March 28, 2012

• "Because God said it; that is all." ~ Andrew Bonar

  I thought Andrew Bonar's "The Pins of the Tabernacle" was a wonderful follow-up to my last post about the Christian's call to be a slave to Christ:

  Exodus 27:19; 38:31; 39:40.

  Exodus 27:19 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.
  
  Exodus 38:31 And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.
  
  Exodus 39:40 The hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, his cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation

  

  These verses teach us a great deal.
  
  I. God's notice of little things.—He takes time to speak about them, and bids Moses write about them. He says as much about the 'pins' in these passages as He does about the work of creation.

  II. God's notice of those who carried the pins (Num. 3:36, 37).—The pins and the cords were under the charge of the sons of Merari, and God looked on those who carried the pins—the very smallest things connected with His work. They marched through the desert—they got the same gleams from the Pillar-Cloud as those who carried the Ark or the Candlestick. It is just like our God to attend to the small things very carefully: the wing of a fly, a blade of grass. It is characteristic of His greatness that He can attend to the small things as well as to the great—while He is listening to the praises of eternity He can be thinking on those who are carrying the pins of the tabernacle. Does not this appear in what Christ says, 'Not a sparrow falls to the ground without your Father'? 'The very hairs of your head are all numbered.' What comfort there is in this! Are you ever afraid to tell God your small things, as if they were not worth while His attending to? But your great things are not any more worth attending to. This should lead us to lay our care upon Him, to trust Him better.

  III. This teaches us to be contented with out lot.—The sons of Merari might say, 'Why do our brethren the Kohathites carry the Ark?' Because God said it; that is all. He that serves most is the greatest in the kingdom. He who carries the pins may get the greatest reward. You may think you are in a very small sphere. God says, 'Here is your sphere, here stand.' The poorest Israelite, serving God in his dwelling, might get as much of the divine favour as did Daniel, who was governor over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces. Do not say, 'I want to get out of the rut into another place.' If you get out of the rut of carrying pins when God put you there, you will not be blessed. Are we in the camp with God? That is the great thing. Come to the altar and lay your hand on the sacrifice, and thus claim a sinner's access to a holy God. Then God will give you your place, and, whether it be large or small, He will shine on you with the brightness of His face for ever and ever!

  * * *

  "God never sends any of His servants on a needless errand..."
  (George Whitefield)

  Jeremiah 45:5
  And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not..

  Luke 12:31-32, 34-40
  But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
  
   For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

  From Strong's Concordance:

  blessed = makarios (mak-ar'-ee-os) -

  a prolonged form of the poetical makar (meaning the same);
  supremely blest; by extension, fortunate, well off:-- blessed, happy(X -ier).

  "Trust and obey, for there's no other way,
  to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."
  (John H. Sammis)

  Psalm 100:2
  Serve the LORD with gladness:
  come before his presence with singing.

  ---

  Reference: Bonar's "Pins of the Tabernacle" found at http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=14. Please note: I added in the KJV text of the Exodus verses, and boldface, mine.

  Related:

  • Lenten Reflections: "so Joel had another appointment"
  • Lenten Reflections: Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus
  • Lenten Reflections: His ear opened, Our ears stopped ~ Are you following the Servant? (Isaiah 50)
  • Lenten Reflections: Climbing (the minister's descent)
  • Lent II.-God's calling: "As my Father hath sent Me, so send I you." | Oswald Chambers
  • Bible Reading: Things To Look for in a Church–What We Find in Solomon's Temple, #4: Sacrifice
  • (2) Kingdom-Obsessed People know who's "The King"
  • Palm Sunday: Why loose the donkey and the colt?
  • occupy ~ do you seek your own – or the things of Christ? does His Spirit occupy?
  • Kingdom-Obsessed People don't seek "great things" for themselves
  • Letter 25 on assurance and fighting for joy (a strong craving ≠ His joy)
  • Is your ambition holy? / What are you living for? (Louis Paul Lehman) / The Christian's Aim
  • occupy ~ do you seek your own – or the things of Christ? does His Spirit occupy?
  • Romans 12:1-2 ~ Ann Hasseltine Judson: a willing sacrifice – Are you?
  • "if I would but cease struggling ... I might be happy" (Edward Payson)
  • A Song of Surrender: Aaron Shust's "Give It All Away"
  • but made Himself of no reputation ~ O, for grace to be a doorkeeper! (Philippians 2, Psalm 84)
  • O, this cross! ~ We are but vessels
  • a conversation with Jesus about misplaced joy ("do not rejoice in this" - letter 73 on joy)
  • My love affair . . . whose trumpet, whose glory & incomplete joy
  • Make war (Herod, blogging, appetites, the glory of God & the Word of God)
  • What Is Success? What Is Making a Difference? Part 1
  • What Is Success? What Is Making a Difference? Part 11 ... from Oswald Chambers
  • What Is Success? What Is Making a Difference? Part 12-Henri Nouwen and Successful Apple Picking
  • What Is Success? What Is Making a Difference? Part 13-How Charles de Foucauld Viewed "Success"
  • What Is Success? What Is Making a Difference? Part 14-Being Faithful Wherever God Places Me
  • What Is Success? What Is Making a Difference? Part 15: What we learn from Jesus
  • A Hymn for "Shelf" Times..."Lord, We Know That Thou Art Near Us"
  • Happy Mother's Day (2007): Mary's "Kingdom Availability" and "Kingdom Vision"
  • Bible Reading-Mark 4: (6) Kingdom-Obsessed People persevere in scattering seed

  Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible, emphasis mine.
  Work found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Holman_The_Southeast_View_of_the_Tabernacle.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0 / PD

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