Exodus 25:1-9; 26:1, 31-37
I really love early mornings. Waking up before the sun allows you to enjoy stillness. I like to spend time with God, through reading scripture, singing, meditation, and prayer. Walking my dog in the morning has allowed me to pray while I enjoy the natural beauty of creation. It is a time when I can speak to God like two friends on a walk or like a child following their parents, eager to learn what their parent generously shows them. Of course, there are some mornings where this ideal is unrealized. The warmth and comfort of my bed is too soothing for me to consider the start of my day, some days. On other days, I wake up anxiously rushing toward an important task. Even more, there are days when I convince myself that I have awakened too early and will be tired to do the important work later on. What I have found and must remind myself is that the days where I start my day by spending time with God are my absolute best days. Exodus 25 and 26 show us that God desires our time and intentionality.
I am often amazed by the mysteries of God. We speak about God’s omnipotence and acknowledge that God’s power is unparalleled. We refer to God as Almighty. With all of God’s power, one would assume that God would just make us do whatever God wants us to do. No one says that God is incapable of exerting power in this manner, yet we still see evidence of God’s desire for us to willingly obey. In Exodus 25, God tells Moses, “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take my offering,” (v.2).
The Lord commanding Moses to take the offering from those who give it willingly reveals God’s character and God’s intention toward us. God is disinterested in tyranny. God does not demonstrate a desire for a relationship with disgruntled, unwilling subjects. God wants children who understand that the resources they have are blessings from God. One may be a skilled farmer, but it is the Lord’s goodness and mercy that provides the increase. When we prosper, it delights the Lord when we respond gratefully and present an offering to the Lord.
The instructions for the sanctuary demonstrate the special nature of the relationship between God and God’s people. God provides precise instructions for the construction of the sanctuary including the type of material used throughout. Each instruction has intention that reveals the relationship God desires with God’s people. In Exodus 26, God instructs them to hang a veil that “shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy,” (v.33). God’s holiness, without a veil or divider, is too much for people to handle. Later in the text, in Exodus 33, Moses asks to see God’s glory and God tells him that God will allow God’s goodness to pass before Moses because “no man shall see me, and live,” (v.20). The veil is a symbol of God’s tenderness. In the same manner that a parent is careful with a small child, God demonstrates an intentionality toward us that expresses God’s loving protection.
The relationship that God desires is comprehensive. God is not just interested in our stuff. God wants to spend time with us. God tells Moses, “Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them,” (v.8). God models immanence in order to guide our priorities. If God wants to dwell with us, we have an invitation to be in God’s presence. This invitation impacts the way that we view God, ourselves, and one another. It is indicative of the sort of love that adds value. God wanting to spend time with us must mean we are important to God. If we are important to God, there is no other opinion or perspective that can determine our worth.
We receive an inordinate amount of messaging about how we are supposed to spend our time. It rarely feels like we get enough time to do anything on a given day. We need to collectively reset our priorities. Instead of living our lives tethered to things that we have to do, let’s deepen our gratitude by considering what we get to do. This expansive mindset allows us to value our interactions and imbue them with the intentionality that God models for us. We will see each other, more and more, how God sees us; beings worth being around.
Questions for reflection on Exodus 25:1-9; 26:1, 31-37
- What would life be like if we treated people like they were important to God?
- How do you spend time with God?
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