The Master Designer

I have learned so much more about God since I have been doing the daily Bible readings. It is easy for me to think of God as the Creator of the heavens and the earth. I have never had a hard time "wrapping my mind" around that concept. I can look up into the sky and see His wonders and I marvel at the miracle of the infinite details of a seashell. When I envision God as the Creator, I see that nothing is impossible for Him and He does everything in such a big way. However, as I read through Genesis and Exodus, I see a different aspect of our Creator God. He is a builder, an architect, a clothing designer and an interior designer. For some reason, it is more difficult for me to imagine God in these "every day" roles, but I am realizing that he is an "every day" kind of God. He is very interested in all of the details concerning our daily activity.

When God instructed Noah to build the ark, He knew exactly what the ark needed to remain afloat during the time of flooding. He was specific about the type of wood to be used--cypress. It was to be coated with pitch inside and out. The ark was to be 450 feet long, 75 fee wide, and 45 feet high. As a builder of the infamous ark, God protected Noah, his family and all of the animals, and also demonstrated His wrath upon a godless generation as the waters covered the entire earth. His instructions were accurate and fail-proof regarding the construction of the ark.

In Exodus, we read about the construction of the Tabernacle, the altar of burnt offerings and the priestly garments. These chapters contain tedious details about the construction of the Tabernacle. Surprisingly, I was very fascinated by these chapters. God was very specific about the materials to be used for the Tabernacle just as he was for the ark before the flood. He specified the length of the curtains and size of the altar of burnt offering. He was particular about the clothing for Aaron the priest, and how it was to be designed. He only chose the finest materials to be used for these things. As I was reading about all of God's specifications for the Tabernacle and the priestly garments, I began to ask "Why?" Why would God go to such great lengths to give such detail? Why was it so important to God for his instructions to be followed so accurately?

Sometimes God's instructions are for our protection as demonstrated with Noah and the ark. Other times, God's instructions show us a bigger picture of Himself, or they display symbolism of what is to come. The Tabernacle symbolized in many ways the coming of Christ, the pure and spotless Lamb who would come to atone for the sins of all people. God has also revealed to me that He is a God of great order and detail and He has expectations for His instructions to be followed completely and accurately as an act of obedience. Sometimes it doesn't matter if we know the answer "why" to all that God asks of us. What does matter is that we are obedient to do what He has asked us to do. God the architect, master planner, interior designer is reconstructing each of us on a daily basis. Will we hear Him as He gives us specific instructions about our lives? How will we respond? What I learned from reading these chapters in Genesis and Exodus, is that God has a specific design for our lives, and they will be made of the finest materials--character, endurance, perseverance, faith, etc. Ultimately, our life's purpose is to point to Christ and to demonstrate His love, mercy and faithfulness. May we all be sensitive to God's master planning in our lives so that they bring glory and honor to Him while we are here on this earth.