Exodus 39:32 - Meaning and Application

Here we should notice, first, how quickly the builders finished the tabernacle. It took little more than five months from start to finish. Even though the work was very detailed, with embroidery and engraving in gold and precious stones, they completed it in a short time. Church work is usually slow, but they handled this work quickly and with great care.

Three things helped them. Many hands worked together in full agreement, without competing with one another. The workers were taught by God, so they avoided mistakes that would have slowed them down. The people were eager and wholehearted, and they were impatient to see the work finished. God had prepared their hearts, and then the work was done quickly (2 Chronicles 29:36). When God gives us resolve, steady effort, and a willing mind, a great deal of good work can be done in less time than we expect.

Next, they followed their orders exactly and did not depart from them in any way. They did everything as the Lord commanded Moses (Exodus 39:32, Exodus 39:42). God’s work must be done according to his own will in every detail. His commands do not need human additions, and human inventions do not make them better or more fitting. We must not add to his words. God is pleased with sincere worship, but not with worship that comes from our own idea instead of his command.

Then they brought all their work to Moses and let him inspect and judge it (Exodus 39:33). He knew what he had told them to make, so the items were checked one by one. This showed that they had made everything, left nothing out, and followed the instructions exactly. It also meant that if anything was wrong, it could be corrected at once. In this way they honored Moses, who was set over them by the Lord, and they did not argue that he was not skilled enough to judge their work. God gave them skill for the work, and he also gave them humility to welcome inspection and comparison with the pattern. Moses was in authority, and they respected that. Even if they knew the craft better than Moses, he had a more exact picture of the model, so they could not be satisfied unless he approved. In all religious service, we should aim to be accepted by the Lord.

Moses then examined everything and found that it had all been done according to the rule (Exodus 39:43). For their sake and his own, he looked over each piece, and he saw that it matched the pattern shown to him. The same God who showed Moses the pattern guided their hands in the work. All copies of God’s grace match the original in his plan. What God works in us and through us fulfills his own good purpose. When God’s great plan is finished, and all his works are compared with his purposes, it will be clear that everything was done according to the counsel of his will, and not one part of it failed or changed.

Finally, Moses blessed them. He praised them and showed that he approved of all they had done. He did not look for faults where there were none, as some people do when they want to seem clever or strict. It is likely that a few tiny flaws could have been found by a very picky critic, but Moses was too fair to point to small things when there were no major faults. All leaders should praise those who do well, just as they should warn those who do evil. No one should take pride in being hard to satisfy.

Moses also prayed for them. He blessed them as one with authority, because the lesser is blessed by the greater. We are not told that Moses paid them wages for their work, but he gave them this blessing. Usually, a worker deserves his pay, but here there were special reasons. First, they were working for their own good. The honor and joy of having God’s tabernacle among them was reward enough. Second, they received their food from heaven without cost, for themselves and their families, and their clothes did not wear out, so they had no need of wages and no right to expect them. We should give freely, since we have freely received. The duty and privilege of serving God should be enough to stir us to work, even without any promised reward. But this blessing in the Lord’s name was enough payment for all their labor. Those whom God uses will be blessed by him, and those whom he blesses are truly blessed. The blessing he gives is life forevermore.