This chapter has more instructions about the careful building of the tabernacle. It's interesting how specific the designs were. I'm reminded again how the Bible has more credibility than I originally thought -- every time I read details like this that seem superficial and, dare I say it, unnecessary (at least in terms of having a Scripture to guide our lives by). One example is the name of some guy's street (Strait) in the book of Acts. Sometimes an overall/big picture perspective gives us training in spiritual matters and better understanding (i.e. the message). For example, the fact that Moses was to have his people follow these instructions (and those from "the mountain") so carefully underlines the point that God is serious about worship and has an order to things.
I chuckle sometimes when I think about someone extracting information in a sincere but possibly misguided* effort to get spiritual teaching. For example, if we look at the measurements of the courtyard, it was to be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide. That's 150 square cubits. How many dimes are in a one-year subscription to HM Magazine? 150. How do dimes enter into the equation? Well, what percentage is the tithe? 10 percent! That's the value of a dime! This passage is obviously telling us that our true spiritual worship involves subscribing to HM Magazine. If I were serious about such an interpretation, I would be filled with sorrow. Sorrow leading to repentance, for to misguide* someone using "spiritual manipulation" is an offensive and terrible thing to do. Never mind that the math is wrong.
* The word "misguide" is a good one. I think of the person that is misguided. He or she is attempting to go a certain direction. The fact that they go is a good sign, showing a measure of an ethic/thought-pattern/attitude that wants to accomplish something. They're moving, in a sense. The quantifying prefix shows that the person is given wrong information and/or pointed in the wrong direction. They will likely miss their target. They're close. They've got a good motive, perhaps, but their information getting them there was off. It's interesting that a biblical definition of sin is "missing the mark." The action might start out with good intentions sometimes, but being deceived or misguided along the way keeps the action from hitting its mark.
Now, hopefully my little departure and discussion about the term misguided is a little more accurate (or maybe a lot more reliable) than the silly thing about the measurements of the courtyard. I get tickled (and roll my eyes) when I hear someone get into numbers and interpreting things out of details. I'm wary of such things. It's fun to solve a mystery, but assuming that everything God wants to teach us is a great mystery that needs to be unraveled is probably a bit off the mark. There's some very upfront and simple things that He's told us in His Word. If the Gospel isn't simple enough for an uneducated person to understand it, it's not fair.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at May 13, 2008 09:29 AM