“(He) made all that the LORD commanded.” (Exodus 38:22, ESV)
God cares about every detail of our lives and invites us to live our life as an active participant in His overall plan.
If first impressions were always accurate, today’s Scripture reading may appear to be boring details about the building instructions and materials for the Tabernacle along with the furnishings and furniture within it. But upon closer review, we find some vital thoughts for our consideration and application to our life today.
God’s Sovereign Orchestration
The first thought is that the Sovereign and Almighty God cares about the details. He could have instructed Moses to simply build the best structure he could – “Give it your best shot, Moses; I’ll be okay with your best effort.” But that may give the perception that God isn’t concerned about specific details. On the contrary, He gave Moses explicit instructions involving the design, the measurements of not only the tabernacle but also the furniture inside, the quality and quantity of the materials necessary – even for seemingly insignificant items and those not readily seen. If God is this specific about a temporary Tabernacle in the desert, we can rest assured that He deeply cares about every aspect of our life. Even those details we think are hidden from view.
Another amazing thought that comes to mind is that God involves people in His plans and activities. As the Creator of the expansive universe, it would seem easier for Him to have spoken the Tabernacle into existence. It would have materialized as effortlessly as all the rest of creation – and would have been perfectly made. But that may lead us to believe He is distant and disinterested. Yet we find His invitation throughout Scripture to become actively involved with Him – to come to Him, to bring others to Him, to seek His kingdom, to allow His Spirit to control us and enable us to be useful instruments of His grace, righteousness, and perfect will. He has a specific job for each of us to perform and He patiently awaits our participation.
So, when we’re tempted to skim over the “boring” parts of the Bible, let us instead be mindful that God truly cares about the details and that His overall plan includes our active involvement.
Discussion Questions
- What detail(s) of your life are you attempting to hide from God?
- In what ways have you chosen to be actively involved in God’s overall plan?
- What type of “project” are you and God building together?
