Readings for January 30-February 5

JANUARY 30

In the readings for today, as well as other days' readings, are listed many intricate details prescribed by God. Even though many of these things don't apply to us today in a literal sense, reading about them will be useful later on as a reference.  It is crystal clear that God is involved in the intricate details of their lives then.  The same is true for us today.  He expected strict obedience in these intricate details then.  He expects strict obedience with us today in whatever He asks us to do.

God commanded Moses to take a census of the people and required that each person (20 years old or more) pay a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Notice there is no difference in the ransom paid by each person whether rich or poor.  This tells us that no one person is more valuable to God than any other person.  One thing comes through loud and clear in the reading for today.  God is a holy God.

Exodus 29:43
And there I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.

While we may enjoy the presence of Jesus with us as a friend, we must never lose sight that He is still a holy God.

The two tablets of the Testimony were inscribed by the finger of God! How awesome is that?  To be able to hold stone tablets with words written by the finger of God!  Wow!  But then, don’t we experience words written by the finger of God every time we open our Bibles?  

JANUARY 31

While Moses was on the mountain the people were impatient and built a golden calf to worship. When Moses returned from the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony, he questioned his brother about this, Aaron replied with the lamest excuse on record. “…they gave me this gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”  HA! This is a classic example of transferring blame. Making a god was not Aaron’s idea, but he went along with it. Aaron gave no spiritual leadership.

We wonder why the people would so quickly dismiss all the miracles God had already done for them. We sometimes forget that the people were accustomed to seeing and hearing about the multiple gods of the Egyptians and the practices associated with their worship of the false gods.  They were copying the Egyptians when they celebrated, worshiped and honored their Egyptian gods by participating in revelry or perverse sexual activity. Aaron called it a feast, but it was a party - or rather more of a sexual orgy.  It was something like Woodstock in the 60s - but amplified. Can we not compare that to the world waiting on Jesus to return?  And just what is it the world is doing right now, as we speak?  Isn’t the world participating in a wild party?

26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Whoever is on the Lord’s side, let him come to me. And all the Levites [the priestly tribe] gathered together to him.

This sounds like an altar call, doesn’t it?  It’s as if Moses says, “If you want to make a decision to come to the Lord, come forward.”  We heard a pastor say that he thinks altar calls should be this, “If you don’t want to make a decision to follow Jesus, come forward and explain yourself.” 

When Aaron proclaimed a "feast to the Lord" in honor of the golden calf, he was compromising and justifying the worship of a pagan god, by calling it a "feast to the Lord".  He had instituted a man-made festival. He was trying to worship God on an altar of paganism.  At this point God had not given the Israelites all the commands of the Feast and Festival Days.  Today, we know about all the God-ordained Feast and Festival Days and yet we still worship God on the altar of paganism.  God's ordained days are Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover) and Feast of Tabernacles (birth of Jesus) and yet we in the western Christian church honor and celebrate Easter and Christmas, both with pagan origins.  And we ignore the holy days. Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) is an example today reminiscent of the revelry that the people indulged in as recorded in today's reading (Exodus 32).

Exodus 31:13 

 "Say to the Israelites, 'Be sure to observe my days of worship. This will be a sign between me and you for generations to come so that you will know that I am the LORD who makes you holy.

We may be tempted to think that if we go to church on Sunday and don’t do any work at all on that day of the week, this is what will make us somehow righteous and devout.  These days of worship referred to in this passage certainly meant the seventh day of rest, but also the other days of worship, His holy days, the feast and festival days of Tabernacles, Passover, and Pentecost.  Worshiping Him and honoring Him on those days, would be a sign for all to see, a distinguishing mark.  This is what God says will set us apart from all the other people on the face of the earth.  When we are set apart in this way, He says we will know (and other people will know) that He is the Lord who makes us holy.  Did you get the significance of that verse?  If we observe His days of worship, we will show the world that we are distinguished, we are set apart, we are different from the world and are made holy.

The Levites make a bold stand for the Lord.  The 3,000 people who were killed...were these the ones who were directly involved in the making of the golden calf and/or the ones leading the revelry?  The people were struck with a plague because of what they had done with the calf.  Could this be the result of heavy metal poisoning from being made to drink the water sprinkled with the dust from the golden calf?

In response to their sin, Moses makes an almost unbelievable plea on behalf of the people.
“…please forgive their sin - but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”
What book? That would be the book of life. (See Philippians 4:3, Psalm 69:28, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 20:12)

Moses met with God in the tent of meeting. What did Moses and God the Son talk about?  Was it all business?  Did God keep giving clarifications on the laws and the instructions for building the tabernacle and all its furnishing?  Did He keep clarifying the laws and commands?  Did He give Moses all the words to write in the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy? Or did they just have a sweet fellowship time together?  Did they even have to talk out loud or was it “love without words”?

Moses inquires about who will go with him to lead the people into the land of promise.  The following verses are some of the most powerful in Scripture and so applicable to today.

Exodus 33:14-17
The LORD said, "My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest." Then Moses replied, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.  How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."

Indeed!  The only thing to distinguish us as His people, the only thing that will set us apart from all other people, is if we have the Presence of the Holy Spirit within us!

Moses chiseled out two stone tablets to take back up the mountain so that God could write on them the words that were on the first tablets which Moses broke in anger.  The words of the Commandments were written by the finger of God. Moses wrote down other words that God spoke to him.  God tells Moses that the people are to obey Him and He will drive out the inhabitants from the land.  But, He gave a warning against making treaties with the people there.  In fact God tells Moses to destroy any remnant of their pagan worship because to leave anything pagan in the land will lead the Israelites into idol worship.

Moses wanted a deeper spiritual life with God when he asked to see God’s glory.  This would be God the Father.. There is nothing higher than His glory.  Moses has experienced a lot!  He witnessed the miracles in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the manna from heaven, water from a rock, meeting Him face to face as a man speaks with a friend. After having sweet fellowship with God, Moses wanted more. And he was bold enough to ask for it. He wanted to see the glory of God, the Father. He hungered for more of Him.  Shouldn’t we hunger in the same way?  We should be constantly seeking more than what we’ve experienced before.  This is why we have all been encouraged to read the entire Bible this year - to experience more than we ever have before. 

God agreed to show Moses the highest degree of revelation and understanding that man is capable of handling as much of His divine goodness as he could comprehend.

When the Lord proclaimed His name, He revealed more of His nature and character to Moses.  What did He start with as He described His nature and character?  He started with mercy and grace. WOW!  God, when He describes Himself starts with mercy and grace.  Well, that explains a lot!  That explains why He hasn’t zapped us already.  Slow to anger.  Thank God for that.  And He is abundant in loving kindness and abounding in truth.   He forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin.  Aren’t those all the same thing?  Well, not exactly.  Iniquity is perversity and depravity.  Transgression is rebellion against God.  Sin is to miss the mark - to forfeit what we could have had if we hadn’t missed God’s perfect plan for us.  Anything short of God’s perfection is sin.  Jesus stated in Matthew 5:48 that we must strive for perfection, which means growing into completeness, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  These are words from the mouth of Jesus.

God says He forgives all that perversity and depravity and rebellion and whenever we forfeit His perfect plan.  Forgive means to lift up and burn or carry away.  God says that all that iniquity, transgression, and sin is lifted up away from us, carried away and burned. Can we even begin to wrap our minds around that one?  He carries away, He burns all our perversity and depravity and rebellion.  Now, if He carries it away and burns it, it no longer exists then does it? 

For devout Jews today, these statements of God to Moses are highly regarded.  They break the phrases into parts and incorporate them in their  prayers called the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy.

Moses had a close encounter with God. All of us probably remember that movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  Since there is a third kind of encounter, there must be first and second encounters as well and possible encounters beyond the third kind - so I looked it up. Of course these encounters are all in reference to aliens and UFOs.

The First Kind: You spot something in the sky but it leaves no evidence.

The Second Kind: A UFO leaves some physical trace: burned ground or broken   branches.

The Third Kind: You make contact with a U.F.O, you see some alien pilot aboard one 

The Fourth Kind: You are taken somewhere by an alien.

The Fifth Kind;  You have regular conversations with aliens.

Well, Moses had a close encounter of the fifth kind with God.  He had regular conversations with Him, so much so that his face reflected that experience.

 

What kind of encounters are each of us having with God?  Do we just see Him from a distance? As having an encounter of the first kind, leaving no evidence that we have been with Him?.  Or are we having regular conversations with Him?  Whenever we have a close encounter with God, our faces, our whole countenance should reflect that experience. Because we encounter Him on a regular basis, because we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are constantly being transformed with increasing splendor.  Paul had it all together when he wrote this.

Exodus 34:33-35
When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.

2 Corinthians 3:18
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Are our faces radiant after we have spoken with the Lord?

FEBRUARY 1

God gives through Moses the first stewardship “sermon”. God commands that everyone who is WILLING is to bring an offering to the Lord. So everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him gave to the Lord. These are free will offerings and are different from the tithe which comes later.

Then Moses summoned every skilled worker (with God-given abilities) and who was WILLING to come and do the work.  These abilities could be compared to our God-given spiritual gifts.  At the moment of acceptance of Jesus as personal Lord and Savior the Holy Spirit empowers that person with at least one spiritual gift.  And just as God was looking for willing workers to work at the tabernacle then, He is looking for willing workers to use those spiritual gifts now. 

As you read about the intricate details of the furnishings in the tabernacle, take notice.  This handcrafted work could be done only if the people had been given the ability by God.  (Rose Publishing Company has an excellent color brochure of the tabernacle and its furnishings. http://www.rose-publishing.com/Tabernacle-pamphlet-P150.aspx#.Vm3MkEorLmc)

The value of the materials used in the tabernacle was almost unfathomable.  The gold weighed a little over a ton and the silver weighed a little over 3 3/4 tons.  In today's money that would be about $40 million for the gold and nearly $3 million for the silver (If I'm reading the price per ounce correctly and multiplying correctly.)  At any rate, that's a lot of precious metals that were donated to the tabernacle!

The people were bringing offerings above and beyond what was needed, so much so that the people had to be restrained from bringing more, which means they had more to bring for later. This happened because their hearts were moved and they gave for all the right reasons.

This sequence of events is a tribute to all concerned. The generosity of the people was unlimited. The artisans were scrupulously honest, refusing to accept more than they needed. And Moses was not interested in amassing great treasures for himself.

Notice the attention to even the most minute detail, such careful attention to accuracy in the instructions for the construction of the tabernacle. Can you even begin to imagine the beauty?

All this is just a foretaste of the heavenly beauty that awaits us in eternity. 

FEBRUARY 2

There is an important thing to remember when reading about the dimensions of the tabernacle and converting them to today's standard of measurement.  There were three measurements for the cubit; the common cubit measured 18 inches, the holy cubit measured 21 inches and the sacred cubit measured 25 inches. One could logically conclude that the measurements within the most sacred places would be the sacred cubit.  This information makes much of the tabernacle dimensions a bit larger.

The priest's ephod and breastpiece are described in Exodus 39.  Each precious stone represents one of the twelve tribes of Israel.  There is much speculation as to which tribe had which stone.

A timeframe is established in the reading in Exodus 40.  "So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year".   They have now been away from Egypt for one year and it is time to once again celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread which includes Passover.

Moses did everything as the Lord commanded. This phrase is repeated several times in today's reading. Can others say this about us? Do we as Believers do everything as the Lord commanded?

And so Moses finished the work. Again, can this be said about us as Believers? Do we finish the work that the Lord has given us to do?

And look what happened next. The Lord was so pleased with the work. “…and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

As we do as the Lord commands, even in the small things, He will fill our “tabernacle”.  Are we filled with the glory of the Lord?

FEBRUARY 3

PG. 148

Notice over the next few pages how often the phrase “as the Lord commanded Moses” occurs. 

Chapters 8 through 10 in the book of Leviticus cover the consecration of Aaron and his sons. As you read, pay close attention to the words ordination, eat, clean, and unclean.

Once again, Moses is obedient to the Lord when it comes to the special offerings and sacrifices during the week of the dedication of the tabernacle. Blood represented the innocent life of the animal that was sacrificed  in place of the guilty person. God granted forgiveness of the sinner based on the faith of the person doing the sacrifice - a foreshadowing of the sacrificial death of Jesus for our sins.  The Old Testament sacrifices only covered the sin temporarily.  Jesus' death on the cross removed even the guilt of sin.

Hebrews 9:11-14
But when Christ had become a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building   nor by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered once for all into the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption for us.  For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ (who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God) purge your conscience (such as worshiping Him in vain) from dead works to serve the living God?

This "pleasing aroma" of the sacrifice was a way of saying that God accepted the sacrifice because of the people's attitude.  This reminds us of the pleasing aroma of our prayers as they ascend before God.

Revelation 8:4
And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God from the angel's hand.

Pg. 150

The glory of the Lord appeared to ALL the people. 

Aaron’s sons died because they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord.  One of the definitions of the word unauthorized is profane.  The reason God was so displeased with what they did is that it was a fire not kindled from the altar of burnt offering; it was fire not associated with the atoning and redeeming work of sacrifice. It was not holy.  It was profane. The fire in the altar of burnt offering was sacred because it was kindled by God Himself (Leviticus 9:24). Nadab and Abihu offered a fire of their own making. There is a huge difference between the fire kindled by God and fire conjured up by man. God was displeased with the profane, not sacred fire.

Leviticus 10:3b
And Aaron remained silent.
Why?  Had he too dishonored the Lord?  Did he not speak out against his sons?

Do people today in positions of authority and leadership in effect offer “unauthorized fire” to the Lord? Do they do this in the form of unbiblical observances and teachings? Just a thought…

Jeremiah 2:13
"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

God is the spring of living water. A spring is moving water, clear, pure, and fresh - living water so to speak.  Cisterns are containers for storing water such as rainwater, runoff water - impure (with dust, dirt, and debris) - unmoving and stagnant.

We forsake the pure living water when we wander away from the undiluted truth of God's Word. There are many ways that we "dig our own cisterns"; following after man's ways and not God's ways, holding to the traditions of men, teaching false doctrine, worshiping God in pagan ways, allowing pagan traditions to infiltrate our worship, or making up our own man-made festivals and traditions.

Leviticus 10:10
You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,

Again, something that church and denomination leaders are charged with, to teach the people the difference between the spiritual and the worldly.  When people are not taught the difference, the church will devolve into the apostate church and eventually will devolve into the false church during the last days. (See Chapter 8 in the book These Last Days Second Edition by Phil and Patti Moore available on Amazon.)https://www.amazon.com/These-Last-Days-Patti-Moore/dp/1521715653/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1541512053&sr=11&keywords=these+last+days+by+phil+and+patti+moore

FEBRUARY 4

Pg. 152

In the commentary it says there is no reason given as to why God picked the Levites for tabernacle service.  The reason is given on page 137.

Great emphasis is placed on the anointing and consecration of the temple and all its furnishings.  And notice how God provided for the Levites in completing their mundane tasks, instilling in the hearts of the people to furnish carts in which to carry the necessary materials for carrying out the work of the tabernacle.

Pg. 153

In the section LEADERS BRING OFFERINGS is an example of a representative republic.  Our US government is modeled after this example.  The tribal leaders brought the offerings on behalf of the people. In the US government citizens elect officials to act on their behalf. This type of government is a republic. As opposed to a democracy.  If the tribes were operating as a democracy every person would bring their own offering.   Jethro suggested something similar.  Also, the three branches of our government are listed in  Isaiah 33:22  For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; 

Judge represents the Judicial Branch - the court system

Lawgiver represents the Legislative Branch - Congress 

King represents the Executive Branch - President.

Try not to get too bogged down in the readings for today. Take note of the specifics of the offerings. All these offerings were to be used in the work at the Tent of Meeting. These offerings will be of great significance later on.  Remember they had carried all these items from Egypt.

Notice that the offerings of the 12 tribes are the same, no matter how small or how large the tribe. Also notice that there are 12 tribes even though the tribe of Levi is not counted. Joseph's name is left out and his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh are in.

The Levites become the kinsmen redeemers for the first born male. Moses was also told to purify the Levites and to present them as a wave offering. The Levites themselves were to be a wave offering before the Lord. Their services were also given as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tabernacle. We find out a little later just how much work they had to do!

Seven lamps are prominent elsewhere in Scripture as well.
Revelation 4:5
From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

Everything was done by Moses just as the Lord commanded. So far…so good. Stay tuned!

FEBRUARY 5

A year has passed since the exodus from Egypt.  As they prepare to observe the first Passover celebration since their exodus from Egypt, a problem surfaces. Some of the Israelites were ceremonially unclean because of their contact with a dead body and could not celebrate the Passover. Because they were unsure of what to do in light of the regulation restrictions, they went to Moses with their confusion. Moses did the right thing by taking it to the Lord.  When we are unsure or confused about something, is our first thought to take it to the Lord?

The celebration of the Passover is extremely important.  It was important to the children of Israel and it is just as important today (or maybe even more important).  To understand just how important it is for Believers in Jesus, see the book The Journey of Jesus from the Manger to the Mansion available Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Jesus-Manger-Mansion/dp/154990406X/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1541860137&sr=11&keywords=the+journey+of+jesus+from+the+manger+to+the+mansion+by+phil+and+patti+moore

See also the video. https://youtu.be/NyhtPzaGhGg

There is a line in the commentary on page 158, "God has told the Israelites that they will have to fight for the land."  In reality, God told them that if they were obedient to Him, He would drive out the inhabitants from the land.  It was because of their disobedience that there would be a need for them to do their own fighting for the land.

The Lord orders a numbering or a census of the sons of Israel from age 20 years or older. This was a daunting task. During this census, the people are still encamped in the Mt. Horeb area. Again we would caution you to not become discouraged in the reading of the miniscule details.

In the numbering of the tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh (sons of Joseph) represent the tribe of Joseph as his tribe was divided in two; Ephraim with one half and Manasseh taking the other half.  This made a total of 13 tribes.  Then the tribes are given their placement to camp and the order for marching whenever they are given the word to move.

The families of the tribe of Levi are not counted along with the others. Interestingly, the Levites were the ones to do the fighting at the "golden calf" incident.  Now, they are the tribe that will do no fighting. It is clear that this tribe is set apart. Even their tents are set up in a circle around the tabernacle so that wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. They guard the tabernacle. No one gets in without going through the Levites. And we continue to see how "set apart" this tribe actually is. Just as God instructed Moses to purify and consecrate the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and as He ordered the sanctification of the Levites, He also sanctifies us.

Jude 1:1
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to the ones called in God the Father, having been set apart, and having been kept by Jesus Christ: 

We as Believers have been "set apart". Do we act as if we are???

Video of Tabernacle Construction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMEQ-WlsWsc&list=PLZ6J3eA4dMfyfNFzmx4OSZ_Mgb41m7CN1&index=65