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Numbers 8:4 "And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lamp stand." 

 

Maybe it's because I'm working so much lately, but this passage seems to be an appreciation of the human work that goes into making things for God. The lampstand is described by the workmanship that went into it. It is said to be a "hammered work of gold", and then "a hammered work". The passage makes clear that the lampstand would not exist without human work. That work is not just manual labor or brute force, even the hammering is described as "workmanship," implying it was done with a loving care towards what is being made.

 

The lampstand was made at the direction of God and according to His instructions, but shouldn't all our work be approached in the same way? Aren't we (or shouldn't we be) doing everything for God? He gave us dominion over the world and asked us to be His helpmates in its orderly running. All of our work, no matter how menial nor lofty, should be ordered towards this task. Even if I am just mopping the floor, I can do it with loving care, as if I am mopping the floor for God. And when I'm doing what I am so caught up in for work right now, that, too, can and should be done as if I am working for God.