Exodus 39:42-43

 

n the passages below from Exodus, it seems clear to the reader or should that Yahweh is pleased when humans obeyed His instructions, for these Hebrews erected the Dwelling of the Meeting tent as God instructed, and, once God was pleased with their completion of the project and their willing compliance with His expressed wishes, He indirectly expressed His approval and pleasure by ordering Moses to bless the dwelling.

 

Here are the two passages from The New American Bible: “The Israelites had carried out all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. So, when Moses saw all the work was done just as the Lord commanded, he blessed them.”

 

My response: It occurs to me that there is something going on here wonderful and a bit mysterious: we cannot ever fully understand God and De’s motives, for presumably God could have snapped De’s fingers and the Dwelling could have been instantaneously constructed down to the last brad, just as God wanted it fabricated, better than the obedient Hebrews could have provided. The Divine Plan, whatever it is, cannot be met just by God’s efforts: Providence requires that puny, frail humans create the Dwelling as their limited but vitally important contribution to moving forward the Divine Plan, which is obstructed without human input and effort. Yahweh did not need such a human contribution, but somehow eliciting this contribution from cooperative, willing humanity in some way expands and grows God’s kingdom and implements the Divine Plan, not known to us.

 

But that was beside the point to Yahweh: he wanted humans to obey Him of their own free will, and for them as commanded to fabricate the Dwelling or temporary desert church/tent to suit Yahweh’s taste: if they would do that, and once they did that, pleased Yahweh wanted both the Dwelling and the people to be blessed as His reward for the and as a communal sign of divine approval for their fine efforts.

 

Here are the same passages from the Holy Bible (KJV): “According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work.

 

And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so they had done it: and Moses blessed them.”

 

My response: Yes, Moses did bless the Hebrews, but God through Moses also blessed them.