and what doesn’t.
Exodus 39:32–42 (ESV)
Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses; so they did. Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its utensils, its hooks, its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; the covering of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins, and the veil of the screen; the ark of the testimony with its poles and the mercy seat; the table with all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; the lampstand of pure gold and its lamps with the lamps set and all its utensils, and the oil for the light; the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the entrance of the tent; the bronze altar, and its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin and its stand; the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, and its pegs; and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons for their service as priests. According to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work. And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.
We tend to think of these Israelites as transparently sinful people who did dumb things like worship a golden calf. But, in this, they put us to shame. And notice how quickly this all got done.
This Moses did; according to all that the LORD commanded him, so he did. In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected. — Exodus 40:16–17 (ESV)
They made the whole thing in a matter of months, and Moses was impressed. And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, so had they done it. They didn’t just do it fast; they did it to an absolute standard. Then Moses blessed them.
These people met the modern definition of homeless—they lived in tents. They had tools so primitive we wouldn’t even recognize them as tools, yet they still made this incredible work of art. Most importantly, they were given great treasure as they left Egypt and then gave it up to construct the tabernacle.
It’s like a homeless person winning the lottery and then giving it all to the church.
You might expect the takeaway to be that we should all seek this level of generosity, but that’s not it. There’s a deeper lesson. The Israelites seized the opportunity to be a part of something significant.
The real takeaway is that vision moves people. We all long to make a difference. People typically hit a “mid-life crisis” when they realize that they’ll never be president, or rich, or famous. Give them a chance to be part of something significant, and they’ll drop everything to sign up.
Solomon had it all—fame, wealth, power—and realized that they were nothing. So he wrote Ecclesiastes.
In the end, only the things of God matter. Everything else is meaningless.
To forward this devotional, see the link in green below.
These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. Saturdays’ by Matt Richardson. Subscribe here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community
The weekly study guides, which include questions for discussion or meditation, are here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies
Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NASB stands for the New American Standard Bible. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.
