Exodus 25:31-40
I realize that these may not be the most exciting scripture references you have ever read, but I hope when you read the significance of the lampstand you will have a new appreciation for what we now call the menorah.
The lampstand had seven lamps that were supplied with oil and were trimmed by the priest every morning and evening. The light was never to be extinguished. Obviously, this piece of the tabernacle points us to Jesus being the light of the world. The reason that it points to Jesus is because the lampstand was positioned in the Holy Place outside the Most Holy Place God would meet with the priest. It was the only light in the area. Without this light it would have been impossible to see because both areas were surrounded by very thick curtains. The lampstand provided the only light for the priest as he worked in the Holy Place and led him to the Most Holy Place and into the presence of God.
In the same way, Jesus is the light that ushers us into the very presence of God. He shows us the way and no one can come to God except by following the Light of Jesus. In the same way, Jesus said that "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). We are to reflect the light of Christ and lead others to God.
Thank Jesus for lighting the way for you to come to God. Also, ask Him to reflect His light through your life today that you might lead someone to Him.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The Table
Exodus 25: 23-30
I'm sure it will come as no surprise that the table that held the Bread of the Presence is my absolute favorite aspect of the Tabernacle. It points us directly to Jesus in many different ways. The first way is that it was set on the right from God's perspective. Just as Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father, the table was set on the right. There were 12 loaves placed on the table and they were replaced every Sabbath. The 12 loaves were to remind the Israelites of God's sustenance of the 12 tribes. The main way that it points us to Christ, however is the fact that later Jesus would call Himself the Bread of Life. Eating the Bread He offers satisfies the very soul.
So many times the Bible talks about Christ being the only one that can truly satisfy. Isaiah 55:1-3 might say it best:
He is the only one that can satisfy our soul. Jesus satisfies and sustains us in our lives as we seek after Him. A unfulfilled soul is a stronghold waiting to happen. Ask Him today to be the Bread of Life for you. Ask Him to satisfy your very soul so that you do not look to anyone or anything else to do it for you.
I'm sure it will come as no surprise that the table that held the Bread of the Presence is my absolute favorite aspect of the Tabernacle. It points us directly to Jesus in many different ways. The first way is that it was set on the right from God's perspective. Just as Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father, the table was set on the right. There were 12 loaves placed on the table and they were replaced every Sabbath. The 12 loaves were to remind the Israelites of God's sustenance of the 12 tribes. The main way that it points us to Christ, however is the fact that later Jesus would call Himself the Bread of Life. Eating the Bread He offers satisfies the very soul.
So many times the Bible talks about Christ being the only one that can truly satisfy. Isaiah 55:1-3 might say it best:
"Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.Why spend money on what is not bread,
Give ear and come to me;
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
hear me, that your soul may live.
He is the only one that can satisfy our soul. Jesus satisfies and sustains us in our lives as we seek after Him. A unfulfilled soul is a stronghold waiting to happen. Ask Him today to be the Bread of Life for you. Ask Him to satisfy your very soul so that you do not look to anyone or anything else to do it for you.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Atonement Cover
Exodus 25:17-22
The atonement cover was part of the Ark, but I wanted us to look at it separately today. It was made of pure gold and had two cherubim on top (one on each side) with their wings pointing up to signify God's symbolic dwelling place. This is where God would meet with Moses and with the priests for generations to come. The atonement cover literally covered the "testimony" that was inside the Ark.
The word "atonement" means to "make restitution for or to cover over". Sacrifices had to be made and the blood of the animal had to be put on the atonement cover when the priest would go to meet with God once a year in the Most Holy Place. The picture here is of God dwelling between the cherubim looking down on the Ark. Inside He would see the testimony or the Ten Commandments inside the Ark. He would also see the fact that His law had been broken by the people. But, because the priest had put the blood of the sacrifice on the atonement cover, God saw all of this through the blood and His wrath was turned away.
Jesus is now our Atonement Cover. He entered the Most Holy Place in heaven with His own blood. When we accept Christ's sacrifice for our sins, God no longer just sees you and I and our sin. He sees us through the atoning sacrifice of His perfect son Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
We were discussing this the other morning in our family devotion and discovered that even a four year old can understand atonement. We explained it by taking two pieces of white paper. We left one of them white and put all kinds of black scribbles all over the other. We explained to Joel that the white one was the holiness of God and that the one with scribbles represented us when we do things that are wrong. Then we told him that when we trust Jesus He covers our sin with His holiness. I took the white paper and put it over the other one and asked him what he saw. He said, "Clean and white". Exactly. That is what Jesus does for us. No matter what sin we have in our lives, He makes us "clean and white".
Have you allowed Jesus to be your Atonement cover for your life? If you have not, I cannot think of a better Christmas gift you could give yourself and your family. Ask Him to forgive your sins today. Trust in His atoning sacrifice. Enter into the life He always wanted for you. Not the perfect life, but the forgiven life.
The atonement cover was part of the Ark, but I wanted us to look at it separately today. It was made of pure gold and had two cherubim on top (one on each side) with their wings pointing up to signify God's symbolic dwelling place. This is where God would meet with Moses and with the priests for generations to come. The atonement cover literally covered the "testimony" that was inside the Ark.
The word "atonement" means to "make restitution for or to cover over". Sacrifices had to be made and the blood of the animal had to be put on the atonement cover when the priest would go to meet with God once a year in the Most Holy Place. The picture here is of God dwelling between the cherubim looking down on the Ark. Inside He would see the testimony or the Ten Commandments inside the Ark. He would also see the fact that His law had been broken by the people. But, because the priest had put the blood of the sacrifice on the atonement cover, God saw all of this through the blood and His wrath was turned away.
Jesus is now our Atonement Cover. He entered the Most Holy Place in heaven with His own blood. When we accept Christ's sacrifice for our sins, God no longer just sees you and I and our sin. He sees us through the atoning sacrifice of His perfect son Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
We were discussing this the other morning in our family devotion and discovered that even a four year old can understand atonement. We explained it by taking two pieces of white paper. We left one of them white and put all kinds of black scribbles all over the other. We explained to Joel that the white one was the holiness of God and that the one with scribbles represented us when we do things that are wrong. Then we told him that when we trust Jesus He covers our sin with His holiness. I took the white paper and put it over the other one and asked him what he saw. He said, "Clean and white". Exactly. That is what Jesus does for us. No matter what sin we have in our lives, He makes us "clean and white".
Have you allowed Jesus to be your Atonement cover for your life? If you have not, I cannot think of a better Christmas gift you could give yourself and your family. Ask Him to forgive your sins today. Trust in His atoning sacrifice. Enter into the life He always wanted for you. Not the perfect life, but the forgiven life.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
The Ark
Exodus 25:10-16
The first piece for the Tabernacle that God instructs Moses to make was the Ark of the Covenant. This was undoubtedly the most important piece in the Tabernacle. Amazingly, every aspect of it points directly to our Savior. Let's break it down...
The Ark was to be constructed of wood and covered with pure gold. This is symbolic of Jesus being 100% man and 100% God. The wood symbolizes the humanity of Jesus and the gold the deity of Jesus.
In this passage, we learn that the "Testimony" was to be placed in the Ark. The Testimony was the Ten Commandments. Later, God tells Moses to place two other objects into the Ark. They are a gold jar of manna and Aaron's rod that budded (Hebrews 9:4). The Testimony points us to Jesus because He completely fulfilled the Law. The manna reminds us that Jesus is truly the Bread of Life and our Satisfier and Sustainer. The rod points directly to the resurrection of Christ. The rod was a dead piece of wood that came to life. I hope we never forget that our Savior was as dead as that stick, but rose from the dead to give us new life.
I have always had a deep reverence for the Ark of God, but from studying the past few weeks I have been amazed at how it points directly to Jesus and what He did for us. Thank Him today for fulfilling the Law because we never could have. Thank Him for being our Bread of Life. Lastly, thank Him for coming back from the dead so that we might live.
The first piece for the Tabernacle that God instructs Moses to make was the Ark of the Covenant. This was undoubtedly the most important piece in the Tabernacle. Amazingly, every aspect of it points directly to our Savior. Let's break it down...
The Ark was to be constructed of wood and covered with pure gold. This is symbolic of Jesus being 100% man and 100% God. The wood symbolizes the humanity of Jesus and the gold the deity of Jesus.
In this passage, we learn that the "Testimony" was to be placed in the Ark. The Testimony was the Ten Commandments. Later, God tells Moses to place two other objects into the Ark. They are a gold jar of manna and Aaron's rod that budded (Hebrews 9:4). The Testimony points us to Jesus because He completely fulfilled the Law. The manna reminds us that Jesus is truly the Bread of Life and our Satisfier and Sustainer. The rod points directly to the resurrection of Christ. The rod was a dead piece of wood that came to life. I hope we never forget that our Savior was as dead as that stick, but rose from the dead to give us new life.
I have always had a deep reverence for the Ark of God, but from studying the past few weeks I have been amazed at how it points directly to Jesus and what He did for us. Thank Him today for fulfilling the Law because we never could have. Thank Him for being our Bread of Life. Lastly, thank Him for coming back from the dead so that we might live.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Offerings for the Tabernacle
Exodus 25:1-8
We have skipped a few chapters in Exodus, because this time of year I really want to focus on Jesus. Now you may be asking what do Exodus and Jesus have in common? Well, we may be surprised to find out that there is actually a lot of information about Jesus in Exodus. The Tabernacle that God told Moses to construct for Him is actually a picture of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Every piece and every piece's placement point us directly to Jesus. We are going to spend some time looking at that this week.
Today I want us to focus on the first eight verses of chapter 25. The Israelites were to bring offerings to God in order to build the Tabernacle. The things that they were to bring were of great value and God was very specific about the types of offerings that would be acceptable and why they would be acceptable.
The only offerings that would be acceptable were ones that were offered from someone whose "heart [prompted] him to give". Have you ever been prompted to give to something or someone? When we are prompted to give, we must not ignore this. Many times it is truly the Holy Spirit and if we are obedient, we will be taking part in His work. God only wanted offerings from people who truly wanted to give. To me, even the offerings point to Christ because Christ freely came to Earth and gave His life for us. (See John 10:18)
The offerings also had to be the best of what the Israelites possessed. Now, let's remember that these people just came out of slavery. Where did they get all of these costly possessions? The Egyptians gave them to them as they were leaving Egypt. The Egyptians were prompted by God to give these costly items to the Israelites. Therefore, the very things that God was asking for as an offering had been really been given to them by Him in the first place.
Isn't that how it is with us as well? Everything we have has been given is from God. We are merely a steward of it. With that in mind, do we willingly give off the top of what He has given us or do we just give whatever we have left? Do we give God our best? Do we give Him the things that are hard to let go of like our families knowing that they belong to Him more than they will ever belong to us?
This Christmas season, I pray that we will give our best of what God has given us. He gave His life. What will you give in return?
We have skipped a few chapters in Exodus, because this time of year I really want to focus on Jesus. Now you may be asking what do Exodus and Jesus have in common? Well, we may be surprised to find out that there is actually a lot of information about Jesus in Exodus. The Tabernacle that God told Moses to construct for Him is actually a picture of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Every piece and every piece's placement point us directly to Jesus. We are going to spend some time looking at that this week.
Today I want us to focus on the first eight verses of chapter 25. The Israelites were to bring offerings to God in order to build the Tabernacle. The things that they were to bring were of great value and God was very specific about the types of offerings that would be acceptable and why they would be acceptable.
The only offerings that would be acceptable were ones that were offered from someone whose "heart [prompted] him to give". Have you ever been prompted to give to something or someone? When we are prompted to give, we must not ignore this. Many times it is truly the Holy Spirit and if we are obedient, we will be taking part in His work. God only wanted offerings from people who truly wanted to give. To me, even the offerings point to Christ because Christ freely came to Earth and gave His life for us. (See John 10:18)
The offerings also had to be the best of what the Israelites possessed. Now, let's remember that these people just came out of slavery. Where did they get all of these costly possessions? The Egyptians gave them to them as they were leaving Egypt. The Egyptians were prompted by God to give these costly items to the Israelites. Therefore, the very things that God was asking for as an offering had been really been given to them by Him in the first place.
Isn't that how it is with us as well? Everything we have has been given is from God. We are merely a steward of it. With that in mind, do we willingly give off the top of what He has given us or do we just give whatever we have left? Do we give God our best? Do we give Him the things that are hard to let go of like our families knowing that they belong to Him more than they will ever belong to us?
This Christmas season, I pray that we will give our best of what God has given us. He gave His life. What will you give in return?
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The Ten Commandments - 9&10
Exodus 20:1-17
We have reached the end. The last two commandments in the moral law of God. I hope you have enjoyed studying this with me and have gained some insight into how God would have us to live. These commandments are not for God's benefit. They are for ours. His ways are always best in our lives. When we follow what He says, we will always be happier. And yes, I think God wants us to be happy!
The Ninth Commandment: "You shall not give false testimony."
This command has two indications. First, "testimony" is a legal term, therefore it is wrong to perjur oneself in a court of law. But, we know that God desires "truth in the inner parts" (Psalm 51:6) and therefore this command also tells us to be truthful in every aspect of our lives. This is extremely difficult. What about in circumstances where telling the truth would hurt someone or in situation where we are unsure what the truth is? Again, as with all the commands, there is no way to keep this commandment aside from the Holy Spirit truly living in us and through us. We must fill ourselves with truth and the only real truth is God's Word. Let's allow this commandment to serve as a reminder to stay in the truth's of God's Word and to meditate on it. Only then will we be able to speak the truth in love.
The Tenth Commandment: "You shall not covet."
This commandment is probably the most convicting and revealing for anyone living in the materialistic culture that we live in. Millions of dollars are spent daily on marketing to convince us that what we have is not good enough and that if we have more, we will be satisfied. This is a big lie that I'm sure we have all bought into in one way or another. While it is not wrong to want to better our lives, (such as a child that grew up poor, but as adult worked extremely hard to provide a better life for himself and his family), it is wrong to want things or a certain life just because another person has it. This sin also leads to other sins, such as adultery or stealing.
If you have not enjoyed taking a deep look at these commandments, you are not alone. It is hard to truly look at God's standard and then look in the mirror and see how far we fall short. The Israelites heard these commandments and were terrified. They did not even want to hear the voice of God and asked Moses to speak to them instead. It is difficult to listen to the voice of God at times, but what has God revealed to you about yourself? And more importantly, what will you do about it?
Before we end, I want to encourage you that the law cannot save us and was never meant to. It shows us how much we fall short in order to drive us to a Savior. Will you approach Him today in humility and ask Him for forgiveness? Fall on your knees before Him. He is already waiting for you.
We have reached the end. The last two commandments in the moral law of God. I hope you have enjoyed studying this with me and have gained some insight into how God would have us to live. These commandments are not for God's benefit. They are for ours. His ways are always best in our lives. When we follow what He says, we will always be happier. And yes, I think God wants us to be happy!
The Ninth Commandment: "You shall not give false testimony."
This command has two indications. First, "testimony" is a legal term, therefore it is wrong to perjur oneself in a court of law. But, we know that God desires "truth in the inner parts" (Psalm 51:6) and therefore this command also tells us to be truthful in every aspect of our lives. This is extremely difficult. What about in circumstances where telling the truth would hurt someone or in situation where we are unsure what the truth is? Again, as with all the commands, there is no way to keep this commandment aside from the Holy Spirit truly living in us and through us. We must fill ourselves with truth and the only real truth is God's Word. Let's allow this commandment to serve as a reminder to stay in the truth's of God's Word and to meditate on it. Only then will we be able to speak the truth in love.
The Tenth Commandment: "You shall not covet."
This commandment is probably the most convicting and revealing for anyone living in the materialistic culture that we live in. Millions of dollars are spent daily on marketing to convince us that what we have is not good enough and that if we have more, we will be satisfied. This is a big lie that I'm sure we have all bought into in one way or another. While it is not wrong to want to better our lives, (such as a child that grew up poor, but as adult worked extremely hard to provide a better life for himself and his family), it is wrong to want things or a certain life just because another person has it. This sin also leads to other sins, such as adultery or stealing.
If you have not enjoyed taking a deep look at these commandments, you are not alone. It is hard to truly look at God's standard and then look in the mirror and see how far we fall short. The Israelites heard these commandments and were terrified. They did not even want to hear the voice of God and asked Moses to speak to them instead. It is difficult to listen to the voice of God at times, but what has God revealed to you about yourself? And more importantly, what will you do about it?
Before we end, I want to encourage you that the law cannot save us and was never meant to. It shows us how much we fall short in order to drive us to a Savior. Will you approach Him today in humility and ask Him for forgiveness? Fall on your knees before Him. He is already waiting for you.
Monday, December 1, 2008
The Ten Commandments - 7&8
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and "Black Friday"! We definitely had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family. We have so much to be thankful for! I also wanted to let you know that on "Black Friday" I got in line at Office Depot at about 3:45 a.m. to get the doorbuster computer - you know we have been needing a new computer! And I got it!! They had seven and I was seventh in line! Okay, with that let's get on with it!
Exodus 20:1-17
The Seventh Commandment: "You shall not commit adultery."
As we try to teach these commandments to our boys, Joel is at the age where he wants to know what everything means. So he immediately asked "what is adultery"? While we do not feel that four is an appropriate age to explain everything there is to know about sex, we do not want to avoid his questions. The way we explained it was to say that adultery is when you pretend either in real life or in your mind that you are married to someone else. That has satisfied him for now, but as he gets older, we truly want to teach what this commandment means to the best of our ability.
So what does it mean? Jesus clarified what the godly standard is in Matthew 5:27-28 which says,
You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
This means that if we even look at someone and think about being with them sexually or even intimately, we have broken this commandment. Why is this so important to God? If sex is a gift, why can't we do it with just anyone? The reason is because sexual intimacy is truly a representation of Christ and the church. Sexual intimacy with one's spouse is holy in the same way that one's intimacy with Christ is holy. The standard is holiness. But, who is holy among man? None of us are and have no hope without Christ. The standards of this commandment are unattainable without Christ and the sooner that the Church admits that and admits that Christians struggle with it as well, the sooner I believe we will see a difference in our society in this area. As long as the Church continues to be silent on sex and sweep sexual matters under the rug, Satan will be able to continue to deceive others into believing that they are the only ones that struggle with sexual sins. Shame and isolation is his game and how he keeps believers in chains.
The Eighth Commandment: "You shall not steal"
Unfortunately, I wish this one was going to be an easy one, but I recently read some statistics that said that a large percentage of people in many countries would steal from someone if they knew the other person would not miss it. That probably does not characterize you and me, but the other statistic was that most employees spend about one work day in five doing absolutely nothing productive. That one might hit a little closer to home.
Another way that we break this commandment is by stealing others time. I know this may sound legalistic, but if we are continuously late for everything and everyone always has to wait on us, we are stealing. We also break this commandment by talking excessively on the phone with others, especially if they are busy and have told us so! So many times I will spend 20-30 minutes on the phone letting my other responsibilities go and then miss out on time with my family. I have stolen precious time from my family when I make that choice. The phone does not have to rule our lives!! I am not saying we should never talk on the phone, but I am saying that we must be mindful of our time and others time as well.
Pray about these two commandments today asking God to show you again if there is anywhere He wants you to change. Ask Him to bring to mind any habitual ways you are breaking these commandments. If He shows you any sin, confess and repent and ask Him to change your heart today.
Exodus 20:1-17
The Seventh Commandment: "You shall not commit adultery."
As we try to teach these commandments to our boys, Joel is at the age where he wants to know what everything means. So he immediately asked "what is adultery"? While we do not feel that four is an appropriate age to explain everything there is to know about sex, we do not want to avoid his questions. The way we explained it was to say that adultery is when you pretend either in real life or in your mind that you are married to someone else. That has satisfied him for now, but as he gets older, we truly want to teach what this commandment means to the best of our ability.
So what does it mean? Jesus clarified what the godly standard is in Matthew 5:27-28 which says,
You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
This means that if we even look at someone and think about being with them sexually or even intimately, we have broken this commandment. Why is this so important to God? If sex is a gift, why can't we do it with just anyone? The reason is because sexual intimacy is truly a representation of Christ and the church. Sexual intimacy with one's spouse is holy in the same way that one's intimacy with Christ is holy. The standard is holiness. But, who is holy among man? None of us are and have no hope without Christ. The standards of this commandment are unattainable without Christ and the sooner that the Church admits that and admits that Christians struggle with it as well, the sooner I believe we will see a difference in our society in this area. As long as the Church continues to be silent on sex and sweep sexual matters under the rug, Satan will be able to continue to deceive others into believing that they are the only ones that struggle with sexual sins. Shame and isolation is his game and how he keeps believers in chains.
The Eighth Commandment: "You shall not steal"
Unfortunately, I wish this one was going to be an easy one, but I recently read some statistics that said that a large percentage of people in many countries would steal from someone if they knew the other person would not miss it. That probably does not characterize you and me, but the other statistic was that most employees spend about one work day in five doing absolutely nothing productive. That one might hit a little closer to home.
Another way that we break this commandment is by stealing others time. I know this may sound legalistic, but if we are continuously late for everything and everyone always has to wait on us, we are stealing. We also break this commandment by talking excessively on the phone with others, especially if they are busy and have told us so! So many times I will spend 20-30 minutes on the phone letting my other responsibilities go and then miss out on time with my family. I have stolen precious time from my family when I make that choice. The phone does not have to rule our lives!! I am not saying we should never talk on the phone, but I am saying that we must be mindful of our time and others time as well.
Pray about these two commandments today asking God to show you again if there is anywhere He wants you to change. Ask Him to bring to mind any habitual ways you are breaking these commandments. If He shows you any sin, confess and repent and ask Him to change your heart today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)