Week 4: Community
Weekly Reading:
Exodus 18 - 38
Opening Prayer
Father God
Thank You for Your many blessings this week. As we move forward into our walk with You, we see that You are in control, You provide us with confidence and we are living in obedience to You. Father God, open our eyes and ears to the needs in our community so that we can share Your love with others.
Amen
Study
Reading through the books that make up the Torah can sometimes feel a bit like reading through the constitution. But I must admit that seeing the sense of community exhibited in the creation of the tabernacle as directed by God is both fascinating and heartwarming.
God’s instructions to Moses in building the tabernacle, the parts that make up the Tabernacle and fill the tabernacle are so exact, so precise. God gets into minute details on how all of the parts of the tabernacle are to be constructed. In Exodus 25, God gives direction on His requirements for the tabernacle. He begins with the sacred offerings that are required from gold, silver, and bronze to fine linens to gemstones.
Starting with Exodus 25:10, God goes into the specifics of each part of the tabernacle. He starts with the plans for the ark, where He outlines the exact dimensions, the overlay inside and out, how it is to be carried, the cover of the ark, and the place of atonement. The ark is very special as that is where Moses will meet with God and receive instructions from God on how to rule the people of Israel (Exodus 25:22).
God further goes into details on his plans for the table, the poles, and rings that hold the table and the containers to be put on the table. Next God goes into the details on making the lampstand of pure hammered gold. He is specific on the base, the stems, the lamp cups, the buds, and the petals (Exodus 25:31). God speaks of the number of branches that make up the lampstand and even how the light should be reflected (Exodus 25:32-37).
Next God talks about the plans for the tabernacle itself he speaks of the size of the tabernacle, The construction of the tabernacle, the curtains of the tabernacle, and how all of the pieces go together. He tells Moses to “set up the tabernacle according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain”(Exodus 26:30), as this will be God’s home with the Israelites. The tabernacle stood as a physical reminder of God‘s presence.
God continues with instructions on the altar for the burnt offerings, the courtyard, and even the clothing of the priests.
Since I live in a world of detail I get very excited about all of the detail God gave Moses. But what really strikes me and this portion of Exodus is the community that is required to put all of this together. In Exodus 25:3-7 God speaks of the donations that are required to create everything that he discusses with Moses. None of this can be done without skilled craftsmen. Craftsmen such as woodcarvers, goldsmiths, bronze and silversmiths, weavers of linen, farmers of flax for linen, processors of flax for linen, leather craftsman, weavers, embroiderers, carpenters, seamstresses, and I’m sure there are more that I’m not including.
The creation of the tabernacle took true community and teamwork to build God’s home. We see that in Exodus 35:4 Moses tells the community of the required donations to create the tabernacle. Then starting in verse 10 the call to all craftsmen. In Exodus 35:21 we see that all of those whose hearts were stirred came to help in the process and in verse 29 every man and woman who is eager to help brought their gifts. In Exodus 36:1 the Bible says that the Lord gifted the craftsman with wisdom and the ability to perform any task involved in building the sanctuary.
We see the early church community coming together for a common cause. We see the community willingly give of themselves and of the goods in their household for the Lord’s glory.
In the definition of community, we see that it is a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality. However, we also see that it’s a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics of interest and perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists. The Israelites were a community, they were set apart from the others of the world, called by God, ruled by the Commandments that God set forth. The Israelites were chosen and chose communally together to build the tabernacle and its parts as God’s home.
We are in many different communities ourselves whether it is our workplace, where we live, or at our church. Each community plays a different role in our lives, but our role is always to support and build up as the Israelites did.
Closing Prayer
Father God,
We see unrest, short tempers, people hiding behind their computer screens in an effort to divide rather than support. As we move forward into this year, remind us that community is important. You have instructed us to love one another, all others. In obedience to You, help us heal where we have hurt, give love to those we may have insulted, and seek to understand each other.
Amen
Homework
Who is in your immediate community?
Who is in your larger community?
What can you do to make your community feel God’s love?
