Exodus 37-38; Psalm 24; Acts 11

Exodus 37 - Making the Ark of the Covenant and Other Vessels
Bezalel makes the following just as God and Moses instructed:

• Ark: gold overlay inside and outside
• Table for the Bread of the Presence
• Lampstand - one piece of hammered gold
• Altar of incense
• Anointing oil and incense

Exodus 38

• Altar of Burnt Offering
• Court of the Tabernacle - v. 13 - The east side is the front side
• Materials of the Tabernacle - Ithamar, son of Aaron, directs Levites in their work
• Gold - 29 talents and 730 shekels
• Silver - 100 talents and 1775 shekels (1/2 shekel per head for census of 603,500 men)
• Bronze - 70 talents, 2400 shekels
• Note: 1 talent equivalent to 3000 shekels, or 125 pounds. So the weight of gold was 12,500 pounds
• Shekel = 20 gerahs; Gerah ~ 3 cents American money; Shekel ~ 60 cents; 1 talent = 3,000 shekels ~ $1800.
  
• 29 talents of gold ~ $52,200 plus 730 shekels ~ $52,638 in gold. (The 3-cent value comes from Nave's Topical Bible, first published in 1917. I don't know whether or not values have been updated with more recent editions.)
  

Psalm 24
Question: "Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?"
Answer: "Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully."

Acts
11:1-18 - Peter's Report to the Church in Jerusalem

• 2 - Immediately met with criticism by circumcised believers
• 4 - So Peter explains, "step by step."
• 13 - Peter's vision verified by 1) Cornelius's vision; 2) the words of Jesus
• 18 - Critics are silenced, then they praise God. "Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life." This shows their trust in Peter and a readiness to accept his word. Rumor leads to criticism; firsthand testimony leads to faith.

11:19-30 - The Church in Antioch (of Syria)

• v. 19 picks up where 8:1 leaves off.
• Most of those scattered spoke only to Jews
• In Antioch, some from Cyprus and Cyrene also spoke to Hellenists
• Barnabas goes to Antioch and, impressed with his reception there, sends for Saul
• The disciples first called Christians
• With a prediction of drought, this young Gentile church sends relief to Jewish believers in Judea.
• What a heady period of time! Conversion of Saul; gospel opened to Gentiles; success among Gentiles in Antioch; unity of believers shown in the Gentile gifts to the Jews.