God Impact

Exodus 35:10-19

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:43:00 +0000

¹⁰ `Let every skillful man among you come, and make all that the LORD has commanded: ¹¹ the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets; ¹² the ark and its poles, the mercy seat, and the curtain of the screen; ¹³ the table and its poles, and all its utensils, and the bread of the¹Presence; ¹⁴ the lampstand also for the light and its utensils and its lamps and the oil for the light; ¹⁵ and the altar of incense and its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the doorway at the entrance of the tabernacle; ¹⁶ the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand; ¹⁷ the hangings of the court, its pillars and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court; ¹⁸ the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court and their cords; ¹⁹ the woven garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests.'"

When it comes to the church (we don't use tents anymore, so I'm talking about the building here), God calls all those who are able to do the work. He didn't just call a couple guys who were exceptionally skilled. He called everyone who was skilled to do the work on the tabernacle. Don't be afraid to step forward. The church needs you. God needs you.

Exodus 35:1-9

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:27:00 +0000

¹ Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and said to them, "These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do:

² "For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a sabbath of complete rest to the LORD; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. ³ "You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the sabbath day."

⁴ Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, "This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, saying, ⁵ `Take from among you a contribution to the LORD; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the LORD'S contribution: gold, silver, and bronze, ⁶ and blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goats' hair, ⁷ and rams' skins dyed red, and porpoise skins, and acacia wood, ⁸ and oil for lighting, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense, ⁹ and onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

God was serious about the sabbath and resting. The Israelites were not even allowed to kindle a fire without violating the sabbath. Rest is important. God created us, and He knows what we can handle, and He knows we need rest. Don't try to think you know better than that.

Exodus 34:29-35

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:34:00 +0000

²⁹ It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. ³⁰ So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them. ³² Afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them to do everything that the LORD had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. ³³When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and whenever he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded, ³⁵ the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.

Moses certainly spent a lot of time with God, so much that his face began to shine. How much time do we spend with God? Are we even approaching 'face-shining' capacity, or is our prayer life a little dull. I know mine isn't anywhere near where it ought to be, and that needs to change. So where is yours? What can you do to make your face shine?

Exodus 34:18-28

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 06:26:00 +0000

¹⁸ "You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.

¹⁹ "The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me, and all your male livestock, the first offspring from cattle and sheep. ²⁰ "You shall redeem with a lamb the first offspring from a donkey; and if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem all the firstborn of your sons. None shall appear before Me empty-handed.

²¹ "You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest. ²² "You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. ²³ "Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. ²⁴ "For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.

²⁵ "You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, nor is the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover to be left over until morning.

²⁶ "You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God.

"You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk."

²⁷ Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." ²⁸ So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

It was important that they realized who was the source of everything they had. God wanted them to have constant reminders. They were to redeem their firstborn, and the firstborn of their animals. And they had to bring the first of their first fruits to God. And even throughout the harvest, they were not to neglect the harvest. Don't forget the source of everything you have. We may not have all the reminders that the Israelites had, but the reality is still the same. Everything we have comes from (and belongs to) God.

Exodus 34:11-17

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:21:00 +0000

¹¹ "Be sure to observe what I am commanding you this day: behold, I am going to drive out the Amorite before you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. ¹² "Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. ¹³"But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their ¹Asherim ¹⁴ --for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God-- ¹⁵ otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, ¹⁶ and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods. ¹⁷ "You shall make for yourself no molten gods.

I've heard verse fourteen used in sermons a lot, but I don't think I've ever heard it quoted properly. Not only is God a jealous God, here He even says His name is Jealous. He doesn't share loyalty, and He won't share your love. So much so that He is identified with the name Jealous, not just the emotion. Don't short change God. Give Him your all.

Exodus 34:1-9

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:29:00 +0000

¹ Now the LORD said to Moses, "Cut out for yourself two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered. ² "So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain. ³ "No man is to come up with you, nor let any man be seen anywhere on the mountain; even the flocks and the herds may not graze in front of that mountain." ⁴ So he cut out two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses rose up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand. ⁵ The LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD.⁶ Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; ⁷ who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." ⁸ Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship. ⁹ He said, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own possession."

God is indeed gracious, and full of mercy. He also mentions that He will not leave the guilty unpunished. That seems like a huge contradiction, but it's not really. The guilty are those who have not repented of their sins, and asked for forgiveness. It is those who are dwelling in their sin, refusing to turn away from it. That's not a good place to be with sin, and a worse place to be with God. Get out, turn around, and run hard after God. He will always receive you back.

Exodus 33:17-23

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 06:38:00 +0000

¹⁷ The LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name." ¹⁸ Then Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your glory!" ¹⁹ And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." ²⁰ But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" ²¹ Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; ²² and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. ²³ "Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen."

Some things are just too much for us to handle, whether it be seeing the face of God, just something like having too much money, or some other temptation. God knows what we can take. He created us, and He knows what is best for us. No matter what, He will protect us, and not let us be exposed to more than we can handle.

Exodus 33:12-16

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:03:00 +0000

¹² Then Moses said to the LORD, "See, You say to me, `Bring up this people!' But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, `I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.' ¹³ "Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people." ¹⁴ And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest." ¹⁵ Then he said to Him, "If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. ¹⁶ "For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?"

What still makes us different, thousands of years later? That God goes with us everyday. That's a pretty powerful difference, and one not to be taken lightly. Don't forget God is with you. Lean on Him, depend on Him, talk to Him, all the time, every day.

Exodus 33:7-11

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 11:18:00 +0000

⁷ Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. ⁸ And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. ⁹ Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses. ¹⁰ When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. ¹¹ Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

The tent was for seeking the Lord, and I'm sure Moses went frequently. However, Joshua, his servant, never left the tent. It's no wonder that Joshua would become the next leader of Israel. Seek God like Joshua did, and you'll be amazed at what God can do in and through you.

Exodus 33:1-6

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:55:00 +0000

¹ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, `To your descendants I will give it.' ² "I will send an angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. ³ "Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way."

⁴ When the people heard this sad word, they went into mourning, and none of them put on his ornaments. ⁵ For the LORD had said to Moses, "Say to the sons of Israel, `You are an obstinate people; should I go up in your midst for one moment, I would destroy you. Now therefore, put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what I shall do with you.'" ⁶ So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.

The people of Israel had to make a choice. Were they going to try to make God fit their mold, or would they conform to His? For now, they obeyed the command of God, but the test was just beginning. We have the same choice before us everyday. Will we conform to the mold God has prepared for us, or will we instead try to put God in our convenient box? He won't fit, no matter what you do, but if you give it all up to God, you'll find you fit perfectly in His mold.

Exodus 32:30-35

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:37:00 +0000

³⁰ On the next day Moses said to the people, "You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the LORD, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin." ³¹ Then Moses returned to the LORD, and said, "Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. ³² "But now, if You will, forgive their sin--and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!" ³³ The LORDsaid to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. ³⁴ "But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin." ³⁵ Then the LORD smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

Perhaps Aaron's biggest dilemma was that he felt all the people were against him when they asked him to make an idol for them. But as we see, it was in fact just a small group of people. Still big enough to cause trouble, but not the entire nation. What he had failed to realize is that there were others still serving God. When you feel the pressure, and think that everybody is doing something, and the whole world is against you, remember this: you are not alone. Even if the whole world was actually against you, God is on your side. And that's all that matters in the end.

Exodus 32:25-29

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000

²⁵ Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control--for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies-- ²⁶ then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me!" And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him. ²⁷ He said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, `Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.'" ²⁸ So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. ²⁹ Then Moses said, "Dedicate yourselves today to the LORD--for every man has been against his son and against his brother--in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today."

God doesn't tolerate sin, and He certainly doesn't tolerate those who have no self-control, and lead His people astray by their sin. While He has compassion on those outside the church, and calls them to Himself, those inside the church who wallow in their sin are in a precarious place. In this passage, the penalty was death. God wasn't kidding around. Sin is serious business, and if you let it control your life, there's no telling the destruction and death it can produce in your life, even more so for those who call themselves Christians.

Exodus 32:19-24

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 06:54:00 +0000

¹⁹ It came about, as soon as Moses came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses' anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰ He took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it.

²¹ Then Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?" ²² Aaron said, "Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil. ²³ "For they said to me, `Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' ²⁴ "I said to them, `Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.' So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf."

Even though the people were 'prone to evil' as Aaron says, the one who bears the greatest blame here is Aaron. Moses had left his brother in charge, and I think he might have struck Aaron dead had he not been family. Aaron not only gave in to the people without a single word, but he then has the audacity to say that he just threw the gold into the fire, and a calf came out, as if God himself had formed it for them. The lie was obvious, and I'm sure Moses saw right through it also. We all are human, and we all screw up. When you do, don't try to cover it up, and certainly don't try to blame it on God. Honesty is always the best policy, and you won't look like an idiot for trying to lie if you just tell the truth.

Exodus 32:11-18

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:50:00 +0000

¹¹ Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? ¹² "Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, `With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. ¹³ "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, `I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" ¹⁴ So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.

¹⁵ Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides; they were written on one side and the other. ¹⁶ The tablets were God's work, and the writing was God's writing engraved on the tablets. ¹⁷ Now when Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "There is a sound of war in the camp." ¹⁸ But he said,

"It is not the sound of the cry of triumph,
Nor is it the sound of the cry of defeat;
But the sound of singing I hear."

God wasn't really planning to destroy the Israelites, but rather, He wanted to remind Moses of His promises. Moses, as the leader, was surely disappointed in the people. He was probably ready to give up on them altogether. But God turned the tables on Moses and made him remember why this people was special. God never changes, yet we always need reminders of that.

Exodus 32:1-10

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 08:29:00 +0000

¹ Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, "Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." ² Aaron said to them, "Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." ³ Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt." ⁵ Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD." ⁶ So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

⁷ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. ⁸ "They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, `This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!'" ⁹ The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. ¹⁰ "Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation."

This always amazes me. When the people came to Aaron and asked him to make an idol for them, he didn't argue. He didn't protest, He didn't even seem to quibble. Right away, he sets about the business of creating the god that they asked for. When life became averse, he threw in the towel. And this wasn't just any man, this was the priest of God. The one and only priest in the whole nation of Israel, and he had the backbone of a jellyfish. No matter what, don't be an Aaron. Know what you believe, and why you believe it. Dig into God's word, and make it your own.

Exodus 31:12-18

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 10:07:00 +0000

¹² The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ¹³ "But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, `You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. ¹⁴ `Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. ¹⁵ `For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death. ¹⁶ `So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.' ¹⁷ "It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed."

¹⁸ When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.

Just as much as God wanted the Israelites to observe the sabbath, they also needed the sabbath. It was an opportunity to be refreshed, to recharge, and to get ready for the next week. I think we take that too lightly sometimes. God was serious about the sabbath, and any Israelite who 'profaned' it by doing work was a dead man, literally. Don't profane the sabbath. Take a day, every week, to rest and be refreshed.

Exodus 31:1-11

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 06:49:00 +0000

¹ Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ² "See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. ³ "I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, ⁴ to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, ⁵ and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. ⁶ "And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you: ⁷ the tent of meeting, and the ark of testimony, and the mercy seat upon it, and all the furniture of the tent, ⁸ the table also and its utensils, and the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, ⁹ the altar of burnt offering also with all its utensils, and the laver and its stand, ¹⁰ the woven garments as well, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, with which to carry on their priesthood; ¹¹ the anointing oil also, and the fragrant incense for the holy place, they are to make them according to all that I have commanded you."

We have all have skills that we can use. Remember where those come from, it isn't something that we just happened to have. God gave each person special talents and abilities for a special purpose. He wants us to use those for that purpose. Always let God guide you in how to best use the abilities He gave you.

Exodus 30:34-38

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 07:02:00 +0000

³⁴ Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. ³⁵ "With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. ³⁶ "You shall beat some of it very fine, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. ³⁷ "The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the LORD. ³⁸"Whoever shall make any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people."

God was serious about not using those things which were holy for common purposes. They were special, because they were used in service to God. It should be a reminder to us to not take lightly those things used for God's service today. We may not be able to avoid using them for other purposes, but remember they also have a higher purpose.

Exodus 30:22-33

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:48:00 +0000

²² Moreover, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ²³ "Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty, ²⁴ and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. ²⁵"You shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. ²⁶ "With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, ²⁷ and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, ²⁸ and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand. ²⁹ "You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. ³⁰ "You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me. ³¹ "You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, `This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. ³² `It shall not be poured on anyone's body, nor shall you make any like it in the same proportions; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. ³³ `Whoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people.'"

This oil was to be kept special. God didn't want it applied freely to anyone or anything. It was only for those things dedicated to His service. The oil is one more reminder of the incredible freedom we have in Christ. We don't need special oil to talk to God. We don't need to be in a special place to talk to Him. We can come freely. Don't forget it. Don't forget to come either. It doesn't do anyone any good to have this freedom, and then not use it.

Exodus 30:11-21

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 06:54:00 +0000

¹¹ The LORD also spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² "When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you number them. ¹³ "This is what everyone who is numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a contribution to the LORD. ¹⁴ "Everyone who is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to the LORD.¹⁵ "The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel, when you give the contribution to the LORD to make atonement for yourselves. ¹⁶ "You shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves."

¹⁷ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁸ "You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. ¹⁹ "Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it; ²⁰ when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the LORD. ²¹ "So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations."

God is so holy that they couldn't even bring dirt into His presence without fearing for their lives. Really, it was likely symbolic of their hearts, and a reminder for them before they went in to make sure they had no sin in their lives. God was serious about holiness, and He was serious about sin. Make sure your heart is right before you go to Him.

Exodus 30:1-10

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:02:00 +0000

¹ "Moreover, you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. ² "Its length shall be a cubit, and its width a cubit, it shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be of one piece with it. ³ "You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it. ⁴ "You shall make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two side walls--on opposite sides--and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. ⁵ "You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ⁶ "You shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you. ⁷ "Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. ⁸ "When Aaron trims the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. ⁹ "You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering or meal offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it. ¹⁰ "Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD."

Strange incense was a big deal to God. Later on, the priest Eli would have two sons that disregarded this instruction, and they offered impure/unholy incense on the altar. What did God do? He struck them dead. God wants us to be pure before Him. We may not always be perfect, but we must make sure our hearts and lives are pure before we come to Him.

Exodus 29:38-46

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:15:00 +0000

³⁸ "Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously. ³⁹ "The one lamb you shall offer in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; ⁴⁰ and there shall be one-tenthof an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with one lamb. ⁴¹ "The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD. ⁴² "It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. ⁴³ "I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated by My glory. ⁴⁴ "I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to minister as priests to Me. ⁴⁵ "I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God. ⁴⁶ "They shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God.

Even before Christ's death tore the veil in two, God wanted to be with His people. From the very beginning, man was created for fellowship with God. Even if God had to have the priests as a proxy, He wanted to dwell among His people, and communicate with them. We no longer need the priests as a proxy, so don't take that for granted. Talk to God, all the time, as often as possible.

Exodus 29:31-37

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:55:00 +0000

³¹ "You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. ³² "Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the doorway of the tent of meeting. ³³ "Thus they shall eat those things by which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration; but a layman shall not eat them, because they are holy. ³⁴ "If any of the flesh of ordination or any of the bread remains until morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

³⁵ "Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; you shall ordain them through seven days. ³⁶ "Each day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement, and you shall purify the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to consecrate it. ³⁷ "For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

There were some things that God did just to protect the Israelites from disease and sickness. Anything they didn't eat of the ram or bread they were to burn. It's easy to think that God doesn't care about every little thing we do, but the laws He gave the Israelites seem to show otherwise. He is very much concerned with every aspect of our lives, and wants us to do everything with Him in mind.

Exodus 29:26-30

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 07:09:00 +0000

²⁶ "Then you shall take the breast of Aaron's ram of ordination, and wave it as a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be your portion. ²⁷ "You shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering which was waved and which was offered from the ram of ordination, from the one which was for Aaron and from the one which was for his sons. ²⁸ "It shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the sons of Israel, for it is a heave offering; and it shall be a heave offering from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their heave offering to the LORD.

²⁹ "The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, that in them they may be anointed and ordained. ³⁰ "For seven days the one of his sons who is priest in his stead shall put them on when he enters the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place.

Even the portions they were going to keep they presented to God. It seems it was probably their way of acknowledging that all they had belonged to Him anyway. Let us not forget that God is the source of everything we have. Show your gratitude not just in the offering you give, but acknowledge Him even in the things you keep for yourself.

Exodus 29:19-25

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Bishop) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 07:06:00 +0000

¹⁹ "Then you shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. ²⁰"You shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear and on the lobes of his sons' right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the rest of the blood around on the altar. ²¹ "Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments and on his sons and on his sons' garments with him; so he and his garments shall be consecrated, as well as his sons and his sons' garments with him.

²² "You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail, and the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination), ²³ and one cake of bread and one cake of bread mixed with oil and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread which is set before the LORD; ²⁴ and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and shall wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. ²⁵ "You shall take them from their hands, and offer them up in smoke on the altar on the burnt offering for a soothing aroma before the LORD; it is an offering by fire to the LORD.

It is no secret that blood will stain clothing, yet God asked Moses to sprinkle the blood from one of the rams on their garments. This was a perpetual reminder of their consecration to God. They would never be able to quit being a priest, and they would always need the blood of bulls and rams to purify them from their sin.