Some Assembly Required; Ex 39-40

May the mumbling commence!

There is some assembly required.  In Exodus 39-40, the Tabernacle and all its accessories are finished.  What it left to do now?  Assemble it, of course.  I wonder how long it took to completely assemble the Tabernacle.

I am brought back to nearly two months ago.  My wife and I bought a play kitchen set for our two-year-old son, Micah.  Well, my wife bought it; but guess who had to assemble it.  Yeah, that duty fell to me.  The words that every parent dreads to read on Christmas Eve: SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED.

I drug up the box from the basement at about ten Christmas Eve night, after Micah was successfully put into his crib and sleeping.  I admit: I had not looked very carefully at the box before.  I was relieved when I saw that only a Phillips-head screwdriver and a wire cutter were needed for assembly.  I already had both tools, so no late night run to find that elusive tool.

So, I opened the box and tried to organize the contents.  I was relieved when I found the assembly instructions.  However, whoever had created these instructions was not as lucid as our Lord.  I spoke yesterday about wishing for more images of the Tabernacle; but, as I tried to assemble the play kitchen set, I found myself wishing for more explanation in words.  A vast majority of the instructions were illustrated only.  At times, I had to disassemble and reassemble parts before I got them assembled correctly (as far as I could tell).

This process began at ten Christmas Eve night, but I didn’t finish it until about two Christmas morning.  So, four hours later, with bleary eyes and sore knees, I finished the project.  I think my wife, Anita, had the easier project in wrapping the other Christmas gifts.  Talk about a short night and a sleepy Christmas morning!  And, that morning Micah did not even take notice of the play set!  At least not until it was time to leave for Grandpa and Grandma Masts’ house for Christmas dinner.  Boy, has Micah ever got a lot of play out of that set!  Micah’s play has made the long hours assembling it worth my while.  It shows Micah’s acceptance and appreciation of the gift.

Well, for Moses and the Israelite community, the Lord also showed his appreciation and acceptance by lowering the pillar of cloud on top of the assembled Tabernacle and by filling the Tabernacle with His Shekinah glory.  Moses and Israel were probably relieved that their work was accepted by the Lord.  They had followed His instructions to a tee.  They would not have to start all over again.  Again, I wonder how long it would take to fully assemble the Tabernacle.  Some scholars look at these Scriptures and deduce that it would have taken a day (or less) to construct the Tabernacle.

So, Moses and Israel (it is difficult for me to believe that Moses alone could have assembled the Tabernacle in a day or less) could dust off their hands and knees and relax in the afterglow of a job well done.  That would be true – except for the fact that they would still have to follow the pillar of cloud and fire that represented the Living Lord, the Great I Am.

I wouldn’t want to take down the kitchen play set and negate four hours of work – let alone eight to twenty-four hours worth.  And Israel would have to set up and tear down the Tabernacle many times before they reached the Promised Land (not to mention carrying all that stuff as they walked along).  Sometimes, I wonder if the Lord ever played the game of moving the pillar, having Israel start packing up the Tabernacle, and returning the pillar to its former place.  Wouldn’t that be fun to watch the Israelites scramble!

One last note before I stop: the bronze basin that was used to ceremonially wash the hands and feet of the priests was made out of an interesting material.  According to Exodus 38:8, the basin was constructed from some of the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.  Maybe it wasn’t significant in those days, but mirrors are the best friends of the vain.  And they were sacrificed to be basins for ceremonial washing.  Indeed, it would have a cleansing affect if we were to spend less time preening our own outward images and more time preparing our hearts for worship…  Just a thought!

I give thanks for this time to meditate on the Word of the Lord.  Enough mumbling for today…

Peace Out