What is the meaning of Exodus 36:13? He also made fifty gold clasps “Fifty” in Scripture often signals completeness (Genesis 6:3; Leviticus 25:10). Every clasp was fashioned of pure gold, the metal that pictures divinity and incorruptibility (Exodus 25:11). God directed Moses earlier, “Make fifty gold clasps and join the curtains with them” (Exodus 26:6). By recording that Bezalel actually “made” them (Exodus 36:13) the text confirms faithful obedience to God’s blueprint, echoing Noah’s precision in Genesis 6:22 and reminding us that genuine worship flows from doing God’s will exactly, not creatively altering it (John 14:15). to join the curtains together The ten inner curtains bore cherubim, portraying heaven’s throne room (Exodus 26:1). Those panels were vast, yet without the clasps they would remain individual pieces. The joining shows how God weaves separate parts into a single sanctuary. David later celebrates the same truth: “He makes the two one” (Psalm 133:1). In the New Covenant this foreshadows Christ, who “has made the two groups one” (Ephesians 2:14) and “holds the whole body together by every supporting ligament” (Colossians 2:19). The clasps illustrate that unity is not optional décor; it is built into God’s dwelling. so that the tabernacle was a unit The outcome is striking: “the tabernacle was a unit” (Exodus 36:13). God’s house could only stand when every part was linked. Hebrews 8:5 says the earthly tabernacle was “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things,” so its unified fabric anticipates the perfected oneness of God’s eternal dwelling (Revelation 21:3). Paul applies the picture to believers: “In Him the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21). Just as one missing clasp would mar the sanctuary, willful disunity mars our witness (John 17:21). summary Exodus 36:13 celebrates precise obedience, heavenly craftsmanship, and purposeful unity. The gold clasps demonstrate that God supplies both the means and the mandate for bringing diverse parts together, forming one seamless dwelling where His glory rests. |
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