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Doing Things GodÕs Way ÒThen wrought Bezaleel and
Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and
understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the
sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.Ó (Exodus 36:1) If we would
worship and serve the Lord our God, the true and living God, we must worship
and serve him in the way he prescribes. — Ask Uzza! We either do things
GodÕs way, or all that we call worship and service to the Lord is but will
worship and a vain show of religion. In Exodus
36-39 God the Holy Spirit tells us how the Tabernacle was actually
constructed by the children of Israel under the direction of Bezaleel and
Aholiab. In the earlier chapters of Exodus we are told how the Lord God
revealed the pattern to Moses in the mount and how Moses conveyed GodÕs
revelation to his people. Generosity What a picture of devotion and generosity we have before
us in Exodus 36! The men and women and their rulers, all the children of
Israel are here held before us as examples of consecration to God in
performing the work of the sanctuary. No effort was needed to move the hearts
of the people to give. No appeals were made. No impressive arguments were
given. Nothing was promised. Nothing was threatened. Oh, no! their hearts
stirred them up. The streams of voluntary devotion flowed from within.
ÒRulers,Ó Òmen,Ó ÒwomenÓ — all felt it their sweet privilege to give to
the Lord, not with a narrow heart or niggardly hand, but in such a
magnanimous way that Bezaleel and Aholiab told Moses that they had enough and
too much. Implicit
Obedience Not only did the children of Israel give generously, with
open hearts and open hands, their obedience was implicit. They did everything
exactly as the Lord commanded Moses (Exodus 39:42-43). The Lord God had given
the minute, detailed instructions concerning the entire work of the
Tabernacle. Every pin, every socket, every loop, every buckle was to be made
exactly as God specified. There was no room for manÕs vote, manÕs reason, or
manÕs common sense. Jehovah did not give a general outline and leave it for
the children of Israel, or even Bezaleel, to fill in the details. He left no
place for any man to offer an opinion, let alone prescribe a regulation.
None! — ÒSee, saith he, that thou make all things according to the
pattern showed to thee in the mountÓ (Exo. 25:40; 26:30; Heb. 8:5). This left no room for human device. If man had been
allowed to make a single pin, that pin would have been made wrong, would have
been out of place in the Tabernacle of God, and GodÕs pattern would have been
violated. GodÕs salvation by Christ would have been falsely represented! We
see what manÕs Ògraving toolÓ produces in Exodus 32. There is no place for it
in the worship and service of God! Don Fortner Listen to sermons
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