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Good Monday morning friends,
For almost all of us Monday morning means the beginning of a new work week, or if you’re retired, the memories of rising early, fighting the traffic and a Monday of work.
In the fall of 1970 Roone Arlidge, of ABC’s Wide World of Sports, launched something to counter the historic regret with which most workers approached Monday. . .they called it “Monday Night Football”! For millions of football fans, this brilliant idea stretched the fall weekend Saturday & Sunday football frenzy to a three day buffet! It turned the Monday blahs into a day of anticipation. Suddenly football fans all across America could hardly wait for Monday!
In Exodus 37 the careful craftsmanship, of Holy Spirit anointed Mr. Bezalel and Mr. Oholiab, and many others, both men and women, is described for us in great detail. My guess is most of these people had been trained and employed as slaves in sculpting some of the remarkable treasures found in Egyptian pyramids and burial chambers, like King Tut. But fabricating something for the Pharaoh, and fabricating something for YHWH, the Creator, Holy, Almighty God, are two entirely different things! Would you agree?
My guess is these skilled workers did not shuffle their way from their tents to their workshops with drudgery regret on Monday mornings. I imagine they were up early, they prayed and perhaps carefully prepared their minds and hands for the holy work of the day. Perhaps their minds had been thinking all day ‘Shabbat’, on what to do next in their projects!
May I point out some things in Exodus 37 which grab my attention?
Do you notice the four special artifacts mentioned in this chapter, were each designed by God, and are the ONLY things to be found INSIDE the “Tent of Meeting”? Nothing else, except those items on the Table, were in the Holy Place.
Of course the Ark of the Covenant was the centerpiece of worship of YHWH, Holy God, and it would be located behind the veil, in the “Most Holy Place”. It’s cover would become known as the ‘mercy seat’, the place where the High Priest would make atonement sacrifice, and intercession, one time per year, on the Day of Atonement, for the sins of the people of Israel. You’ll see that description in detail in Leviticus 16. Look closely at the description of the Ark cover! It’s remarkable!!
Inside this Ark would be the Tablets of the 10 Commandment, which Moses brought down from the mountain in Exodus 34, and some other special things, which we’ll see when that Ark is actually brought into the “Tent of Meeting” for the first time. I can hardly imagine the awe and respect with which Mr. Bezalel crafted this Ark of the Covenant. How many weeks did it take him to complete this gold covered, one of a kind, never before seen, anywhere in our world, Ark of the Covenant?
Did you notice the gold rings on the corners of this Ark, and also on the corners of the Table, and the Altar of Incense? You’ll see they cut special, long poles and covered them in gold. Those poles were placed in those rings… for what purpose? For the transportation of these three precious items. No human hands touched the Ark, the Table or the Altar, except in worship or special care.
They were not thrown on the back of Camel or on a donkey drawn, or ox drawn cart, to be moved from one place to another. We’ll see that in more detail when the “Tent of Meeting” is set up, and then when the cloud moves, and the entire Tent is dismantled and moved to a new location. Did you know there were even specially designated people, who prepared these things for transport and then other specially selected people who transported them.
Can you imagine what the Golden Lampstand looked like? You’ve seen a Jewish Menorah, right? This is where it began. The seven branched lampstand, all made with pure gold. As you read Exodus 37:17-23 just try to imagine this remarkable work of craftsmanship… in the desert of all places!
This lampstand would give light to that sacred, “Holy Place” room all through the night, every night, but of course that required a pure, virgin olive oil, produced exclusively for this lampstand. You see friends, these weren’t just pretty objects, they were functional in worship, everyday! I doubt Mr. Bezalel had any idea but these items were going to be used for HUNDREDS of years, yes friends, HUNDREDS of years. May I ask, what’s the oldest thing you own? Maybe an antique piece from your grand or great-grandparents?
Now may I invite us to think for a moment about the jobs you’ve had in your life? With what attitudes did you do your work? What was your work environment like? What kind of ‘shop talk’ or ‘office chatter’ or even ‘water cooler conversations’ occurred in your workplace? What was the lunch hour like on your job site? Now imagine what these work sites was like for those working on all the items which would be part of this “Tent of Meeting”? I can’t imagine shouting or harsh words or cursing, can you?
I wonder if each work day, but especially Monday’s began, with meditation and prayer, maybe even with special consecration of their tools and their hands? I wonder if the work was done in large tent areas where “spectators” were permitted to stand or sit, at a respectful distance and watch this holy work being done? If so, I would guess it was something like a golf tournament, around the green when you can hear a pin drop, even though there are 10,000 people watching the putt.
May I invite you to read Exodus 37 today with a sense of awe, as though you are one of those privileged spectators watching Mr. Bezalel, working on the golden cover to the Ark, or Mr. Oholiab, working on the Lampstand. Or the women sewing the golden filaments in the shape of Cherubim angels into the great Veil. Or other women sewing the garments for the priests. It’s a holy work-site… don’t rush reading it, put yourself in the tent, watching history taking place.
Then step outside and look up Mount Sinai to the cloud, hovering on the mountain top and remember. . .plagues, the Red Sea, the water spewing rock at Rephidim, manna for breakfast this morning. . .and just spend some time thanking God for His Majesty and His love for you! And think back, over your life, and all the remarkable things He’s done in your life journey. And thank God for this Monday!
Click to read today’s chapter: Exodus 37. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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