“According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses so the people of Israel had done all the work. Moses saw all the work and behold, they had done it. As the Lord had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.”
– Exodus 39:42–43
What I love about these two verses is the way they repeat themselves. They basically say, you look at verses 42 and 43, they almost mirror each other basically saying twice in different ways the people of God did all that God told them to do, period.
We should long for the commentary on each of our lives to be one of obedience to the commands of God.
This Verse Leads Us to Make Our Life Count
That’s the point, it repeats it a couple of different times, just hits it from different angles. I read that and I think now, I want that to be the commentary at the end of my life. Don’t you? Don’t you want to look back at the end of your life, which obviously for any one of us could be any moment. Any moment and to say, “They did all that the Lord commanded them to do.
Now, obviously none of us is going to be perfect on that day and will have done every single thing the Lord has called us to do, but I surely wanna do as much as possible of what God has called me to do, commanded me to do in His word, His will for my life in this world. I want to make my life count by doing what God calls me to do. I don’t want to waste time not doing what God has called me to do.
Exodus 39:42–43 Reminds Us Why We Spend Time in God’s Word
I’m assuming you don’t either. This is why we are in His word on a daily basis, why we must be in His word on a daily basis, because we have to hear what He commands us to do. We have to abide in His word, and then to walk in obedience to His commandments by His grace. That’s only possible by His grace. And not just individually, the picture here in Exodus Chapter 39 is the people of God doing all that God called them to do together.
I think about the church that I’m part of or think about the church you’re a part of. Don’t you want to be part of a community of people who are doing everything God says to do? We’re working, striving by the grace of God to be obedient, not to leave anything on the table. Jesus is coming back. We want to spend our lives individually in our families and together in our churches doing all that He calls us to do. Let’s not waste time on anything else.
This Verse Calls Us to Walk in Holiness
So we pray God, may this commentary, Exodus 39:42–43 be our commentary at the end of our lives. I pray for this at the end of my life, for other’s lives who are listening to this, for not just our lives but our families and our churches. The families of faith in Christ that we are a part of. As you command us, may it be said that we did it. We did it, we did what you called us to do. We shared the gospel, we made disciples. And we saw people come to Christ by your grace, through the power of your spirit. We grew in Christ.
We raised up the next generation to love, glorify and worship you. And e walked in holiness, in purity. We made your glory known in a world of urgent spiritual and physical need. And we showed your love selflessly. We loved others as ourselves. And we didn’t waste our lives on ourselves, on the pleasures and purposes on this world. No, we spent ourselves for the accomplishment of your purposes, for the spread of your pleasure.
Exodus 39:42–43 Leads Us to Obey the Lord’s Commands
We used our possessions for what matters most in this world. Oh God, may it be said of us in the end. And for that matter God, may it be said of us at the end of today that we did all that you commanded us to do. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
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David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
