Year 1, Day 90: Leviticus 1

Confession

Alright.  These next few weeks is going to be my challenge.  I have this internal dread of Leviticus.  I’ve read it before.  I know what is in it.  It isn’t that I don’t like it or even worse that I don’t see the point of it.  Rather it is that I personally find it about as exciting as reading a driver’s manual.

Please don’t be offended by this.  I’m not trying to insult the book of Leviticus, I’m just allowing my humanity to come out in confession.

My mom, my wife, and a good friend of mine think this is all irrational and that Leviticus is a great book.  I can see their point.  It is a good book.  But if any of you feel like praying for me, for the next few weeks feel free to pray that God grants me inspiration for this time and this book.  For those of you that like the book of Leviticus, I challenge you to start making comments about what you get out of the text!

Sacrifice From the Very Beginning

So, on with the text.  It is true what they say.  Leviticus is about sacrifice and blood.  Here we go in the very first chapter with the sacrifice for atonement.  At the very least, this shows just how important atonement is to the Lord.  The Lord gives this topic up front and first.  This topic is to be taken seriously above all else.  God is desperately interested in the atonement of our sins.  Of course, we as Christians know this because the whole of the New Testament is written about Jesus Christ and how His sacrifice changes who we are as God’s people.  But it is very clear from the very beginning.  God is concerned about sin and atonement from sin.

We should talk a little bit about the word “atonement.”  The word atonement literally means “to cover over” or “to appease.”  This raises an interesting debate.  From the perspective of the law, did these sacrifices forgive the sin that the people who brought these sacrifices had?

From a literally understanding of the word atonement, it is hard to say that they did.  Atonement doesn’t mean “to forgive” but rather “to cover over.”  These sacrifices are like dressing for a wound.  They are like a band-aid.  They cover over the wound and appease God.  But from a strict sense of the word atonement it is hard to make the case that these sacrifices provided the means to true forgiveness.

Of course, I speak from a Christian perspective believing that true forgiveness can only come through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.  The sacrifices spoken of in Leviticus 1 may have covered over the sinfulness of the people, but that covering was only until they could be truly purified through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

However, don’t think that this is just a New Testament idea.

• What does David say in Psalm 51:16-17?  “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
• Proverbs 15:8 and 21:27 speak about sacrifices from a wicked person as being detestable to God, but that the prayer of someone upright is pleasing to Him.
• Hosea 6:6 tells us that God desires steadfast love and knowledge of the Lord rather than sacrifice.
• Isaiah 1:11-12 clearly says that the Lord tires of vain sacrifices from a people who do not care about what they are doing. 

So we can see that even from the perspective of the Old Testament that the sacrifice of the animal is not the complete ritualistic guarantee of forgiveness that we would like to believe it to be.  Sacrifice done right is pleasing to the Lord, surely.  But sacrifice done poorly is an abomination – certainly not a guarantee of forgiveness.

Bringing Atonement into the New Testament

So it is with us living under the cross of Jesus Christ.  Why should we think it any different?  When we come and give our offerings of time, talent, and resources and do not mean it, why should God care?  When we come to worship God and confess our sins but don’t truly mean what we are doing, why should it be pleasing to God?  Why should we expect Christ’s blood to do anything more than just cover up our sins if we don’t truly repent and mean to be in a relationship with God?

God Wants All

To wrap this all up, notice that the whole animal is burned up in the sacrifice (except for the skin, which was given to the priests).  If nothing else, this is a sign to us that God wants the whole of us.  God completely desires our entirety.

For that matter, God completely desires our entire forgiveness as well.  He wants us to be fully contrite.  He wants us to be completely penitent.  He does not desire a half-serious follower, but rather a complete follower who is willing to give everything to Him.  Only when we have given God our whole person can we truly expect the blood of Jesus to actually change who we are rather than just cover over our sinfulness that we are unwilling to give up.

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Year 1, Day 89: Exodus 40

Wow.  Let me begin simply by saying that I can’t believe Exodus has come and is now gone.  It seemed amazing to me that Genesis went by as quickly as it did.  Here we are now being able to say that we have read through Exodus as well.  So pat yourself on the back.  You can now claim to say that you have read two of the longer books of the Bible – and what’s more, you’ve done it to a committed regimen of being daily in God’s Word.

Presence of the Lord

Today we get to see the completion of the tabernacle and then the Lord filling the tabernacle with its presence.  Did you ever wonder what the tabernacle would be without the presence of the Lord?  Well, just another movable tent, really.

That thought made me think about our churches.  With all the churches across the face of our country, this next thought might sting a little.  Did you ever wonder what all of these churches would be without the presence of the Lord?  Well, just another brick, mortar, and steel structure, that’s all.  Without the presence of the Lord all these fancy buildings simply become religious social clubs.  It is the glory of the Lord that makes the tabernacle special.  It is only the glory of the Lord that makes our churches anything at all.  Without the presence of the Lord, our churches are just things of man’s creation.

God Dwells Among Them

Continuing in that theme, notice that this is a clear sign to the people that God will come and dwell among them.  But it is also a sign to us.  God will come and dwell among us, if we prepare ourselves to receive Him.  The Hebrew people have now spent about a year away from Egypt, preparing themselves to receive God’s presence as living and dwelling among them.  It has been hard work – and filled with many mistakes, trials, and temptations.  But they are here.  They prepared themselves and God has come and dwelled within them.  They forfeited their claim on God’s presence in the calf, here now God demonstrates forgiveness and comes to dwell in them as well.

So it can be with us.  Certainly we are no freer of sin than the Hebrew people of Exodus.  Yet God can and will come and dwell with us if we prepare ourselves.  We have no right to think that God will come and dwell with us and do all the work of preparation, too! 

No, God calls to us, inviting us to prepare ourselves to receive Him.  If we hear the call, we are forced to choose whether or not to accept the invitation to prepare.  If we accept the invitation, then we must take time and actually prepare ourselves.  We must listen to Him as to how we should prepare ourselves as the Hebrews listened to His instructions regarding the tabernacle.  We must work daily to bring forth this preparation as the Hebrew people worked daily in preparing this tabernacle.  Then we must wait for God’s direction in saying that we are prepared and we are ready to establish the tabernacle within us.  But if we prepare – like the Hebrew people – God will dwell within us.

What would have happened if Moses and the people wouldn’t have been willing to hear the call?  Or what if they hadn’t accepted the invitation back in Egypt?  What if they wouldn’t have been willing to follow God all this time?  What if they wouldn’t have been willing to put in any effort?  Well, we know that answer.  Remember when God wanted to start over with Moses?  Well, if the people would have been serious about not wanting to do their part, God certainly could have started over with the people who were interested in doing their part.  Now there is both a blessing and a curse.

What I find neat about this conclusion is that at the end of Exodus we have a tremendous display of grace.  The Hebrew people could have died when God desired to destroy them.  But they found their way into grace.  They still have the option of being in relationship with God.  In spite of their past transgressions they still have a chance.  That’s grace.

Prepare your hearts this day and every day.  For then you will be ready to receive the Lord when He comes and tabernacles with you.  God’s peace.

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Year 1, Day 88: Exodus 39

Garments

Today we get the description of the making of the garments.  This might sound a little simple, but what were these garments for?  Serving in the temple, of course.  They weren’t garments to sleep in.  They weren’t garments to lounge around in.  They weren’t garments to walk around town and have everyone look at how esteemed a person is by being a priest.  They were garments of service. 

Oh that all the priests of God would see the clothes they put on not as decorations but as garments of service.  Remember that this blog is being written from the perspective of the fact that all believers in Jesus Christ are His priests – see Revelation 1:4-6 and Revelation 5:8-10!  Would that service should become our focus rather than making ourselves appear attractive!

Accountability in the Work

The other comment that I would like to bring out regarding this chapter is the progression that Moses takes us through here.  First, Moses must understand God’s desire.  Then, Moses must communicate God’s desire and collect volunteers.  Third, the work must get done.  Fourth, the work is reviewed for approval.

There is a nice progression there.  Lately in my preaching I’ve been talking a lot about discipleship.  I think one of the things that frustrates me the most is that there are so very few people in this world who hold me accountable spiritually.  Sure, people can hold me accountable according to the work that I do.  But who will hold me accountable spiritually – because someone certainly should!

I suppose that is one of the inherent dangers of being a pastor.  But I find that with nobody to hold me accountable – nobody to review and approve my work from God’s perspective – then I must hold myself accountable.  And we all know how that works.  Seldom do I hold myself accountable appropriately.  Either I hold myself up to a standard that is far too high and fail against it miserably or I give myself too much slack and nothing gets done properly.

Even in my discipleship process I need someone to hold me accountable just as the workers here had Moses to review and approve their work.  We all need accountability, I think.  Accountability is that which propels the job forward in a predefined manner.  It is what puts all the people who are working on the same page – in the case of a joint effort such as building the tabernacle.  Ultimately it is where we achieve growth as well as validation.  Accountability is a necessary part to doing a job well.

Blessing

I like that Moses blesses it at the end.  I really and truly do enjoy that aspect.  Moses reviews, inspects, and blesses.  Well done, good and faithful servants.  Even though these people had just recently fallen with respect to the golden calf incident and will fall again with respect to going into the Promised Land, Moses still blesses them.  Fallen or not, they are God’s people.  Fallen or not, they are Moses’ people.  Amen.

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Year 1, Day 87: Exodus 38

We continue here with our reading about the ways in which the Hebrew people follow up on God’s directions regarding the tabernacle.  Again the words are pretty straightforward, so let me take us down a little bit of a rabbit trail.

Resources

I read in a commentary on this passage that it is not unreasonable to think of the directions for the tabernacle as needing a fair amount of resources.  In fact, some scholars suggest that these plans would dictate for about a ton of gold, three-quarter ton of silver, and two and a quarter-ton of bronze.  That doesn’t count the wood and fabric, either!

These may sound like an amazing amount of material.  It is a lot of materials, don’t get me wrong.  But, I believe we can take the Bible literally here when it says that there were 603,550 men in the Hebrew camp.  Thus, we can determine roughly how much each man and his family would have needed to give up.

A ton is roughly 2,200 pounds (depending on whether you are using a short ton, a long ton, or a metric ton).  There are 16 ounces in a pound.  So simple math tells us that a ton should be 35,200 ounces.  If we divide 35,200 by 603,550 we get approximately .058.  So that means that for the tabernacle to be built each Hebrew adult male would have needed to come up with 1/17 of a single ounce of gold.  Using the same logic, it would have also meant about 1/20 of an ounce of silver and just over 1/7 of an ounce of bronze.  For a people who have just plundered the wealthiest nation at the time – The Egyptians – this would have been easily manageable.

Just FYI, there are people out there that think the Bible greatly overestimates how many people actually left Egypt in the Exodus.  Even if the number is too large by a factor of 20, that means that each male and his family would only have needed to come up with an ounce of silver, and ounce of gold, and 2.5 ounces of bronze.  That is still very much in the realm of probability!

I realize I like math.  But sometimes math is really your friend.  Here we can see that although this seems like a large amount of materials and wealth required to build that which God desires.  The math helps us see that not only is it possible but that it really is probable!

It also gives us a little bit of insight as to how the Hebrew people were able to out-give the needs for the tabernacle.  God had blessed them so abundantly and required so little from them that it worked out in their favor!  I think this is one of the amazing aspects of such a logical chapter.  God gives us in such abundance.  He truthfully asks so little in return with respect to the resources of this world.

I pray that your reading of these chapters helps you understand just how manageable God’s requests of you actually are.

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Year 1, Day 86: Exodus 37

Exodus 37 brings us more detail to the building of the structures.  I’ll only make a few brief comments here as the text is very straightforward.

Purpose For This Text

As you read, you may have wondered why this text is necessary.  After all, how do these passages add anything to the daily walk of the follower of God? 

This question is posed from a Christian perspective, of course.  In the Christian faith everything in worship is done in the open.  Remember that many of the things presented in this chapter would not be available to be seen by almost everyone who might approach the tabernacle.  Therefore, these chapters are as close to actually seeing the tabernacle adornments as many people may be able to get.  This written record is for those who are not allowed into the inner portions of the tabernacle.

Beauty in Words

In that light, note the beauty described in the passage.  They didn’t just make candlesticks, or altars, or whatever.  They adorned everything with images of the beauty of creation.  They sculpted horns, blossoms, and other parts of the world around them.  As the items for the worship of God were made, they were made functional and representative of the beauty of the creation around them.  God is a God who enjoys the beauty of His creation as much – if not more – than we do.

Putting Forth Our Best Effort

Finally, as we read through this chapter and the next few, we should also understand that God enjoys good craftsmanship.  The people assigned to these tasks did good work and it was pleasing to God.  It is no different for us.  When we go through life really focusing on living for God, it is pleasing to Him.  When we put forth our best effort for God, He is pleased whether we succeed or not.

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Year 1, Day 85: Exodus 36

Before I begin, I will confess that the next five chapters are going to be a little on the light side.  These five chapters are essentially the story of how God’s commands for building the worship site are followed.  I will say that if you have fallen behind in your reading and you want to try and catch up, reading the next five chapters in one cohesive unit will not likely spoil too much of your understanding.

Doing the Work Appointed

There are two things out of this passage that I can lift up today.  First, we see that the appointed workers did the job that God had appointed them to do.  They were able to complete the tasks.  God does not assign workers to do jobs that they are ill equipped to do.  They might grow and learn in the process, but they will be able to get the job done meaningfully.

This speaks to the empowerment of God.  When God calls us, we can live out that calling.  We can know success.  We can know satisfaction.  What is important is understanding out identity from the Father and knowing that our King has called us to go forth and accomplish His will.

Abundance

The second thing in this passage is that there are plenty of materials.  When the Spirit moves, you don’t need to beg.  When the Spirit moves, the Lord’s presence will be obvious.  When the Spirit moves, there will be little doubt that God is the impetus of the action and not mankind.

I am reminded of the words that I wrote yesterday.  Human will is about cajoling and guilting because we live very much in a scarcity mindset.  When we only trust on human will, we know that we will have to fight and claw for resources.  But when we genuinely believe that God provides we can live in His abundance.

I’ll relate a story that a friend of mine likes to share.  This man went down to Florida to visit some relatives.  Of course, Sunday morning the friend went to church with his relatives.  During the service, the preacher railed on the congregation about their giving.  During the offertory, the money was collected and counted during the hymn.  The ushers came back and reported to the pastor, who called out for another hymn and told the people that the plates needed to go around again and everyone needs to dig deeper into their pockets.  This process continued three or four more cycles until the pastor was satisfied at “the take.”  At this point, I wouldn’t even call it an offering anymore.  Once satisfied, the pastor moved along with the service and everyone went home.  The man’s relatives told the man that this was pretty much the routine that happened every week.

Take that example and lift it up against what we read here in Exodus.  If God is truly present, we’ll have what we need and more.  If we don’t have what we need, like Moses in the prior chapter we might need to ask once.  But if God is in it – and if the people are willing to serve God – we shouldn’t need to ask more than once.

Life is worth living when it is lived in God’s abundance.  When we live in human scarcity, there is going to be trouble.

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Year 1, Day 84: Exodus 35

Sabbath

Okay, we get to talk a little bit more about the Sabbath today.  So, let’s do this.  I’ve already posted a good deal about my opinions on the Sabbath already – opinions that it is important to have a Holy Day but it need not necessarily be a traditional Friday evening through Saturday evening Sabbath.

Today I think we should see the Sabbath regulation listed here in light of the preparation for actually following through and building the tabernacle as God designed it a few chapters ago.  I think a general lesson can be gleaned here.  If we want to build God’s kingdom, we must be spiritually prepared.  We must be spiritually rested before beginning such a project.  We work from rest rather than resting from work.

However, the Sabbath is not only about rest.  We must be in the habit of honoring God.  As God prepares them to make the tabernacle a reality, God starts with right practices of relationship between the people and God.

Contributions for the Tabernacle

As the word goes out for contributions for the tabernacle to be brought forward, I am struck by the emphasis on “as their heart was stirred.”  When the golden calf was built, Aaron gathered up gold earrings that the people were wearing.  There was no option; Aaron sent out an edict and the price was paid.

Notice the contrast as the tabernacle is built.  Essentially we have a free-will offering being asked.  God’s place of dwelling is built upon the generosity of the people, not some mandate.  The people are asked to give as the Spirit leads them.  See the difference between manmade worship and spiritual worship?  Manmade worship cajoles or guilts people into giving because it has no back-up plan.  Spiritual worship relies on the movement of the Holy Spirit to provide the means.

Cajoling Spirituality

How many times have you heard a sermon or read a book cajoling you to give more?  Or worse, how many times have you gotten an annoying chain letter cajoling you to send it onward?  In the day and age of Facebook, how often do we see a status that seems to imply if you don’t copy it and paste it as your own status that you are less of a person?  Those are all – every single one of them – signs of manmade efforts.

True spiritual efforts will rely on the movement of the Holy Spirit, not human assertiveness.  That’s one of the reasons why I intentionally don’t respond to chain letters and I seldom if ever do the status change on Facebook.  The Spirit will move me when I am to be moved, I don’t need peer-pressure. 

Now don’t get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with some good old-fashioned talk about why something is important.  I don’t mind a person explaining to me why something is important to them.  Just don’t attempt to cajole me into being a part.  Don’t guilt me into human effort.  Then I will know it is coming from human origin not the Spirit.

Accomplishing the Will of the Lord

Okay, one more topic for the day.  Do you notice that everything the Lord needed to accomplish His will was already within the community?  All that it took for the Lord to accomplish His will was for people to understand the Lord’s will and to desire to do it.  They didn’t have to go out and buy any special tools or trinkets.  They didn’t need to go and find any special artisans. 

They had it all right where it was needed.  God inspired people to give.  He inspired craftsmen to create.  He inspired His will to be done.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying that it is wrong to go out and invite people in.  There is nothing wrong with expanding the community!  But to think that God can’t accomplish something with the people who are present is usually a fallacy.

If the people who are present are all on the same page as God, God can get it done.  If the people in any community of God truly go about putting God’s desires before their own then God’s will shall be done.  Why do so many churches stagnate?  It is likely because they are filled with people who aren’t really all that serious about being on the same page as God – and that goes double for the leader.

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Year 1, Day 83, Exodus 34

Biblical Interpretive Issues

As an example of Biblical interpretive issues, I present to you today the case of Moses and the result of going into the presence of God.  Did you know that Michelangelo did a sculpture of Moses based on this passage and gave him horns?  (For a picture of this, see this link: Moses)

There is a simple reason for this.  The Hebrew word used in Exodus 34:29 literally comes from the root word “horned.”  Now, if we think about what horns are, we think of something that comes out of the head and extends out.  What would a radiating face do?  Well, it would produce a glow that comes out of the head and extend outward. In a way, it makes sense to think of light radiating out of the face as an analogy to horns. I’m not saying Moses grew literal horns, but I am trying to explain why it makes sense that the word used here in the Hebrew text is etymologically tied to the root word for having horns.

In the end, we know from the Masoretic text as well as from 2 Corinthians 3:7 that Moses’ face glowed rather than grew horns.  Michelangelo got it wrong because the Vulgate Bible he was using had a loose translation.  But it does illustrate the translational difficulties that Bible translators (or anyone translating from one language to another) experience as they figure out how words go from one meaning to the next.  Translation is no easy task – which is why it is important to study the Word carefully, diligently, and in company of others.

Transformed By The Presence of the Lord

Okay, so let’s get back to the text.  We know from the above discussion that Moses’ face did indeed glow.  I think it is worth taking some time and acknowledging that Moses’ face was transformed only in the presence of the Lord.  The same is true with us.  We are transformed only in the presence of the Lord. 

What happens to a person that goes to church all their life but never once draws close to the Lord in their heart?  They may experience a few moral and cultural improvements, but they will not be transformed.  What happens to a person who may believe there is a higher power but doesn’t take the time each and every day to submit to that God?  They are not transformed.  It took the presence of God to transform Moses’ face, why should we think it any different with us?

Finding the Presence of the Lord

So, then, how do we find the presence of God?  Let’s start with the advice of Isaiah 55:6.  “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He may be near.”  How do we seek the Lord?  Well, to me that answer is also simple.  God is found in His Word.  God is also found in prayer.  God is found in true worship.  God is also found in the presence of the followers of God around us.  I think it is fair to argue that God is also found in the other two marks of service and giving. 

Quite simply and quite boldly, if you want to be in the presence of God you must act like His disciple.  In order to act like His disciple, you must be serious about each of the six marks I list here in this paragraph.  If you want to find the transforming presence of God, you must be willing to follow Him in true discipleship.  Moses did.  Again, why should we think it any different for us?

Idolatry

I’d like to tackle one more topic in this blog.  Again we hear a clear warning against idolatry.  This is a very important subject to God, and in the last few chapters we saw for ourselves just how easy it is for people to fall into idolatry.  But what is idolatry? 

Simply stated, idolatry is any time we allow something to substitute for God when we worship.  When we pray to anything but God, it is idolatrous.  When we submit to anything that is contrary to God, it is idolatrous.  When we allow any desire to replace the desire of God’s ways it is idolatry.  When we let anything come between us and our relationship with God it is idolatry.

That’s a pretty tough list of things to keep.  As I have said before, I am glad I live in the time of repentance and forgiveness.  But I must be careful not to allow that to become cheap grace.  Although I know I cannot keep my life from idolatry and I can be forgiven if I repent, I must also be careful not to take that for granted. 

I am an idolatrous person.  Things are always getting between God and me.  But that is why I find it so valuable to come to His Word every day and ponder His secrets.  That’s why it is so important to pray, worship, read, serve, relate, and give as a disciple should.  I may not be able to be perfect, but the process of discipleship helps to re-center myself when I have gone off of the path.  And as always, when I discover I am off the path, it is important to ask for forgiveness of my idolatrous behavior from my Creator. 

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Year 1, Day 82: Exodus 33

Triangulation

Ever hear of a relational term called “triangulation?”  Essentially it is where person A has a problem with person B.  Instead of person A talking with person B – which is the proper course of action – person A talks about person B with person C.  Of course, person C is usually chosen because of their genuine desire to relieve stress and produce harmony, so person C typically agrees to talk to person B on person A’s behalf.

What has actually just happened on a relational level, however, is that person A gets to walk away knowing that all of the stress of the problem is now in another person’s hands (person C’s, to be exact).  Person C walks away with all the stress, and usually upon talking with person B new stress develops between person B and person C.  Person C slowly comes to an understanding of how they have gotten all the stress and begins to resent it, bringing the conflict back into their relationship with person A.  Soon person C – who was brought in because they were just being a “good guy” – ends up at odds with both person A and person B.  Typically what happens is that since person A transferred all their stress to person C, person A and person B get back close together and person C fades from the friendship.  It is a very common and unfortunate relational dynamic into which I try hard to struggle against falling.

The reason I talk about this here is because this is the common misunderstanding of the work of a leader – and it is precisely what Moses is asked to do in this passage.  Moses is essentially person C in the triangle.  Person A is God, who has a problem with the Hebrews (person B).  However, Moses very adeptly maneuvers his way through the triangle.  Here’s how he does it.

First, Moses is honest with God (person A).  Moses accepts the role as liaison, but he is honest with God about how he is reacting to God’s plan.  Moses acknowledges that God is right in understanding the Hebrew people as rebellious and stiff-necked.  However, Moses then goes beyond the recognition of God’s judgment and rationalizes God into a place of ownership of the people.  Essentially, Moses is careful to effect what appears to be a change in God’s position.  Then, of course, Moses does exactly what God expects of him and relates to the people.  Moses does not assume responsibility for God’s anger, simply the task of informing the Hebrews that God is angry.

Now, I know this is a very shaky discussion because it can easily slip into a debate on “Did Moses change God’s mind” or “How just is Moses to argue with God?”  In fact, the case can clearly be made that this moment right here is ultimately the reason that he doesn’t get to see the Promised Land.  If Moses had allowed God to go ahead with the plan and smite the unfaithful – just like Noah did with the flood – then Moses probably wouldn’t have struck the rock a second time (see Numbers 20:10-13) and incurred God’s wrath upon him.  I don’t want to slip too far into that argument.  Rather, I want to focus on Moses’ task as mediator.

What Moses does here is mediate, but not to actually solve any problems.  At the end of the day, Moses has mediated God’s attitude towards the people – but the people are still rebellious.  Moses didn’t take on any unnecessary responsibility for the people and their actions.  That helps Moses stay as a successful mediator rather than a person who gets “triangled” into a problem.  Moses doesn’t believe that he can fix anything.  Rather, he can simply mediate between the parties with whom there is discord.

In the end, I have a great deal of respect for Moses in this passage.  I know it is difficult to be the mediator between God’s people and God – or between any two people, for that matter!  Moses very easily could have gotten himself in a triangle – and by all rights should have.  But he mediates without assuming any responsibility and effective change ensues – for a while, at least.

The Presence of God

As far as the story about Moses seeing God’s presence, this is indeed an interesting story.  First, we need to understand that the word used here to describe God’s “back” (as if God has a front and a back – or worse yet, as if God has a blind-spot!) can be also thought of as the “after effect.”  The Hebrew word can indeed mean back when used in reference to a human, so I’m not saying the translation is poor.  Rather, I am saying that to think of it as God’s back is just too simple.  Thinking of God’s back is like thinking about the backside of a thunderstorm.

Thunderstorms have an after effect.  There is dampness in the air when a storm has passed by.  There is a smell of freshness abounding in the air when the storm moves on.  There might be limbs down.  If it is during the day, there is often a reddish hue in the sky.  That is the “backside” of the storm.  In much the same way, Moses gets to see God’s back side.  Moses gets to see the after effects of what the world looks like when God’s presence has drawn so close.  I can only imagine what Moses saw, but I’m sure it was indeed a sight to behold!  Just as the world seems so much more alive right after a storm passes through, so it must have been even more when God passed by!

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and learned a little bit about group dynamics, leadership, and the presence of God. 

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Year 1, Day 81: Exodus 32

God’s Response To The Calf

Okay, I think I have made the following comment just about every time I read this passage.  But it is such an obvious note to make that it has to be said.  I am always amused when I hit Exodus 32:7 and God says to Moses “Go down to your people whom you brought out of Egypt.”  There are few times in the Bible where God seems more human than God, but this is always one of those times.

The reason this makes me laugh is because parents, pet owners, teachers, etc all have an innate tendency to secure possession when things are good and then to give away possession when things are poor.  When our dogs do something silly – or just plain gross – I look at Cara and say, “What are your dogs doing?”  And for the record, she does the same to me.  It’s become a bit of a joke.

But I’ve noticed that anyone in authority over someone or something else has a tendency to do this.  It always lightens my heart to hear God do this in this passage.  I’m not saying that God isn’t acting like God here, but it is a clear passage where we get a very rare glimpse of God acting a bit like humanity.

The People

So now let’s talk a little bit about the people.  They sin.  There is no other way around it.  Shame on Aaron for going with their sin and not rebuking them!  Ditto for me as a leader when I allow people to go along in sin, too.

What is the root of their sin?  Well, the root of their sin is actually impatience.  They are not willing to wait around to see the fullness of God’s plan.  They make idols themselves.  They take God’s plan into their own hands and push it forward before God is ready.  They are impatient and easily distracted and those two things lead us into sin every time.  Impatience and unbelief lead to idolatry and idolatry leads to sin.

I find that passage to be a double-edged sword, though.  It is possible to take that prior paragraph and use it as proof that we should sit around doing what we’ve always done until God makes it very clear that we need to change into something greater.  That’s horrible advice as well.  After Jesus’ death the apostles were out doing ministry and almost daily doing new things and having to come up with new ideas about how the growing church should be on the move.  The moving and shaking of the Holy Spirit is not always that clear except in hindsight.  If we wait for hindsight to kick in, we’ve missed the boat!

I think the best approach is to be open to trying new things while letting the Holy Spirit work.  If the new things take, then embrace them.  If God blesses new opportunity, run with it.  If it falls flat on its face, don’t take it personally and let it go.  There is nothing wrong with trying and failing – because in trying we give God the opportunity to bless it.  Anything worth doing well is worth doing poorly at first!

On the contrary there is everything wrong with refusing to try. There is likewise everything wrong with refusing to stop something that is being tried and has obviously failed.  What is important is that we are willing to listen to God through the waiting and the action.

Discerning the Spirits

I realize I have taken us down a bit of a rabbit trail and I need to go back and tie up some loose ends.  Yet, there is something that needs to be said about trying new things: whatever we try must be in alignment with God’s Word. 

That is the part that Aaron overlooked when dealing with the people.  The Golden Calf is not in accordance with God’s ways.  I’m not saying that Aaron was right in trying it to see if God was in it.  Aaron should have seen it as idolatry and put the stop to it immediately.  But in general, we should likewise not let this passage convince us to not try anything new while we stoically sit on our hands and wait for God to speak clearly from the mountain, either.

Aaron’s Guilt

I really had to laugh today when I read Aaron’s explanation of how the Golden Calf came into existence.  Aaron seems to say, “They took of their gold, threw it in the fire, and out popped this thing!”

What a human display!  How often do we try and minimize our part when things go awry!  I think this is quite natural, but absolutely the wrong action.  We desire to get out of consequences; in actuality it is owning up to our actions and living through the consequences of our actions that produces the most fruitful path of growth.

Spirituality Versus Reality

I would also like to speak a little bit about the ending of the passage.  It is a very stereotypical ending for me – and I mean that in a good educational way.  Moses and Joshua are up on the mountaintop having a deeply spiritual moment when along comes reality, other people’s sinfulness, other people’s inability to stay focused on God, etc.  Moses’ and Joshua’s spiritual time comes crashing to a halt because of other people.

What’s worse is that after dealing with the sins of the people, Moses goes back to God and God gives Moses a hard lesson.  “It’s over, Moses.  Pack up your stuff and leave the mountain.  Our time of deep spirituality has come to an end.”

I mourn for Moses and Joshua.  Other people got in the way and ruined their spirituality.  It is actually my experience that the more spiritual moment a person is experiencing the more the people around them try to drag them back down.  I don’t know if it is bad luck, jealousy, inability to comprehend spirituality, or what.   But I do know that often my most spiritual times come crashing to a stop because I have to deal with the world.  I would like to say that my spiritual times rise up and then come down gradually; but for me, that is not usually the case.  I seem to never know when they are coming and they always seem to end prematurely.

I also feel the need to make public confession that I am genuinely sorry for the times when I have helped snuff out someone else’s spiritual moment.  Clearly that is not the right thing to do and it is necessary for me to repent of those times when I did ruin someone else’s time on the mountain with God.

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Year 1, Day 80: Exodus 31

God Ordains

We begin this reading hearing how God has appointed special workers among the community to construct what God desires.  Of course, I am immediately struck by a single thought: If God desires something then He will equip the people within the community to make it happen.  Here’s another way of stating that thought.  That for which God desires, God ordains; and that for which God ordains, God provides.  Why should we expect anything different?

So what are we as people of God to do?  Why – to listen to God, of course!  What are we really to do?  Well, we are to listen to God and look for people that God has equipped.  We are to prepare our life so that what we desire is not that which we pursue.  Rather, we empty ourselves of our personal desires so that when the thing God desires comes along we are ready to jump on board.  We prepare ourselves so that we are poised to act when the call of God comes forth.

But we are also supposed to expect God to equip.  We are to expect God to use people in our midst.  We are more than just a collection of people God gathers around Himself so that He can be venerated.  We are a people that God gathers around Himself so that after venerating Him we can go out and be tools in His hands!  How often have I given God my short-sighted perspective when I simply viewed myself as a worshipper and not a full blown tool in God’s hand?

Sabbath

Now we turn to the Sabbath – and of course the time when Moses receives the stone tablets, which I will ignore for today.  God makes an interesting claim right here.  The prior passage was all about us seeing ourselves as God’s workers.  Having just made that claim, God makes sure to reinforce that there is a time for us to not do worldly work as well. 

God worked 6 days in creation (worldly work) and He rested (holy/separate work) a seventh day.  Remember from earlier comments in this blog that we should be careful to not equate “rest” with “not working.”  God’s “rest” was work of a different kind – it is holy/separate/sacred/consecrated work, not work like we do the rest of the week.

Furthermore, remember that mankind was created of the 6^th day.  That means that our first full day was actually the 7^th day – the day of God’s rest.  God expects us to rest and then work from our rest.  So often we try to rest from our work, but that is not what the Sabbath is really all about.

Those Who Break the Sabbath

I wonder as I ponder the punishment for a person who does not keep the Sabbath.  Exodus 31:15 tells us specifically that anyone who does not keep the Sabbath is to be put to death.  Ouch.  How many of us really deserve to be alive underneath that statement of value?    Why is it so important to God that the Sabbath be remembered?

When we honor the Sabbath, we are essentially saying to God that we are going to do a different kind of “work” (or “rest”) that is separate than what we do the rest of the week.  So when we don’t honor the Sabbath – when we do things on the Sabbath that are worldly and not godly – we are essentially telling God that we are not interested in Him.  We are telling God we aren’t interested in being separate from the world.  We are telling God that we are not interested in the concept of holiness.  We are telling God that while we might be able to bring ourselves to believe in the concept of a higher power we aren’t really interesting in submitting to God. 

I would argue that when our Sabbath days are filled with worldly activities we are telling God that we really aren’t interested in a relationship with Him.  We want someone who will be there when we need Him, but we aren’t interested in someone with whom we can relate to all the time.  We are neither willing to submit to Him nor learn from the example He sets before us.

I think this is the reason that such a steep punishment is given for the Sabbath-breakers.  It is so easy to slip into a pattern of not valuing a true relationship with God.  It is so easy to slip into a relationship of “Oh God, give me” and “Oh God, I need” rather than a relationship of “Oh God, teach me to be present with you at all times.”  Since that is such an easy pit-fall into which we can fall, there are steep consequences to help us remember to be careful on this one.

In the end, I do thank God that I live in the grace of the post-crucifixion days.  I am glad that when I fail I can repent and know God’s forgiveness without feeling the fear of being put to death.  But I think I also must admit that I lose something, too.  When the punishment is seen as lessening, so often does the desire to obey grow less as well.  That is something we could all ponder today as we consider how seriously we take God’s call for us to do His work in addition to His call to honor the Sabbath.

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Year 1, Day 79: Exodus 30

Holiness

Okay, without looking too deeply at the commentaries I can say one thing about Exodus 30.  We should really take to heart this chapter and its emphasis to understanding what the word “holy” means.  So let’s do that today – at least for a little bit.  What does holy mean?

If you’ve read this blog much in the last week you have heard me indicate that the word “holy” means more along the terms “separate” than “righteous.”  As far as separate goes, you can also think “consecrated” or “sacred” or even “apartness.”  The point is that something holy to God is something that is apart from the world. 

When I was early in my career as a pastor I heard a veteran pastor say something that at first I took to heart.  They said, “I hate it when someone calls me a ‘holy man.’  I don’t need a reminder that I’m ‘separate’ from everyone else.”  And for a while I really bought into that expression and took it to heart.  I almost got offended when people would call me a holy man, too.

Don’t get me wrong, it is still a jarring comment for me to hear because it reminds me that I really am different.  But I have come to a new place in the last year and a few months.  I am different from the world.  I am separate.  I am indeed in this world, but I am indeed not of this world!  If that makes me holy, then so be it! 

Note my emphasis on the being made holy because of the fact that God has made me not of this world rather than anything I have done by my own human effort.

In Exodus 30 we hear a lot about holiness.  The atonement upon the altar of incense is holy to the Lord (Exodus 30:10).  The anointing oil is holy to the Lord – holy enough that to duplicate it elsewhere is an act punishable by ostracizing the offender! (Exodus 30:32-33)  The same can be said for the incense mixture. (Exodus 30:37-38)  There are indeed some things here that God desires to be separate, consecrated, sacred, and apart.

Holiness in Life

So I am left wondering about life.  How is it that we are to have elements of our worship that are “holy” – separate, consecrated, sacred, apart – and yet continually go into the world and risk impurity – or perhaps better said, ritual uncleanliness?  I think this is the very struggle fought throughout the generations.  It is precisely the struggle that brings about the teaching of “neighbor” in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. 

If we worry too much about ritual purity (or holiness, if you will) then we make the mistake of the Priest and Levite in the parable.  Yet if we don’t pay any attention to the idea of holiness and don’t worry about it then we risk incurring God’s wrath.  The fact that we are told so many times in this chapter about something being holy implies that there are some things God didn’t want to be made normal.

I’ll confess.  Obviously this is an area with which I still struggle.  How am I – or are we – to be holy yet in the world?  How are we to be the priests of God’s kingdom and yet live among the people?

Yes, I know.  Jesus did it, and Jesus did it well.  Jesus wasn’t afraid of the Samaritan women John 4.  Jesus wasn’t afraid of the demon possessed.  Jesus wasn’t afraid of either the tax collectors or the prostitutes.  And I know that we should not be afraid of them either.  But yet, we should still hold onto this aspect of holiness.  Jesus was a master at it – of course!  But I find I struggle because, well, it is obvious that I am not Jesus.  In the end, I think there is more to this holiness than we typically like to assert.

Okay, I rabbit-trailed another passage in Exodus.  I left a lot on the table today.  But I’m okay with that.  God’s peace to you.

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Year 1, Day 78: Exodus 29

Blood, Guts, and Gore

In Exodus 29 it seems like we get to talk about blood, guts, and gore quite a bit.  I think it is okay to admit that much of this practice initially seems revolting.  I’m not saying that it was wrong or that the people who did it were barbaric.  What I am saying is that it is far removed from our typical experience with God today.  Because it is so foreign it seems revolting at first glance – at least it does to me.

However, when we think about the consecration of Aaron and his sons, we can see that the blood offering at the altar was a once-in-a-lifetime consecration.  Blood was shed and an offering was lifted to the Lord as these people were consecrated as priests.  And do you notice that in Exodus 29:9 that it specifically says that they will have the priesthood forever?  Here we see a blood offering and a sacrifice in order to consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests forever.

What’s so cool about this?  Well, to put it simply – it is no different for us as revolting as it may originally sound!  Sure, when we become a Christian we don’t put blood on the tips of our right ears.  But we do have the witness of a once-for-all sacrifice made on our behalf in order to make us priests!  Jesus Christ died on the cross as that very sacrifice.  With that sacrifice, we are priests forever!  And I think it is fair to confess that while we need the death of Christ on the cross, that act is fairly revolting in physical terms as well.  I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but it is a pretty gruesome way to die.

Consecration

It’s funny, but I don’t think about Christ’s death in the terms of consecration very often.  When I conceptualize the cross and Jesus’ death, I typically view it as a sacrifice for the atonement of my sins.  I think that is pretty typical in the way most people conceptualize Jesus’ death.  But how often do we think of it as also the sacrifice that consecrates us as priests in His kingdom?  Sure, it’s not a new idea or an idea that you’ve never heard before.  But I think for me at least it is an idea that is lost in the shadows more than it should be.  Jesus’ death made you and me to be priests in the same way as Aaron and his sons were consecrated.  Why do we resist that calling so regularly?

I’m not saying that we all should be ordained.  There are far more ways to be priests in God’s kingdom than to be ordained.  But we do resist the idea of thinking of ourselves as God’s priests right now.  We are all God’s priests.  As Paul says in Galatians 3:28: the men, the women, the slaves, the free, the Jew, the Gentile.  We are all God’s priests right now because we have been consecrated as such by Jesus Christ.  You and I are already spiritual people, it is time we stand up and claim that title and honor with courage!

Daily Sacrifices

 I’d like to spend the rest of my time here talking about the daily sacrifices described in Exodus 29:38-46.  Did you notice that there is a sacrifice at daybreak and twilight?  There is something symbolic here that we should take to heart.  For most people, “daybreak” can be symbolically thought of as the beginning of the productive portion of their day (whether they actually are out of bed at daybreak or not).  Likewise, “twilight” can symbolically be thought of as the end of the productive portion of the day (although we all know that when the sun goes down we don’t all jump immediately into bed).

Why is this significant?  Well, think about it.  These daily sacrifices are telling us that as our day begins its productive cycle we need to remember the Lord and ground ourselves in the worship, praise, and glory of our God.  When the productive time of our day ends, it is good for us to remember the Lord and draw near to the one who has allowed us to maneuver through the day and come at length to rest.  In the morning we ask God for strength as our creator and thank Him for keeping us through the night.  In the evening we praise God for giving us the strength to survive this day and ask Him to keep us through the night.

What a wonderful rhythm that we can apply to our life!

Good stuff here in what originally seems to be a pretty bloody chapter of the Bible.

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