Month: February 2018

The garments for the priests and their consecration and ordination ceremonies can instruct us because Jesus, we’re told, is our High Priest. That must mean that we need a High Priest. Without a priesthood as part of our worship practice, we are ignorant about a priest’s function. So there’s a good reason God preserved this information for us! Keep in mind that I Peter 2 verses 5 and 9, and Revelation 1:6 teach that we, God’s New Testament people, are also called priests. So what does a priest do?

The priest brought the people before the Lord as he performed His duties wearing the garments bearing the stones representing each tribe. He was the intermediary between God and the people. Recall how frightened the people were to meet with God at the foot of the mountain, preferring to keep their distance; this is a welcome and potentially dangerous role. As intermediary, his work would be to make payment for the sins of the people and make known God’s will and word to them.

The role merited beautiful, impressive, and modest garments. It was exclusive to those with the right family connections, but even then, those chosen had to be set aside for the role and purified in a seven-day ceremony.

What does this indicate to you about the needs we have for a High Priest today? What does it teach you about Messiah’s work on your behalf? What does it teach you about your role as a priest? Today’s reading is an opportunity to ponder these ideas prayerfully, and learn from God.

Here we begin a lengthy passage of what most of us dread when we think about reading through the Bible. Most of us would probably rather skip these chapters. After all, they don’t even remotely apply to us, do they? Or do they? Why would God leave us without the detail we want in some passages, and yet preserve this passage for us in all of its detail? He really doesn’t want to bore us to death with His word; so what does He want us to understand from this passage?

God gave specific instructions for His people’s worship of Him. The worship He prescribed was much different than what men created for worshipping their man-made gods. God doesn’t want our worship our way, but His way. What does that say to you about your worship practices?

The tabernacle (also called the Tent of Meeting) was a tent to be used as a sanctuary for God’s dwelling in their midst. Imagine that! We New Covenant people might take that for granted, but this was the first time since the Fall that God would dwell in the midst of men.

Each of the items in the tent was significant for Israel’s worship and for ours. By Jesus’ time, these items had all become well-recognized symbols to God’s (Old) Covenant people. Jesus demonstrated that He did indeed come to fulfill the Law in the connections He made between Himself and each of the items given to Moses for Old Testament worship.

The Ark of the Covenant held the stone tablets on which God engraved the Ten Commandments, representative of the entire Law He would give them. The significance for them is obvious: their obedience was part of their worship and was a condition for God’s presence in their midst. Has that changed for us? John 1 describes Jesus as the Word of God. What does the Old Testament symbol and what it meant for those people teach you about Messiah’s work?

The table would hold the bread they were to keep in the meeting place at all times. It represented provision. Our reliance of God for provision is part of our worship. John 6:35 tells of Jesus saying, “I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me will never go hungry….” Consider what the Old Testament symbol of bread teaches about Messiah’s work.

The lampstand represents light. Light enlightens. The significance of the symbol is that we worship God when we rely on Him as the source of truth. Jesus said, recorded in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. He who believes in me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Consider what this symbol signifies about the work of Messiah in your life.

The altar, of course, was the place where they sacrificed offerings. Offering sacrifices was to be part of their worship. Atonement, or payment, for sin was necessary to their worship, and this was God’s prescribed way to pay for sin. Hebrews 9:24-28 tells us of Messiah’s work as the ultimate sacrifice for sin.

How blessed they were to receive such detailed instructions! This ensured that they got it right, which was shown to be critical when God later struck down some who didn’t bother to get it right. When the instructions were followed, the product was a beautiful treasure that would travel well and fulfill its purpose generation after generation.

So all of the items described here are important to us as object lessons to teach us more about Messiah’s accomplishments for our great salvation. I encourage you to give some time and thought to the items in the tabernacle and the lesson each is for us in our worship of and relationship with God. As I have said before, being taught by God is much more rewarding than being taught by man. The more you ponder, the more profound the insights God will give you.

Some of these laws are astonishing to us. What do they reveal about God? If a command seems unjust to you, or harsh, how do you reconcile that with God’s claim that He is just and gracious? We cannot determine from such a seeming contradiction that God is a liar, for He tells us that He cannot lie. We must accept that our understanding of Him is limited not simply by what is or is not revealed to us, but also by our incapability to comprehend Him fully. He is so much higher than us in every respect, including His thoughts and ways. Ponder prayerfully what He wants to reveal to you about the commands that stand out to you. Just as He promised to protect the helpless orphan and widow from injustice only if they cry out to Him, He will reveal Himself to us, as much as He wants to, only if we ask. Presenting our doubts to Him gives Him the opportunity to reveal Himself in a way that is much more meaningful and powerful than if someone else teaches us about Him. So take this opportunity to seek Him!

The people agreed to enter into the covenant with God having heard what He required of them, so Moses, God’s chosen intermediary, formalized the covenant with a covenant ceremony.

The nobles of Israel saw God. Note the description offered: the only aspect that they could describe was what appeared to be under His feet.

God called Moses up to the mountain, and Moses was there six days before God spoke to him. What do you suppose that was about? Would you wait six days for God? Further, he was on the mountain for forty days. If you read the commands that were given, even if you write out the commands, that doesn’t take nearly forty days. What went on in that time? It’s worth considering, for the sake of our own intimacy with God. Intimacy apparently isn’t developed in a cursory exchange of information or in the shortest possible time period. Forty days in which Moses didn’t take time to eat….

Moses probably had no idea how long he would be on the mountain, and likely didn’t imagine it would be forty days, but he prepared the people for his lengthy absence, giving them instructions for resolving disputes while he was gone. That is important when you find out what went on at the foot of the mountain while he was gone.

The stop at Mt. Sinai fulfilled God’s promise to Moses in Exodus 3:12. There is so much of importance in today’s reading.

God offers to establish His covenant with the nation of Israel. Note the condition: they must obey God’s commands. Note what God will do for them: they will enjoy special relationship with Him. He describes the relationship as their being “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” What does that mean? It is important to us New Covenant people, because God uses similar language to describe us, and His intended relationship with His Old Covenant people will help us understand His intentions for His relationship with us.

The people agreed to enter into the covenant with God, and so God announced how He would give them the commands He expected them to obey. He first gave them instructions for preparing to meet with Him to receive these commands. They couldn’t come just as they were; they had to be clean to meet with Him. How easy would it have been for them to wash themselves and their laundry in the wilderness? That preparation required three days. They would have to observe boundaries. They met with God outside of the camp where they were living. What do these requirements teach us about God’s wishes for our own meetings with Him today? I encourage you to ponder that prayerfully today. One does not meet with God on any terms except God’s.

Note what meeting with God was like for the Israelites: they saw lightning and fire descending to the top of the mountain, large enough to engulf the entire mountain in a thick cloud of smoke. They not only heard but felt thunder and the violent quaking of the entire mountain. They also heard a trumpet, and God speaking to Moses with a voice that sounded like thunder. The experience frightened them so much that they asked to be allowed to keep their distance and let Moses meet with God as their representative. We can’t imagine what God is like; this is only one representation of Him. If we meet with Him, we will not think of ourselves except to recognize our unworthiness.

Notice that God sent Moses back down the mountain to warn the people again, even though barriers had been erected for their protection at God’s first warning. He didn’t want to have to impose the consequences of their violating the boundaries He had established. But no one seemed to be interested in taking a risk upon seeing the awe-inspiring manifestation of God.

Why are the Ten Commandments so important? In Deuteronomy 4:13, Moses refers to them as “God’s covenant, which He commanded you to perform.” God wrote them on tablets of stone – twice, thus distinguishing them among the commandments of the Law. Many think they aren’t relevant to us, but they truly are. Jesus said that He didn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. These commandments distinguished by God reveal His desire for His people, and we are His people of the New Covenant. Hopefully we’re not checking off boxes to acknowledge accomplishment of the bare minimum; hopefully we desire to enjoy the most intimate relationship with God that we can possibly enjoy, and thus are seeking to understand His heart and His will for His people so that we might conform to it.

The rules for worshiping God were different from the way others worshiped their gods, and thus were counter-intuitive for people who thought the most honoring worship was in the most elaborate representations and highest altars. Consider what this means for our worship of God: does He want less from His worshipers, or more?

It didn’t take long for the people to get over their praise for God and start grumbling against Him. And they longed to return to Egypt! God’s Old Testament people give us insight into our own hearts and experiences. Doesn’t it seem like great victories or great encounters with God in your own life are often followed by what seems like catastrophe and your own crashing and burning? Do you get disappointed with yourself that your praise of God is too quick to turn into sin? We should recognize these patterns and be prepared, treasuring up the victories and great encounters by sharing them with others who will remind, encourage and admonish us, or by journaling. How else can you mark them so that you can return to them in the dark times that are sure to follow them?

Note that the discouragement in the desert did not mean that God had accomplished nothing in leading them out of slavery. Often the enemy tries to convince us of that very lie, that present failure means that God really didn’t accomplish anything so we have no other choice but to go back to living enslaved to whatever God has actually freed us from. Don’t buy the lie! The more we understand about the way the enemy works against us, the better we can withstand Him.

The Israelites had reasons to be uncomfortable, lacking food and water. God had no problem providing for them; why did He wait until they were grumbling in discontent? They needed to recognize their complete dependence on Him. As soon as they cried out to Him, He provided. That should have been a powerful lesson for them. Note that God did not hold their grumbling against them here, but He would not be so patient in the future. He expected them to learn from this experience, and cry out to Him the next time needs arose. So also, He instructs us to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let (our) requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) How quick are you to pray about your needs?

Notice also that in their stress the people complained about Moses’ and Aaron’s leadership, when they should have been taking their needs to God. And it bears mentioning again that they expressed a desire to return to the place of their enslavement. Further, their hardships made them question God’s presence with them when His presence was miraculously visible to them! What was wrong with these people? What insight does the Holy Spirit give you about yourself in these object lessons provided by the Israelites? Of what do you need to repent? Against what do you need to be on your guard? How can you fortify yourself now while you are in your right mind?

Isn’t it interesting that God led them through the wilderness rather than directly to the Promised Land? That route didn’t make sense to anyone else, but God had good reasons for His choice. Further, He stopped them at a campsite that left them between the sea (with no way across) and Pharaoh’s pursuing army, the mightiest army of its day, in all of its strength.

So it often is with God’s plans. Sometimes He makes circumstances change for the better miraculously quickly and easily, and sometimes we find ourselves taking what looks like the wrong route, or languishing in a nowhere place that is not where we want to be at all. Or in a hopelessly perilous place. This story is our reminder that God has His reasons for leading us into some of these places, and they not only make sense to the One who knows the truth, but they are designed for our good. The dangerous place ended up being an exciting display of God’s willingness and ability to protect His people, judge their enemy, and further their growth. After the stand-off at the Red Sea, Egypt was in no position to pursue the Israelites into Canaan for a long enough period of time for them to grow into an independent nation capable of protecting themselves.

God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. That doesn’t sound like the action of One who “doesn’t want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (II Peter 3:9) This is a part of God’s plan that we can’t understand. The Bible teaches that He is not unjust except mercifully. Pharaoh’s heart was already hardened by his own choices. What a frightening prospect, that one would harden his heart until God’s only work in that heart would be to harden it further. It grows from a series of choices that any of us are capable of making.

What a lesson in contrasts today’s reading is: the followers of God led on a ridiculous route into the wilderness and certain destruction that was transformed into an absolute victory, and Pharaoh’s hard heart leading the greatest power of its day to what looked like certain victory but was transformed into absolute destruction. What lessons can you apply to your own life from this account of God’s working in the affairs of men?

Appropriately, Israel paused to praise God. Do we do that? Their praise takes the form of ancient Hebrew poetry, which, again, does not make the most interesting reading for us. I challenge you to find in this psalm of praise one thing God’s people learned about God Himself that you can apply to your own life, and one thing about God’s works that you can apply to your life.

Passover was an ingenious command of God because He used it for so many purposes.

First, Passover protected the people of Israel from the plague suffered by the Egyptians. The death of a firstborn was a particular blow in the days when firstborns carried special significance and enjoyed special status. For Pharaoh, it meant the death of the heir to the throne. Blood – specifically, the blood of a lamb – on the doorposts is a strange idea, but it was the way God provided for their relief, and that’s all that mattered. Those who adhered to God’s way saved their firstborn; those who didn’t, lost theirs. Sovereign, Almighty God has the power to have the only opinion that matters in the relief from judgment.

Second, Passover fed the people just before they left, with fortifying food that wouldn’t weigh them down. They were ready to go when they received word. And they didn’t leave a mess behind in their haste. I delight in little details like that and what they reveal about God.

Third, Passover ensured that the people would remember this event. The remembrance would include

• their slavery in Egypt. It is important to remember what life was like before God’s intervention on their behalf, because it is a picture of what life would be like now without His intervention. Hopefully that remembrance drives them to embrace God.
• the judgment of which God is capable. This remembrance would serve to prevent their taking God for granted. 
• His mercy toward anyone who will obey Him. This remembrance should not only drive them closer to God in love as they recall and reflect on His mercy to them, but also remind them of the importance of obedience. It might serve as a renewal of a commitment to God.
• His amazing power that brought them out of slavery. This remembrance would give them cause to celebrate God in praise, which is an important foundation upon which a relationship with God is built.
• their foundation as a nation under God’s leadership. Remembering the history of their nation’s founding would direct them back to the path from which they may have strayed.

All were very important for them to remember, and they are important for us to remember as well. Although it is incredible to think that they would forget such a thing, history shows that it is possible, in that Egypt does not remember it. 

Remembrance of God’s work on our behalf is very important to Him, for it gives us cause for praise and thanksgiving, it helps us to know Him better, and it gives us encouragement and endurance. For these reasons Satan does not want us to remember, and he will try to snatch away from us memories of encounters with God that we think we couldn’t possibly forget. I can attest to this, for once I had an amazing encounter with God that was absolutely unforgettable. Incredibly, I would have forgotten about it in the stress of grief and pain of loss, had I not later found the account recorded in a journal. We must take a lesson from God’s institutionalization of the Passover celebration, and choose to make a way to remember our encounters with God.

Fourth, Passover gives us an object lesson for what Messiah has done for us. Jesus was crucified at Passover. God was preparing a way for us to gain a measure of insight into what His death accomplished for His New Testament people, through this account and His establishment of the institution of its remembrance. Can you spend a few moments prayerfully reflecting  on what Passover teaches about what Jesus has done for you? 

God’s choice of plagues may seem random to us, but they spoke volumes to the Egyptians. For example, turning the water of the Nile to blood didn’t just make the river disgusting and obtaining water difficult, it was a huge blow to these people who worshiped the Nile as a god, and to Pharaoh’s leadership. The river was life to the Egyptians; without it, the desert would encroach and they would have no water or fertile soil for growing crops. The main reason for Pharaoh’s role was to regulate all of Egypt’s efforts to control the river’s annual flooding and irrigation for the welfare of the land and its people. That role eventually evolved into worship of Pharaoh as a representative of the gods, the son of a god, and virtually a god himself, whose main responsibility was to control the Nile for the benefit of the nation. You can see what an assault the first plague was on their reverence for the Nile, its god, and for Pharaoh. Each plague was as significant to the people of ancient Egypt.

The dark arts are not something I contemplate; I prefer to avoid anything that Satan might be able to turn into a trap for me or for someone else. I do not understand how the Egyptian magicians were able to do the same things God had done. But even in that, God was able to demonstrate His supremacy. Isn’t it funny to think of Pharaoh’s magicians actually adding to the misery by producing blood and frogs? Notice that their magic could not overcome God’s work by reversing it – an action that would’ve made a lot more sense than adding to God’s plague and the people’s discomfort.

The plagues didn’t just display God’s supremacy over the gods the Egyptians worshipped; they judged Egypt and Pharaoh with destruction. In a time before grocery stores, refrigeration and mass transportation, the people were dependent on every year’s crops for survival in the coming year. Crop failure meant starvation. The plagues ruined every crop on which the Egyptians depended. It was a catastrophe for them. It seems to me that Pharaoh must have been crazy to allow it to happen, but there were apparently other nonbelievers. What an object lesson to us of the hearts hardened today by rejecting God. They fail to perceive the truth because they have rejected it, and then they accuse those who believe the truth of being crazy. Just like in ancient Egypt, belief in the truth to the point that we will act on it, is our only hope of salvation from sin and its deadly effects.

Notice that God’s primary intent was not to destroy Egypt, but to lead them to knowledge of Him. Often God’s works are seen as negative when they involve destruction and human suffering, but if we won’t know Him in the status quo, how merciful He is to try another way. Since “this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God,” God is actually caring and merciful to use difficult circumstances to lead us to that knowledge. May we be quick to turn to Him; may we be doing the work we are called to do to witness and make disciples. May we cooperate with Him in turning suffering people’s attention toward merciful God when He allows such circumstances. For knowing Him is much more important in truth than our ease and comfort.

Today completes a month of reading! Well done, for those of you who have stuck with it! I hope it feels like a good accomplishment. You are one-twelfth of the way through the Bible! If you did it for the month of January, you can do it for another month!

If you have not read faithfully, please keep trying! Continuing to try is so much better than giving up! And you can still improve. Try to make a week at a time your goal.This is a worthy endeavor, worthy of continuing effort!