A Work in Progress….

Exodus 39:25 And they made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates. 

My sister creates amazing cross stitch pieces. She created Christmas stockings for my family that are the stars of my mantle each year. But have you ever looked at the back side of a piece of cross stitch? Even the most beautiful cross stitch pattern is a hot mess from the back.

Exodus 39:26 The bells and pomegranates alternated around the hem of the robe to be worn for ministering, as the Lord commanded Moses.

I sometimes wonder if that’s what life is like. We are on the underside of the cross stitch, looking at the mess of threads and knots and wondering what in the world it’s all for. God sees the “right” side of the piece, He knows that all the mess we see from our side is creating an amazing tapestry from His. 

Exodus 39:27-28 For Aaron and his sons, they made tunics of fine linen—the work of a weaver— and the turban of fine linen, the linen caps and the undergarments of finely twisted linen. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for this view of life–that sometimes all we can see is the messy underside but that You see the beautiful pattern that You are creating. Help us to trust You as our Creator, that You have got this under control. Amen.

Exodus 39:29 The sash was made of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn—the work of an embroiderer—as the Lord commanded Moses.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 39:20 Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. 

Verse 24, with the blue, purple, and scarlet pomegranates made of yarn around the hem of the robe, put me in mind of crewel embroidery work this morning. And as a creative soul myself, the creative ornamentation on the hem of the robe led me to thinking about ways I can use my creativity for Christ.

Exodus 39:21 They tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband so that the breastpiece would not swing out from the ephod—as the Lord commanded Moses.

And, honestly, isn’t that what He wants of us–to take the gifts that He has given us and use them for Him, to shine His light, to give Him glory, to comfort His people? Am I doing that with my talents? I’m trying. 

Exodus 39:22-23 They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth—the work of a weaver— with an opening in the center of the robe like the opening of a collar, and a band around this opening, so that it would not tear. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that my creativity is Your gift to me and that what I do with that creativity is my gift to You. Help me to put beauty and kindness into the world in Your name. Help me to bring You praise and glory. Amen.

Exodus 39:24 They made pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen around the hem of the robe.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 39:10 Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. The first row was carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; 

Today I am struggling with the opulence of the tabernacle, or rather, I’m struggling with the perceived message that many modern churches seem to have taken from that opulence. The tabernacle in Exodus was built from the generous donations of the Israelites. It was a symbol of their love for God and His love and provision for them.

Exodus 39:11-12 the second row was turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald;  the third row was jacinth, agate and amethyst; 

Today, it feels like some churches (many churches?) see an opulent building as a prerequisite. It almost feels more like “See how great and fancy our building is? That’s how much we love God!” Perhaps I am looking at it the wrong way, but if not, it’s a terrible philosophy.

Exodus 39:13 the fourth row was topaz, onyx and jasper. They were mounted in gold filigree settings. 

Precious Savior, The tabernacle in Exodus was about Your love for Your people and their generous giving to You and for You. Help us not to conflate this scripture into a need for opulent buildings or attire. Help us all to be devoted to drawing closer to You and having Your heart, being Your hands and feet, in this world. Help us, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 39:14 There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 39:6 They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings and engraved them like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. 

At the time of Exodus, the opulence of the tabernacle was symbolic. In Exodus 36 we are told that “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done” (Exodus 36:5)

Exodus 39:7 Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.

The opulence came from the generous donations of the people, who were called to give and who gave generously. The tabernacle’s opulence is a testament to the work that God was doing in the hearts of the Israelites and a testament to the sacredness of the tabernacle as a space for God to dwell with His people. 

Exodus 39:8 They fashioned the breastpiece—the work of a skilled craftsman. They made it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that the Israelites contributed from their own stores to the opulence of the tabernacle, that their giving, the tabernacle’s opulence, is a reminder of their generous donations to You. Thank You for the reminder that when I respond generously to Your call, You can use my gifts in extraordinary ways. Amen.

Exodus 39:9 It was square—a span long and a span wide—and folded double.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 39:1 From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary. They also made sacred garments for Aaron, as the Lord commanded Moses.

In this chapter, we’ve switched from the minutiae of the tabernacle to the details of the priest’s garments, and the word that comes to my mind is: intentionality.  

Exodus 39:2-3 They made the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen—the work of skilled hands. 

Dictionary.com identifies intentionality as a noun and defines it as “the fact or quality of being done on purpose or with intent” and “an attitude of purposefulness, with a commitment to deliberate action.” 

Exodus 39:4 They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached to two of its corners, so it could be fastened. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the intentionality of these verses and for the intentionality of Your love for Your children. Help me to be intentional in the time I spend with You and in my reading of Your word. Draw me closer through our mutual intention. Amen.

Exodus 39:5 Its skillfully woven waistband was like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 38:27 The 100 talents of silver were used to cast the bases for the sanctuary and for the curtain—100 bases from the 100 talents, one talent for each base. 

Today’s verses mark the end of chapter 38. I’ve got a hunch chapter 39 will be more of the same, but this ending has me thinking, again, about the purpose of all this detail about the tabernacle, its dimensions, its resources. 

Exodus 38:28 They used the 1,775 shekels to make the hooks for the posts, to overlay the tops of the posts, and to make their bands.

And I once again feel a sense of awe at the fact that God wants relationship with His people–He doesn’t need it, He *wants* it. Simply because we are His beloved children. As a mom, I totally get that, but as a Christian, I often overlook (or take for granted?) His desire for relationship with me, simply because I am His child.

Exodus 38:29 The bronze from the wave offering was 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. 

Precious Savior, Thank You–for who You are and who You are to me. Thank You that You want relationship with me simply because I am Your deeply loved child. Thank You for spending chapters and chapters in Exodus recounting the tabernacle because of the significance of the tabernacle when it comes to spending time with Your children. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 38:30-31 They used it to make the bases for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar with its bronze grating and all its utensils, the bases for the surrounding courtyard and those for its entrance and all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and those for the surrounding courtyard.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 38:21 These are the amounts of the materials used for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the covenant law, which were recorded at Moses’ command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest. 

Commentary talks about the importance of overseeing a project of this scope and the importance of proper management of church funds. That tracks. Commentary also reminds us that the Israelites plundered the Egyptians before leaving (their words), and that the Egyptians really just gave freely to the Israelites what was, essentially, back pay for their servitude (which seems contradictory). 

Exodus 38:22-23 (Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything the Lord commanded Moses; with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan—an engraver and designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen.) 

What’s important to us here, I think, is that commentary is always someone else’s spin on things, and they usually have an agenda. Even my commentary has a spin, and the agenda, for me, is to make sense of scripture and how it applies to me and my life, but my essential nature is always a part of that.

Exodus 38:24 The total amount of the gold from the wave offering used for all the work on the sanctuary was 29 talents and 730 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that, while commentary can be helpful and enlightening, we cannot just take it at face value. We need to parse it out and look at the biases involved so that we can see through the layers of other people and into Your truth. Help us, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 38:25-26 The silver obtained from those of the community who were counted in the census was 100 talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel—one beka per person, that is, half a shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone who had crossed over to those counted, twenty years old or more, a total of 603,550 men.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 38:14-15 Curtains fifteen cubits long were on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, and curtains fifteen cubits long were on the other side of the entrance to the courtyard, with three posts and three bases. 

We are still slogging through the minutiae of the tabernacle. All the fabric. All the posts. All the silver bands and bronze bases. There are days when I can so clearly see a potential reason that we are still here, days where it seems to make sense to me. 

Exodus 38:16-17 All the curtains around the courtyard were of finely twisted linen. The bases for the posts were bronze. The hooks and bands on the posts were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver; so all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands.

And there are days like today where I am so over it and think, “Really, Lord? We are still here, still slogging through this?” And, honestly, that sounds a lot like life. Some days everything falls into place and makes perfect sense. Some days I’m over it all and ready to just move on. Regardless of where I am, God is in control.

Exodus 38:18-19 The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer. It was twenty cubits long and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits high, with four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks and bands were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that You are in control. Always. Help me to trust You, to turn to You, to lean on You. Always. Amen.

Exodus 38:20 All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the surrounding courtyard were bronze.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 38:9-10 Next they made the courtyard. The south side was a hundred cubits long and had curtains of finely twisted linen, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 

The repetition in today’s verses has such a rhythmic quality that it’s almost hypnotic. It put me in mind of those 3D optical illusion posters from the 90s where you had to intentionally blur your vision for the picture to emerge. I was terrible at those things because they took intentional unfocusing, which is a skill I’m not great at.

Exodus 38:11 The north side was also a hundred cubits long and had twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

By continuing to stare and by intentionally losing your focus on the minute details that were present, you could, eventually, see the bigger, cooler picture emerge. As I was reading today’s verses, I wondered if these details are similar. On the surface, it’s another rehashing of minute details, but the bigger picture reveals something much deeper.

Exodus 38:12 The west end was fifty cubits wide and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for keeping me here, rooted in all these details of the tabernacle. I didn’t want to be here, but as I continue to read and ponder, You reveal truths that I might not have seen any other way. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 38:13 The east end, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits wide.

Have a blessed day.