Exodus 31-40 and Mark 1-12

Welcome to our 6th week!! I am so thankful for you and getting to go on this journey with you!!

This week we continue learning about God’s very specific instructions for his tabernacle and really, I think, that is what sticks out most to me in this passage. God’s VERY specific instructions. He doesn’t just say build a place to worship me; He doesn’t even just say make sure the place includes a basin for washing an alter for sacrifices. No, oh no no no. He goes into intricate detail- the specific measurements and sizes of each item, the specific materials for each item, how much of which material should be used, where to place the hooks for carrying, which poles should be left in the hooks vs which poles can be removed once they reach each destination. VERY SPECIFIC DETAILS.

I’ve already mentioned that I am very type A, detail oriented, I want things just so HOWEVER, as many times as I give instructions- to my kids, to my husband, to the Babysiter, at work, I have NEVER, EVER been that specific. A few years ago, my husband and I decided it would be a good idea to leave our new-construction home and purchase a 90 year old fixer up (I love it and still think it was a good idea). This thing had to be remodeled to the n-th degree. I mean the plumbing had to be replaced, the electric had to be replaced, things that no one ever sees had to be updated just to get it functional and that was all well before we got to the “fun” part of the remodel where we got to pick our paint colors and floor finishes. (The picture HGTV paints, is not exactly reality). Thank God (literally thank God), we had an amazing contractor who has basically become family at this point. Even in all our remodeling fun and as many times as I’ve had to make decisions about our home, I never went into even half as much detail as God goes into in this passage.

It is fascinating to me that we have made God this abstract being. He is there. We know He is there. But we keep Him in this little box. God, I’ll worship you at church on Sunday. God, I’ll thank you for our food at the dinner table when we’re at home with just our family. God, I’ll ask for help when I need it. But that’s it. You stay in your “box” and I’ll acknowledge you on my terms. Even to the point of sometimes being the martyr- God has more important things to deal with, kids with cancer, families going hungry- He doesn’t need to deal with my “small” problems. But this God that I am guilty of putting in a box and being too small to deal with both the big problems of the world and my own “small” problems is BIG ENOUGH to care about these intricate details. He is involved enough, vested enough, cares enough to go into that much detail. So what does that mean for my life? To me that says He wants to be involved in every single detail of my life, not just on Sunday morning, not just when I need help, not just when things are great- but ALL. THE. TIME. EVERY. SINGLE. DETAIL. How amazing is that?!

But hold on- let’s look at one more detail God is paying attention to in this passage: not only is he giving Moses the detail of the what but also the WHO. He specifically calls out Bezalel and Oholiab as the craftsmen with the right skills to design and build His tabernacle.

God provides the plan, He provided the materials- the proper type and sufficient amounts, but then He also provided the skill & the labor. Just like he made Bezalel and Oholiab with the specific skill sets they needed, He has also made you and me with the skill sets we need to carry out His will. We were not all put here to be exactly the same and do the same things- we each have a God given purpose and the God given skills to carry out that purpose.

How amazing is that?! What an amazing God we serve!!