Hi. Welcome to Redeem the Commute. I’m Ryan, your host of the daily challenges. Today is Tuesday, the day we study the Bible together. This week we’re going to study how God is worthy.

Context:  God has just forgiven the nation of Israel for worshipping a golden calf statue instead of him, breaking two of the commandments he just gave them.

Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the LORD has commanded. Take from among you a contribution to the LORD. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD’s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats’ hair, tanned rams’ skins, and goatskins; acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

“Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the LORD has commanded: the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; the ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the veil of the screen; the table with its poles and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; the lampstand also for the light, with its utensils and its lamps, and the oil for the light; and the altar of incense, with its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle; the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand; the hangings of the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court; the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court, and their cords; the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests.”

Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the LORD’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. (Exodus 35:4-21 ESV)

There are many more instructions and history than this – read on from Exodus 35 if you have the time!   But this gives you a sense of the seriousness and devotion that the Israelites gave to this task.  This was not just any tent or building, it was meant to be their meeting place with God.  It would be the place they would show him he was worthy of their love.  It was where they would express God’s worthship.

That the root of the word “worship” – to show something’s worth.  The tabernacle, and eventually a permanent temple, was the meant to be the focal place for the people’s worship.   They were mean to worship, show God’s worth, with all of their lives, but this was the place it would be most apparent.

Question: How many of the love languages (time, touch, gifts, acts of service, words of affection) do you see expressed by Israel here?  How did they show God’s worth?