Nothing but the Best
At Eastridge, we’re reading through the book of Exodus. We’ve gotten near the end of the book, and we’re at a spot where I sort of bog down every time I read it. After God established His covenant with Moses and the Israelite people, He gave Moses a long list of instructions for building the Tabernacle where God’s people were to worship Him, along with all the items that are meant to go in it. (You can read it here, if you’re unfamiliar with what I’m talking about.)
The passage reads like a cross between an instruction manual and a shopping list for Home Depot, with its exacting specifications and meticulous directions. It’s a bit dry, and I’ve often wondered why it was in the Bible in such detail (and why I had to read it).
But this time, I had a bit of a revelation, and the whole passage made sense in a different way in light of what went through my mind. The Tabernacle was intended to be the place where God would dwell among His people…obviously, before Christ began to live in believers through the Holy Spirit. It’s natural to expect a perfect, holy God to live in the best possible place manufactured to specific detail.
The other idea is that the materials for the Tabernacle were meant to come from the offerings of the people. In other words, God’s people were to pitch in to build His home, and those who loved Him would have ownership of where their God was to live.
The one true God deserves nothing but the best from us. He did then, and He does now. So we don’t have to build a dwelling place for Him, but He does expect us to offer our lives to Him. We don’t always measure up, but that’s why He offers grace. Looking at the way we should live for Him in that light makes me want to strive even more to live for Him.
If you’re one of His children, how do you view your relationship with Him in this light?
Photo by Susan Wilkinson on Unsplash