So, after the golden calf incident, when God was so angry he was going to kill EVERYONE and start over with Moses, and the Levites kill quite a few of them, the remaining Israelites donate enough gold and precious materials for the Tabernacle that the artisans have to make them stop. So here’s my question: … Read more
The golden calf. Moses is up on the mountain so long the people of Israel assume he’s dead and demand a replacement. Some of the language suggests that perhaps the calf was a replacement for Moses rather than God: not so much a new deity as… a new point of access. So, a violation of … Read more
What caught my attention reading these chapters was the preparation of artisans to construct and decorate the Tabernacle. When God asks you to do something, it very well may be too big for you. Maybe you just need to trust him to supply the skill or guidance, but maybe he’s preparing a team for you. … Read more
The one thing that caught my attention reading about the priestly garments was the description “for glory and splendor.” These men are serving God. They are to be resplendent! The robes are expensive, colorful, and obvious. They are to catch the eye. They are to be impressive. They are to be glorious. I don’t know … Read more
The complete details of the Tabernacle. I think I understand why it’s important that we know God himself provided these instructions. I mean, maybe. No one could claim the honor of having designed the holy places, their name forever recited with the history of the structure. “And to the left we have the blueprints for … Read more
Oh, the beginning of the lovely law passages that will continue through Leviticus and Deuteronomy. They’re thick. They’re heavy. They’re boring. By and large, they’re difficult. You know what I take away from this passage? What jumps out at me the most? The emphasis on justice and protecting the vulnerable. Justice is about righting the … Read more
God is a jealous God. He makes this abundantly clear. He puts considerable emphasis on this. He will not tolerate his people worshiping anything or anyone else. This is so central to everything that he declares he will visit any iniquity to the third and fourth generations. That sounds like he will punish innocent children … Read more
I want to focus on Moses and his father-in-law today. We get taught about the manna and the water from the rock all the time. I haven’t had enough sermons on Jethro and his good advice. Or better yet, on how Moses took that advice. Jethro came to visit his son-in-law, to escort his daughter … Read more
All of that. All ten plagues. Passover and the death of the firstborn. And they still grumble pretty much immediately. “Did you bring us out here to die?” “We never asked for this.” For crying out loud. I do not understand. I don’t think I ever will. I mean, I’ve seen enough in my life … Read more
Passover. I don’t have a lot to say about it. I’m not a historian or Jewish scholar, so I strongly encourage you to look up what this feast has meant to the Jewish people throughout history, what it means to them today, what it would have meant to them at the time of Christ. What … Read more