Did God really use 2,193 pounds of pure gold in the building of the tabernacle?

According to Exodus 38:24 He did just that. Let me put that in 21st century economics. On the day I wrote this, the market value of gold was $1787.42 per ounce. So then,the value of those 2,193 of gold in today’s market equates to $62,716,992.96. Add to that all the silver, bronze, wood, and the expensive fabric for the tent and its construction cost soars like the U>S. debt.

I guess, too, I could have done some research on the man-hours needed to build it, so we could put a dollar on that as well. But for here, would anyone doubt that this was at least a $100,000,000.00 project? Considering that this was going to be a house of worship — and the fact that it was to be used for the slaughtering of animals, cutting them up into pieces, splattering their blood all over the expensive gold alter (Leviticus 1:11-12) and sacrificing what’s left by way of a burnt offering — it begs the question:

            What would God need with a 100 million dollar butcher shop?

Simple — to connect with you and me.

            “With Your Latte” is not meant to be a place of deep theology, so let me just say here that God used the tabernacle as a place of sacrifice that would cover their sins and put is back in right standing with God. (Leviticus 1:4) Further, it is safe to conclude that God placed a very high value on doing it. And as we will see in the weeks to come, he paid an incredibly high price to make certain that He would always be connected with us – the final sacrifice – His Son Jesus (see John 3:16 and Hebrews 10:10).

God obviously thinks a lot of you and me and places a premium worth of His relationship with us. Every element of the tabernacle was crafted with perfection. The animals for the sacrifice could be nothing less than perfect as prescribed by God Himself.

            Perhaps you can relate like this:

You meet the person of your dreams. Oh yes … it is THE ONE! So you plan dinner. I’m talking candles, music, exotic food, and dessert. And why? You placed a high value in connecting with that individual. Therefore you invested thought, time, and money to be sure that everything was just right. Likewise, you are so important to God that he went to great lengths and immense expense to see that you and He could connect.

God is ever pursuing man and longing for a relationship. And He did it because they were with it and so are we! The only rational response on our part to a God who would construct a $100,000,000 butcher shop just to connect with me is – YES!