Right Is Right

^“Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.” Exodus 39:43

There’s something good about doing something well, but there’s something even better about doing something right.  The two are often one and the same but not always.  A few days ago, I overheard a student proudly say, “I just told a pretty lie.”  Obviously, what she did she had done well, but what she did could not be considered right.

When the Israelites built the Tabernacle, they did it well and did it right—and the combination brought big blessing.  ^“Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them”(Ex 39:43).  God’s instructions had been specific and tedious.  Just reading all the details listed in Exodus is almost laborious, and the actual construction was even more so.  (When’s the last time any of us “hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen”?(Ex 39:3)  Doing the work “just as the Lord had commanded” demanded careful attention, hard work, and extra time, but the result was worth the effort.  

A thumbs up from Moses was followed up by a blessing, and God showed His approval by showing up big-time in a bright way.  “The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle”(Ex 40:35).  God’s glorious presence was a confirmation that brought delight and satisfaction to all involved—families who contributed materials, carpenters who sawed crossbeams, tailors who sewed curtains, blacksmiths who forged altar utensils, and the list goes on and on.  So many had done so much so well and had done it the right way—God’s way.

In a time when doing things your own way seems to be the culturally norm, this word speaks loud and large.  Regardless of opinions, pleas, petitions, and even passed laws, the only right way to do life—and all of which it consists—is God’s way.   There is no arena outside His jurisdiction.  There is no situation exempt from His regulation.  The “world and everything in it” are included in His domain, and all are subject to His sovereignty.  His words on worship, work, relationships, and recreation are the final authority and should shape our actions and attitudes toward each every day.  There is no other way to do life well and to do life right.

Few will agree, and most will argue that morals and standards should change with the times, but as God’s people we should gladly “hammer out thin sheets of gold” and be willing to weave the beauty of His purity into the tapestry of our daily choices.  Doing so is often tedious and tiring and requires careful attention, hard work, and extra time, but the result is worth the effort.  The glory of God will shine through our lives and the blessings that come only from obedience will be poured out—some here on earth and many in eternity. 

There is only one right way, and it’s God’s way.

Do life well.  Do life right.  And be richly blessed.