ExodusStudy Guide

Chapter 38

Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.

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Scripture

KJV

1And 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.

2And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of the same: and he overlaid it with brass.

3And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basons, and the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass.

4And he made for the altar a brasen grate of network under the compass thereof beneath unto the midst of it.

5And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass, to be places for the staves.

6And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with brass.

7And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made the altar hollow with boards.

8And 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.

9And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, an hundred cubits:

10Their pillars were twenty, and their brasen sockets twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.

11And for the north side the hangings were an hundred cubits, their pillars were twenty, and their sockets of brass twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.

12And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.

13And for the east side eastward fifty cubits.

14The hangings of the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

15And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

16All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen.

17And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver.

18And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court.

19And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets of silver.

20And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass.

21This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest.

22And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses.

23And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.

24All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.

25And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:

26A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.

27And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the vail; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket.

28And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them.

29And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels.

30And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the brasen altar, and the brasen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar,

31And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.

Key VerseExodus 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.

Overview

Bezaleel constructs the brazen altar of burnt offering from acacia wood overlaid with bronze, along with all its utensils. He makes the bronze laver from the mirrors of the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle. The court of the tabernacle is constructed with linen hangings, pillars, and sockets. The chapter concludes with an inventory of the materials used: nearly a ton of gold, over three tons of silver (from the ransom money of the census), and about two and a half tons of bronze. Every item is accounted for with careful stewardship.

Key Themes

1

The Altar and Laver: Sacrifice and Cleansing

The brazen altar for sacrifice and the laver for washing are the first things encountered in the tabernacle court — atonement and cleansing are the prerequisites for approaching God.

2

The Women's Mirrors: Vanity Transformed into Worship

The bronze laver is made from the mirrors of the serving women — instruments of personal vanity are surrendered and transformed into a vessel of spiritual cleansing.

3

Accountability and Stewardship of Sacred Resources

The detailed accounting of materials demonstrates that what is given to God must be managed with transparency and integrity — stewardship is a sacred responsibility.

Study Questions

1.

What is the significance of the laver being made from the women's mirrors (v. 8), and what does this teach about surrendering our vanity to God?

2.

Why does God require such careful accounting of the materials used (vv. 21-31), and what principles of stewardship does this establish?

3.

How does the placement of the brazen altar at the entrance of the court reinforce the message that there is no access to God apart from sacrifice?

4.

What does the enormous quantity of precious materials reveal about the value God places on His dwelling among His people?

5.

How does the bronze laver, used for priestly washing, illustrate the ongoing need for cleansing even among those who serve God?

Connection to Christ

The brazen altar points to the cross where Christ was sacrificed, and the bronze laver points to the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit through the word (Ephesians 5:26). The women's mirrors transformed into a washing basin beautifully illustrates how Christ takes our self-focused lives and transforms them into instruments of holiness. The silver from the ransom money in the foundation sockets pictures redemption as the very foundation on which God's dwelling is built.

Personal Reflection

Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Exodus 38. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?

Exodus

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