Exodus 40: "As The Lord Had Commanded Moses"

Whichever translation of the Bible you are reading, you will probably see a phrase pop up again and again in this section of the book of Exodus.  In the NRSV, it is rendered, "As the Lord had commanded Moses."  (In the NIV, it's "as the Lord had commanded him.")  One of the key points about the construction of the Tabernacle is that the people faithfully followed God's instructions to the letter.

We actually see this formulation beginning in Exodus 39 and continuing through chapter 40.  Here are the verses I could find that employed this phrase to drive the point home:

39:1
39:5
39:7
39:21
39:26
39:29
39:31
39:32
39:42
40:16
40:19
40:21
40:23
40:25
40:27
40:29
40:32

Whew!  With that amount of repetition, do you think it's important?

Obedience to the Lord is a huge issue in our walk with God.  This doesn't disappear in the New Testament either, by the way.  Consider what Jesus told His disciples at the Last Supper: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments...You are my friends if you do what I command" (John 14:15, John 15:14).

Keeping God's rules, in big and small things, is evidence of our love and respect for Him - no matter how much we or others may try to spin it any other way.  It's a lesson that we will see the Israelites continuing to learn in the Old Testament, and one that followers of Jesus struggle with even today.

How are you doing in your complete faithfulness to God?  Are you obeying Him in matters both great and small?  It makes a difference!