Day 23

Monday, March 15
Exodus 37-38

Exodus 37-38 gives fairly detailed notes on how the ark, table, lampstand, altars, basin for washing and courtyard were built. The Biblical description involves a lot of gold, acacia and bronze. Since there were no Ikea manuals at this time, the instructions for assembling each of these items had been given to Moses on the mount earlier in Exodus.

While the Editor-In-Chief of Exodus could probably have cut a lot of copy and just said “everything was built as instructed,” the level of detail included in scripture suggests a deeper meaning worthy of explication. What Moses had been told to build wasn’t merely a table and a basin, it was a sanctuary in which God could dwell among his people. Great care was taken into following the instructions Moses relayed and making the courtyard a truly protective border for the tabernacle.  

Similarly, God calls each of us to Holy acts of creation. The internal work we’re called to do during the season of Lent should be completed as instructed; there are no shortcuts. The details of our work must not be resigned to the footnotes of our life stories. Our commitment to follow instructions is squarely part of how we express our love to God.

Reflection by Judith Rowland