Commentary - Exodus 36:20-34

Bird's-eye view

In this portion of Exodus, we are not simply reading a dry architectural blueprint. We are witnessing the obedient, Spirit-filled construction of God's house among men. After the great apostasy with the golden calf, the renewal of the covenant is now taking tangible form. The previous chapters gave the divine command, the heavenly pattern. Now we see the earthly execution of that pattern. This is not human innovation or man-centered worship design; it is faithful, meticulous obedience. The construction of the tabernacle's framework, its very skeleton, is a picture of the church. It is a portrait of how God builds His people into a holy habitation for His presence. Each board, each base, each bar is thick with theological meaning, pointing forward to the true Tabernacle, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His body, the church.

The central theme here is stability and unity in the presence of God. The individual boards, though strong, are useless on their own. They must be joined together, set in a firm foundation, and bound by unifying bars to form a coherent, strong structure. This is a powerful illustration of the corporate nature of our faith. God does not save us to be isolated spiritual atoms, but to be living stones built up into a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5). The materials used, acacia wood and precious metals, speak to the two natures of Christ and the value God places on His redeemed people. This entire section is a testimony to the fact that when God's people give generously and work skillfully under the guidance of His Spirit, a house for God's glory is the result.

Outline

Context In Exodus

This chapter is a direct fulfillment of the commands given to Moses on the mountain in Exodus 26. There is a deliberate and near-verbatim repetition, which is not sloppy editing but rather a theological emphasis on the nature of true obedience. The pattern was given, and now the pattern is followed. This stands in stark contrast to the innovative idolatry of the golden calf incident in chapter 32. True worship is always according to God's Word, not our own bright ideas. The construction here is funded by the freewill offerings of the people, whose hearts were stirred by God (Exod. 35:21). So, what we see is a redeemed people, having been given grace after a great fall, now joyfully and obediently participating in the building of God's dwelling place. This is the practical outworking of covenant renewal.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 20 Then he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright.

The "he" here refers to Bezalel, the man filled with the Spirit of God for this task. The work begins with the structural heart of the tabernacle. The boards were made of acacia wood, a wood of the wilderness. It is a hard, durable wood, resistant to decay. This speaks to the humanity of Christ, who grew up as a root out of dry ground (Is. 53:2), yet was without sin and incorruptible. It also speaks of the church. We are sons of Adam, taken from the wilderness of this world, yet made to be a dwelling for God. The posture is crucial: "standing upright." This is not a haphazard pile of lumber. These are pillars, standing tall and straight in the service of God. This is the posture of the righteous man, the one who stands firm in the congregation.

v. 21 Ten cubits was the length of each board and one and a half cubits the width of each board.

God is a God of order, not chaos, and His specifications are precise for a reason. The measurements are not arbitrary. Ten is often a number of completion or order (e.g., the Ten Commandments). These boards are perfectly uniform. In God's house, there is a fundamental equality among the members. While we have different gifts and roles, we are all uniform in our standing before God, measured by the same standard of Christ. Each board is identical, designed to fit perfectly into the larger structure. This is a picture of the unity of the body, where each member, though distinct, is conformed to the image of Christ.

v. 22 There were two tenons for each board, fitted to one another; thus he did for all the boards of the tabernacle.

A tenon is a projection made to be inserted into a mortise, or socket, to form a joint. Each board had two, like two feet. This was for stability and connection. A single point of connection can pivot and become unstable, but two points provide a firm footing. This points to the need for a well-grounded faith. But more than that, the tenons were "fitted to one another," or as some translations have it, "for joining." They were designed for relationship, to connect to the foundation. This is how the saints are. We are made not for isolation, but for connection, to be joined to Christ and to one another.

v. 23 And he made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side;

The construction begins on the south side. The structure is taking shape. Twenty boards form one wall. The number twenty can signify a period of waiting or testing. Israel had waited for this moment. Now, the wall is being raised, a visible testimony to God's faithfulness. The church is a testimony, a wall of righteousness in the world, built according to a divine and orderly plan.

v. 24 and he made forty bases of silver under the twenty boards; two bases under one board for its two tenons and two bases under another board for its two tenons.

Here is the foundation. And what is it made of? Silver. Where did this silver come from? It came from the atonement money, the redemption money that every Israelite man had to pay (Exod. 30:11-16). Every single board, representing the people of God, stands upon a foundation of redemption. Our standing in the house of God is not based on our own strength or merit. We stand, each of us, on the solid foundation of the ransom paid for our souls. The silver speaks of Christ's precious blood, the price of our redemption. Each board has two bases, one for each tenon. Our foundation is secure, stable, and paid for in full.

v. 25-26 Then for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards, and their forty bases of silver; two bases under one board and two bases under another board.

The north side is a mirror image of the south. This symmetry is intentional. It speaks of the beautiful order and harmony in God's design. Whether you are on the north side or the south side, the construction is the same, the foundation is the same, the standard is the same. In the church, whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free, the way we are built into God's house is identical. We are all built on the same foundation of redemption in Christ.

v. 27-28 For the rear of the tabernacle, to the west, he made six boards. And he made two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the rear.

The back wall, facing west (away from the entrance in the east), was narrower. But notice the special provision for the corners. The corners are places of unique stress and importance in any structure. They are what hold the walls together. These two corner boards were specially designed to bind the north and south walls to the west wall. In the church, God raises up certain individuals to be like these corner boards, gifted in a way that promotes unity and strength, binding different parts of the body together in love.

v. 29 And they were separated beneath, but were together at their completion at the top, at the first ring; thus he did with both of them for the two corners.

This is a fascinating architectural detail. At the bottom, they were distinct, but at the top, they were joined together by a single ring. This is a beautiful picture of unity in Christ. On earth, in our humanity, we may appear distinct, coming from different backgrounds and having different roles. But as we rise toward God, we find our unity. At the top, in Christ, we are made one. Our ultimate identity and cohesion are found "at the top," in our shared headship in the Lord Jesus.

v. 30 And there were eight boards with their bases of silver, sixteen bases, two bases under every board.

The six boards plus the two corner boards make eight for the western wall. The number eight in Scripture often signifies a new beginning, as in the eighth day of the week being the Lord's Day, the day of resurrection. This dwelling place of God is the beginning of a new creation, a new way for God to dwell with man. And again, the foundation is emphasized: every board stands on its two silver bases of redemption.

v. 31-33 Then he made bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the rear side to the west. And he made the middle bar to pass through in the center of the boards from end to end.

The boards, though standing on a firm foundation, still needed to be unified horizontally. This was the job of the bars. These long poles, also of acacia wood, were slid through rings on the boards to lock them all together into an immovable wall. There were five bars for each side. Five often represents grace. It is by grace that the church is held together. But notice the special middle bar. It ran the entire length of the wall, from end to end. This is a clear type of Christ. He is the one who holds all things together (Col. 1:17). He is the unifying principle that runs through the entire church, from beginning to end, from one end of the earth to the other, making one solid body out of many individual members.

v. 34 He also overlaid the boards with gold and made their rings of gold as holders for the bars and overlaid the bars with gold.

Finally, everything is overlaid with gold. The acacia wood, representing humanity, is completely covered in pure gold, representing divinity and glory. This is the doctrine of glorification in architectural form. In Christ, our humble humanity is covered with His divine glory. When God looks at the church, He sees the righteousness and glory of His Son. The rings that hold the unifying bars are also gold. The very means by which we are held together in Christ is glorious and divine. The bars themselves are covered in gold. Christ, our unifier, is Himself glorious. The entire structure, inside and out, shines with the glory of God. This is what the church is: a redeemed humanity, held together by Christ, and covered in the radiant glory of God, a fit dwelling place for the Holy One.

Application

First, we must see that true worship and true community are built on God's instructions, not our feelings or cultural fads. The Israelites built exactly as God commanded. Our worship and church life must be governed by Scripture alone. We don't get to innovate here.

Second, our entire standing before God rests on the foundation of redemption. The silver bases remind us that we are not part of God's house because we are impressive pieces of lumber. We are here because a price was paid for us. This should produce profound humility and gratitude.

Third, we are built for unity. An individual board lying in the sand is not a tabernacle. God's design is for us to be fitted together, locked together, and unified by the great "middle bar," the Lord Jesus. We must resist the radical individualism of our age and embrace our corporate identity in Christ, recognizing that we need each other to stand upright.

Finally, our destiny is glory. We are acacia wood, humble stuff from the desert. But we are overlaid with gold. In Christ, we are destined to shine with the glory of God. We should therefore live as people who are being prepared for an eternal weight of glory, seeking to have our lives increasingly reflect the divine nature we have been given in Him.