Category: Exodus

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 36 before reading the devotional below.

When was the last time your contractor insisted you stop paying because they had more than enough? The community offerings have poured in and all the materials required by God have been acquired. (Thanks to an astute reader who commented on yesterday’s post that Exodus 12 tells us they took silver, gold, and other treasures with them from Egypt. Mystery solved!)

Bezalel is a little-known hero of the Bible. His name might get lost in all the construction details, but he is a willing and Spirit-filled man who creates a home for God. He builds the frames, embroiders the curtains, and attends to every detail just as God described. His work is a model of what it means to serve God with excellence.

Here’s your freedom for today: your heart is God’s new building project. As we’ve considered all the way through this Exodus series, the Tabernacle is no longer God’s chosen dwelling among us. After Jesus’ return to heaven and the coming of the Holy Spirit to each believer, God lives within us. We are all Bezalels, crafting with excellence the perfect place for God to inhabit. The space you make in your heart is the size of his Tabernacle. How much room does God have in your life today?

 

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 37 before reading the devotional below.

We are almost finished with our Exodus series before we head into an 8-day gratitude series followed by a series for Advent. If you have friends, family members, or church members who want to get into a Bible-reading habit during the Christmas season or in the new year, let them know about Freedom For Today! You can hit the Share buttons at the top of each post to spread the word about what you’re reading.

In today’s chapter, Bezalel continues to build the Tabernacle. He is melting down gold to overlay the Ark of the Covenant and the sacrifice table as well as to fashion the lampstand and the incense altar. It strikes me that the last time God’s people were melting down gold it was for the purpose of crafting a false idol to worship instead of God. We have no way of knowing, but I wonder if Bezalel himself had a hand in that idol-making process. He is clearly the most qualified craftsman. Could it be that this is as much a redemption story about Bezalel and God’s people as it is about how the Tabernacle was made?

Here’s your freedom for today: God gives us second chances. Bezalel may have once used his talents to betray God. If he wasn’t personally involved, certainly we know that the Israelites as a whole engaged in the misuse of their resources for idol worship. Here we see that God is allowing them to try again. He invites them to use their resources and talents to serve and worship him. They could have failed again. (And certainly in future stories we see that they do fail again many times.) But for now, Bezalel leads the way in obeying God’s instructions and using the gold entrusted to him for the right purposes. God honors this kind of stewardship and leadership. Even if you have used your resources or talents in sinful ways, it’s not too late to start applying those skills to the work God is calling you to do.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 38 before reading the devotional below.

With the Ark of the Covenant, table, lampstand, and incense altar complete, the interior of the Tabernacle is decorated. Recall that all of these items were either crafted of gold or were gold-plated. Today we focus on the altar of burnt offering, the washbasin, and the Tabernacle courtyard. These elements are crafted from bronze.

Note the contrast between the gold elements inside the Tabernacle and the bronze elements. One interesting perspective is that bronze represented sin and judgment, whereas gold represents God’s glory and brilliance. The items placed inside the Tabernacle were symbolic of God’s holiness, and the items outside the Tabernacle showed the sin of the people that kept them from entering into God’s holy place.

Here’s your freedom for today: God has a purpose for your offering. Some of the Israelites contributed gold, some bronze, some wood, some fabric. No offering was better than another — all the materials were needed and useful. Some materials represented God’s holiness, others represented sin and the need for a sacrifice. God had a purpose and a plan for every material, and he crafted his dwelling place from the materials they had. No matter what you have to give to God, he can use it for a purpose. Whether it is a small or big amount of money, skill, or talent, give it to God willingly and watch what he can make from it.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 39 before reading the devotional below.

In today’s chapter, we see the completion of the work that God instructed the people to do. The Tabernacle is built according to his specifications, with everything laid out and crafted exactly as he said. In addition, the priestly garments are woven, with stones placed on the shoulders to represent the tribes of Israel. Aaron as the head priest will wear a gold medallion that reads, “Holy to the Lord.”

The Bible does not say how long it took to complete the Tabernacle and the priests’ garments, but I noticed the phrase “with great skill and care” a few times. Bezalel hammers out sheets of gold so thin he can make thread out of it. That’s not a quick project in and of itself, nevermind the entire project start to finish. (And I don’t know too many builders who can also embroider… this is one talented guy!)

Here’s your freedom for today: God gives you permission to slow down. We Americans tend to want to rush projects and we value mass production over a slowly handcrafted item. It’s cheaper, it’s easier, and it makes us feel more productive to produce a lot of “stuff.” We are disconnected from things that take a long time, such as growing our own food or building our own houses. God values good workmanship and excellence, not speed or high productivity rates. Take your time and be diligent at your work. It may not make you a YouTube sensation, but it will develop your character and godliness.

 

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 40 before reading the devotional below. 

You did it! If you have read Freedom For Today daily, you have worked your way through a major book of the Old Testament. Now is a great moment to invite your friends to join us as we begin a new series tomorrow! Sharing on social media is a great way to spread the word, but your friends may read the Bible more consistently if you invite them to read with you through conversation. I hope that these devotionals can be a resource that helps people partner together through the Bible.

To finish out the book of Exodus, God moves into the Tabernacle. It’s been a year since they left Egypt, and to celebrate the first day of the first month of their second year God shows up in a big way. The cloud of his presence comes to inhabit the Tabernacle. Throughout their journey they will bring God’s tent along with them and he will continue to camp among them.

Here’s your freedom for today: the presence of God never leaves you. No matter where you go in life, no matter how many different seasons and paths you walk through, God’s presence will go with you. But just as God’s people had to do some work to carry God’s Tabernacle and establish it in each new camping spot, we have to keep making room for God in our lives. When we take God for granted, we forget about his presence. He is still there, but we ignore him. What can you do today to remain aware of God’s presence? In what ways have you seen him go with you this year?