It’s true that Exodus chapter 28 is not the most thrilling reading in all of God’s Word. It doesn’t involve great, vivid narration with bodies of water parting or angels doing battle with entire armies. But it’s still God’s Word and when we come to chapters like this we simply need to ask, why? I mean it’s no accident that God included it, God doesn’t have accidents. And it’s just not acceptable for us to consider it boring and skip it. If you embrace the “skip” mentality (skipping what you don’t like or don't understand in God’s Word) it will grow from two chapters a book to several a book, until your skipping half of God’s Word because you think it’s either boring or just doesn’t apply to you. When you get to some tough or “flat” parts of God’s Word, I have one word for you that will help you get through it…shovel. You see, you gotta dig. And digging requires effort.
Try out these ideas. Start with praying harder. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you something that God wants you to know about the passage. There’s something there, your job is to find it and the Holy Spirit will help you do just that if you merely ask. Also, don’t just read it once and give up, read it at least three times with prayer time in between the readings. I heard one pastor say that before he preaches on a passage, he will read it 25 times. That’s a lot. Maybe that many times is not required, but maybe it is. I do know that more than once is always required. I mean if you’re going to plant a new shrub in the backyard you don’t grab the shovel and take out just one big divot and then stop, right? Nope, you gotta keep digging to get deeper and deeper and that’s true of God’s Word too. Don’t give up before you even start digging.
Chapter 28 deals specifically with the garments of the priests. The tribe of Levi, “the Levites”, will become the tribe of priests for the entire Israelite nation. They will solely take care of the tabernacle, the Ark, and perform all the ceremonies within the temple. As they do this, God requires them to be in a special wardrobe and that is what we see here in this chapter, the six special garments of the High Priest, which will initially be Aaron, Moses’ older brother. A breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a coat and a girdle. Each and every detail, pattern, nuance and even the materials are all symbolic of God and His Glory. Google a good commentary on chapter 28 and check out the tremendous level of detail and meaning of each piece of clothing.
But what stuck out to me this morning was verse 28:2-3:
“And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood.”
Can you serve God by sewing?
If I were to ask people on the street “who truly serves God?”, I think we would get a Family Feud style top four answers. “We’ve polled 100 people and the top four answers are on the board.” Who truly serves God? 1) Pastor, Preacher or Minister. 2) Missionary. 3) Singer/Worship leader. 4) Bible teacher. Definitely all ways to serve God, but sewing? I’d get a big red Family Feud “strike” if I were to guess sewing, right?
This is the beauty of God’s Word, it’s all encompassing, limiting no one in their service to God. As God calls for these Holy garments to be made, he needs Holy hands to make them. By the way, the word Holy simply means “set aside for God.” Anything that is set aside for God’s use is Holy. If you pick up a ten dollar bill that a drug dealer dropped and then decide that you will give it God to further His kingdom, then that ten dollars is now Holy because it has been set aside for God’s use. Holy doesn’t mean something is magical or enchanted or will scare off a vampire or werewolf. A Holy person is not better or like an angel with big white wings. It simply means set apart for the use of God. So, God is asking for these garments to be made and how does He plan to get it done? He asks the people that He has specifically equipped to do just this, “the skillful whom I have filled with the Spirit of skill.”
You ever wonder why you’re good at what you’re good at? Why are you good at math? Or music? Or cooking? Or maybe you’re a clean freak and enjoy cleaning. Maybe you love fixing things. Or teaching. You see whatever you’re passionate about did not originate with you, it originated with your maker. He made you, He made your desires and He made your passions. He built you to do what you do, and to do it for Him. Simple. Easy Cheesy. You were built with a very specific set of skills and God built you that way to serve Him with those very skills.
I talked with an older gentlemen at church on Wednesday night and the water dispensing container was leaking. He looked at me and said, “I can fix that.” “It’s what I do around here, I fix stuff.” This retired guy was blessed by God with the skill of repairing anything and everything. He proceeded to tell me of all of the things he had been fixing around the church this month. About that time another guy walked up and started telling me a story about how last year the two of them were on a church mission trip overseas and the wheel on his suitcase broke. The “fixer guy” had brought a tool set with him (to Africa!) and proceeded to fix the wheel on the spot. He said somebody else’s luggage had been torn open, he fixed that too. This guy is not a Pastor, he’s not a missionary, he is nowhere near the Southcliff stage on Sunday mornings. But folks, he is a true servant of God, serving God with the skills that He has been blessed with by His creator.
Embrace the skill and passions that God has created within you. Use those skills to serve God. Set them aside to serve God. Make your skills “Holy skills.” It’s how He built you and why he built you. He didn’t give us the skills we have to make money, get famous or impress others, only to serve Him. If you sew, be the best sewer you can be for God. If you’re a handy man, be the best handy man you can be for God. You see, no matter what God built you to do, He asks that you give it back to Him. Serve God today by doing what you love to do and folks, you’ll soar like an eagle as He lifts you up in the beauty and joy of His purpose for your life.
Have a blessed weekend as you serve God.
By consecrating ourselves to God, the glory of God overtakes us!