Good morning! I’ve been thinking of you each day as I write, and wonder how the reading is going for you. Have you heard the phrase, “After the ecstasy, the laundry”? I suspect that following our initial euphoria at Genesis and the start of a new resolution, many of us are now feeling the “laundry” portion of just getting through the daily readings. Let me encourage you to do what you can as you have time, and to recognize that this is a marathon endeavor. So just do what you can to get a taste of each day’s reading, and I recommend skimming or listening to an audio edition if that makes it easier to stay caught up. Free yourself of the burden that you must read each verse, plus everything that I or others write, if it gets in your way. Giving some of your finite attention each day to this effort is a lovely demonstration of your desire, and the “perfect” need not get in the way of your “personal best”. Many of us have already read more of the Bible in a faster and deeper way than ever before, and this is a huge accomplishment all on its own!

Our reading today is mercifully shorter, almost entirely describing the actual construction of the tabernacle according to the plans we’ve heard already. The most interesting portion of it comes right at the beginning of chapter 36, where the Hebrews give way more in offerings than is actually needed. (Have any of us active in faith or non-profit communities ever experienced this problem??) Rather than give in to the natural human tendency for more, bigger, etc., the leaders demonstrate modest restraint and a careful stewardship of future resources. They could have come up with new extensions of the tabernacle (unsanctioned by God), but here the leaders and artisans said “keep your resources for another time and purpose.” The rest of chapters 36 and 37 describe the faithful building of tabernacle parts by “artistic director” Bezalel, his assistant Oholiab, and presumably dozens of other crafters.

If you’ve read this, would you do me a favor and leave a brief comment about how the Daily Bible is going for you? It would be great to learn how many among us are “keeping up”, “a few days behind”, “just reading the Bible passages” or “just skimming the commentaries”, etc. It will help us encourage one another, and let me to know if there are tweaks I/we can make as we come to the end of our first month, and the first two books of the Bible. Thanks in advance, and happy reading!

Read Exodus 36-37.

Please join discussion of this passage at the Daily Bible Facebook group, or comment below.Tomorrow’s passage is Exodus 38-40. Thanks for reading!