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; though these are called looking glasses, it is not to be supposed that they were made of glass as ours are; for of what use could such be in the making of a brazen laver? Some indeed choose to read the words "with the looking glasses" (d), and take the sense to be, that there were looking glasses about the laver, affixed to it, that when the priests came to wash, they might see their spots, and the better know how to cleanse themselves from them: but it should be observed, that the priests did not come hither to wash their faces, but their hands and feet, Exo 30:19 and so stood in no need of looking glasses for that purpose. The particle is here, as Aben Ezra observes, instead of and denotes the matter of which the laver was made, and therefore these instruments to behold the face in, or those mirrors, were of brass, as both he and Philo the Jew (e) affirm; and, indeed, what else could they be, for a laver of brass to be made of? mirrors in former times were made of various sorts of metal polished, some of gold, some of silver, some of brass, and some of brass and tin (f); and the Indians to this day have mirrors made of brass, well polished, and exactly represent the complexion (g). Pliny says (h), that those of Brundusium, which were made of brass and tin mixed, were with the ancient Romans reckoned the best. Aristotle (i) speaks of mirrors of brass, and of their receiving and showing the least touch, because the brass is smooth and polished; and so in our times, there are such as are made of polished steel, and even of burnished brass too: De la Hay (k) says that he had one in his study, which was given him, made of brass of Damascus, and was so finely polished that no crystal one could give a truer sight of the face than that; however, it is certain the ancients used such kind of mirrors; see Job 37:18 these the good women of Israel, in their great zeal, brought for the service of the sanctuary, though they were of daily use, and peculiarly serviceable to them in their dressing; for though the word "women" is not in the text, it is rightly supplied, as it is in all the three Targums, the word being feminine, and as may be justified by a parallel passage, Sa1 2:22 indeed Varenius (l) proposes another, rendering the words thus,"of the looking glasses in great number gathered together, which they had heaped together at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation;''but the word used is active and not passive, and is used of persons gathering together, and not of things gathered, as appears from the above quoted place, and others; and these women gathered together, not for devotion and religion, to pray, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan paraphrase it, or to pray, and hear the words of the law, as Aben Ezra, much less to bear any part in the ministry and service of the sanctuary, which as yet was not built; for this tabernacle of the congregation was no other than the tent of Moses, or, however, some little tabernacle erected while the other was preparing, see Exo 33:7 hither the women crowded with their mirrors of brass for the service of the sanctuary; for the word signifies an assembling in troops like an army; and they came in great numbers and beset the door of the tent where Moses was, that he might take their offerings at their hands; not but that it will be allowed that devout women sometimes did assemble at the tabernacle and temple, to perform acts of religion and devotion; but this seems not to be the case here, nor this a time and place for it; see Sa1 2:22.
(d) "cum speculis", Oleaster. (e) De Vita Mosis, l. 3. p. 673. (f) Vid. Doughtei Analecta Sacr. excurs. 44. p. 124. (g) Agreement of Customs between the East Indians and Jews, art. 15. p. 65. (h) Nat. Hist. l. 33. c. 9. & l. 34. c. 17. (i) De Insomniis, c. 2. (k) Apud Habikhorst. de mulier. Zobheoth in Thesaur. Theolog. Philolog. vol. 1. p. 321. (l) Apud ib. p. 318.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv1, 8 Here is an account,
Here is an account,
I. Of the making of the brazen altar, ver. 1-7. and the laver, ver. 8.
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II. The preparing of the hangings for the inclosing of the court in which the tabernacle was to stand, ver. 9-20.
III. A summary account of the gold, silver and brass that was contributed to, and, used in the preparing of the tabernacle, ver. 21-31.
The altar of burnt-offering - On this all their sacrifices were offered. 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 hath in accepting them.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv1, 8 Bezaleel makes the altar of burnt-offering, 1-7.
CHAPTER XXXVIII
Bezaleel makes the altar of burnt-offering, 1-7.
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He makes the laver and its foot out of the mirrors given
by the women, 8.
The court, its pillars, hangings, c., 9-20.
The whole tabernacle and its work finished by Bezaleel,
Aholiab, and their assistants, 21-23.
The amount of the gold contributed, 24.
The amount of the silver, and how it was expended, 25-28.
The amount of the brass, and how this was used, 29-31.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXXVIII
Verse 1. The altar of burnt-offering] See Clarke on Ex 27:1 and for its horns, pots, shovels, basins, &c., see the meaning of the Hebrew terms explained, Ex 27:3-5.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv1, 8 Exo 38:1. Having finished the furniture of the house…
Exo 38:1. Having finished the furniture of the house itself, Bezaleel, and those who were employed under him, proceeded next to that of the court of the tabernacle, where the sacrifices and services were commonly performed; wherein first they made the great brazen altar for burnt-sacrifices, with all its appurtenances, in mode and form exactly agreeable to the orders given about it in Exo 27:1-3. On this all their sacrifices were offered. 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 hath in accepting them.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv1, 8 For Exo 38:1-7 and Exo 38:9-20 see the notes…
For Exo 38:1-7 and Exo 38:9-20 see the notes to Exo. 27.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v8 Mirrors. Formerly all sorts of metal, silver, copper, tin,…
Mirrors. Formerly all sorts of metal, silver, copper, tin, &c., were used for mirrors, till the Europeans began to make them of glass. The best were made of a mixture of copper and tin. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xxxiii. 9.) --- Watched. Hebrew, served like soldiers: fasting and praying, according to the Septuagint and Chaldean. These devout women came thither with great alacrity, to shew their affection towards God, and to consecrate to his service what had hitherto served to nourish vanity. Such were the virgins, mentioned 2 Machabees iii. 19, and those who were abused by the sons of Heli, 1 Kings ii. 22. Ann, the prophetess, and our blessed Lady, were thus also employed in the temple, Luke ii. 37. Women kept watch, singing and dancing before the palace of the Persian kings. (Calmet) --- When the tabernacle was fixed at Silo, small apartments were probably built for the convenience of these pious women. (Tirinus)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v8 laver of brass . . . of the looking…
laver of brass . . . of the looking glasses of the women--The word mirrors should have been used, as those implements, usually round, inserted into a handle of wood, stone, or metal, were made of brass, silver, or bronze, highly polished [WILKINSON]. It was customary for the Egyptian women to carry mirrors with them to the temples; and whether by taking the looking glasses of the Hebrew women Moses designed to put it out of their power to follow a similar practice at the tabernacle, or whether the supply of brass from other sources in the camp was exhausted, it is interesting to learn how zealously and to a vast extent they surrendered those valued accompaniments of the female toilet.
of the women assembling . . . at the door--not priestesses but women of pious character and influence, who frequented the courts of the sacred building (Luk 2:37), and whose parting with their mirrors, like the cutting the hair of the Nazarites, was their renouncing the world for a season [HENGSTENBERG].
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v1 THE ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERINGS, Exo_38:1-7.
THE ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERINGS, Exo_38:1-7.
See notes on Exo_27:1-7.
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THE LAVER, Exo_38:8.
See notes on Exo_30:17-21.
THE COURT OF THE TABERNACLE, Exo_38:9-20.
See notes on Exo_27:9-19.
THE AMOUNT OF METALS USED FOR THE TABERNACLE, Exo_38:21-31.
21. This is the sum — Literally, the things reckoned, meaning, according to what follows, the weight of the gold, silver, and brass employed in the construction of the sanctuary and what belonged to it. The amount, as summed up, is recorded as: —
Gold=29 talents and 730 shekels.
Silver=100 talents and 1,775 shekels,
Brass=70 talents and 2,400 shekels.
The uncertainty attaching to the exact weight and value of the gold, silver, and brass talents and shekels makes it impossible to determine precisely the gross amount of the cost of the tabernacle. Then, further, the different relative value of a given amount of these metals in ancient and in modern times would greatly affect any estimate. The weight of the metals here mentioned, as estimated in the Speaker’s Commentary, is as follows, in avoirdupois weight:
Gold, — 1 ton — 4 cwt. — 2 qrs. — 13 lbs.
Silver, — 4 tons — 4 cwt. — 2 qrs. — 20 lbs.
Bronze, —2 tons — 19 cwt. — 2 qrs. — 11 lbs.
The entire value of these metals, at the lowest approximate estimate in American currency, would be over a million dollars. This estimate of the cost of the tabernacle does not include the large amount of other material for curtains, boards, and pillars, nor take into account at all the value of the labour, which the men and women of Israel gave as freely as they did the gold and silver and other things. On the question whence the Israelites obtained such vast amounts of precious things, see note on Exo_25:3.
We are not to think of the tabernacle as of a modern Christian Church. The latter, as a house of worship, serves mainly for the comfort and convenience of an assembly of worshippers, and each true worshipper is supposed to have risen in spirit into the profound realities of which the tabernacle and its services were only symbols. Serving the purpose of material symbols of the unseen and eternal, the tabernacle was appropriately made of the most costly materials, for these, with their various values, were, for the time, “object lessons” of the better things to come.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 8 1. the altar of burnt offering] for distinction from…
1. the altar of burnt offering] for distinction from the altar of incense (Exo_37:25-28). In Exo_27:1 ‘the altar’ simply. See introd. to chs. 30–31 (p. 329).
1–7. (Exo_27:1-8 a). The altar of burnt offering. In vv. 4, 5 there are some changes of order: Exo_27:8 b is not repeated.
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Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 8 (1) He made the altar.—From the furniture of the…
XXXVIII.
(1) He made the altar.—From the furniture of the sanctuary, the transition is natural to the furniture of the court in which it stood. This is now is now described. It consisted of the brazen altar, or altar of burnt-offering, and the great brazen laver. The construction of the former is related in Exo_38:1-7; that of the latter in Exo_38:8.
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(1-9) This passage corresponds to Exo_38:1-8 of Exodus 27 in all main particulars, but is somewhat differently worded. The order of the clauses in Exo_38:4-5 is changed, and a distinct statement is made, which was not contained in the instructims, that the rings were “for places for the staves.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. H. Mackintosh 1880 · Public Domain On v1 Exodus 35 - 40
Exodus 35 - 40
These chapters contain a recapitulation of the various parts of the tabernacle and its furniture; and inasmuch as, I have already given what I believe to be the import of the more prominent parts, it were needless to add more. There are, however, two things in this section from which we may deduce most profitable instruction, and these are, first, the voluntary devotedness; and, secondly, the implicit obedience of the people with respect to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation. And first, as to their voluntary devotedness, we read, "And all the consecration of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing-hearted, and brought bracelets and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold : and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the Lord. And every man with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought them. Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass, brought the Lord’s offering: and every man with whom was found shittim wood? for any work of the service, brought it. And all the women that were wise-hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats’ hair. And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate: and spice and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring, for all manner of work which the Lord had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses." (Ex. 35: 20-29.) And, again, we read, "And all the wise men that; wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; and they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make, . . . . for the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much." (Ver. 4-7.)
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A lovely picture this of devotedness to the work of the sanctuary! It needed no effort to move the hearts of the people to give, no earnest appeals, no impressive arguments. Oh! no; their "hearts stirred them up." This was the true way. The streams of voluntary devotedness flowed from within. "Rulers," "men," "women" - all felt it to he their sweet privilege to give to the Lord, not with a narrow heart or niggard hand, but after such a princely fashion that they had "enough and too much."
Then, as to their implicit obedience, we read, "according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them." (Ex. 39: 42, 43) The Lord had given the most minute instructions concerning the entire work of the tabernacle. Every pin, every socket, every loop, every tach, was accurately set forth. There was no room left for man’s expediency, his reason, or his common sense. Jehovah did not give a great outline and leave man to fill it up He left no margin whatever in which man might enter his regulations. By no means. "See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount. (Ex. 25: 40; Ex. 26: 30; Heb. 8: 5) This left no room for human device. If man had been allowed to make a single pin, that pin would, most assuredly, have been out of place in the judgement of God. We can see what man’s "graving tool" produces in Ex. 32. Thank God, it had no place in the tabernacle. They did, in this matter, just what they were told - nothing more - nothing less. Salutary lesson this for the professing church! There are many things in the history of Israel which we should earnestly seek to avoid - their impatient murmurings, their legal vows, and their idolatry; but in those two things may we imitate them. May our devotedness be more whole hearted, and our obedience more implicit. We may safely assert, that if all had not been done "according to the pattern showed in the mount," we should not have to read, "then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." (Ex. 40: 34, 35) The tabernacle was, in all respects, according to the divine pattern, and, therefore, it could be filled with the divine glory. There is a volume of instruction in this. We are too prone to regard the Word of God as insufficient for the most minute details connected with His worship, and service. This is a great mistake, a mistake which has proved the fruitful source of evils and errors, in the professing Church. The word of God is amply sufficient for everything, whether as regards personal salvation and walk, or the order and rule of the assembly. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Tim. 3: 16, 17) This settles the question. If the Word of God furnishes a man thoroughly unto "all good works," it follows, as a, necessary consequence, that whatever I find not in its pages, cannot possibly be a good work. and, further, be it remembered, that the divine glory cannot connect itself with ought that is not according to the divine pattern.
- - - - - - -
Beloved reader, we have now travelled together through this most precious book. We have, I fondly hope, reaped some profit from our study. I trust we have gathered up some refreshing thoughts of Jesus and His sacrifice as we passed along. Feeble, indeed, must be our most vigorous thoughts, and shallow our deepest apprehensions, as to the mind of God in all that this Book contains. It is happy to remember that through grace, we are on our way to that glory where we shall know, even as we are known; and where we shall bask in the sunshine of His countenance who is the beginning and ending of all the ways of God, whether in creation, in providence, or redemption. To Him I do most affectionately commend you, in body, soul, and spirit. May you know the deep blessedness of having your portion in Christ, and be kept in patient waiting for His glorious advent. Amen.
C. H. M.
C. H. Mackintosh, Notes on the Pentateuch — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 8 Vers. 1-8. THE FURTHER PROGRESS OF THE WORK THE…
Vers. 1-8. THE FURTHER PROGRESS OF THE WORK THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE FURNITURE FOR THE COURT. Vers. 9-20. AND OF THE COURT ITSELF. On the completion of the tabernacle, Bezaleel and his assistants turned their attention to the court and its furniture; and constructed, first, the altar of burnt offering (vers. 17); secondly, the bronze laver (ver. 8); and thirdly, the hangings, pillars, connecting-rods, hooks and pins for the circuit of the court (vers. 9-20). Vers. 1-7 correspond to vers. 1-8 of ch. 27; ver. 8 corresponds to ver. 18 of ch. 30; and vers. 9-20 correspond to vers. 9-19 of ch. 27.
HOMILIES BY J. ORR
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Vers. 1-21. The brazen altar, the laver, and the court.
See Homilies on Exo_27:1-20 Exo_30:17-22. J.O.
HOMILIES BY J. URQUHART Vers. 1-31. The Court and its lessons.
I THE FURNISHING AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE COURT
(1) The altar on which the sacrifice for Israel"s sin was laid, and their own offerings accepted. Christ is the foundation and the power of all our service.
(2) The laver. It was fashioned from the mirrors of the women, The adornment of the outward was exchanged for inward purity, the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. It stood there for the daily use of God"s priests. They could pass into God"s presence only as their defilement had been washed away. "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." Are we being washed ere that hour comes when we must appear before him?
2. The construction of the court.
(1) God"s grace makes a separation between the Church and the world. To break down this is to undo God"s work.
(2) The wall of separation was fine twined linen. It is a separation not only between faith and unbelief, but between righteousness and unrighteousness.
(3) The world sees the results only, the means by which they are attained are hid from its view; but the results are a call to come and see.
3. The order in which they were made. The altar first, then the laver, and, last of all, the enclosing of the court. First, Christ and his sacrifice; next, the washing of regeneration by him through the Spirit; and, last of all, the gathering together of the Church. This is the Divine order. The true Church has ever this history. None have a right to be there on whom the work of altar and laver has not first been done.
II THE MATERIAL.
1. The record of it is kept. There is nothing of all that is given for God"s service, the history or place of which is forgotten.
2. The use to which it is applied. The gold is put to the highest use; thesilver the redemption money is the foundation of the sanctuary; the brass is used for the altar, the laver, and the court. Each is put to its proper use, and a place is found for all. No gift can be brought to God which he will not employ. U.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v8 The looking-glasses of the women.
Exo_38:8
The looking-glasses of the women.
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The looking-glass and the laver
Unlike our looking-glasses made of silvered glass, which did not come into use till the thirteenth century, these primitive looking-glasses were made chiefly of an alloy of copper, tin, and lead, wrought with such admirable skill that it was capable of receiving the highest and most enduring polish. The mirror itself was a round or pear-shaped plate, often encircled with a wreath of leaves, or adorned with figures engraved upon the rim; and it was attached to a handle often carved with some elegant form of life. Numerous specehi of this kind have been found in Etruscan tombs, retaining their polish so brightly as sometimes to fit them for their original purpose; and having on their disks scenes of Etruscan life and manners, and representations or symbols of the national faith, illustrated by inscriptions in the native character, they have been well called by Bunsen a figurative dictionary, eminently useful to the archseologist for the light they throw upon the creed and history of this ancient and most mysterious race. In Japan certain metal mirrors have acquired a magic fame, and are brought to this country as curiosities, on account of the figures which shine through them when seen in a certain light, while directly viewed they reflect only on their polished surface the face that looks into them. The specula of the Hebrew women were brought with them from Egypt, and doubtless formed part of the spoil which the Israelites took from the Egyptians at the time of the Exodus. In that country they were used not only in domestic economy, but also in the idolatrous worship of the temples; and probably the Hebrew women who assembled at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation had adopted this custom, and worshipped the God of Israel as the Egyptian women worshipped Isis or Anubis, dressed in linen garments, holding a sistrum in their right hand and a mirror in their left. It is not without deep significance that this holy vessel, typical of spiritual cleansing, should have been formed of such materials. The whole transaction is a most beautiful and expressive symbol of the vast difference between the beauty which man sees in himself, and the beauty which God induces in him by the means of grace. In fact, the whole gospel scheme might be represented to the eye pictorially by these two emblematical objects--the looking-glass and the laver; for it shows us to ourselves, and it cleanses us from our impurity.
1. Let us look, in the first place, at the gospel as a mirror showing us to ourselves. Contemplating the features of our character in our own natural looking-glass, we are satisfied with the image that is reflected there. Comparing ourselves with ourselves we have no sense of contrast; we come up to our own ideal; we realize our own standard of goodness. Comparing ourselves with others we are raised in our own estimation; we see many guilty of meannesses and follies which we should scorn. We feel like the self-righteous Pharisee in the temple, and thank God that we are not as other men, or as the publican beside us. But the gospel is the true mirror in which we see our true image reflected. The holiness of God, as it is revealed to us in the face of His Son Jesus Christ, is the best mirror in which to see reflected our own sinful image. That holiness is the part of the Divine image which we have completely lost in our fallen state. When the pure searching light of His law shines into our hearts, how defiled and unworthy do many things appear which before were regarded as clean and good! What secret unsuspected sins are made manifest like the myriad motes which float in the sunbeams that enter a dark room! How true it is, that those who are ignorant of God are ignorant of them-selves! The mirror must lead to the laver. Having learned what our true condition is, we must cease to look at ourselves, and have recourse to the cleansing bath which God has provided in the gospel for the sinner conscious of his sin. The fact that the laver was made of the looking-glasses teaches this practical lesson to us. We see our impurity in order that we may apply for cleansing. Our uncomeliness is revealed to us for the very purpose of causing us to seek for the beauty of holiness.
2. The laver made of the looking-glasses of the women stood in the court of the Tabernacle between the altar of burnt-offering and the door of the holy place. As the altar removed the legal obstacle that lay in the way of a sinners access to God, so the laver removed the moral. The one by the atonement which it presented opened up the way to God; the other by the purification which it effected qualified the believer for coming into Gods presence. And viewed in this light, what an expressive symbol is it of the spiritual fountain opened in the house of David for sin and uncleanness! The laver in which we are washed becomes the mirror in which we see our own reflection; and the mirror of self-complacency, in which hitherto we sought to see visions of our own comeliness whereof to glory in the flesh, is converted into the fountain of life in which the discovery of our own vileness is overborne by the discovery of the surpassing, all-compensating loveliness of Him in whom God sees no iniquity in Jacob, and no perverseness in Israel. (H. Macmillan, D. D.)
The laver and looking-glasses
I shall take that laver of looking-glasses, spoken of in the text, as all-suggestive of the gospel, which first shows us our sins as in a mirror, and then washes them away by Divine ablution.
1. Now, I have to say that this is the only looking-glass in which a man can see himself as he is. There are some mirrors that flatter the features, and make you look better than you are. Then there are other mirrors that distort your features, and make you look worse than you are; but I want to tell you that this looking-glass of the gospel shows a man just as he is. When the priests entered the ancient Tabernacle, one glance at the burnished side of this laver showed them their need of cleansing. So this gospel shows the soul its need of Divine washing. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. That is one showing. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. That is another showing. In Hampton Court I saw a room where the four walls were covered with looking-glasses, and it made no difference which way you looked, you saw yourself. And so it is in this gospel of Christ. If you once step within its full precincts you will find your whole character reflected--every feature of moral deformity--every spot of moral taint.
2. I want you to notice that this laver in which the priests washed was filled with fresh water every morning. So it is with the gospel of Jesus Christ; it has a fresh salvation every day. Come this morning and take the glittering robe of Christs righteousness from the Saviours hand. You were plunged in the fountain of the Saviours mercy a quarter of a century ago. That is nothing to me; I tell you to wash now in this laver of looking-glasses, and have your soul made clean.
3. I notice, also, in regard to this laver of looking-glasses spoken of in the text, that the priests always washed both hands and feet. The water came down in spouts, so that without leaving any filth in the basin, the priests washed both hands and feet. So the gospel of Jesus Christ must touch the very extremities of our moral nature.
4. I remark, further, that the laver of looking-glasses spoken of in the text, was a very large laver. I always thought from the fact that so many washed there, and also from the fact that Solomon afterwards, when he copied that laver in the temple, built it on a very large scale, that it was large, and so suggestive of the gospel of Jesus Christ and salvation by Him--vast in its provisions. The whole world may come and wash in this laver and be clean.
5. But I notice, also, in regard to this laver of looking-glasses spoken of in the text, that the washing in it was imperative and not optional. When the priests came into the Tabernacle (you will find this in the 30th chapter of Exodus), God tells them they must wash in that laver or die. The priests might have said: Cant I wash elsewhere? I washed in the laver at home, and now you want me to wash here. God says, No matter whether you have washed before. Wash in this laver or die. But, says the priest, there is water just as clean as this, why wont that do? . . . Wash here, says God, or die. So it is with the gospel of Christ--it is imperative. There is only this alternative: keep our sins and perish, or wash them away and live. (Dr. Talmage.)
Old things turned to new uses
In many ancient religions women took a leading part in some of the ceremonies. This was so in Egypt. Each woman had a looking-glass made of polished brass, and that mirror was used in some way in connection with idolatrous practices. When the Tabernacle was being built the women gave up their mirrors and so contributed to the formation of the laver, which was made of brass, and the foot of it of brass. Thus we have old things turned to new uses, and it is for us to say whether we shall regard this incident as a piece of ancient history, or whether we shall enter into the spirit of it and realize the action in our own day and on a broader scale. How came the women to give up their looking-glasses to assist in constructing the laver? Because a superior spirit had taken possession of them. That is the philosophy and that the explanation of the case. What then is the spirit that is to enter into us? None other than the spirit of Christ. We might use many words in describing the spirit, but all the words would focalize themselves at last in this sublime expression--For Christs sake. The highest personality is Christ. We follow Him, and in proportion as we follow Him all things we possess are His. There is room in the sanctuary for everything. This is the point we have so often missed in our Christian teaching. No punishment is burning enough for the men who would belittle Gods house. What have you? You have nothing that cannot be used in the building of Gods house and kingdom. Have you nothing but the little looking-glass? It can be used. Is yours, on the other hand, but one small flower which a child could pluck? It was Gods flower before it was yours, and He will never consent to lose a flower; it cost Him thought and care and love; He dressed the flower as Solomon never could dress himself. Blessed will be the day when the breweries of the country are turned into mechanics institutes, great sanitary establishments for the washing and cleansing of the people. Blessed will be the day when the rich mans saloons shall be thrown open to the poorest neighbours he has who will come to look at his articles of vertu,--who will turn over his curiosities and examine them with honest fingers, and so admire them as to be touched into desire for broader life. Blessed--bright will be the day when in that sense we shall have all things common; when the strong mans strength shall be the weak mans refuge; when the homeless shall have a large home in the charity and love of his richer brother; when the one object of every heart will be to extend the happiness of mankind--the one question in the morning being, What good can be done to-day? and the one question at eventide, What good has been accomplished? My persuasion is that if ever that time is to be brought about, it can only be by the extension of the spirit of Jesus Christ. Taking the Christian view, all becomes larger still and brighter, and the hope is given that one day everybody will be in the kingdom, and every man, woman, and child, wilt be doing their very best to make that kingdom what God means it to be. The great men, by heroic strength, by dauntless valour, will carry on their sublime occupation; the patient women--gentle souls, having the genius of sympathy and the faculty of interpreting by suffering--will contribute their important, their ineffably valuable share; and little children will make up the sum total of the consecration. (J. Parker, D. D.)
.
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v1 Of the looking-glasses of the women]. The contribution of…
CRITICAL NOTES.—
Of the looking-glasses of the women]. The contribution of the looking-glasses for making the laver must have been a greater act of sacrifice to those female donors than at first sight appears. Looking-glasses were articles of difficult manufacture, and rare, and highly prized even above golden ornaments. The motive, therefore, must have been a very powerful one that prompted them to the self-denial. Probably it was from a sense of sorrow over the sin for having contributed even their earrings to the golden calf, or perhaps too, to give expression to their disapproval of another Egpytian practice, which was that of women visiting the heathen temples with mirrors in their left hands.
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MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—Exo_38:1-20
C.—The Court
“And he made the altar of burnt-offering of shittim-wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof; it was four square; and three cubits the height thereof,” 38 Exo_38:1.
I. The altar of burnt-offering, Exo_38:1-7. This was a hollow square, three cubits high, and five in length and breadth, made of shittim-wood, and overlaid with pearls of brass, having horns, like the altar of incense, at its four corners, each one covered with brass (copper). According to Jewish writers, the hollow square was filled with earth or stones. A sort of terrace, or projecting board, halfway up the altar, compassed it about, and was supported by a brass grating. The various vessels used in connection with the altar were all made of brass. These vessels were—
(1) The pans, to cleanse it of the ashes that arose from burning the flesh of the sacrifice upon the altar;
(2) The shovels for cleaning the altar;
(3) The basins for receiving the blood, and sprinkling it upon the altar;
(4) The flesh hooks, or large forks, to turn the piece of flesh or to take them from the altar; and
(5) The fire pans, or coal scoops. As with all the other articles, the altar of burnt-offerings was carried by staves, which passed through rings at the corners: only the rings were of brass, and the staves were covered with brass.
II. The laver, Exo_38:8, was a round caldron-shaped basin, made of brass. The brass, it is stated here, was taken from “the mirrors of the women assembling, who assembled at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation; i.e., of the women who served, assembling by troops (served by turns). “Though not washerwomen, these were women who dedicated their lives to the service of Jehovah, and spent them in religious exercises in fasting and in prayer, like Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, mentioned in Luk_2:37.”—Delitzch. Their mirrors, which had been hitherto used for purposes of personal adornment, they cheerfully renounced for the service of the sanctuary. The brass laver was constructed from them. The use of this laver was for the washing of the priest’s hands and feet when they touched the holy things, or trod the holy ground. “As no mention is made of a vessel whereat to wash the parts of the victims offered in sacrifice, it is presumed that the laver served this purpose also.”—Kitto’s “Cyclopædia,” art. ‘Laver.’
III. The outside hangings, Exo_38:9-20, consisted of spun byssus, or “fine twined linen,” and were supported on pillars with brass sockets and silvered capitals, with hooks and fastenings for the pillars of silver. On the southern and northern sides were twenty pillars; on the western side ten; and on the eastern side six pillars, three on each side of the gate. The length of the northern and southern sides was one hundred cubits; of the western and eastern sides fifty cubits. The hangings on each side of the gate were fifteen cubits: thus leaving twenty for the gate, which consisted of four pillars in sockets of brass with hooks, fillets, and capitals of silver, supporting a curtain or hanging of blue and purple and scarlet. It is noted that all the pins used in the construction of the Tabernacle and the court were of brass.
In perusing this account of the construction of the court and its different articles of furniture, we are reminded of several things which are prominently present in the Christian Church:—
1. Variation in construction. Not merely were the articles in the court different from those in the Holy Place, but in part the materials employed in their construction. Instead of the pure gold of the table and the candlestick and the incense altar, there are now the brass and silver of the altar of burnt-offering, the laver, and the court pillars; from which it may be gathered that there are degrees of importance in things connected with the Christian Church, as Paul reminds us in 1Co_12:4; yet, of course, parts which are less important are not the less parts of the one great body.
2. Self-abnegation among its inmates—a lesson frequently enforced on the attention, it is here again suggested by the generous conduct of the pious women in parting with their mirrors: a lesson on the consecration of property to God. Not a little remarkable that it was in connection with the making of the laver that these pious women parted with their mirrors. These mirrors were employed for purposes of personal adornment; and the laver was a symbol of the bath of regeneration which purifies and adorns the inner man, and which, wherever it is enjoyed, enables one to dispense with that adornment which is merely outward (cf. 1Pe_3:3-6). Noticeable, too, that this very special act of self-renunciation was in connection with one of the less important parts of the Tabernacle furniture; which, however, only made it all the greater. Perhaps, too, this was the reason why it has received special mention.
3. Seclusion from the world. The dwelling and its furniture were shut off from the gaze of men by the court hangings; and so is the Church of Christ separated from the world, like “a garden enclosed, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed” (cf. Joh_15:19; 2Co_6:17). Three points emerge here that cannot be sufficiently insisted on, viz.,
(1) That the Church and the world are not the same societies, but essentially different, the first being founded on the covenant, and created by the hand, of grace; the second remaining on the platform of creation, and in the sphere of nature.
(2) That the Church ought to keep herself distinct from the world. God having separated her from the world, she should not obliterate the lines of demarcation which He has fixed; and
(3) That the true nature of the Church cannot be apprehended by the world, as the internal aspect of the court and Tabernacle were not visible to those who were without (cf. 1Co_2:9-14).
SUMMATION OF THE METAL USED
“This is the sum of the Tabernacle, even of the Tabernacle of the testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses”—Exo_38:21-31.
I. The quantity of metal used. Of gold there were 29 talents, 730 shekels; of silver, 100 talents, 1775 shekels; of brass, 70 talents, 2400 shekels. Difficult now to ascertain with accuracy the exact sum represented by these figures. “The original meaning of the term ‘talent’ is a circuit; hence it came to be put for a round cake, and for the weight called a talent (perhaps from its having been taken as ‘a round number’ or sum total). It is impossible to decide whether the Hebrews had one talent only, or several of different weights, as various other nations had.” Art. ‘Weights,’ in ‘Fairbairn’s Cyclopædia.’ The same writer is inclined to think that, in the passage now under consideration, the talent of gold, silver, and brass was a talent of the same weight. From Exo_38:26, it may be gathered that 1 talent = 3000 shekels. The exact sum employed may be thus represented, reckoning the talent at 93 lbs. 12 oz. avoirdupois weight, and the price of gold and silver at £1, 10s. and 2 Samuel 1 d. per shekel, and taking the brass at 1s. per pound.
Talents.
Shekels.
Weight.
Value.
Gold
29
730
2741 lbs. 3 oz.
=
£131,595
0
0
Silver
100
1775
9430 lbs. 2½ oz.
=
31,434
18
1
Brass
70
2400
6637 lbs. 8 oz.
=
331
17
0
£163,361
15
1
Of course, this calculation makes no claim to accuracy. Dr. A. Clarke makes the sum total to be: Gold, £198,347, 12s. 6d.; silver, £45,266, 5s. 0d.; brass, £513, 17s. 0d. = £244,127, 14s. 6d. Dr. Jamieson calculates the gold as = £150,000 sterling, and the silver as = £35,207. Each of these assign a higher value to the shekel. The largeness of either of these sums has been advanced as an argument against the historic credibility of the narrative; but two things are overlooked by those who advocate it:—
(1) That gold and silver were in those days remarkably abundant among Eastern nations. (On this point see Keil in loco); and
(2) That the Israelites are represented as having left Egypt, not as paupers, but as enriched through spoiling the Egyptians. The offering of such a large sum in the circumstances in which they were then placed speaks volumes for the zeal of the offerers. It is doubtful if the liberality of the British nation for religious purposes is on the same scale of magnificence. 603,550 men, having been numbered for taxation, would give upwards of three millions of a population, about equal to the population of Scotland, which may be reckoned, without challenge, the most liberal portion of the empire. In the year 1876, the three great Presbyterian bodies of that country contributed for religious purposes—United Presbyterian, £378,268, 10s. 4d; Free Church of Scotland, £565,195, 10s. 4d.; Established Church, £384,106, 15s. 2d. Total, £1,327,570, 15s. l0d.; which is nearly ten times more, but still not larger in proportion to the wealth of the countries, and the greater work committed to the Church’s care in Gospel times.
II. Reasons for the employment of so much precious metal. Dr. A. Clarke suggests three, which are well worth consideration:—
1. “To impress the people’s minds with the glory and dignity of the Divine Majesty, and the importance of His service.”
2. “To take out of their hands the occasion of covetousness; for as they brought much spoil out of Egypt, and could have little, if any, use for gold and silver in the wilderness, where it does not appear they had much intercourse with any other people, and were miraculously supported, so that they did not need their riches, it was right to employ them in the worship of God, which otherwise might have engendered that love of money which is the root of all evil.”
3. “To prevent pride and vain glory, by leading them to give up to the Divine service even the ornaments of their persons, which would have had too direct a tendency to divert their minds from better things.”
III. Reasons for its summation. These are not stated in the narrative, and can therefore only be conjectured. It does not appear that Moses was commanded by God to sum up the people’s contributions, but that he did so of his own accord. While, therefore, we have not here a Divine command to be obeyed, we have at least an excellent example to be copied. The summation of the metal used was—
(1.) A justification to Moses, vindicating, as it were, his integrity by showing that none of it had been embezzled for private uses—an example that might be copied with advantage by all who have charge of monies, and especially of church or charitable society monies. All matters of finance in connection with the Church of Christ should be conducted with scrupulous exactness. Religion will thrive none the less for noting its receipts and disbursements with business regularity and minuteness. Were this rule always followed, many scandals would be avoided.
(2.) An encouragement to the people, giving them some idea of the vastness of the work in which they had been engaged, and of the wide-spread interest it had evoked—from which the practical hint might be taken by those who are entrusted with the management of church affairs, that it is not always a disadvantage to publish printed lists of contributions for church building, missionary societies, and other schemes. People as a rule like to know what they are doing when they part with their money, and like to see where their money goes when it leaves them. To this rule Christians are no exception: nor is there cause why they should be exceptions.
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY
REV. WILLIAM ADAMSON
Old Testament Truth! Exo_38:1-31. Joseph Cook says that the Scriptures are a map of the universe, and not of Palestine merely. We are not abreast of our privileges when we live in Judea. If we are full of the spirit of the Scriptures, the wings of philosophy will tire us only by their tardiness and narrow range of flight. He means that the Old Testament was not designed to teach Jews only, but likewise Christians. There are many truths to be learned from that ancient schoolmaster—the Hebrew Theocracy. All the lesson-books he employed may not be of use to the world now, for Christianity has suspended these themes by her heavenly classics. But we need not discard—not even disregard—the old teacher. He can still tell us something about Divine wisdom and love. We may
“Still see, and hear, and breathe the evidence
Of God’s deep wisdom in that teacher’s school.”
—Willis.
Sacrifices! Exo_38:1-7. The Vazimba were the supposed aborigines of the central parts of the Island of Madagascar. They neither made images, nor associated charms with their religious rites. A plain stone, or a mound of stones—often in the midst of a grove—was their temple and altar. Their worship—the most esteemed in the country—combined homage and invocation, and was accompanied with sacrifices of oxen, sheep, and poultry, the blood and fat of which were offered on the altar, and the rest eaten by the worshippers. These were the only sacrifices offered in Anhova. Were these rites derived from a knowledge of the Mosaic sacrifices, or do they owe their existence in Madagascar to some more primitive and patriarchal model, such as that of Abraham or Noah, when
“Altar of thanksgiving he
Built on Ararat”?—Gerok.
Burnt-Offerings! Exo_38:1.
(1.) One of the saddest features of the modern ministry is the disposition to eliminate the idea of “substitution,” or “atonement,” from the Mosaic sacrifice; and so from that nobler Messianic sacrifice on which man rests for admission into God’s presence here before the incensealtar, and into His immediate presence hereafter before the throne on high. We give a Scotch Professor’s extraordinary theory, followed by the holy utterances of an English Dean:—“In the Passover, and in the subsequent sacrifices of the law of Moses, the idea predominates of salvation through sacrifice, not only the first idea of Abel, of life being owed to God, but the further idea, which would soon grow out of the first one, of life fulfilling its true end, attaining to its true position in the sight of God, doing its proper duty by Him, through sacrifice—sacrifice of which the offering of the lamb or other victim was but the type, sacrifice of self—of a life throughout its whole being and history devoted to God. This was the meaning of all sacrifice for sin.”
(2.) In every age, not least in this, Satan erects his many counterfeits, and calls them Christ. He decks them with false show. He slopes a flowery path to the bewitching snare. He smooths with skilful hands the slippery descent. He plants the altar of man’s fancied worth. He prompts the dream that rubbish dug from nature’s quarry, and shaped by sin-soiled hands, and worked by sin-soiled tools, may form a sufficient base. He bids men offer Christ on this, and then lie down content. Man’s merit forms the broad foundation. His tears of self-wronght penitence, his long array of self-denials, his train of ostentatious self-sacrifice, construct the fabric. Such altars stand on ruin’s ground. Think what the end must be of a creed thus emasculating the substitution of Christ, and substituting self instead! How miserable those
“Who strive to pull Christ Jesus from His Throne,
And in the place of heaven’s Eternal King,
Set up that pigmy “SELF.”
—Glynn.
Altar-Sacrifices! Exo_38:1. It is an interesting fact that in the Island of Madagascar the idea of blood having an efficacy to make atonement for sin is a marked feature in the sacrifices occasionally offered by the people; and also that the inner fat of the victim was regarded, as in the Jewish ritual, as the most appropriate portion to be offered, together with the blood. In crossing many of the smaller streams, certain rocks in the midst of the current are often seen smeared with fat as a propitiatory offering to the guardian genius or deity of the river. The upright stones fixed at the head of graves are anointed with blood and fat, as an offering to the spirits of the ancestors of the family.
“Thus the idolaters with fear approach
Their reverend shrines, and there for mercy sue,
And, trembling too, they wash the hallow’d earth,
And groan to be forgiven.”
—Lee.
Altar-Horns! Exo_38:2.
(1.) Flandin mentions two fire-altars, upon which the sacred fire of the Persians was kept perpetually burning, as being still in existence at Nachi-i-Roustan. Upon a rock, which elevates itself to a moderate altitude from the plain, stand two altars sculptured out of the solid mass, and so exactly alike as to present the aspect of twins. The four corners are adorned with small pilasters cornered out in relief from the same block. These are in reality “horns.” Heathen altars were not only placed in groves, but on the summits of hills, us being nearer the gods to whom they were dedicated.
(2.) In Psa_118:28 we have the sacrifice spoken of as bound with cords to the horn altars. This Psalm breathes a spirit of jubilant trust in the Lord. Its trumpet tones made it one of Luther’s hymns. Of it he says, “I would not give it in exchange for the honour, wealth, and power of all the world, Pope, Turk, or Emperor.” In the midsummer of 1530, when Melancthon was deputed to present the Confession of the Protestant Churches of Germany to the Diet at Augsburg, Luther was advised to abstain from any public appearance. In this “Desert,” as he calls it, he was able “to bind the sacrifice of thanksgiving with cords, yea, even unto the ‘horns of the altar.’ ”
“For truth shall flourish in immortal youth,
Unhurt amidst the war of elements,
The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds.”
—Addison.
Horn-Hints! Exo_38:2.
(1.) Strength! Law regards these as speaking of all-subduing might. The horned tribes move as the terror of the forest. When they assail their foes, whether man or beast, they prevail. Christ is thus armed for conquest. This thought is precious. Self is a broken arm, a pointless dart, a crumbling staff; and yet the soul has strong assaults to repel, strong corruptions to tread down, strong temptations to baffle, and heavy trials to bear. But Christ is strength. “I can do all things through Christ.” He is the horn of our salvation.
(2.) Shelter! Thomson says that the expression “horn of salvation” was probably derived from ancient altars, the raised corners of which were so-called. Temples, and especially the altars within them, were regarded as sanctuaries, and the greatest criminal, if he could but reach the temple, and lay hold of the altar, was for the time safe. These corners of the altar were indeed horns of salvation on this account, as many striking examples in Biblical History show.
(3.) Salvation! To the devout Hebrew Jehovah was the only reliable sanctuary, and these material objects were but significant symbols of Him. Christ is the horn of our salvation. Let nothing part you from your hold on Him. As Satan cannot seize Christ, and drag Him from His Throne; so he cannot pluck you from Christ if you hold fast by Him.
“What comfort to the saints to know
That He controls their every foe.”
—Hopkins.
Altar-Fire Coals! Exo_38:4.
(1.) In Ezekiel 10 we have the vision of the man clothed in linen with the inkhorn at his side. He seals the faithful few who, when terrific judgments were about to burst on Jerusalem, had a mark set on their foreheads. He is commanded to go in between the wheels under the cherub, and fill his hand with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.
(2.) In Revelation 8 there is the beautiful vision of the Angel-Intercessor standing by the golden altar of incense. Immediately subsequent to the reception of the prayers of the saints, the same Angel-Priest took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it on the earth; and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. In both books then we have the symbols of judgment.
(3.) The hot ashes, says Macduff, thrown by the very hand that had just been revealed as strong to save, indicate that to the wicked His arm is strong to smite. These glowing coals, if they mingle not with the prayer-offering of the saints, will be cast forth amidst despisers and scorners. The fire which does not purify will, as in the case of Nadab and Abihu, consume and destroy.
“The Angel in his golden censer took
Fire blazing from that altar-hearth, and cast
Earthward the flaming coals, which as they fell
Kindled the tempest, charged electric air.”
—Bickersteth.
Propitiation! Exo_38:4-7. The wild people of the Khond district in India believed that the only way to make their crops grow was to capture a human victim—offer him up in sacrifice—and then sow bits of his body over the field with the seed-corn. This superstition cost hundreds of lives a year, and so immovably rooted was it, that when the practice was interdicted the Khonds rebelled. It became necessary to watch the Khonds, and to rescue all prisoners retained for slaughter. The result was that in ten years more than 1300 lives were rescued; and the practice was stamped out. But was the evil heart of unbelief extracted by this measure? No. Only the Gospel brought to bear upon the Khonds could eradicate the root of bitterness. Then they could understand the One Great Sacrifice that roots and fruits might abound over the field of humanity.
“Thou art the One! Yea, Lord, I now confess
Great is my sin to Thee;
Oh! in Thy pitying love and gentleness
Have mercy upon me!”
Divine-Purposes! Exo_38:8-20.
(1.) During the age of ferns, the conditions of the earth were unsuitable for flowers. Flowers can only breathe oxygen—their bright colours being due to rapid oxidation; whereas the atmosphere of the early geological epochs was densely charged with carbonic acid gas.
(2.) So during the earlier epochs of humanity, the moral atmosphere was unsuitable for the flowers of New Testament truth. Only the fern-truths of blood of bulls and goats, of material fabrics, and of ritual observances were adopted to that early human atmosphere.
(3.) Dark and gloomy, however, as was the sight of the eye of ferns, there were not wanting faint rays of an approaching floral dawn. In those ferns were hints and predictions, typical speech, and silent prophecy of flower vegetation destined to appear above the horizon of human life.
(4) So those crimson tints on the fern-rites of blood and incense and brazen lustrations were in reality prefigurations of nobler truth-life yet to appear. Like the Baptist, they heralded greater yet to be manifested. Like Wickhffe, they announced a brighter yet to arise. They prefigured the blood of Christ, the fragrant intercession of the Mediator, and the purifying graces of the Spirit.
“And down the long and branching porticoes,
On every flower-sculptured capital,
Glitters the brilliance of the Gospel’s beams.”
—Milman.
Brazen-Laver! Exo_38:8.
(1.) Eternal love devised the plan—eternal wisdom drew the model—eternal grace came down to build it. Observe the choice material. It is the strongest metal—brass—to shadow forth the strength of Christ. He came to do the mightiest of mighty works; therefore He brought omnipotence in His hands. But by whom can it be filled? Jesus Himself pours in the stream. He brings the rich supply; then with a voice loud as the sound of many waters, sweet as the melody of heaven, He cries, “Wash and be clean.” The waters symbolised the regenerating influences of the Holy Spirit. Hence we have St. Paul speaking of the “laver of regeneration,” which is the renewing “grace of the Holy Ghost, which God hath shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ.” Then
“Bathe thy wounds—His stream of mercy
Ever runneth o’er;
But when thou art healed and pardoned,
Go and sin no more.”
Mirror-Symbolism! Exo_38:8.
(1.) Law says faith seeks, nor seeks in vain, to gain instruction here. Women give aid to form this Gospel-type. Here seems to be a bud of truth. The virgin-mother holds the full-blown flower. The gift of gifts comes in through female means.
(2.) New feelings bear new fruits. These mirrors were recently prized as implements of vanity—as handmaids of self-love. But now the eyes are opened to far nobler views. Self has no charms when one glimpse of things divine is caught.
(3.) The offering was not scorned. That which was framed to cast back poor nature’s image, is accepted to form semblances of grace. We see to what use our worldly vanities may rise when placed on the altar of Christian self-sacrifice.
“These things are our examples, given
Till He, Whom type and lay foretold
In mystic signs and songs of old,
Shall lead us o’er life’s dreary wold,
Safe to our happy home in heaven.”
—Holy Seasons.
Looking-glasses! Exo_38:8.—Various metals were used in their composition. The Arabs at the present day use polished steel. Mirrors were never hung upon walls, as with us, but fixed to a handle, sometimes curiously, sometimes hideously carved; and were carried in the hand, or fastened to a girdle round the waist. The mirrors given by the devout Israelitish women were evidently of brass. The metallic composition of ancient mirrors illustrates Job_37:18, “A molten looking-glass.” In such mirrors as these the objects reflected would be but dimly and defectively seen. See 1Co_13:12.
“And yet, as angels in some brighter dreams
Call to the soul when man doth sleep,
So some strange thoughts transcend our wonted themes,
And into glory peep.”
—Vaughan.
Revelation-Growth! Exo_38:9-20.
(1.) How instructive it is to notice the elevation of the part that bears our human food during the geological epochs, from flat lichens creeping over rocks, and roots of ferns to the summits of annual plants and the boughs of trees—from roots to fruits—from the first and lowest stage of growth to the last and highest development of the plant—from the humblest and least organised to the noblest and most perfectly organised plants.
(2.) More instructive still is it to observe the gradual development of the mystery of God in the Holy Scriptures, from the “seed” in the garden of Eden to the “stem” of Abraham, and from the “plant” of Moses to the “flower” of Isaiah, until the fruit-growth is attained in the New Testament. Thus even nature’s progressive developing growth was, like the ritual of the tabernacle, a type of “better things to come.”
(3.) The wilderness tent, with its sandy foundation, its perishable curtains and draperies, gave place to the more stable foundations of Zion-rock, with its lordly temple-pile of less decaying materials; while these in turn were succeeded by that to whose advent they silently testified in type, viz., the Rock of Ages, with the uprising structure of living stones—the house eternal in the heavens.
“And then were new discoveries soon made
Of God’s unbounded wisdom, power, and love,
Which gave the understanding larger room
To swell its hymn of ever-growing praise.”
—Pollok.
Tabernacle-Typism! Exo_38:21-31.
(1.) It is interesting to notice in the earliest natural productions of our earth the same laws and processes which we observe in the latest and most highly-developed flowers and trees. The earlier forms of plant-life are but the types of those of later creation. The later complex forms of vegetalion are but developments of rudimentary parts existing in the more simple.
(2.) God’s dealings with mankind, as revealed in Scripture, are precisely analogous. The earlier events and persons were types of those of later date; and spoke of coming greater ones. Christianity itself is but the development of the types and shadows and beggarly elements of the Jewish dispensation which preceded it.
(3.) Even the Mosaic enumeration of the costliness and self-sacrifice connected with the tabernacle were an emblem of the great treasures required, and the great self-sacrifice demanded for the construction of that more glorious fabric—built, not on the shifting sands of time, but on the “Cleft Rock,” which endureth unto eternal life, for Him hath God the Father scaled.
“So teach us on Thy shrine to lay
Our hearts, and let them day by day
Intenser blaze, and higher.”
—Keble.
Tabernacle-Cost-Hints! Exo_38:24-31.
(1.) Gray says that the cost of the tabernacle reminds us that, however great, it may be defrayed by the many—that, however small, it will help to make up the great whole—and that nothing is impossible to diligent minds, industrious hands, and earnest hearts.
(2.) It is the many blades of grass, bristling like spears in the sunlight, or sparkling at the dawntide with jewels of dew, that unitedly make the verdant carpet of nature which we admire so much. A drop of water is but a little, yet if it were not for the drops where would the vastness be? What wonderful results spring from those tiny coral builders in the Southern Seas, or from the industrious bee of our own land.
(3.) The various missionary societies have the larger portion of their enormous incomes made up of these many, many littles. There is a story told of a magnificent church being erected by the united efforts of a whole community.—each of whom brought a atone, or a beam of wood, or a pane of glass.
“Despise not then the pence,
They help to make the pound;
And each may help to spread abroad
The Gospel’s joyful sound.”
Mosaic-Typology! Exo_38:1-31.
(1.) Turn upon the sky your unarranged telescope at random, and you see nothing. Direct it properly, but fail to arrange its lenses, and everything visible through the tube is blurred. But arrange the lenses, and bring the telescope exactly upon the star, or upon the rising sun, and the instant there is perfect accord between the line of the axis of the tube and the line of the ray from the star, or the orb of day, the image of the star or sun starts up in the chamber of the instrument.
(2.) Is it not so with the Word-firmament? The soul must direct the telescope of the human mind straight at some truth-orb, or type-star; and the human mind must be rightly adjusted to the focus of faith to enable us to see that orb of truth which the hand of the Invisible has placed in the Old Testament sky. The mind is the glass—the faith of Christ is the focus—the soul is under the guidance of the Spirit, the directing and adjusting power.
“Then shall this scheme, which now to human sight
Seems so unworthy Wisdom Infinite,
A system of consummate skill appear,
And, every cloud dispersed, be beautiful and clear.”
—Jenyns.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain On v1 The Holy Furniture
The Holy Furniture
1-7. The Altar of Burnt Offering: see Exo_27:1-8.
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8. The Laver: see Exo_30:17-21; Read with RV 'mirrors of the serving women which served at the door of the tent of meeting.' What service these women rendered is not said. They are only mentioned once again, in 1Sa_2:22. They may have helped in the liturgical part of the worship by their singing and dancing. The Heb. word which indicates their service here is used of the Levites in Num_4:23; Num_8:24.
9-20. The Court of the Tabernacle: see Exo_27:9-19.
21-31. The Sum of the Precious Metals.
21. Ithamar] the youngest of the four sons of Aaron: see Exo_6:23, and on Exo_28:1.
24. The gold shekel is estimated to have been worth about £2 of our money, and the gold talent, which contained 3,000 shekels, about £6,000. The silver shekel was worth fully 2s. 6d., and the silver talent about £400.
26. The number of persons given here is identical with the result of the census taken in the second month of the second year: see Num_1:46. This suggests that the computations recorded here were made not exactly at this time but. after the erection of the tabernacle. It is to be observed that the silver mentioned here is not that contributed voluntarily but what was obtained as ransom money (Exo_30:11-16). The latter amount may for some reason have been substituted for the former in this passage.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v1 i.e. acacia.
shittim
i.e. acacia.
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain On v1 CHAPTER 38 The Burnt Offering Altar, the Laver, the…
CHAPTER 38 The Burnt Offering Altar, the Laver, the Court and the Metals Used
1. The altar of burnt offering (Exo 38:1-7)
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2. The laver (Exo 38:8)
3. The court (Exo 38:9-20)
4. The amount of metal used (Exo 38:21-31)
The pattern as previously given is closely followed and everything done according to the divine command. Nothing was left in the work to the choice of the workman. They had the pattern and the spirit of God gave the power to carry it out. Thus God expects us to work and serve after His own pattern in the power of the indwelling Spirit. He will eventually carry out all His revealed plans and purposes concerning this earth. Women furnished the material for the laver. They gave their looking glasses, which were of shining metal. (See Job 37:18.) They were pious women of Israel who gave willingly what must have been a costly possession. They assembled at the door of the tabernacle. The Chaldean paraphrase is “of the mirrors of the women, which came to pray at the door of the tabernacle.”
Interesting is the estimate of the amount of metal used. Gold occupies the first place: 29 talents and 730 shekels. Silver was given by every male a half of a shekel (the atonement money). The number of men from 20 years and upward was 603,550; so they gave 301,775 shekels of silver. Then there was the brass (copper). Precious metals, like gold and silver, were plentiful in Egypt , which had immense gold mines.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v1 The Altar of Burnt Offering
The Altar of Burnt Offering
v. 1. And he made the altar of burnt offering of shittim wood; five cubits was the length thereof and five cubits the breadth thereof (it was foursquare) and three cubits the height thereof. There is no top or plate mentioned, and it is probable that the hollow frame-work was filled with earth or stones whenever the altar was in position.
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v. 2. And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of the same, made of acacia wood; and he overlaid it with brass.
v. 3. And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basins, bowls used for sprinkling and pouring the blood of the sacrifices, and the flesh-hooks, for spearing the meat in the caldrons, 1Sa 2:13, and the fire-pans, for carrying the live coals used in kindling the fires; all the vessels thereof made he of brass, of copper or one of its alloys.
v. 4. And he made for the altar a brazen grate of network under the compass thereof beneath unto the midst of it.
v. 5. And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass, to be places for the staves.
v. 6. And he made the staves of shittim wood and overlaid them with brass.
v. 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. Cf Exo 27:1-8.
v. 8. And he made the laver of brass and the foot of it of brass, of the looking-glasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation. These were women that served in the court of the Tabernacle, probably by washing and polishing the articles used in the sacred worship. They freely scarified their metal mirrors, otherwise thought indispensable pieces of furniture, for the Sanctuary of the Lord. The laver was a reservoir for the water used in the Sanctuary and in the court, and its base may have contained wash-basins for the prescribed ablutions. Cf Exo 30:17-21.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 4, 6, 8 General Information:
General Information:
Bezalel's work crew continues to build the tabernacle and furniture.
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Bezalel made ... equipment with bronze
For Exo 38:1-3 see how you translated many of these words in Exodus 27:1-2 and Exodus 27:3.
cubits
One cubit is 46 centimeters. (See: Biblical Distance)
The horns were made of one piece
This can be stated in active form. AT: "He made the horns as one piece" (See: Active or Passive)
translationWords
altar
burnt offering
acacia
cow
bronze
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 8 38:1-20 This section reports on building the courtyard (38:9-20)…
38:1-20 This section reports on building the courtyard (38:9-20) and its equipment, including the altar of burnt offering (38:1-7) and the washbasin (38:8).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.