Well, here we are wrapping up the second book of the Old Testament. Yay! These last few chapters have been a challenge for me because of all the detail to take in. Sometimes my brain felt overloaded with “blue, purple, and scarlet yarn,” and “finely twisted linen.” My closest friends know that I struggle with staying focused on reading. I want to skim and get the main idea. I have made a commitment though to read and soak up all I can of God’s Word. I have been encouraged by all the ladies’ posts to see the significance in the details given. Just knowing that God is very intentional in what is in His word gives me encouragement to make every effort to understand it.
So, what did we learn? These last two chapters give the actual building of the Tabernacle and the making of the priests’ clothing. Remarkably the Israelites did everything God told them to do. Then Moses was to inspect all their work. When he found they had done exactly as they were told he blessed them. Moses was in charge of setting up the Tabernacle after the inspection and when he finished the work the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. The Israelites camped for as long as the cloud was upon the Tabernacle. When it lifted and moved, they followed.
Let’s think about verse 34 of chapter 40. It reads, “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” The Israelites visibly had the presence of the Lord with them, in front of them day and night. How amazing is that? Then think about how unfaithful, fearful, and whiny they were at times. What do you think about that? I think it is important to think about and then apply it to our own life. While the Israelites had to build a Tabernacle for the Lord’s presence, we are the Tabernacle with the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us (if you are a believer). What excuse do we have for our shortcomings?
Forgive me Lord for my complacency, unfaithfulness, and complaining. Help me to fully recognize who I am in Christ, the power that lives within me and that I would be a worthy Tabernacle to bring you glory. Help us all to press on and draw nearer to you in reading your Word.
Oh what we could accomplish if we all had the same agenda! God help us to be of one mind! But, I have to wonder....did the people think they were gathering these things together so that they could build the temple when they actually got to Canaan? Certainly it seemed strange to some to go to all this trouble in the wilderness? "We'll worship when we get there" wasn't an option....we worship ALL ALONG the way on our wilderness journey. These people had a few things to learn before God could go further with them........me, too.
ReplyDeleteAmy, what a great post. We are truly living tabernacles. What an awesome responsibility...and how inspiring to think that, as beautiful as the tabernacle the Israelites built was, we are not built by human hands but are "fearfully and wonderfully made" to be a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. You're right- it's time we took it seriously!
ReplyDeleteThis is what the study notes in my "life application study bible" had to say about the end of Exodus:
"The Israelites were once Egyptian slaves making bricks without straw. Here they were following the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, carrying the tabernacle they had built for God. Exodus begins in gloom and ends in glory. This parallels our progress through the Christian life. We begin as slaves to sin, are redeemed by God, and end our pilgrimage living with God forever. The lessons the Israelites learned along the way we also need to learn."
Amen!!
Amy-
ReplyDeleteYour post really made me think about what it means to be a "living tabernacle". Real, relevant, and most of all not complacent. The time has come for us as women to stand up and be a true witness for Jesus. It is about people's eternity. People are looking at our lives. It is time to be a living testimony. Amen!!!!
I'M BACK!!!! I AM A VISUAL PERSON AND I LIKE TO LOOK AND TOUCH THINGS. WHEN WE DID THE BIBLE STUDY WITH BETH MOORE "A WOMEN'S HEART GOD'S DWELLING PLACE" I WAS GIVEN A LITTLE COPY OF HOW THE TABERNACLE WAS BUILT AND LOOKED. IT HELPED ME SEE HOW THINGS FLOWED AND THE PATH THAT LEAD TO ALL THE ARTICLES. IT HELPED ME SEE HOW SPECIAL IT REALLY WAS. I ALSO NOTICED WHEN THE PEOPLE HAD A PROJECT AND THEY WERE ALL WORKING TOGETHER THEY WERE NOT COMPLAINING OR FINDING THINGS WRONG. WE HAVE SO MUCH MORE THAN THEY DID SO LET WORK TOGETHER AND SEE THE GLORY OF THE LORD COME DOWN.
ReplyDeleteGOOD NITE
Great stuff! Such great stuff!!! As Christians (and this includes me!), we really do not realize and exercise the POWER we have within us with the Holy Spirit residing inside of us! We have the Mighty God of the universe, the ETERNAL ONE, living inside of us! Pay attention to Him and hear what He is saying to you! I think we are so BUSY (which stands for Being Under Satan's Yoke) that we miss so much of what He is trying to say to us and trying to do in and around us. You can FEEL His presence in a mighty way sometimes and it is absolutely amazing! After I have had a particularly strong presence of the Holy Spirit, I will feel physically weak and emotionally drained. My blood sugar will even register it as it drops on me when I have had a manifest of His presence! Francis Chan wrote a book that I HIGHLY recommend called "The Forgotten God". It is about how we as Christians have forgotten and neglected the Holy Spirit.
ReplyDeleteAmy, your posting was a wonderful closure to Exodus and I appreciate all of these comments.
ReplyDeleteI'm behind again gals, but am working on catching up. I'm a slow learner and appreciate God's patience as well as yours :)
My family likes to do jigsaw puzzles on occasion. It's an honor for the person who gets to place the final puzzle piece. I thought of this when reading about Moses putting the tabernacle together. I have to think that he must have felt a great sense of honor in being the one to "finish the work".