Exodus 25:1-40

The Tabernacle.  Honestly, until I did a Beth Moore study on it, I always thought the coolest thing about the Tabernacle was that it was a copy of what's in heaven: and I got that from Hebrews.  But the Tabernacle in itself is a thing of beauty.  Consider: scarlet, blue, and purple yarns are used to twist and weave together a tapestry depicting angels and heavenly creatures.  All the articles are either made from or covered in pure gold.  Think of the workmanship in the Lampstand alone: all of the cups, flowers, branches, calyxes (which is the outmost part of the flower, if you didn't know like me and had to look it up), are all made from a single piece of hammered gold..  In other words, the craftsman who made it did not hammer together or sodder together several pieces to make one whole.  Instead, he took a single sheet of gold and began to bend and hammer and shape until he had created the Lampstand.  Fascinating.  And amazing.  Did you ever note that all of this came from contributions from the people?  Did you ever wonder how a bunch of refugees and runaway slaves managed to produce so many wonderful things with which to make the Tabernacle?  But you have to remember back to the end of Chapter 12 when it describes the Israelites and plundering Egyptians.  God gave the Israelites favor in the Egyptians' eyes so that the Egyptians gave the people whatever they wanted, including gold, expensive yarn, etc.  What amazes me even more is that the entire project was funded out of the free will offering of those in the camp.  Think about it: has your church ever done a building campaign?  Or, if not your church than your school?  How many pleas went out for financial help?  How many fundraisers?  How many months did it take to get the money raised.  But God moved the hearts of the Israelites, and they acted!  Imagine what the church today could accomplish if the entire church so freely gave.  And I'm not just talking money: time, resources, talents, gifts, the list could go on.  What if we gave whole-heartedly to the church and God's ministry?  What could we accomplish then?

Tomorrow's Reading: Exodus 26:1-27:28