Contradictions of Moses (pdf)
Moses as a Type of Messiah (pdf)
Vayechel Slides(pdf)
Vayachel Notes (pdf)
Overview of V’Yachel (“And He Gathered the Congregation”) Exodus 35:1 – 38:20
Over the past four weeks we have seen Yehovah propose marriage to Israel (Exodus 19) resulting in a covenant (the Book of the Covenant); we have seen Israel break that covenant when they committed spiritual adultery by worshipping the Golden Calf (Exodus 32); and we have seen Moses go back up the mountain to intercede with Yehovah for the people. Yehovah said that He would destroy all Israel and start over again with Moses (Exodus 32:10); that was His legal right: they had broken the blood covenant and were subject to the death penalty of that covenant. And the prospect of Yehovah starting over this time with Moses had to be very tempting to Moses…but he subdued his pride, rejected Yehovah’s offer and, instead, interceded for Israel. Yehovah accepted Moses’ intercession but still held Israel accountable for their actions – they would have to answer for those actions on the Day of Judgment. Because of Israel’s sin, Yehovah could no longer lead them on their journey but would instead send “His Angel” to lead them (Exodus 33:2-3); we recognize this Angel as the pre-incarnate Yeshua. So Moses went back up the mountain for a second 40-day period to receive tablets written with the original covenant conditions (but this time these tablets were not blood-ratified as were the first tablets). Yehovah also gave Moses a lengthy list of “laws” which covenant-breaking Israel must obey in order to postpone her death penalty judgment. We will see that these “laws” which were given in addition to the Covenant are called the Book of the Law (Deuteronomy 31:24-27) and we will see them presented throughout the rest of Torah – Leviticus through Deuteronomy. Paul explains the relationship between the “law” and the covenant in Galatians 3:19: “What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.” Every year, on the Day of Atonement, Israel would be judged against these “laws”; if the High Priest did everything correctly to atone for the sins of National Israel, then they would be spared that death penalty. They did that for 1,500 years…until “the Angel Who Would Lead Them” (Yeshua) would shed His own precious blood to satisfy that death penalty, and bring them (and us!!!) back into covenant relationship with Yehovah.
So we are transitioning here from a covenant relationship with Yehovah to a treaty relationship based upon the “laws” that Yehovah imposed on covenant-breaking Israel (they never agreed to them) to postpone their death penalty. The instructions for the Tabernacle and the High Priest’s garments fall into this transition; they were given after the Book of the Covenant was ratified in Exodus 24 but before “the law” was given starting in Leviticus. So this week’s Portion (and next week’s also) documents that Moses actually executed Yehovah’s instructions.
Chapter 35 The Offerings & Workers
We have seen Yehovah’s instructions to Moses concerning the gathering of all the materials required to build the Tabernacle. In this chapter we see Moses executing these instructions…to the point where he had to tell the people to stop bringing materials – he had more than enough to complete the Tabernacle Project! This is the written proof that Moses did exactly as Yehovah had commanded him in Exodus 25:1-9.
We also see that Moses appointed the same two men (Batzelel & Aholiav) that Yehovah had told him to appoint in Exodus 31.
Chapter 36 – 38 The Tabernacle Construction
These three chapters detail the construction of the Tabernacle and all of its furnishings – documented proof that Moses did exactly as Yehovah had commanded him to do. We have already gone through Yehovah’s instructions to Moses so I won’t spend time here to repeat those details of Moses obeying Yehovah’s instructions. The only difference that we see here is the order in which the items were made. Yehovah’s instructions to Moses were from His perspective as He sat upon the cherubim on the Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place. He started there with instructions for the Mercy Seat & Ark of the Covenant, and He worked His way out into the Holy Place and finally into the Outer Court. Moses, on the other hand, started construction from his own perspective: starting with the Tabernacle structure, then all of the furnishings inside it, and ending with the items in the Outer Court and the fence around it. Regardless of order, Moses did exactly as Yehovah had told him to do!
The Haftarah Reading (I Kings 7:13 – 26)
This week’s Haftarah describes the construction of several components of the Temple by the craftsman Hiram of Tyre, paralleling the Torah portion which describes the construction of the Tabernacle by Bezalel and his crew. King Solomon called for Hiram to fabricate columns on either side of the Temple entrance. The columns were eighteen cubits (27 feet) high and were topped by two intricately carved capitals. The right column was called Jachin, and the left one was called Boaz. Hiram also built the copper laver: “It stood on twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; and the sea (was set) upon them above, and all their hinder parts (were) inward.” In this laver the priests would immerse before they served in the Temple.. We read from I Kings 7:13 – 26:
“Now King Solomon sent and brought Huram from Tyre. He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work. And he cast two pillars of bronze, each one eighteen cubits high, and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of each. Then he made two capitals of cast bronze, to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. He made a lattice network, with wreaths of chainwork, for the capitals which were on top of the pillars: seven chains for one capital and seven for the other capital. So he made the pillars, and two rows of pomegranates above the network all around to cover the capitals that were on top; and thus he did for the other capital. The capitals which were on top of the pillars in the hall were in the shape of lilies, four cubits. The capitals on the two pillars also had pomegranates above, by the convex surface which was next to the network; and there were two hundred such pomegranates in rows on each of the capitals all around. Then he set up the pillars by the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillar on the right and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name Boaz. The tops of the pillars were in the shape of lilies. So the work of the pillars was finished. And he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. Below its brim were ornamental buds encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, all the way around the Sea. The ornamental buds were cast in two rows when it was cast. It stood on twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward. It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained two thousand baths.”
The Brit Chadashah Reading
Yehovah’s desire at Mt Sinai was for Israel to be a Kingdom of Priests; all Israel would mediate between Yehovah and the Nations. But the Sin of the Golden Calf changed all that. We start the Book of Leviticus soon, and we will see the Levites – and specifically, Aaron and sons – become the Priests of Israel. So, from this point forward, the emphasis in the rest of the Tanach will be the Aaronic Priesthood, the Tabernacle and the Temple. But Yeshua established the New Covenant; on the night before His death when He said: “This cup is the New Covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” With Yeshua’s death and resurrection, He became our High Priest! As Believers, we are no longer seeking the Aaronic Priesthood nor the Temple. The Apostle Paul tells us that we are the Temple and we are to separate ourselves from the World. We read from II Corinthians 6:14 – 7:1
“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Messiah with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of Yehovah with idols? For you are the temple of the living Yehovah. As Yehovah has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their Yehovah, and they shall be My people.” Therefore, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.” Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of Yehovah.”