Exodus 1
How soon we forget. Joseph's contributions to the Pharaoh and all
the surrounding peoples were great. He
not only foresaw the coming famine, he prepared for it, and by him many lives
were saved. During Joseph's lifetime,
the Pharaoh honored Joseph and his family.
He preserved the very best of his kingdom for him out of gratitude, and
blessed everyone that Joseph would have him bless. Chapter 1 of Exodus finds the days of Joseph
fading into the past as a new generation has come into power. It seems the blessings brought by Joseph
during his lifetime had been spent, and the new generation had no memory or
cause to continue the honor that Joseph had earned. In life, we pass a legacy onto our
children. I think back on my own
upbringing of prayer before meals and sleep, church on Sundays and often
Wednesdays too, and I think how fortunate I was to be exposed to the things of
God from an early age. Still, there came
a time when the blessings of my childhood would only carry me so far. Though it is a tremendous blessing, it is
simply not enough to have a great and mighty father or mother in the Lord. There comes a time when one is valued on his
own merits. Favor based on the greatness
of others is often a fragile and fleeting thing, and honor, like salvation,
cannot be inherited.
Exodus 2
God hears the cries of His children, and He answers
by letting the Egyptian Princess hear the cries also. God keeps His promise. He sent to them a deliverer humbly wrapped in
an ark of bulrushes. His life was spared
by an act of faith as he floated safely upon the river toward his destiny. I marvel at the faith of Jochebed, the mother
of Moses. As a parent, I have often had
to deal with worry and anxiety over the safety, choices, and future of my
children. The hardest part is pushing them out there knowing that danger is all
around. The world is full of so many
would be teachers today that will tell you that there is nothing to fear, and
that fear is only a lack of faith. Truth
is, that because of the fallen nature of our world, the dangers we face are
real, and sometimes we get storms despite our hopes for sunshine. Fear just happens, or else we wouldn't have
to be reminded to "have no fear," but it becomes a faith problem when
we let it paralyze us. Faith is knowing
the danger, committing our steps to the Lord, taking action, hoping in Him, but
also trusting the Lord no matter the outcome, rain or shine. Like this daughter of Levi, we are to take
our hopes, dreams, our very lives, and set them afloat in His will. When we do, we come to see that just beneath
the surface of the treacherous waters before us are actually the loving hands
of God.
Exodus 3
It has been often said that God will never
give you a burden too heavy to carry.
While it's true that God will not allow His people be tempted beyond
their ability to resist, I do think that God does, indeed, give us more than we
can handle, and He does it by design, and He does it often. In this passage, Moses is given an assignment
so heavy that he immediately feels crushed under its weight. He knows he's not up to the task, and God
knows it too. In fact, God tells Moses
up front that he will fail on his own, but not to fear. He assures him that He would be with him, and
that He would work wonders to bring His will to pass. All Moses needed to do was trust and
obey. When we seek to serve the Lord, we
need to prepare ourselves for assignments that outstretch the limits of our
ability. It is in this service that we
learn to listen, to obey, and to live by faith.
It is here that we find deliverance.
Exodus 4
I had to laugh a little when I read
this. I picture Moses following a simple
direction by rather nonchalantly throwing the rod on the ground, and then I
imagined him crying out in fear, and running away, when he saw that it had
become a snake! God had shown Moses that
following His call sometimes invites frightening consequences. He then stops Moses from bolting, and tells
him to do something that takes a little more courage. He tells him to reach out and pick up the
serpent. Somehow, Moses summons the
courage to obey. I can only imagine his
relief and wonder when the serpent became a rod again in his hand. Moses was learning that he could trust God to
deliver, and through this account, we too learn how God equips the called. A little courage and a lot of faith can go a
long way in His service. God's calling
for us always seems to be bigger than we are, but that's okay, so is He.
Exodus 5
Moses obeyed the Lord. He stood before the Pharaoh and demanded that
he let his people go and sacrifice unto God in the desert. This demand was not met kindly, and the
Pharaoh multiplied the suffering of Israel in response. Moses did not understand. He had been assured that God would be with
him; now, why was this happening? The
answer is illusive; perhaps God was testing Moses. Would Moses be overcome with doubt and fear,
and give up on his calling? Or, would
he, like in the last chapter, face his fear, and summon the courage to reach
down and pick up the snake? We too can expect
that though God, indeed, may be with us, things will not always go according to
OUR plan. Sometimes, the rod we throw down becomes a
snake, and that can get frightening.
When fear rises up and our faith is tested to its limit, it is good to
remember that the One who sent us will prevail. Our job is simply to obey, and
stand fast even when things go contrary to our plans...especially then. We are not called to work our own plan; we
are called to be obedient and faithful.
Exodus 6
In this passage, Moses answers God's call by
complaining that he had uncircumcised lips.
Many have interpreted this to mean that he was insecure because of his
faltering speech. This is probably very
much the case since God gives him Aaron to be his voice, but I think the choice
description of uncircumcised carries
an extra connotation. Like a branding
iron of sorts, circumcision was an odd procedure meant to physically set apart,
or distinguish, God's chosen people from the rest of the lot. It seems that Moses did not feel set apart in
the eyes of Israel, or Pharaoh, in a way that marked him as a leader sent by
God. Today, many often use the word
anointed to describe someone who has the mark of God's approval and calling. By whatever name, Moses felt unqualified for
lack of it. Moses reminds me of a friend
that suffers with a lifelong struggle against the ravages of MD. Despite this overwhelming challenge, Joe heard
God's calling on him rather late in life into the ministry. He is assigned to a wheelchair, and he
suffers with pain and weakness hourly.
If anyone ever had an excuse not to answer God's calling, it would be
Joe. However, I remember a quote that he
once shared with me that has stayed with me for a number of years: "God does not call the qualified; He
qualifies the called." Moses is an
outstanding example of this, and it should give each of us cause to put away
our own insecurities. Qualifications,
gifts and favor are all good things, but God doesn't need them. He is the Source
of greatness, and He will either give you the measure of talent you require for
the job, or He will complete the tasks that lie beyond your ability
Himself. Either way, we are branded and
set apart as His, and we can boldly answer His calling fully trusting in Him to
do more with us than we could ever do by ourselves.
Exodus 7
I've always thought
it was a curious thing that God hardened
the heart of Pharaoh. I'm sure Pharaoh,
in his pride, and all the people of the day for that matter, assumed his
thoughts were his own. But then, God is
truly in control...even of the proud and rebellious. I remember thinking, "wouldn't it have
been easier, and less painful for everyone involved, for God to soften, rather
than harden, his heart?" The answer
is clearly, yes, it would. However, an easy, painless deliverance would
not have accomplished what God was in the process of achieving. God was growing faith, changing hearts and
building the foundation for a nation.
There would be many more burdens to come, but these trials would sift
out the silt and rock revealing the gold that would inherit the land of
promise. God doesn't favor the easy way
over the right way, and when we are in His will, we can take heart knowing that
the hardships we endure are molding us, and quite possibly others too, into the
heirs of His promise.
Exodus 8
How did that frog get in here? I've read this many times, but I'd never
really thought about the common Egyptian, minding his own business when
suddenly an army of frogs overtakes his home.
I imagine that the daily small talk focused on the crazy happenings of
late. They probably shared pest control
tips with one another, and ran down to the store to buy their equivalent of
Febreze for odor control. Point is,
most of these probably had no idea that they were the unwitting recipients of
God's judgment. Unfortunately, we
sometimes get the frogs of consequence brought on by the decisions and actions
of others. Good news is that the One who
allowed the frogs to come is still Lord over them. We will have to endure the plagues brought
upon us by others, but our God is in control, and when His work is done, He
will send them back to the river from which they came.
Exodus 9
I can remember that feeling of dread once
when I had been caught sneaking into the classroom during recess as a
child. My buddy and I were pretending to
be private eyes and we wanted to "investigate" the notes of other
students left on their desks. The
teacher came in, and we hid in the back, but she knew we were there and called
us out. She was lenient, but boy did my
heart sink. I was full of repentance,
but only because of the dread I felt after having been caught. I was having a great time before that moment
came without a tinge of guilt and not a care in the world, and when she chided
us without penalty, I went back outside and played as carefree as if it had
never happened. Pharaoh was heartsick
too after the storms and lighting had killed all of his cattle. But his repentance too was short lived. When the plague was removed, so was the dread
that had led him to repent. As obstinate
as Pharaoh was, there is a little bit of him in all of us. We have a sinful tendency to only care about
consequences after they happen. It is far better to heed God's warnings, and
live under His blessing. And when we do
wrong, our repentance should be genuine, not the insincere kind that is solely
based on the regret of having been caught.
God knows the difference.
Exodus 10
God's judgment brought darkness, both literal
and spiritual darkness, over the land of Egypt.
I believe that such a darkness is one of the most subtle, and
potentially more deadly, consequences of unrepentant sin. Pharaoh had played a dangerous game with God,
and now was given over to darkness enveloped not only by the absence of literal
light, but also the darkness of evil which can be felt. I believe this plague was a harbinger of his
eventual fate. When we willingly choose
sin and rebel against God, we run the risk of being given over to such a
darkness. The danger we face there is
the possibility of losing sight of all light and all hope of redemption. After a while, those who reside there become
nocturnal and comfortable in their setting.
Light becomes blinding and offensive to them, so they rebuke it with
everything they have. Such is the chosen
path of destruction. There is no such
thing as a victimless sin. Every step away
from God we take is a step toward binding darkness. Let us remain obedient and faithful dwelling
safely in His light.
Exodus 11
After all of the plagues, still Pharaoh would not relent. He would plead and feign repentance after
every plague, but then return to his own pride as soon as the plagues
ceased. On the surface it's hard to
imagine how, but this was no doubt all part of God's master plan. Had Pharaoh relented early, perhaps the
people of Israel would've credited him for their freedom, and would have been
even more reluctant to follow Moses and the God Who sent him. Looking upon Pharaoh as their deliverer, they
would have quickly proven unfit for the journey, or the promise. God doesn't want us to look to Pharaoh for
deliverance, but to Him. Whether we have
to undergo an intensive training regime to prepare for His calling, or in child
like faith simply trust Him is up to each of us, but He will do what it takes
to prepare our hearts for the challenge even if that means making our
opposition all the more obstinate.
Indeed, sometimes there is no other path to victory but through
adversity. A champion weightlifter is
only made so by the daily lifting of burdens.
Exodus 12
This is the Passover. A night of judgment that fell upon the land
of Egypt, and the penalty was death, but those who hearkened to the words of
the Lord were saved by the blood of the lamb.
Exodus 13
Ever wonder why God's people always seem to
be entering, going through or coming out of a desert? I've often wondered myself. I look around and I see shortcuts at every
turn. Sometimes the destination even appears straight ahead, yet the narrow
path seems to always lead away from it and into the wilderness. It can be confusing, especially when we know
nothing about the Philistine warriors that lie in wait on the broad path, but
we can rest assured that He knows our hearts, and plans our steps accordingly. I wish it were not so, but the easy road is more
often a deception that ends in destruction. The wilderness is where we are
tested and where we learn to depend on Him.
Exodus 14
Sometimes we all need our own personal Moses
to remind us to calm down and trust the Lord to fight our battle. The people of Israel saw the advancing
Egyptian army and immediately went into a panic. They were sure they were about to meet their
doom, and complained sorely to Moses about their impending demise. The Moses that heard these complaints had
grown accustomed to seeing God's faithfulness.
He grew bold in God's power, and
it's little wonder why; he'd seen the plagues, he'd felt the serpent become a
rod in his very hand, he'd seen God move.
Somehow the faith that had grown in Moses had not spread to the children
of Israel even though they had seen these same wonders first hand as well. Moses, now full of faith, courage and
leadership told them to be quiet and watch the Lord at work. Through one of the most epic miracles in the
whole of the Bible, God delivers a nation facing certain destruction. We serve the same God today, and if we
advance boldly in faith we shouldn't be too surprised to see the land dry
beneath our feet while walls of water and dread rise to our left and to our right.
Exodus 15
A song of deliverance comes to the banks of the sea. The children of Israel were overwhelmed with
the greatness of God after their great victory.
It was a mountaintop experience, and the people were moved to song and
praise for their Deliverer. I can only imagine how they must've felt. They had walked on dry land through the sea
and saw Pharaoh's pursuing army drowned before their very eyes. They saw the wind part the waters, and they
saw them come crashing down with the wave of a hand. When I read the account of this miracle, I
too am moved to wonder at the greatness of God, and I can't help but question
why the personal witness of such a thing didn't forever change every person
blessed to walk through those waters.
The simple truth is that signs and wonders have a short shelf life in
the hearts of self centered men. When
hunger arises anew, he forgets the faithful provisions of the Lord, and starts
to complain. He always looks for another
sign. We live in a time where the
pursuit of signs and wonders is never ending, but the pursuit of obedience and
righteousness is becoming so much harder to find. Obedience comes before deliverance, and His wonders
are there to serve His purposes. Simply
put, God parted the waters because the path of His leading was drawn through
the sea. He reveals His greatness to those who follow
His path.
Exodus 16
God hears,
and provides for His children. In the
last chapter, we saw God's people rejoice over their great victory. They were amazed by the miracle that had just
taken place and were inspired to take to the open air with song, dance and
praise. It's always seemed a little odd
to me that at the very beginning of the very next chapter, the children of
Israel had so soon began to complain.
Actually, I must admit that I marveled at how quickly it seemed they had
forgotten their blessings like an adolescent who complains at the first
discomfort during a summer vacation to Disney World. But now I read this with different eyes. Despite the wonders they had witnessed, their
needs were real, and their complaints were legitimate. They were not on vacation; they were
surrounded by desert, and they were hungry.
This tells me two things: first, that following God is a wondrous
adventure, and we are front and center for the stage of His marvelous works,
but secondly, God's path is not without its trials. God's path is like a mountain trail, arduous
at times, pleasant at times, with breathtaking views at the top, and a few
spots along the way. When the going got
rough in this chapter, God heard His children and provided for their needs with
manna and quail. We will encounter
difficulty even after our deliverance, but God hears our prayers, cares for our
needs, and provides when we continue to walk with Him.
Exodus 17
How apropos is it that the children of Israel
would encounter bitter discomfort as they journeyed out of a wilderness called
"Sin?" They were filled with
thirst, and were near willing to stone to death their deliverer, and return to
bondage if doing so meant the easy quenching of their thirst. Purging ourselves of the wilderness called
sin is not without thirst and longing.
We will suffer withdrawal from our old life of mindlessly satisfying the
self destructive desires of the flesh, but if we endure, if we persevere and
look to the Lord for continual deliverance, He will replace our bondage with a
new source of fresh, soul satisfying water.
He is the sparkling waters of life where the bondage of sin will die a
slow, but permanent death. The path of
deliverance always leads us out of the wilderness called sin and toward the
Well Spring of life.
Exodus 18
Even
Moses could benefit from good advice now and then. His father-in-law, Jethro, saw that Moses was
spreading himself too thinly by acting as the sole judge for an entire nation
from sun up to sun down. Moses learned
to be an executive by practicing the art of wise delegation. Sometimes we can get so caught up in our
calling, in our own gifts, that we miss the opportunity, and often necessity,
to enlist the help of others. I once had
a vision to build a close knit music community in my own small town. I had some ideas, and I love to play guitar,
so I took the step of organizing a weekly open mic hoping that loving musical
friendships would follow. The idea
started off great, and soon the venue was prospering with a growing circle of
friends. That's when I paused to reevaluate
my own role, and started searching out the gifts in others. Sure enough, there they stood, better
talented and qualified in various areas.
With a little coaxing, sometimes not even needed, those with the natural
abilities assumed their calling. This
not only lightened my load, it also improved the quality of the event, and
created an opportunity for others to invest themselves into my vision. Moses heeded Jethro's advice and grew leaders
within the nation of Israel preparing the way for the coming of God's law. Each of those leaders have their own little
part in the story of how God came to convict and save man from sin and death. We are not meant to do it alone. God equips each of us, and it's up to those
of us who understand this to properly employ those gifts and help others find
their calling.
Exodus 19
And so true deliverance begins. Abraham had found favor in the sight of the
Lord, and had received a promise. In this chapter, God offers yet another
promise to the remnant of Abraham, but this time He included the conditions of
obedience and faithfulness on the part of His chosen. He had brought them out of Egypt, but now He
was preparing the way to bring them out of a fallen earth. The good news is that this promise now
extends from the mountain of God, across the ages, and to the hearts of the redeemed. He treasures those who love and obey Him, so
much so that He lovingly and sacrificially paid the penalty for our sin. All the earth is His, but we retain the
choice, at least for a season, to remain our own. Yet, we will only know life when we too
obediently and faithfully accept His gift of grace and take our blessed place
as His peculiar treasure.
Exodus 20
Everyone
has read or heard parts of this chapter, believer or no. The Ten Commandments of God came down like
thunder to man. As I read the chapter in
its entirety, I'm struck with awe and genuine fear, not just gentle respect
mind you, but actual fear of the presence of Almighty, Holy God. After hearing the voice of God, the children
of Israel trembled and fainted with fear, and pleaded for Moses to be an
intercessor, so that they would be spared the deathly dread of His power and
presence. God does not speak through
trumpets and thunderings these days, and because He chooses not to, we live in
a world of people drunk with the notion that they hold the keys to their own
destiny. Such pride, willful rebellion
and just plain foolishness will all abruptly come to an end when He again makes
His glory known to man. On that great
and terrible day, every knee ever fashioned by His hand will bow before
Him. This is the side of God that laymen
and ministers alike do not like to talk much about these days, but it is a
truth that needs to be sounded with the utmost passion and urgency. God is love, but He is also holy and
just. Today is the day to bow before Him
while His mercy and grace can yet be found.
Exodus 21
Non-believers and mockers love to use these commandments of God in an effort to
show God as unmerciful, or to show the believer as a hypocrite for not
following the law. It's really a catch
22 if you think about it for the modern man trying to live by the infallible
truth of the Word. If he agrees that the
whole law given to Moses must be followed, then he is portrayed as an
extremist; one who sanctions slavery, and all sorts of incredibly harsh
judgments. If he serves as an apologetic
arguing that the law was meant only for the Jew of that day, then he appears to
compromise on his view of an unchanging God.
I choose not to enter into such debates, not because I'm afraid of them,
or find them a challenge to my faith, but because I think they miss the real
choice before us. The choice is not
whether we follow the whole law; we decidedly do not, but rather have we
received the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus to cover our failure to even understand,
let alone follow, His holy and sovereign law. Jesus summed up the law in two commands: we
are to love our neighbor as our self, and love the Lord with all that we
are. When we follow these laws, there is
no slavery, no violence, no cursings and no judgments. Holiness is the goal, and that is the final destination
on His path for us. He will purge us of
all sin along the way until we arrive at a place where God's law, or better
yet, His true intention, for man keeps itself in the same way that God's law to
nature, like that of gravity, knows only obedience. The redeemed will be made holy. Our new nature will be to obey, and sin will
not be allowed to enter in. The need for
judgment will be no more. It will be
heaven indeed.
Exodus 22
As I read through the exhaustive list of the
offenses of man, a thought came to me: all of these offenses had happened
before. God needed only to look at the common
sins of men, and the law presented itself.
Not long ago, I bought a GPS system for my car. I've noticed that when I stay on the route
that is already calculated, the GPS doesn't have much to say other than its
friendly reminder of when to prepare for a turn or exit. However, occasionally I will take an early
exit for a break or food. When I do, the
GPS immediately knows that I've wandered off the path set before me, and it
starts to give me instructions on how to get back on track. God knows our desired destination, and He
knows when we've wandered off the path.
For the believer, His Holy Spirit serves as our GPS reminding us of His
law, his perfect path set before us.
There are so many exits, so many different roads we can take, and they
all take us to the wrong destination.
Like the children of Israel, we still need His constant guiding and
correction today if we are going to walk with God. We need to be thankful for His law, and His
Holy Spirit, Who recalculates for us when we wander. He writes His law in our
hearts so that we are forever reminded of His perfect path. Without Him, we would be forever lost.
Exodus 23
Moses continues to give the laws of God to the children of Israel, and
he starts to name some of the benefits of obedience. God tells them that He will send and angel
ahead of them, He will bless their food and water, and will keep sickness from
them. He even tells them, in this verse,
that He will cleanse the lands of its inhabitants by way of hornets to make a
place for them. I should never again ask
the Lord why He made hornets. The
benefits of following God are great.
Chiefly, the way of salvation is found in following Him, but we can also
expect heaven and earth to bend in our favor according to His will. If we are following Him, no obstacle will
keep us from walking in His footprints before us. Like the relentless swarm of hornets
demonstrates, He has ways of dealing with obstacles.
Exodus 24
I'm in awe of such moments in history. God speaks with an audible voice expressing
His desire that condemned man toiling away in a fallen earth should learn how
to live again. Ever since Adam, man had
been wandering lost in the wilderness with only his own dull senses to guide him.
Those who found favor in the eyes of God
because of their faith and desire for righteousness could be counted on one
hand. Truth is, there was no hope for
mankind. God, full of mercy, reached
down and laid the foundation for the salvation that would come through His
son. Without the conviction of the law,
we would never know of our desperate need for repentance, and our desperate
need for a Savior. We would forever be
stricken with the curse of sin, not knowing the depths of our depravity, or the
judgment that awaited us. God called
Moses, and instructed Him to teach us the way of righteousness written in stone
by His own hand. Not unlike the clouds that gathered above the ark of Noah, the
coming of His law was the forerunner of the Savior...the moment in history when
a new and more complete hope came to life for those who would enter in.
Exodus 25
Again, we see the desire of God Almighty to bridge the gulf of sin in
order to commune with His children. It
is most fitting that the ark which bore His law had atop of it a place called
the mercy seat. It was only because of
His great mercy that we received the law in the first place, and without mercy
there would be no hope of ever communing with Holy God. Thanks be to God that where there is the law
and judgment, there also can be found mercy.
Exodus 26
The
temple veil served as the symbol of man's separation from God. Man had been given the law, and he could now
try to follow it with all of his heart, but the gulf that separates sin from
holiness would still remain impenetrable. And so it would remain for ages until
God, Himself, came down to earth to personally close divide. At the moment that
Jesus cried with a loud voice and died at Calvary, God reached down from heaven
and tore the temple veil from top to bottom signifying that the great chasm
created by Adam had now been bridged by the blood of the Lamb.
Exodus 27
I have read this before, but somehow I missed
this little part where God tells Moses to, and I paraphrase, "make it just
like I showed you." Moses had witnessed
much during his encounter with Almighty God.
The details of the temple and its services show God's penchant for
design and symbolism, and He had very specific instructions for Moses to
follow. He either has such a temple in
heaven, or He had made visible His blueprints for the temple on earth. Either way, Moses went about following the specific
design shown to him by God. We do well,
I think, to keep in mind that God was not only the Chief Architect of the holy
temple, but also the Chief Architect of our lives. He has specific plans for us, and has given
us the blueprint for the kind of life we are to live through the picture of His
own Son, Jesus. Now it's up to us to
live it just like He showed us.
Exodus 28
I love this; God's only stated goal in this
verse is for artisans to achieve glory and beauty from their work. There's hardly a day goes by when I don't
notice the beauty of God's creation. I
often say out loud upon seeing a natural vista that He is the definitive Artist.
The best artists among us are those who best capture, interpret, and
communicate, in some form or other, the beauty of His creation. The notes are His, but He allows us to
compose harmony. He supplies the colors
in the spectrum and shows us what is possible with His living, ever changing, colorful
sculpture called earth. We live in a
masterpiece painted with color and animated with life. He desires creation and beauty, and He has
put that desire in our hearts too. We
are made in His image, and one of the strongest genes we have inherited is His
desire to create works that glorify His endless imagination. It blesses my heart to think that I serve a
God Who has created all the things I adore, and that one day He will clothe us
in perfect righteousness, glory and beauty as only the Master Artist can.
Exodus 29
The last couple of chapters are full of
voluminous details for how the temple, priesthood and services of God were to
be carried out by Moses and the children of Israel. I can imagine that the whole of God's
instruction may have sounded rather foreign to the children of Israel, but
God's sovereign design never asked for, or needed, anyone's approval. There on the pages of this book is written
the will of God to accept with blessing, or refuse with contempt. In this verse, we find the amazing reward for
following His detailed instruction. When
the temple was complete, He would come and dwell with His people and be their
God. As I write this, I'm compelled to
jump far ahead to another verse; 1 Corinthians 6:19, because another temple
comes to mind. Here we're told that our body is not our own; it is the temple
for the Holy Ghost. Sovereign God has spoken to us in His Word detailing the
design and function of our temple. For
those who give their body over to be His temple, He likewise rewards. We may not always understand the designs of
God, but if we accept the gracious invitation to become His temple placing His
sovereign will above our own, He will dwell within us, and be our God...such a
beautiful promise for anyone willing to trade death for life.
Exodus 30
Have you ever heard a TV evangelist instruct the audience to limit the
amount of money they are to give? I
read this and thought, "now this simply has to be from God because it is
not the nature of man to limit the offering." Now this verse refers to something akin to a
census tax, and not the tithe, but still it confirms what I've known for some
time now, and that is that God is not concerned with dollar amounts. He can accomplish everything with nothing, so
what good is our giving? The answer is
simple, giving is an act that makes us
more like Him. He allows us to put our
heart into His work by investing our work into His Kingdom. Giving is good for the soul whether we be
rich or poor.
Exodus 31
God calls His workmen by name. In addition to Aholiab named above, He also
named Bezaleel of the tribe of Judah in verse two. Something about these men stood out in the
eyes of the Lord, and He equipped them with talent and wisdom needed to carry
out His plans. We not only know the
blueprints, we know the builders, and they have God's own seal of
approval. In my daily work, I make a
living providing a service for people, and I don't often think of it in such spiritual
terms, but our God is ever watching and always looking for those He can
promote. Aholiab and Bezaleel had paid
their dues, and now God was promoting them to the makers of the holiest items
in His temple. We should all hope that
when God has something He wants done by the hands of man, that He will call us
by name and equip us with all we need to honor Him in the service of His
choosing.
Exodus 32
Yes, these are the words of the Lord spoken
to Moses. I suppose it would've been so
much easier for me to choose a verse about the golden calf and the symbolism it
holds for us today, but something drew me to this verse illustrating the
righteous anger of the Lord. The
children of Israel had tested God's patience by turning to other gods while
Moses was on the mountain, and they were a decision away from eternal
condemnation. Were it not for the pleas
of Moses, God may have chosen to end them all right there in the wilderness,
and justice would've been served. I
doubt they ever knew, or understood, just how close they came to the edge of
God's mercy. There was a time not so
long ago when sermons were full of the righteous anger of God. They were sobering, and you left feeling like
you'd been put in your place. You were
frightened, but grateful that you still had the chance to repent and obey. God has a personality. He has expectations, and He gets angry when
His people are disobedient. It is good
to sing of His mercy, but we also need to soberly consider His commands, and
His demand for justice. If by fear we
are saved, then by grace we will be kept.
Remaining in Him and letting His Words live in us is the work of the
Holy Spirit; He will guide us, and not
let us stray; even so, the fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Exodus 33
Moses had found favor in the sight of the
Lord. It is hard to even imagine such a
sight as this. The tabernacle had been
moved to an area outside the camp because God actually required His space from
a people so bent toward pursuing their own will. Still, God had the desire to see the children
of Israel through to the promised land, and it seems He found a special friendship
with Moses along the way. He descended
like a cloud over the tabernacle causing the children of Israel to worship from
their own tents, and there He talked with Moses. He even literally revealed a side of Himself to
Moses that no man had ever seen before.
In a world filled with iniquity, it's good to know that He still seeks
the company of those pure in heart. And
when He finds them, they too will see God.
Exodus 34
We see dozens of examples of God meeting and
speaking with Moses prior to this chapter, but this is the first time that we
see an actual physical change in Moses's appearance as a result of his
encounter with God. I'm not sure why
this meeting with God was so different than the others; perhaps it was the
actual glimpse of God's Being that had changed him. Whatever the cause, the countenance of Moses
had obviously changed in a dramatic way.
The physical change of Moses causes me to ponder how goodness and evil
are often physically transformative, albeit to a lesser extent than the sudden
transformation of Moses. Be it goodness
or evil, we wear the one that masters us on our very face. My wife and I often observe this among people
we know, and even in the world of celebrity.
One celebrity comes to mind that when you observe his appearance, you
can see a certain darkness all about him, as if evil had transformed his face
into a dark character from an evil tale.
Likewise, another comes to mind who seems to radiate the peace of
Christ. I can picture this particular
aged man of God. I see a warmth, a glow
almost, coming from his eyes. His hair
is white like snow, and his wrinkles, though very pronounced, belie a life of
hard work, but even more, a life of
love, joy and peace. We can't, of
course, use physical traits as a measurement of a person's life or relationship
with God. Our senses can all too easily
be deceived. Still, as I age, I want the
genuine warmth of the Lord to shine through.
I hope my face will bear the marks of a man who has spent time in the
presence of God...marks of gratitude, peace, love and joy.
Exodus 35
The
gift of God to the artisan is called the wisdom of heart. This is more than a mere talent; this is a
gift of love given by God so that the artisan may better serve the will of
God. Most everyone that knows me well
knows that I have a passion for playing guitar that spans over 40 years; most
of my life in fact. At times along the
way, I've taken various students, some of which are children, and often their
parents have ask me to gauge their child's talent for music. My answer has always been that the biggest
part of talent lies in the love of a thing.
Some bring natural attributes such as long, nimble fingers, strong
fingernails, and a bright mind, but the most fulfilled students are those who
have a love for the sound and feel of the guitar. They can't put it down and are ever
fascinated with the sounds they can make through it. It speaks for them, and expresses a part of
who they are in a way that they could not express before finding the
instrument. In a word, they love the
guitar, and that love is the gift. It is
only because of that love, that they
will be compelled to master their art. So
often lost in our world of self driven purpose and talent idolatry is the idea
that the gift is given, not for the purpose of our own mastery and glory, but
for the glory of, and service to, our Master.
The love is the gift, and the gift is the wisdom of heart. It is put there by our Creator for our
Creator. All else is vanity, and though
it may enjoy a season of celebrity, it will eventually fade into nothingness. Likewise, we can be sure that a gift lovingly
given back to the Giver of the gift,
will endure in His heart forever.
Exodus 36
I have to admit that there have been times in
the past I've felt a burden for some sort of ministry, and then fretted because
I wasn't sure if I had enough time, talent , influence or whatever to make it
happen. I suppose it is part of our
human conditioning to do this. Even
Moses, when hearing his commission from the Lord responded with his legitimate
shortcomings. He told God why he
couldn't do what he was charged to do.
But through his obedience, we see Moses grow into a great man of God
bolstered by one faith building experience after another to the point where he
takes command of the task at hand, and simply watches God answer. In the last few chapters, we've seen Moses
boldly direct the building of the tabernacle.
When God needed a garment embroidered, He provided Moses with a talented
artist, needle in hand. When he needed
something covered in Gold, Moses didn't fret, he just put out the call, and God
responded through the hearts of His people.
Here we have God answering with a surplus. The temptation for man here is to store up
the surplus, or reward oneself for a job well done. Moses had learned God's lesson with the manna
in the wilderness...take what you need, leave what you do not, and trust God
for tomorrow. Such men of faith,
leadership, integrity and wisdom are in rare supply today.
Exodus 37
Made by the hands of
man, but fit for a King. As mentioned
earlier, the artisan, Bezaleel, was one of two men called by name to construct
the articles of the tabernacle. Now he
had the honor of constructing the most incredible article of all, the Ark of
the Covenant. Once approved and touched
by God, this ark would become the most holy article in the tabernacle. It would bear the law of God given to
Moses. This chapter gives great attention
to the ark and all the fine details in its construction. Whether covered with, made of pure gold, or
decorated with cherubims and crowns, this article made by the hands of man was
truly fit for a King. As impressive as
the ark must have been, there would come another construction that would become
even more precious. There would be no
gold decoration, no artful care in its construction; just a simple utilitarian
object. The ark was meant to bear the
law, but this object was meant to bear the King, Himself. The Holy of Holies made by the hands of man
is where God came to live among His people, but the cross made by the hands of
man is where He came to die for us all. Because of this, though absent of all
gold, beauty or ceremony, the simply made, rugged cross has become the only way
that we may enter into His Kingdom.
Exodus 38
The artisans were hard at work in chapter
38. Down to the last silver hook and
brass socket, every fine detail that the Lord had given to Moses was completed
with the utmost care. I'm sure these
gifted workers each had their own creative issues to work through though we're
not told of any in particular. Artsy
folks, as I can attest being a musician myself, can be a challenging and temperamental
lot. We have a tendency to war over the
smallest of creative differences. But
like a great conductor, Moses understood the Master's composition, and communicated
it perfectly. And like a fine musician,
Bezaleel, and his team of artisans performed their duties like a world class orchestra. In keeping with the analogy, being a servant
of the Lord means that sometimes we may be called to be the conductor, and
sometimes we may be the musician. In
either capacity, our goal is to bring honor to the Composer. The conductor does
this by studying the music, and communicating properly the Composer's intent. The
musician honors the Composer by studying the music, and honoring the directions
of God's chosen conductor. Without diligent
study, humility and skillful performance, the composition never rises to bless
the Composer or anyone else. We spend so
much of our lives tending to our own plans and needs, but we need to always
remember that we are created and called for His glorious service. The reward for those who choose to accept
their calling is the opportunity to play a part in the most beautiful
composition ever heard in heaven or earth.
Exodus 39
To me, this verse speaks
of leadership. The last couple of
chapters have been full of details, God details. The Lord had shown Moses the tabernacle, and
had given him the blueprints. When I
think of the diligence, skill and hard work of the children of Israel in
pursuit of God's plan, I can't help but think back a few chapters and ask,
"are these the same people who tolerated evil, and angered the Lord while
Moses was away? Are these the same people that so quickly forgot the blessings
and power of God that had been so clearly in their midst?" The short answer is yes, these were the
same. It is not for nothing, as they say,
that people are so often referred to as sheep in God's word. God knows the whims of man, He knows our
tendency to wander, and He's always looking for shepherds...those who know His
will and help direct others to follow and accomplish it. Moses was a good shepherd. He heard God, followed him, and lead a nation
to do the same.
Exodus 40
34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the
glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
What a beautiful way to end the Book of
Exodus. God had brought the children of
Israel out of bondage, and now had entered His house among His people. The story of Exodus is the story of the
redeemed. We start out in bondage to
sin, laboring under a cruel master, but when we cry out to His Son for deliverance,
He hears from above, and moves us out of slavery and sets us on the path to His
promised land. The journey is full of
trials. There are times we're tempted to
return to the familiarity of our old lives.
There are failings and fallings, but when we persevere, we are
rewarded. The tabernacle of our heart is
erected through the continual work of faith and obedience. We are filled with the glory of the Lord as
He comes to dwell within.
