“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mk 8:36).
After describing the careful construction of everything the Lord had commanded—the coverings, the structure, the veil, the furniture, and the court—Bezalel and Aholiab pause in their labors and we read, “This is the inventory of the tabernacle” (see Ex 38:21-31). What a lot of work! And what a wealth of material! There were 29 talents plus 730 shekels of gold; 100 talents plus 1,775 shekels of silver; and 70 talents plus 2,400 shekels of bronze or copper. Adam Clarke says the gold for the holy place weighed 4,245 pounds, the silver of the tabernacle weighed 14,602 pounds, and the bronze or copper came in at 10,277 pounds troy weight. That, he says, totals over TEN TONS of metal for the project. No wonder we read, “Thus they plundered the Egyptians” (Ex 12:36)! Payment in full for centuries of forced labor. Or as the Lord would express it through Isaiah, “I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom” (Isa 43:3). Say, my friend, do you have any idea how much the Lord gave for YOUR ransom, to be YOUR Savior? Have you taken inventory of your soul? The Creator must put Himself into His creatures’ hands and allow them to murder Him. The Heir of all things must leave all He owns in His will, “For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator” (Heb 9:16). “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9). Here is the question everyone must answer: “Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Rom 2:4). Do you?