The Lord's work at 30, a vow and a blessing

In this morning’s breakfast (Nu 4:34-6:27) several things came from the reading. Whey they counted the Levites (which was by different ages than the census of the other tribes) only men age 30 (there’s my age again) to 50 were counted and were to take care of the Tabernacle. It says the Kohathite clan did work “in” the Tent of Meeting. It says the Gershonite clan did work “at” the Tent of Meeting. It doesn’t say anything specific regarding where the Merarites were to work. So it seems to me that these Levites had various jobs according to what tribe they came from and what God commanded them to do. God was very specific on the work they were to do and the articles they were to carry. The second interesting thing from this morning’s reading was the Nazarite vow. I have more question than anything. Why were they not allowed to drink fermented drink or even unfermented grape juice? What is this things about their hair? They were not allowed to cut their hair for the time of separation to the Lord, but when they were finished with that time they cut the hair “that he dedicated” and it was burned in the sacrificial fire. The final tid-bit form the reading is one of my favorite blessings in Scripture. God commanded Moses, Aaron and his sons to bless the people in this way:
“The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
And God said, “So they (that is Aaron and his sons) will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
Jesus shines in this blessing. God’s “face” points to his presence. God directed them to build the tabernacle because he longed to live among them…to be their Redeemer. Jesus came and lived among us. John says, the “Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (literally he tabernacled among us). Jesus approached us face to face and he longs to live with his people and have a relationship with us. Furthermore, its through his blood that we can have “peace.” And this business of putting on the “name” of God. Jesus is the Name. He is the Name about all names.

Lord God, show us the work you have for us to do. Grant us wisdom and power to carry out our commitments to you and the commitments we’ve made to others. Open our eyes to work that You are doing and may we be a blessing to those around us. To Your Name be the glory.

Can anything good come from Numbers?

God's Word is amazing! Numbers is one of the dryest books in the Bible yet when we chew on it slowly - it is proundly nourishing. This morning's reading was 3:1-4:33 regarding the Levites and how they were to take care of the tabernacle. God gave specific instructions on how they were to dismantle the tabernacle, who was to do what and who was to carry things. Only Aaron and his sons were to go in and cover the ark with the covering veil and all the holy articles. All the holy articles were to be covered with a blue cloth (and then sea cow hides - except the ark. It doesn't say that the ark was covered with sea cow hides); however, the table of shewbread was to be covered with a scarlet cloth and the bronze altar of sacrifice was to be covered with a purple cloth. After everything was covered then the other Levites were allowed to go in and carry the objects. Only the Kohathites were to carry the holy objects and they had to be carried on their shoulders. The Gershonites were in charge of taking down the curtains and the tent itself (They could use ox carts to carry everything). The Merarites were in charge of taking down the poles and frames (They could use ox carts to carry everything). The fascinating thing to me is that the table of shew bread was covered with a scarlet cloth and the altar of sacrifice was covered with a purple cloth. All the other articles were covered with a blue cloth. The blue coverings declared...these things are heavenly, divine, of grace and unearthly (Jesus was God. He was from heaven). But the scarlet covering for the table of shewbread declares...this is about sacrifice, about blood, of humility and down to earth things (Jesus is the bread of life, who gave his body for us. It's about the body of Christ at communion). The purple covering for the altar of sacrifice declares...this is about a God-man (blue and scarlet makes purple. Jesus was both from heaven and from earth.) who became the sacrificial lamb - whose blood covers our sin. Its a wonder to me that Mark and John say that when the soldiers mocked Jesus they covered him with a PURPLE robe and scoffed, "Hail King of the Jews." Interesting enough, Matthew says they covered him with a SCARLET robe. Little did they know they were showing the world that Jesus was the true bread from heaven and the sacrificial lamb who takes away the sin of the world. I am totally blown away!

God, Your Word is amazing to me. It shows to me that everything instruction you give us is for a great purpose. As simple as something like color can tell us about your great work in Jesus. Lord, open my eyes to what you are telling me. Open my eyes to understand your work through Jesus and what you are still doing through him today. Lord, your ways amaze me.

Camping with God

When they set up the tabernacle, God gave specific instructions on how they were to set up their camp. First, on the east side of the tabernacle were the tribes Judah (Jesus came from Judah), Issachar and Zebulun, on the south side Reuben, Simeon and Gad. Then the Levites were to camp around the tabernacle (Gershonites on the west side, Kohathites on the south side, Meraites on the north side and Moses and Aaron and his sons on the east side). Then on the west side came Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin. Finally, on the north side was Dan, Asher and Naphtali. Interesting that the entrance to the Tabernacle was toward the east. East is significant. The Garden of Eden was planted in the east. In Ezekiel the glory of the Lord came from the east. The magi came to worship Jesus - they traveled from the east. When the high priest came into the Tabernacle they came from the east.

God's Promise

"I will put my dwelling place (or tabernacle) among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people" (Lev 26:11-12).

On going

The lamps were to be burning evening til morning continually.
The 12 loaves of bread were to be placed on the table every sabbath continually.
Incense was to be offered continually.
The seventh year was to be a sabbath for the land. No crops were to be grown on the seventh year (whatever the land produced they were allowed to eat...but they could not grow anything).
After 7 times 7 years, the 50th year was to be a year of Jubilee. On that year, they were only to take what was grown in the fields (not everything that the land produced on its own).
God promised that on the 6th year the land would produce extra food for them (Lev 25:20-21).
God was showing that if they kept trusting Him, he would provdie for them continually.

The Feasts

The LORD'S Passover
-begins at twilight (14th day of the 1st month).
-on the 15th day celebrate The LORD'S Feast of Unleavened Bread (seven days)
-no yeast
-on the 1st day hold a sacred assembly and do no work
-on the 7th day hold a sacred assembly and do no work
-first grain wave offering was to be offering on the day AFTER the Sabbath.
-on that day a lamb must be sacrificed.
-from that day (which is AFTER the Sabbath) count off 50 days up to the 7th Sabbath, then offer new grain to the Lord. (I think this is a picture of Pentecost).
-two loaves are to be baked WITH yeast as an offering.
-seven lambs, a young bull and two rams as a burnt offering.
-also one goat and two lambs as a sin offering.
-on that day hold a sacred assembly and do no work.

Feast of Trumpets
-on the 1st day of the 7th month.
-day of rest.
-holy a sacred assembly.
-commemorated with trumpet blasts.

Day of Atonement
-on the 10th day of the 7th month.
-hold a sacred assembly.
-deny yourself (fast begins on the evening of the 9th day until the evening of the 10th day).

LORD'S Feast of Tabernacles
-15th till the 22nd day of the 7th month.
-on the first day (the 15th) hold a sacred assembly - also a day of rest.
-present offerings for seven days.
-take fruit and palm fronds and rejoice before the Lord for seven days.
-live in booths for seven days (as a reminder of when the Israelites lived in booths).
-on the eighth day hold a closing sacred assembly - also a day of rest.

God is big into getting his people to worship together, to take rest, to eat food and to throw parties. After the Day of Atonement the people are to celebrate for 7 days straight...no wonder - their sins where atoned for.

I am the Lord, who makes you holy

In this morning's bread, the phrase "I am the Lord, who makes you holy," is repeated over and over again. God makes it clear to the Israelites that they are wayward and its only through Him that they can be set apart and made holy. He is the Lord. He is the one who sets the rules and He is the one with all the power. I was kinda stunned by one of the rules that God gave: "For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. NO man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; no man with a crippled foot or hand..."(Lev 21:17-18). God was so concerned about the holiness of his sanctuary that they couldn't come near. They were allowed to eat the holy food, but they couldn't come near. I'm a bit stunned by this. When we look at Christ, we see him interacting with the defects. He looks at them, talks to them and TOUCHES them. God in all is power and glory comes to live with defected people. He set aside his glory and his holiness to get his feet and hands dirty. I'm amazed.

Lord, thank you for coming near to me and allowing me to come near to you. Thank you for looking favorably upon my life, for speaking to me and for touching my life. I am amazed at your grace.

More laws

The Day of Atonement is unique. It only happens once a year and only the high priest is allowed to enter the Most Holy Place. Infact, when this happens no priests are to be in the Tent of Meeting. Blood was taken into the Most Holy Place and sprinkled on the atonement cover. Then there is this business of the scapegoat. Two goats are chosen and lots are cast to see which one will be offered as a sin offering and one will be lead out of the camp into a solitary place to be let go (all of the sins of the people are "upon" the scapegoat).
The Israelites were also instructed not to eat blood. First of all, if they were giving an offering, the animal had to be killed at the Entrance to the Tent of Meeting. It could not be killed in the camp. If someone hunted wild game, they had to drain the blood and cover the blood with soil. God said to them, "You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off" (17:14). Interesting debate about when life beings in the womb. Some suggest that when blood enters the embyro life begins (18-21 days).
The Israelites were instructed regarding sexual relations and I find it interesting that Egypt and Caanan practiced these things and because of that God allowed their land to be defiled (18:27). God also spoke against child sacrifice: "Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not prophane the name of your God. I am the LORD" (18:21). Solomon built high places to sacrifice children to placad his wives (1 Kings 11:7-8) and Josiah tore them down (2 Kings 23:10,13). The location where Solomon built these things was on the eastside of Jerusalem where I believe the Mount of Olives is located. Interesting that this is where Jesus gave the high priestly prayer. I also wonder if our Western world equivalent is abortion. Since this law is in the middle of the sexual laws, could it be that our world today is also sacrificing children to the god of Molech as a result of unlawful sexual relations. God also is clear that sexual relations with the same gender or with animals is detestable. How can we miss this or explain it away? God's words in 18:5 are worth listening to: "Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will LIVE by them. I am the LORD."

Cleanliness is next to godliness

There may be something to the phrase, "Cleanliness is next to godliness." In this morning's reading God gave the Israelites instructions on mildew, skin diseases and discharges. These people were unclean until they went through the cleansing period and ritual and it was a priest that had to inspect them and atone for them. Why a priest? I think sickness and uncleanliness is also a spiritual thing. Lev 15:31 says, "You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place (tabernacle), which is among them."

Leviticus 11-13

This morning's bread was a bit hard to swallow. God gave instructions to Moses about health concerns. God gave a long list of animals, fish, insects and birds that were clean or unclean. God was concerned about their health and only allowed them to eat animals that were good for them. God also gave instructions on purification after childbirth and regulations regarding infectious skin diseases. The one interesting thing to me in these passages was that a person with a skin disease was to tear their cloths, let their hair be unkepted, cover the lower part of their face, cry out "Unclean! Unclean!" and there were to live outside the camp in isolation. This wasn't something that society did to them, God gave these instructions for their own health.

Confusion

It seems like the Israelites just didn't get things right...even from day one. Aaron's sons offered unauthorized fire. Right from the start things didn't go well. We are so slow to learn. Something struct me. Why didn't Moses have to be consecrated like Aaron and his sons were? No sin offering was given on his behalf. Interesting.

Leviticus begins - Offerings to the LORD

I've combined the info from yesterday and today's reading. Interesting to me that the priests had to eat completely the offerings. Jesus is our sin-eater. Why did they slaughter the animals on the NORTH side of the altar? The info on the fellowship offering is interesting to me (yeast was permitted, they could take up to 3 days to eat the meat - health reasons? or symbol of Christ?) The sin offering for a priest or for the entire community was NOT to be eaten...it was completely burned. The ordination offering for the priests had to be broken (broken bread of Passover?).

Type of Offerings

Burnt Offering
1) Male (from herd) without defect.
2) Male (from flock – sheep or goat) without defect.
3) Dove or young pigeon.
Herd animal: Presented at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Lay hands on. Slaughtered. Blood is sprinkled on all sides of the altar. It must be skinned, cut to pieces. Burn the pieces, including head and the fat. Wash inner parts and legs. Burn everything.

Flock animal: Slaughter at the north side of the altar.
(other instructions are the same)

Bird offering: Brought to the altar. Wring off head and burn it on the altar. Blood is drained out on the side of the altar. Remove the crop (and its contents) and throw it to the east side of the altar (where the ashes are). Tear open by the wings (not severing it completely) and burn it on the altar.

The offering is to remain on the altar throughout the night. The fire is to be kept burning. Then the priest must put on linen clothes (including linen undergarments) and shall remove the ashes. Place ashes beside the altar. Then change clothes and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering and burn the fat of the fellowship offering.

Grain Offering
Fine flour. Oil and incense added. This can either be wafers, baked in oven, prepared on a griddle or cooked in a pan. There must be no yeast and no honey. Must be seasons with salt.
The memorial portion is burned the rest is given to the priests. Priests shall eat the offering in a holy place (in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting). Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it.

Fellowship Offering (traditionally “Peace Offering”)
1) Male or female (from herd) without defect.
2) Male or female (from flock) without defect.
Lay hands on either herd or flock animal and slaughter at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Sprinkle blood on all sides of the altar. The fat, kidneys and covering of the liver are to be burned on the altar. All fat is the Lord’s. You must not eat any fat or any blood.

“If he offers it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering he is to offer cakes of bread made without yeast and mixed with oil, wafers made without yeast and spread with oil; and cakes of fine flour well-kneaded and mixed with oil. Along with the fellowship offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of bread made WITH yeast. He is to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the LORD; it belongs to the priest who sprinkles blood on the fellowship offerings. The meat of his fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; he must leave none of it till morning. If however, his offering is the result of a vow or is a freewill offering, the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day he offers it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day. Any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up. If any meat of the fellowship offering is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted. It will not be credited to the one who offered it, for it is impure; the person who eats of it will be held responsible.”

Sin Offering (for the sin of an anointed priest)
Young bull without defect.
Present at the Entrance. Lay hands on. Slaughter before the Lord. The anointed priest is to take some of the blood and carry it into the Tent of Meeting, dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle seven times in front of the curtain of the sanctuary. Then he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the of the altar of fragrant incense. The rest of the blood shall be poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. All the fat shall be removed and burned on the altar. The hide, all its flesh, head, legs, inner parts, offal (the rest of the bull) must be taken outside the camp to a place ceremonially clean (where the ashes are thrown) and burned. Notice: not to be eaten.

Sin Offering (sin of the whole community)
Young bull (note: doesn’t mention without defect).
Elders are to lay hands on the bull. Same instructions as sin offering of the anointed priest. Notice: not to be eaten.

Sin Offering (sin of a leader)
Male goat without defect.
Leader lays hands on the goat. Priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour the rest at the base of the altar. Burn all the fat. To be eaten completely by the priest.

Sin Offering (member of the community)
Female goat or lamb without defect.
Member lays hands on the goat. Same instructions as sin offering for a leader.

Sin Offering (for the poor)
1) Two doves
-one is for a sin offering and one is for a burnt offering
2) Two young pigeons.
-one is for a sin offering and one is for a burnt offering
3) Fine Flour (NO oil, NO incense)
-a tenth of an ephah (2 quarts or 2 liters)
The first bird is offered as a sin offering. Wring its head (but not severe it completely). Sprinkle blood on the side of the altar. The rest is poured out at the base of the altar. The second bird is offered as a burnt offering (Instructions as given for burnt offering). To be eaten completely by the priest.

Fine Flour: memorial portion is burned the rest is given to the priests (same as Grain Offering).

The priest will make atonement for him.

Guilt Offering – sinning unintentionally in regards to the LORD’S holy things
Ram without defect.
Money.
-of the proper value in silver; according to the sanctuary shekel (2/5 ounce – about 11.5 grams).
The person must make restitution for what he has failed to do in regard to the holy things, add a fifth of the value to that and give it all to the priest. To be eaten completely by the priest. The priest will make atonement for him.

Guilt Offering – sinning against the LORD’S commands
Ram without defect.
-of the proper value
Bring the ram to the priest. To be eaten completely by the priest. The priest will make atonement for him.

Guilt Offering - sinning against a neighbor (deceiving, stealing, cheating, property misconduct, swearing falsely)
Ram without defect.
Money.
-value in money of what was stolen, cheated, etc.
The person must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value and give to the one sinned against. To be eaten completely by the priest.
The priest will make atonement.

Ordination Offering (for priests)
Fine flour (with oil, prepared on a griddle, well mixed, broken in pieces).
-a tenth of an ephah (2 quarts or 2 liters)
Offer half in the morning and offer half in the evening. The son who is to succeed the priest shall prepare it. It must be burned completely and it must not be eaten.

Blue, purple, scarlet

The priestly garments were made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn. The ephod, waistband, breastplace were of these colors along with pieces of gold and precious stones. The robe was made of entirely blue cloth. Pomegranates (blue, purple and scarlet) were woven into the robe and bells were hung in between the pomegranates. The sash was also made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn. I wonder why these three colors were used? Did they have symbolic meaning? How do they point to Jesus? These are questions that I will hopefully be able to answer soon. The phrase "Holy to the Lord" was inscribed on the sacred diadem which was placed on the turban. I believe this was on the forehead, which is significant. When Jesus comes again we will be given a new name and it will be written on our forehead (Rev 7:3, 9:4).
Moses set up the tabernacle. It doesn't say that he had help setting it up. He had help building it, but as to setting it up and anointing everything...that was his task. That would have been quite the task.
I have a lot of questions about these verses and wonder how this all points to Jesus.

Instruction and freedom

God was very detailed about how to build the tabernacle. The type of material and the measurements were very important. Although there was specific instructions, there seemed to be alot of room for creativity. God told them what colors to use in the curtains, yet no design is mentioned (escept the cherubim). This to me shows that God gives us direction but He also allows us to be apart of the process and to be creative in how we carry out his commands.

Who were the "women that served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting" (38:8)?

The Glory of God

When Moses went up to meet with God the second time, he didn't eat food or drink water for 40 days/nights. This is not possible. To not have water for that long is impossible according to our understanding of the human condition. God made it possible for Moses to do it. Moses had such a spiritual experience - meeting God face to face - that he glowed. I find that fascinating. We often don't see how the spiritual realm of God interacts with our physical realm, but this was one way that God showed his Presence and his glory to the people. He shone through Moses. We too must desire that God would shine through us. We want our faces to reflect God's glory. This is not something we can attain on our own. We need to allow Jesus to be the Way for us back into the Presence of God and we need to allow our lives to be used in whatever way He wants. Lord, let your light, the light of your face, shine through me. I want to glow with your Presence. Lord, help me to do the impossible. Thank you for making a way back into your presence and thank you for even choosing to work in and through us. I want to carry around your glory on my face.

God gives and takes away

When God gave instructions to build the tabernacle, He also chose and empowered people to do the work. When God gave Moses the commandments, He personally inscribed them on stone with His finger. Although God was giving His people His commandments, they were already breaking them down at the foot of the mountain. Moses didn't even get back and they had already disobeyed God and looked after physical objects as their gods. How quickly we turn away from God. Moses threw the tablets to the ground and broke them because he was angry. God was angry and yet He did not totally destory them. He caused them to fight amoung each other and kill each other and he struck them with a plague. God also did not go with them when they went to the promised land. He specifically said that he would not go with them because He might destory them.

Priestly garments and consecration

God's ways are weird. Its a mystery. I need to reflect more on this stuff. God gave specific instructions to Moses about the garments the priests were to wear. One thing that made me think was that the ephod was to be of "one piece" (28:8). Jesus' garment that they cast lots for was woven in one piece (John19:23). Its interesting that the breastpiece and the Urim and Thummim were used to make decisions. Weird. What's with the pomegranates? I understand that the bells were there so that people could hear if the highpriest was still moving around in the Holy of Holies. If the bells were not ringing then they could have died. Why did God insist that they did not put yeast in their bread. Another thought: it is fascinating to me that the priests were to EAT the meat that was cooked. Made me think of communion and how we partake of the body of Christ. They were to eat ALL of it.

Acacia wood and cherubim

When God gives instructions to build the tabernacle he makes a big deal about using acacia wood. It was used to build the Ark of the Covenant (25:10), the table for the shewbread (25:23), the upright frames for the tabernacle (26:15), the crossbars (26:26), posts (26:32), the altar (27:1) the poles to carry the Ark (25:13), the table (25:28) and the altar (27:6). God was very specific in these instructions. Why acacia wood? I read somewhere that it is light weight and yet very sturdy. That would make sense. Funny thing...today as I was taking the train from Champaign to Chicago, a guy named Mike and I struck up a conversation. He was holding in his hand a book called "The Meaning of Trees." I thumbed through it and it gave interesting facts/myths/folklore/medical properties about trees...it specifically talked about acacia trees and that God gave instructions to use this wood in building the ark and the tabernacle. Interesting tid-bit. I'm also fascinated with the fact that God instructed them to weave cherubim into the curtain. When God cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden a cherubim and a flashing sword were placed at the entrance to keep them from coming back into the presence of God and eating from the Tree of Life. Well...when Jesus died on the cross, the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom signifying that Jesus has made a way back into the presence of God...we can now eat again from the Tree of Life. Come to think of it...Mike, the guy on the train showed me his journal and a pin he had...both had the Tree of Life symbol on them. He said that the Tree of Life was an important symbol in his life. Interesting connections to today's reading.

Lord, your ways are a mystery to me.

Birthday party

Ok...so today is my birthday! Happy Birthday to me! I got up and thought...what exciting passaged am I going to eat for my birthday. Well...it didn't start out so hot. "If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep" (Ex 22:1). On and on it goes with all these rules and regulations. I was thinking that there wasn't much for me to glean for my 30 year anniversary. Eventually I got passed all the rules and then there is the beautiful amazing picture that appears. When God confirms the covenant with Moses and the elders of Israel it says, "Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank" (24:9-11). God loves to throw parties. God's grace is evident in this passage. Even though the leaders were mere humans, he allowed them to fellowship with him. Then...I kept reading where Moses went up Mount Sinai to recieve the commandments and this is what the last sentence read: "And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty night" (24:18b). This to me is the Sabbatical I will be taking in March. I will be heading to the mountains and spending time face to face with God.

Lord, may my whole life bring you much glory!

Kingdom of Priests

I find it fascinating that God said this before he gave the law: "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (19:5-6). Verse 22 says, "even the priests, who approach the LORD, must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them." This is the first time in Scripture that priests are mentioned (besides "Melchizedek" and the "priests" in Egypt). This is before the tabernacle and before the temple. God's plan has always been that we would be priests. He wants a face-to-face relationship with us. Why do we turn away? Why do we try to earn our way or make another way to him?

What is it?

Manna? What is it? That's what the Israelites said when they saw the white stuff on the ground in the morning. Here in the middle of the desert God provided this sweet bread everyday. Infact, for 40 years he miraculously provided this for them. They had to trust God to provide for them because they were only supposed to gather what they needed for the day and on the sixth day to gather twice as much. If they gathered more than what they needed thinking that they needed to store up for the next day...the manna would be filled with maggots and would stink. BUT, on the sixth day when they gathered enough for two days the manna was fine. Some didn't gather extra on the sixth day and when they got up to gather manna on the seventh day...there was none to gather. God's ways are such a mystery. And yet, there are so many lessons from this. Jesus calls himself the true bread from heaven. Although this manna allowed them to physically live when they shouldn't have, Jesus makes us come alive spiritually - when we were once dead. Jesus is the bread of life. I must partake of this bread daily and allow my life to be nourished and sustained by him. I must also recognize my need for rest and truly take a Sabbath every week.
The Lord commanded Moses to take some of the manna and put it in a jar. This must have miraculously remained maggot-free and stink-free. Also it says that the mann was put "in front of the Testimony." What is that? The tabernacle wasn't built yet and the law had not been given.
What is the "commands and instructions" that is mentioned in 16:28 and the "decrees and laws" mentioned in 18:20? I think these were what God was giving to the people through Moses. It just seems weird that these terms are used before the Sinai Law was given. Also the first mention of a Sabbath (since Gen 2), before the law is given.
Another interesting thing from this morning's reading is when Jethro comes to visit Moses. Jethro gives Moses good advice in deligating responsibility so that Moses would not get burned out. And there is a beautiful picture in 18:12. "Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God."
This explanation is interesting to me. Something about Jethro (priest of Midian) and coming together with Aaron and the elders that speaks of Christ. Jesus shows that He is a God who fellowships with His people. He eats with us. He loves parties and is always throwing a banquet. A question just came to me. What is the BREAD that they ate? They were in the desert and God was sending manna to them every day. Was it the manna that they ate? And its significant that they ate this "in the presence of God." Totally fascinating to me.

Be still

Sometimes the battle looks impossible. It looks like a sure defeat. There is no way out. Pain, destruction and death are definite possibilities. That's what the Israelites were facing when the Egyptian army had them surrounded at the Red Sea. It looks like there was no way out. I think this is a picture for all of us. When faced with temptation and struggles we often cannot see the way out. But, we cannot loose sight of God's promise that "he will make a way out" (1 Cor 10:13) and that's exactly what he did with the Israelites. He opened the sea and they walked through it. The Israelites could not have predicted the way out, it was beyond rationalization. The words that Moses said to the people before God delivered them are great to reflect on:

"Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still" (Exodus 14:13-14).

Lord, why do I try to fight battles that are impossible for me to fight? Lord, why do I not trust you that you will make a way out in the day of temptation? Why do I rationalize the outcome of my battle and look for earthly prescriptions? Lord I choose to trust you today. I choose to let you fight the battle and I will not be afraid of what's ahead. Lord I find my strength in you to stand. To stand against temptation and to let you fight the war. I choose to be still and not get in your way. Thank you for the deliverance that you promise and thank you for fighting for me.

Interesting tid-bits

From this morning's reading there were a few interesting things. First of all, it is interesting to me that some of Pharaoh's officials feared God. They actually believed Moses and so they were able to save some of their livestock and their workers from being killed by the hail. I wonder who those officials were? The plague of darkness was unique because it was darkness that could be felt. Weird. And it wasn't dark where the Israelites were.
A though provoking statement was made by Moses after Pharaoh said they could go but could not take their flocks and herds. Moses said, "You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshipping the LORD our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the LORD" (10:25-26). This speaks to me about preparation for worship and serving God. We should be prepared to give any and all to him whenever we asks. What are the requirements for worshipping God? We do not all that he asks of us to bring to him except this: we must bring our all and be ready to give up whatever he asks.
God also started the Jewish calendar during this time (12:1). Interesting that time was based on the Passover and on being set free from bondage. Christ is the center of our time today.

Show down

One of the reasons for all the plagues against Egypt was to show God's power. I think its amazing that Pharoah's magicians could perform the first few miralces (staff to snake, water to blood, frogs from the nile) BUT their power was no match for God. This tells me that evil forces are very powerful and so we must respect that power; however, God's power is greater and we can trust God to overpower the evil one. God ALWAYS wins!

Lord, forgive me for not trusting in Your great power.

Back on Track

Ok...I've been having breakfast everyday for the last few days, but I have not wrote anything down about what I ate. Time has definitely moved forward. We are now into the days of Moses and the days leading up to the Exodus. There is SO much to learn from this event that I'm afraid I could fill up the internet. I'm always amazed at God's patience with Moses and the Israelites. I know I am the same. I doubt myself and what God can do through me. I run in fear of things that I should not be afraid of. Yet in my weaknesses I know that God is preparing me for great things that he will do through me. Things too marvelous for me to understand. The Egyptian bondage paints a personal picture for me. My sin and my flesh take me captive and my captor is too strong for me. I need a Savior to help me be set free from my addictions, bad habits, fleshly longings, evil thoughts, pride and selfishness and all the other things that hold me captive. I need power, supernatural power to defeat the enemy and to allow me to walk in freedom and to rejoice daily in the salvation God gives.

Lord, fix my eyes on the promised land. Don't let me settle with what I know and the ease of my addictions. I choose to follow You, even through the wilderness. I choose to live on Your Words and to live supernaturally. Let Your power rest upon me as I boast in my weaknesses and open my eyes to Your daily provision of supernatural life. Lead me into Your rest, Your freedom, Your promised land.