What can we learn about obedience from the construction in Exodus 36:28? Setting the Scene Exodus 36 zooms in on skilled men whom the LORD filled with His Spirit, wisdom, and understanding (Exodus 35:30–35). Verse 28 looks almost incidental: “He also made two additional frames for the two back corners of the tabernacle.” Yet even this brief line pulses with lessons on obedience. The Obedient Craftsmen • Precise obedience The workers duplicated God’s blueprint from Exodus 26 down to two seemingly insignificant corner frames. • Unseen faithfulness These frames would be hidden behind layers of curtains, but they received the same careful workmanship as visible pieces. • Shared submission Numerous artisans labored, yet a single standard—God’s word—governed every hammer strike. • Resource stewardship The materials came from offerings earlier gathered (Exodus 36:3–7); obedience wisely uses God-provided resources. What Their Example Teaches about Obedience Today • Detail matters God honors obedience that refuses shortcuts, even when no human eye will notice (Luke 16:10). • Corners count Hidden habits, private thoughts, and “small” tasks fall under the same call to holiness as public ministry (Psalm 139:23–24). • Complete, not partial “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to it or take from it.” (Deuteronomy 12:32) • Heart before ritual “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings … as much as in obedience to His voice? Obedience is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22) • Love proven by obedience “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) Echoes Throughout Scripture • Noah built “according to all that God had commanded him” (Genesis 6:22). • Solomon finished the temple “exactly as he had been taught” (1 Chronicles 28:11–19). • Jesus fulfilled every jot and tittle of the Law (Matthew 5:17–18). Scripture consistently pairs blessing with thorough obedience. Living It Out • Treat private disciplines—prayer, thought life, finances—like those hidden corner frames, crafted to God’s specifications. • Approach work, study, and relationships “with all your heart, as working for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). • Welcome the Spirit’s empowerment; the same Spirit who filled Bezalel equips believers for day-to-day faithfulness (Ephesians 5:18). The simple note about two extra corner frames reminds believers that God delights in whole-hearted, meticulous obedience, even in the unseen corners of life. |
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