Exodus 35:4 – 9 “Moses also told the whole congregation of Israel, “This is what the LORD has commanded: Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Let everyone whose heart is willing bring an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair; ram skins dyed red and fine leather; acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx stones and gemstones to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
v.10 – 19 “Let every skilled craftsman among you come and make everything that the LORD has commanded: the tabernacle with its tent and covering, its clasps and frames, its crossbars, posts, and bases; the ark with its poles and mercy seat, and the veil to shield it; the table with its poles, all its utensils, and the Bread of the Presence; the lampstand for light with its accessories and lamps and oil for the light; the altar of incense with its poles; the anointing oil and fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle; the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grate, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin with its stand; the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the gate of the courtyard; the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, along with their ropes; and the woven garments for ministering in the holy place—both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests.”
Four hundred years! For four hundred years the Israelites lived in Egypt and for much of that time, they were slaves. While our imaginations naturally turn to the building of the pyramids and Egyptian cities that took place during that time period, we forget that in every culture, slaves have also served as craftsmen, producing goods of a high order. Generation after generation, some of these families have been weaving material, creating lovely jewelry, making tents, working in bronze, and carving wood and stones. And on the night that the Israelites left Egypt, their terrified Egyptian neighbors loaded them with luxury goods of all kinds – anything to get rid of these troublesome people!
Now God is about to use every bit of those skills and every bit of those materials to create the Tabernacle as a magnificent portable temple in the wilderness. The list of materials required is truly mind – boggling when you realize that these people have already been traveling for several months; however, God knows the resources available and is calling people to freely give those resources to honor Him. Not only is God giving people the opportunity to share their most precious possessions, but He is also calling for all those with skills of any kind to share in the work of creating the temple. As we will learn later, the people respond enthusiastically to these requests and everything is done beautifully.
APPLICATION: What would cause people to give up their most precious possessions and their skills without any idea of recompense? On several occasions, we have found ourselves helping maintain or even build church buildings. On one such occasion, we helped nail down flooring materials in the sanctuary of a church in rural Upstate New York. On several other occasions, we have done smaller tasks around the churches we have attended, all as a concrete act of worship. There was no question of demanding any payment for our work; we were thrilled to have a small part in helping those who had helped us so much while we were on the mission field.
There is an old saying, “Only one life – twill soon be past. Only what’s done for God will last.” The people offering up their most precious possessions were thrilled to have a part in the Tabernacle. In a society in which oral traditions kept memories alive, these people knew that generation after generation, their names would be blessed for having freely offered their best to God. And the craftsmen knew that they too would be blessed. Generations later, someone could still point to something in the Tabernacle and say, “Shmuel Bar Isaac created that basin. David Ben Solomon helped make the altar of incense.”
What will you offer to God today? What can we possibly give to the One who has given us life and light and breath, who holds our lives and those of all the peoples of the earth in His hands? What God wants from each one of us more than anything else is that we should love Him and serve Him. At one point, God told his servants that “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22) And Jesus told His disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)
How do we learn what God wants? We study God’s Word, the Bible, and we pray and ask God to help us learn what His perfect will is. Psalm 119:18 tells us, “Open my eyes, Lord, that I may see the wonderful things in your law.” Why not pray that prayer now and see what God will do in your life?
PRAYER: Father God, please do open our eyes and help us to see the wonderful things in your law. Help us to learn to love you and to follow hard after you all the days of our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment