Today’s Devotion: Exodus 37.

I’m impressed by how much preparation God has put into the tabernacle. We started reading weeks ago about how God instructed Moses about every intricate detail of the tabernacle and today we read about the construction – The incredible construction project.

Last year I had the opportunity to serve the community of Joplin, MO on a ThriventBuilds Worldwide project. ThriventBuilds is a relationship that Thrivent Financial has with Habitat for Humanity. The City of Joplin was struck by an F5 tornado and 8 miles long and a mile wide stretch of their city was destroyed. I got to build a house, I actually helped build someone’s home.

There is a lot of accuracy and precision that goes into building a home. Logically, if the walls aren’t measured, the roof isn’t carefully constructed or the door/window frames aren’t measured… this would be a big problem.

2 things I learned in Exodus chapter 37:

1 – God finishes what He starts. I have been reading about this tabernacle for weeks and would have just assumed that it would happen. But God gives us construction day and confirms everything that he spoke of is happening.

2 – This is not some project that was schlep together. It’s done with pride, discipline, accuracy, detail and a lot of TLC. If it were not, why would God say in verse 17, “They made the lampstand of pure gold. They hammered out its base and shaft, and made its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them.” Blossoms out of gold!?! Am I the only one who is shocked that this is coming together by a bunch of sniff-necked slaves in the desert?

Here’s the deal. We have an awesome God. He told us what he was going to do over the past 2000 years. He has called His own to live out our days constructing our lives to be more like Him, and He doesn’t miss the Chapter that shows that it actually happens. Your life has a purpose bigger than your own and He knows every intimate detail. I don’t think Bezalel was all joyful and happy the entire time he was crafting the tabernacle. I bet he was sweating, stinky, and probably physically exhausted. But his name is in God’s book as a master craftsman and his handy work is described by God.

I hope you’ll take this perspective and really reflect on what it means to you personally. Read between the lines on why God would spend so much time preparing you for today and each remaining day of your life. This is very assuring to know Philippians 1:6 is true, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Amen