365 Reflections

What is our hope in sin? The world is full of sin and we are all guilty. Humans hurt and demean one another. We objectify and use one another. Consequently, the world is full of pain, full of war and full of evil.  Have you ever watched the news and thought, "What is wrong with the world?" The answer is simple: We are. It doesn't take a graduate degree in sociology to see that we have a propensity to damage the planet and the occupants of it. That's the problem. The problem is human sin. So what's the solution? Better education? More money? A valiant call to unity? More rights? Some even suggest fewer people.  But that is not the picture we have in scripture.   At the final convocation of the Temple Solomon builds, there is a wonderful picture of Solomon praying before the people in their presence and on their behalf. Solomon is king and yet note the posture of humility and hunger for God. Would that we had more national leaders like this: 2 Chronicles 6:12–15 (ES...

The Ark came back to Israel but all was not well. Twenty years pass and Israel has no way out of their predicament with the Philistines. Eventually, Samuel calls the people back to God commanding them to put away their foreign Gods and direct their heart to the Lord. The people listen to him. 1 Samuel 7:5–6 (ESV) Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord .” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. Now in verse 5, they are gathered together seeking the Lord. They fast, and Samuel takes the lead of God's people. "Mizpah" means "watchtower" which would have been some sort of military station. The Philistines hear they are gathering at a military location and decide to intimidate them with a military advance against of their own. The people turn to Samuel...

Exodus 30:34–38 (ESV) The LORD said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), 35 and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36 You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you. 37 And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the LORD. 38 Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.” We come now to the final piece of instructions on the Tabernacle from the Lord to Moses. This part concerns the special mixture of sweet spices that make up the incense priests burned continually during their time of service.  We already shared that the incense of the Temple referred to the prayers of the priests. These prayers were to...

The final piece of furniture to be fashioned and placed in the Tabernacle is the Altar of Incense. Exodus 30:1 (ESV)  “You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. Exodus 30:6–8 (ESV)   And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, 8 and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. The altar of incense was to be placed in front of the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. It was to burn continually, every day in every generation. It was to be tended by Aaron the High Priest and he was to make atonement for it every year. What was this altar of incense for? I would suggest it was a symbol of p...