The sabbath, 1-3. The free gifts for the tabernacle, 4-19. The readiness of the people to offer, 20-29. Bezaleel and Aholiab are called to the work, 30-35.
1 And Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel and said to them, "These are the words which the LORD has commanded, that you should do them. 2 'Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD. Whoever does work therein shall be put to death. 3 You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath-day.'"
4 And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, "This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, 5 'Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD: gold, silver, brass, 6 Blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats' hair, 7 Rams' skins dyed red, badgers' skins, shittim wood, 8 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil and for the sweet incense, 9 And onyx stones and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breast-plate.
10 'And every wise-hearted among you shall come and make all that the LORD has commanded: 11 The tabernacle, its tent, its covering, its buttons, its boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, 12 The ark and its staffs, the mercy-seat, the veil of the covering, 13 The table and its staffs and all its vessels, and the show-bread, 14 The candlestick also for the light, its vessels, and its lamps with the oil for the light, 15 The incense-altar and its staffs, the anointing oil, the sweet incense, the hanging for the door at the entrance of the tabernacle, 16 The altar of burnt-offering with its brazen grate, its staffs, and all its vessels, the basin and its foot, 17 The hangings of the court, its pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court, 18 The pins of the tabernacle, the pins of the court and their cords, 19 The clothes of service to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office.'"
20 And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, each whose heart excited him, and each whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD'S offering to the work of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and for all his service and for the holy garments. 22 And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing-hearted, and brought bracelets, earrings, rings, tablets, all jewels of gold. And every man who offered, offered an offering of gold to the LORD. 23 And every man, with whom was found blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats' hair, red skins of rams, and badgers' skins, brought them. 24 Everyone who offered an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD'S offering. And every man with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service brought it. 25 And all the women who were wise-hearted spun with their hands and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, of purple, of scarlet, and of fine linen. 26 And all the women whose heart moved them in wisdom spun goats' hair. 27 And the rulers brought onyx stones and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breast-plate, 28 And spice and oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. 29 The children of Israel brought a willing offering to the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.
30 And Moses said to the children of Israel, "Behold, the LORD has called by name Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 31 And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, in all manner of workmanship, 32 To devise skillful works, to work in gold, in silver, in brass, 33 In the cutting of stones to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of skillful work. 34 And he has put in his heart that he may teach—both he and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with wisdom of heart to work all manner of work of the engraver, of the skillful workmen, of the embroiderer, in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of those who do any work, and of those who devise skillful work."
Matthew Henry Commentary - Exodus, Chapter 35[➚]
[v.1] - From Robert Hawker's Commentary: "The introduction of the precept here concerning the Sabbath, before the introduction of the precept concerning the building of the tabernacle, seems to have been made with this design, to intimate, that even the erecting a house for the worship of the Lord, must not be done on the Lord's day."
[v.5] - "Whoever is of a willing heart" - Reference, Psalm 110:3; 2nd Corinthians 8:11-12, 9:7.
[v.10] - Reference, 1st Peter 4:10.
[v.22] - Reference, Proverbs 3:9.
[v.23-29] - A similar story can be found in 1st Chronicles 29:3-9.
[v.29] - From John Gill's Exposition: "And as there were work and service of God's appointment to be done in the legal tabernacle, so there are in the Gospel church; such as prayer, praise, preaching, and hearing the word, and the administration of ordinances; and for the support of which contributions are made; and all this is to be done willingly and cordially: the Gospel is to be preached not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre sake, but of a ready mind; the word is to be heard and received with all readiness, and ordinances are to be submitted cheerfully, and with the whole heart; and the contributions made for the poor, and the support of divine service, are to be generous and bountiful: and those who have such a willing heart and spirit, have it not by nature or of themselves, but from the efficacious grace of God, which makes them a willing people in the day of his power; and from the free Spirit of God, who works in them, both to will and to do of his good pleasure; and from the love of God and Christ constraining them to it: and these act according to their several abilities, some have more grace and greater gifts, and others lesser and meaner; as well as some have more of this world's goods than others, and so capable of doing more service; but all, according to their capacity, of every gender and class, are to contribute all they can freely and willingly, to the carrying on of the cause of God and interest of religion: some bring gold, and some goats' hair, some silver, and some brass, etc., but all being offered willingly, from right principles, and with right views, is acceptable."
[v.30-35] - From Robert Hawker's Commentary: "Were not these builders of the tabernacle, so especially called, appointed, and qualified, to the work, types of the laborers in the New Testament Church? Ephesians 1:17-18, 2:20."