Tues.’s Devo - The Curtains

Read Ex. 36:1-19 Moses called for all the craftsmen to help Bezaleel and Ahioliab. I have a new appreciation for artists; God calls them “wise hearted”. If you look up those two words in the Hebrew they mean “men with skills that come from their feelings, will, and intellect.” They took the offerings of the people - all the precious metals, gems, and cloth and made the furnishings and clothes for the service of the tabernacle. The people gave so much more than they needed that they had to tell them to stop giving! I’ve never heard a church ask the people to stop giving because they had too much. Last week I went to a client’s house that had an arched window over 20 feet tall. She wants me to make a curtain for it. I was extremely intimidated but I kept reminding myself that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The curtains for the tabernacle weren’t that tall but they were 42 feet long and 6 feet tall. There were 5 curtains per side joined together with loops. The loops attached to pins that held them together. It is almost like being surrounded by a protected army that have looped their arms together so nothing can come in. There were 50 of them on each curtain. Fifty speaks of a service being either accepted or rejected. How fitting for the very place the people would bring their atoning sacrifices. The covering over the top of the tabernacle was made of goat’s hair made of 11 curtains 45 feet long and 6 feet wide. This was the first covering over the tabernacle. Goats stand for sin. This sin had to be covered which is the only thing the Old Testament gave provision for. They could cover their sin, but not give them a clean conscience or freedom from sin - only Jesus could do that. Lord, I thank you that we are covered with the blood of Jesus and no longer have to worship under the weight of sin. We are free to worship you with abandon!