Exodus 39 — Just as the LORD Had Commanded

Today’s Passage: Exodus 39

We come now to the making of the holy garments, the very robes God described to Moses on the mountain long chapters ago, and here at last they are cut and woven and set with stone by the hands of gifted men. You will read again of the ephod and its shoulder pieces, of the breastpiece bright with twelve engraved jewels, of the blue robe hung with golden bells, and of the plate of pure gold on which was cut the word Holy to the LORD. Do not try to hold every thread and ring in your memory, for that was never the point of it. Read instead for the sound that rings through the whole chapter like a bell struck again and again, one phrase that closes step after step and will not let you forget it: as the LORD had commanded Moses. Seven times and more it tolls, over the ephod, over the stones, over the robe, over the crown, until you feel the whole tabernacle rising not by the cleverness of men but by the obedience of a people who did exactly, and only, what God had said. And when it is all done, they carry every finished piece to Moses, who looks it over as a father looks over a completed work, sees that they have made it just as the LORD had commanded, and blesses them.

As you read, hold this: Every garment and every part of the tabernacle was finished exactly as God had said, and when Moses saw all the work completed he blessed the people, an echo of the Creator who looked on His finished work and blessed it.

Exodus 39:1-7 (BSB)

¹ From the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn they made specially woven garments for ministry in the sanctuary, as well as the holy garments for Aaron, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. ² Bezalel made the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. ³ They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut threads from them to interweave with the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen—the work of a skilled craftsman. ⁴ They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached at two of its corners, so it could be fastened. ⁵ And the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod was of one piece with the ephod, of the same workmanship—with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. ⁶ They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings, engraved like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. ⁷ Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Watch how the chapter begins, and watch how it ends its very first breath, for the pattern is set here and will hold to the last verse. The garments are made, the ephod is woven, the gold is hammered thin and cut into threads to run through the yarn, and already, twice in these seven verses, the refrain sounds: just as the LORD had commanded Moses. It rings over the finished ephod in verse five, and again over the shoulder stones in verse seven. God had told Moses on the mountain exactly how these things should be, and now the workmen make them exactly so, not a stitch of it invented, not a thread of it improved upon. That is the whole glory of this labor. It was not the craftsmen’s design that mattered, however skilled their hands, but their faithfulness to a design that was not theirs.

And notice what those first stones already carry, for the theme of the last chapter is not left behind. Onto the shoulder pieces of the ephod go the onyx stones, engraved like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel, mounted there as memorial stones. The names of the people are set upon the priest again, borne on the shoulders of the one who would stand before God for them. Even as we watch mere obedience being carried out, we watch it carrying the people it was for. The tabernacle rises by exact obedience, and that exact obedience bears the names of all Israel into the presence of God.

Exodus 39:8-14 (BSB)

⁸ He made the breastpiece with the same workmanship as the ephod, with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. ⁹ It was square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide. ¹⁰ And they mounted on it four rows of gemstones: The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald; ¹¹ the second row had a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; ¹² the third row had a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ¹³ and the fourth row had a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. These stones were mounted in gold filigree settings. ¹⁴ The twelve stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel. Each stone was engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

Now they make the breastpiece, and here the names come a second time, just as God had ordained. Where the shoulders bore the names in plain onyx, the heart now bears them as a whole small heaven of color, ruby and topaz and emerald, turquoise and sapphire and diamond, on down four glowing rows to beryl and onyx and jasper. And the text will not let us mistake what all that beauty is for: the twelve stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one tribe. Every jewel was a person’s name. Every color was a people held dear.

See how obedience and love are woven into a single garment here. The craftsmen were only doing as they were commanded, and yet the very thing they were commanded to make was a breastpiece to carry the names of God’s people over the priest’s heart. Exact obedience is not a cold thing. In this chapter it is the means by which the beloved are borne into the presence of God, each one named, each one set as a distinct and costly jewel, none of them blurred into the crowd. The workmen kept the command, and the keeping of it carried the people home to God.

Exodus 39:15-21 (BSB)

¹⁵ For the breastpiece they made braided chains like cords of pure gold. ¹⁶ They also made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the two rings to the two corners of the breastpiece. ¹⁷ Then they fastened the two gold chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece, ¹⁸ and they fastened the other ends of the two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. ¹⁹ They made two more gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod. ²⁰ They made two additional gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on its front, near the seam just above its woven waistband. ²¹ Then they tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece was above the waistband of the ephod and would not swing out from the ephod, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Here is a long stretch of careful joinery, gold rings and braided chains and a cord of blue, and its whole purpose is to bind the breastpiece firmly to the ephod so that it would never swing loose or fall away from the priest’s chest. Read past the fastenings to what they secure. The names of the people, carried over the heart, are tied down so tightly with gold and blue that they cannot come off. And once more, at the close of it all, the bell rings: just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Even the smallest ring and the last knot of blue cord were set exactly where God had said, because faithfulness does not grow careless in the details. The people God gives His priest to carry are not carried loosely or by chance. They are bound fast, and they stay, and the binding was done just as the LORD had commanded.

Exodus 39:22-26 (BSB)

²² They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, the work of a weaver, ²³ with an opening in the center of the robe like that of a garment, with a collar around the opening so that it would not tear. ²⁴ They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and finely spun linen on the lower hem of the robe. ²⁵ They also made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates, ²⁶ alternating the bells and pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe to be worn for ministry, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Under the ephod went the long robe of pure blue, woven strong at the collar so it would not tear, and around its lower hem the weavers set a lovely alternating border, pomegranates worked in blue and purple and scarlet, and between them small bells of pure gold. Picture it as the priest moved, the fruit and the golden bells swinging together, and with every step a soft ringing going out from him, so that he would be heard as he entered and left the sanctuary before the LORD. It was mercy woven into the hem, the sound testifying that the appointed one still ministered and had not been struck down in the presence of the Holy One. And here again, closing the making of the robe, the refrain: just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Down to the last golden bell, they built it His way.

Exodus 39:27-31 (BSB)

²⁷ For Aaron and his sons they made tunics of fine linen, the work of a weaver, ²⁸ as well as the turban of fine linen, the ornate headbands and undergarments of finely spun linen, ²⁹ and the sash of finely spun linen, embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. ³⁰ They also made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and they engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD. ³¹ Then they fastened to it a blue cord to mount it on the turban, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The wardrobe is finished now with the plainer pieces and then crowned with the brightest. First the tunics of fine linen for Aaron and his sons, the turban, the headbands, the undergarments, the embroidered sash, each of them made, the text says once more, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Even the humblest linen next to the skin was made to the command of God, for holiness reaches all the way down into the hidden and unseen, and faithfulness does not save its care only for the golden things.

And then they make the golden thing, the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and engrave upon it, like an inscription on a seal, the three great words that gather up the whole meaning of the priesthood: HOLY TO THE LORD. They fasten it with a blue cord to the front of the turban, and once again, closing the last and highest piece, comes the bell that has tolled through the whole chapter: just as the LORD had commanded Moses. From the linen undergarment to the crown of gold, from the least seen to the most glorious, every piece was made to the word of God, and over the whole of it now stood that shining declaration, that what draws near to God must be holy, and that the God being served is holy through and through.

Exodus 39:32-35 (BSB)

³² So all the work for the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses. ³³ Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent with all its furnishings, its clasps, its frames, its crossbars, and its posts and bases; ³⁴ the covering of ram skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather, and the veil of the covering; ³⁵ the ark of the Testimony with its poles and the mercy seat;

Now the whole labor gathers into a single, resounding sentence: so all the work for the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed, and the Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Hear how the refrain, which has rung over one garment at a time, now rings over the entire work at once. It is finished, and it is finished exactly as God had said. Not one command was neglected, not one measurement altered. The people did everything, and they did it His way, and the sentence that seals the work is the very sentence that has sealed each step of it.

And then begins the bringing, and it is worth slowing down to feel the weight of it. They carry the whole of it to Moses. Not a report of the work, not a description of it, but the work itself, piece by finished piece, laid before the man to whom God had first given the pattern. The tent comes with all its furnishings, its clasps and frames and crossbars and bases, and the coverings, and the veil, and then the ark of the Testimony with its poles and the mercy seat, the very throne of God’s presence in the midst of the camp. Everything God had shown Moses on the mountain is now carried back to Moses as a finished thing, so that the vision and the reality could be set side by side. What God had spoken, the people brought.

Exodus 39:36-41 (BSB)

³⁶ the table with all its utensils and the Bread of the Presence; ³⁷ the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and all its utensils, as well as the oil for the light; ³⁸ the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; ³⁹ the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin with its stand; ⁴⁰ the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases; the curtain for the gate of the courtyard, its ropes and tent pegs, and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting; ⁴¹ and the woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary, both the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests.

The list goes on, and the going on of it is part of its glory, for the text will not summarize what the people made but names each thing, one after another, as it is carried in and laid before Moses. The table with its bread, the pure gold lampstand with its lamps and its oil, the golden altar of incense and the anointing oil, the bronze altar with all its utensils, the basin with its stand, the curtains and posts and ropes and tent pegs of the courtyard, and last of all the woven garments for the priests. Every piece we have watched being made across these chapters now passes before us again in a single procession, complete, finished, brought home.

Do not let the length of the list dull you to what it means. Every single thing God had commanded is here, and here fully, nothing forgotten and nothing missing. When the whole inventory of the house of God is carried before Moses and not one item is lacking, we are being shown a people whose obedience was not partial or picked over but entire. They did not keep the commands they liked and quietly drop the rest. They made all of it, brought all of it, and laid all of it down. That is what faithfulness looks like when it is finished, a whole work carried in and nothing held back.

Exodus 39:42-43 (BSB)

⁴² The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses. ⁴³ And Moses inspected all the work and saw that they had accomplished it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

And so the chapter comes to its rest, and the bell tolls a final time, fuller now than ever: the Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Then Moses inspects it. He goes over the whole of it, every piece laid before him, and he sees, the text says, that they had accomplished it just as the LORD had commanded. The pattern given on the mountain and the work brought up from the camp are set side by side, and they match. What God spoke, the people made, exactly. And when Moses has seen it all and found it so, he does the last and most tender thing in the chapter. He blesses them.

Let that final scene settle deep, for it is drawn from the oldest page of the Book. Once, at the very beginning, One looked upon a finished work, saw all that He had made and that it was complete, and pronounced a blessing over it. Here, at the making of the place where that same God would dwell among His people, a man looks upon a finished work, sees that it was done just as the LORD had commanded, and blesses those who made it. The tabernacle is a kind of new creation set in the midst of the wilderness, a small world made holy for the presence of God, and over its completion falls the same benediction that fell over the completion of the world. The obedience of the people is met, at the end, not with mere approval but with blessing. They did all just as the LORD had commanded, and Moses blessed (בָּרַךְ) barak, pronounced bah-RAHK. Strong's H1288, to bless, to kneel. It means to kneel in honor, to speak good and favor over someone, and it is the word that crowns the whole chapter in its last three syllables: so Moses blessed them. After all the making and the bringing and the careful inspecting, the final act is not a payment or a dismissal but a blessing pronounced over a people who had done everything just as the LORD had commanded. Moses saw the finished work, saw that it matched the word of God down to the last thread, and lifted his voice to speak God’s favor over the hands that had made it. them.

And here the ear that knows its Bible catches an echo from far back at the dawn of things, for this is the very word used when God blessed the seventh day after His work of creation was finished, and when He blessed the living creatures He had made. The Creator looked upon a completed work and blessed it; now Moses looks upon a completed tabernacle, a little ordered world raised for God’s dwelling, and blesses it too. The tabernacle finished just as God commanded stands as a picture of creation finished just as God spoke, and over both there falls the same word of blessing. It is a gentle promise woven into the end of Exodus that faithful, finished work done according to the word of God does not go unblessed. The One who blessed the seventh day still blesses the completed obedience of His people, and the last note of this long labor is not weariness but favor spoken over a work made wholly His way.