Old Testament: Exodus 39 & 40
Poetry: Psalm 36
New Testament: Acts 3
One of my favorite pastimes is sewing simple bags and quilts and occasionally even clothes. I love looking at fabrics and dreaming about what could be made with it. Yesterday I even drove four hours for a really good fabric sale – and lunch with mom -thanks mom! I can spend hours on the internet researching what people are making with their fabric, how did they do it and who has the best detailed directions to help me make what I want to make.
So, pretty much, Exodus 39 was written for people like me. The rest of you might not be too interested in the detailed step-by-step directions of what the fiber and gold artisans created for the priests to wear when they were ministering in the tabernacle. You might not be curious how they fastened the gold filigree settings which held the precious onyx stones to the shoulder pieces. You might not have nodded knowingly when they explained that a band was added around the neckline to prevent it from tearing because you saw the same need on the Nativity costumes.
But there is something big in this chapter that anyone can notice and appreciate – even those who have never in their life held a needle in their hand or contemplated making clothes. And that is the number of times the phrase, “as the Lord commanded him/Moses” is repeated. Seven times it is used just in the sections of chapter 39 regarding the priestly clothes. Additionally, the same or very similar phrases are used eleven more times in the rest of this chapter and the next as Moses inspects and then assembles in place all the final pieces of the tabernacle created by the craftsmen: the magnificent ark of testimony with its stately gold cherubim, the altar for burnt offerings, the altar for incense, the intricate lampstand, the wash basin, the courtyard curtains, bases and stands, and coverings, the garments and all the other pieces, right down to the ropes and tent pegs. When all these pieces are put together – just as the Lord commanded – then, they finally have a place where God’s glory would dwell. So why is it recorded 18 times in these two chapters that the work was done as the Lord had commanded? Perhaps because it matters to God if the work is done as He commands.
If I want to make an outfit I can find countless books and blogs, patterns, tutorials and videos showing me the steps I can take. Some create clothes I am just not interested in or wouldn’t fit me at all. Others have glaring errors, or sometimes even little mistakes that end up making a big difference in the end: missed steps, mismeasurements, or sloppy work. It can be a big challenge finding the best directions I can truly trust that will help me create the final product I desire.
Similarly, there are countless sets of directions for how to make the life you desire. You can find directions for life everywhere: TV commercials, movies, self-help books, classrooms, churches, parents, peers, and endless online sites to name a few. Some directions I know I am not interested in at all: the end product wouldn’t fit me, just isn’t my style or not what I am looking for. Others look like they would create a life that would be perfect for me. But, it turns out the directions have errors: they don’t include all the proper steps, they add in steps that trip you up, they don’t give the correct measurements, they use materials that won’t stand up to the wear and tear life brings, they lead to sloppy work and sloppy lives. If I follow those directions my finished product will not be what I intended to create.
God alone has the best detailed directions for making what I want to make – a life devoted to Him, ready for His Son’s return, and ready to dwell in His glory forever and ever. While I wait for His full glorious kingdom on earth, I want to make a place – my life – where a sliver of God’s glory dwells in me and shines through. In order to create this project I need all the pieces created just as He commands. I need to use all the proper materials and resources and carefully follow the step by step tutorial I trust. The directions God gives in His Word tell me every step I need to take, and those I don’t need and those I definitely don’t want. Following God’s directions and commands will keep me from creating a sloppy life with fraying edges. God knows the best way to do life, will I listen and do as the Lord commands?
God knows. How often I forget. God knows the best way. His commands can be trusted. In Exodus 39, this seamstress loves that God even knows how to keep the neckline from fraying – and he tells us – add a band. Do it right. Follow the Lord’s commands and the end product will be a thing of beauty that brings glory to Him.
We have work to do. Will we do it the way God commands?
-Marcia Railton
Reflection Questions
- As I considered all the gold and ornaments and details God chose for the priests I had two thoughts regarding our worship today. 1 – While our pastor’s roles are different from the priests of Moses’ day, I wonder if God wants us to show more honor and respect to their position than we do, even if they no longer wear jewels on their breastpiece. 2 – Maybe God cares a bit more than we previously thought about our own attire when we come before Him. What do you think?
- Why do you think it mattered to God what the priests wore? Why do you think it mattered to God what the tabernacle looked like?
- What kind of a life are you working to create? Whose directions are you following or are you making up your own? What bad directions have you already decided you won’t be using? What does following God’s directions look like?
Seek Grow Love 