Law – Exodus 37-40

Our journey through the wilderness takes us to the end of Exodus today.  The exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt has been exciting and eventful.  But what is clear in all of the events is the need to obey God in all His commands.

Today’s passage continues with the remainder of the work that needs to be done for the Tabernacle and we reach a climax when the Tabernacle is finally set up and God’s glory dwelt in it.

Bible Passage:  Exodus 37-40

I used to be a Project Manager.  And being a project manager requires lots of planning, managing internal and external workers, coordinating with contractors, shipping agents, managing risks as well as reporting to the management to the progress of the projects.

The days of project management came to mind a couple of nights ago as a few of us were discussing a project that we want to undertake for the church.  This project requires significant commitment and a few of us were unsure how far we could take this.

Another brother, who is also a project manager, remarked that we needed to organize a project kick off meeting with relevant parties so that everyone understands what is required and know exactly what is expected for each of them.

Then I read today’s passage and marvel at how God is indeed the Master Planner and how He managed a great project through his project manager, Moses, in the wilderness.

Moses was given the great and important task of setting up the tabernacle and all the accompanying artifacts.  The Blueprint had been drawn up by God Himself and all Moses had to do was to implement it.

But it was a massive and complicated project that certainly could not be handled by one person alone.

So what Moses did was to pull together a team of three to project manage the building of the tabernacle in Exodus 38:21-23.

Who do we have?

• Ithamar, the youngest son of Aaron and Elisheba (Ex 6:23).  He was very much like an accountant or comptroller of the project.  He kept track of the many articles and resources collected for the building (Exodus 38:21).  Later, we would also read that he supervised two priestly families of Levites (Numbers 4:21-33).
• Bezalel, the son of Uri of the tribe of Judah.  He was the architect or designer of the project.  He provided the designs, gave instructions and oversaw all the various craftsmen working in stone, metal, wood and weaving (Exodus 35:30-36:1; Exodus 38:22).
• Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan.  We read about him last week and he was a skilled artisan who provided instruction in the crafts needed for the project, especially in engraving, design and embroidery (Exodus 35:34 -  36:1; Exodus 38:23).

The big project was divided into manageable chunks where capable leaders were placed in charge of different parts so that the whole project could be completed successfully to God’s glory.

And at the end of every project – there is always a review done.  Sometimes you get a good rating, sometimes you don’t – depending on how well you have managed the project.

For Moses and his team, this was their final performance review…

And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses

Exodus 39:32

According to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work.

Exodus 39:42

They followed the Blueprint to the letter.  And did an excellent job at it.

No wonder Moses was pleased (Exodus 39:43) and this was the ultimate stamp of approval.

Where Are The Workers?

When I re-read the account of the building of the tabernacle, I could not help thinking…

The people of Israel offered their wealth willingly so much so it was beyond what was actually needed.  And it is pretty much the same today as evident from our offerings in our just concluded Spiritual Meeting.

Today, we are just as willing to offer as the people in Exodus were to the work of God.

But where we are lacking in comparison to the time of Moses is that of willing workers.

We have read about the three leaders above that led the work.  But besides them, there were also many others who have different temperaments, skills, resources and strength that helped produce products and services for the benefit of others.

We have so many things that needs to be done in church today, and we do have so many talented workers – all with different gifts and abilities that can be deployed for the Lord.

But where am I?  Where are you?

One of the members that I was discussing lamented that although we have more than 1000 members in Singapore, it is still so difficult to find willing people to take the first step forward.

I hate to sound like a broken record but I do think that this needs repeating.

We have a mass tracting activity tomorrow (6 Jun 09 – Saturday) at 4.30 pm for our Evangelistic Services from 19 to 21 Jun 09 at Telok Kurau Church.

We need members to join in.  As many as possible.

For this is a work of saving souls.

For this is a work about obeying the commission of the Lord.

For this is a work of love.

Why not join us?   And invite other fellow members along!  Don’t just do it yourself.  Pull your ‘kakis’ along.

Glory of God

I especially like the ending of Exodus (Exodus 40:34-38).

The glory of God filled the whole tabernacle.

It showed that God was in the midst of the people.  It showed that God has accepted their sacrifice and work.

It showed that God was pleased with their offering and work.

Wouldn’t you like to have God’s glory filling us today?