And I Just Can’t Hide It (Exodus 38)

Summary:

Do you ever psych yourself up as you head to work? I like to imagine how in the zone I’ll be at work. I see myself with my head down, typing furiously at my keyword as line after line of code appears on my screen. I imagine attending meetings, nodding with understanding as I listen carefully to every word. Before I know it, it’ll be lunchtime; that’s how hard I’ll be working. But then reality hits and instead of hammering out code, I’m taking Instagram breaks. It’s annoying because I want to be so excited about my work to the point of becoming deeply focused. Unfortunately, not everything we do at work is that riveting.

Unless, of course, you’re an Israelite. The months were flying by for them as they continued working on God’s tabernacle. In what seemed like a blink of an eye, the basin for the priests to wash in was completed. A little while longer, and the courtyard stood proudly, its outer curtains rustling in the breeze. The Israelites looked up again, and there was the altar for burnt offering, ready to go, its bronze covering sparkling in the sun. The Israelites were in the zone. They were working their butts off. Tiring work, yes, but love can turn ordinary labor into something beautiful.

The Treasures Within:

Excitement In The Air

Is it just me, or have we read this before? We heard God describe to Moses the altar and the curtains for the tabernacle, and even how to set everything up – bases and hooks galore. Yet here it is again – the same descriptive words poured out onto the page straight from God’s heart to Moses’s pen. I mean, it’s cool, but why?

Let’s be real, a lot of people repeat themselves when they don’t have anything else to say, but they’re not done hearing their own voice. Other times, though, we repeat ourselves because we’re just excited about whatever it is we’re saying. Every day, my mom has a new story/rant about the online course she’s teaching – it’s because it gets her excited (or at least worked up). My brother brings up cars or drums or music so often that I constantly tease him about it, but he only does it because he’s passionate about those things. That same kind of emotion, that same kind of fire was in God’s breast as He described the sanctuary. This house was not only going to be beautiful, but it was going to be a new way for God’s beloved children to get close to Him. On top of all that, it hearkened to the future, its ceremonies to be a symbol of what was to one day come. No wonder the tabernacle’s articles and dimensions and materials are described over and over! This was lit!

Get Hype

Now tell me, how many church or religion related things can you describe as “lit”? Maybe none? Maybe just the social events? It almost feels like that’s the way it’s supposed to be – what’s weird is trying to make church “lit” – but seriously, things should be different.

When we call ourselves Christians, we are telling the world that the most important thing in our life is our relationship with God. We love Him, we have given our entire life to Him, and we want others to as well. And when you love Someone, you’re excited about them. If we love God, we should get excited about Him and His work! Just like the Israelites, who were almost as excited as God was, we should give our all to God’s cause – even our money! Shekels upon shekels and talents upon talents were spent on the tabernacle without complaint. Why spend so much? Because they were excited. Because they were passionate. And what about us? It’s time to let our excitement about our great, loving, awesome God overflow!

God’s Message To Us:

“I love a cheerful giver.” Maybe you’re like me and, sometimes, instead of getting excited about God, you’ve given yourself a lot of excuses. There’s so much else to focus on: work, school, self-care, Netflix. We look up to find that all our passion and excitement has been spent on other things. But, like, realistically, this doesn’t make sense. Compare Netflix to the Man who created the world, from the most delicate flower to the sharpest mountaintop. Compare schoolwork to the God who knit you together in your mother’s womb. Compare your career to the Man who suffered and bled and died just for you. One of these things is way more exciting than the other. Time, money, energy, effort – these are all big things to sacrifice, especially on a regular basis. But love, true love, can turn something difficult into something joyful, and yes, exciting.

What do you think? Are you excited about God? What did God teach you from this chapter of the Bible?