Re: Verse reading–Exodus 39:32, 42-43; 40:1-2, 16-17, 32-38 (day four) The Israelites had done all that God had commanded them through Moses. They had followed His instructions to the letter. For once, they had done good. Verse 43 says, “So Moses blessed them.” Moses spoke good words to them…he praised them for their obedience. Words of blessing and encouragement can lift the spirit of everyone. Do you like to receive praise from your authority…your boss, your parent? Parents (especially Fathers)…do you bless your child with the words of Scripture? Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” A spoken blessing is a prayer. Giving your child a spoken blessing will help them to strengthen their character, to face temptations, or to walk in wisdom. For your children to hear you pronounce blessing into their life will impact them immeasurably. Spoken blessings call on us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as we pronounce these prayers. Remember…death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Author: Larry Soape
Larry Soape is the Associate Pastor for Median & Senior Adults, and Missions at FBCSA.
An Exact Representation
Re: Verse reading–Exodus 35:4-10; 20-35; 36:2-7 (day four)
Who would have ever known that the atonement of man would look like gold, silver, bronze, fine linen, and acacia wood? When God plundered the Egyptians as the Israelites left Egypt, gave Moses very detailed design instructions, and placed understanding, knowledge and craftsmanship in Bezalel and Oholiab…He had a specific plan for worship. The Tabernacle was to be the place of worship for Israel, but more importantly, it was a picture of Christ and His work of atonement. It was to be an exact picture…a shadow…of the true Tabernacle in heaven. To give an inaccurate picture of God’s plan for redemption was not an option. God rightly demanded an exact representation so that mankind would know the singular plan for redemption. God’s instructions are for a purpose…when He gives us directions in Scripture it is for a purpose. Our obedience is required to give an exact picture of the reality of heaven. Christianity is not just a list of rules…it is a relationship. We are to be a picture of our Creator God and His Kingdom work!
Hold Fast to His Word
Re: Verse reading–Exodus 32:1-19, 30-33; 33:12-17; 34:1-7 (day four) They were an obstinate people. No sooner had they pledged their obedience to God, than they turned to idolatry and sin. Moses was careful to protect God’s reputation. He pleaded with God to forgive them and to hold His anger against them. Holding the tablets with God’s own handwriting on them, Moses was convincing to God not to be angry with the Israelites. God relented of his anger. Then Moses turned to go down to the people. In his hands were still the tablets with God’s writing engraved on them. When Moses came into the camp and saw what was going on, his anger burned. He threw the stone tablets down and shattered them. Had God made the offer again to destroy the people at that time, Moses might have taken Him up on the offer. By the next day though, Moses returned to his position of intercession. Moses was true to his call…God tasked him with leading Israel to the Promised Land and he was faithful to his responsibility. Moses held fast to God’s Word.
Our Sovereign God
Re: Verse reading–Exodus 25:1-11, 17-18, 23-24, 31-32; 26:1-2, 7-8; 27:1-2; 29:43-46 (day four)
The Lord spoke to Moses and called for the Israelites to bring a contribution for the purpose of building a Tabernacle for Him. But wait…the Israelites have been slaves for over 400 years. How could they possibly have anything to bring as a contribution to the Lord? Remember back to Exodus 12:35-36…God told them to ask the Egyptians for silver, gold, and clothing. God caused the Israelites to have favor in the eyes of the Egyptians and they plundered Egypt. God provided for the needs of the Israelites, even before they knew that they had a need. How often God does that! Before we even know that we have a need, He has prepared a supply. God may move in the heart of someone to provide food in the time of hunger, to provide protection in the time of danger, to provide supply in the time of need, or to send a witness in the time of crisis. God is a sovereign God!
God’s Glory
Re: Verse reading–Exodus 24 (day four) God is initiating a covenant with Israel. It is a covenant based on all of the words of the Law that He delivered to Moses. Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy elders of Israel saw the God of Israel. What an awesome sight! Yet, He did not stretch out His hand against them. When Isaiah received his commission (Isaiah 6), he too saw the Lord. He was afraid for his life. It pleased God to give these leaders a glimpse of His glory to inspire them to lead. What will it take for us to lead? We have the written Word of God…thousands of years of His working to redeem mankind. We have the Gospel message…Jesus died for our sins and rose from the grave…paying the full price for our sin. When we obey the Gospel, we have the Holy Spirit, living within us to give us understanding and power. We may not have seen the Lord physically, but we have seen His hand at work. Are we going to lead?
Consequences
Re: Verse reading–Exodus 21:1-2, 7-17, 22-27; 22:21-31; 23:1-12 (day four)
There are consequences for every action…prices to pay for offending the law. God’s word is law. There is a price to pay for disobeying His word. In the garden, Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command. Sin entered the world and mankind is born under that sin. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…” Death is the consequence for sin. When Christ died on the cross, He paid the price for our sin. When He rose from the grave, He had victory over sin. Our consequences were not just cancelled, they were paid in full. We often hear of a victim of a crime forgiving the criminal, but there are still consequences, even though they are forgiven. Jesus didn’t just forgive, He paid the price, He suffered the consequences in our place. We can stand before God justified, only through Jesus Christ.
Written in Stone
Re: Verse reading–Exodus 20:1-17 (day four) We have a saying…”It is written in stone!” We mean that it is established, unchangeable, and permanent. God’s 10 commandments were written in stone. As important as they were to the Israelites then, God had even greater plans for His Laws. Romans 2:12-16 tells us that those who have the Law will be judged by the Law, those who do not have the Law will be judged by the Law written on their hearts. God’s intention was never justification for the Israelites alone. He wrote His Law on the hearts of the Gentiles as well. We are each judged by our obedience to God’s Law. It is not the letter of the Law that saves, it is Christ in our hearts…God’s Law written on our heart off flesh. When we, by faith, respond to the invitation of Christ, we receive justification before God that was never achievable through tablets of stone.
Unshaken
Re: Verse reading–Exodus 19:1-12, 16-22 (day four)
It was a fearsome experience…the children of Israel had never seen anything like it. The Lord descended on Mt. Sinai with thunder and lightning…smoke and earthquake…trumpet and fire. The people trembled. What an awesome display of power! The writer of Hebrews said, “But you have come to Mount Zion…” (Hebrews 12:18-24) If you think His warning on earth was fierce, wait until you see His warning from heaven. You do not want to refuse Him! (Hebrews 12:25-29) The earth trembled at Mt. Sinai, but at Mt. Zion, the things that can be shaken will be removed. The new covenant promises a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We must serve God with acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. With gratitude, we serve a holy and omnipotent God!
What Is It?
Re: Verse reading–Exodus 15:22-27; 16:1-18 (day four)
Verse 15 – When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.” The Israelites knew that God was sending food…they would have meat in the evening and bread in the morning. When they saw it in the morning though, they did not know what it was. They didn’t recognize God’s provision. God later promised them a Messiah…one who would come and save them. For years they waited and anticipated the arrival of their messiah that would deliver Israel from their oppressors. A baby was born…maybe He was the one…but He had no army and then He was crucified. Israel saw the Messiah and said, “What is it?” They didn’t recognize God’s provision. How often do we miss God’s provision in our lives simply because it doesn’t look like we expect?
Let God Do His Part
Re: Verse reading–Exodus 14:1-4, 10-31; 15:1-2, 20-21 (day four) There are some things that we are responsible to do and some things that God takes responsibility to do. Verse 15-17 says, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. 16 As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land. As for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.” Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade had a definition for witnessing. “Successful witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.” Key for us is to know and do what we should be doing and letting God do what He is responsible for. He is glorified through our obedience and trust!