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Exodus 35Names of God Bible (NOG)

Rules about the Day of Worship
35 Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, “These are the things Yahweh has commanded you to do: 2 You may work for six days, but the seventh day is a holy day of worship, a day when you don’t work. It is dedicated to Yahweh. Whoever does any work on this day should be put to death. 3 Never light a fire in any of your homes on this day of worship.”

The People Contribute Their Wealth
4 Then Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what Yahweh has commanded: 5 Choose something of your own to give as a special contribution to Yahweh. Let everyone who is willing bring this kind of contribution to Yahweh: gold, silver, and bronze, 6 violet, purple, and bright red yarn, fine linen, goats’ hair, 7 rams’ skins dyed red, fine leather,[a] acacia wood, 8 olive oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet-smelling incense, 9 onyx stones, and other precious stones to be set in the chief priest’s ephod[b] and breastplate.

The Craftsmen for the Tent
10 “Have all the skilled craftsmen among you come and make everything Yahweh has commanded: 11 the inner tent, the outer tent, and cover, along with the fasteners, frames, crossbars, posts, and sockets, 12 the ark with its poles, the throne of mercy and the canopy over it, 13 the table with its poles, all the dishes, the bread of the presence, 14 the lamp stand used for the light with its utensils, its lamps and the olive oil for the lamps, 15 the altar for incense with its poles, the anointing oil, the sweet-smelling incense, the screen for the entrance to the tent, 16 the altar for burnt offerings with its bronze grate, its poles, and all its accessories, the basin with its stand, 17 the curtains for the courtyard, the posts, bases, and the screen for the entrance to the courtyard, 18 the pegs for the tent and the courtyard with their ropes, 19 the special clothes[c] worn for official duties in the holy place—both the holy clothes for Aaron the priest and the clothes for his sons when they serve as priests.”

20 Then the whole Israelite community left Moses. 21 Those who were willing and whose hearts moved them came and brought their contributions to Yahweh. The gifts were used to construct the tent of meeting, to pay other expenses, and to make the holy clothes. 22 All who were willing—men and women alike—came and brought all kinds of gold jewelry: pins,[d] earrings, signet rings, and pendants. They took these gifts of gold and offered them to Yahweh. 23 Those who had violet, purple, or bright red yarn, fine linen, goats’ hair, rams’ skins dyed red, or fine leather brought them. 24 Those who could give silver or bronze brought it as their contribution to Yahweh. Those who had acacia wood that could be used in the construction brought it. 25 All the women who were skilled in spinning yarn brought violet, purple, and bright red yarn, and fine linen, which they had made by hand. 26 All the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goats’ hair. 27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other precious stones to be set in the chief priest’s ephod and breastplate. 28 They also brought the spices and the olive oil for the lamps, the anointing oil, and the sweet-smelling incense. 29 Every Israelite man and woman who was willing brought all these items to Yahweh as a freewill offering. They brought these items to be used to make everything Yahweh had commanded through Moses.

30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “Yahweh has chosen Bezalel, son of Uri and grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. 31 Yahweh has filled Bezalel with the Ruach Elohim, making him highly skilled, resourceful, and knowledgeable in all trades. 32 He’s a master artist familiar with gold, silver, and bronze. 33 He knows how to cut and set stones and how to work with wood. He’s an expert in all trades. 34 Also, Yahweh has given Bezalel and Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan the ability to teach others. 35 Yahweh has made these men highly skilled in all trades. They can do the work of jewelers, carpenters, and designers. They know how to embroider violet, purple and bright red yarn on fine linen. They know how to weave yarn on a loom. They can do all kinds of trades. They are master artists.”

An unlikely sight in the desert
Exodus 35:21 Everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the tent of meeting.
In A.D. 1144 a great building began to take shape in a village in northwest France. Enthusiasm for the project soon spread across the entire country, and volunteer workers streamed to the site. Working together, the people managed to construct one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, the magnificent cathedral at Chartres.
Fifty years later, after a terrible fire, the villagers of France rebuilt their cathedral from scratch. Today, tourists throng to marvel at what has splendidly fashioned to the glory of God so long ago.
Inspired Builders
A work of art took shape in similar fashion thousands of years earlier than Chartres, and the last chapters of Exodus provide a wealth of details. In a hostile desert landscape, a tribe of just-liberated slaves built something of exquisite beauty: a portable cathedral, or tabernacle.
God directed the project personally, specially endowing the crafters with skill (see Exodus 31:1–6) and elaborating right down to the color choice of woven yarns, the precise length of curtains and wooden frames, and the design of gold filigree. The people of Israel joined together in a flurry of activity, carefully following God’s pattern. A ton of gold went into the project, as well as nearly four tons of silver and stockpiles of precious gems and rare woods.
God Moves In
After describing the tabernacle construction in great detail, the Bible devotes just five verses, the last five in Exodus, to its culmination. In a matter-of-fact tone, those sentences record a remarkable event.
Throughout the book of Exodus God had been progressively revealing himself to Moses: once in a burning bush, once in a mysterious appearance beside a rock, once on a trembling mountain and often in a cloud-covered tent of meeting. God’s presence caused such fear and awe that the people of Israel begged that he not speak to them directly (see Exodus 20:19). When Moses had come down from Mount Sinai after meeting with God, he glowed as if radioactive, and everyone was too frightened to go near him (see Exodus 34:30).
Yet, on the day the tabernacle was completed, this same God moved in. His glory filled the new tabernacle. God took up residence with his people.
A Visible Reminder
From then on, whenever the Israelites marched or camped, their portable cathedral stayed in the exact center of the camp, with their tents and personal belongings radiating out from the Most Holy Place and the ark of the covenant. The tabernacle gave them a visible reminder of God’s central place. Each day priests performed functions of sacrifice and worship there.
The story of the tabernacle, which takes up one-third of Exodus, reveals much about the character of God. He can never be taken lightly—the rituals here and in the next three books show that God must be approached with care and reverence. He cannot be experienced directly, in his fullness, by ordinary people; a holy God is simply too overwhelming. Even Moses, Exodus says, could not look on God’s face and live (see Exodus 33:20).
And yet, amazingly, that same God who seemed so distant came near. Despite the huge gulf separating God and humanity—a gulf that all the rules on holiness and purification only hint at—God allowed personal access to himself. He made himself available.

Life Questions
Where does God “live” now?