"Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished. And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses; so they did." (Ex. 39:32)
Today we return to our studies of Exodus, picking up in verse 41 of chapter 39 where the artists completed the tabernacle. It took a little more than five months to finish the tabernacle and all its fine work—the building, the embroidering, and the engraving in gold and in precious stones. Matthew Henry comments, “Church work is usually slow work, but they made quick work of this, and yet did it with the greatest exactness imaginable.”
We can surmise that they managed to accomplish such a feat by the employment of many hands. When only a few engage in ministry, we ought not to be surprised by the slowness of its completion. We cannot expect more than what only a few are able to deliver. Work is generally accomplished much more quickly and usually more efficiently when there are many hands involved. But too often some people in the church sit back and watch others do all the work, while criticizing them for their inefficiency and inadequacy. If a church is to run successfully, many hands should be involved in either the support or execution of its ministry.
We can also imagine that the artists were able to complete their work because they labored without quarreling, and observed their orders without argument or deviation. Whether people were supplying the materials, serving the workers, or building the tabernacle directly, they worked together in one zealous but controlled spirit. For the church to run smoothly, people need to work together in a loving and humble manner, submitting to God and to one another. But when members of the church serve for the sake of vainglory and pride, they create conflict which hinders the work of the ministry.
The success of the tabernacle’s construction also probably resulted from the artists following the orders of God directly and submitting to the oversight of Moses. Each man did not do what was right in his own eyes, but what God commanded, and he subordinated himself to Moses. Any ministry will run better and more smoothly if men follow the ways of God and not the ways of men, and if the workers submit to those in authority, and do not presume to do their own thing. If the leaders themselves are submitting to God and following His Word, then the church will prosper and Jesus Christ will be glorified.
What hindrances, frustrations, and conflicts are in your church or in the ministry in which you are involved? What are the sources of those conflicts? What responsibility do you have to make sure the work is accomplished and the ministry is honoring to God? Pray for your church and for your ministry, that they will glorify the Lord.
