February 2: Exodus 39,40

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2012

Exodus 39,40

Today’s reading marks the culmination of the people’s diligent efforts to establish the Tabernacle after the plan that God had revealed to Moses.  The passage brings to conclusion His promises to build a nation and to take His people from Egypt.

 

Reflecting the words that sealed the Creation in Genesis 2:1–3, Exodus 39:32 explains:  “So all the work on the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed.  The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses.”  The cloud of God’s Presence would not depart the Tabernacle, pointing to the permanence and His ownership over His nation, Israel:  “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle….  So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and the fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.”  We have a similar promise in Hebrews 13:5, assuring us of God’s promise never to leave or forsake His children.

 

In the descriptions of this ornate and sacrificial work on the Tabernacle, we may draw two other key lessons:

 

1) The “how” matters as much as the “what.”  We might summarize this concept with the axiom:  “God’s work done in God’s way will honor God and receive His blessing.”  (Missionary Hudson Taylor offered another greater truth in a similar statement:  “God’s work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.”)  Clearly, God has endowed each of us, much in the way that He blessed the Tabernacle craftsmen, with skills and abilities:  “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)  We must be careful to note that we do not undertake these “good works” in order to “earn” our salvation, but rather our sacrificial attitude towards service reflects our grateful reaction to the finished work of Christ on the cross and its power to bring eternal life “to all who received him, to those who believed in his name.” (John 1:12)

 

On the other hand, we must not allow ourselves to become complacent in thinking that our work, however tedious, has no greater meaning.  Indeed, as I noted above, I am convinced that our attitude matters as much as our achievements.  We will not all paint masterpieces, write symphonies, manage Fortune 500 companies, or pastor and counsel hundreds of people.  Yet, God has called each one of us to His purpose for our lives.  Colossians 3:22–24 instructs us:  “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.  Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”  As we all serve others, these verses apply equally appropriately to a 21st-century office worker as to a first-century bondsman.

How should we approach our work?  Too often, we look at work as a chore or an obligation, rather than a blessing and means of glorifying and honoring God.  Instead, we may view every (legal) activity as a means of blessing His people and bringing glory to His Name.  The Scriptures make clear that, even in the Garden, God has called us to work as a means of worshipping and serving Him and His people.

 

Three crucial elements for such an approach include:  humility, integrity, and excellence.  As we mature, we recognize that none of our skills come in isolation; all talents are God-given and experience-refined.  In this spirit of humility, we will naturally be filled with a grateful heart and an eagerness to show ourselves worthy of such gifts.  Integrity implies a wholeness and thoroughness of character that may never revel in dishonesty but seeks to bring justice to each situation (Amos 5:24).  We must further bring excellence to our work, for there are no tasks too small that they cannot bring glory to God.

 

While growing up, I often accompanied my parents, typically my dad, in cleaning up sticks, branches, and limbs from the many trees on my parents’ property.  After a storm, we would sometimes find our driveway impassable with a foot-thick limb straddling the road surface.  (Pennsylvania, meaning “Penn’s Woods,” is indeed an accurate name.)  In any event, I often looked at these pick-up efforts as meaningless, reasoning that other branches would come soon, perhaps in another storm even that day.  With 20 years of hindsight, I see now that even the driveway clean-up duty served as an opportunity to learn the value of work.  With an attitude adjustment, brought about by grace, I might have given a better effort.

 

Moses’s attitude towards the Tabernacle work demonstrates a proper perspective on godly stewardship and leadership.  As God has given the directions to Moses, he takes responsibility for the quality and accuracy of the work.  Furthermore, Moses ensures that the craftsmen have adequate resources by rallying everyone behind this common mission.  Moses clearly takes care to communicate the broader vision with the people and to build unity.  At the completion of the work, Moses blesses the people, providing them with the affirmation we all wish to hear:  “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

 

2) We ought to offer our lives as living sacrifices.  In a similar way to the Israelites, God has called us to offer our lives as “living sacrifices.” (Romans 12:1,2)  In so doing, we become committed to living a life of worship and intentionality:  “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)  Practically speaking, this commitment demands that we place all our time, talent, energy, and money at His feet, asking for His direction in how to deploy our limited resources.  In our pride, we will find ourselves seeking to retake control of the reins.  We must rededicate ourselves to this attitude on a daily or hourly basis, recognizing that God has created us for His very purpose (Ephesians 2:10 again).

 

QUESTIONS

1. How would you like to grow in humility, integrity, and excellence in your work?
2. Do you see any of your “work” as unimportant to God?  How may you reorient your attitude to focus on bringing Him glory in all things?

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