The Boring Parts - Pt 2

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me. And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats' hair, tanned rams' skins, goatskins, acacia wood, oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it. (Exodus 25:1-9 ESV).

After the first of the genealogies we have a lengthy historical section from Moses that brings us to the completion of the development of Israel and the beginning of the development of the sacrificial system which was still in practice at the time of Jesus. However, at the end of this we see several chapters devoted to the details of the construction of the Tabernacle and all of the things associated with it. Our reading today is just the beginning of this section.

 

Let’s review a bit. In Genesis 6–9 we witness the population of the world narrowed down to just Noah and his 3 sons and their families. The begats of the Bible pick up again in Genesis 10 focusing in on the descendants of just one of Noah’s sons, Shem; and, finally on one descendant of Shem, Abraham, to whom God makes incredible promises. Further lists help us to trace the coming of the promised descendant through Isaac and Jacob and Judah and David until we read “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman” (Galatians 4:4). Keeping our focus on Him helps to keep us from making the Bible all about us instead of all about him. Remember, as I said yesterday, even the parts of the Bible we deem to be boring are significant because they are God’s word to us.

The book of Exodus begins with the vivid story of a baby in a basket on the Nile River who becomes the deliverer of God’s people from their slavery in Egypt. On their way to the Promised Land, God gives Moses detailed instructions for the design of the tent they are to construct in which God will come down to dwell among them. In the detail of the design we see gourds and open flowers woven into the fabrics, a basin made to look like a lily, lamp stands made to look like trees with branches. The writer of Hebrews says the tabernacle and later the temple were “copies of the true things” and “a shadow of the good things to come” (cf. Hebrews 8:5; 9:24; and 10:1). This detail ought to fill us with anticipation for the beauty and perfection of the new heavens and new earth. That’s not boring!