So the people of Israel followed all of the Lord’s instructions to Moses. Moses inspected all their work and blessed them because it had been done as the LORD had commanded him. - Exodus 39:42-43
You’ve probably heard it said that “the devil is in the details.” What you may not have heard is that the Lord is interested in the details! He expects those who take their spiritual lives seriously to show their faithfulness not only in the major issues but in the minor details, too.
God Almighty made it clear that he intended to dwell among the people of Israel, whom he had chosen. Even in their wilderness travels he had indicated that his presence in their midst was vital to their identity and survival. Accordingly, God ordered his people to build a structure that would be appropriate to their environment—a tent in a desert. More important, it was a structure worthy of his presence. God conveyed minute details concerning size, structure, materials, and decorations to Moses.
Given the difficult circumstances under which these people worked, it is noteworthy that they took no shortcuts, used no inferior materials, and took pains to finish the work as stipulated. The people building the tabernacle in the desert were doing their work as unto the Lord, and for them a job well done was the least their God deserved. The quality of their work was testimony to their faithful commitment to him. On inspection of the finished work, Moses noted that the “people of Israel followed all of the Lord’s instructions,” and he called together the workmen and “blessed them because it had been done as the Lord had commanded him” (39:42-43).
Modern workmen are not always as assiduous. They call in sick when they are not, they cut corners if no one is watching, they contract for one commodity and slip in another. Employees rip off management, and managers abuse employees. Many people feel the workplace is a rat race and the rats are winning. What a place for the man of God to show he marches to a different drummer!
We are called to live out our discipleship by being faithful to God in the details of our lives. The Lord deserves to be well served; those who do so in their daily lives are simply being faithful. Faithfulness comes in many shapes and sizes, but it never includes shortcuts, shoddy materials, and half measures. Faithfulness, even and especially in the details of our lives, is what God desires.
For Further Study: Exodus 39:32-43
Excerpted from The One Year Devotions for Men, Copyright ©2000 by Stuart Briscoe. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
For more from Stuart Briscoe, please visit TellingtheTruth.org.
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