I've kept up, so far, with my resolution to read through the Bible again this year. And I've just finished Exodus.
I know I usually think of Exodus as the story of the children of Israel leaving Egypt. And it is.
But you know what the bulk of it is? The story of God telling them how to build the tabernacle. And then the story of them building the tabernacle.
It's very repetative. "Make it like this. With this many curtains. Made of this stuff. And this many sockets. Made of this stuff. And . . ." Then, after you get through chapters and chapters like that, you read almost the exact same things over again, except that's now it's: "And they made it like that. With that many curtains. Made of that stuff. And that many sockets. Made of that stuff. And . . ."
But I know that all scripture is God-breathed, and useful. So I was praying that the Lord would help me see the point of the repetition. And I think I found it, here in Exodus 40:42-43:
"According to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. Then Moses looked over all the work, and indeed they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, just so they had done it. And Moses blessed them."
Israel obeyed. They did it just as the Lord had commanded. And that exacting obedience was so precious, so good, that it was worth telling it all over again, just to show how precisely they had obeyed his word. "He said to do it this way. And we did it that way."
And then, following that glorious declaration of obedience is this, in Exodus 40:
Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
God was with them. He told them how he was to be worshipped, how to make themselves fit for his presence, and they obeyed, and then he was present with them.
The truth is, that the repetition is highlights the beauty of the call and response of God and his people. It is beautiful. I'm glad he helped me see it.
And it has me thinking a lot about where, in my own life, there ought to be the same repetion. The same, "Do it this way" met with an echoing, "see, I did it this way, just as you said."
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell
3 comments:
Another cool thing about the Tabernacle narrative (I've been reading it with my TA kids in the last couple weeks): the golden calf incident comes right in-between the instructions and the obedience. God tells them precisely how to prepare for His presence... they get tired of waiting and decide to worship on their own terms... Moses intercedes and God renews the broken covenant... and then they do exactly what they were supposed to do in the first place. And then the amazing passage you mentioned at the very end where God's presence dwells with them.
Amen. Thank you for sharing your insight.
I'm encouraged by this because as I'm reading through (and I'm one month behind you) I'm finding it very easy to get bogged down and wonder "what is the point, again??" Thank you for the reminder and the example.
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