January 26–Exodus 37-40

“The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:35).

It is an old word. Fascinating. Instructive. GLORY (Hebrew, kabod).

It originally meant weight. Something significant and heavy. Something substantial and durable in a plastic and temporary world. God’s GLORY is His heavy presence, His declaration and demonstration that He is valuable and permanent in a way that other things aren’t. God’s glory is an experience that helps us feel and know His significance.

When Bezalel (a man of Spirit-given talent) completed the artistic and architectural work, Moses set the tabernacle up. God’s response? The GLORY of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” It was a sign of His presence and approval.

In Scripture, glory is often associated with brilliant, beautiful light. Remember the Christmas story? “The glory of the Lord shone round about them.” The Exodus story has the same idea. At night the heavy cloud shone with heavenly light to assure the people of Israel. Please notice 40:36. When the cloud moved, the people did too. The believer’s only rule for life is to find the Lord and walk with Him. When we “follow” the Lord, He shines light and wisdom on our path.

Why should we seek Christ? Because He has glory! Everything else this world has is silly and temporary by comparison. He is the King of glory! See Psalm 24:8.

Do you hunger for significance, dear one? Do you hunger for permanence, value, safety, security? God has it. His glory shines and calls to us. Find Him! Walk with Him! Rest in Him!

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His GLORY” (John 1:14).

“When we walk with the Lord in the light of His word, what glory He sheds on our way” (Don Moen).

“Our greatest fear should not be failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter” (D. L. Moody).

January 25–Exodus 34-36

“He called upon the name of the Lord”(Exodus 34:5).

In Scripture, these words refer to prayer. The Lord’s NAME is His reputation and nature. As He reveals Himself to us, we are enabled and encouraged to make requests based on who we know Him to be. We, “call upon the name of the Lord.”

To call on the name is to ask God to be who He is, to accomplish what He desires in specific situations. Prayer is not asking God to make an exception to His own will. It is, rather, a bold request for Him to ACT according to His nature, to DISPLAY it!

As you read the text today, will you note the things Moses is learning about God’s name? In this amazing encounter, the Lord reveals His name and nature. He proclaims that He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness (v 34:6). Equally so, He is fearful and just, by no means leaving the guilty unpunished (v 34:7). Later, He teaches that He is jealous, demanding full, exclusive allegiance from those who love Him (v 34:14). Do you know this great God, dear one?

As I reflect back on years of prayer, I am amazed to see how often the unconscious script of my prayer was to convince God to do things “my way”. To soothe my anxiety, to provide things demanded by my immature desires and perspectives. Moses learned a better way. The first task of prayer is to see and adore the Great One as He is! When we recalibrate our ambitions and desires against the larger story of HIS GLORY, the words that follow will be eternally large and effective.

Dear reader, this morning, will you call on the name of the Lord?

“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties”(Oswald Chambers).

“If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it”(John 14:14).

January 24–Exodus 31-33

“Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, ‘Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses. . .we do not know what has become of him”(32:1).

Sad story. Familiar. The golden calf was a moment of great failure in Israel, a moment of sinful and deliberate rebellion against God’s rule.

Just days after God gave His law, days after His people promised obedience (see 19:8), they broke the Second Commandment! God’s clear command was for His people to hold a Spiritual, infinite image of God. NO idols. NO physical, visual representations of the Divine. When stress came, with almost total lack of awareness, the people disobeyed this high (and hard) assignment. Does this sound familiar, dear reader?

Impatience was (is) part of the equation. The people were weary of waiting on Moses. They began to feel anxious. Like us, when fears came, they felt the need to take control. “Those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength,” says the Scripture. If we are unwilling to wait, we cannot follow Christ.

Independence is the deeper illness. The human race was (is) tragically broken by the Fall and the curse. “Sin dwells in me,” says Paul in Romans 7:17. When stress comes, or fear, or desire, the tendency of our flesh (our default, apart from the Spirit) is to take control, to trust self. “They are an obstinate people,” said the Lord to Moses (32:9). The Hebrew word is qase, (kaw-sheh), “hard, stubborn, stiff-necked.”

Friend, as you read this story today, will you look honestly at your own heart? “There is none righteous, not a single one” (Romans 3:10). Will you, with tears, recognize your own sinfulness? The spiritual reality of the human race is that we are lawbreakers, impatient and independent lawbreakers. “All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). God knows we were made for better.

“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above”(Robert Robinson).

“But the tax-collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “(Luke 18:13).

January 23–Exodus 28-30

“You shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod. . .and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for a memorial” (28:12).

Humans need help. Counsel. Assistance. Encouragement. Legal troubles? We consult an attorney. Illness? We call a physician.

Our Spiritual assignment is no different. We are not self-sufficient. God does not intend us to be.

In ancient Israel, God offered needed help through the High Priest. Aaron was the first to serve in this glorious office. Arrayed in beauty, offering sacrifices, burning incense as a symbol of constant prayer, the High Priest assisted the people in their relationship with God. He interceded for them. They (rightly) depended on him and loved him.

The New Testament later declares the failure of this original system. These priests, appointed by men, were, themselves, sinful. Their sacrifices had to be repeated because they could never actually take away sin. See Hebrews 10:11. The truth, however, remained. We all need help, and God is tenderly willing to provide it. Jesus FULFILLS the Old Testament office. Our Savior is the true and unfailing High Priest!

Like Aaron, and more competently than Aaron, JESUS carries the people of God on His shoulders and in His heart into the Holy Place (28:12, 30). HE is “Holy to the Lord,” but also sympathetic because He is “touched with the feelings of our infirmities” (Hebrews 4:15). HE is robed with garments of righteousness and offers His own blood (rather than that of lambs) as the perfect atonement.

Dear Reader, with eyes of faith, do you see Him, today? Your High Priest is standing before the Father! He is representing you, interceding for you! He is your Helper!

Does it give you confidence and courage to have such a glorious and beautiful intercessor? Does it convict you of pride that you would attempt to live without His necessary counsel? Does it convince you that fear is false because we are safe in His powerful hands?

Ancient Israel was given a High Priest. We have One even greater.

“Therefore, He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them”(Hebrews 7:25).

“I need Thee, O, I need Thee. Every hour I need Thee. O, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee” (Robert Lowry).

January 22–Exodus 25-27

“Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. . .See that you make them after the pattern for them which was shown to you on the mountain” (25:8,40).

Those who walk with God learn that He has a plan greater than we understand. Higher. More beautiful. “We see through a glass darkly,” said Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:12. Even the most faithful saint has only an elemental appreciation for all that God is doing. “I once was blind,” sings the familiar hymn. “In many ways, I still am,” says a needed second verse.

As Moses continued on the mountain with God, he (and the people) were given a new assignment. They were to raise a contribution and construct a sanctuary. (Hebrew, mik dawsh, “sacred place”).

God is always, in every moment, with us. Even so, He is most particularly and effectively with us in certain places, environments. There are sacred places. As we gather to Him in the places of His choosing, the eternal, infinite and invisible God promises to meet with us there. Is God only at the gathered church house? No, but He is most effectively there. “Where two or three are gathered together, there I will be” (Matthew 18:20).

This being so, Moses is carefully warned not to insert his own wisdom or creativity into the building of the sanctuary. “He was schooled in Egypt, but his wisdom was intellectual and earthly and would not work for him here” (F. B. Meyer). “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit, because they are Spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Moses is commanded to construct the tabernacle “after the pattern.”

Spiritual people are wise to heed this lesson. No pastor should lead the church of God without waiting on the Lord’s word or fully obeying it when it comes. The church needs a pattern. God’s pattern! No believer should be arrogant enough to believe that having received life by the Spirit, he can now accomplish the will of God without God’s wisdom. “If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,” says James 1:5.

Churches, Christians and nations are weak to the extent we forget this principle. God has a plan. It is beautiful and wise and deeper than we understand. As sons and soldiers in an invisible kingdom, our task and privilege is to do all things, “after the pattern.”

“The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing” (John 5:19).

“His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever He tells you’ ” (John 2:5).

January 21–Exodus 21-24

“These are the ordinances which you are to set before them” (Exodus 21:1).

Along with the Ten Commandments, God also gave His people civil and ceremonial laws. These laws reveal His commitment to a just society, guided by religious integrity.

While we, people of a new covenant, are not necessarily bound by these ancient civil and ceremonial laws, we ARE instructed by the wisdom reflected in them and by the influence that they have on our own legal system.

Notice, as you read today’s passage, the emphasis placed on the sanctity of life. Notice the provision of capital punishment as a deterrent. “He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death” (v. 21:12). God gives this fearful duty to government. “The sword,” Paul calls it in the New Testament.

Notice the respect for family and marriage. The honor required from children for parents.

So many similarities to our day. Property rights. Negligence (including criminal negligence). Laws against theft and trespass. All these still echo in current legal conscience.

Note also the laws protecting virgins, strangers (immigrants), widows and orphans and the poor. All of these were remarkable steps of justice (protection for the most vulnerable) in the ancient world! They are also remarkably relevant instructions for our nation in this moment in time.

Slavery was not prohibited. Regulated but not forbidden. A cause of concern for some. Why did God not speak more directly to this evil? God’s revelation of Himself and His will came gradually. “Progressive revelation,” theologians call it. “It is the New Testament that will finally make the system (slavery) impossible. Not only because of the evil, which is almost inevitable, but because. . .all men are created by one God, redeemed by one blood, and intended for one great family” (F.B. Meyer).

As you read today, will you think deeply about a just society and its benefits? Despite our national cynicism toward government, and the government’s frequent rebellion against the will of God, will you also remember that governmental authority is ordained by God? He tasks government to achieve/maintain a society of justice for all.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

“This book of the LAW shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night. . .then you will make your way prosperous, then you will have success” (Joshua 1:8).

January 20–Exodus 17-20

“Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently” (Exodus 19:18).

Three months after leaving Egypt, the tribes of Israel reached Sinai. At this mountain, months earlier, God appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3).

At Sinai, the people experienced fear. Don’t miss this. It is intentional on God’s part. Thick smoke! Dark clouds and flashing lightning! Loud trumpet sounds! Repeated warnings not to come too close! The people trembled, and wisely so.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” says Psalm 111:10. An accurate perception of God’s holiness and power causes fear, and becomes the first motivation for human obedience. No one knows the true God nonchalantly. Those who are casual toward Him don’t know Him at all. Godly fear is a necessary concession to reality. It is a synonym for humility.

“Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin” (20:20). Careful readers will notice the apparent contradiction in this verse, and the deep truth. God calls us to reject the fear that would cause us to avoid Him. At the same time, He calls us to embrace the fear that would cause us to avoid sin.

At Sinai the people also experienced love. It was (is) gracious of God to speak His law. His law tells us His expectations. His law communicates the path of blessing and national strength. The Ten Commandments were for our welfare. His law and His love are inseparable. “To prepare the hearts of the people for obedience, God first communicates His love for them”(John Calvin). “I brought you out of Egypt,” the Lord says in 20:2. We obey God because we fear Him. We also obey God because we love Him. We are tied to Him with two strong cords!

At Sinai, a great and holy God called Israel to Himself in both fear and love. The same God calls us today.

“I am governed by higher considerations than either the favor or fear of man. I am impelled to the course I have taken because I fear God” (Elijah Parish Lovejoy).

“When men don’t fear God, they give themselves to evil” (Ray Comfort).

January 19–Exodus 14-16

“This is my God, and I will praise Him. . .the Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His name. . .In your lovingkindness, You have led the people who You have redeemed; in your strength, You have guided them to Your holy habitation”(15:2-3,13).

The Red Sea is a picture of salvation. Through God’s power, the believer wakes up on the other side of a formerly impossible barrier. A new life stretches in front of him. Circumstances and people who formerly enslaved him are now defeated.

On the morning after the Red Sea crossing, the people of Israel sang a song of praise. Profitable exercise for God’s people! Praise lifts our eyes to God, causes us to reflect on His goodness, to rejoice in it and declare it to others. Have you been rescued, dear one? Will you sing?

HE is WARRIOR (15:3). The words of Moses’ song emphasized the power of God. Imagine the supernatural force displayed by God’s hand holding back a restless wall of water! Imagine the holy wrath involved in releasing the weight of that water on His enemies. Human armies are like match sticks. Assertive. Competent. Strong. Successful. Our God is.

HE is GUIDE (15:13). God is also tender in His care. The cloud by day and fire by night demonstrated this truth. God knows where we need to go, the right path and schedule to get us there. Our Savior is our Shepherd. “You have guided them to Your holy habitation.”

Warning! Moses taught the people to sing because he knew the danger of a fleshly heart. Despite the goodness of God, many in the camp would soon slip into grumbling unbelief. Unchecked and uncrucified, the old nature will always assert itself and cause trouble. Praise is a daily discipline in the denial of our flesh.

Are you singing, this morning, dear one? Will you?

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God. . .and suddenly there came a great earthquake. . .and immediately all the doors were opened” (Acts 16:25-26).

“O worship the King, all-glorious above, and gratefully sing His wonderful love: our Shield and Defender; the Ancient of Days, pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise. . . Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end, our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend!” (Robert Grant).

January 18–Exodus 11-13

“When I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you” (Exodus 12:13).

Passover. What did it mean to Israel? What does it teach us?

It was a Plague. The last of ten destructive events, the death of the first-born forced Pharaoh to release Israel from slavery. Scripture speaks of the terrible wrath of God’s toward men who oppose Him. This world still belongs to Him. He has not surrendered His right to act in power.

It was a Prophecy. A clear foretelling of the death of Christ, in the Passover we see our Savior, the perfect lamb. The blood of an innocent sacrifice marked homes and people safe from judgement. Rich symbolism! In this event, the Author God writes the story of His son into history.

It was a Perpetual obligation. From this moment forward, families were instructed to annually gather and reenact the story. God commands us to remember and retell the heritage of faith to our children. He values family and calls every parent to Spiritual responsibility.

It pointed a Path forward. “You shall eat it. . .with your sandals on”(12:11). From the start, God made it clear that Passover was only the beginning of the required journey. Salvation is both moment in time, and movement over time. Every kindness is God’s call for further growth. True faith is faithful. It continues and moves forward, deepens and matures.

To trust Christ is a pledge to continue to trust Christ. Don’t stop, dear one! Don’t look back or slow your progress! You have miles to go. All of us do. The Passover was the beginning of a path. The Spirit calls us forward.

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promised to keep, And miles to go before I sleep” (Robert Frost).

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

January 17–Exodus 8-10

“How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let my people go!”(10:3).

Pharaoh is an example and picture of un-surrendered man. Even in the face of increasingly costly consequences, He refused to humble himself before God.

Man’s struggle with God is always Spiritual before it is intellectual. We know, subconsciously, what it will mean to our autonomy if we admit that God exists and deserves our allegiance. Like Pharaoh, we refuse to even entertain the idea. The sinful heart resists early and long.

The issue is pride. We insist on being in control, and no amount of pressure or pain can make a person surrender who is unwilling to do so. Humility is a voluntary concession to truth. It embraces a place lower than God, with obligations to God.

Please note, at times the text says, “God hardened his heart.” At others it says, “Pharaoh hardened his heart.” Both. Always, both. It is a dangerous dance. Those who resist God, gradually become hardened. The opportunity for humility is lost, one stubborn response after another. In a progressive and cumulative process, the heart becomes calloused.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). The first step toward life with God is admit His size and significance, His power and standing. Don’t pretend that you are larger than He is. Don’t resist or demand your own way. It is not demeaning to admit the glory of God. It is life-saving.

Pharoah’s pride cost him dearly. Do you see the danger, friend?

“Turn away tonight from your first duty; make postponements. . .raise objections; make conditions. . .Put it on God and upon His servants to wait for you and to make terms with you. . .And your heart will harden like Pharaoh’s heart, till your end is like his” (Alexander Whyte).

“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).