Normally I would not skip over any passages in our study but there is a long section between where we left off yesterday and where we pick up today that is just a list of all the objects and materials the people made for the tabernacle. This list exactly corresponds with the one the Lord provided to them in Exodus 25 through Exodus 28. Since no additional information is included with this list when the objects are actually made, I made the choice to skip to the place where Moses comes to inspect the completed items.
"So all the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses." (Exodus 39:32) They obeyed the instructions of Exodus 25-28 to the letter. They are going to be bringing many offerings and sacrifices to the Lord at this tabernacle in the coming years but what is it that He says is far better? Obedience. (1 Samuel 15:22) A person can give to the Lord while having a heart that's far from Him but it's far more difficult to obey His instructions with a heart that's far from Him.
I'll use an example from my own family tree to illustrate this point. My great-grandfather on my mother's side regularly donated money and time and labor to local churches and to the needy in the community. He was well-known and well-respected in our rural county. He gained a reputation as a fine Christian man simply because of his giving. People assumed anyone who gave to the Lord's work must be a godly man. But he was an extremely wicked man in his private life. He did terrible things that emotionally scarred several generations of his family. So we see that even the ungodly can be generous in their giving, especially when they are getting something in return (an enhanced reputation, more customers flocking to their business, people liking them because their true character is veiled by their generosity). But what would the Lord have preferred my great-grandfather do? Be obedient to the word of God. Know the Lord by having a genuine relationship with Him. Be a godly example to his children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Be a good husband to his wife. Do no harm to those under his care and influence. This is why obedience is better than sacrifice, for anyone can bring an offering to the house of God while harboring sin in their heart. But the one whose heart truly belongs to the Lord will want to know and follow His instructions.
Now that all the items for the tabernacle have been manufactured, the people present these items to Moses for inspection. "Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent and all its furnishings, its clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; the covering of ram skins dyed red and the covering of other durable leather and the shielding curtain; the ark of the covenant law with its poles and the atonement cover; the table with all its articles and the bread of the Presence; the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and all its accessories, and the olive oil for the light; the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; the bronze altar with its bronze grating, 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 entrance to the courtyard; the ropes and tent pegs for the courtyard; all the furnishings for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; and the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when serving as priests." (Exodus 39:33-41)
How long did it take for the people to complete this work? The Bible doesn't say, but based on which month of the year we were told He began giving the law to the people, and based on which month of the year they will be told to set the tabernacle up, scholars estimate it took them anywhere from six to nine months to manufacture all the items. The discrepancy in their opinions is because we don't know what month the Israelites began the work. We know Moses had to relay all the instructions to them and then there was a period of time in which they collected the materials that would be needed, but the Bible doesn't tell us how many days or weeks the preparation for the project took. But I couldn't find any references by any scholars who believe it took more than a year to complete the project and set the tabernacle up for the first time, and the majority of the references I found adhered to the six to nine month timeline.
"The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them." (Exodus 39:42-43) The people were so careful to be obedient to the Lord that nothing has to be corrected or discarded and made over. I am sure the work itself cannot be described as flawless (from a manufacturing standpoint) because no human being is perfect and nothing a human being does is perfect. But the hearts of the people were in the right place as they did the work and they followed the Lord's instructions as much as is humanly possible, so in His eyes the work is "just as the Lord had commanded". I am reminded of when the Lord completed His creation work and stood back and looked at it and declared it "good". He declares the work the people have done to be "good" here in Exodus 39 and issues a blessing upon them through Moses for their obedience. You and I, as imperfect human beings, can't create anything perfect with our imperfect hands. Yet the work of our hands can be declared "good" by Almighty God when that work is done in a spirit of obedience toward Him. "Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to Him." (Psalm 128:1)
In order to be obedient to the Lord, we must know what the Lord says. In order to know what the Lord says, we must study His word. It's imperative that we immerse ourselves as often as we can in the Scriptures. If you are not in the habit of daily reading the Bible aside from what we study together on this blog, I'd recommend starting to read a chapter a day from books like the four gospels where you can read the words the Lord Jesus spoke and from books like Psalms and Proverbs that provide a great deal of instructions for godly living. Most of the chapters in these books are of a length that can easily be worked into our hectic daily schedules.
This is something I'm pledging to do myself. I was challenged by what Dr. Charles Stanley said on his radio program the other day about what a difference we'll see in our relationship with the Lord and what a difference we'll see in how we deal with things going on around us if we'll commit to reading at least a chapter a day. Dr. Stanley said he is in the habit of daily reading one chapter from the New Testament and one chapter from the Old Testament. I've decided I'd like to do that too, so if you want to join me my study plan is going to begin with me reading one chapter from the book of Matthew each day and one chapter from Psalms each day. I know there may be days when things will happen that might cause us to forget, but if that happens then we can just get back on track the next day. I think if we do this we'll find ourselves growing in our knowledge of and in our obedience to the Lord. And what happens then? "Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to Him." Blessings can take many forms, so He's not necessarily promising to endow us with great wealth or keep us from ever encountering any problems in life, but I don't think there's any doubt that spiritual blessings will be ours if we devote more energy to reading God's word and following it. I don't think there's any doubt we will have more peace in our lives if we spend more time reading God's word and doing what it says.
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