Theological Commentary: Click Here
I made the
mistake of reading what I wrote about this chapter 7 years ago. When I say mistake, I don’t mean I did
something wrong. What I mean is that I
got myself all riled up once more! I
find it fascinating that a simple passage about constructing worship implements
can have such a dramatic effect on my person.
What is it
that got me riled up again? Let’s
remember that this account in Exodus is the account of God establishing His
ideal condition of worship. What is it
that God desires? God desires a
tabernacle. In other words, He desires
something moveable. He desires something
that can be picked up and changed in terms of location. In fact, as we read through the temple
implements, do you notice how much emphasis there is on the fact that the
temple implements need to be able to move as well? After the fact that they are to be overlaid
in gold, the second most important quality is that they can be safely carried
around!
Why does God
desire this? I think the answer is very
simple. God is always on the move. God’s hand is at work all throughout the
world, where He is accepted, invited, or even necessary! God is not static. God is not something to be contained in a
box. God is dynamic and fluid and His
work is even more so.
Why, then,
do we build edifices of worship? Why do
we build complexes that testify to the greatness of the people who gather
there? Why do we build grand facades
that need to be maintained and cared for?
I think the
reason is because that is what we want.
Human beings like stability. We
don’t care much for change. We like to
feel important. We like to feel like we
belong to something significant. We like
to leave a lasting imprint on the world around us.
God wants to
be flexible. God wants His people – His priests
– to be able to take ministry anywhere.
God doesn’t need something grand and permanent, we do! Therefore, when it is God who asks for His
place of worship to be build, He is the one who asks for a moveable tent, a
moveable holy altar, and a moveable reminder of His grace. That doesn’t mean that these things are cheap
or meaningless. It means that they are
flexible and capable of managing change.
It does make
me wonder about our modern conception of the worship of God. Are we flexible, or are we building edifices? Are we looking to go where God’s hand is at
work, or are we building permanent presences in the area of the world where we
want to be? Are we taking our lead from
God and looking to Him for direction on where to go or are we dictating our
terms to Him?
<><
No comments:
Post a Comment