Exodus 25-26

Exodus 25 and 26 is the detailed description of how to build the tabernacle and it's furniture. It starts with the Lord asking the Israelites for an offering from each man whose heart prompts him to give. In Sunday School we were just talking about the difference between "Offering" and "Collection". Collection implies that it isn't quite voluntary, somebody's coming to get it. The IRS collects our taxes, we don't offer it to them.

In this passage he is clearly not asking for a percentage or anything else like that, he just asks for whatever their heart prompts him to give. I think that this is a reference to the Holy Spirit, as he is the one that whispers things to our hearts. I think he is just asking Israel to obey the Spirit's promptings.

The rest of the chapters were very detailed building instructions and I'm not sure that I understand the symbolism. It's interesting to me that he does give such detail, surely there were skilled men in construction among the Israelites. He is revealing things about Himself in the plans: His holiness. I think we focus sometimes too much on how God loves us and we think of Him as warm and fuzzy, which is a side of him to be sure. But there is also the side of him that is almost a little scary where He demands our solemn respect in the presence of his Holiness.

I'm going to think more today about our God who is Holy and think about what it means to fear the Lord.