This portion is about the construction of the tabernacle. It is important to remember that Moses received a vision of the tabernacle and was instructed to build it according to the pattern he was shown by Yahweh. (Exodus 25:9). Moses gathers the people together to give them the instructions from Yahweh. Here Yahweh is calling them together to build a place for His Presence to dwell in their midst, He has given His Spirit to leaders, Bezalel and Oholiab and gifted many other workers as well. The entire community is invited to give freely to the construction of the tabernacle, remember they left Egypt with a bunch of stuff!!! Here we see the heart of the Father, He wants to be with His people and has made provision for that to be accomplished.

In this portion is a very interesting verse: Exodus 38:8 that tells us that there were women serving at the tent of meeting. We share a little about this scripture, too much to try to glean in a short time but we encourage you to check out this article that talks about the women who ministered in the tabernacle. Who knew?

The Hebrew word used in Exodus 38:8 is tzov’ot. There isn’t a lot of common opinion around this scripture and its meaning. 1 Samuel 2:22 confirms there were women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. It just isn’t clear what they did. This Hebrew word used describes levitical jobs and has strong military connotations as it can be used to refer to soldiers, troops or companies. In ancient culture it was common for women to be employed in the office of porters or doorkeepers which might include the house of a high priest in the time of Jesus. (John 18:15-17. The article below discusses the meaning of the Hebrew word and the role of these women as possible gatekeepers.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

"The Hebrew phrase for “the serving women who served” is hatzovot asher tzaveu. You can probably see the repetition of the Hebrew verb tzvah, which means to go forth, wage war, fight, and serve. It is directly related to YHWH Tz’vaot (LORD of Hosts). It carries strong military connotations.” (Kisha Gallagher, see link below for full article)

Resources:
The Mirror Waters and the Gatekeepers by Kisha Gallagher
https://graceintorah.net/2014/...