Exodus 39: Surveying Creation

At the end of chapter 39, the people bring all the finished pieces of the Mishkan to Moshe for final approval. This seems like a prudent last step in the building of the Mishkan. When doing any construction project, it is important for the owner to review all the work to make sure everything is in proper order. But this scene also evokes three verses from the time of creation.“Thus was completed all the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. The Israelites did so; just as God had commanded Moses, so they did” (verse 32).וַתֵּכֶל כָּל־עֲבֹדַת מִשְׁכַּן אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ אֶת־מֹשֶׁה כֵּן עָשׂוּ׃This first verse in the section uses the same word from the last day of creation in Genesis:“On the seventh day God completed the work that had been undertaken: [God] ceased on the seventh day from doing any of the work.” (Genesis 2:2)וַיְכַל אֱלֹהִים בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה׃The second verse in the section uses the same word “brought” that is used in Genesis 2:20 when God brought all the animals before Adam to name:“Then they brought the Tabernacle to Moses, with the Tent and all its furnishings: its clasps, its planks, its bars, its posts, and its sockets…” (verse 33).וַיָּבִיאוּ אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּן אֶל־מֹשֶׁה אֶת־הָאֹהֶל וְאֶת־כָּל־כֵּלָיו קְרָסָיו קְרָשָׁיו בְּרִיחָיו וְעַמּוּדָיו וְאַדְנָיו׃“And God formed out of the earth all the wild beasts and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to the Human to see what he would call them; and whatever the Human called each living creature, that would be its name” (Genesis 2:20).וַיָּבֵא אֶל־הָאָדָם לִרְאוֹת מַה־יִּקְרָא־לוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָא־לוֹ הָאָדָם נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה הוּא שְׁמוֹ׃The last verse in this section is a mashup of two verses in Genesis:“And when Moses saw that they had performed all the tasks—as God had commanded, so they had done—Moses blessed them” (verse 43).וַיַּרְא מֹשֶׁה אֶת־כָּל־הַמְּלָאכָה וְהִנֵּה עָשׂוּ אֹתָהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ כֵּן עָשׂוּ וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם מֹשֶׁה׃“And God saw all that had been made, and found it very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31).וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וְהִנֵּה־טוֹב מְאֹד וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־בֹקֶר יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי׃“And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy—having ceased on it from all the work of creation that God had done” (Genesis 2:3).וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת־יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים לַעֲשׂוֹת׃The connection between these verses is intentional. The Mishkan was a creative effort bestowed on the people by God. They were given the ability to create their own “world” for God to inhabit. God specifically made this a project for the people themselves and not Moshe alone as was the case with the Ten Commandments. By having the people build the Mishkan, God’s hope was that they would love and protect the creation in the same way that God loves and protects his creation.