Do you notice how even the most routine tasks can take longer when the routine is broken? I was reminded of that when I was taking a shower while visiting my sister and brother-in-law last weekend. I had to get out from under the running water to get my soap, I got burned by the hot water, I used too much shampoo because I forgot that their soft water requires a fraction of the shampoo I normally use, and it seemed like a simple shower took much longer than usual. I felt like a comedy of errors doing something I am so used to doing every day that I usually don’t have to think about it!
How much more awkward is the forgetting, the overlooking, the confusion, chaos and time required to do something we’ve never done before. The Israelites had never set up camp, never broken camp and set out before they left Egypt, and moving that large amount of people was no small feat. Then they lingered at Mt. Sinai for a year setting up the Tabernacle and institutions of worship described in Exodus and Leviticus; at the end of that year those activities were even more complicated because they had the Tabernacle to manage as well. They didn’t want to make mistakes with that, considering what had happened to Nadab and Abihu.
Think how much the Israelites appreciated the details in these chapters.
If they followed these directions, each Levite performing his assigned task, there would be no chaos, not even the first time the Tabernacle was taken down. Nothing would have been overlooked, hopefully no goofs would have been made. None of the holy loaves of bread accidentally dropped to the ground prompting the responsible Levite to look around guiltily before snatching it up and dusting it off. There would be no opportunity for the holy to become common or ridiculous, no cause for humor in the handling of the Tabernacle. For what we laugh at we lose respect for.
I don’t enjoy these chapters, but I do appreciate what I learn about God in them. They remind me that God cares about and is involved in the affairs of our lives, even the dull details like logistics. I am a planner and thrive in an organized environment, and I appreciate that God provided that for His people living a nomadic lifestyle in the wilderness, on which their vast numbers would have imposed a heavy burden. Consider how good God is to give His people these guidelines!