2.18.26 – New Focus

This week, in the Torah portion Terumah, we will experience a massive shift in the book of Exodus (Shemot). We leave behind the signs, wonders, and epic events that formed the nation of Israel and led them to their destination wedding at Mount Sinai (Ex. 1–24). The focus turns from the miraculous to the construction of a home for God to dwell in the midst of His bride.

Strangely enough, the blueprint and construction of this temporary "apartment for God" is going to take up sixteen chapters of exact details copying the Tabernacle in heaven (Ex. 25–40), whereas the creation of the world only received thirty-four verses (Gen. 1:2–2:3). Does that seem a little odd to you—that a temporary dwelling would receive more "press time" than the creation of the world? If you think that is a little bizarre, I agree with you! But why? It was designed to be a temporary dwelling, but the profound life lessons are meant to endure forever.

Genesis revealed the history of our founding fathers and the family that would form the foundation of Israel. The book of Exodus reveals the process where the family became a nation that would be given the responsibility to model a lifestyle to bless the nations (Gen. 12:1–3; Lev. 26; Deut. 28). We entered Egypt as a family and left a sizable nation, which included the mixed multitude who recognized that Egypt was desolate and had no immediate future. Both groups shared a past history as well as a responsibility for the future.

As former slaves, their minds were forged through fear-mongering techniques that produced a people who could easily be manipulated to do whatever those in power wanted. Consequently, when they were delivered out of Egypt by the blood of the lamb (Ex. 12), they were prone to complain when things did not go as they wanted. With their new freedom and old mindset, they expected someone else to provide everything for them—a spiritual and physical form of socialism. But that was not the mindset or plan of their future husband, their Bridegroom King.

With every challenge they complained! Since the fear of the unknown was always before them, the only thing they knew to do was to turn back to their Egyptian mindset and complain to the one who was leading them to the ultimate freedom, where they could determine their own blessed destiny under the divine provision of the liberating God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (nice run-on sentence :-).

There were highs and lows waiting for them on their forty-two-stop journey! Yet with the pillar of cloud and fire to lead them day and night, they moved forward continuously (Ex. 13:21–22). God was not going to let a little murmuring and complaining keep Him from fulfilling His Word to Moses (Ex. 3:12), nor fall short of wooing His bride-elect to her wedding nuptials (Ex. 19–23) and consummating the relationship at Mount Sinai (Ex. 24:3–8).

For over a year, God had been performing signs and wonders, yet the Israelites continued to murmur and complain. I am pretty confident that Moses wondered if it would ever stop. If signs and wonders and God's revelation at Mount Sinai were not going to "wow" them out of their fearful expressions, what would?

He did exactly what any good leader would do—or in this case, what any good husband would do for His wife: He created an environment of shalom in the home (shalom bayit). After their wedding, God instructed Moses to instruct the people to lift up (terumah) from their Egyptian treasures all types of metals, fabrics, wood, oils, spices, and stones to construct a dwelling place for God to dwell in the center of their camp according to the heavenly pattern shown to Moses on the mountain (Ex. 25:8–9, 40). By having the people work together on a place for worship, fellowship, and intimacy—the Tabernacle—a "work together" project that would provide the solution for eradicating murmuring and complaining was successfully implemented.

Just as it was then, so it is now. If God's people would participate in building a structure that manifests the presence of God in their midst, they would not have time to gripe, complain, gossip, backbite, or find fault in leadership or in one another. With busy, purposeful hands, the devil lost his destructive workshop. With instructions to build, the people now had a new purpose beyond their Egyptian slavery. Through active involvement with their own possessions and time, they obtained value within their marriage relationship with God—and no complaints, no rebellion, no revolt. Teamwork turned them into a cohesive group.

Seen in this context, this was the essential element in the birth of a nation. It is not what God did for them that transformed their minds, but what they did for God. Is it the same today? Inquiring minds know so :-)! Their participation turned them from subjects into citizens. Their freedom became reality by what they gave and what they did. That is what creates intimacy, and that is what makes us free. It is true today as it was back then.

Now, as was posed to me in an FBS road trip back to Michigan: "How does this work in my 21st-century lifestyle?" Start by associating with people who willingly lift up what they have and follow the instructions :-)

Shalom,
Alan