◄ Exodus 30:5 ►
Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
Study Bible
Make the poles
The instruction to "make the poles" signifies the importance of preparation and obedience in the service of God. In the Hebrew context, the word for "make" (עָשָׂה, asah) implies a deliberate and skillful act of creation. This reflects the care and precision required in the worship of God, emphasizing that our service to Him should be intentional and crafted with excellence. The poles themselves were essential for transporting the sacred altar, symbolizing the need for mobility and readiness in our spiritual journey.

of acacia wood
Acacia wood, known for its durability and resistance to decay, was a common material used in the construction of the Tabernacle. The Hebrew term for acacia (שִׁטָּה, shittah) suggests a wood that is both strong and beautiful, representing the incorruptible nature of God's presence. Historically, acacia trees were abundant in the Sinai region, making them a practical choice for the Israelites. Spiritually, the use of acacia wood points to the enduring and unchanging nature of God's covenant with His people.

and overlay them with gold
The act of overlaying the poles with gold signifies the divine glory and holiness that should cover all aspects of worship. Gold, in biblical times, was a symbol of purity, wealth, and divine majesty. The Hebrew word for gold (זָהָב, zahav) conveys a sense of brightness and splendor. By covering the acacia wood with gold, the Israelites were reminded that their service to God must be enveloped in holiness and reverence. This overlaying process also reflects the transformation that occurs when human efforts are consecrated to God, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary through His presence.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The leader of the Israelites, who received the instructions for the Tabernacle from God on Mount Sinai.

2. Tabernacle
The portable dwelling place for the presence of God among the Israelites, where the Ark of the Covenant and other sacred items were kept.

3. Acacia Wood
A durable and resistant wood used in the construction of the Tabernacle's furnishings, symbolizing incorruptibility and strength.

4. Gold Overlay
Represents purity, divinity, and the glory of God, used extensively in the Tabernacle to signify the holiness of the items.

5. Israelites
The chosen people of God, who were to construct the Tabernacle according to the divine specifications given to Moses.
Teaching Points
Symbolism of Materials
The use of acacia wood and gold in the Tabernacle symbolizes the incorruptible and divine nature of God's presence. As believers, we are called to reflect God's holiness and purity in our lives.

Obedience to God's Instructions
The detailed instructions for the Tabernacle's construction highlight the importance of obedience to God's commands. We are reminded to follow God's guidance in our daily lives with precision and faithfulness.

God's Dwelling Among His People
The Tabernacle served as a physical representation of God's desire to dwell among His people. Today, through the Holy Spirit, God dwells within us, calling us to live as His holy temple.

Continuity of God's Plan
The consistent use of materials and design from the Tabernacle to the Temple and ultimately fulfilled in Christ shows the continuity of God's redemptive plan. We can trust in God's unchanging nature and His eternal purposes.

Value and Worth in God's Eyes
The overlay of gold signifies the value and worth God places on His dwelling place. As believers, we are precious in God's sight, and our lives should reflect His glory.
Bible Study Questions
1. What is the significance of using acacia wood and gold in the construction of the Tabernacle, and how can this symbolism be applied to our spiritual lives today?

2. How does the detailed obedience required in the construction of the Tabernacle challenge us in our own obedience to God's Word?

3. In what ways does the Tabernacle foreshadow the coming of Christ and His work of redemption, as seen in the New Testament?

4. How can understanding the continuity of God's plan from the Tabernacle to the Temple and to Christ encourage us in our faith journey?

5. Reflect on the value and worth God places on His dwelling place. How does this understanding impact the way you view yourself and others as temples of the Holy Spirit?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 25
Provides the initial instructions for the construction of the Ark of the Covenant, which also includes the use of acacia wood and gold overlay, emphasizing the continuity and consistency in God's design for the Tabernacle.

Hebrews 9
Discusses the significance of the Tabernacle and its furnishings as a foreshadowing of Christ's redemptive work, highlighting the importance of the materials used in the Tabernacle.

1 Kings 6
Describes the construction of Solomon's Temple, where similar materials (gold and wood) are used, drawing a parallel between the Tabernacle and the Temple as places of God's presence.
Sermons
The Altar of IncenseJ. Orr Exodus 30:1-11
The Golden Altar and the PerfumeJ. Orr Exodus 30:1-11, 34-38
People
Aaron, Israelites, Moses
Places
Mount Sinai
Topics
Acacia, Acacia-wood, Gold, Hast, Overlaid, Overlay, Plating, Poles, Rods, Shittim, Staffs, Staves, Wood
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Exodus 30:5

     7459   tabernacle, in OT

Exodus 30:1-5

     4333   gold
     4552   wood

Exodus 30:1-10

     7302   altar

Library
The Altar of Incense
'Thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon.' --EXODUS xxx. 1. Ceremonies are embodied thoughts. Religious ceremonies are moulded by, and seek to express, the worshipper's conception of his God, and his own relation to Him; his aspirations and his need. Of late years scholars have been busy studying the religions of the more backward races, and explaining rude and repulsive rites by pointing to the often profound and sometimes beautiful ideas underlying them. When that process is applied to Australian …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Ransom for Souls --I.
Then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul.' --EXODUS xxx. 12. This remarkable provision had a religious intention. Connect it with the tax-money which Peter found in the fish's mouth. I. Its meaning. Try to realise an Israelite's thoughts at the census. 'I am enrolled among the people and army of God: am I worthy? What am I, to serve so holy a God?' The payment was meant-- (a) To excite the sense of sin. This should be present in all approach to God, in all service; accompanying the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Ransom for Souls --ii.
'The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel....'--EXODUS xxx. 15. This tax was exacted on numbering the people. It was a very small amount, about fifteen pence, so it was clearly symbolical in its significance. Notice-- I. The broad principle of equality of all souls in the sight of God. Contrast the reign of caste and class in heathendom with the democracy of Judaism and of Christianity. II. The universal sinfulness. Payment of the tax was a confession that …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

"Whereby we Cry, Abba, Father. "
Rom. viii. 15.--"Whereby we cry, Abba, Father." As there is a light of grace in bestowing such incomparably high dignities and excellent gifts on poor sinners, such as, to make them the sons of God who were the children of the devil, and heirs of a kingdom who were heirs of wrath; so there is a depth of wisdom in the Lord's allowance and manner of dispensing his love and grace in this life. For though the love be wonderful, that we should be called the sons of God; yet, as that apostle speaks, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Jesus Pays the Tribute Money.
(Capernaum, Autumn, a.d. 29) ^A Matt. XVII. 24-27. ^a 24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received the half-shekel came to Peter, and said, Doth not your teacher pay the half-shekel? [The law of Moses required from every male of twenty years and upward the payment of a tax of half a shekel for the support of the temple (Ex. xxx. 12-16; II. Chron. xxiv. 5, 6). This tax was collected annually. We are told that a dispute existed between the Pharisees and Sadducees as to whether the payment …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

How a Private Man must Begin the Morning with Piety.
As soon as ever thou awakest in the morning, keep the door of thy heart fast shut, that no earthly thought may enter, before that God come in first; and let him, before all others, have the first place there. So all evil thoughts either will not dare to come in, or shall the easier be kept out; and the heart will more savour of piety and godliness all the day after; but if thy heart be not, at thy first waking, filled with some meditations of God and his word, and dressed, like the lamp in the tabernacle …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Copies of Things in the Heavens
'And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2. On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. 3. And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail. 4. And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. 5. And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Jesus Attends the First Passover of his Ministry.
(Jerusalem, April 9, a.d. 27.) Subdivision A. Jesus Cleanses the Temple. ^D John II. 13-25. ^d 13 And the passover of the Jews was at hand [We get our information as to the length of our Lord's ministry from John's Gospel. He groups his narrative around six Jewish festivals: 1, He here mentions the first passover; 2, another feast, which we take to have been also a passover (v. 1); 3, another passover (vi. 4); 4, the feast of tabernacles (vii. 2); 5, dedication (x. 22); 6, passover (xi. 55). This …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Annunciation to Zacharias of the Birth of John the Baptist.
(at Jerusalem. Probably b.c. 6.) ^C Luke I. 5-25. ^c 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judæa [a Jewish proselyte, an Idumæan or Edomite by birth, founder of the Herodian family, king of Judæa from b.c. 40 to a.d. 4, made such by the Roman Senate on the recommendation of Mark Antony and Octavius Cæsar], a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course [David divided the priests into twenty-four bodies or courses, each course serving in rotation one week in the temple …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Last Events in Galilee - the Tribute-Money, the Dispute by the Way, the Forbidding of Him who could not Follow with the Disciples, and The
Now that the Lord's retreat in the utmost borders of the land, at Cæsarea Philippi, was known to the Scribes, and that He was again surrounded and followed by the multitude, there could be no further object in His retirement. Indeed, the time was coming that He should meet that for which He had been, and was still, preparing the minds of His disciples - His Decease at Jerusalem. Accordingly, we find Him once more with His disciples in Galilee - not to abide there, [3743] nor to traverse it …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Epistle xxviii. To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli .
To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli [136] . Gregory to Augustine, &c. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will (Luke ii. 14); because a grain of wheat, falling into the earth, has died, that it might not reign in heaven alone; even He by whose death we live, by whose weakness we are made strong, by whose suffering we are rescued from suffering, through whose love we seek in Britain for brethren whom we knew not, by whose gift we find those whom without knowing them we sought. …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Prayer
But I give myself unto prayer.' Psa 109: 4. I shall not here expatiate upon prayer, as it will be considered more fully in the Lord's prayer. It is one thing to pray, and another thing to be given to prayer: he who prays frequently, is said to be given to prayer; as he who often distributes alms, is said to be given to charity. Prayer is a glorious ordinance, it is the soul's trading with heaven. God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer. What is prayer? It is an offering …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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