This chapter in Exodus shows Moses gathering the entire community of Israel together and telling them what God told him. The Sabbath is the first thing talked about. "For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death." The death penalty part is rough, but the installment of rest is a cool thing. If it was just a fairy tale god or some faith in a made-up god, like the "sun god" and the "rain god" and the "god on the mountain that we sacrifice babies to," who would have thought to tell the people to rest? Most gods, it seemed, were selfish and punishing and wanted slaves to do their constant bidding. There would be no rest demanded from those gods -- just the opposite.
"Moses said to the whole Israelite community, "This is what the Lord has commanded: From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord an offering of gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.'"
I think it's cool that it says: "Everyone who is willing..." This sacrificial giving is voluntary, not coerced. Have you ever asked friends to help you move or something and noticed the attitude of joy that some or all of them may have had? Sometimes friends are glad to be able to help. They enjoy hanging out and being able to help them. This attitude is so cool to be around. I imagine it's very similar to God and the joy He has when His people give to Him with joyful hearts.
There is a call later on for people will skills to make the stuff for the tabernacle. We're talking crossbeams, clasps, frames, posts, bases, all kinds of stuff. It must have been rewarding for some guy to build something and everytime he saw it in the temple he knew that he had a part in building that. Over an over it again it describes afterward about how those that were willing gave this or that. It's pretty cool.
"Then Moses said to the Israelites, 'See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts -- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroidereres in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers -- all of them master craftsmen and designers.'" How cool is it for that guy to be singled out and mentioned in Scripture, much less in front of all of Israel? And how cool is it that God seemingly honors the arts in this passage?
Some critic recently sent an email to Levi here at HM, who was reaching out to a lot of churches to see if they'd carry HM Magazine. Besides blowing him off like their discussion was so much less important than the "evangelism" that this guy's life was centered around, this critic said he had a problem with how HM glorified musicians that treated art for art's sake (as opposed to only using it for some form of evangelism, I presume). I think this Scripture kind of flies in the face of that attitude (the attitude that arts are not important, but somehow less than evangelism on the scale of important things). I think what's more important than all of our attitudes and opinions is how God is at the center of our worship and all things point to and honor Him, not just the things done under the guise of "ministry."
What do you think?
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at August 25, 2008 09:39 AM