TUESDAY
Passages about the tabernacle are dispersed throughout the Exodus narrative. We aren’t going to read through all of the specific of the tabernacle. You can feel free to do that for additional content if you’d like. For today, we see that the building of the tabernacle was a group project.
My wife Savanna never liked group projects in school because she ended up doing all the work. I loved group projects because someone else would do all the work for me. As you can see, we compliment each other well. 😊
Exodus 25:1–9 (NIV)
Offerings for the Tabernacle
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give. 3 These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; 4 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 5 ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather; acacia wood; 6 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 7 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
It’s interesting to contrast the building of the tabernacle with the building of the golden calf. First, this is a freewill offering. The golden calf was coerced as Aaron was threatened and the people were simply told to rip off their earrings and give them. God desires freewill offerings of his people. He loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7). So our gifts, our tithes, all of our generosity should flow from the generosity of our hearts, not under compulsion.
Second, the golden calf only used gold earrings for its construction. Here there is a diverse range of materials, colors, and stones. God loves beauty. A cursory glance at the snow, the green pine trees, and the sun reflecting off the snow reveals this to be true. And this is winter. Spring will bring a whole new expression of beauty and diversity. Of course, God’s greatest, most beautiful creation is humanity. People are all fearfully and wonderfully made. People are beautifully diverse and unique. God clearly loves beauty and expressions of his created beauty as worship to him. C.S. Lewis has a wonderful line in Mere Christianity that illustrates the diversity of the people of God amidst the backdrop of the monotony of evil. "How monotonously alike all the great tyrants and conquerors have been: how gloriously different are the saints.”
Again, this is a group effort. The people all contribute. We read in our Serve Sunday week of 
Bezalel and Oholiab. These tradesmen are said to be filled with the Spirit to build the pieces of the tabernacle.
Reflection
What is your part in the community worship of the people of God.