Today’s Scripture Reading (August 10,
2015): Exodus 36
Idaho native
Sabrina Corgatelli is being forced to defend the pictures that she has posted
on Facebook of her kills taken during a legal hunt in South Africa. Some
Facebook watchers are simply not amused, especially after the illegal murder of
Cecil the Lion. For many, the hunting of these animals amounts to nothing more
than senseless bloodshed. One of the animals that Corgatelli poses with is an
African Giraffe which was killed by her bow on July 25, 2015. In her Facebook
post she speaks of the Giraffe as “an amazing animal” and that she “couldn’t be
happier” after the kill. As she defends the kill she speaks of her relationship
with the animals that she hunts. “There is a connection with the animal, and
just because we hunt them doesn’t mean that we don’t have respect for them.” Her
detractors want her to know that the giraffe would probably rather be alive
than respected.
The problem
would seem to be that there is a disconnect between us and the animals that we
hunt (personally I would much rather hunt with a camera, but for many that just
makes me weak.) There is no biblical injunction against the killing of animals.
In fact, the sacrifice of animals for many purposes was a natural part of life.
But for the most part, the sacrifice was done for a purpose. There was a reason
for the kill. And the various parts of the animal’s body was used. We actually
see the same practice among the North American Indians. Until the European man
arrived in North America, animals were killed, but almost every part of the
dead animal was also used. The Native North Americans lived in much closer
harmony to his environment than the European did. The American Bison were never
threatened until the European arrived. It was only then that the disconnect
seemed to take hold in North American society.
Moses begins
to repeat and give a detailed description of the tabernacle – although there
are still gaps in the description. And here he mentions the four coverings for
the tabernacle. The first was of linen and ornately designed, the second
goatskin, the third was ram skin dyed red, and then finally a layer of tough
durable leather. Some argue for an aquatic animal, other specifically say that
this outer layer was made from the skin of the European Badger. But the point
is that the skin had to be durable – this was not something that they wanted to
have to repeat often.
So badger
skin seems appropriate. It is a tough skin that would have borne the weather
well. But it was ugly. This was not a majestic skin. And the surprise is that it
was this layer of badger skin that the people saw on a daily basis as they came
to the tabernacle. Most would never enter in and see the delights that existed
on the inside of the tabernacle (you had to be of the tribe of Levi to possess
that honor.) All they would see on a daily basis was this tough, durable and
ugly badger skin. Giraffe skin might have been much more beautiful to look at,
but it would have been less durable fit the purpose less than the skin of the
badger.
It has also
been noted that the temple shares this outer appearance feature with the
Messiah that was to come. The prophet Isaiah wrote these words - “He had no beauty or
majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire
him” (Isaiah 53:2b). Neither the tabernacle nor the
Messiah were to be beautiful in their appearance, but rather they were designed
to be functional in their purpose.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus
37
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