I have observed steel fixers, concrete finishers, bricklayers and other masons, heavy equipment operators, structural steel erectors, welders, and today the electricians. I’m sure there have been plumbers as well, and before long there will be carpenters, glass installers, plasterers, painters and decorators. Carpet layers, climate control technicians, and sound equipment specialists will come; commercial furniture suppliers will bring in seating for 15,000 spectators. The two-year building project, costing over 200 million dollars, is about half finished, with over 250 workers on the job seven days a week from dawn until after dark.
In contrast, the Tabernacle seems quite simple. The plan God gave Moses was for a structure forty-five feet long, fifteen feet wide, and fifteen feet high, consisting of gold-covered planks for walls with draperies of various kinds for the doorways and ceilings. Surrounding the Tabernacle was to be an enclosure made of posts and curtains. The instructions were very specific, however; each element was to be made of the finest materials. “This is what God wants you to do,” Moses told the people. “All among you who are willing, bring an offering. Present these gifts to the Lord:
Gold, silver, and bronze;
Blue, purple, and scarlet thread;
Fine linen and goat hair for cloth;
Tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather;
Acacia wood;
Olive oil for the lamps;
Spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense;
Onyx stones, and other gemstones to be set in the priest’s garments.
God further told Moses that He had specifically chosen Bezalel from the tribe of Judah to serve as the overseer of the work. “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft! . . . Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make.” These articles included not only the Tabernacle and its court themselves but also the furnishings: the Ark of the Covenant with its covering, the pure gold lampstand, the table for bread, the altars for incense and burnt offerings, the washbasin, the priestly garments, and the anointing oil. (Exodus 31:1-11)
Then those who were able and willing, both men and women, brought their offerings: all the materials needed for the Tabernacle and for the performance of its rituals. They brought gold brooches, earrings, necklaces, rings, and other gold objects of every kind. All who had silver and bronze objects gave them as an offering to the Lord. Those who owned the following items willingly brought them for use in the project: colored threads, fine linen and goat hair for cloth, tanned ram skins and goatskin leather, and acacia wood.
The women who were skilled in sewing and spinning prepared blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine linen cloth. Other willing workers spun the goat hair into yarn. The leaders brought onyx stones and the other gemstones to be set in the priest’s garments. They also brought spices and olive oil for the light, the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense. “So the people of Israel—every man and woman who was eager to help in the work the Lord had given them through Moses—brought their gifts and gave them freely to the Lord.” Not only was Bezalel especially gifted, but God gave him two assistants who excelled in the necessary crafts and also had the ability to teach others. The Lord gave them special skills as craftsmen and designers and they led other engravers, designers, weavers, and embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet thread on fine linen cloth. The account specifically tells us that those who were called to do the actual construction were not only gifted artisans, but they had been given wisdom and understanding by God. (Exodus 35:21-35)
I can’t even imagine what might have happened if I had gone down to the local construction site, taking a couple of my gold rings, some red and blue yarn I have been saving for a yet-to-be-determined project, and a bottle of scented bath oil! And even more ludicrous, what if I had claimed superior talent or wisdom for raising the five-level building! The task ahead of the Israelites may have seemed just as enormous and intimidating to them as the prospect of my assisting at the arena, given that they were desert wanderers. They lacked modern power tools; they had no scaffolding or lifts. They weren’t even paid! But with willing hearts, sacrificial gifts, and readiness to work they created a sanctuary for the Lord God, one that they would carry with them until they built more permanent places of worship in the Promised Land.
I think of those early builders when I drive by our developing arena, and I am thankful that their story is recorded for me to read and ponder.
Related article: Building by the Pattern here
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
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