Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

Why are some things complicated and others easy to understand and easier to do? 

Why do you suppose God commanded Moses to appoint and anoint priests for the tent of meeting? 

And why did Moses have to follow each detail exactly the way God said?

God is teaching His People how to BE His People who love him back with how to love each other.  He now is teaching them how to worship Him with sins covered and absolved. 

Egypt has many ways to worship many gods.  We’ve said it for the last few days and we will say it again:  God took His People out of Egypt, now God is taking Egypt out of His people in all kinds of ways.  God does that with us, too.  He takes away our sins then works on our hearts to keep us from returning the sins that held us in bondage.  God says He will abide in us as we abide in Him.  What a relationship now and forever!  What hope and assurance to be one of His children with the promise of life eternal with Him!  Hold that thought as we read the great Exodus as God teaches His newly freed people!

Exodus 29, The Message

Consecration of Priests

^1-4 “This is the ceremony for dedicating them as priests. Take a young bull and two rams, healthy and without defects. Using fine wheat flour but no yeast make bread and cakes mixed with oil and wafers spread with oil. Place them in a basket and carry them along with the bull and the two rams. Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water.

^5-9 “Then take the vestments and dress Aaron in the tunic, the robe of the Ephod, the Ephod, and the Breastpiece, belting the Ephod on him with the embroidered waistband. Set the turban on his head and place the sacred crown on the turban. Then take the anointing oil and pour it on his head, anointing him. Then bring his sons, put tunics on them and gird them with sashes, both Aaron and his sons, and set hats on them. Their priesthood is upheld by law and is permanent.

^9-14 “This is how you will ordain Aaron and his sons: Bring the bull to the Tent of Meeting. Aaron and his sons will place their hands on the head of the bull. Then you will slaughter the bull in the presence of God at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Take some of the bull’s blood and smear it on the horns of the Altar with your finger; pour the rest of the blood on the base of the Altar. Next take all the fat that covers the innards, fat from around the liver and the two kidneys, and burn it on the Altar. But the flesh of the bull, including its hide and dung, you will burn up outside the camp. It is an Absolution-Offering.

^15-18 “Then take one of the rams. Have Aaron and his sons place their hands on the head of the ram. Slaughter the ram and take its blood and throw it against the Altar, all around. Cut the ram into pieces; wash its innards and legs, then gather the pieces and its head and burn the whole ram on the Altar. It is a Whole-Burnt-Offering to God, a pleasant fragrance, an offering by fire to God.

^19-21 “Then take the second ram. Have Aaron and his sons place their hands on the ram’s head. Slaughter the ram. Take some of its blood and rub it on Aaron’s right earlobe and on the right earlobes of his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Sprinkle the rest of the blood against all sides of the Altar. Then take some of the blood that is on the Altar, mix it with some of the anointing oil, and splash it on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes so that Aaron and his clothes and his sons and his sons’ clothes will be made holy.

^22-23 “Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the innards, the long lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, and the right thigh: this is the ordination ram. Also take one loaf of bread, an oil cake, and a wafer from the breadbasket that is in the presence of God.

^24-25 “Place all of these in the open hands of Aaron and his sons who will wave them before God, a Wave-Offering. Then take them from their hands and burn them on the Altar with the Whole-Burnt-Offering—a pleasing fragrance before God, a gift to God.

²⁶ “Now take the breast from Aaron’s ordination ram and wave it before God, a Wave-Offering. That will be your portion.

^27-28 “Bless the Wave-Offering breast and the thigh that was held up. These are the parts of the ordination ram that are for Aaron and his sons. Aaron and his sons are always to get this offering from the Israelites; the Israelites are to make this offering regularly from their Peace-Offerings.

^29-30 “Aaron’s sacred garments are to be handed down to his descendants so they can be anointed and ordained in them. The son who succeeds him as priest is to wear them for seven days and enter the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place.

^31-34 “Take the ordination ram and boil the meat in the Holy Place. At the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, Aaron and his sons will eat the boiled ram and the bread that is in the basket. Atoned by these offerings, ordained and hallowed by them, they are the only ones who are to eat them. No outsiders are to eat them; they’re holy. Anything from the ordination ram or from the bread that is left over until morning you are to burn up. Don’t eat it; it’s holy.

^35-37 “Do everything for the ordination of Aaron and his sons exactly as I’ve commanded you throughout the seven days. Offer a bull as an Absolution-Offering for atonement each day. Offer it on the Altar when you make atonement for it: Anoint and hallow it. Make atonement for the Altar and hallow it for seven days; the Altar will become soaked in holiness—anyone who so much as touches the Altar will become holy.

^38-41 “This is what you are to offer on the Altar: two year-old lambs each and every day, one lamb in the morning and the second lamb at evening. With the sacrifice of the first lamb offer two quarts of fine flour with a quart of virgin olive oil, plus a quart of wine for a Drink-Offering. The sacrifice of the second lamb, the one at evening, is also to be accompanied by the same Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering of the morning sacrifice to give a pleasing fragrance, a gift to God.

^42-46 “This is to be your regular, daily Whole-Burnt-Offering before God, generation after generation, sacrificed at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. That’s where I’ll meet you; that’s where I’ll speak with you; that’s where I’ll meet the Israelites, at the place made holy by my Glory. I’ll make the Tent of Meeting and the Altar holy. I’ll make Aaron and his sons holy in order to serve me as priests. I’ll move in and live with the Israelites. I’ll be their God. They’ll realize that I am their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live with them. I am God, your God.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

This was the complicated system for the atonement (punishment/compensation) for sins.  God, in His Holiness and Perfection, cannot occupy the same space as sin, darkness and unholiness.  So there had to be a system for man to take care of his sins before coming before God.  To be their God, there had to be a way to redeem the sin situation of His People so He could come into the camp.  Aaron and his descendants were chose to be those representatives that would remedy the sin problem through animal sacrifice whose blood would take man’s place for punishment of sins instead of his own blood.

God gave Moses this way to cover the sins of His People so God could come and reside with them.  Over the centuries of complying to this system, it was thwarted with carelessness, pride and greed.  Yes, over time, the Old way became flawed in the sacrificial system of animals along with power-seeking corruption among the priests in the selling and buying of the animals to be sacrificed. 

God knew it would happen. God had a New Plan of sacrifice designed from the beginning to bring His People unto Himself.  That Plan of Jesus, the ultimate, perfect, without sin sacrifice.  Jesus, born of a Virgin, was both son of Man and Son of God.  Jesus, though God, could live among sinful people and teach them the way to God because He was also enough son of man to live in the “neighborhood” of man—and his sins. 

So, at just the right time, as God told his prophets, Jesus, Son of God, would come to earth to be the sacrifice to not only “cover” over our sins but to get rid of them, once and for all, saving all men and women who believed in Him!  Why?  Because of God’s great love, unfailing faithfulness, unending grace and relentless mercy for His created.  Pause and thank God right now!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

The New Way is to come with a sincere heart seeking to be with God forever.  Repent in Jesus Name of all our sins no wanting to return.  God hears.  Jesus saves.  We are redeemed!  Simple. 

So, why wait?  Jesus is at the door ready with God’s blessings of growing in His character with the assured hope of eternal life as well as help for every day life.  Our part?  Say yes to Him.  Then walk with God by giving our lives back to Him.  Can it be that easy?  Saying yes is as easy or as hard as you want it to be.  But make a decision.  Doing nothing is a decision made—and that’s a hard way to live, too. 

Friends, life isn’t easy.  We need God to help us in all areas.  He loves to help us, is always for us ready to guide us with powerful strength to help us get through all the troubles this imperfect world has to offer.  But we must say a heartfelt yes to Him.

Paul explains the daily walk with God, Jesus, and His Holy Spirit like this;

“Place Your Life Before God”

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”  Romans 12:1-2, The Message

Do this all in Jesus Name, For His Glory!  Yes and Amen!  May all we do be done in Jesus Name with His love in our hearts.

There are many today who believe that what you wear should not make a difference in who you are or what you are capable of being and doing.  Is that just wishful thinking?  Can we humans truthfully say that what we wear is how we are still judged today.  If I walk in to a room smiling, but with worn flip flops on my nasty unkept feet, wearing a t-shirt that has seen better days with jeans that need a good washing, what are your first thoughts about me? Nice smile?  Or would you shy away from me because of the smell along with a prayer to God to help me? What if I came into a room with clean clothes, fresh from a good shower with that same smile on my face, what would be your reaction as a first impression of me?   

“Dress for success” we have been told by our culture.  “Clothes make a person”.  Admit it, our thoughts about a person are based on first impressions of that person’s appearance.  Unkept means lazy to our culture.  Bathed with trendy clothing marks a person as a go getter.  But what if God chose your clothing, as His representative to His people, vests and cloaks with built in significance as a remembrance of what He has done? What if His clothing reminded you that your work is to minister to everyone for it is everyone of His People that God loves and cherishes? 

Mm, what to wear…Is what I’m wearing make me look fat—with arrogance?  Or is what I’m wearing inviting people to see Jesus in me?

Exodus 28, The Message

The Vestments

^1-5 “Get your brother Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites to serve me as priests: Aaron and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar. Make sacred vestments for your brother Aaron to symbolize glory and beauty. Consult with the skilled craftsmen, those whom I have gifted in this work, and arrange for them to make Aaron’s vestments, to set him apart as holy, to act as priest for me. These are the articles of clothing they are to make: Breastpiece, Ephod, robe, woven tunic, turban, sash. They are making holy vestments for your brother Aaron and his sons as they work as priests for me. They will need gold; blue, purple, and scarlet material; and fine linen.

The Ephod

^6-14 “Have the Ephod made from gold; blue, purple, and scarlet material; and fine twisted linen by a skilled craftsman. Give it two shoulder pieces at two of the corners so it can be fastened. The decorated band on it is to be just like it and of one piece with it: made of gold; blue, purple, and scarlet material; and of fine twisted linen. Next take two onyx stones and engrave the names of the sons of Israel on them in the order of their birth, six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a jeweler engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in settings of filigreed gold. Fasten the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the Ephod—they are memorial stones for the Israelites. Aaron will wear these names on his shoulders as a memorial before God. Make the settings of gold filigree. Make two chains of pure gold and braid them like cords, then attach the corded chains to the settings.

The Breastpiece

^15-20 “Now make a Breastpiece of Judgment, using skilled craftsmen, the same as with the Ephod. Use gold; blue, purple, and scarlet material; and fine twisted linen. Make it nine inches square and folded double. Mount four rows of precious gemstones on it.

    First row: carnelian, topaz, emerald.
    Second row: ruby, sapphire, crystal.
    Third row: jacinth, agate, amethyst.
    Fourth row: beryl, onyx, jasper.

^20-21 “Set them in gold filigree. The twelve stones correspond to the names of the Israelites, with twelve names engraved, one on each, as on a seal for the twelve tribes.

^22-28 “Then make braided chains of pure gold for the Breastpiece, like cords. Make two rings of gold for the Breastpiece and fasten them to the two ends. Fasten the two golden cords to the rings at the ends of the Breastpiece. Then fasten the other ends of the two cords to the two settings of filigree, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the Ephod in front. Then make two rings of gold and fasten them to the two ends of the Breastpiece on its inside edge facing the Ephod. Then make two more rings of gold and fasten them in the front of the Ephod to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces, near the seam above the decorated band. Fasten the Breastpiece in place by running a cord of blue through its rings to the rings of the Ephod so that it rests secure on the decorated band of the Ephod and won’t come loose.

^29-30 “Aaron will regularly carry the names of the sons of Israel on the Breastpiece of Judgment over his heart as he enters the Sanctuary into the presence of God for remembrance. Place the Urim and Thummim in the Breastpiece of Judgment. They will be over Aaron’s heart when he enters the presence of God. In this way Aaron will regularly carry the Breastpiece of Judgment into the presence of God.

The Robe

^31-35 “Make the robe for the Ephod entirely of blue, with an opening for the head at the center and a hem on the edge so that it won’t tear. For the edge of the skirts make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet material all around and alternate them with bells of gold—gold bell and pomegranate, gold bell and pomegranate—all around the hem of the robe. Aaron has to wear it when he does his priestly work. The bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place and comes into the presence of God, and again when he comes out so that he won’t die.

The Turban, Tunic, Underwear

^36-38 “Make a plate of pure gold. Engrave on it as on a seal: ‘Holy to God.’ Tie it with a blue cord to the front of the turban. It is to rest there on Aaron’s forehead. He’ll take on any guilt involved in the sacred offerings that the Israelites dedicate, no matter what they bring. It will always be on Aaron’s forehead so that the offerings will be acceptable before God.

^39-41 “Weave the tunic of fine linen. Make the turban of fine linen. The sash will be the work of an embroiderer. Make tunics, sashes, and hats for Aaron’s sons to express glory and beauty. Dress your brother Aaron and his sons in them. Anoint, ordain, and dedicate them to serve me as priests.

^42-43 “Make linen underwear to cover their nakedness from waist to thigh. Aaron and his sons must wear it whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the Altar to minister in the Holy Place so that they won’t incur guilt and die. This is a permanent rule for Aaron and all his priest-descendants.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God dresses Aaron and his sons with symbols of His love, mercy, rescue, judgement and grace.  So what are we “wearing” today?

The variety of stones on the breastplate suggests the variety of people in the church, all of them precious to God. Each of the tribes had its own distinctive outlook and personality, and no two were alike. Some were quick to go to battle, while others stayed home (Judg. 5:13–18). Some were easy to work with, while others liked to argue and be important (Judg. 8). Yet the Lord loved them all and the high priest had to minister to them all.

Twice in this section the priests were warned that they might die if they didn’t fully obey the Lord’s instructions and wear the right garments. In other words, God’s servants must walk in the fear of the Lord and be careful to obey Him and give Him the glory.  Jesus came to give life and teach truth.  His disciples wrote down what is the most important to God based on what Jesus deemed the greatest commandments:  Love God with all our hearts, minds and souls.  Love each other like loves us.

John the Baptist was the first “priest”, called of God to preach the coming of the Lord, our Messiah, someone much greater than himself, who dressed counterculture in the world.  John preached in simple clothing that most religious leaders repelled.  John wore animal skins, ate locust and wild honey down by the river so he could immediately baptize those who repented to God!  Impressive to the well-dressed?  Hardly.  The priests of Jesus day now dressed to represent their own pride and arrogance—to opposite of God’s intent.  All meaning and significance was lost through centuries of generations of priests.

So, God called John who preached humility and repentance.  John introduced a new way of thinking to a world that had forgotten God altogether.  He preached about Someone who would change the world forever.  This Someone was Jesus, Son of God, the One and Only sent to take away the sins of the world.  With Jesus came the Good News of a new way of thinking, talking, loving and behaving—a new way to dress for “success” in God’s Kingdom.  Paul explains to believers, who are ALL priests, all “ambassadors (representatives) for Christ”, exactly what this looks like:

“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.”

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:10-17

Dear Friends, this is how the smile on our faces form!  Our smile represents the smile of God on us, living in us, being His chosen representatives to a world who needs a Savior.  It is no longer what style of material clothing we wear, it’s how we dress our hearts, minds and souls.  May the smile of God bless you today as you read and meditate on His word.  Point the way to Jesus!  And smile!  Our smile opens the door to hearing about Jesus.  My prayer for us…

In Jesus Name, For His glory, so others will know, Amen!

Shine
Make ’em wonder what you’ve got
Make ’em wish that they were not
On the outside lookin’ bored
Shine
Let it shine before all men
Let ’em see good works and then
Let ’em glorify the Lord

Shine, by Newboys

If you have ever been camping, you know how important light is when it gets dark and you are making your way to a bathroom.  Yes, we are talking about tent camping!  Our young family did for a few years.  It was a cheaper way for us to take our “party of five” to places within our budget.  One of those trips was to Yellowstone National Park.  What an incredible trip!  The mountains and lake were so pristine and breathe takingly beautiful to see! 

But then there was that sign on the road to our campsite.  “No soft-sided camping in this area.”  Why, because of bears!  We went a few miles outside Yellowstone Park to find a great place by a beautiful stream.  The sign said, “Not a bear area.”  At that time, we had upgraded to a popup tent trailer.  This mom felt safe—until I laid my head down to overthink our situation.  This thought came to my mind, Bears cannot read, how do THEY know this is not a bear area?  So, I kept our Coleman lamp burning the rest of the night.  Somehow, I felt that this light in the darkness would keep us all safe.  The rest of the family got a good night’s sleep.  I kept watch for bears!

The Israelites have been camping for awhile in the dessert wilderness while God is teaching Moses how to lead His People, the Chosen, to walk in God’s ways by His provision.  Moses is receiving a “seminary” education on the mountain with God, Himself, for 40 days and 40 nights.  So, what is happening to the people while Moses is being schooled?  We will get to that later, but for now let us center our thoughts on the construction of the Altar along with the command to keep the lighted lamps burning.  See, I’m not the only one who thinks light is important and protects us from the darkness!

Exodus 27, The Message

The Altar

^1-8 “Make an Altar of acacia wood. Make it seven and a half feet square and four and a half feet high. Make horns at each of the four corners. The horns are to be of one piece with the Altar and covered with a veneer of bronze. Make buckets for removing the ashes, along with shovels, basins, forks, and fire pans. Make all these utensils from bronze. Make a grate of bronze mesh and attach bronze rings at each of the four corners. Put the grate under the ledge of the Altar at the halfway point of the Altar. Make acacia wood poles for the Altar and cover them with a veneer of bronze. Insert the poles through the rings on the two sides of the Altar for carrying. Use boards to make the Altar, keeping the interior hollow.

The Courtyard

^9-11 “Make a Courtyard for The Dwelling. The south side is to be 150 feet long. The hangings for the Courtyard are to be woven from fine twisted linen, with their twenty posts, twenty bronze bases, and fastening hooks and bands of silver. The north side is to be exactly the same.

^12-19 “For the west end of the Courtyard you will need seventy-five feet of hangings with their ten posts and bases. Across the seventy-five feet at the front, or east end, you will need twenty-two and a half feet of hangings, with their three posts and bases on one side and the same for the other side. At the door of the Courtyard make a screen thirty feet long woven from blue, purple, and scarlet stuff, with fine twisted linen, embroidered by a craftsman, and hung on its four posts and bases. All the posts around the Courtyard are to be banded with silver, with hooks of silver and bases of bronze. The Courtyard is to be 150 feet long and seventy-five feet wide. The hangings of fine twisted linen set on their bronze bases are to be seven and a half feet high. All the tools used for setting up The Holy Dwelling, including all the pegs in it and the Courtyard, are to be made of bronze.

^20-21 “Now, order the Israelites to bring you pure, clear olive oil for light so that the lamps can be kept burning. In the Tent of Meeting, the area outside the curtain that veils The Testimony, Aaron and his sons will keep this light burning from evening until morning before God. This is to be a permanent practice down through the generations for Israelites.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The altar was a significant place of sacrifice for sin.  Animals without blemish will be sacrificed on this altar to “cover the sins” (atone the sins) of God’s people.  Jesus who was perfect, without sin, did that for us, once and for all.  There is a significant difference, however.  Jesus takes away our repented sins, justifying us, “just as if” we had never sinned.  “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103) AND God remembers our sins confessed and repented no more!  We cannot keep asking God to forgive us for a sin we already confessed as we ask for forgiveness, because He has already forgiven and forgotten that sin!  Wow.

Dear Friends, the only “altar” believers have today is Jesus Christ Himself, who bears on His glorified body the wounds of the cross (Luke 24:39; John 20:20; Heb. 13:10). As a holy priesthood, we “offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5). We present to Him our bodies (Rom. 12:1, 2), our material wealth (Phil. 4:18), praise and good works (Heb. 13:15, 16), and a broken heart (Ps. 51:17).

“Outside—Keep the light burning!”  Once we proclaim Jesus as Savior and Lord of our lives, who is the Light of the world who is in darkness, we must keep His Light in us burning brightly and consistently!  His Light in us not only keeps us safe from the wolves among the sheep, but His light in us points to way for others to find their way from darkness to Jesus, the Light of the World!  “This is to be a permanent practice down through the generations for Israelites” and for us!

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:13-16, NIV

ONE WAY IN—

There was only one entrance to the enclosure and therefore only one way to get to the altar of God. When God puts up a fence and assigns the way in, nobody has the authority to question it or change it. Jesus claimed to be the only door (John 10:9) and the only way to God (John 14:6), which explains why Peter said, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). In today’s pluralistic society, many people like to think that every way is acceptable to God, but that attitude leads to death (Matt. 7:13–27).

Our Father God in Heaven,

Thank you for making a Way, the One and Only Way to you possible through you, dear Jesus!  I love you with all my heart, mind and soul.  Thank you for teaching me the finer points of your story from Genesis, the beginning, to the Revelation of your coming back again with everything in between.  I may not understand it all, but I know enough to know I need you every hour with your light burning consistently and forever in me!  I’m yours. I’m listening and learning.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

Where is your Holy Place?  Where is that special place where you and God can commune each day?   Where is that place where you can be quiet and listen to Him with a heart that waits in anticipation for what God has to say to you?  Who begins each day with you then sings over you as you lay your head on the pillow at night?  Who is with you throughout the day?  All these questions to ponder are related to our heart condition as we call on God, in Jesus Name.  God may be calling us even now to come and meet with Him! 

Are we listening for His invitation to join Him?  Are ready to enter into close communion with the Holy of Holies?  Jesus, His Son made it possible for us to come boldly to God with anything standing in our way.  Jesus torn down the curtain that stood between God and man when the One and Only rescued us and brought us out of evil’s hold on our hearts, minds and souls by taking our place for our sins. 

Remember Jesus.  Remember, pausing to think about what He did for us as God tells Moses the specifics of building a place for Him to dwell with His Chosen in the wilderness.  Today we are the dwelling in which God, Jesus and His Holy Spirit reside. God tells us exactly how to build our lives as the Sanctuary where He dwells in us.  All because of Jesus.  Today, we who believe are His Chosen.  Hold that thought.

Exodus 26, The Message

The Dwelling

^1-6 “Make The Dwelling itself from ten panels of tapestry woven from fine twisted linen, blue and purple and scarlet material, with an angel-cherubim design. A skilled craftsman should do it. The panels of tapestry are each to be forty-six feet long and six feet wide. Join five of the panels together, and then the other five together. Make loops of blue along the edge of the outside panel of the first set and the same on the outside panel of the second set. Make fifty loops on each panel. Then make fifty gold clasps and join the tapestries together so that The Dwelling is one whole.

^7-11 “Next make tapestries of goat hair for a tent that will cover The Dwelling. Make eleven panels of these tapestries. The length of each panel will be forty-five feet long and six feet wide. Join five of the panels together, and then the other six. Fold the sixth panel double at the front of the tent. Now make fifty loops along the edge of the end panel and fifty loops along the edge of the joining panel. Make fifty clasps of bronze and connect the clasps with the loops, bringing the tent together.

^12-14 “Hang half of the overlap of the tapestry panels over the rear of The Dwelling. The eighteen inches of overlap on either side will cover the sides of the tent. Finally, make a covering for the tapestries of tanned rams’ skins dyed red and over that a covering of dolphin skins.

^15-25 “Frame The Dwelling with planks of acacia wood, each section of frame fifteen feet long and two and one-quarter feet wide, with two pegs for securing them. Make all the frames identical: twenty frames for the south side with forty silver sockets to receive the two pegs from each of the twenty frames; the same construction on the north side of The Dwelling; for the rear of The Dwelling, which faces west, make six frames with two additional frames for the rear corners. Both of the two corner frames need to be double in thickness from top to bottom and fit into a single ring—eight frames altogether with sixteen sockets of silver, two under each frame.

^26-30 “Now make crossbars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of The Dwelling, five for the other side, and five for the back side facing west. The center crossbar runs from end to end halfway up the frames. Cover the frames with a veneer of gold and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. And cover the crossbars with a veneer of gold. Then put The Dwelling together, following the design you were shown on the mountain.

^31-35 “Make a curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. Have a design of angel-cherubim woven into it by a skilled craftsman. Fasten it with gold hooks to four posts of acacia wood covered with a veneer of gold, set on four silver bases. After hanging the curtain from the clasps, bring the Chest of The Testimony in behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Holy-of-Holies. Now place the Atonement-Cover lid on the Chest of The Testimony in the Holy-of-Holies. Place the Table and the Lampstand outside the curtain, the Lampstand on the south side of The Dwelling and the Table opposite it on the north side.

^36-37 “Make a screen for the door of the tent. Weave it from blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. Frame the weaving with five poles of acacia wood covered with a veneer of gold and make gold hooks to hang the weaving. Cast five bronze bases for the poles.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The Dwelling is full of meaning.

“Honor and majesty are before Him,” wrote the psalmist. “Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary” (Ps. 96:6). The tabernacle was a tent, but it was a tent like no other! The strength of His sanctuary is revealed in its construction, and the beauty is revealed in its adornment.

The curtain and furnishings are significant. 

What Old Testament believers had in the tabernacle, and later in the temple, God’s people today have in Jesus Christ. The furnishings and the ceremonies point to Christ and reveal the many glorious aspects of His character and the salvation He gives to all who trust Him. Every spiritual need of the Israelite people was met in the provisions of the tabernacle, and in Jesus Christ we have everything that we need for “life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3).

Between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, the inner curtain (veil) hung from gold hooks supported by four pillars. It was embroidered with cherubim in white, scarlet, blue, and purple. Hebrews 10:20 says that this curtain typifies the body of Christ, for when His body was offered on the cross, the curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom (Mark 15:38).

“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split,” Matthew 27:51

Matthew, Mark, and Luke documented the tearing of the veil in the temple after Jesus’ death on the cross. 

• “The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom,” Mark 15:38 reads. 
• Luke wrote, “for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two” (Luke 23:45). 
• John simply records Jesus’ last words, “It is finished,” and “with that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30).

The Apostle Matthew left a historical trail of Jesus’ death by recording the events that immediately followed. John, perhaps tied in knots of emotion as he remained at the foot of the cross with Jesus’ mother as He died, can only move on after mention of His Savior’s last earthly breath before the crucifixion. 

This is proof that the curtain that separated mankind from the space where God met to hear and atone man’s sins in no longer a barrier to the Holy of Holies.  Jesus’ death and resurrection made it possible for us to come boldly to the throne of God and talk with Him.  Anytime, day or night.

We cannot emphasize this enough! Jesus, who is God the Son, went to the cross by His own free will in submission to God the Father. He came to earth to save us from the sin that separated us from the presence of God. “The tearing of the curtain that separated the sinful people from the holy presence of God signifies what happened when the flesh of Jesus was torn,” John Piper preached, “The tearing of Jesus’ flesh secured the reconciliation between God and his sinful people. That is what the tearing of the curtain signified.”

Could this be why God is so specific in the design of His Dwelling place?  God knows who is to come!  For now, it is a sturdy, designated place that will travel well with His People.  The Dwelling and the contents will remind His people that He is with them wherever they go as well as what He has already done to rescue them.  Everything inside points to Jesus!

God will train priest from the tribe of Levi to be his representatives in the Dwelling. Jesus is our High Priest who not only reconciled our sins, making us right with God by His own sacrificial blood, but cleared the way to God’s Holy Presence!  No curtain stands in our way to God!  Now all who believe and are redeemed have been designated as Christ’s representatives, (priests of the Good News) who tell His story of salvation, pointing the Way to Him!  (2 Corinthians 5:20)

The old has gone, the new has come.  Believe and be saved for eternity!  The risen King is building a new temple—not a tomb of cold, lifeless stones but a spiritual house of living stones. Jesus is assembling a people from the four corners of the earth, “all nations”, washed clean and taught to follow him.

The best news is this: we are his temple, His Dwelling place.  He goes where He sends.  We are his planted garden multiplying and filling the earth. His Presence will never depart from this living temple, for Jesus promised: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

Lord prepare me
To be a sanctuary
Pure and holy
Tried and true
And with thanksgiving
I’ll be a living
Sanctuary, oh for You…

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen!

Whoever said, “God is not specific with what He tells me, so I do not know what to do”, haven’t studied the book of Exodus that is filled with just how specific the God of Creation and Divine Design can be!  God has a reason for every detail in our lives because He knows what lies ahead.  He knows exactly what we will need spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally to follow Him, allowing His best work to done in and through us!

Take some time to read and imagine the detailed work that is to be done to remember who God is and what He has done for them.  And what else does God’s Chosen have to do in the wilderness, but to build?  On any “road trip”, we parents give our children things to keep them busy so they will center their thoughts on the joy in journey instead of fighting with each other for sport, right?!  Mm, maybe, there’s more to this part of the story… 

Exodus 25, The Message

Instructions on the Mountain: The Offerings

^1-9 God spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites that they are to set aside offerings for me. Receive the offerings from everyone who is willing to give. These are the offerings I want you to receive from them: gold, silver, bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet material; fine linen; goats’ hair; tanned rams’ skins; dolphin skins; acacia wood; lamp oil; spices for anointing oils and for fragrant incense; onyx stones and other stones for setting in the Ephod and the Breastpiece. Let them construct a Sanctuary for me so that I can live among them. You are to construct it following the plans I’ve given you, the design for The Dwelling and the design for all its furnishings.

The Chest

^10-15 “First let them make a Chest using acacia wood: make it three and three-quarters feet long and two and one-quarter feet wide and deep. Cover it with a veneer of pure gold inside and out and make a molding of gold all around it. Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Make poles from acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold and insert them into the rings on the sides of the Chest for carrying the Chest. The poles are to stay in the rings; they must not be removed.

¹⁶ “Place The Testimony that I give you in the Chest.

¹⁷ “Now make a lid of pure gold for the Chest, an Atonement-Cover, three and three-quarters feet long and two and one-quarter feet wide.

^18-22 “Sculpt two winged angels out of hammered gold for either end of the Atonement-Cover, one angel at one end, one angel at the other. Make them of one piece with the Atonement-Cover. Make the angels with their wings spread, hovering over the Atonement-Cover, facing one another but looking down on it. Set the Atonement-Cover as a lid over the Chest and place in the Chest The Testimony that I will give you. I will meet you there at set times and speak with you from above the Atonement-Cover and from between the angel-figures that are on it, speaking the commands that I have for the Israelites.

The Table

^23-28 “Next make a Table from acacia wood. Make it three feet long, one and one-half feet wide and two and one-quarter feet high. Cover it with a veneer of pure gold. Make a molding all around it of gold. Make the border a handbreadth wide all around it and a rim of gold for the border. Make four rings of gold and attach the rings to the four legs parallel to the tabletop. They will serve as holders for the poles used to carry the Table. Make the poles of acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold. They will be used to carry the Table.

²⁹ “Make plates, bowls, jars, and jugs for pouring out offerings. Make them of pure gold.

³⁰ “Always keep fresh Bread of the Presence on the Table before me.

The Lampstand

^31-36 “Make a Lampstand of pure hammered gold. Make its stem and branches, cups, calyxes, and petals all of one piece. Give it six branches, three from one side and three from the other; put three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with calyx and petals, on one branch, three on the next, and so on—the same for all six branches. On the main stem of the Lampstand, make four cups shaped like almonds, with calyx and petals, a calyx extending from under each pair of the six branches, the entire Lampstand fashioned from one piece of hammered pure gold.

^37-38 “Make seven of these lamps for the Table. Arrange the lamps so they throw their light out in front. Make the candle snuffers and trays out of pure gold.

^39-40 “Use a seventy-five-pound brick of pure gold to make the Lampstand and its accessories. Study the design you were given on the mountain and make everything accordingly.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God spoke to Moses.  He speaks to us today who believe and trust in Him.  We must listen to every detail.

God still gives specifics.  He gives us His Word so we can study His design for our lives and then do everything that He says.  I’m reminded of one of my favorite Psalms—

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
    for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
    for to you I entrust my life.
⁹ Rescue me from my enemies, Lord,
    for I hide myself in you.
¹⁰ Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
    lead me on level ground.”

Psalm 143;8-10, NIV

AND Psalm 119…

“I have hidden your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you.
¹² I praise you, O Lord;
    teach me your decrees.
¹³ I have recited aloud
    all the regulations you have given us.
¹⁴ I have rejoiced in your laws
    as much as in riches.
¹⁵ I will study your commandments
    and reflect on your ways.
¹⁶ I will delight in your decrees
    and not forget your word.”

Psalm 119:11-16, NLT

GOING DEEPER INTO THE DESIGN WORK—

With that thought in mind, let’s go a bit deeper in the significance of the design.  God was about to fulfill His promise to be Israel’s God by coming to the camp of Israel to dwell with His people.  In order to do this, the Lord needed two things: a place for His glory to dwell and servants to minister to Him in that place.  Yes, what God does!  He always involves us!

Whenever God does a work, He has a plan for that work, whether it’s building the tabernacle or the temple, a local church (Phil. 2:12), or the individual Christian’s life and ministry (Eph. 2:10).

God warned Moses to make everything according to the pattern revealed to him on the mountain.  Why?  Good question.  With the help of Warren Wierbe, Theologian, we learn that the earthly tabernacle was built to God’s specifications. God’s Word reveals that this is “a copy of the heavenly tabernacle where our Lord now ministers to and for His people (Heb. 8:1–5; 9:1). The Book of Revelation mentions an altar of burnt offering (Rev. 6:9–11), an altar of incense (Rev. 8:3–5), a throne (Rev. 4:2), elders (Rev. 4:4, 5), lamps (Rev. 4:5), a “sea” (Rev. 4:6), and living creatures or cherubim (Rev. 4:6, 7), all of which parallel the main furnishings of the earthly tabernacle. It’s a basic principle of ministry that we follow the pattern given from heaven, not the pattern of this world (Rom. 12:2).”  I know, right?!

The cover of the ark, traditionally called the “mercy seat,” had a cherub at each end and their wings overshadowed the ark. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest was permitted to enter the Most Holy Place (traditionally the “Holy of Holies”), where he sprinkled the blood of the sacrifices on the ark’s cover (Lev. 16:13). This made atonement for Israel’s sins for another year (Lev. 16:29–34). These actions were a foreshadowing or type that was not fully understood until later events made it clear. The fulfillment of this type was when Jesus Christ died once for all for the sins of the world and took away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (Heb. 9:11—10:14).  (Wierbe)  Thank you, Jesus!!

The loaves are called the “showbread,” literally “bread of faces.” The presence of twelve loaves of bread in the Holy Place couldn’t help but remind the priests that they were serving the twelve tribes of Israel, God’s chosen people. Through these loaves, the twelve tribes were presented before God, and God was present with them in their camp, beholding their worship and their daily walk.

There’s also a sense that the loaves remind us that Israel was called to feed a hungry world the spiritual bread the Lord had given them. They gave the world the Word of God which is bread (Matt. 4:4), and the bread speaks of Jesus (John 6). Paul compared the church to a loaf of unleavened bread (1 Cor. 5:1–8; see 10:16, 17), and our task is to preach the Word and tell sinners about Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.  Yes, God always involves His people—we who believe are His Chosen today.

God knows

What was done by the priests in the sanctuary was done for the Lord and before the Lord. It mattered not that the people in the camp were ignorant of what the priests were doing, because God saw it all, and their task was to please Him. The most important part of a Christian’s life is the part that only God sees. If God is pleased by what He sees, and our consciences are clean before Him, then we don’t have to worry about what people think or say about us. He will accept our ministry and bless each one of us with His growing character.

Lord,

Yes, and amen!  What you do in us is miraculous!  When we really believe what you say is really real, then our lives change and are transformed!  We mess up but you come and repair the damage and restore us to a right relationship with you.  You never change in your love and faithfulness toward us.  I know.  I am a life that was changed and is still transforming.  For this alone I am grateful to you.  To you be the glory forevermore.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

Before anything of significance happens in our lives of serving God, we must climb the mountain to meet with God, to hear and understand what He wants.  Dear friends, when God calls us to climb, climb.  If we jump start life on our own, life gets more and more complicated.  God is not a confusing God nor He is hiding anything from us.  Jesus knew this about God because of being His Son. Jesus lived a simple life on earth being with God then doing what His Father said.  Before his ministry to the world began, He also “climbed a mountain” in the wilderness to be with God for forty days and nights.  Significant to Moses’ command to climb?  Yes!

“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”  Matthew 3:16-17

You and I both know the feeling and emotions after saying a loving, uncompromising yes to God’s call for a specific work.  I don’t know about you, but I am giddy with excitement as I trust God with nothing held back.  It is knowing without doubt that I’m in God’s holy presence, pleasing Him that sends my soul into the heavenlies.  I see only God in these moments!  I know He is there and will never leave me in this work.  I know He is pleased as I align my thoughts and actions completely with Him.  It is truly a spiritual mountain high!   

But then God must teach us through tests and trials to prepare us for His work in the valley below the mountain of helping others know and follow Him, too.  He led Jesus, immediately after revealing to the world through baptism who He was, to the wilderness to fast and pray—and be tested.  It is in the wilderness that we, too are tested and taught.  (If Jesus had to go through it, then…)

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.  Matthew 4:1-11

The evil of this world, the prince of darkness, is no match for Jesus, Son of God, Savior of our souls.  Jesus is Son of Man and Son of God at the same time so He is tested.  Jesus then begins the mission that God sent Him to accomplish.

God calls Moses to meet with Him.  Moses must climb the mountain alone.  He will go beyond the other leaders and climb higher still to be with God alone.  God will teach him and prepare him for the hard stuff of serving him in the days ahead.  Israel, who are childish in their faith, will need a strong leader who has been with God to teach them to walk in God’s ways. 

What was it like to be only with God for forty days and nights?  Jesus knew for He was there, too.

Consider this thought…When it is time for Jesus’ final act of completing His mission to save the us, Moses and Elijah meet him on mountain where Jesus, for a moment, is with God and transformed by God.  What was Moses telling Jesus? 

“After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.  Matthew 17:1-3

Relax in the thought that God knows.  God created all and is in all.  God is in control.  Let go, let God.  He knows what He is doing.  He ties up all the loose ends.  He teaches us as He challenges us to grow in His love because of His mercy and grace.  As Paul, another leader God called out of darkness and into the Light of His love, writes; “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

Climb the mountain when God calls. Learn from God and revel in His Presence. Trust and obey until His Son, Jesus declares, “Well done, good and faithful servant, well done!” 

Keep climbing…Are we there yet?

Exodus 24, The Message

^1-2 He said to Moses, “Climb the mountain to God, you and Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. They will worship from a distance; only Moses will approach God. The rest are not to come close. And the people are not to climb the mountain at all.”

³ So Moses went to the people and told them everything God had said—all the rules and regulations. They all answered in unison: “Everything God said, we’ll do.”

^4-6 Then Moses wrote it all down, everything God had said. He got up early the next morning and built an Altar at the foot of the mountain using twelve pillar-stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he directed young Israelite men to offer Whole-Burnt-Offerings and sacrifice Peace-Offerings of bulls. Moses took half the blood and put it in bowls; the other half he threw against the Altar.

⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it as the people listened. They said, “Everything God said, we’ll do. Yes, we’ll obey.”

⁸ Moses took the rest of the blood and threw it out over the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has made with you out of all these words I have spoken.”

* * *

^9-11 Then they climbed the mountain—Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel—and saw the God of Israel. He was standing on a pavement of something like sapphires—pure, clear sky-blue. He didn’t hurt these pillar-leaders of the Israelites: They saw God; and they ate and drank.

^12-13 God said to Moses, “Climb higher up the mountain and wait there for me; I’ll give you tablets of stone, the teachings and commandments that I’ve written to instruct them.” So Moses got up, accompanied by Joshua his aide. And Moses climbed up the mountain of God.

¹⁴ He told the elders of Israel, “Wait for us here until we return to you. You have Aaron and Hur with you; if there are any problems, go to them.”

^15-17 Then Moses climbed the mountain. The Cloud covered the mountain. The Glory of God settled over Mount Sinai. The Cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called out of the Cloud to Moses. In the view of the Israelites below, the Glory of God looked like a raging fire at the top of the mountain.

¹⁸ Moses entered the middle of the Cloud and climbed the mountain. Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Embrace God.  

Listen for the Voice of God.

Live in gratitude for what God has done through His Son to save us.

Embrace the tests and trials that grow us for what is next on our journey to help others know Jesus, God’s Son so they also can be saved for life!

Climb the mountain!  Go to the valley as God’s Holy Spirit leads.  God is with us.  Jesus assured us, “I am with you always”, as he left earth for heaven.

Run from temptations.  We have help!  “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 

Run to God!

Can we readily and unequivocally respond with “Everything God says, we will do”?  The proof will be readily seen by God who sees the motivations of our hearts and by His people who will see our behaviors.

Lord,

You are God, we are not.  There is no one like you!  You give us all we need through every test and trial.  You teach us the right way to go that helps us as we point the way to you for others.  You attend to us when we need it most.  I love who you are and what you have done in my life as you continue to fine tune what you are still doing in me as your instrument.  Thank you, Lord.  I’m yours.  I’m still climbing the mountain to you.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

We continue in our journey with God’s People as they trudge through the wilderness being taught by God through Moses.  Moses merely passes on what God tells him to say.  God took His People out of Egypt.  Now God is taking Egypt’s ways of living out of His people!  Most of what we are reading present God’s Laws of living with each other with justice for each other.  God’s Laws protect and provide healthy ways to live.  You will notice that most of our laws today are based on Mosaic law.  That’s why the basic foundation sounds so familiar to us.

After centuries of men seeking power, who twisted the meaning of God’s Law though abusive behaviors while using the Law to defend themselves, then adding to the Law in favor of themselves; God’s Son, Jesus came down from heaven to explain what God intended from the beginning.  Then he fulfilled God’s Law by explaining how we relate to God and each other by laying down His life for ours.  Jesus explains—

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.”

“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:13-16, MSG

Jesus came to complete God’s Law—

“Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working.

^19-20 “Trivialize even the smallest item in God’s Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won’t know the first thing about entering the kingdom.”  Matthew 5:17-20, MSG

Jesus clearly stated that He had come to honor the law and to help God’s people love it, learn it, and live it. He would not accept the artificial righteousness of the religious leaders. Their righteousness was only an external masquerade. Their religion was a dead ritual, not a living relationship. It was artificial; it did not reproduce itself in others in a living way. It made them proud, not humble, and led to bondage, not liberty.

We do not obey an external law because of fear. No, believers today obey an internal law and live because of love. The Holy Spirit teaches us the Word and enables us to obey. Sin is still sin, and God still punishes sin. In fact, we in this present age are more responsible because we have been taught and given more light!

It is the attitude of the Heart—

God’s Laws teaches us what to do as we relate to each other.  Jesus fulfilled all the Laws with how to BE as we love and relate to God, each other and even our enemies. 

Exodus 23, The Message

“Don’t pass on malicious gossip.

“Don’t link up with a wicked person and give corrupt testimony. Don’t go along with the crowd in doing evil and don’t mess up your testimony in a case just to please the crowd. And just because someone is poor, don’t show favoritism in a dispute.

^4-5 “If you find your enemy’s ox or donkey loose, take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, don’t walk off and leave it. Help it up.

⁶ “When there is a dispute concerning your poor, don’t tamper with the justice due them.

⁷ “Stay clear of false accusations. Don’t contribute to the death of innocent and good people. I don’t let the wicked off the hook.

⁸ “Don’t take bribes. Bribes blind perfectly good eyes and twist the speech of good people.

⁹ “Don’t take advantage of a stranger. You know what it’s like to be a stranger; you were strangers in Egypt.

^10-11 “Sow your land for six years and gather in its crops, but in the seventh year leave it alone and give it a rest so that your poor may eat from it. What they leave, let the wildlife have. Do the same with your vineyards and olive groves.

¹² “Work for six days and rest the seventh so your ox and donkey may rest and your servant and migrant workers may have time to get their needed rest.

¹³ “Listen carefully to everything I tell you. Don’t pay attention to other gods—don’t so much as mention their names.

* * *

¹⁴ “Three times a year you are to hold a festival for me.

¹⁵ “Hold the spring Festival of Unraised Bread when you eat unraised bread for seven days at the time set for the month of Abib, as I commanded you. That was the month you came out of Egypt. No one should show up before me empty-handed.

¹⁶ “Hold the summer Festival of Harvest when you bring in the firstfruits of all your work in the fields.

“Hold the autumn Festival of Ingathering at the end of the season when you bring in the year’s crops.

¹⁷ “Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Master, God.

¹⁸ “Don’t offer the blood of a sacrifice to me with anything that has yeast in it.

“Don’t leave the fat from my festival offering out overnight.

¹⁹ “Bring the choice first produce of the year to the house of your God.

“Don’t boil a kid in its mother’s milk.

* * *

^20-24 “Now get yourselves ready. I’m sending my Angel ahead of you to guard you in your travels, to lead you to the place that I’ve prepared. Pay close attention to him. Obey him. Don’t go against him. He won’t put up with your rebellions because he’s acting on my authority. But if you obey him and do everything I tell you, I’ll be an enemy to your enemies, I’ll fight those who fight you. When my Angel goes ahead of you and leads you to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, I’ll clear the country of them. So don’t worship or serve their gods; don’t do anything they do because I’m going to wipe them right off the face of the Earth and smash their sacred phallic pillars to bits.

^25-26 “But you—you serve your God and he’ll bless your food and your water. I’ll get rid of the sickness among you; there won’t be any miscarriages nor barren women in your land. I’ll make sure you live full and complete lives.

²⁷ “I’ll send my Terror on ahead of you and throw those peoples you’re approaching into a panic. All you’ll see of your enemies is the backs of their necks.

^28-31 “And I’ll send Despair on ahead of you. It will push the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites out of your way. I won’t get rid of them all at once lest the land grow up in weeds and the wild animals take over. Little by little I’ll get them out of there while you have a chance to get your crops going and make the land your own. I will make your borders stretch from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and from the Wilderness to the Euphrates River. I’m turning everyone living in that land over to you; go ahead and drive them out.

^32-33 “Don’t make any deals with them or their gods. They are not to stay in the same country with you lest they get you to sin by worshiping their gods. Beware. That’s a huge danger.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

In Matthew 5, Jesus took six important Old Testament laws and interpreted them for His people in the light of the new life He came to give. He made a fundamental change without altering God’s standards: He dealt with the attitudes and intents of the heart and not simply with the external action. The Pharisees said that righteousness consisted of performing certain actions, but Jesus said it centered in the attitudes of the heart. Likewise, the Pharisees had a list of external actions that they deemed sinful, but Jesus explained that sin came from the attitudes of the heart. Anger is murder in the heart; lust is adultery in the heart.  Gossip fuels all sinful behaviors that lead to death.

Jesus defined our enemies as those who curse us, hate us, and exploit us selfishly. Since Christian love is an act of the will and not simply an emotion, Jesus has the right to command us to love our enemies. After all, He loved us when we were His enemies (Rom. 5:10). We may show this love by blessing those who curse us, doing good to them, and praying for them. When we pray for our enemies, we find it easier to love them. It takes the poison out of our attitudes and removes the evil from our hearts.  Love drives out fear and multitude of other sinful behaviors!

Let our first thoughts in the morning, of actions and reactions to the world be the love of Christ in us.  When we do, our world of doubt, fear, anger, jealousy, bitterness are diffused and eventually dissipate. 

The Law convicts.  Jesus saves!

Be a breath of fresh air to an imperfect world who needs Jesus.  Add seasonings of gentleness, kindness, love, mercy and grace.  Allow God’s Light to shine brightly through us, reflecting from us, in ways that navigate the lost to being found in Him.  Yes!

Lord,

Your Law actually teaches us how to love each other more as we live in harmony with each other.  But The Law does not save us, you save us—by forgiving us when we are disobedient to what you say is right and good.  When your Holy Spirit enters into our being, we begin to grow in our relationship with you that continually perfects our relationships with each other in the Light of your Love.  Thank you, Jesus, for fulfilling the Law of love, mercy and grace in all who believe.  I am one who believes.  I am yours.

In Jesus Name, Amen

The Israelites marched away from Egypt, through the Red Sea, to a place where they will now think, eat, sleep, drink and relate to each other in ways that God ordains as safe and secure.  God commands these detailed laws, teaching His People, now free from bondage of Egyptians, how to live.  God is building them by teaching them how to develop His character, integrity, and compassion.  This building process will take time (as it does with us).  Upon closer examination these details are simply safe practices for living in a new environment in better ways for their own good.  God took His People out of Egypt, now He is taking Egypt out of His People.  Hold that thought as we read and study how God works in and through His Chosen.

Exodus 22, The Message

^1-3 “If someone steals an ox or a lamb and slaughters or sells it, the thief must pay five cattle in place of the ox and four sheep in place of the lamb. If the thief is caught while breaking in and is hit hard and dies, there is no bloodguilt. But if it happens after daybreak, there is bloodguilt.

^3-4 “A thief must make full restitution for what is stolen. The thief who is unable to pay is to be sold for his thieving. If caught red-handed with the stolen goods, and the ox or donkey or lamb is still alive, the thief pays double.

⁵ “If someone grazes livestock in a field or vineyard but lets them loose so they graze in someone else’s field, restitution must be made from the best of the owner’s field or vineyard.

⁶ “If fire breaks out and spreads to the brush so that the sheaves of grain or the standing grain or even the whole field is burned up, whoever started the fire must pay for the damages.

^7-8 “If someone gives a neighbor money or things for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double. If the thief is not caught, the owner must be brought before God to determine whether the owner was the one who took the neighbor’s goods.

⁹ “In all cases of stolen goods, whether oxen, donkeys, sheep, clothing, anything in fact missing of which someone says, ‘That’s mine,’ both parties must come before the judges. The one the judges pronounce guilty must pay double to the other.

^10-13 “If someone gives a donkey or ox or lamb or any kind of animal to another for safekeeping and it dies or is injured or lost and there is no witness, an oath before God must be made between them to decide whether one has laid hands on the property of the other. The owner must accept this and no damages are assessed. But if it turns out it was stolen, the owner must be compensated. If it has been torn by wild beasts, the torn animal must be brought in as evidence; no damages have to be paid.

^14-15 “If someone borrows an animal from a neighbor and it gets injured or dies while the owner is not present, he must pay for it. But if the owner was with it, he doesn’t have to pay. If the animal was hired, the payment covers the loss.

* * *

^16-17 “If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the marriage price and marry her. If her father absolutely refuses to give her away, the man must still pay the marriage price for virgins.

¹⁸ “Don’t let a sorceress live.

¹⁹ “Anyone who has sex with an animal gets the death penalty.

²⁰ “Anyone who sacrifices to a god other than God alone must be put to death.

²¹ “Don’t abuse or take advantage of strangers; you, remember, were once strangers in Egypt.

^22-24 “Don’t mistreat widows or orphans. If you do and they cry out to me, you can be sure I’ll take them most seriously; I’ll show my anger and come raging among you with the sword, and your wives will end up widows and your children orphans.

²⁵ “If you lend money to my people, to any of the down-and-out among you, don’t come down hard on them and gouge them with interest.

^26-27 “If you take your neighbor’s coat as security, give it back before nightfall; it may be your neighbor’s only covering—what else does the person have to sleep in? And if I hear the neighbor crying out from the cold, I’ll step in—I’m compassionate.

²⁸ “Don’t curse God; and don’t damn your leaders.

^29-30 “Don’t be stingy as your wine vats fill up.

“Dedicate your firstborn sons to me. The same with your cattle and sheep—they are to stay for seven days with their mother, then give them to me.

³¹ “Be holy for my sake.

“Don’t eat mutilated flesh you find in the fields; throw it to the dogs.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn about the real work of developing holy relationships with each other.  It was only right that whoever caused the fire should compensate the people who were deprived of their grain. The word translated “restore” or “make restitution,” used six times in chapter 22 (vv. 1, 3–6, 12), is the Hebrew word shalam that means “to make whole, to make complete” and is related to the familiar Hebrew word shalom (“peace, health”). It takes more than confession of guilt for an offender to make things right; it also demands effort on his part to compensate the people who were hurt. Only then can the torn fabric of relationships be mended and society be made whole.

We learn to think about ourselves less, others more.  These laws limit the tendency toward selfishness. They admonish the Israelites to be kind to strangers and aliens, widows and orphans, and the poor. The Israelites had been strangers in Egypt and for many years were treated kindly, and widows and orphans are the special concern of the Lord.

Israel was cautioned against reviling any legitimate authority. They might blaspheme God with their lips but also by despising the laws He gave for their good, especially the ones relating to generosity to others (vv. 21–27). Blaspheming God was a capital offense (Lev. 24:10–16). It was against the law to speak evil of a ruler (Prov. 24:21, 22; 1 Pet. 2:17). God has established human government (Rom. 13), and even if we don’t respect the officer, we must respect the office.

Finally, says God, “Be HOLY for my sake.”  Seek holiness by laying self aside, laying down our own wants and wishes, control and self promotion, to seek God who is Holy.  Jesus was the supreme example.  See Philippians 2. 

Only God can make us holy.

“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? ² Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
    he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
    and gave him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.  Philippians 2:1-11, NLT

Lord,

Help me to love like you love me.  Make me holy.  Continue to build your character traits in me.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

We said it yesterday, God brought His People out of Egypt, now He is taking Egypt out of His People by teaching them how to live in community with each other.  He knows that they have lived the Egyptian way for many generations.  So, that’s probably why God is commanding all these particulars.  It seems we are “going through the weeds” of all the commandments’ intentions; but then we realize we humans need everything “spelled out” clearly because we fall to less than perfect behaviors, always looking for loopholes in our obedience to the laws.  And besides that, Moses has been in the weeds before!  (As a baby floating in a basket!)  AND remember Moses, less than perfect, killed a man for abusing an Israelite!  Yes, God has to be specific to help us learn His ways.

God knows His People.  God knows our hearts, too.  That’s why Jesus had to come down, not only to redeem us from our selfish driven sins, but He also came to teach us the true intent of how to love and live in community with each other. 

It is a great study to read Matthew 5-7, the infamous “SOM”, or “Sermon on the Mount” by Jesus, as we walk through the weeds of Exodus, as we wonder why God got so specific in dealing with the punishment for disobedience.  Remember when Jesus began each explanation with, “You have heard it said, but I say to you…”  He was making it clear to all who believed in God that over the centuries, His People made the law even more complicated with attachments to the Law!  On top of that, love was lost for each other and for God.  Sad, really.  Very sad.

Walk through this reading, knowing that God had their best interest at heart.  He is trying to protect His People from themselves.  God has our best interests at heart for us today!  Stay tuned and focused on God’s love for His people.

Exodus 21, The Message

“These are the laws that you are to place before them:

^2-6 “When you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve six years. The seventh year he goes free, for nothing. If he came in single he leaves single. If he came in married he leaves with his wife. If the master gives him a wife and she gave him sons and daughters, the wife and children stay with the master and he leaves by himself. But suppose the slave should say, ‘I love my master and my wife and children—I don’t want my freedom,’ then his master is to bring him before God and to a door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl, a sign that he is a slave for life.

^7-11 “When a man sells his daughter to be a handmaid, she doesn’t go free after six years like the men. If she doesn’t please her master, her family must buy her back; her master doesn’t have the right to sell her to foreigners since he broke his word to her. If he turns her over to his son, he has to treat her like a daughter. If he marries another woman, she retains all her full rights to meals, clothing, and marital relations. If he won’t do any of these three things for her, she goes free, for nothing.

^12-14 “If someone hits another and death results, the penalty is death. But if there was no intent to kill—if it was an accident, an ‘act of God’—I’ll set aside a place to which the killer can flee for refuge. But if the murder was premeditated, cunningly plotted, then drag the killer away, even if it’s from my Altar, to be put to death.

¹⁵ “If someone hits father or mother, the penalty is death.

¹⁶ “If someone kidnaps a person, the penalty is death, regardless of whether the person has been sold or is still held in possession.

¹⁷ “If someone curses father or mother, the penalty is death.

^18-19 “If a quarrel breaks out and one hits the other with a rock or a fist and the injured one doesn’t die but is confined to bed and then later gets better and can get about on a crutch, the one who hit him is in the clear, except to pay for the loss of time and make sure of complete recovery.

^20-21 “If a slave owner hits a slave, male or female, with a stick and the slave dies on the spot, the slave must be avenged. But if the slave survives a day or two, he’s not to be avenged—the slave is the owner’s property.

^22-25 “When there’s a fight and in the fight a pregnant woman is hit so that she miscarries but is not otherwise hurt, the one responsible has to pay whatever the husband demands in compensation. But if there is further damage, then you must give life for life—eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

^26-27 “If a slave owner hits the eye of a slave or handmaid and ruins it, the owner must let the slave go free because of the eye. If the owner knocks out the tooth of the male or female slave, the slave must be released and go free because of the tooth.

^28-32 “If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must be stoned. The meat cannot be eaten but the owner of the ox is in the clear. But if the ox has a history of goring and the owner knew it and did nothing to guard against it, then if the ox kills a man or a woman, the ox is to be stoned and the owner given the death penalty. If a ransom is agreed upon instead of death, he must pay it in full as a redemption for his life. If a son or daughter is gored, the same judgment holds. If it is a slave or a handmaid the ox gores, thirty shekels of silver is to be paid to the owner and the ox stoned.

^33-34 “If someone uncovers a cistern or digs a pit and leaves it open and an ox or donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit must pay whatever the animal is worth to its owner but can keep the dead animal.

^35-36 “If someone’s ox injures a neighbor’s ox and the ox dies, they must sell the live ox and split the price; they must also split the dead animal. But if the ox had a history of goring and the owner knew it and did nothing to guard against it, the owner must pay an ox for an ox but can keep the dead animal.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

(We are getting help from Warren Wiersbe, Commentor and Bible Scholar.)

Justice is the practical outworking of the righteousness of God in human history, for “He loves righteousness and justice” (Ps. 33:5; see Is. 30:18; 61:8). There may be a great deal of injustice in our world today, but the time will come when God will judge the world in righteousness by the Savior that the world has rejected, and His judgment will be just (Acts 17:31). 

Though the Israelites were permitted to own slaves from other nations, usually prisoners of war, they were not allowed to enslave their own people. Two scenarios are presented here: a man who voluntarily becomes a servant, and a woman who is sold to be a servant.  Yes, this is a bit confusing.  Once slaves themselves, they could be as harsh as they were treated. 

These laws regarding capital crimes are the logical application of the sixth commandment, “You must not murder” (20:13; Lev. 24:17). We’re made in God’s image, so to murder a fellow human being is to attack the image of God. If a person was found guilty of murder on the testimony of two or more witnesses (Num. 35:30, 31), then the murderer was killed.

Having dealt with murder in general, the law then dealt with specific cases. The first deals with a man’s mistreatment of his parents, abusing them physically and/or verbally, which would be a violation of the fifth commandment (20:12). It’s possible that the “prodigal son law” (Deut. 21:18–21) applies here and that this son was desperately in need of discipline. Children who have no respect for their parents usually have no respect for any other authority and want only their own selfish way.  Oh, but we’re not like that today—are we?

When Jesus prohibited His disciples from retaliating against those who hurt them (Matt. 5:38–44; 1 Pet. 2:19–21), he was dealing with personal revenge (“I’ll get even with you!”) and encouraging personal forgiveness. He wasn’t criticizing Moses or interfering with the legal system, because He came to fulfill the law and not to destroy it (Matt. 5:17–20). As believers, we have the privilege of waiving our “legal rights” to the glory of God and not demanding compensation (1 Cor. 6:1–8). However, a judge has to see that justice is done and the law is respected.

Are you ready to walk out of the “weeds”, the specifics of the Law?  The best way is to think more simply, to get basic, to return to the intent of God’s ways of relating to each other.  It begins by loving God back.  Love God because He first love us. Seek Him first before we think, say or do anything.  Roll out of bed each morning, asking God what HE wants us to be and do for this new day.  Believe, truly believe, that He is God.  Then let us love God with ALL our hearts, minds, and souls.  Love each other like He loves us. 

Love God.  Love People. 

Jesus said, “Love others like I have loved you.” 

This is the Law of Love.

Lord,

I understand why you had to get so specific with the Israelites, Your Chosen.  I also understand why Jesus had to come to save us from ourselves!  We make your laws harder by our human efforts, always seeking a loophole to avoid obeying the true intent of what you say which is based on real, relentless love.  I love you, Lord, with all that is in me.  Guide my every thought and action today as I relate to you and to others.  May Your Law of Love lead me.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

God took His people out of Egypt.  Now God will do the work of taking Egypt out of His people!  God will do this by teaching them His ways.  He will teach them about relationship to Him and to each other.  His message of commands boils down to this:  Love God.  Love each other. 

Jesus reiterates this very message when He came to earth to deliver all people of all sins once and for all.  Jesus will re-establish our relationship with God through His work given to Him by God.  Read the famous “sermon on the mount” in Matthew 5-7 and you will understand how much God loves us and wants His best for us.  God is for us, not against us.  God shows His people, who were once in bondage to slavery by a perverse system, who were not allowed to think for themselves, but only allowed to do what they were told, His way of thinking and behaving.  Now, God’s freed people need to look to their Deliverer, who is their God, the One and Only God, who loves them as His precious treasure and love Him back.

These “Do nots” are filled with how to love and honor each other in ways that God has honored and protected us.  God wants us to love Him back.  That is at the heart of what He is saying.  God desires a holy relationship with each one of us.  Notice that the first four of the ten commandments are about God and how to commune and relate with God in holy thinking and behaving. 

God wants His people to realize that HE is God, there is no one else who is God.  And He is OUR God.  We worship, love and obey only Him.  We prove our love to God by believing He loves us and by being loyal only to Him who loved us first.  We don’t take God for granted, mock him in silly banter or use His very Name in curses.  We honor God for who He is and what He has done in and for us.  We love God with all that is in us.  We discover in our growing relationship that He created us, knows us inside out, and that He wants His best for us.  Yes, HE is God.  We are not.

The remaining six commands teach us how to relate to each other.  The “love others” commands are basic and simple, telling us how to grow in loving, kind, generous, gracious relationships that build community with God and with each other.  Love God.  Love Each Other.  If we truly love like this, God will work through us to revolutionize our world! 

Exodus 20, The Message

^1-2 God spoke all these words:

I am God, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of a life of slavery.

³ No other gods, only me.

^4-6 No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of anything whatever, whether of things that fly or walk or swim. Don’t bow down to them and don’t serve them because I am God, your God, and I’m a most jealous God, punishing the children for any sins their parents pass on to them to the third, and yes, even to the fourth generation of those who hate me. But I’m unswervingly loyal to the thousands who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter; God won’t put up with the irreverent use of his name.

^8-11 Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day.

¹² Honor your father and mother so that you’ll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you.

¹³ No murder.

¹⁴ No adultery.

¹⁵ No stealing.

¹⁶ No lies about your neighbor.

¹⁷ No lusting after your neighbor’s house—or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don’t set your heart on anything that is your neighbor’s.

* * *

^18-19 All the people, experiencing the thunder and lightning, the trumpet blast and the smoking mountain, were afraid—they pulled back and stood at a distance. They said to Moses, “You speak to us and we’ll listen, but don’t have God speak to us or we’ll die.”

²⁰ Moses spoke to the people: “Don’t be afraid. God has come to test you and instill a deep and reverent awe within you so that you won’t sin.”

²¹ The people kept their distance while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.

^22-26 God said to Moses, “Give this Message to the People of Israel: ‘You’ve experienced firsthand how I spoke with you from Heaven. Don’t make gods of silver and gods of gold and then set them alongside me. Make me an earthen Altar. Sacrifice your Whole-Burnt-Offerings, your Peace-Offerings, your sheep, and your cattle on it. Every place where I cause my name to be honored in your worship, I’ll be there myself and bless you. If you use stones to make my Altar, don’t use dressed stones. If you use a chisel on the stones you’ll profane the Altar. Don’t use steps to climb to my Altar because that will expose your nakedness.’”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

He God alone.  Worship only God.  He is God and we are not.

Love God.  Love Each Other like God loves us.

Lord,

You are God alone.  You are the One and Only God I love and trust with a desire to obey because of your love for me and my love for you.  Help me to love others like you love me.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen