Building the Tabernacle

God tells Moses exactly what He needs to build a sanctuary — not because He needs a house, but because He wants to live right in the middle of His people. Every detail, from gold-covered wood to angel-topped lids, points to one stunning idea: God wants to be close.

God gives Moses the complete architectural blueprints for the Tabernacle — every curtain, every frame, every clasp. It reads like a construction manual, but every specification reveals something about what it means for a holy God to move in with ordinary people.

God gives Moses the blueprint for a bronze altar, a linen-walled courtyard, and a lamp that burns all night, every night. These aren't just construction notes — they're God designing a place where people can actually come close to him.

Moses gathers all of Israel after the golden calf disaster and gives them a fresh start — a building project for God's dwelling place, powered entirely by willing hearts. Men and women bring gold, fabric, and wood. And the first person in the Bible described as filled with the Spirit of God? An artist.

When freed slaves care more about what they're building than what they're keeping, generosity becomes unstoppable. Exodus 36 captures the moment Israel's giving had to be cut off — and then shows, clasp by clasp, what that generosity actually built: a portable throne room designed to bring heaven within reach.