Chapter 28: Study Notes ask how each color used in the garments serve to dignify their role... that is a good question... we went to visit a Catholic church as part of our worship class and the priest there explained the different colors of the various robes they wore for different occassions and seasons, but now I don't remember the meaning behind them... is it the same as the meaning behind these colors?
Ok, I have a couple of "what is it"s: ephod? (verse 6...Is it a robe or something like that?), Urim nd Thummim (verse 30)...
The section on the breastplate with all the ornateness and precious stones made me think, "Wow! How fancy! God certainly does not spare any expense to show/demonstrate His love"... but that really should not come as any surprise I suppose, I mean afterall, He did give up His one and only Son, Himself, as payment of our sin... now that is ultimate love and definately sparing nothing (see John 3:16, and John 15:12-13)... so we should be willing to follow His lead and follow suit.
verse 29-30... in reference to how the priests make decisions, the Study Notes gave Proverbs 16:33... which made me think about how we have choice, but it is within God's boundaries... for example: we can choose how we live our lives, but we will all ultimately die... the only choice we have in this is whether we choose eternal life in Heaven after our death (by accepting Jesus as our Savior and ultimate ransom), or if we choose eternal separation from God and torture in Hell (Hebrews 9, 1 Timothy 2:5-6, Mark 10:45, Matthew 20:28, Revelation 20:11-15).
The study notes go on to talk about how God's plan here for the decision making was different than Jethro's idea in Exodus 18:13-23... My first thought was that Jethro's suggestion was wrong, but then I thought about how God did allow it for a time, and it made me think about how in Ecclesciates it says that there is a time for everything (Ecclesciates 3), and so I thought that maybe this means that although we should delegate responsibilities and seek advice and council from others, maybe there are also times when we need to step up and take the lead, and make the ultimate decision on our own, based on our closeness with, and the direction given to us, by God... I thought of Paul in Acts 21:10-15, and how he had to follow God's direction despite the loving protests of his friends... so, our relationship with God needs to be the basis for our decisions, whether we seek input from others or not... our thoughts and actions should be tied directly to God's will...nothing more and nothing less.... I think that this is kind of the meaning behind the last part of verse 30, "... Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Isrealites over his heart before the Lord."
verse 35... are the bells so God knows that someone is approaching Him and who it is so God can keep Himself from revealing so much of Himself so as to kill someone?... I thought I had heard once that the bells were so that the people outside would know that the priest was still alive and had not died... like, if they didn't hear the bells, they would pull the preist out by a rope because they would assume he was dead, or something like that? Any references you know of to legitimize (or correct) this thinking?
verse 41 must be where the idea of ordination of minister/pastors/clergy comes from
verse 43... why would they die if they did not wear their undergarments? How would this incur guilt for them? I don't get this part, because God didn't seem upset about Adam and Eve's nakedness until they became ashamed of it themselves, and now God's mentioned at least twice that the exposed body, under the robes is shameful or sinful or something of the sort? Why? What changed?
In regard to all the colors, scents, decorations, sounds, images, materials, etc, the Study Notes reflects on how God wants to be worshipped with all our senses... I think this is partly because God enjoys His creation very much, and wants us too also, so we can worship His fullness... He wants to enjoy our full enjoyment of all He made, since He made it for us, as well as Him... requiring all these senses to be enacted is like giving us a gift each time we worship Him... I honestly can't say if I have ever worshipped Him with all my senses, and I am certain not all at the same time... although I do thank Him for the smell of roses, the taste of chocolate chip cookies, the hugs of my kids, the feel of warm blankets on a chilly night, and the sight of happy smiling faces on my family... so, maybe I do worship Him with all my senses and just never thought about it before... it does bring me joy, so I am thankful God is so thoughtful and loving to us, even as He wants us to love Him in return!
Chapter 29: verse 6... there is an old hymn that says, in part, "... bring forth the royal diadem and crown Him Lord of all."... I now know what a diadem is (see Exodus 29:36-38). :)
In reference of this section "Consecration of the Priests", the study notes comment that "In this detailed service of installing priests, God seeks to ensure the sacredness and completeness of any and all sacrifices to Him." The notes then go on to provide links to the New Testament for the ritual of "washing" (see Hebrews 10:22).
verse 20... ok, that is just weird... any ideas as to the "why" behind this one?
There appear to be 4 types of offerings that God desires: sin offering (verse 14), burnt offering (verse 18), wave offering (verse 26... never had heard of this one before), and fellowship/peace offering (verse 28)... I suppose that I could somehow find references for these or relate them to daily life today, but my brain is not cooperating, so if anyone has any insight here, that would be great. :)
verse 30... I hope they get more than one set of clothes.
verse 37... I like the idea that "whatever touches it will be holy"... do we give enough consideration to the holiness of God?
verse 41 (and also in the "annointing oil" section of Exodus 30)... "pleasing aroma to God"... the Study Notes reference 2 Corinthians 2:14-16... also see Ephesians 5:1-2... the challenge to us is "How in our busy lives can we keep the incense of prayer burning always, and offer our lives up as pleasing aromas, or fragrant offerings to God?"... maybe a hint to the answer lies in the word "busy"?... are we filling our lives with things according to God's will?... Have we asked Him?... the notes further challenge us by asking, "What do you do that consecrates yourself for the Lord's work... daily?... annually?... once and for all?"... just some things to think about...
verse 45-46... I really like these verses, and they are a major theme throughout the Bible: "I will be their God... I am their God... They will know it... I will dwell among them."... I'm so glad God doesn't give up on us!
Chapter 30: Other references for incense (verses 1-10) are noted as Psalm 141:2, Revelation 5:8, Revelation 8:3-5.
verse 12... this is the first census... the second one is found in Numbers 26:2... also in this verse I found it interesting that each person was required to give a ransom for his life to God... and it didn't matter if the person was rich or poor, their ransom was the same... this made me think about the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25:14-30, where it didn't matter how much the person was given it was about what they did with what they had... it also made me think how God really has given to us equally, in that each of us has one life, and when it comes to the end of our lives, we have all had the same amount of time (one life) to use for God... it doesn't matter how many days were in our life, it matters what we did with the days (the one life) we were given, and how we lived it (or didn't) for God's glory.... so in that respect, rich or poor, we are all equal.
In reference to the ceremonial washing (verse 17-21), the law was given to wash so they would not die... the study notes give Mark 7:1-23 as a New Testament reference as to how this ordinance became abused by those upholding the Law... in all of these ordinances I think that we need to remember that it is all about worshipping God to the fullest, not about observing every detail just for the sake of saying we did it.
Another note on the "annointing oil" and "incense" sections... smell is linked to memory... it apparently has a very strong link, which is why babies attach to their mothers (and caregivers), etc, or why the smell of fresh baked bread reminds you of your grandma's house, or whatever... I think that is why God was so adement about wanting to "copyright" certain smells, so that the Isrealites (and their generations) would link the fragrance to the rememberance of worshipping God, and there by have one more way to remember their Creator, their God... God knows we all have bad memories (both then and now), and so I think it is gracious of Him to give us so many reminders of who He is, His awesomeness, and His love.
Chapter 31: The main thing I took away from this chapter was that what God requires us to do, He will equip us for and give us the skills we need, by His Spirit.... see verse 3 and 6.
Also, in the "Sabbath" section (verse 12-18), we remember the Sabbath as a sign to God that we acknowledge who He is, and all He has done in our lives... verse 14-15 made me wonder if we treat the "sabbath" seriously enough and with enough reverence today?... we may not be struck down dead nowadays for going to work on Sunday, but God's law does still have some effect because if we do not rest and push ourselves nonstop, we will suffer from health issues like heart attacks, etc, which may lead to death, or at least substantial impairment... it does us good to remember that God's laws are in place for our wellbeing, in addition to His glory, because when our bodies are healthy for Him, when we take care of and treat His "temple" well (our bodies that He now calls His home... see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20) then He is glorified through that... so rest is part of that, and part of who God made us to be and how He made us to function (in His image, and He rested, too, see Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2:2-3)... the study notes add these comments: "Having just set before the people all the work there is to do, and the workers to do it(vv 1-11), why does God remind them abou the Sabbath (vv 12-17)? If the project was top priority, why not work overtime? What values are held in tension here?"... I would like to add a thought/question... what does that tell us about the priority of rest over ministry work (things we do for God's glory)? I am not saying that we should be lazy... but many times we feel guilty about saying no to doing "God's work", but God is reminding us that even though His work is important, we need to take time to rest, even from that, because He knows what "no rest" will do to us... and our ability to offer our bodies as living sacrifices for His ultimate glory... something to think about next time we are tempted to stretch ourselves "too thin", or add "just one more thing".
verse 18... the "Testimony" is finally given to them (as promised in Exodus 24:12... a written version of all the laws, ordinances, and commandments God told them).
Also, in this verse, I like the phrase "inscribed by the finger of God"... that is just cool, and I want to think about things in my life that I can say that about... obviously the Bible, for one... but other things, maybe, too?
And final thought... these chapters seem to act as a reminder that we must prepare ourselves for God (like the bride described in Revelation 19:7, Revelation 21:2, and in the idea behind the parable in Matthew 25:1-13)... we, also, must not take His Word lightly or for granted.
Have a wonderful night! We look forward to reading your thoughts on these (and the other) chapters!
Much Love,
sandJ
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