Vayak’hel (And He Assembled) Exodus (Sh’mot) 35:1-38:20 and P’Kudei (Accounts) Exodus (Sh’mot) 38:21-40:38 Haftorah Reading: I Kings 7:13-26, 7:40-8:21
1.There are a total of 46 chapters in the Torah devoted to the Mishkan or Tabernacle. Why would the children of Israel need so many verses on the same topic and why do you think G-d gave so much text on a subject that does not seem to be that useful to us today?
Why would the children of Israel need so many verses on the Mishkan?
Worshiping the golden calf showed they needed a visual of who G-d is
They needed to learn how to worship Him and Him only.
The Mishkan was a constant reminder that they saw every day
G-d was dwelling in their midst.
The Mishkan was in the middle of the camp of the twelve tribes.
He was in the cloud by day and the fire by night hovering over the Mishkan
G-d’s presence was always there directing them.
The Mishkan was a blueprint on how to approach G-d, in holiness, purity & reverence. It is a blueprint for us also.
We need to always remember His Holiness
We need to remember there is an order in how we approach G-d Almighty.
We cannot approach His throne with unforgiven sin.
The priest had to go through a ceremonial cleansing before performing their priestly duties We must perform a spiritual cleansing before we approach G-d.
We can’t just show up with a list of needs.
There is an order to our relationship and worship of Almighty G-d.
These verses are a reminder for us of who G-d is, of His holiness.
They also remind us He is always with us, will never leave us.
2.One of our Torah portions is called Pekudei. The English translation of this word is accounting. This is not the professional term of accounting but the act of taking stock of what has been entrusted to us. This is what we see Moses doing here in this Torah portion. He accounted for all the donations the people had given for the construction of the Mishkan. Why do you think this was important for Moses to do?
This passage lists the exact amounts of gold, silver, and bronze collected, and the purposes to which each was put. Why did Moses do this?
Moses issued a detailed reckoning of all donations.
He wanted to avoid suspicion that he had taken some of the donated money.
Note the emphasis that Moses did not do the accounting himself.
It was done “by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar,”
in other words, by independent auditors.
Accusations of corruption have often been leveled against leaders, with or without justification. The Talmud says, “When humans commit a sin they worry that other people might see them. They forget that G-d certainly sees them. Temptation befuddles the brain, and no one should believe they are immune to it.”
Moses reminds us of the need for transparency.
We must be as transparent as possible in the way we live our life
Transparent in the way we spend our money and places we go.
We must avoid any appearance of evil.
We need to be above board not only in what we do but how our actions look to those around us. 1 Thessalonians 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
Another thought on the message of these verses
We need to slow down and take an accounting of our lives
We need to check what G-d has entrusted to us.
Are we using what He has given us in a way that would please Him?
Have we been faithful to use the spiritual gifts He has given us?
Are we so caught up in living we have forgotten who we are living for?
It is far too easy to lose our way unless we take the time to account for what He has given us. He has set a path for each of us, a path He desires we walk.
I Peter 4:10-11, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of G-d’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of G-d. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength G-d provides, so that in all things G-d may be praised through Yeshua. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
3.When we look at the anointing oil and incense discussed in our section this week in Exodus/Sh’mot 40:9, we see where these items became holy when mixed as they should be and set aside for use in the Mishkan to anoint items and people. I Peter 1:14-16 says “You shall be holy for I am holy.” Can we lose our holiness? How does G-d’s holiness affect your life?
When we lose a sense of G-d’s holiness we also lose a sense of our own sinfulness.
When we are in this state we begin to take G-d’s grace for granted
and are offended by His holy wrath or judgment.
Our motive for being holy is not just to follow rules and laws,
Our motive is to follow G-d Himself.
Hebrews 12:14, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the L-rd.”
G-d’s commands are really a reflection of His nature.
He commands good because He is good.
He commands holiness because He is holy,
He commands justice because He is just.
He commands love because He is loving.
His commands show us how to be free and whole.
They are G-d’s “instruction manual.”
The more we meditate on who G-d is, the more we see we are to be holy and set apart.
What does this mean in our daily lives?
Can we lose our holiness?
The items in the Mishkan would lose their holiness if misused.
We are called to live a holy life.
If not, we lose our influence as a believer.
A believer can lose their fellowship with G-d through willful sin and unrepentant actions.
We can certainly lose our effectiveness in bringing His light into the world. May none of us find ourselves in this situation.
I Peter 1:14-16: “ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
4.In Exodus 40:34 says, “Then a cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the L-rd filled the tabernacle.” The glory of G-d covered the Tabernacle because the people had been obedient and constructed the Tabernacle just as G-d had commanded. Because of their obedience G-d was blessing them. Do you think G-d loves us more when we are obedient? Does He love us less when we sin?
Sometimes our parents mold our idea of who G-d is.
If they were loving parents we may not struggle with the fact that G-d’s love is unending.
But if our parents did not know how to love us it may be harder.
We may have thought we needed to be “perfect” to earn their love.
Our parent’s love could come and go depending on circumstances.
We might transfer that belief to our relationship to G-d.
When we do that, we may feel the need to hide our sins from G-d instead of confessing them Even though in reality we hide nothing from G-d.
But the truth is, G-d’s love is unconditional.
It is based on His character, not something we do to earn it.
We cannot do more good things and make G-d love us more.
G-d’s love is perfect.
His covenant love never changes.
It is so vast and immovable and unchanging that it is hard for us to comprehend as human beings whose love is imperfect.
Bible verses describing G-d’s unending, steadfast love
Jeremiah 31:3, “The L-rd appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
Lamentations 3:22, “Because of the L-RD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of G-d that is in Yeshua the Messiah our L-rd.”
Hazak, Hazak, v’nit’chazek! Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened!