Exodus 40 - Living next door to God

The glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Exodus 40:35b (ESV)

In the center of the Israelite camp (Numbers 2), the tabernacle of God set. Everyone could see the visible signs of the Lord's presence: the cloud and the fire. May we all marvel at the glory of God and may we look forward to the day when we are transformed so we can see it perfectly.

Exodus 36 - A first

And all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains. They were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked. The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size. He coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another. He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain of the first set. Likewise he made them on the edge of the outermost curtain of the second set. He made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set. The loops were opposite one another. And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to the other with clasps. So the tabernacle was a single whole. He also made curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle. He made eleven curtains. The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains were the same size. He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. And he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other connecting curtain. And he made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together that it might be a single whole. And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams' skins and goatskins. Exodus 36:8-19 (ESV) - meant as a sample for the entire chapter

"I'm sure that this is the first time that I have ever read this out loud."
- Carrie, who was reading the daily passages in the car as we were headed to KC.

Exodus 33 - Nearness of God

Moses said to the LORD, "See, you say to me, 'Bring up this people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.' Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." And he said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." And he said to him, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?" Exodus 33:12-16 (ESV)

In his desire for wisdom to lead, Moses gets the very presence of God. The nation of Israel is defined by the Lord's going with them. May our lives be defined by an intimacy with the Lord.

Exodus 32 - Uh, gee, how did this get here?

And Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?" And Aaron said, "Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. For they said to me, 'Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' So I said to them, 'Let any who have gold take it off.' So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf." Exodus 32:21-24 (ESV)

Most of us hide from our evil. Even if some of us proudly proclaim our evil, there are still things that we do which bring us shame. These we cover. Aaron is no different.

He builds this golden calf at the urging of the people. He gets a good deal of gold by telling people to give their jewelry and their children's jewelry. He works hard on building the calf, using special tools to fashion it just so. But when Moses asks about how this idol got there, Aaron's reply is classic: "So they gave [the gold] to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf," as if he hurled jewelry into the flames and a figure appeared on the other side.

We all downplay our shame. Sometimes it looks ridiculous. Sometimes it is just plain sad. What we need is to be so transformed by the cross that we have nothing except Christ. We need a community of these people, people who are willing to deal with each other with honesty and transparency. This is why Paul says in his letter to the Colossian church:

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:9-11 (ESV)

Oh that we might be a real community of Christ followers!

Exodus 31 - Great gifts

The LORD said to Moses, "See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you" Exodus 31:1-6 (ESV)

If we look at what we are good at, we can often be disappointed that it isn't something that is real 'important'. In church, these differences are often highlighted. Speakers, musicians, and organizers seem to get most of the attention while the people who set up chairs get little notice. Two points:

(1) God gifts us to do what He asks. Whether it is cleaning up after a meal or teaching a class, we should seek Spirit-anointed empowerment. In Exodus 31, these men are gifted by the Spirit to make furniture and utensils for the temple.

(2) God values art and creativity. In some circles, Christians bash art, literature, and music as being worldly or worthless. Scripture, however, shows beauty, creativity, and poetic expression are valuable and empowered by God.

Exodus 30 - Being set apart

"You shall make an altar on which to burn incense...You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD." Exodus 30:1, 9-10 (ESV)

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD has said, 'Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" And Aaron held his peace. Leviticus 10:1-3 (ESV)

When we read Leviticus 10 outside of Exodus 30, we might tend to think that the Lord is being extraordinarily harsh. But God is not being arbitrary or capricious, His very being demands a holiness (a set apart-ness) that Nadab and Abihu didn't think was very important. They can't stand before God willy-nilly, doing things just because they seem religious.

As people who are continually influenced by our culture, 'important' things and 'meaningful' things often change. We try to bring these things to God; we make them an important part of our worship. But just because it is current and fresh, doesn't make it appropriate.

As our High Priest, Christ is not affected by the cultural whims when it comes to approaching God. He didn't kneel before the local authorities; He didn't yield to contemporary society. What He did do is make it so broken people could be near the most Holy God. Exodus 30 reminds us that God doesn't lower His standards for His people, but Christ transforms us into the people God wants us to be.


NB - I have had these for awhile; but am just getting around to posting them. Sorry.

Exodus 24 – Fellowship with God

Exodus really shows both the ‘otherness’ and the ‘nearness’ of God.

Leading up to this was the ratification of the covenant God was going to have with His people. To signify agreement on a covenant, the parties would often share a meal.

But this is the Lord, so you expect things to be different, especially some of the ‘fellowship’ stuff.

The people dedicated themselves to the Lord and promised to obey His commands. And then the most interesting thing happened…

Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank. - Exodus 24:9-11 (ESV)

These men saw God! They actually saw Him! And then, in His presence, they ate and drank.

Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt - review

Christ the Lord is a novel by famed vampire writer Anne Rice. I received this book as a gift and now I can see why she is a famous author. She does an excellent job moving the story along, filling in the setting, and holding your fascination. This was a page turner for me.

The essence of the story is that Jesus is seven years old and his family is moving from Alexandria, Egypt to Nazareth. Rice's presupposition about Jesus is that he doesn't know who he is or what really happened around the time of his birth. Jesus' return home looks at the religious and political environment in the area at the time and unfolds the unknown story of life for him and his family. Rice makes assumptions about Joseph, Mary, and Jesus that one may not agree with, but the story itself is rather compelling. Her research was with people that I respect and turn to for insight into Biblical matters, which makes the novel useful for understanding Judea and Galilee at that time.

Probably more intriguing to me than the actual novel is the blurb Rice gives about her journey away from the church and then her recent return to faith in Christ. She alluded to a forthcoming book that will talk about this journey, but I haven't seen it yet.

How Much Does God Foreknow? - review

The book lives up to it's subtitle, "a comprehensive biblical study." Steven Roy takes on the task of investigating and ultimately refuting the claim that God does not know the future (a claim made by a theological movement called Open Theism). By looking at passage after passage, Roy affirms God's complete and total knowledge of the future.

This is a thick read. While I enjoy Roy's style, he is careful and thorough as he builds his case. There is considerable time investigating the pertinent passages, working with various issues such as language use and logical consistency, and tying a particular passage to the broader corpus of Scripture. Even though this book was a good read, it will be a reference as I encounter these passages and thoughts concerning God and his ability to know the future.

A couple of points of particular interest to me:

1) Roy represents the Open Theist position well. He didn't simply set up a straw man or result to ad hominem attacks; he gives full voice to the force of their arguments. While Roy sees this as a serious issue, he uses a tone of respect when he addresses the issues within Open Theism.

2) Roy is a pastor as well as a professor. He gives great insights into areas of worship, prayer, God's guidance, suffering, and hope in the return of Christ. He shows how if God did not know the future, then all of these areas are greatly affected.

I'm a Steve Roy fan; so there you go. He lays out his case with clarity and brings the implications to bear on our lives.

The American Evangelical Story - review

The American Evangelical Story by Douglas Sweeney defines and traces out evangelicals in history, starting with the Great Awakening in America. Being less than 200 pages, this book offers a clear and concise view of the evangelical movement in America.

Sweeney outlines his task in seven chapters:
1) Evangelical: What's in a Word?
2) A Surprising Work of God: The Eighteenth Century Revival
3) Crafting New Wineskins: Institutionalizing the Movement
4) As the Waters Cover the Sea: The Rise of Evangelical Missions
5) Crossing the Color Line without working to Erase It: Evangelical History in Black and White
6) In Search of a Higher Christian Life: The Holiness, Pentecostal, and Charismatic Movements
7) Standing on the Promises through Howling Storms of Doubt: Fundamentalism and Neoevangelicalism

In conclusion, Sweeney offers three lessons from this history:
First, the church needs evangelicals.
Second, at its best, evangelicalism functions as a renewal movement within the larger, universal church.
Finally, evangelicalism is not enough (evangelicals must looker further in their history than Edwards or Wesley).

This was an excellent and easy to read book. It serves more as a primer to deeper study, with bibliographies at the end of each chapter. As one who identifies with the label 'evangelical', there were stories of sadness and great encouragement to me. This book is a great place to begin when understanding the roots from which the evangelical church has sprung.