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How Structure Conveys Meaning

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What is the difference between the following statements?

  1. Because the Bible is the authoritative word of God, I must submit every area of life to its instruction.
  2. God doesn’t just want me to work on the Bible; he wants the Bible to work on me.

The first statement is obviously more precise. But I bet most would consider the second statement more inspirational. More memorable.

And why is this? Because structure conveys meaning. In this case, the structure of the sentence itself packs a persuasive punch. The sentence makes use of a “concentric pattern” or “chiasm” to drive its point:

     Me … work … Bible

                              Bible … work … me

The symmetry of the phrases catches your attention. You can feel the hinge in the middle that unwinds until the tension finally lands with force on the final “me.” The very structure of the sentence conveys additional inspirational or persuasive meaning that goes beyond what the first, more precise, statement could ever communicate.

Biblical authors do this very thing, when they embed their primary emphases, their authorial intentions, within the very structure of the texts they compose.

Observe the Structure

Before we can talk about interpretation, we must first develop the skills to observe the structure. I wrote on this topic a few weeks ago, so I just want to underscore the need to do this well.

Get your chapter and verse divisions out of the way. Drop the extra headings that most Bibles put in. Get a reader’s version, use software such as Logos, or print a numberless manuscript from Bible Gateway. Get yourself looking at the naked text so you can actually observe the literary signposts the author drops in like paint blazes on a wilderness trail.

Identify the constituent units. Then take note of how those units are arranged. If your structural observation is poor, your interpretation won’t be any better.

But once you’ve discovered the units, and you’ve mapped their arrangement (typically parallel, symmetric, or linear—again see the previous post for explanation), you are ready to consider what this structure communicates about the author’s intended meaning.

But how do you do that? David Dorsey (chapter 4) explains 3 main ways that structure conveys meaning.

George Pankewytch (2014), Creative Commons

Overall Structure

Sometimes historical narratives follow a linear pattern to simply communicate the progress of time. But at other times, they follow a cyclical pattern to communicate, through the structure itself, the spiraling up or spiraling down of the protagonists’ fate. For example, Judges gives us 7 cycles of Judges, following the pattern established in Judg 2:11-19, which clearly spiral downward into greater fallenness. But the book of 1-2 Samuel gives us 3 main overlapping narrative arcs: Samuel’s, Saul’s, and David’s. Those three arcs advance from one degree of glory to another, yet all three are ultimately tragic in their shape (narrating a rise, a peak, and then a fall).

Another example of the overall structure conveying meaning is the book of Lamentations. Hebrew poetry often works in parallel lines with parallel stresses (A-B-C/A-B-C). For example, “Serve (A) the LORD (B), with gladness (C)/Come (A) into his presence (B) with singing (C)” (Psalm 100:2). But scholars of ancient literature have pointed out that laments cut this pattern short. The second line loses one of the stresses, yielding a 3-2, or something like an A-B-C/B-C pattern. For example: “O my God (A), I cry by day (B), but you do not answer (C)/and by night (B), but I find no rest (C)” (Psalm 22:2).

Lamentations takes this pattern of laments and drops it into the book’s overall structure. Not only do we see a 3-2 pattern in almost every verse (for example: “She (A) weeps bitterly (B) in the night (C)/with tears (B) on her cheeks (C)” (Lam 1:2a). But we also see this pattern across the chapters.

     Chapter 1: long acrostic with 66 lines

     Chapter 2: long acrostic with 66 lines

     Chapter 3: long acrostic with 66 lines

          Chapter 4: shorter acrostic with 44 lines

          Chapter 5: even shorter acrostic with 22 lines

The whole book takes on the 3-2 shape of lament that visually and audibly peters out by the end, leaving the sadness hanging heavily.

Structured Repetition

When you observe matching units in parallel or chiastic structures, you should investigate why and how they match. Do they present a comparison or contrast? Is a promise in the first section fulfilled in the second? Does one section better explain the other? Is some sort of reversal taking place?

The Gospel of Mark divides into two main divisions: 1:1-8:30 and 8:31-16:8. The first verse outlines the structure: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” The first half of the book concludes with Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ (Mark 8:29). The second half concludes with the centurion’s confession that Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 15:39). By comparing the closing sections of each half of the book, we see that Peter gets part of Jesus’ identity (chapter 8), but he doesn’t understand all of it (chapter 14-15). By the end, Peter is denying that he even knows this man (Mark 14:71), while a Gentile military officer grasps something remarkable about the nature of Jesus’ suffering. “When the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said…” (Mark 15:39).

The parallel between Jonah’s prayer in chapter 2 and his prayer in chapter 4 leads us to question the sincerity of his repentance in the belly of the fish.

When you observe these repetitions, these matching units, you are well prepared to ask “Why” and better uncover the author’s intentions.

Positions of Prominence

The final way structure conveys meaning is through positions of prominence.

This is neither mechanical nor foolproof, but often the most prominent part of a parallel structure is the end. And the most prominent part of a chiasm is the center.

Don’t apply that principle woodenly, but you should at least investigate the matter.

For example, Mark 6-8 follows a parallel structure, surrounded by an inclusio (bookends):

Intro: When Jesus sends out the twelve, Herod fears John the Baptist has risen from the dead. But others think he’s Elijah or one of the prophets (Mark 6:7-29).

     A. Feeding a multitude (Mark 6:30-44)

          B. Crossing the sea (Mark 6:45-56)

               C. Disputing with the Pharisees (Mark 7:1-23)

                    D. Discussing bread with a follower (Mark 7:24-30)

                         E. Healing a malfunctioning sense—deafness (Mark 7:31-37)

     A. Feeding a multitude (Mark 8:1-9)

          B. Crossing the sea (Mark 8:10)

               C. Disputing the Pharisees (Mark 8:11-13)

                    D. Discussing bread with followers (Mark 8:14-21)

                         E. Healing a malfunctioning sense—blindness (Mark 8:22-26)

Conclusion: When Jesus questions the twelve, they claim people think he’s John the Baptist or Elijah or one of the prophets. But Peter (who used to be deaf and blind—Mark 8:18) now sees clearly enough to know “You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29).

What is Mark’s point here in chapters 6 through 8? Jesus is healing his disciples’ own deafness and blindness so they can hear and see who he is.

And what is my point with this little exercise? If you find yourself fretting over why Jesus would call someone a dog (Mark 7:27), what the disciples failed to understand regarding the number of baskets of leftovers (Mark 8:19-21), or why it took Jesus two tries to heal the guy’s blindness (Mark 8:23-25), you need only take yourself to the position of prominence. In this case, the end of the parallel sequence gives us the author’s emphasis and intention: to help Jesus’ disciples perceive who he really is. When we get this, the rest will make more sense.

Conclusion

Observing structure is hard work. But it bears fruit thirty-, sixty-, and a hundred-fold when it comes time to interpret the author’s meaning.

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Context Matters: The Love Chapter

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Perhaps you’ve heard that love is patient and kind (1 Cor 13:4). That it does not envy or boast. I’m willing to wager you’ve either seen these words on a plaque or heard them at a wedding, or both. And what mood do these words create when you hear them read? Comfort? Security? Compassion? Warmth? Mood really matters as something we ought to observe in a text. And if we take a passage like 1 Cor 13 out of context, we’re in danger of missing the mood. Which may cause us to miss the point.

Context matters. If we learn to read the Bible for what it is—and not as a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings—we’ll discover that some of our most familiar passages don’t actually mean what we’ve always assumed.

Scripture as Art (2014), Creative Commons

Paul’s Mood

While 1 Corinthians is not Paul’s harshest letter—that honor would fall to Galatians—it comes pretty close. He has nice things to say about the Corinthians at the start (1 Cor 1:4-9), but he quickly moves into one criticism after another.

  • They have a reputation for quarreling and divisions (1 Cor 1:10-11).
  • They boast about themselves and their teachers (1 Cor 1:12).
  • They forget where they came from, that they were nothing special (1 Cor 1:26-29).
  • They have acted like unspiritual, fleshly people (1 Cor 3:1).
  • They are but infants in Christ (1 Cor 3:1).
  • They have deceived themselves (1 Cor 3:18).
  • They boast about their gifts (1 Cor 4:7).
  • They need to be admonished like children (1 Cor 4:14).
  • They don’t have much spiritual guidance (1 Cor 4:15).
  • They tolerate extreme immorality that even pagans wouldn’t tolerate (1 Cor 5:1).
  • They boast about their perceived maturity (1 Cor 5:6).
  • They are suing one another over trivial matters (1 Cor 6:7).
  • Their knowledge puffs them up, causing them to sin against others’ consciences (1 Cor 8:11-12).
  • They engage in idolatry (1 Cor 10:7).
  • They engage in sexual immorality (1 Cor 10:8).
  • They put Christ to the test (1 Cor 10:9).
  • They grumble (1 Cor 10:10).
  • They think they stand secure, but they really don’t (1 Cor 10:12).
  • They are contentious (1 Cor 11:16).
  • Their worship gatherings are not for the better but for the worse (1 Cor 11:17).
  • Selfish, factious people are being struck dead under the judgment of God (1 Cor 11:30).
  • They are impatient and don’t wait for one another (1 Cor 11:33).
  • They claim to be self-sufficient, not needing one another (1 Cor 12:21).

When we read the letter as a letter, and not as one independent chapter after another, we see that Paul is building a case, scaling a mountain. And chapter 13 is the peak. We rightly laud this chapter, but often in the wrong way.

Paul’s Climax

In the immediate context, Paul is addressing their questions “concerning spiritual gifts” (1 Cor 12:1). He just told them to “earnestly desire the higher gifts” (1 Cor 12:31). But there is a still more excellent way.

They can have the flashiest, most popular, and most coveted spiritual gifts. But if they don’t have love, they’re only making a cacophony (1 Cor 13:1-3).

Then Paul describes this more excellent way, the way of love. And what he says about love directly and explicitly corresponds to what these people are not.

  • Love is patient and kind. They are not (1 Cor 11:33).
  • Love doesn’t envy or boast. They do (1 Cor 1:12, 4:7, 5:6).
  • Love is not arrogant or rude. They are (1 Cor 10:10, 12).
  • Love does not insist on its own way. They do (1 Cor 6:7-8).
  • Love isn’t irritable or resentful. They are (1 Cor 1:10-11; 10:9, 10).
  • Love doesn’t rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. They tolerate much wrongdoing, ignoring the truth (1 Cor 5:1).
  • Love bears all things. They don’t (1 Cor 11:16).
  • Love believes all things. They don’t (1 Cor 12:21).
  • Love hopes all things. They don’t (1 Cor 11:17).
  • Love endures all things. They don’t (1 Cor 10:12, 11:30, 12:21).

In other words, it’s as though Paul is saying, “Love is everything you are not.”

Paul’s Assessment

Love will get them farther than the “best” spiritual gifts ever will (1 Cor 13:8-10). Then comes the kicker: Paul, too, was once a child. But he eventually had to grow up (1 Cor 13:11). That’s what it means to love; it requires us to grow up and become mature, which is something these infants (1 Cor 3:1), these children (1 Cor 4:14), have yet to do.

The next chapter tells them that spiritual gifts are not bad (especially prophecy). But they must desire them only in proportion to how much they are willing to “pursue love” (1 Cor 14:1). Chapter 14 is filled with instructions about how to exercise gifts in a way that is kind and loving to others.

Then Paul caps off the letter with a call to endure in faith (cf. “love believes all things…endures all things”) in light of the greatest expression of God’s love in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a foretaste of our own resurrection (1 Cor 15). The thinly veiled insults of chapter 13 are not meant to crush them but drive them to draw grace from the deep well of salvation, revealed in the resurrection of Christ. Then they can become like their Lord, expressing their love and unity with the suffering brethren in Judea by contributing to their needs (1 Cor 16:1-4). Love never ends; it never fails—when it is derived from the right place.

Conclusion

1 Corinthians 13 may be one of Paul’s most eloquent chapters. Perhaps only Romans 8 or Philippians 2 can rival it. But the mood is absolutely not a warm and fuzzy one. Its character is one of sustained rebuke, not one of pleasant encouragement. To miss this mood may be to miss the point.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t put it on plaques or read it at weddings (in fact, I’m preaching it at a wedding in a few months). But to get the message right, we must be sure to capture the tone of warning, rebuke, and satire. May it resound, as Paul intended, as our mandate to grow up and act no more like selfish little children.

I drew inspiration for this post from a talk on “Context” given by David Helm. Click to see more examples of why context matters.

Making Sense of Prophecy

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In his article “How to (Mis)Interpret Prophecy,” Michael Heiser illustrates one weakness with over-generalizing our interpretive principles. He mentions the principle: “When the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense.” And then he examines the use of Amos 9 in Acts 15 to show one place where the principle needs more nuance.

He concludes:

Comparing these passages illustrates important lessons: Interpreting biblical prophecy cannot be distilled to a simple maxim, and not everything can be taken literally. The New Testament shows us otherwise.

His concise analysis is worth your time. Check it out!

Context Matters: All Things Work Together For Good

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Perhaps, when you went through a tough spell, a friend or mentor reminded you that all things work together for good for those who love God. Perhaps you’ve reminded others of the same thing in their tough spells. And such comfort may be in line with what the Apostle Paul hoped to achieve in Romans 8:28. But do you understand why? Do you understand what is the “good” for which all things work together? This verse is not a promise to remove or alleviate suffering. Nor does it require us to take a noble or pious perspective about suffering, as though, if you love God, all things that happen to you must be seen as “good” things.

Because context matters. If we learn to read the Bible for what it is—and not as a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings—we’ll discover that some of our most familiar passages say something slightly different from what we’ve always assumed.

Basic Observation

Let me first address one wrongful use of Romans 8:28. I’ve sometimes heard people refer to this verse to suggest that all things are good for those who love God, as though we should be happy or pleased with the suffering we endure. As though suffering is a good thing.

But the verse doesn’t say “all things are good for those who love God.” It says, “all things work together for good for those who love God.” Simple observation should clear out our thinly veiled reincarnations of stoicism or asceticism. Your suffering is not good. It will not last forever. One day, every tear will be wiped from your eyes, if you love God and have been called according to his purpose. Your suffering is bad, a product of living in a fallen world.

But God still uses it to work together for good. But how?

Train of Thought

To understand Paul’s argument in this part of Romans 8, we need to see that he’s talking about not only suffering but also glory. Rom 8:18 tries to compare the present suffering with the coming glory—and finds such a comparison be not worth our time. Rom 8:30 ends with the sure result of God’s calling: not only justification but glorification. These two references to glory (Rom 8:18, 30) create an inclusio that marks off a unit of thought for us. Let’s trace it accordingly.

The main idea (Rom 8:18): Our present suffering is not worth comparing with the coming glory. (Note: This unit unpacks Paul’s conclusion from the previous section (Rom 8:17): that we who are children of God are also his heirs, if indeed we suffer with him in order to be glorified with him.)

Julia Manzerova (2010), Creative Commons

How does Paul prove these things aren’t worth comparing? First, he addresses the present suffering we can see.

  • The creation suffers (Rom 8:19-21): It waits, it endures futility, and it’s bound to corruption.
    • The creation groans (Rom 8:22): like a woman in the second stage of labor, groaning that she’s got to push this baby out!
    • So also we groan (Rom 8:23a): inwardly, despite having the Spirit as the firstfruits of God’s promise
  • So also we suffer (Rom 8:23b-25): We wait with patience, we anticipate final redemption, and we can’t yet see what we hope for.

Second, he addresses the hope we have for glory we can’t see.

  • We do not groan alone (Rom 8:26-27): The Spirit, who knows both our desperate weakness and the will of God, takes our concerns directly to the Father on our behalf.
  • We do not suffer without purpose (Rom 8:28-30): God determined before the ages began to make his people like his Son. This means they don’t only suffer with him; they’re also glorified with him.

In the rest of the chapter, Paul gives 5 questions we should ask (“What then shall we say to these things?”) to help us appropriate the unseen, coming glory in the midst of our visible, present suffering:

  1. If God is for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31)?
  2. Won’t he also graciously give us all things with his Son (Rom 8:32)?
  3. Who can accuse us (Rom 8:33)?
  4. Who can condemn us (Rom 8:34)?
  5. Who can separate us from Christ’s love (Rom 8:35-39)?

Conclusion

Romans 8:28 does not say that suffering is a good thing. Nor does it promise to alleviate suffering here and now. Rather, the verse gives us a sense of purpose in our suffering: It shows us that God is making us to suffer like Jesus now so we can be glorified in resurrection like him on the last day. Jesus’ life sets a pattern for those who love him. This is God’s good purpose, which he is working out while we, along with the creation, wait patiently for the redemption of our bodies and the revealing of us as heirs of God.

Context matters.

How to Believe the Bible Even While You Deny It

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Randy Alcorn recently made a profound point: that people can claim to “believe every word of the Bible” even while they proclaim things directly contradictory to the Bible’s teaching. This dynamic is truly remarkable, as one doesn’t have to outright reject the Bible any more in order to do away with its uncomfortable truths.

Alcorn writes:

As people respond to my books, ask questions, and state opinions through emails and social media, I’m struck with how many say they believe the Bible, but their interpretations are so out of line with credible biblical meanings that their profession of confidence in Scripture becomes meaningless, and even dangerous. Not only is this happening more frequently today, it’s also being accepted as normal.

Historically, theological liberals denied Scripture, and everyone knew where they stood. But today many so-called evangelicals affirm their belief in Scripture, while attributing meanings to biblical texts that in fact deny what Scripture really says. Hence they “believe every word of the Bible” while actually embracing (and teaching) beliefs that utterly contradict it.

He concludes:

So we need to teach people not just to read the Bible but also how to interpret it, so they don’t end up being Bible-believing heretics or Jesus-followers who follow a Jesus different than the real Jesus of the Bible and history.

I find myself wishing people would know they are denying Scripture, and not feel free to use Scripture to deny Scripture. If you’re aware that you disbelieve and reject the Bible, there is hope because you can come under conviction to submit to God by denying your preferences and accepting what Scripture actually says. But if you imagine you believe the Bible all along, when in fact your interpretations contradict it, pride can blind you from knowing the truth and therefore the truth cannot set you free.

The full post is worth a moment of your time. Check it out!

How to Understand Genealogies

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If you’ve been persuaded not to skip the Bible’s genealogies, you might still wonder what to do with them. And Scott Slayton has just the help you need. In his article “How Do I Deal with the Genealogies?” he offers three suggestions:

  1. How does it fit within the author’s narrative?
  2. How does it fulfill the promises of God?
  3. What glimmers of grace do we see in it?

Questions 2 and 3 are useful in helping us to reflect on the theological benefit of any genealogy, but I find question 1 most helpful when working through a book. Remember that the genealogy is not a waste of words. It’s not as though the author had nothing useful to say, and so he decided to throw in a list of names. No, the author is making a case for something; he’s trying to move his audience to action. And the genealogy helps advance his agenda. We must observe the genealogy carefully to uncover what that agenda is.

Though Slayton addresses his article to pastors, his suggestions are just as fitting for any teacher or student of the Scripture.

Check it out!

What Do We Mean by the Word ‘Meaning’?

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In a recent Look at the Book video, John Piper clarifies what we mean when we talk about the Bible’s “meaning.” According to Piper:

The meaning of a text is what the author intended to communicate with his words.

The key idea is that meaning comes from the author, not the reader. In particular, the meaning of a text is NOT:

  • Whatever comes into our head
  • What we feel
  • All the ways we may respond

These beliefs arise from thinking that meaning comes from the reader, not the author.

Piper explains what he means, and then he gives examples of how the Bible assumes this definition of “meaning.” It is very important that we understand this as we come to study any passage of Scripture.

Check it out!

Why Context Matters

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At Stand to Reason, Alan Shlemon explains why it matters so much to consider the context of a Bible verse. After giving an example, where a Christian uses Matthew 18:20 to encourage their small group that Jesus is with them, Shlemon draws the following conclusion:

This might seem benign, but it’s dangerous. In this case, the Christian has concluded that the verse tells him Jesus is with them. You might think, What’s the harm in believing that? In this case, the belief is not incorrect—Jesus is with them—but that verse doesn’t support that belief. The believer has ignored the Holy Spirit’s inspired context and then created his own context, thus changing the meaning of Jesus’ teaching. Now Matthew 18:20 isn’t about church discipline but rather about believing Jesus is with you. That’s not Bible reading. That’s not allowing the Holy Spirit to transform you. That’s not listening to God but listening to yourself and baptizing your faulty interpretation with the authority of God’s Word. If a Christian wants a verse that supports the fact that Jesus is present with him, he can always turn to Matthew 28:20.

So we can arrive at true teaching in the wrong way. But that’s not far from using the same methods of Bible reading to reach entirely false teaching. Let’s not ignore the wishes of Holy Spirit, who inspired these sacred writings.

Shlemon is right. Context matters. Let’s continue retraining ourselves and our people to read the Bible for what it is: not a collection of memory verses, but a collection of books.

Check it out!

What Should We Make of the Massive Repetition of Tabernacle Details in Exodus?

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I used to lead a small group Bible study in my home. And when I proposed we study Exodus, people agreed to participate only if we stopped once we hit the Ten Commandments (chapter 20).

Some time later, I proposed preaching through Exodus at our church. Some of the other elders expressed concern that a chapter-by-chapter exposition would be too taxing for the people. They wanted assurance that we wouldn’t belabor the tabernacle details.

Over the years, I have heard from many friends, who attempted to read the Bible cover-to-cover, that they gave up in the closing chapters of Exodus (though I can think of some who made it as far as Leviticus or Numbers before abandoning ship).

These three anecdotes highlight a major barrier for modern readers: There’s no avoiding the fact that Exodus dedicates exorbitant space to the architectural details of the tabernacle. And those details occur not only once but twice. Every preacher must solve the conundrum of how to preach Exodus without preaching the same sermon(s) multiple times. Every Bible reader must cope with both the pile of cubits, fillets, calyxes, and ephods (Ex 25-31), and the pile of cubits, fillets, calyxes, and ephods (Ex 35-39). As my son loves to ask me: Pete and Repeat were in a boat. Pete fell out, and who was left?

If we believe that all Scripture is useful and profitable (2 Tim 3:16-17), and we are to take heed of what God has revealed about himself, how might we approach chapters 35-39 of Exodus? Will we simply skip them, trusting the lessons from Exodus 26-31 to be sufficient? Or does the Lord have more for us than that?

I have 6 suggestions.

1. Ask why the tabernacle has so many details.

I’ve tried to cover this in my sample Bible studies on each chapter, as I’ve landed on the big picture from the beginning: Yahweh wants to dwell with his people. Here in the tabernacle, we have one of the clearest pictures of Immanuel, God with us. This is worth much time, attention, and detail to ensure we comprehend the glory of it.

2. Ask why Exodus repeats nearly every one of those details.

God chose to give us this particular picture of Immanuel two times. Let’s not let it go to waste. After all, it’s not an exact repetition. First, Yahweh says “you shall build” so and so. Second, the narrator says “Bezalel built” so and so. That shift from instruction to construction must not go unnoticed. (For an example, just do a verse-by-verse comparison of the ark in Ex 25:10-16 and Ex 37:1-5.) Yahweh told them to do something, and they did it. Or more accurately: Yahweh told them to do a thousand somethings, and they did them all. Exactly as they had been told. Down to the jot and tittle. Even if Moses had written his scroll with fluorescent gel pens, he could not have made this obvious point any more vibrant.

3. Observe which parts of Ex 25-31 are not repeated in Ex 35-39.

Though there may be more, I’ve noticed three major things: the intent to dwell, the priests’ ordination ceremony (Ex 29) and the census tax (Ex 30:11-16). All three take on greater significance outside the book of Exodus.

Yahweh clearly states his intent to dwell with his people in Ex 25:8, 29:45-46. While no such intent is stated during construction, this intent to dwell motivates Yahweh through the ages (Deut 31:23, Josh 1:5, Is 7:14, Is 8:5-10, Is 43:2, Matt 1:22-23, Matt 28:20, etc.).

The ordination instruction does finally find its twin in Leviticus 8, and the delay heightens the drama and anticipation for the event. Perhaps this ordination ceremony has more to teach us (about how to approach God) than first meets the eye.

The census tax (“ransom”) is never mentioned again, as far as I can tell. Numbers 1 and 26 narrate two censuses for the two generations of wilderness wanderers, and there is no mention of the tax there. But since Yahweh initiates both censuses, I assume they followed his instructions from Ex 30:11-16. But do you remember David’s fateful census that brought disaster on Israel (2 Sam 24, 1 Chr 21)? Have you ever wondered why it was such a terrible idea? If we didn’t skip over the boring parts of Exodus, we might have eyes to see both David’s failure to collect the ransom and God’s solution to replace the tabernacle with a permanent temple.

4. Observe which parts of Ex 35-39 are new material (not found in Ex 25-31).

Next week, I will focus my sample Bible study on these texts: Ex 35:1-29, Ex 36:2-7, and narrative additions in Ex 39:1-31. They do not have counterparts in Ex 25-31, so they highlight the new angle on Immanuel that the Lord intends with Ex 35-39.

5. Compare and contrast the structure of the two sections.

Some things are similar. For example, the ark, table, and lampstand come in the same order (Ex 25:10-40, 37:1-24), indicating those three items should be taken as a unit. Same with all the priestly garments in Ex 28 and Ex 39.

But most of the structure is completely different. I’ve created an outline showing the differences to help me visualize it. Some key takeaways:

  • The construction begins exactly where the instructions left off: The Sabbath.
  • The instructions take the shape of seven speeches; the construction has no clear corresponding framework.
  • The instructions basically start on the the inside (ark, table, lampstand) and move out (furniture, structure, priests’ garments) before coming back in (more furniture, oil & incense); the construction follows a more logical course (build the tent, fill it with furniture, create the courtyard furniture, build the courtyard fence, end with priestly garments).
  • In light of the content and structural differences, it appears the instructions put more emphasis on the tabernacle as “new creation,” while the construction puts more emphasis on the people involved as “new creators”.

6. Follow the train of thought.

One danger of treating Ex 25-31 and Ex 35-39 as one long passage about the tabernacle is that we miss the crucial train of thought! The covenant is made in Ex 19-24. Then we have tabernacle instructions in Ex 25-31. Then the covenant is broken and repaired in Ex 32-34. Finally, the tabernacle is constructed.

The flow of thought highlights the crucial nature of the breaking and repair of the covenant in between the tabernacle sections. In other words, the only reason the construction can be so detailed, so faithful, and so obedient in every point, is because Yahweh has offered these people more of himself than they’ve ever had. He’s given them a greater, albeit fading, glory in the approval of his face. And he is closer to them than ever. This fact alone makes the tabernacle construction more earth-shattering and supernatural than the instructions were.

If Yahweh is not vulnerable and willing to give himself to his people, his instructions will always fall on deaf ears. But when he shows them his glory, full of grace and truth, they become Spirit-filled to do all that he commands them do. Exactly as he commands them to do it.

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Heb 13:20-21)

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