More than a Number

Numbers 1:26 Of the people of Judah, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war: 27 those listed of the tribe of Judah were 74,600.

Bible scholars have often pointed out that the book of Numbers has a misleading title.  It is not so much about how many people there were (though God had caused the nation of Israel to grow dramatically.) It was more about how God was organizing His people to enter the promised land.  These names were more than a list: they were the descendants and ancestors of God's people who were finally entering the land promised to Abraham centuries before.  It was organization not for the sake of structure, but for seeing how the people would continue to be blessed if they lived in obedience to God's laws for His land.  This census gave them a point of comparison as well as a future to anticipate. People are never merely a number to God.

Taking Vows Seriously

Leviticus 27:26 “But a firstborn of animals, which as a firstborn belongs to the Lord, no man may dedicate; whether ox or sheep, it is the Lord's. 27 And if it is an unclean animal, then he shall buy it back at the valuation, and add a fifth to it; or, if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold at the valuation. 28 “But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the Lord, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord.

Worship is serious business. Like all of life, there is joy and celebration included in it, but some things are not to be taken lightly.  As this book nears the end of God's instructions for worship the question comes to vows made in worship.  When God moves us and we respond, there are often commitments we make, which are no light thing. People devote their possessions, offerings, and even themselves or loved ones to the Lord. God in some cases allowed, or even required them to be redeemed, bought back, as they were needed (or inadequate), but the general rule was that they were sacred/holy/devoted for His use alone. The answer is not to avoid making vows to God. They are often appropriate and needed but do so solemnly. 

Warning Signs...

Leviticus 26:23 “And if by this discipline you are not turned to me but walk contrary to me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall execute vengeance for the covenant. And if you gather within your cities, I will send pestilence among you, and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I break your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in a single oven and shall dole out your bread again by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.

God had gone to great lengths to bring His people to the promised land and provide His worship plan to keep them from falling into the sins of their predecessors. In this chapter He gives them the warning signs that they could see and experience if they began to get off track: panic, disease, famine, defeat, and exile. Ultimately, they would be taken from the land to give it rest. Notice that if they began to "walk contrary" to Him, He would not immediately bring hard judgment, but "walk contrary" to them. He would create a path of resistance to slow them down, to make life harder, to get their attention. He forewarned them so they would wake up and notice.  What warning signs is God giving you?

The Year of Jubilee

 

Leviticus 25:25 “If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold. 26 If a man has no one to redeem it and then himself becomes prosperous and finds sufficient means to redeem it, 27 let him calculate the years since he sold it and pay back the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and then return to his property. 28 But if he does not have sufficient means to recover it, then what he sold shall remain in the hand of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his property.

In this chapter is a concept that is so alien that we can hardly wrap our heads around it.  It is a reminder to all that the land was God's land, given to His people. It is a plan of hope against endless poverty.  Since land, homes, and property change hands so often in our society, it is hard to imagine this working, but in the promised land, it all was distributed by lots and recorded.  God's plans are indeed greater than we could ever imagine, full of love and mercy.  May we stand in awe of Him.

Absolutely Nothing You Can Do

Leviticus 23:26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people. 30 And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people.

This chapter describes all the prescribed feasts of the year for God's people, Israel.  Each one has its reason and each one points to Christ.  What is overly emphasized here is that there was absolutely no work to be done. That coincides with the fact that there is absolutely nothing we can do to bring about our salvation and forgiveness. Jesus paid it all. It is His righteousness alone.

Not a Savage Party...

Leviticus 22:26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “When an ox or sheep or goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable as a food offering to the Lord. 28 But you shall not kill an ox or a sheep and her young in one day. 29 And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. 30 It shall be eaten on the same day; you shall leave none of it until morning: I am the Lord.

As we have seen repeatedly, life in Israel was to be far different than life had been in Egypt or in the land of Canaan they were inheriting.  Many of God's laws on purity had to do with making that distinction and with the sanctify of and respect for human life.  Pagan sacrifice and fertility rites often violated that. They were not worship like God is to be worshipped, but reckless and ruthless perversions involving abuse and disrespect.  When sacrifice was conducted in Israel the aftermath was to be a purity that prevailed.

...That You Should Be Mine

Leviticus 20: 22 “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. 24 But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. 25 You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. 26 You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.

After listing all the penalties for breaking His laws, God says "Look, this is all about your being My people.  You represent Me to the world.  I'm cleaning out this land for you. Keep it clean for Me.  Keep your lives clean for Me." This defines our purpose in living. He has made a place for us and a purpose for us and purity for us.  We do this in response to what He has done for us.  It is part of the privilege of being His.

That Fruit Thing Sounds Nutty?

Leviticus 19:23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten. 24 And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am the Lord your God. 26 “You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes. 27 You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.

At first glance this paragraph on fruit trees sounds strange, until you put it in context. Besides the following verses about eating blood and cutting oneself, this passage is surrounded by prohibitions against other practices involved in idol worship: immorality, prostitution, calling up the dead, etc. It was all about cleansing the land of the sins of the past and setting a new course distinguished from the way things had been.  There is a consistent pattern of cleansing, consecration, and then enjoying the fruits of the land. It sounds strange, but God has a reason.

Moral Purity

Leviticus 18:24 “Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, 25 and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you 27 (for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean), 28 lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.

Just as certain animals were deemed clean or unclean according to their use in pagan worship, there were sexual practices which had been a part of the pagan peoples who had inhabited the promised land prior to the entrance of Israel. This chapter talks about adultery, incest, bestiality, homosexuality, and other sexual perversions which were (and are) not to be practiced.  As usual, God has a picturesque way of telling what will happen when these practices are welcomed: they would be "vomited out" of the land. May we heed this warning in our own culture.

Total Cleansing

 Leviticus 16:23 “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. 24 And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. 26 And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 27 And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire. 28 And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

The procedures for offerings on the Day of Atonement are fascinating.  After bringing sin offerings for himself, he then would bring sin and guilt offerings for the people. One goat was a consumed offering and the other sent out of the camp with the guilt of the people. Repeated washings and clean clothes were involved and some even had to be burned. The picture was that there was to be no sin left among them. But there was. They had to do it every year. The blood was insufficient, the cleansing incomplete.  Christ took care of these offerings and cleansings once for all. "Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing flood?"

Prolonged Issues...

Leviticus 15:25 “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. 26 Every bed on which she lies, all the days of her discharge, shall be to her as the bed of her impurity. And everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity. 27 And whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 28 But if she is cleansed of her discharge, she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. 29 And on the eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting. 30 And the priest shall use one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord for her unclean discharge.

This is the fourth section of this chapter, which deals with both male and female discharges. God, through Moses, made it clear that natural normal cyclical discharges were not a problem; there was no cleansing needed for them. What he was addressing was prolonged, abnormal issues.  Flash forward to when Jesus dealt with the woman who had a chronic issue of blood, which had haunted her for years, which he healed. Jesus also said it is not what goes into the body, but what comes out which is a problem. What God is looking for is purity and humility of our hearts before Him. 

Not Hopeless after All!

Leviticus 14: 24 And the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. 25 And he shall kill the lamb of the guilt offering. And the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 26 And the priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, 27 and shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the Lord. 28 And the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, in the place where the blood of the guilt offering was put. 29 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the Lord. 

This chapter follows yesterday's discussion of leprosy and other skin conditions. There was a clear path to being declared clean, which very much parallels that of sanctifying the priests. You couldn't get any more "holy" than that.  So often we come to see people as hopeless, when God clearly says: "There is a way," and that way is also clear: Christ can do it. May we believe and act accordingly.

That Dreaded Disease!

Leviticus 13:24 “Or, when the body has a burn on its skin and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a spot, reddish-white or white, 25 the priest shall examine it, and if the hair in the spot has turned white and it appears deeper than the skin, then it is a leprous disease. It has broken out in the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a case of leprous disease. 26 But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot and it is no deeper than the skin, but has faded, the priest shall shut him up seven days, 27 and the priest shall examine him the seventh day. If it is spreading in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a case of leprous disease. 28 But if the spot remains in one place and does not spread in the skin, but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is the scar of the burn.

The concern for the protection of the population here was obvious.  There was also a picture of the holiness God expected of His people.  At times quarantine was necessary to protect others from infection. But this was viewed to be rather rare and temporary.  There was no spiritual judgment of the individual or sense of superiority. After all, the priest had to have contact for inspection to take place. Instead, we find in Jesus' day some who had such infections were shunned, scorned, and judged. People had lost their sense of compassion and hope for healing. How often do we find ourselves pointing and saying (or at least thinking) "Unclean!" May we have more of Christ's compassion.

Clean or Unclean?

Leviticus 11:24 “And by these you shall become unclean. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 25 and whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. 26 Every animal that parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean. 27 And all that walk on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 28 and he who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.

One the of things that many find most curious about the Levitical Laws is the distinction between clean and unclean animals.  Some of these things go back to Noah and the animals brought onto the ark. It was for more than a healthy diet that these were given. The main reason was to distinguish the worship of Israel from that of her pagan neighboring cultures with their idol worship.  Everything named clean or unclean - not just animals - was to call attention to Israel as being a set apart people who worshipped only the true and living God. There was nothing they were to have in common with the immoral idol-worshipping people whose land they were to receive or who would surround them after they settled. The key question is: Will we obey what God commands without always questioning His wisdom or His ways?

The First Ordination

22 Then he presented the other ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 23 And he killed it, and Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 Then he presented Aaron's sons, and Moses put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses threw the blood against the sides of the altar. 25 Then he took the fat and the fat tail and all the fat that was on the entrails and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat and the right thigh, 26 and out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord he took one unleavened loaf and one loaf of bread with oil and one wafer and placed them on the pieces of fat and on the right thigh. 

If you have ever been to the ordination service for a deacon, elder, priest, missionary, evangelist, or other church leader, it probably was a little different than this first recorded one: that of Aaron and his sons. But the imagery is very powerful here. To serve as priest one had to be truly set apart for service. The blood on the ear, thumb, and toe demonstrated a commitment to hear and speak God's word, to serve Him with one's hands, and to live(walk) in total obedience to Him. God asks no less of us as His priests today - not just the leaders mentioned above, but His whole Kingdom of Priests - each and every confessing follower.

Why Not That?

Leviticus 7:22 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, You shall eat no fat, of ox or sheep or goat. 24 The fat of an animal that dies of itself and the fat of one that is torn by beasts may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it. 25 For every person who eats of the fat of an animal of which a food offering may be made to the Lord shall be cut off from his people. 26 Moreover, you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwelling places. 27 Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.”

The reference here is back to the peace offering, detailed in chapter 3, which was for reconciliation and fellowship between God and a sincere worshipper.  Nothing was to be held back for oneself but totally offered to God. In no cases was the blood to be eaten/drunk, as "the life is in the blood", and many pagan rituals involved the drinking of blood. We see here that even animals that died not from sacrifice but were potentially sacrifices were to be treated the same way.  No sacrifice was to be taken lightly or made for any selfish reasons.  All was Holy to the Lord.

Sin Offering Eater

Leviticus 6:24 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 25 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering. In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the Lord; it is most holy. 26 The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting. 

God spent over two chapters giving instructions for the sin offering, when it was to be offered, and by whom.  He now told about what to do with it.  It was to be eaten by the priests who had been made holy for this service.  God was very specific about who, when, and where it was to be eaten. Fast forward to the upper room, where Jesus said: "This is My body, given for you; take and eat." They were being told to eat the sin offering.  In that same setting He told them that they were made holy through their faith in Him. They, and those after them, were His priests, made holy through faith, who gather in remembrance of Him and what He has done.  This pictures God's acceptance of what Christ has done for us, just as the eating of the sin offering by the priest pictured God accepting the sin offering.

Special, Yet the Same

Leviticus 4:22 “When a leader sins, doing unintentionally any one of all the things that by the commandments of the Lord his God ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, 23 or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without blemish, 24 and shall lay his hand on the head of the goat and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the Lord; it is a sin offering. 25 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26 And all its fat he shall burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. So the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin, and he shall be forgiven.

It only makes sense that since Exodus ends with the completion of the Tabernacle that this next book, Leviticus, would begin with the offerings brought there in worship.  When we come to chapter 4 we are talking about sin offerings, be it for sins by the priests, the whole people, individual citizens, or in this case by a leader of the people. In comparing the four classes, two distinct characteristics emerge. First, the cost of the sacrifice was greater for the leader than the average citizen. Second, whereas sins by the priests or the whole congregation had the blood taken into the holy place, while those of individuals -even leaders- did not. Sins of leaders are in a sense more important, yet on the other hand, they are not more important than any other citizen. They have greater accountability, but do not deserve special treatment. 

Everything Put into Place

Exodus 40: 20 He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark. 21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 22 He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil, 23 and arranged the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 24 He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, 25 and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 26 He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil, 27 and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 28 He put in place the screen for the door of the tabernacle. 29 And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30 He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, 31 with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet.

In this last chapter of Exodus, the assembly of the Tabernacle has been completed, and the furnishings have all been prepared. It is now move-in day. I remember well our recent move into our home, where we had planned where everything would go and fit just right. Once that was done, we could get on with what we came to do.  That is where Israel was: they had come out of Egypt to worship God. Now they were ready.  What is keeping you from being ready?  What is still not "in place"?  Stop holding back. Get on with putting everything in place.

Dressed for the Occasion...

Exodus 39:22 He also made the robe of the ephod woven all of blue, 23 and the opening of the robe in it was like the opening in a garment, with a binding around the opening, so that it might not tear. 24 On the hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 25 They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around the hem of the robe, between the pomegranates— 26 a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate around the hem of the robe for ministering, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

God had spelled out all the details for the place of worship. He had also addressed who would represent the people by entering into the temple.  Now the garments were being made for the priest who would do so.  This outer garment was bright but tasteful, with a special added touch: the bells at the bottom. It is said that they were to indicate that the priest inside was still alive.  Since the holiness of God was so profound, warnings were given about not approaching Him presumptuously. If a priest did so, and he were to faint or die inside, no one else could go in after him. It is also said they would put a rope around his foot in order to drag him back if necessary.  Others would be waiting outside, listening intently, while he would offer the prayers of his people to God.  Do we come "dressed" to God, waiting in such humble worship and anticipation?

Major and Measured Investment

Exodus 38: 24 All the gold that was used for the work, in all the construction of the sanctuary, the gold from the offering, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. 25 The silver from those of the congregation who were recorded was a hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary: 26 a beka a head (that is, half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone who was listed in the records, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men... 29 The bronze that was offered was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels;

As Moses wrapped up the details of the building of the Tabernacle, he summarized all the precious metals supplied for the building, of which there was a specific record for each one.  Like other building projects in scripture (the ark, the temple, the palace, etc.), God does keep records. He does the same with time and with lives.  It's not that He is some Scrooge counting every penny (a phrase soon to become extinct), but that He does watch over every detail of what we do and what we give, and how it contributes to or detracts from His plan and our investment in others.  The call to us is to go all out. We will never outdo what He provides. It will be worth it all: each second and each cent, if the goal is to bring Him glory.

 

Not to Be Overlooked

Exodus 37:25 He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit. It was square, and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it. 26 He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And he made a molding of gold around it, 27 and made two rings of gold on it under its molding, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it. 28 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

Of all the furnishings in and around the temple, the smallest was this altar of incense.  Yet nothing was of any more importance, except perhaps the Ark of the Covenant. This was the continuous reminder of the need to come into God's presence, and in order to do so, be holy.  It is in a sense a "mini-Ark", with the gold and the rings to transport it, just like the ark.  From the perspective of the priests in Jesus' day, it was the one day of fame when they were to be the one to offer the incense, representing the prayers of God's people.  It was far from insignificant, not to be overlooked.  May we not overlook our need for prayer, nor the little opportunities God sends our way to draw us closer to Him and His plan.  

One Solid Foundation

Exodus 36:20 Then he made the upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood. 21 Ten cubits was the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. 22 Each frame had two tenons for fitting together. He did this for all the frames of the tabernacle. 23 The frames for the tabernacle he made thus: twenty frames for the south side. 24 And he made forty bases of silver under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons. 25 For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames 26 and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame and two bases under the next frame. 27 For the rear of the tabernacle westward he made six frames. 28 He made two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear. 29 And they were separate beneath but joined at the top, at the first ring. He made two of them this way for the two corners. 30 There were eight frames with their bases of silver: sixteen bases, under every frame two bases.

God loves using buildings to picture our relationship with Him. It never has been the building itself as much as the things necessary for a secure fellowship with Him.  In typical detail, the assembly of the temple begins by focusing on how well the foundation and frame were made.  Seeing houses going up all the time near us, I wonder how some will ever stand. So it is with our lives. How important is this solid foundation to us? Will it stand the repeated stresses the tabernacle did: being moved around, facing the elements of life, being in the hands of many people tearing us down and trying to put us together again?

Willing Hearts

 

Exodus 35: 20 Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord's contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22 So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 And every one who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats' hair or tanned rams' skins or goatskins brought them. 24 Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord's contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. 25 And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 26 All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats' hair. 27 And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece, 28 and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. 29 All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.

When Moses had given everyone the description of the tabernacle and its furnishings, they left. But they also came back - not everyone, but everyone whose heart stirred him/whose spirit moved him or her/ who were of a willing heart. God does not make anyone be involved in worship; He invites us. Those who are wise/willing/wanted to experience His presence and power thankfully jump at the opportunity. May we respond with such hearts today.

Let's Try This Again...

Exodus 34:21 “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. 22 You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end. 23 Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. 24 For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year. 25 “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning. 26 The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.”

The golden calf was a traumatic event in the journey from Egypt to the promised land. God had repeatedly provided and promised to be faithful and had offered His covenant with His people. Moses went back to God not only for new tablets, but a renewed hope of covenantal commitment on the part of his people. God made it even more clear that they were to remember He provided, and to avoid all the practices of the false idols around them. The last statement above was one of those very rituals, a barbaric taking of life from the young in pagan worship. In all they did (and we do) the spotlight shines on a faithful, loving God.

Who Is on the LORD's Side?

Exodus 32:25 And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord's side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. 27 And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’” 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. 29 And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”

This chapter is one of the saddest, yet boldest passages in this book.  Moses was meeting with the Lord to finalize the Covenant with His people. Meanwhile the people were making the golden calf.  It was a dividing point.  After all God had brought them through, were they going to trust and worship Him - the very reason for which He had brought them out of Egypt. Or were they going to do things their own way? In verse 26, Moses draws the line to make them choose. The Levites - from whom He would call priests - were His warriors that day. They stood boldly on God's side.  Will we?

Only One Oil

Exodus 30:25 And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting, the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin and its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy. 30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 31 And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 

Once everything and everyone was ready for worship in the tabernacle, it was to be anointed with a special oil.  This was not any old oil: It was God-brand oil. Yet, at the same time, it was not a magical oil that turned something "holy."  It was not to be used on or by anything or anyone else, and it was not to be "pirated" and sold under another name. What made it and everything it touched "holy" was that God had instructed it and was obeyed in the details.  When God calls upon us to "be Holy," He tells us how, and it only happens through obedience to Him and help from Him.  What instructions have we ignored? What exceptions have we made? Are we trying to "be holy" some other way?

More than a Wave

Exodus 29:26 “You shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron's ordination and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be your portion. 27 And you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the priests' portion that is contributed from the ram of ordination, from what was Aaron's and his sons'. 28 It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual due from the people of Israel, for it is a contribution. It shall be a contribution from the people of Israel from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord.

Examining the sacrifices and offerings of Israel is a study in itself.  Each offering had a purpose in picturing the relationship of God and His people but also had inferences to the relationship of man to each other.  God made allowance through these offerings for the support of His priesthood. In particular, part of the peace offering was given to the priests for their ordination and service.  These were to be waved before God as a recognition of where they came from - Him, not somebody else. Some scholars say that they were waved horizontally, while others were waved vertically.  The point is that God is watching our waving. It is to be sincere, a mark of dependence upon Him and of things being right between us and others. May our "wave" be sincere.

Close to the Heart

Exodus 28:23 And you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. 24 And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece. 25 The two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. 26 You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. 27 And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 28 And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod. 29 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord.

Like with the tabernacle and its furnishings, God gave specific details to Moses about the garments of the High Priest. The breastpiece, with the twelve gems representing the twelve tribes, had to be rather heavy. It probably was somewhat of a burden to bear. It was also a stunning, "one-of-a-kind" garment. There was no mistaking who the High Priest was. Wearing it could lead to a "look-at-me" pride, but that was not God's intent. Rather, as this passage concludes, the one who wore it was to remember why he had it: to keep God's people in his heart as he remembered them before the Lord.  May God give us loving hearts as we remember His people before Him.

Putting It All Together

Exodus 26:26 “You shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, 27 and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the side of the tabernacle at the rear westward. 28 The middle bar, halfway up the frames, shall run from end to end. 29 You shall overlay the frames with gold and shall make their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and you shall overlay the bars with gold. 30 Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain.

God had given Moses detailed destructions on all the parts and furnishings of the tabernacle.  Now it was time to put all the pieces together.  Many times, as God is working on our lives and the future He has for us, it is hard to imagine what the finished product will look like.  We are fascinated with the intricate details He shows us along the way, but it can be difficult to clearly see what it will be like when they are all put together.  We have materials lying around to build, but nowhere to put the table, the lights. God has the blueprint, the plan to put it all together. He wants us to trust Him with each page and each part. When we do, His tabernacle, His presence with us as His people is truly amazing.

The Table of His Presence

Exodus 25:23 “You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 24 You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a molding of gold around it. 25 And you shall make a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and a molding of gold around the rim. 26 And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 27 Close to the frame the rings shall lie, as holders for the poles to carry the table. 28 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with these. 29 And you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. 30 And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly.

When God gave directions for the furnishings of His Tabernacle, He went to great detail and expense. It was not to flaunt or show off, but to draw attention to the fact that He was with them and wanted to have fellowship with them - regularly.  Like the Ark of the Covenant, it had rings and poles to be carried wherever God led them. There was also very much a preview of the Lord's table with the drink offerings and bread.  God wants us to meet with Him regularly. Let us not ignore His invitation.

Missed Blessings

Exodus 23:23 “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, 24 you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. 25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. 26 None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.

When God led the people out of Egypt and prepared them to enter the promised land, it was almost like Eden all over again - a fresh start without many of the curses of life.  If they would serve Him and not the pagan idols, they would easily be able to take over the land smoothly, settle down comfortably, and raise their families in peace and prosperity. If they would obey.  How many blessings do we still forfeit because we fail to trust, serve, and obey the Lord our God?

Extreme Compassion

 Exodus 22:25 “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. 26 If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, 27 for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the things of this life and the way things are done in this world that we miss the big picture.  Israel was being called upon to represent God in this world.  So are we.  One of the overwhelming characteristics of God is His compassion.  He cares about those in need. Do we? Do we listen to their cries? He does.  This pledge of the cloak meant something. As God's people our word should mean something.  When Christ talked about the taking of one's tunic, he went on to say we should offer our cloak also. If anything, our compassion should be extreme.

Free to Go, But Wanting to Stay

 Exodus 21:26 “When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye. 27 If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.

Whenever we see the word "slave," we cringe.  We get the picture of chains, abuse, and arrogance. This chapter gives an altogether different understanding of what things were like in Israel.  Being a slave was something entered into to pay off debts.  There was a limited time period involved (six years), and if the slave wanted to stay, he could ask to do so. Why would he want to? Because he had found a safe, secure and loving household where he felt he was a productive member.  These two verses give a way out if the slave found the household otherwise, being abused by his master.  Any abuse was not to be tolerated. The slave's agreed upon time to serve would be dismissed and he would be free to go.  God's word always is a reflection of His character. In His household He treats all members lovingly and wants them to stay. He does not abuse.  If you are doing your part, you want to stay.

Worship 101

Exodus 20:22 And the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. 24 An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. 25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. 26 And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’

The beginning of this chapter is well-known: The Ten Commandments.  Much less known is this last paragraph.  We recall that the whole reason God gave Moses to tell Pharoah that Israel was leaving Egypt was to Worship. God is about to tell Israel how to worship. It is altogether different from that of the worship of idols, beginning with the altar. It is to be simple, natural, modest - not flashy, high tech, and attended to by temple prostitutes. The focus is not to be on the place as much as the Person we come to worship. He is holy; we are to come humbly.  Worship is mobile: God's people together can do it wherever we are - with Him as the focus. Worship: let's keep it that simple.

I Can't Do This Myself

Exodus 18:24 So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 26 And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. 27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.

As we look back at biblical characters like Moses, we see them as bigger than life. It would be easy to imagine they themselves began to see themselves as bigger, with all God did through them.  But we also see each came to a reality check, realizing that they could not do it all by themselves. Moses needed Aaron and Miriam, Joshua and Caleb, and a lot more people to help in doing what God had called them to. We also need to have the wisdom to know when to accept, ask for, and appreciate others input into our lives. Whatever you are doing (and probably at times struggling with), don't be afraid to receive the gift of others. Have the humility to ask for it. Give God thanks for them.

Simply Follow the Instructions

 Exodus 16:22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’” 24 So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.” 27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 

We quickly see a pattern developing when they people head into the wilderness to worship God. They complain; God hears their complaints and provides their need and instructions for handling that provision. Two things happen next: some violated the instructions - blatantly disobeying, while others come against another issue and many complain again.  God gives clear and simple instructions. All we need to do is trust and learn to trust Him more. Then, when another need or issue arises, call out in faith to Him, and He WILL direct our paths.  We make things so complicated.

How Quickly We Forget!

Exodus 15:24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, 26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.

This chapter opens with the song of Moses after the Lord's deliverance of Israel through the sea, but by the time we get to the end of the chapter the people are already complaining and doubting their great God. We have the same tendency: to forget the great faithfulness of God. God reminded them, and reminds us, of His great promises: He is our Healer. He is not out to poison us. He wants us trust. When we do, He will provide abundantly: twelve springs of water for twelve tribes, and all we need.

Vivid Reminders

 Exodus 14:26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore

God did exactly what He said he would: He got Pharaoh to beg them to leave and even paid them to do so. But he had a change of heart and sent his army after them, cornering them at the sea.  Having no way out but God's, they were able to walk through the sea safely, then turn and see God get Egypt off their backs once and for all.  Once again, He gave them visual effects - vivid memories - to help them remember their deliverance.  He still does: visual pictures, emotional triggers, even scars, to remind us that without Him we would never be where we are today.  May those reminders move us to trust Him more.

Why Do We Do This?

 

Exodus 12:24 You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 25 And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

The series of plagues on Egypt finally reached their climax with the death of the firstborn. But lest we think that they were all about Egypt, we are reminded that they were first of all lessons for God's people of Israel, which were to be passed down.  Their descendants would ask: "Why?"  Much more important than how or when, we need to understand and answer the "Why?" questions the best we can.  Notice that being able to do so drew the people to worship. They were not even out of Egypt yet, but they were learning to worship. They would begin their sacrifice and worship there before they set out on their journey. Life is about learning to worship God as He deserves, wherever we are.

Righter Words Were Never Spoken

Exodus 10:24 Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 26 Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.” 27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” 29 Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”

Moses really did not know everything. God had laid out the general plan: "Go, tell Pharaoh to let my people go, so they can worship me. He won't let you, but eventually he will beg you to go."  Moses did not know which animals he would need for sacrifice. God had not told him yet. But he did know this was the last time he would see Pharoah. God had used Pharaoh to give a true prophecy. He was tired of Moses and all his bad news. He did not want to hear the truth from him, so God made Pharoah speak the truth himself. If we are faithful and true, eventually the enemy will do the same, and we will be vindicated and set free indeed.

The Exceptions

Exodus 9:23 Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

What becomes increasingly apparent in the curses God was bringing on Egypt was the fact that some of them were selective - experienced by everyone "except" Israel, and those close to them.  Obviously, God was presenting the facts to Pharaoh in such a way that he should be able to discern the difference. But when the heart is bent on hardness and arrogance, it takes a lot of convincing.  For any of us who have been a part of God's people, we know what it is to see God's blessing in a special way - not because we are so perfect and wonderful, but because we trust the One who is.  God is exceptional, and when we trust and worship Him, His blessings to us are exceptional too.

Progress in Negotiations?

 

Exodus 8:25 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” 29 Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 

They say: "third times a charm," but there was not even any apparent progress with Pharaoh until after the fourth plague sent by God. At that point he finally said: I will let you go... but not very far away. Of course, once again, Pharaoh cheated again, and Moses warned him not to, and did not let Israel go out. Sometimes when we are seeking progress in moving forward, it will seem like we are "getting somewhere", only to be let down again.  Do not lose heart. Take any sign as "progress," stick to the promises of God, to His timing, and to His standards.  He is still working, even on hardened hearts.