Exodus 39:32-43 Moses Inspects the Work
32 And so at last the Tabernacle was finished. The Israelites had done everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33 And they brought the entire Tabernacle to Moses: the sacred tent with all its furnishings, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases; 34 the tent coverings of tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather; the inner curtain to shield the Ark; 35 the Ark of the Covenant and its carrying poles; the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement; 36 the table and all its utensils; the Bread of the Presence; 37 the pure gold lampstand with its symmetrical lamp cups, all its accessories, and the olive oil for lighting; 38 the gold altar; the anointing oil and fragrant incense; the curtain for the entrance of the sacred tent; 39 the bronze altar; the bronze grating and its carrying poles and utensils; the washbasin with its stand; 40 the curtains for the walls of the courtyard; the posts and their bases; the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the ropes and tent pegs; all the furnishings to be used in worship at the Tabernacle; 41 the beautifully stitched garments for the priests to wear while ministering in the Holy Place—the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests. 42 So the people of Israel followed all of the Lord’s instructions to Moses. 43 Then Moses inspected all their work. When he found it had been done just as the Lord had commanded him, he blessed them.
“Oh no!” you exclaim. “Just another list; how boring can the Bible possibly get?” WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! If you read the lists of items presented to Moses and assume you’re merely being subjected to yet another example of ancient bean counting, you are missing something infinitely precious. When God designated Bezalel and Oholiab to oversee the artisans creating the Tabernacle, He also ordered them to create the most beautiful parts, involving silver and gold and bronze. But thousands of others wove material for the curtains, creating clasps for the material, making tent posts, braiding ropes, and carving tent pegs. Notice what happened when the work was completed. The artisans presented their work; Moses inspected it, and “When he found it had been done just as the Lord had commanded him, he blessed them.”
Notice what the Bible does NOT say. Nowhere does this account indicate that artisans weaving and sewing materials for the priestly garments or those creating the implements for the Most Holy Place received a greater blessing than those creating clasps or carving tent pegs or braiding rope. God gave the commands; the people responded; and Moses inspected and found everything had been done following God’s plans perfectly. In all the history of the Israelites, this might have been one of the few times when God’s people actually obeyed Him to the letter.
Why mention all the little people who made the Tabernacle a possibility? Simple. Most of us are little people who will never gain recognition outside a small circle of friends or colleagues. When the roll of insignificant individuals is called, our names will be there. Moses blessed everyone who had participated in creating the Tabernacle in any way, and that blessing rested on them and remained with them and with their families.
Proverbs 10:22 tells us, “The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.” Moses was not merely giving his own blessing but he was acting as God’s representative, imparting God’s blessing to these people. Several years ago, Gary Smalley and John Trent co-authored a book entitled The Blessing. The book is a classic that has helped millions of people. Here is the brief introduction from Amazon:
“We all have a powerful need to know that someone in this world loves us and accepts us unconditionally. We especially crave our parents’ blessing, and without it, we may become angry and driven, or detached and empty. We may also feel this hurtful lack between brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, or even within our religious congregation.
Now family counselors Gary Smalley and John Trent, Ph.D., show us how we can transform our lives – even when it is no longer possible to receive our parents’ blessing. They reveal the five key elements of the blessing, describe the most common home situations where a blessing has been denied (one of them may be ours), and offer practical, effective methods to heal broken hearts and families. Most important, they explain how we can be a blessing, and pass on that life-changing gift to our love ones.” Those five key elements are
- Meaningful, encouraging touch
- A confirming spoken message
- Attaching high value
- Picturing a special future
- An active commitment
The Blessing is such an important book because many of us come from families where parental blessings have been lacking for generations. I come from a community with a number of second or third generation Swedish immigrants, many of whose ancestors came to America because things were so difficult in their homeland. Sadly, many of those immigrants never received blessings from their parents and accordingly had nothing they could pass on to their descendants. The result has been generations of hard-working, driven individuals longing for approval and blessings that have never materialized.
No matter how much we might have suffered in our families of origin, we all have a heavenly Father who wants to bless us. 1 JOHN 3:1 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.
GOD SEES YOU! GOD KNOWS YOU! GOD LOVES YOU! Today, please understand that God wants to bless you for all the times you have tried to do the right thing, even if you feel you have failed. God is not handing out blessings by consulting a score card; He blesses unconditionally. Now, go out there and carve a few tent pegs!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, please help all who read these words to feel Your warm embrace, to know that You love them, that You are with them, and that You will never leave them nor forsake them. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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