Exodus 38

All the gold that was used in all the work of the holy place, that is, the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.  And the silver from those who were numbered of the congregation was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary: vv.24-25

Read chapter 38
How expensive do you think it was to build this Tabernacle?  It's hard to know exactly the cost because of the value of gold and silver is always changing and understanding their units measurements.  A talent equalled 3,000 shekels so the entire amount of gold was 87,730 shekels and of silver was 301,775 shekels.  Gold and silver is valued and measure din weight, so the talent and shekel are weight units.  Where did all this gold and silver come from?  From the plunder from Egypt they got before the Exodus.  The sanctuary, in part, was made out of redemption money.  God gave and provided for them that they could and would freely give.  What has the Lord given you that you freely give for His glory?  What is something hard to give for you?  How have you seen volunteering and donations create something as majestic as trying to picture this Tabernacle?

Exodus 37

"Then Bezalel made the ark...he made the table...he also made the lamp stand...he made the incense altar...he also made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense." vv.1, 10, 17, 25, 29

Read chapter 37
Now that the Tabernacle was built it was time for the construction of the furniture.  The ark which was what held the Ten Commandments and had the mercy least with the two cheribums on top of it.  The table for the showbread and the utensils that was for the priest only.  The lamp stand for light inside the tabernacle.  The incense apart for a perfume in the air to diminish the smell of the sacrifices.  All these furnishes were very important and with purpose for coming and serving the Lord, nothing was made that didn't have a purpose.  It seems like Bezalel made all this by himself, but it also could be that he was the leader and mastermind of the the construction of others who helped construct these items.  In 35:30-34 it says he was filled with the Spirit in wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of all skill and put in his heart the ability to teach.  Bezel we also see is the grandson of Hur who was one who held up Moses' hands to God when he grew weak in battle.  Try drawing one of the furnishings baed on the description in this chapter.  What "furnishings" in your life are useless to your walk with the Lord that you need to clear out?  Bezel had the Holy Spirit guiding him and as the Holy Spirit dwells in us too, what wisdom, understanding, skill is He giving you currently?

Exodus 36

Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, 5 and they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.” vv.4-5

Read chapter 36
The construction of the Tabernacle begins and seems to start immediately, not just waiting for the "perfect" time or when all "funds are raised."  This chapter mimics chapter 26 of the words God spoke to Moses that Moses spoke to them or the spirit of wisdom that guided them (v.2), it wasn't just similar but was the exact representation of God's command.  Sometimes reading chapters of details is "boring" but if God didn't give us details would we know Him intimately?  Would He then not care of the details in our lives too?  I love this verse that the offerings were over abundant from the people.  They didn't need encouragement sermon to give or just a one time offering but feely and continually gave for the Lord.  Also amazing to see that the workers told Moses that it was enough than just picketing the extra for their own personal pay since they were the ones working.  What work is the Lord doing in your life that you may be putting off waiting for the perfect timing?  What is one detail of the Tabernacle that stands out to you?  What's one detail about you that you wish more people knew?  How/when/ do you freely give to the Lord?  

Exodus 35

"All the women who were gifted artisans spun yarn with their hands, and brought what they had spun, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. And all the women whose hearts stirred with wisdom spun yarn of goats’ hair." vv.25-26

Read chapter 35
Not only men helped in the construction of the Tabernacle but women too in this patriarchal time period and culture.  These are gifted artisan women and wise-hearted, meaning did it heartily to the Lord.  Most likely these women were the common or lower class women who worked with their hands as a means to make a living.  The river sort of women brought their jewels of sorts (v.22).  They spun both fine and tough yarn; goats hair just sounds difficult to spin.  These women truly laid their best service to serve God no matter what the task or what their position in society was. A lot of times it can be intimidating or think we have nothing to offer or that we're a "no body" that won't matter in service.  But God made us for Him, not Him for us.  Ad we are useful tools to share HIs message and serve if we choose to step up.  What work would you've like to help in the Tabernacle?  What skills do you use today to serve the Lord?  What holds you back from giving your all or your finest (item or skill)?

Exodus 34

So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.  Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him...And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. vv.28-29, 33

Read chapter 34
A person could survive without food for weeks, but no one can go without water for more than 3 or 4 days, yet MOess went 40 days!  This only is because God sustained him.  The verse that "man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes form the mouth of God," (Matt. 4:4) truly happened by Moses living being fed by God's words.  The only food you should binge on or gorge on is the Bread of Life- Jesus.  Are you "eating" to your hearts content?  Are you "starving" yourself?
Moses was changed not just emotionally but physically too by spending initiate time with God, his face shown- was glowing.  Yet because of the hard hearts of the Israelites they could not look on Moses, so he put a veil over his face.  Yet we learn from 2 Cor. 3 that when one turns to the Lord the veil is lifted.  Do you shine that you've been with the Lord?  How has being with the Lord changed/transformed you?

Exodus 33

So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend... And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”  But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”  vv.11,18-20

Read chapter 33
Oh the intimacy Moses had with God!  The relationship proves so much more important than the corporate body of believers.  Face-to-face is obviously a metaphor since He later says that Moses can't see His face and live.  But their conversations were as talking to a friend.  Is your relationship with the Lord like a best friend or better?  If not, why?  It's hard to imagine or grasp what God looks like.  yes we know Jesus is they image of the invisible God and how we see Jesus appear to men in the Old testament before He was born as a baby, but why here is it different?  Perhaps all God's glory cannot be grasped by man, that it is so much more than we can imagine, that we can't fathom or bare and why we could not live.

Exodus 32

Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” v.1

Read chapter 32
Moses was only gone 40 days (24:18) and the Israelites gave up hope and turned to an idol. It was probably less than 40 days that they actually rebelled as it would taken some time to make the golden calf. It also seems that the whole of Israel had turned from God and Aaron on the verge too. They'd given up hope not seeing Moses for so long who was their leader. How often does that happen in your life where your patience for the Lord doesn't last and you settle for something else? Or when do you rely more on a godly leader to fulfill your needs than trusting God yourself? We may not say the exact phrase "make us gods" but our actions may speak that. What actions have you made other gods for? Or how have you seen that in Christianity?