May the mumbling commence!
Talk about an extreme tent makeover! In Exodus 25-27, Moses receives the blueprint for the Tabernacle. I look at the lavish materials and dimensions of the tabernacle and wonder if free will offerings would be enough. Perhaps, the gifts given by the Egyptians as Israel marched out of Egypt would help supply building materials. They would need much gold, silver, and bronze. They would need much acacia wood. Then, there would also be a need for yarn, wool, linen, goat hair, ram skins, and sea cow skins. They would need dyes for red, purple and blue. They would need olive oil and anointing oil and fragrant incense. And they would need precious stones.
They were to come up with all these items in a desert. Where would they find the wood? And how about the sea cow skins – where would they find them? A lot of sandy beach but no seaside in sight! Where would they find the dyes for the red, purple and blue materials?
And the whole tabernacle must be mobile, because the Lord and His people were on the move. In fact, the carrying poles were to be left in the ark. Sometimes it would need to be moved quickly.
The Holy of Holies was to have only the best of the best. All the wood was overlaid with gold – both for the ark and the table of the bread of the Presence. The atonement cover was made of pure gold. The lamp stands that were to be lit throughout the night were also to be made from pure gold. They represent the ever light-giving presence of the Lord, the Great I Am. All the accessories for the lamp stand were to be made of pure gold as well. About 75 pounds of gold were used just to create the lamp stand and the accessories – yes, 75 pounds. Today, the going rate for an ounce of gold is $1,362.30. There are sixteen ounces in a pound. That means the material cost today of that lamp stand set would be $1,634,760!
The curtains to protect the Tabernacle were fine as well – finely twisted linen with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn woven into it. The pattern of the weavings would be of cherubim (angels). The work called for a skilled craftsman. And we may associate the color purple with royalty. It is probably because, at the time, purple was a costly dye to make. Yes, give of your own free will, but spare no expense.
And all of this stuff had to be mobile at a moment’s notice. That lamp stand and accessories alone would be one heavy burden to carry over the miles that Israel was to trek!
I wonder why this wealth wasn’t used to help the vulnerable in the community instead. It is a question the Jesus’ disciples put to him when Jesus was anointed with the costly perfume. Shouldn’t the perfume be sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus replied, “You will always have the poor with you, and you can help them any time. You will not always have me.”
Yes, the Lord is worthy of only our best. It is good to splurge on God – especially if the splurge serves to glorify God. Many churches today struggle with whether or not the technological upgrades for worship are worth the money. The money would be better used in mission elsewhere – mission that will glorify God elsewhere. Yes, this is a true statement.
But I struggle with the problem of reaching the mission field at our doorstep. I am saddened as I see the atrophy of church membership in America. What if technological upgrades would attract more young people to church? Some of the upgrades would help us to tell the gospel visually, and the vast majority of people are visual. Think about all the upgrades to TV that have happened within your lifetime. And young people would bring their skill set as well; for we, too, would need to reach out to find skilled technicians to help the technology run smoothly. If we use these technologies to glorify God and bring others into relationship with God, wouldn’t that be worth a great deal? Spare no expense!
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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