Exodus 40
As I completed reading Exodus 40 and considered what I learned here, I
was thinking in terms of the exact reading about the setting up the Holy
Tent. There didn’t seem much applicable
and if there was, it seemed I'd have to guess or reach for it. ie. “When I come
to God, should I wash first?” Is that what I’m learning from this passage? Then I went up a level in my thoughts. Asking the question "Is this a story that is told so we remember something bigger? Is there a more profound reason?" As I actually took a moment to think, a concept I
read a few days before came to my mind…. “The Eternal Argument”. This is that great, long, ongoing, debate in western culture that spans the millennia.. and
that is “Is Man or God in charge of our lives”. Well, this thought bubbling to the surface
of my thoughts is where I took the application of Exodus 40 into my own
life. Let me begin by saying my starting
point of belief… I believe that God has a much better plan then my own, yet, he
will not force me to follow His plan (well, for the most part. Of course He is
God and can allow or not allow anything.) It is I that must allow God to be in
charge of my life. That’s some of my starting beliefs that also shape my lens. From there, the thoughts of the
everlasting conversation “who’s in charge” gave me the lens or filter for considering
this passage.
First: I see that
Moses listened to God. Do I know how to
hear from God? Do I know His voice, His signposts, His promptings? I know a few, but do not regularly listen or
focus upon them.
Second: I notice is that God is a God of details. He also was very detailed with Noah’s arc
also. When God calls me to build
something, he won’t leave me hanging about the details. He cares about them and has a plan down to the
structural support.
Third: In the span of 17 verses, 8 times it is written that “Moses
did as the Lord commanded him”. That’s a
huge number. The thing that resonates in
my spirit on this is that there was regular recognition for obedience. In my own life, I tend to wait until the end
of the day to tally how much or little my children obeyed. That’s not what God does in this passage. It
is written after every little task, that “Moses did as the Lord commanded”. You get the idea quickly that Moses obeyed
God, yet it is still repeated 8
times. That establishes a momentum of
obedience that is meaningful. My take-away
here is that I should establish a momentum of obedience as well ~ every time
the children do as I ask to notice it. They don’t need to be lauded for it, but
for it to be acknowledge and a momentum of obedience brought into the home. The
more I am commenting on the negative, the more that’s what I’m giving energy to
and where the momentum is going.
