Bezalel made the Chest using acacia wood: He made it three and three-quarters feet long and two and a quarter feet wide and deep. Exodus 37:1 (MSG)

There is nothing more agonizing to a parent than the disobedience of a child. Whether it is out of defiance, neglect, or forgetfulness doesn't really matter. There is nothing that makes your heart sink more than when a child does not do what you ask him or her to do. And, there is a reciprocal effect when they are obedient. You're proud. You're grateful. You feel increased trust. You just want to pour out blessing on them.

As I read Exodus 37 this morning, my first impression was "this is one of those really boring chapters of God's Message that make you wonder 'why is it there?'". As I read through all that Bezalel did in making the chest, the table, the altar, and the lamp stand, it struck me that he made all the furnishings for God's Sanctuary just as he'd been instructed and just as God had prescribed. The message for me in Exodus 37 is not within the verses, but in the sum of the whole. God gave a description of how each piece of was to be made. Bezalel was obedient and crafted them just as God wanted them.

As I sit and think of my own children and what their obedience and disobedience make me feel, I'm struck by the reality that my own obedience and disobedience has affected my parents – and it affects my Father in Heaven. God has told us that he desires our obedience. I get it now more than ever.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and ArchieMcPhee