Category: Devotional

Black Sabbath

Exodus 35:2 (NET) says, “In six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there must be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of complete rest to the Lord. Anyone who does work on it will be put to death.”

Woah, coming in strong there!

Why?

Well, God is continually exhorting the Israelites not to make treaties and negotiate with other nations. Typically such treaties were sealed with marriages where a daughter from one side would marry a son on the other. This made a family bond. And families will be influenced by their members in both directions. This is just how it works.

And the Israelites seemed to be a special case. They did not even need any more outside influences. Moses was gone for 40 days and in that time they invented a new god to worship! Exceptional. So they have this Sabbath day, a weekly reminder of their covenant with God Almighty. And anyone who decides that they want to break covenant with God and the people of Israel is to be put to death. This — shocking as it might appear to us today — was for self-preservation. Israel had a difficult-enough time staying faithful to God with outside distractions and wandering minds, let alone if one of their own members was actively breaking the faith.

And while Sabbath adherence is not required under the New Covenant, it is still a good, valuable, and highly recommended practice. Work can become an idol. It can become our identity. That is a danger, and a real one, but simply having a day off will not protect our spiritual lives. Shopping, errands, kids sports and camps, birthday parties, and other commitments can eat up that day off to the point where we no longer “have time” for God. And our day of rest for the Lord become a day of service to ourselves.

Protect your time with God. As you press into the Lord, you will find clarity and direction in other areas of your life. And if you don’t, your heart will grow cold towards Him and ultimately you will turn away from Him and your path to the grave will be set. And in that way if we do not set aside time for the Lord, we will be put to death — ironically enough — by our own hand.

Exodus 35-36 | 043/365

Set Apart

The Israelites fall prey to their own impatience and the weak leadership of Aaron. The people couldn’t wait 40 days, they made a gold cow and worshipped it, Moses made them drink the cow, they got sick… suffice it to say it was a wild time.

Shortly after this series of events Moses would come before the Lord in the Tent of Meeting just outside the camp. There he would ask the Lord who was being sent with the Israelites on their journey. God says He will go with Moses. Moses rejects this proposal. Seriously. Just like Moses rejected the proposal to wipe out the Israelites entirely and become the new father of the nation of Israel himself. Moses was a leader who truly, genuinely cared about his people. Moses was a shepherd who fought for his sheep. Moses told God — basically — it is not enough that you go with me, you must go with us as a nation. If God will not lead the Israelites into the promised land, Moses would rather not go at all. God agrees to Moses proposal because he (Moses) has found favour with God.

A side note to pastors, elders, and other leaders… we should be interceding before God for our people with the fervour and resolve of Moses.

This leads to the sentence that most moved me this morning, as rendered in the NLT: “For Your presence among us sets Your people apart from all other people on the earth.”

This is still true today. Without the love and presence of the Lord in our lives, we look remarkably like everyone else. And more than that, we we claim to be children of the Lord, but there is no distinction between us and anyone else, that brings disrepute on the Lord. Here we are, claiming to be His special possession, but our lives bare no evidence of that?

Let’s press in to the Lord. Let’s seek his presence until we shine like Moses. Let us seek to be VISIBLY set apart from all the other people on the earth so that they can see the difference in us plainly and WANT to know the source of our joy.

Be blessed as you pursue the Lord today, brothers and sisters.

Feb 11 | Ex 32-34 | 042/365

Made For A Purpose

God has given Moses a long, heavily detailed description of the alter, ark, tabernacle, garments, incense, and other items (Did Moses have a notebook? iPhone? Palm Pilot?) that each require a significant amount of skill. And this is where the story gets interesting:

In Exodus 31 God tells Moses (not the other way around) that He has specially equipped a couple of guys for some of these specific tasks. Highly capable craftsmen. This would have been a skill they had possessed and developed all through their lives. But wait, it gets better! Exodus 31:6b says:

“Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make”

As a youth pastor I would often deal with students who were insecure and dealt with identity and confidence issues. “I’m not good enough” was such a common phrase that I wish I had been paid to hear it. But I became fond of telling these students — and I think it applies to all of us — that God has made you the way He needs you to be to accomplish His purposes. Let me say that again so you don’t let it go too quickly…

God has made you the way He needs you to be to accomplish His purposes.

Don’t measure yourself against a someone else who has an ability you wish you had. All that does is make you feel poorly about yourself. Rather, develop the gifts and skills that God HAS given you, so that when you get the call to use those skills you are ready to roll.

“[Because God has] given [you] special skill to [… do] all the things [He has] commanded you to [do].

Be blessed, walking in the confidence of a God who made you fearfully and wonderfully.

Exodus 29-31 | 041/365

Representative Value

God asks the Israelites to provide the finest materials they have to offer for the construction of the Tabernacle. Worth noting; this is the same fine material they got from the Egyptians when they left. So God is really just asking for some of the blessing He has bestowed on the people to be voluntarily returned to Him. Maybe one of the clearest pictures of the reality of tithing in the Scriptures.

Anyhow, the people do provide these materials and an elaborately ornate set-up/tear-down tabernacle is constructed. But I think what’s worth noting is the Priest’s chestplate. It is covered in stones, each of which represents a tribe of Israel. Those stones are: Ruby, Topaz, Garnet, Emerald, Sapphire, Diamond, Jacinth, Agate, Amethyst, Beryl, Onyx and Jasper.

But what is interesting to me is the value of these stone. All told the priest was wearing approximately $772,828.25 CAD in gemstones over his heart.

Never forget that God sees you as incredibly valuable. He loves you deeply, and He always has. He loves better than we can. He loves deeper than we can. You are not alone. And that person you have been praying for? God loves them more than you do, too. Be blessed knowing that you are valued by God.

Feb 9 | Ex 25-28 | 040/365

Case Law & The Bible

Often when we read parts of Exodus and Leviticus we can find ourselves asking, “What does this have to do with me, today? I have no current or future plans to cook a goat in its mother’s milk.”

I get it. Some of these rules are confusing and even downright esoteric. I think in cases like these we can try to step back and look at what is happening overall. Who are these laws protecting?

Young women, foreigners, widows, orphans, the poor, even our enemies. These are people who are disadvantaged, even hated. Yet God calls us to deal fairly with them. Not to take advantage of a situation where we can gain at their expense (I mean, what are they even going to do about it?), not to take an opportunity for revenge, not to seek personal elevation where we have to step on someone else to achieve it.

As we read through passages like these, we should pray for God’s guidance as we both 1) look for principles rather than specific rules, and 2) look for modern analogs to these ancient situations.

It is also worth remembering that just because God has offered guidance on a situation, does not mean that he condones every (or any) action being addressed. A prime example being the seduction of a virgin girl. God is telling them how to deal with these things when they happen, not telling people it’s okay to get into these situations.

Exodus 22:16-24:18 | 039/365

God & Polygamy

It is often said that the Bible turns a blind eye to polygamy, and I admit that I find it troubling that God is not stronger on this issue, particularly in the Old Testament where such activity is rife, even among the men we consider “heroes” of the faith. While we can point to cultural realities and Progressive Revelation, these do little to alleviate the bitter taste in our mouths. I don’t have all the answers, but I am continuing to dig deeper into the more troubling passages.

Exodus 21:7-11.

A female slave should not be set free like male slaves. Unfair! — This is because the girl is given (for any number of reasons beyond the scope of today’s devotional) for the purpose of marriage.

If she is “displeasing”!? — The word means ‘evil’ or even ‘immoral’. This is not a fickle judgement, but a serious flaw that emerges.

So what then? — Well, since they are effectively engaged, he must allow her to be redeemed by her family (if they can afford it), but she can NOT be sold again to foreigners, because HE has be “unfair” (this word means unfaithful, treacherous, and even deceitful).

He then has the option to give her to his son in marriage, but if he does that, she is no longer a servant, but a daughter.

If he “takes another wife”? Boom! God’s loves polygamy. — Easy, cowboy. The word CAN mean an additional wife, but it can also mean a DIFFERENT wife (Lv 20:27; De 11:16; Jb 31:8).

Oh yeah, explain “conjugal rights” hot shot!? —  This word appears only a single time in the Bible. Here. And the meaning is quite unclear. What are “marriage rights”? Other documents from this time and region of the world have a similar list, but the third item is shelter/oil/things a wife would expect from her husband. Sex could be inferred by the reader, but it is not in the text.

And if he cannot or will not provide these things, she is to be released with no strings attached. Essentially this man has four options. 1) Marry her 2) Have his son marry her 3) Sell her back to her family 4) Release her free and clear.

I find no compelling reason to read an endorsement of polygamy here. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Exodus 20:1-22:15 | 038/365

They Had No Idea

After being rescued from the oppression of the Egyptians, the Israelites lack water, so they whine about it to Moses. Moses goes to God and He provides water. Some time later , the Israelites lack food, so they whine to Moses. Moses goes to God and He provides food. A flock of Quail descend of the encampment and died there. Meat! But God also sends what will become known as Manna. A food that more-or-less is dried dew. It was white and tasted like honey.

Actually, I think it may still be in the Ark of the Covenant (wherever that might be) and I very much would like to taste it. If anyone reading this ends up in possession of the Ark, reach out to me!

But what I find particularly interesting about this is the fact that the Israelites see this Manna in the morning, and have no clue what it is. They asked each other, “Hey, Al, any idea what this flakey white stuff is.” And Al replied, “I have no idea, Jim. I know that Moses told us the Lord would provide food for us, but that could not possibly be what this is. I was expecting bakery fresh bread!” Jim concurred, “Yes! And I was hoping for a delightful lentil soup!”

Okay, maybe it wasn’t exactly like that, but the fact remains that the people had the blessing of God there before them, ripe for the picking, and couldn’t see it for what it was.

It’s not enough that we believe God will provide for us, we need to stop expecting God to do what WE want and starting asking Him to open our eyes to see what HE wants. God loves you, but the world doesn’t revolve around you. God has a greater, longer, more wholistic view and the way he meets our needs and answers our prayers gives us NOT the thing that we WANT, but rather the thing that we NEED. Pray that the Lord would open your eyes to see the blessings before you for what they are.

Exodus 16-19 | 037/365

Why Isn’t God More Obvious!?

A question asked by atheists and naive Christians constantly. If only God would do X, or Y, or Z… then people would believe! I love this idea because it flies in the face of all the evidence since forever. We want to be right and our brains will seek out evidence that makes us right and ignore evidence that doesn’t. This confirmation bias is what lead a pair of pilots on Air Canada Flight 759 to nearly land on a taxiway instead of the adjacent runway. Look it up. There’s video!

The same thing led me to once pour nearly 4 litres of antifreeze into my windshield washer resivour. I could tell something wasn’t right, but I pressed through anyway because surely there is something wrong with the evidence in front of me rather than my previous decision!

When Pharaoh and the Egyptian officers and army realize they have let the Israelites go after plagues of blood, frogs, gnats, flies, animal death, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and human death they think… ‘what a stupid thing we’ve done! We need to go recapture them!’

Seriously. How quickly and easily we forget the consequences of disobedience once those consequences have passed! Despite all that evidence, evidence from which the country of Egypt was still reeling, they decide to go get some MORE consequences. After seeing the pillars of smoke and fire and the parting of the Red Sea, the Egyptians — in spite of the unreasonably large body of evidence — continue to chase after Israel THROUGH THE GAP IN THE SEA WITH WALLS OF WATER ON EITHER SIDE! No amount of evidence would convince this man that the God of Israel was real and that He would ensure His people were released form Egyptian slavery.

The fact is that God has provided a plethora of evidence, we just need to set down our biases and review it honestly.

Exodus 13-15 | 036/365

Not a Hoof!

The temptation to compromise can be a strong one. We feel that God has called us to do something and we push toward that goal, ultimately settling for most of it. That’s pretty good, right? Close enough.

Growing up, my mother often said (and I often quote her), “‘Good enough’ never is.”

We see that in the… negotiation between Moses and Pharaoh. Moses wants all everyone to go. Pharaoh says “No.” Moses pushes as the Lord instructs him to and Pharaoh says, “Ok, but just the men”. Moses pushes as the Lord instructs him to and Pharaoh says, “Ok, but no livestock!”. Finally, GOD pushes and Pharaoh (and the Egyptians) say(s), “Go! Oh, and also take our silver and gold!”

The first Passover didn’t involved Moses or Aaron waving their staffs or smacking the water, this one was all God. Moses, empowered and emboldened by the call of God took the ball to the 10 yard line (to use a football analogy), but it was God Himself who carried it in for a touchdown.

We often feel like we need to do it. We can accept that God tells us where He wants us to be, but we need to get there under our own power and strength. And when we feel like it’s on us, that’s when the temptation to compromise seeps in. We got so close, let’s just leave the livestock behind! Take the exit presented to us!

But Moses staunchly refuses. He knows God is going to see this thing through and fulfill His promise 100%. We need to have the same trust. God wouldn’t call you to go 100 miles if He really wanted you to go 93 miles. When you come to the end of yourself, that’s when the power, and strength, and glory of the Lord shines through. That’s when He carries us. So the next time you feel tempted to throw in the towel and settle for less than God has called you into… don’t deprive yourself of the fullness of His blessing, instead resolutely stand up and say, “Not a hoof can be left behind!”

Exodus 10-12 | 35/365

Have It Your Way

Some of us would admit it, others never would, but we all love control. We like to be in charge. We want the final say and for the buck to stop with us. That’s why the Burger King slogan, “Have it your way” was such a fantastic stroke of marketing genius!

And this brings us along to Pharaoh. He has enslaved the Israelites and they are forced into hard labour for the Egyptian government and people. The time is right for God to raise up His chosen leader — Moses — and his brother, Aaron. They go to Pharaoh and famously ask him to “Let my people go!”. Pharoah’s heart is infamously hardened and he refuses, so God sends a series of plagues, judgements on the Egyptian people. Making the water undrinkable, sending various pests, extreme weather, killing livestock, and even afflicting the people with ill health. Some of these signs were mimicked by the Egyptian magicians, but others could not be. In some cases Pharaoh promised to let the Hebrews leave before reneging the moment that the judgement of God was relieved.

Often we cluck our tongues at Pharaoh and wonder why he was such a big stupid idiot, but I think our man is a cautionary tale for *US*. We desire the same control that Pharaoh did, we just don’t have as much power or authority. And when God’s will does not align with our will, the temptation is often to rationalize the incongruence. I literally had a woman tell me once that because God knew she was unhappy in her marriage, He sent her another man!

Lay your plans down and give the Lord final say-so. Once I stopped trying to ‘have it my way’ and waited on the Lord to lead, I felt so much more satisfied and contented in my life and my work. You’ll experience the same thing. Don’t be Pharaoh.

Exodus 8-9 | 034/365