Exodus 29-31, A High Calling

Posted on by

Exodus 29 goes into great detail as to how the priests of the Lord were to be consecrated. Now, the word consecrate is such a “churchy” word that most of us uses regularly but don’t always know the true meaning of. Below is the definition from the Holeman Dictionary:

CONSECRATION refers to persons or things being separated to or belonging to God. They are holy or sacred. They are set apart for the service of God. The Hebrew kadosh and Greek hagiazo are translated by several different English words: holy, consecrate, hallow, sanctify, dedicate.

What sticks out to me is that it means the person would be separated from everyone else, declared holy and also belonging to God. The definition goes on to say that those who were consecrated, were also set apart for God’s demands and service.

This passage is relevant to us in many ways. Although we don’t have to go through alot of the ceremony, when we are in Christ, we are considered a holy priesthood. Just like Aaron and his sons in the Old Testament.

1 Peter 2:9-11 (The Message)
9-10But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

I love this version of the 1 Peter from the Message. We are CHOSEN for the high calling of being holy and working as God’s instruments.

Before you reread Exodus 29 and start freaking out about the priestly duties of Aaron to perform all of the animal sacrifices, don’t worry! The symbolism in the animal sacrifices was that the animal took the place of dying for them. God is pure and holy and demands nothing but holiness in His presence. Therefore, He demands a blood sacrifice to make up for that sinfulness. This is relevant to us since Jesus became that blood sacrifice and took our place in death. Because of the Cross, we are able to be set apart and a holy priesthood in His service.

Chapter 29 also goes into great detail about the garments Aaron was to wear. These garments were to be ornate and beautiful; not just everyday wear. This signifies the holiness of the situation in which they were dressing up for. We too are to be clothed in beautiful and ornate wear once we are set apart and made holy for God.

Isaiah 61:10 (English Standard Version)
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

As servants and instruments of God, our special clothing is salvation and righteousness. Isaiah likens this clothing to beautiful jewels and headdresses. God even has special clothing for us to wear. And, it sounds better than anything you could find on a shopping spree at the mall!!

So, once we have been made holy by the sacrifice of Christ and clothed in His beautiful salvation and righteousness, we are set to go and serve the LORD by exclaiming His excellence and great power. Sounds like a huge task not to be taken lightly. Start today, accept the challenge of being a royal priest with honor and dignity and go forth to serve the Lord with joy and gladness.

LIVE IT OUT! application:
What does it mean to you that being a holy priest for the Lord is a high calling? Does this scare you? Take that to the Lord asking Him to give you excitement and courage to take on the calling with exuberance and stamina.

Exodus 26-28, Intricate Details

Posted on by

This passage contains all of the minute details of how God wanted Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle. I was struck by the intricacies of the directions and couldn’t help but meditate on the fact that God required such a detailed, beautiful intricate dwelling place. Of course, I should not be surprised that He wanted the dwelling place to be awe inspiring and set apart from just the regular old tents that the Israelites carried around.

Take a look at these chapters and noticed how many times God required gold, silver and bronze. Can you imagine how bright and shiny this thing was? God called for nothing less than the purest of these precious metals. This dwelling place was to be like nothing they had ever seen.

Why all the trouble? I think God wanted this Ark and Tabernacle to be set apart. He wanted there to be no question that this dwelling place was Holy and pure and precious. Remember, this dwelling place was for the King of Kings; a King deserves the best and the most beautiful.

But, keep in mind, these materials and designs were of earthly things. We have so much more to look forward to when we worship the Lord in heaven. When we come to see Him face to face at His throne, this will be like nothing our human mind could ever fathom. Colors, textures, brightness, shine; we will be awe struck at His presence. The final chapters of Revelation give us a glimpse of what we have to look forward to:

Revelation 21:3
3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

If you read further in that chapter, it goes on to describe what the New Jerusalem will be like. Really cool description. Here is what it say the foundation of the city will be like:

Revelation 21:18-21

18The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[a] 21The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.

Just let your imagination take over and think about what this will really look like. Pretty amazing. Of course, should we really expect anything less from our AMAZING LORD?!

Exodus 23-25, God’s dwelling Place

Posted on by

Ok, so I know it was super hard to wade through the previous chapters about the Law that the Lord laid down for Moses and the Israelites. We must remember that we won’t find every single chapter of the Bible directly speaking to us. But, out of obedience, it is so important to read every chapter so that we know the whole context of each book of the Bible.

After God lays down the Law, He instructs Moses to make a dwelling place for Himself. This is called the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle. Chapter 25 goes into detail of the Ark. Now, there is, yet again, alot of symbolism that I don’t even begin to know. But, I was captivated about the notion that God would have a dwelling place among Israel. God’s physical presence would be within the Ark of the Covenant.

Verse 8: And let them make a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.

Chew on that for a moment-God dwelling among them. The LORD of LORDS, KING OF KINGS making His presence known among His chosen people. How can that not excite you?! Later on, once established, they would build that amazing temple where the Lord would dwell. But, this Ark of the Covenant was a portable contraption that Israel would carry as they were wandering in the desert. Now, don’t get me wrong. This is not like they were “putting God in a box” and God was only in this Ark. No, this was a place where God would come and meet with Moses.

So, you might be thinking, this is interesting and all, but what does it have to do with me? Everything! You see, the Lord dwells in you right now if you believe in Christ as Lord and Savior. You don’t have to carry around an ark. His Holy Spirit lives and dwells with you and you are always in His presence. This means that you have access to the King any time, any place with ANY matter you want to discuss with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:10 says that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Access to the King. Take advantage of that right now. Go to Him with your troubles, hurts, worries, praises, blessings and excitements. He wants to hear it. He welcomes you into His presence ready and willing to show you His majesty and power over all of our circumstances, good and bad.