Author: Beth Duncan

Exodus 26:26 “Also make crossbars of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, 

As I was digging today, trying not to lose my mind about the fact that God is still waxing eloquent on the minute details of the tabernacle, I was reminded that Israel and Aaron are not a part of this conversation. This is just God and Moses up on Mt Sinai.

Exodus 26:27 five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle. 

As much as I am crawling out of my skin, dealing with all these specifics, chomping at the bit to move on, move forward, Israel and Aaron are at the base of the mountain, twiddling their thumbs. They are even more impatient than I am. And their impatience leads them to idolatry, to focusing on, to worshipping, the wrong thing. Jesus, Help me.

Exodus 26:28 The center crossbar is to extend from end to end at the middle of the frames. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that I have to keep a handle on my impatience or it could easily lead me away from You and into sin. This world is so loud. There are so many things clamoring for my attention. Help me to quiet my soul and listen to Your still small voice. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 26:29 Overlay the frames with gold and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 26:18-19 Make twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle and make forty silver bases to go under them—two bases for each frame, one under each projection. 

Dear Lord, I find myself wanting to just parrot the words of commentary today simply because these verses are still dealing with so many little details and I am tired and frustrated. Help me to see this information with fresh eyes instead of with the frustration of a never-ending laundry list.

Exodus 26:20-21 For the other side, the north side of the tabernacle, make twenty frames and forty silver bases—two under each frame. 

Heavenly Father, I’ve got at least three more days in this book of Exodus and 14 more chapters in Exodus in total, and I already feel myself getting snippy and grumpy. Help me to breathe, to take a step back, to approach Your word with fresh eyes and a calm heart. 

Exodus 26:22-23 Make six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle, and make two frames for the corners at the far end. 

Precious Savior, I don’t know why I’m struggling so with frustration with the content of this book. I don’t know why I’m grumpy and distracted and so ready to be done. Help me to lay my burdens at Your feet, to wrap Your peace around my shoulders, to draw closer to You, always. Amen.

Exodus 26:24-25 At these two corners they must be double from the bottom all the way to the top and fitted into a single ring; both shall be like that. So there will be eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two under each frame.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 26:13 The tent curtains will be a cubit longer on both sides; what is left will hang over the sides of the tabernacle so as to cover it. 

I am still getting caught up in what feels like nitpickingly specific details, but Commentary says of these verses, “When these four layers of curtains were laid on one another, the result was a very dry and very dark tent. The only light came from the lampstand described in the previous chapter.” 

Exodus 26:14 Make for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of the other durable leather. 

The reminder, for me, is that God is in all those nitpickingly specific details. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He has promised to collect all our tears in a bottle. He has promised to be with us always. And all those little specificities are part of how He keeps His promise.

Exodus 26:15 “Make upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. 

Precious Savior, Forgive me when I get frustrated with all the little details. Thank You that You care so much that You leave nothing to chance, that You weave in little “God-winks” to remind us that You are with us always. Amen.

Exodus 26:16-17 Each frame is to be ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide, with two projections set parallel to each other. Make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 26:9 Join five of the curtains together into one set and the other six into another set. Fold the sixth curtain double at the front of the tent. 

I often have a “hurry up and go” mentality. If I have something to do, give me all the info I need and get out of my way so I can get started and get done. I’m not cutting corners or anything, but I don’t need a day-long symposium on techniques, just give me the necessary details and move.

Exodus 26:10 Make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the other set. 

These sections of Exodus are anything but “hurry up and go.” There is excruciating detail here. And as I think about the why of that level of detail, I am reminded that the Israelites are coming from 400 years of captivity into freedom. They are coming from Egyptian gods to the One True God. And He is giving them everything they need to worship Him.

Exodus 26:11 Then make fifty bronze clasps and put them in the loops to fasten the tent together as a unit. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for allowing me to slow down, to breathe, to think about why this level of detail might be included in Your scripture. More than that, thank You for loving all of us enough to be sure we understand Your heart and how to follow You. Amen.

Exodus 26:12 As for the additional length of the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over is to hang down at the rear of the tabernacle.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 26:5 Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other. 

Today’s scripture has me thinking again about this year’s Lenten practice of noticing the little things, and how important that is, and how easy it is to get caught up in life and completely miss all the tiny “God winks” in a day because I am so focused on the big goal of what needs to be accomplished.

Exodus 26:6 Then make fifty gold clasps and use them to fasten the curtains together so that the tabernacle is a unit. 

Commentary also talks about the fact that the individual curtains joined together to make a whole, separate but unified, is a reminder that there is much “unity in diversity,” that we are all different, but together, we make a beautiful, strong, united whole.

Exodus 26:7 “Make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven altogether.  

Precious Savior, I think both of these truths You have laid on my heart are important. You know I get caught up in the big picture to the exclusion of all the tiny sparkles of joy and beauty You sprinkle throughout my day. You also know I can get caught up in the loop of independence that causes me to forget that You created us to be in community, that we are better together. Help me to always be mindful of these truths. Thank You. Amen.

Exodus 26:8 All eleven curtains are to be the same size—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 26:1 “Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim woven into them by a skilled worker. 

I have been upfront with my struggles about all the gold and specificity of the Ark of the Covenant. But I do understand that God is building a holy dwelling and that He is giving the Israelites something to hold onto.

Exodus 26:2 All the curtains are to be the same size—twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide. 

And I understand the human need to have something to hold on to, a touchstone to help one feel grounded in life’s chaos. Life without that touchstone can be so hard.

Exodus 26:3 Join five of the curtains together, and do the same with the other five. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your loving kindness, for Your understanding of what we need, for the touchstones You’ve left for us so we can feel grounded. Help me, when I am at loose ends, to grab hold of You alone. Amen.

Exodus 26:4 Make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and do the same with the end curtain in the other set.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 25:36 The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.

Today finds me thinking about menorahs, their history, their symbolism. Commentary says modern menorahs are modeled after this description in Exodus.

Exodus 25:37 “Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it.

Menorahs make me think of candle light, and I have always loved the soft glow of candle light and the hope cast by the tenuous, wavering flame.

Exodus 25:38-39 Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the connections that occur when I focus on Your word and let my mind wander. And thank You for the tenuous, wavering flame of hope that can only come from You. Draw me closer. Amen.

Exodus 25:40 See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 25:31 “Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them.  

Once again I find myself ready to be finished with this laundry list of golden specificity. But my Lenten practice this year is to try to be mindful of the little things–a bird hidden in the branches, a cat chasing a squirrel up a tree, bright green daffodil shoots boldly sprouting up in a patch of brown leaves, and I am reminded that there is beauty in the details.

Exodus 25:32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other.

My dad loved to drive. For him, it was all about the journey. I don’t mind driving, but for me, it’s about the destination. I want to get there. But that mindset often leads me to miss all those beautiful little details that are present along the way. 

Exodus 25:33 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder to slow down so I can see the beauty in the details of life. Help me to breathe, to focus, and not to rush. I know that if I look for You, I will see You everywhere. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 25:34-35 And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all.

Have a blessed day.

Exodus 25:26 Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are. 

My knee-jerk reaction, once again, is frustration with all the specifics and all the gold. But I know to dig deeper when I have a strong reaction. So I did some googling on symbolism. First, the symbolism of acacia wood in the Bible, which “symbolizes incorruptibility, durability, and the humanity of Christ due to its strength, resistance to decay, and common availability in the Sinai wilderness.”

Exodus 25:27 The rings are to be close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. 

Gold in the Bible symbolizes “divine glory, holiness, purity, and refined character, …[and] the majesty of God, royalty, and supreme value.” Bread in the Bible symbolizes “God’s provision, life-sustaining nourishment, and the presence of God”. Viewed through the lens of symbolism, these elements make sense. They don’t feel like a list of demands by a demanding God.

Exodus 25:28 Make the poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold and carry the table with them. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for teaching me to lean in when I feel a knee-jerk reaction. Thank You for allowing me, when I do lean in, to see You, to know You, to understand You more. Help me to use this knowledge to draw closer to You. Always. Amen.

Exodus 25:29-30 And make its plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings. Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 25:21 Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you. 

The God of the Old Testament often seems to me cold, demanding, and unforgiving, a far cry from the Jesus I know and love, who loves me, faults and all. These incredibly precise measurements for the Ark of the Covenant are a case in point–rules, measurements, precision–logic, not love. 

Exodus 25:22 There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

Then I come across nuggets like this from commentary: “…even before God gave Moses the tablets of the Ten Commandments, God made provision for Israel’s failure under the law.” These glimpses of a God who fiercely loves His creations, knows they will go astray and provides a way back to Himself, that’s the Old Testament God I’d like to know better. 

Exodus 25:23-24 “Make a table of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that You love me fiercely, deeply, completely. Thank You that even though the Old Testament God feels cold and distant, there are glimpses of the loving Father I know there. Help me to draw closer, always. Amen.

Exodus 25:25 Also make around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim.

Have a blessed day.