Bible Stories for the Young
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Moses had all the details of the House, the Tabernacle, written down exactly as God had shown him on the mountain. So now that they had God’s blueprint, the next thing they needed was to gather the supplies so that they could actually start build, build, building it.
Do you think God just said, “Okay, now that you have My detailed instructions in the blueprint, you’re on your own to build it”?
Of course not! God isn’t like that. Whenever God asks us to do something, He gives us everything we need to get His job done. God is a Master Designer, Builder AND Craftsman, so He’ll stay on the job until it’s done.
So God said, “Ask the people to find out who wants to give, give, give. Anyone who has a willing heart can give their best treasures for the work. You will need gold, silver, bronze, good cloth, and blue, purple, and red thread (these were very rare colors back then). You will also need animal skins, the best wood, good oil, and precious gems.”
Woah… They needed a lot of stuff, didn’t they? Where were the people going to get all these special treasures out in the middle of the desert?
Surprise! God had already made sure they would have all they needed! (But that isn’t really a surprise, is it? God always knows what we’ll need before we need it. Maybe we should say “Un-Surprise!”) Do you remember when they left Egypt how God told them to ask the Egyptians for their treasures? Well, because of this, God’s people already had all the treasures they needed to make God’s House beautiful and exactly according to His pattern.
Now they just needed people who really knew how to build, and design, and weave all the beautiful things God wanted in His House.
Un-Surprise! Un-Surprise! God took care of this, too. But He didn’t say, “Anyone who wants to build or who is a good builder or artist, just go ahead and start building.” Nope. God supernaturally gave particular people special abilities and skills so that they would be able to get the job done! He made them able to cut stone, shape metal, and make beautiful cloth. He gave them understanding to make everything He had told them, and He made them able to teach other people how to build God’s way, too. When God asks us to do something, He provides the gifting we need in order to do it His way.
So Moses and the people followed God’s building instructions with all the details: the Big Tent and its rooms, the Altar, the Wash Bowl, the sweet-smelling spices, the Lampstand, the Bread Table, the Big Thick Curtain, and the Ark. They followed the details exactly - and it was Beautiful!
When the work was completed, the people saw something amazing happen. God moved into His tent! The tall cloud went and covered the Tabernacle. In the day, the tall cloud covered it, and at night the fire covered it.
When the cloud lifted up off the Tabernacle, the people would take down their tents and pack up all their stuff and move with the cloud. They would follow it until it stopped again. Whether the cloud stayed above the Tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, the people did not move on until the cloud moved. But, as soon as it lifted, even if they’d only stayed there for one day, they packed up and moved on. So they journeyed at the Lord’s command, and they did whatever the Lord told them through Moses.
Day by day by day, they followed God’s tall cloud. And God now had a comfy copy of His House right in the middle of His Children!
Heaven had touched earth!
