Gold-check; bronze and silver-check; blue, purple, scarlet yarn-check. Details, details. One thing I have learned while reading through the Bible is that the details matter. Many times over the last month, I have seen some point that I had not noticed before that has changed my perspective. Often times, I find myself calling one of my girls and saying, "Wow, did you see that in today's reading?"
Over the last few days there has been an overwhelming amount of detailed information on building the tabernacle which will be repeated to the people as soon as Moses comes off the mountain but right in the middle there rises a road block to getting this work project started. The Israelites have gotten out of control, built an idol for themselves and were passionately worshipping it. Moses must be thinking that he can't take his eyes of these 'children' for a second. If you are a parent you probably have experienced the same kind of rebellion in your own home. As soon as your back is turned - dun, dun, dun- they run amuck with crazy behavior.
Sadly, Moses would have to take extreme measures to quell the uprising and three thousand would die that day. I believe that these men may have been the instigators of the whole rebellion. Why else would the have been executed? But its not the men that draw my attention. Its the number of men-3000. When we consider that there were approximately three million people total who were in the nation of Israel at this time, only 0.1 percent or one in a 1000 were enough to influence the rest. Such a small percentage inciting everyone to shift their focus away from the One True God. It is all very sad but we also know how very easy it is for this to happen.
Allow me to offer a little different perspective on this numbers thing. If one in a 1000 can be such an influence for evil cannot it not work in the opposite direction? Can one influence 1000 others for good? How about one in eight to 15? God's story in our lives, his promise of hope, growing and infecting those around us with his goodness. How about that? Each one of us have the power to change the focus of our family, friends and communities toward the God who saves. Its been built into the details of our lives. Don't ever skip over the details. God is in them.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” ~Matthew 13:31-32
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