Today, I am reading and commenting on  Exodus 36-38.

In yesterday’s passage, Moses repeatedly told the people that offerings of materials for the construction of the tabernacle was to be completely voluntary.  No one was obligated to make such an offering.  Today’s passage begins with those who were actually constructing the tabernacle interrupting their work to ask Moses to get the people to stop bringing more material.  People had brought in so much that more being brought in was interfering with them getting the tabernacle built.  We should approach giving with the same enthusiasm, and with the understanding that not everyone will, or should be, inspired to give.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Exodus 36-38.

A few chapters earlier, there was a description of the plans given to Moses for the Tabernacle and its furnishings.  Today, we have the description of what was actually made by the craftsmen following those plans.  Every year when I read this passage I take note of the fact that those actually making the Tabernacle had to have Moses tell the Israelites to stop bringing offerings for building it, they had too much material.  Now, consider the timing on all of this.  Work on the Tabernacle began less than three months after the people had been worshiping the golden calf.  Now the Israelites were so enthusiastically supporting this work that they had to be ordered to stop bringing offerings for it.  We should never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit to turn our society around.  No matter how far those around us may have fallen into sin, the Spirit can transform them just as He transformed the Israelites here.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Exodus 36-38.

Today’s passage provides a description of the process of putting together the Tabernacle.  If, like me, you do not get much out of descriptions of glorious building, this passage may seem redundant since the design for the Tabernacle has been described previously.  However, this passage contains a detailed description of what the artisans actually did to build the Tabernacle.  I also want to also highlight that the artisans had to ask Moses to tell the people to stop providing them with materials for building the Tabernacle because they had enough.  Reading between the lines, the reason the artisans went to Moses was because the people had given so much that the excess was starting to get in the way.  One take away I always get from these passages, and the ones later describing the building of Solomon’s Temple,  is that there is a time for us to expend resources to make a place designed to turn people’s focus to God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Exodus 36-38.

I have said this a few times over the last couple of days, but my eyes start to glaze over when I read these detailed descriptions of the design and building of the Tabernacle.  I want to take a moment to say that I know people who react differently to these passages, people who read this description and are awestruck by the splendor of what is being described.  I admire those who have that reaction.  Having said the above, there is something even I can get out of this passage.  The people of Israel gave so much towards the building of the Tabernacle that Moses had to order them to stop donating.  Think about that, a people who had only a short time before had left a land where their ancestors had lived for over 200 years while being chased by an army, donated so much that they had to be told to stop donating.  But, there’s more to it than that, those who were working on the Tabernacle could have kept taking what they gave and used it for their own uses.  They could have even justified it as recompense for the work they were doing on behalf of the rest of the people.  They didn’t.  They went to Moses and asked him to tell people to stop giving.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Exodus 36-38.

I wrote a couple of days ago that I struggled with what to write about the passage where it described the plans God gave the Israelites for the Tabernacle.  I have a similar problem with today’s description of how the Tabernacle was constructed.  Initially, today’s passage felt like it was merely a rehash of the previous, with a few more details thrown in.  However, there are some differences.  The passage describing the plans gives an idea of what the Tabernacle, and its accoutrements , would have looked like.  Today’s passage actually describes details necessary to make the parts actually functional.  Or, to put that another way, the previous passage would have allowed you to make a model of the Tabernacle, while today’s passage would allow you to produce a working replica.