To this point no punishment has yet been handed down for blasphemy despite it’s prohibition (Ex20:7;22:28. It would stand to reason, then, that it is likely to this point that no one HAS blasphemed the Lord. Along comes this half-Egyptian/half-Hebrew fellow. Who does not simply blaspheme, but blasphemes AND curses! We’ll get to what those... Read More →
The Tabernacle is ready and so they go about setting it up. And it is amazing to me how all the furniture in the Tabernacle already points us to Jesus. The Wash Basin was for the cleansing and sanctification of the priests, in the same way Jesus washed away our sins on the cross. The... Read More →
Exodus 38:8 says, “Bezalel made the bronze washbasin and its bronze stand from bronze mirrors donated by the women who served at the entrance of the Tabernacle.” While this may not have blown your hair back in amazement, it’s still interesting to me that the women who served at the Tent of Meeting (we are... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →