Daily Devotion | Exodus 36 | January 8, 2026

Title: Daily Devotion

Scripture: Exodus 36 (ESV)

Date: January 8, 2026

Speaker: Rev. John Chen

Transcribed, translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)

---

Dear brothers and sisters, peace to you. By the grace of God, we come to a new day to learn from our daily devotion. Today’s passage is Exodus chapter 36. All right. Let us pray.

Our God, we thank you. We thank you for leading us to such a passage. Lord, you enable us to know your will more deeply, and to know how we ought to walk. May you show us grace and be present among us. In the name of Christ, Amen.

Exodus chapter 36. All right. First, it continues to speak about Bezalel and Oholiab, together with all those who were skillful, doing the work that the LORD had commanded. In other words, the people of Israel were obeying Moses’ instructions.

Then verses 2 through 7 speak about one thing: the offerings of the Israelites were so abundant that they had to be restrained. This is a very meaningful matter.

Let us first look at this carefully. Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab, these two—one could say the chief engineer and the deputy chief engineer— together with all those whom the LORD had given wisdom. Then they began to receive the materials.

They began receiving the materials, and every morning the people brought them willingly. Then, starting in verse 4, they spoke to Moses. What did they say? They said that the people were bringing far more than was required for the work the LORD had commanded. It was too much—there was no room to store it, the storehouses could not hold it. There was simply no need for so much.

So Moses gave a command and proclaimed that neither man nor woman should bring any more offerings. Only then were the people restrained from bringing their gifts. Why? Because all the materials were sufficient, and more than sufficient.

I think this is a very meaningful scene, and also a very beautiful one. We often talk about how stubborn and rebellious Israel was in the wilderness, how they rebelled against God. But you can see that when the Spirit of God moved them to build the tabernacle, in fact all the Israelites were extremely earnest in their giving.

So here, how should we say it? We should view matters more objectively. Human beings are indeed often vain.

When we carefully read Scripture, passage by passage, we can see that Israel also had moments when they behaved well. They were not always completely evil. For example, at this moment their behavior was very good.

Although they worshiped the golden calf, although there was still much corruption ahead, in this matter of giving they truly gave more than enough. This deserves to be affirmed.

This is also a characteristic of God’s people. What is that characteristic? God’s people have weaknesses, but they also have moments of strength. Therefore, we should evaluate our brothers and sisters objectively.

When we see that people have weakness and also strength, in fact we should focus even more on the work of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit truly works, there is nothing God cannot accomplish. As long as he brings revival, revival will come.

I think this gives us hope. We should not look at our own weaknesses, or the weaknesses of our brothers and sisters, or the weakness of the church, and then sigh and think there is no hope.

That is not the case. Look at Israel: they had just experienced such severe calamity. They worshiped the golden calf, and three thousand people were killed. Yet now they were still in the Lord, still being gathered by him. They were still working mightily in their giving, giving greatly, giving so much that it was more than enough.

Last time in our devotion I asked you to ask yourself: if you had precious stones, would you be willing to offer them? If you had gold and silver, would you be willing to offer them? Or would you only offer wool?

I asked this question last time. Now it is very clear that Israel overcame this test. They were willing—willing to offer everything. They truly recognized that everything they had came from God, and therefore they were willing to give.

This is Israel’s victory. Since it is a victory, we should affirm it, we should encourage it, and we should also receive comfort from it.

Indeed, this is how it is. When there is need in the house of God, brothers and sisters, under the calling and stirring of the Holy Spirit, are willing to follow God. This is a great encouragement and a great help to us.

May God continue to help us on this spiritual path, so that by his grace we may keep pressing forward, and not always think of ourselves as weak, or use our weakness as an excuse, saying, “I have no strength, so I cannot do it.”

Do not think this way. Israel’s victory in the wilderness—the victory of having more than enough— shows that those who had gold, silver, and precious stones did not hold back. This becomes our example. We too should offer ourselves fully to God.

That brings us to verse 7. From verse 8 through verse 38, this becomes something that is rather puzzling, and it continues all the way to the end of Exodus chapter 40.

Strictly speaking, from a human perspective, this did not need to be written again, because the content is completely repetitive. There is nothing here that was not already said before.

We often say that Scripture is concise and precious with every word. If it were up to us, we might simply write: Moses instructed Bezalel and Oholiab to complete the tabernacle according to God’s instructions. Done. Then in chapter 40 we could write that the tabernacle was filled with glory.

From a human perspective, there would be no need to record such details. Yet Scripture, which is precious with every word, still devotes four full chapters to repeating these instructions.

Something recorded in Scripture is no small matter. Yet God was still willing to use four chapters to repeat what had already been taught. I think this is something that deserves deep reflection.

Why do this? Why not summarize it in one sentence? This is also why many people struggle when reading Exodus. We often feel as if we cannot get out of Egypt.

Earlier, when reading about the boards, the tent, and the structure, we might still find it somewhat interesting. But when we reach this section, where everything is done according to the blueprint and then recorded again in detail, we begin to ask: what does this mean?

I think here we need to pause and think. I have read some commentaries, though not many, and most of them do not really address this question. So I would like to share some of my own thoughts.

My observations may not be completely correct, but since this is a daily devotion, I would like to share them with you in the hope that they help us understand this passage.

Today’s passage, from verse 8 to verse 38, describes how the tabernacle was built: the goat-hair coverings, the curtains, the acacia wood, the doorframes, the screens, and the veils.

From a human perspective, this order makes sense. When God gave the instructions, he spoke from the inside outward. He spoke first about the ark, then the table of the bread of the Presence, then the lampstand.

But when you actually build, you cannot build in that order. If you make the ark first, where will you put it? If you make the table first, where will you place it? From a human standpoint, you must first build the structure.

From this we can see that Exodus chapters 36 to 40 describe a very real construction process. What is done first and what is done later proceeds step by step.

Whether some things were done simultaneously, we do not know. But we can see a general principle: God speaks from the inside outward, but the people build from the outside inward.

From this, I think there are two reminders for us. The first is this: why does God record these matters in such detail?

What he wants to express is that what God commanded, Israel did. Almost every detail corresponds exactly. God’s purpose is to achieve this effect.

Someone might say, “Why go to so much trouble? Couldn’t you just write one sentence: Israel did what the LORD commanded?”

But the impact of recording it this way is far greater than a single sentence. This is the first point we need to stop and consider.

Why record it twice? The purpose is to tell you: how God spoke, Israel did. This complexity is intentional.

It creates a powerful impression: God’s command is carried out without any discount, without cutting corners, with complete diligence.

So do not think these four chapters are unnecessary or meaningless. When you compare them carefully, you will see that they have meaning. God says it, Israel does it. Bezalel does it. Nothing is discounted.

God uses what seems like a clumsy method to deliver an overwhelming message. Before God, how he speaks is how we are to act. There can be no discount.

Brothers and sisters, we often say that God’s law is too strict, that we cannot keep it, so we simply give up. We say, “God, forgive me.”

We say that in our work we cannot keep the law, in our daily life we cannot keep the law, and when we think of the gospel we are happy, because grace covers everything. But I believe this theological approach is problematic.

Of course we cannot keep the law fully. That is precisely why Jesus Christ was crucified. This is why Christ had to go to the cross.

We certainly cannot do everything perfectly. Jesus knows this, and that is why he died on the cross.

But after Christ died on the cross and his blood covers us, after we receive his blood by faith, what are we to do?

We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We are to strive with all our effort to obey the law.

God dies for us first, then we strive. Our striving is imperfect and flawed, but we must strive.

The problem is when we reverse this order. We do not want to do it, we do not even begin, and then we say we cannot do it, and finally we pull out the blood of Christ as a backup.

I have said this before, and I say it again here: before this overwhelming repetition, you must remember the correct order. The blood comes first. We are justified in status first. Then in life we must strive toward sanctification.

Some may criticize me for legalism. But I believe this passage supports this theological understanding. What does this seemingly clumsy repetition teach us? It teaches us this: what God says, we are to do.

Does God not know that our obedience is imperfect? Of course he knows. Yet when you strive with all your effort, even your imperfect obedience is acceptable before God, not because of its inherent value, but because God graciously chooses to bless.

We must not reverse this order. We must not say, “I cannot do it,” and then use Christ’s blood as padding at the end. This kind of approach often leads to antinomianism.

In that case, faith becomes self-centered. We say, “I cannot do it,” then we rely on the blood at the end, and think everything is fine.

I am not saying you cannot enter the kingdom. But this way of thinking is wrong.

True faith is God-centered. Christ’s blood and the Spirit’s work come first. What do we do? We follow closely.

We ask ourselves one question: have I truly strived to obey the law? In every area of life, how do I use my time? Have I strived to obey?

Of course we will fail and have weakness. What do we do then? We pray, asking for forgiveness. But with the blood first, and the Spirit leading, we continue to be sanctified.

We must not be self-centered, saying, “I have not even done it yet, let me first use the blood like a cleaning agent to cover everything.”

I think this view must be corrected. This double recording of the same matter has caused confusion in theology. In the last two centuries, a movement arose called biblical criticism.

Biblical criticism claimed that the repetitions in Scripture came from different source documents, that five different sources were compiled together, and therefore the Pentateuch had no unity. This was a liberal view, and it has now been completely rejected.

The real question remains: if we take Scripture seriously as a book, why did Moses write this way? Why record it like this?

I believe it tells us one very concrete thing: how God speaks is how we are to act. The order must be corrected: Christ’s blood and the cross come first, the Spirit’s work comes first, and then we, as God’s children, strive with all our effort to follow God’s law.

There is not a single detail here that does not correspond to the earlier instructions. Every measurement, every clasp, every curtain corresponds. We have already discussed their meanings before, so we will not repeat them here.

But all of this teaches us how to live our spiritual lives according to what God has spoken.

We Christians highly value Romans and highly value Galatians, and this is very good. They teach justification by faith, that we are justified entirely by Christ’s blood, and that no human work contributes anything.

This is the essence of Reformed theology. Martin Luther advanced the Reformation through this truth, bringing a powerful work of the Holy Spirit that has continued in the church for five hundred years.

But James is also important. Many believers are uncomfortable with James. Even Martin Luther once wanted to remove James from the canon, calling it straw.

But even great figures have blind spots. Luther did not fully see the value of James. Later problems in Lutheranism and related traditions also arose from attitudes toward James.

In fact, James is an excellent complement to justification by faith. God’s Word is complete and without error.

James teaches us to be doers of the word. Faith without works is dead. These teachings instruct us on how to pursue sanctification.

As God’s children, we must continually pursue holiness. There can be no discount in sanctification.

The mindset of “try, fail, then use Christ’s blood” is antinomian. It cheapens the blood of Christ by placing it last.

This is also, I believe, a major reason for the decline of the Western church. It stems from a mistaken understanding of the gospel.

Recently there was news that a well-known Christian writer, Philip Yancey, was exposed in an extramarital affair. He has written many very good articles, yet this elderly man was exposed in such sin.

Of course, all people are weak. I, Pastor Chen, am also weak. I am weak as well.

But the question is this: why do churches in the West that emphasize being “gospel-centered” and “Christ-centered” still end up with such moral collapse?

I believe their theology has deviated. They have not returned to Puritan theology— the theology I have been describing.

In Puritan theology, Christ’s blood covers us first, the Spirit’s work comes first, election comes first. We are fully justified, with absolutely no discount in justification. By faith alone, we are saved.

But the Puritans also took the law seriously. The Westminster Larger Catechism, from Questions 90 to 150, carefully explains the function of the law.

The Confession, in chapter 19, also teaches the obligation to obey the law. I believe this is the correct posture.

So why repeat what was already said? Is it necessary? Yes, it is.

Does Scripture write as if the reader is foolish? No. There is no book written like this without purpose.

Why write four chapters instead of one sentence? Because God uses this seemingly clumsy method to remind his people: the tabernacle is built exactly as he commanded.

As a result, Exodus may seem repetitive, with little “new content.” But it is precisely through this repetition that God speaks to his people.

He teaches us how to obey his statutes and ordinances: word by word, concretely, without discount.

We are weak and incomplete. Today we also cannot do everything perfectly. But our posture is to strive even while knowing we will fail.

We must not say, “I cannot do it,” before we even begin.

This inversion of the gospel has influenced Western theology and many so-called gospel-centered figures.

May God lead us, as we reflect on this repeated passage, to think deeply and to obey earnestly in our spiritual lives.

Since Jesus Christ has already done everything for us, how should we respond? We should strive with all our effort, offer our lives, and thus be pleasing to God.

This concludes today’s devotion. May God help us to walk on this spiritual path with greater faith. Thank you.