365 Reflections

God's people will have a place where God will dwell among them. Exodus 25 introduces us to that place, the tabernacle. Exodus 25:8–9 (ESV) And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. 9 Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it . What is interesting on the description of this place for God's dwelling is the simplistic, specific and heavenly inspired detail that goes into it's creation. It is not enormous. By measurement, it would pale in comparison to even an average church building. It is moveable. The walls were drapes and cloths sewed together. The curtains were hung by poles which could be taken down rather easily and moved from one place to another. It will be designed straight from heaven. Notice God's words, " Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle."  What are we to understand about this first tabernacle? It is the perfect heavenly...

Joshua appears for the second time in the Exodus account here in Exodus 24. Exodus 24:12–14 (ESV) The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua , and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.” What is so good about Joshua? He is willing.  If you need Joshua to pick a group of fighting men, he'll do that.  If you need Joshua to wage a battle, he'll do that. If you need Joshua to assist you in something, he'll do that. If you need Joshua to spy out the land, he'll do that too! It is worth noting that the only title given to Joshua thus far in Exodus is "Moses' assistant".  Earlier in Exodus 17 Joshua is i...

The promise to Abraham in Genesis 12: "I will bless you and make your name great... All nations of the Earth will be blessed through you." Centuries later, the children of Abraham are on the cusp of having their own land where they could live out the blessing of God on a particular people, so that other nations would see and hear of the goodness of God and turn to Him! In Exodus 23, God is about to send them in... And He says: Exodus 23:20–22 (ESV)   “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21 Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. 22 “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries... Exodus 23:25–26 (ESV) You shall serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness...

I love the theology of the Sabbath. It is the first thing God designates as holy in the Bible. It is made for man and yet restricts man from working to produce for himself trusting in the God who called him into the rest which points to the ultimate rest to come in Christ! The Sabbath is where man gets to remember he is made in God's image to reflect God's character and ways.  The Sabbath is where we remember we are most creaturely dependent upon another for all that we have and are. The Sabbath is where God's liberation and power are at work in Jesus.  The Old Testament and the New Testament hinge on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is where God's Word for us and our obedience to it come together. in the Sabbath we learn by experience how obedience is a blessing to our lives. When we obey the Sabbath we find the blessing of God's rest. You could say the Sabbath is the day in which we most learn doing what God wants us to do is actually what is good for us to do m...

Exodus 22:26–27 (ESV)   If ever you take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, 27 for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. Exodus 23:4 (ESV) “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. When you read through the list of moral precepts in Exodus 22-23 you become convinced of the Holy Spirit inspiration of these words. Consider the two laws mentioned here. Returning a cloak before dark and returning your enemy's ox/donkey who has strayed? There is not a legal system that would prosecute a soul for disobeying these laws. The human courts can only go so far in restraining evil. God calls His people to a far more generous and positive way of life toward our communities. One may wonder, why should Israel care for things such as these? Why should their moral code be so h...

In Exodus 21 we see God teaching His people to care for one another. In Exodus 22, the theme would seem to be "Respect One Another." We are living in a time when incivility is rampant. Just look at the comments section on any youtube video or blog post about which some may disagree. No matter what side of the partisan divide you are a part of, even when you see the vitriol from those who share your leanings makes you want to give up your own values! We see disrespect for our governmental leaders and those in authority. This is not to be the attitude of the Christian! People are naturally drawn to disrespecting one another. It's part of the curse of sin. When "I" am most important, you will always be something less valuable in my eyes. Yet God sets down commands that still have bearing in the Kingdom here in Exodus. Most notably: Exodus 22:28 (ESV)   “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people. Respect for others begins with resp...

We all have that moment when we try to read the Bible cover to cover. We come to the strange passages of Exodus 21 and following. These laws seems so out of touch, so unlike the God we know throughout the rest of scripture. Many people lose their confidence in the scriptures when they read these passages. Many use them to deny the Bible completely. But there's something we can learn about God from even the challenging passages that don't seem to represent Him in the same manner that other passages do. Exodus 21:20–27 (ESV)   “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. 21 But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money. 22 “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 But i...

Exodus 21:1–6 (ESV) “Now these are the rules that you shall set before them. 2 When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. 3 If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone. 5 But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever. The first thing to recognize when we come to difficult texts in the Old Testament is to remember one simple thing: We are not living in the Ancient world.  Today if I lose my job, there are unemployment offices to visit, food stamps to collect and soup...

We live in a culture that depends on coveting. Watch any amount of television, read almost any magazine, surf any website and you'll see it. That thing you MUST have that someone else has and is really enjoying. Usually a famous face is using it and making you feel so small for not having it. The marketing strategy of America is banking on you breaking the 10th commandment. Exodus 20:17 (ESV)   “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” The word "covet" is a key word in the first few chapters of the bible. It is used to describe the pleasantness of all that God created.  Genesis 2:9 (ESV)  And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant (coveted) to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ...