Posts that reference the book of Exodus

A Holy Priesthood: Obedient

Peter says believers are a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5), drawing parallels with the priesthood established under the Law. Peter packs a lot of information and theological truth in that one metaphor. So let’s take a few posts to break down what Peter wants us to understand. The first thing is God has cleansed us from our sin. We are specially clothed. We are anointed for service. As we serve, we must remain obedient.

Old Testament priests were expected to obey God’s commands

We don’t know how much time passed between the ordination and installation of the priests in Leviticus 8-9 and the beginning chapter 10, but it was relatively soon after. Moses records

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the LORD spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored.'” So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.
Leviticus 10:1-3

Nadab and Abihu were Aaron’s two oldest sons. In Exodus 24:1. They were privileged to be called to an intimate meeting in God’s presence with the elders of Israel on Mt. Sinai. They had been through extensive preparation for their roles just like Aaron their father had been. And they knew what was expected of them. In spite of that, they were disobedient and disrespectful. This was a capital offense. Aaron, even in his shock and grief, understood.

Later in the Old Testament, the prophets, especially Jeremiah and Ezekiel, denounce the priests who have completely abandoned the role and charge God entrusted them with. Consider these pronouncements in Ezekiel:

Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. … Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 22:26, 31

Obedience is the mark of believers

A follower of Christ is one who obeys His teachings and commands and imitates His life. It is preposterous to suggest we can believe Christ for salvation and then reject everything else He said. Hearing and doing are irrevocably tied together. At the end of Luke 6. Jesus tells a parable about a wise builder and a foolish builder. The key difference? The wise builder hears Jesus’s words and obeys them. Later in Luke 17, in a parable about a servanthood, Jesus tells His followers:

“So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ”
Luke 17:10

It is our duty to do what we have been commanded to do. And in the Great Commission, Jesus further says, we must teach new believers to obey His commands. The New Living Translation puts it simply.

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20

If we don’t obey, are we in danger of being consumed by fire? That’s the wrong question. We have a completely different motivation as believers. Paul explains (in one of my favorite verses) in Galatians

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

The life I now live is one of faith in Christ and constant recognition of what He has done for me. Obedience flows naturally from that. If we are struggling to obey, we need to revisit Christ’s sacrifice for us and what He saved us from.

Next up, we’ll begin looking at what we as believers do as part of a holy priesthood.

A Holy Priesthood: Clothed

By Paula Wiseman

Peter says believers are a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5), drawing parallels with the priesthood established under the Law. Peter packs a lot of information and theological truth in that one metaphor. So let’s take a few posts to break down what Peter wants us to understand. The first thing is God has cleansed us from our sin. This week, let’s consider how priests are clothed.

Old Testament priests wore specific clothes.

In Exodus 28, God details how Aaron and his sons (and all future priests) should be clothed in order to enter God’s presence and serve in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. The overall purpose is the convey the authority of the priest as God’s representative to the people.

First, he had an ephod. An ephod was essentially a tunic. It was a sleeveless garment, in this case made of linen, but with beautiful stitchwork. It was always worn with a breastplate. The breastplate had precious stones inset in, each one representing one of the twelve tribes. It also had the Urim and Thummin. The breastplate’s purpose was to show the priest represented the people before God and that he carefully discerned God’s will. He also had a high priest’s robe that was worn under the ephod. While Scripture gives more details, consider the bells around the hem of the robe. The priest could not enter the Holy Place or serve without those little bells jingling. He had a linen tunic to wear under everything. Finally, he had a turban with a gold nameplate at the front inscribed HOLY TO THE LORD. All of these served as a reminder that everything the priest did was done as part of God’s consecrated purposes.

Believers are clothed in righteousness.

While believers may change their actual clothes as a matter of modesty or propriety, our clothing is more figurative. Paul explains to the Ephesians that they should now “put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). The righteousness is not our own but what was imputed to us by Christ.

Just as the Old Testament priests had other pieces in their wardrobe, we should add to the righteousness. In Colossians 3:12-14, Paul says we are to put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering and love. All of those help us in our mission to bring others into the kingdom. We carry a burden for others and joyfully serve and minister to them. We depend on God for direction. We never lose sight that everything we say and do is consecrated to God.

Of course, there is much more detail and symbolism with the priests’ garments. (Perhaps that’s a series for another time.) But even in this quick overview, we see that we represent God best when we are clothed as He prescribed, reflecting His character.

The next step for Aaron and his sons was anointing. Next week we’ll see what that means for us.

Revival After Sin

By Paula Wiseman

A new year is a good time to take stock and evaluate where we are compared to where we need to be. Many people, unhappy with that evaluation will make resolutions, and it’s no secret most of those people will abandon those commitments within a few days. As believers, we may be less in need of a resolution and more in need of REVIVAL. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at some Biblical revivals to see what we may need. The first revival we’ll look at happened after a great sin committed by the people of Israel.

In Exodus 32, the people of Israel commit one of their gravest sins and enlist Aaron to make a golden calf for them to worship. Judgment falls. Moses intercedes for them, and there is repentance. God reaffirms His covenant with the people in Exodus 34:10-11, then goes on to reiterate the responsibilities on the people. The people’s heart and spirits are stirred, and they respond with great offerings and a commitment to build and furnish the tabernacle. They also re-committed themselves to following God’s law.

Then near the end of Exodus, we read: “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” Exodus 40:34-35.

This is a very brief overview, and I definitely recommend reading the details in chapters 32-34 and 40, but even in this quick look, it’s clear the people needed a revival after their sin. Now, let’s consider the takeaways for us.

Revival is needed after sin.

Even if the sin wasn’t as egregious as Israel’s idolatry, we damage our relationship with God when we sin. Israel renewed their commitment to God by reviewing His laws and dedicating themselves to obeying everything God said. We too can review what God requires of us and rededicate ourselves to those standards. (Ephesians 4-6 can be a good place to start if you want to see how believers should behave in the world.)

Revival should be followed by action.

The people of Israel didn’t just talk about their failure and how things were going to be different. They generously offered all the materials to construct the Tabernacle. They diligently applied themselves to the task in whatever ways they could. In the same way, it does us no good to talk about how horribly we failed or the changes we’re going to make. We need to get to work. Change the habits that need changing. Take on the ministries God has been nudging us about. Commit to the spiritual disciplines. Lists of disciplines vary, but they include things like prayer, study, memorizing Scripture, fasting, and evangelism.) If we don’t follow through, then maybe our repentance and revival weren’t as sincere as we thought. If that’s the case, we need to start over.

Revival is honored by God.

When the people of Israel follow all of Moses’s instructions and properly set up the Tabernacle God’s Spirit fills up the space. The majesty of presence is overwhelming, to the point that Moses can’t even go inside. Since the moment of salvation, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit already living in us. In revival we experience more of His work and less of our own. Paul explained it to the Colossians this way: “[Y]ou have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator (Colossians 3:9-10).

When we sin, repentance and then revival help get us back on track. Next week we’ll look at the revival that happened during the prophet Samuel’s ministry.

On the Lord’s Side

By Paula

Then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the LORD’S side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. Exodus 32:26

Notice three things about Moses’s call.

It is personal. No one can make the decision for you.

It is public. The challenge is issued in front of the entire nation.

It is active. It requires that we separate ourselves.

Today and every day, you and I face that same challenge.

Am I, are you, on the LORD’S side?

Too Discouraged to See God at Work

By Paula

Exodus 6:9 “When Moses told this to the Israelites, they were too discouraged and mistreated to believe him.” (CEV)

Moses told them God had heard.
He was marshaling His mighty power on their behalf, fulfilling His promises, pouring out His grace.

And they couldn’t see it.
All they knew was their situation and how it left them.
Discouraged.
Despondent.
Beaten down.
Broken.

They couldn’t see His hand in their circumstances,
and yet, He was doing far more than they asked.

Is He working on my behalf in ways I can’t see?
Is He working on your behalf in ways you can’t see?

Yes.

Don’t believe me – pray like Elisha 2 Kings 6:17 “Open my eyes that I may see.”

Into the Wilderness: Wandering

By Paula

And the LORD’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone. Numbers 32:13

The dictionary defines a wilderness as uncultivated, uninhabited or undisturbed by human activity. A wilderness is also pathless. Metaphorically it is a bewildering situation.

No doubt many of us have had our own wilderness experiences- or have that to look forward to. As it turns out, Scripture has a lot to say about the wilderness and what happens there. We are most familiar with wandering, and we’ll look at that shortly.

But the wilderness is also a place of transition, restoration, instruction, temptation and communion. Over the next few weeks we’ll take a closer look at what happens when we go into the wilderness.

We know the story of Israel’s rebellion in the desert. God brought to the very edge of the Promised Land but they refused to cross over and take it. Because of that fateful decision, God turned them back to the desert of Sinai for forty years until the entire generation died off.

It is easy to focus on the tragedy of Israel’s disobedience and loss. Yes, it was a time of judgment. Yes, God’s anger was roused against His people. But God was doing so much more.

He sustained them – Nehemiah explains, “Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, They lacked nothing; Their clothes did not wear out And their feet did not swell.” Nehemiah 9:21 The judgment did not fall without a provision for how God was going to take care of His people through it. This was an important reminder for the generation returning from Babylonian captivity, a seventy-year judgment. God sustained His people in the wilderness and He sustained them in Babylon.

We can also take heart. When our rebellion and sin pushes us out of God’s will, He does not abandon us. No, even then He sustains us.

He did miracles – In Deuteronomy 8, Moses recounts how God provided water from a rock and manna. Their crowd of former slaves defeated sizable armies. When the fiery serpents came in another judgment, God granted miraculous relief. There was the cloud and the fire. The Jordan River parted, and on and on. God never ceased working on behalf of His people.

Even when we feel distant from God, He continues to work in mercy and grace all around us.

He proved them – “And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not” (Deuteronomy 8:2). This is not to say that God didn’t already know, but after their time in the wilderness, Israel knew that the big promises they made back in Exodus 19:8 (“All that the LORD has spoken we will do.”) couldn’t be half-hearted lip service. We see this in the New Testament as followers of Jesus walked away when the reality of discipleship became clear.

During our days in the wilderness we learn if we are following God or our version of Him, and what our motivation is.

He restored them – The promises of a land flowing with milk and honey were not forfeited because of Israel’s failures. The realization of those promises was delayed. Israel remained God’s chosen people and He restored them to Himself once His anger had been satisfied.

No matter what, a wilderness experience is never permanent. God is always ready and willing to restore us.

Several of the psalms celebrate God’s care for Israel while they were in the wilderness. It is a testimony to His patience and His grace toward His people. However, we must never presume upon that grace and choose to transgress against Him. Paul breaks down that argument in Romans 6.

Not every wilderness experience is a result of our rebellion. Next week we’ll see how time away is sometimes necessary for a transition to the next thing God has for us.

Want to read more about the Wilderness?
The Wilderness
Hearing the Voice in the Wilderness

A Holy Priesthood: Obedient

Old Testament priests were expected to obey God’s commands

Obedience is the mark of believers

A Holy Priesthood: Clothed

Old Testament priests wore specific clothes.

Believers are clothed in righteousness.

Revival After Sin

Revival is needed after sin.

Revival should be followed by action.

Revival is honored by God.

On the Lord’s Side

Too Discouraged to See God at Work

Into the Wilderness: Wandering

Encounters Series

Covenant of Trust Series

Foundations Series