Thoughts on Peace, Happiness, ...and the Tabernacle?

As part of my writing creatively goal, I will be trying to post on my blog (and as a note on Facebook) on a fairly regular basis, like once a week. Now, just as a note, I tried to do this before and it ended up being more like once a month…but we’ll see. As far as subjects go…

…well, the sky’s the limit as they say. So that means you could be getting anything from my thoughts on the current lesson in BSF to a sci-fi short story. Just a warning – there will probably be some fiber and knitting related content, too. Some? Hahaha, yeah right. There’ll be lots of that!

Anyway, the last week has brought some very interesting conclusions into my awareness. The first is that there are lots and lots of people trying to achieve peace and happiness this year – though worldly means. And the second is that, “Good gracious, the tabernacle was unbelievably awe-inspiring in every aspect.” (See, thoughts on current BSF lesson.)

For the first…

I came across an article on Yahoo the other day about achieving happiness. My first thought was, “Well, no-one can do that without God,” and my second was, “Hmm, wonder what they are telling people to do now?” (You know, the ubiquitous “they.”) So I clicked on it. There were 5 sections – one was, “If you’re feeling stressed, relax!” Another was “Are you feeling despair? Find hope.” After reading the article I thought, “How can anyone do any of this without God? It just isn’t humanly possible.”

I can’t imagine going through life without the hope and joy and peace of knowing God, and that walking with Him provides. I can’t imagine the constant worry and despair and darkness that would pervade your life. And yet I see people trying to reach those goals all by themselves. I happened across a blog post about peace – both world peace and inner peace. Nowhere did it even mention a divine help or higher power, let alone God’s help, to that goal, but specified that we are each responsible for achieving that peace within and around us. I was completely blown away. Violence and sin and worry and darkness (anti-peace) will continue in a downward spiral until we bring the Father back into the equation. Only He provides the hope of lasting peace on earth and in our hearts.

Now for the second part of my …er, dissertation.

Last weeks lesson in BSF was all about the people of Israel making the articles for the tabernacle and putting it together. Now, I’ve read Exodus before, but never really picked up on just how detailed everything was. And the detail is recorded a couple of times – both when God is giving the information to Moses on the mountain, and also when Moses is passing it along to the people. It is so detailed I can picture it almost entirely in my head – the soft light coming through the linen curtain surrounding the Ark, the gold gleaming softly, adding it’s own luminescence to the space. And outside in the courtyard – the curtains with their colorful embroidery, the bronze, silver and gold reflecting the light of the sun during the day and the light of the pillar of fire at night. One person, either a leader or group member, said something to the effect that through this detail we can get a glimpse of what heaven might be like. How right she is, even if it is the merest, teeniest glimpse!

And the great things is – we can see God and glimpses of heaven in everything - from the peaceful calm of a winter sunset to the graceful landing of a flock of geese. (I’ve been walking around Virginia Lake in the evenings.) I know some people find it hard living here in Reno because of the barrenness of the desert climate, and seeming dullness of the colors. I don’t at all, in fact I love it here! Each changing season is continuously new, with unplumbed depths to see and hear and experience. Every day brings a different light or a new angle of seeing something of His creation that He created specially for Reno, NV. Sometimes when a view or a panorama takes my breath away – I like to think He made it just for me.

Sorry – got a little off track there. Anyway, back to the construction of the Tabernacle. Not only was its appearance spectacular (a place fit for a king – or simply fit for the King of Kings,) but the work that went into it blows my mind. Especially the amount of spinning and weaving that went into the curtains around both the innermost space, but encircling the whole thing. (Aha, you knew I had to bring fiber into this somehow!) I was telling the group in Leaders Meeting how hard it is to spin goat hair, and that you truly had to have the skill and be willing to do it (Ex 35:26) – to do many, many hours of it.

Then they had to weave all the yarn that had been spun – wool, linen, goat. There had to be a precise gauge that had to be met so all the curtains would be the same dimensions. I also noticed that the robe of the ephod for the priests was woven in one piece. That is a weaving skill rarely evidenced in such a nomadic culture, that early in history. Only God could have given them the insight and skill needed to do that. It also takes some heavy-duty equipment.

And don’t forget any dying that had to be done. Only a few people could’ve done that as they needed to match colors fairly consistently. Not to mention the processing of the dyes to begin with – cochineal (red) from a certain kind of bug, purple from a certain kind of shellfish, and blue from indigo and lye.

All in all – a lot of work. Work which I’m sure we as a culture or even as the Church might not be willing to do. Of course we have machines and tehnology to help us today. But that should make the work and end result that much grander, that much beautiful, that much…regal and befitting a Lord of All. And the service that much easier, and our hearts that much more willing. Shouldn’t it?