Today’s Reading: Exodus 25 – 31, Psalm 92

Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you. – Exodus 25:8-9

This verse reveals the heart of God. He wanted a place in the community; God wanted to live among His people. He wanted to be present in a new way for them. He had always been there — always leading, always loving. But knowing everything about the humanity He had created, the Lord wanted to be present in a physical way so that His people could acknowledge His presence.

We serve this same God, the One who gives us a physical place to walk into, in order to have a spiritual awakening. We can create a cadence of walking into His presence prepared to experience the God who desires to live among us. The Tabernacle or Church is more than just a fellowship of believers, it is a place of communion with God. We intentionally walk through the doors in order to experience God, learning and growing as we renew our covenant relationship with the Lord once more.

GOD WANTS TO BE WITH US.

Moses went up on the mountain and received instructions from God. He was given plans for how to build the Ark of the Covenant, as well as the table and the lampstand. The description of the Tabernacle, altar, and courtyard are detailed and beautiful. The sacred garments to be worn by the priests are described as glorious and beautiful.

Not only did God give them instructions, he equipped them for the task at hand. To those who were assigned to build the Tabernacle, He gave a spirit of wisdom so that they would be skilled craftsmen (28:3, 31:1-11). To those who were called to be priests, God gave the ability to determine God’s will for the people when they entered into the holy place to go before the Lord (28:30).

“Then, with great skill and care, make a chestpiece to be worn for seeking a decision from God…” – Exodus 28:15a

GOD WANTS TO BE INVOLVED IN OUR LIVES.

Not only did God create a way to live among His people, He created a process by which He would hear from the leadership and direct them when they had an important decision to make. This holy and glorious God was willing to dwell among man for the purpose of receiving their sacrifices and communicating with them — helping them in their time of need. In the same way, God wants to lead us through every decision in life. He is there to gives us wisdom, increase our understanding, and nudge us in the direction He wants us to go.

When we surrender to His lordship, we are giving our all to the God who wants to be with us and longs to be involved in every moment of our lives. This process of offering up our best to the Lord as a sacrifice is described in chapter 29 as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, a special gift for Him. Our holy God is delighted when we go to Him and give all that we have and all that we are to Him.

GOD WANTS TO RECEIVE FROM US.

These burnt offerings are to be made each day from generation to generation. Offer them in the Lord’s presence at the Tabernacle entrance; there I will meet with you and speak with you. I will meet the people of Israel there, in the place made holy by my glorious presence. Yes, I will consecrate the Tabernacle and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. Then I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, and they will know that I am the Lord their God. I am the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am the Lord their God. — Exodus 29:42b-46

How blessed we are to serve a God who desires to have a relationship with us. He wants to hear from us, receive our offerings and be our God. He did not create us and then walk away, or sit on a throne at a distance. He is involved in our lives and asking for our full attention.

GOD WANTS US TO SET ASIDE TIME FOR HIM.

“Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy…’” – Exodus 31:13

Sabbath is a gift from God. He loves us enough to call us to moments of shutting out all of the chaos and slowing down the momentum of life just to BE in His presence. We give our lives sacrificially to Him and His gift back to us is time to rest in His presence — to be refreshed by the knowledge that He is God. He is holy, He loves us and He is faithfully doing great works for us. Let’s create a tabernacle — a beautiful place to spend time with Him. Let’s create sabbath — an intimate time to rest in the presence of God. Let’s offer up our best to Him as we give Him thanks.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.
It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning,
Your faithfulness in the evening…
You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!
I sing for joy because of what you have done.
Oh Lord, what great works you do! And how deep are your thoughts. – Psalm 92:1-5

The one thing I ask of the Lord—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections
and meditating in his Temple. – Psalm 27:4