The Lord Said: "I'm Moving In..."

Exodus 40:1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting...34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

Having listened to all God's instructions on building the parts of the Tabernacle and its furnishings, God said to put it all together.  Once they did, He "moved in."  He made His presence known constantly all through the wilderness journey to the promised land.  That pictures for us as well what happens when we listen to His instructions: it is a daily journey of His constant presence.  His protection and guidance are always there day and night.  Oh, the glory of His presence!

The Lord Said: "Go Up... But I Will Not Go"

Exodus 33:1 The Lord said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ 2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”

God had delivered His people, brought them through the sea, provided food and water, and committed to a covenant with them, giving them all the instructions they needed to experience His presence. But they chose the golden calf.  So, The Lord offered them the opportunity to go on to the promised land without Him, promising His angel would clear the path for them.  Fortunately, they chose to beg for God's presence to continue with them.  We often do the same thing: we experience God's saving grace, taste and see that new life is good, and make commitments to God. But then we begin to think we can go one without Him; we think we know what we are doing on our own.  May we stop, confess, and ask that above all else, He will go with us and before us.

The Lord Said: "They Shall Make..."

Exodus 25:1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me. 3 And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, 4 blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats' hair, 5 tanned rams' skins, goatskins, acacia wood, 6 oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. 8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. 

We saw yesterday that God and the people of Israel agreed upon the "rules" of their relationship - the ten commandments and those that followed.  God then instructed the construction of the Tabernacle, and all the instruments involved in worship, each instruction beginning with the phrase: they shall make. Our relationship with God is to be creative. God was going to be around.  He did not want to be forgotten. As Jesus reminded the woman at the well: 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. He knows that since He is Spirit, we tend to forget He is around.  We don't see the Red Sea divide every day or hear His voice like thunder. God wants us to hang out with Him, spend time with Him, live out our relationship with Him daily. The place should never replace the relationship, but it is good for us to have a place we meet with Him. 

The Lord Said: Come, Let's Make a Covenant

Exodus 24:1 Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.” 3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.”  

The chapters in between today and yesterday are what we might call "rules of relationship" - how people are to interact with God and one another.  They were straightforward, specific, and fully understood. Total agreement was expressed on both sides. Moses was appointed to record all the details and sign for the people.  Covenants are made for integrity, security, and proclamation before the world. God wants everyone to know who we are an why we are here.  Do we truly understand who we are as His people?

God Speaks Out of Relationship

Exodus 20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

We often misunderstand what God is saying to us because we misunderstand why He is saying it to us. When God came to Israel with the Ten Commandments it was not Him saying "If you want to have a relationship with Me, you have to do this and this and Not that, that, and that.  He was speaking to them saying "Because we have this relationship where I have done this, this, and that, here is how you should respond."  God did something similar with Adam at creation: "Because I made you and everything around you to enjoy, you should do thus, and so." There are many places we find these kinds of conversations and instructions.  God seeks and provides a relationship with us, which is what we really need, and He also helps us understand what makes that relationship work.

The Lord Says: Consider What You've Seen.

 

Exodus 19:2 There Israel encamped before the mountain, 3 while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ 

Having seen God's deliverance from Egypt, safe passage through the Sea, and provision of manna and water, God calls on the people (and us) to consider what our proper response is. We are to understand that God has a plan and purpose, including instructions, resources, and protection plan.  The question before us now is: Will we obey and enjoy this special calling?

And God Said: "Here's How to Get Water"

Exodus 17:5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

God had already provided food in response to the people's complaining; now He provided water.  God was not giving "how-to" lessons on what we need to get water, but how we can depend on God to meet our needs - even ones we take so much for granted.  As always, He has a picture for us of the Gospel - that Christ is both the Rock upon whom we can place our trust and the Source of Living Water for daily and eternal life.  The big question in all our hearts is: "Is God here and does He care?" The answer is a bigtime "YES."