Exodus 32

“Come, make us gods who shall go before us” (v1). The God of Abraham had parted the sea for the Israelites and gave them miraculous food and water in the desert. He had met every need and committed to them. But when their leader, Moses, spent weeks up on the mountain, the Israelites turned away from this powerful, awesome Creator and turned back to familiar religion. They exchanged the God of the universe for an idol they could see - a god who inspired self-indulgence, no

Exodus 31

“I have called by name Bezalel ... and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship ...” (v2). The meeting tent, and later the temple, was the physical center of Israelite life, just as the Sabbath ordered their week (v12-17). God filled individuals with gifts “to devise artistic designs”, to cut gemstones, to carve wood, and to embroider materials, so that the objects of worship honored the Lord by their be

Matthew 22:23-46

“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (v32). The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had their own ideas about God’s kingdom, righteousness, and authority. They were constantly “testing” Jesus, sensing that his words and actions threatened their power (v15,35). When they asked about which man ‘possessed’ a certain wife in heaven, Jesus knew they were focused on the status and competition which belong to a dying world. God’s kingdom, on the other hand, is “of the

Matthew 22:1-22

“Come to the wedding feast” (v4). Jesus compared God’s kingdom to a king who invited people to an amazing celebration for his son. Many turned away, and others mistreated the king’s servants. The servants then “gathered all whom they found, both bad and good” (v10), while the king rejected a presumptuous guest who wanted in on his own terms (v12). The invitation to God’s kingdom is open to all who desire to enter; however, “hypocrites” who want to look righteous but do no

Psalm 15

“Who shall dwell on your holy hill?” (v1). The psalms tell us that God’s righteousness is not arbitrary nor mysterious; he has revealed what holiness looks like, in his Word. Holiness includes acting with integrity and truth (even at the heart level, v2), not telling lies or harming others, and refusing to boost the reputations of those who are evil. Holiness means keeping our promises even when it costs us, and it means rejecting opportunities to get ahead by stepping on

Exodus 29, 30

Exodus 29:19-20 describes part of the ceremony of consecration and ordination of Aaron and his sons.  Part of that ceremony is described in 29:20. The blood of a ram was put on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear symbolizing he was to hear and obey the voice of God. The thumb of his right hand was anointed indicating that the pragmatic “doing” of life belongs to God.  And finally, the big toe of his right foot was anointed with blood indicating he would follow God’s “way” of li

Exodus 27, 28

A responsibility of the priests was to provide a sufficient amount of virgin olive oil for the lamps in the tent of meeting to be kept burning through the night (27:20,21). The lamp symbolized the Holy Spirit; the Spirit did not leave when the natural light of day was over. 

Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins emphasizes this very personal responsibility (Matt. 25).  Peter (1 Peter 2:9) reminds us we are a “royal priesthood… so that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him wh

Exodus 25, 26

Exodus 25 begins the detailing of the plans for the Ark of the Covenant, (25:22) a place where God would meet with Moses. The ark held the testimony of the Law. On top of the ark was the mercy seat (v21). Annually the high priest would sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat to symbolically atone for the sins of Israel.

The blood of Christ is not symbolic.  It really cleanses (Heb 9:11-14; 10:8-10).  His invitation to us is to “come boldly to a throne of grace (3:14-16).  He

Exodus 24

Chapter 24 begins at Mt. Sinai with Moses recounting to the people God’s directions and their pledge of obedience (vs1-3) followed by a service of dedication (vs4-8). Moses then took his leaders including Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy elders to where they could see God (vs 9-11). “They saw the God of Israel and under his feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire. They saw the God of Israel and ate and drank.”

Encounters with God should make one rejoice but also tr

Matthew 21

“Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey ...” (v5). Jesus, fulfilling prophecy, entered Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna!” (v9). His first act was to cleanse the temple of those using it to make money (v12). He reclaimed it as a “house of prayer” and healed the lame and blind there (v14). But the religious leaders were indignant (v15, v23). Jesus’ confident teaching about God and God’s kingdom and his insistence on healing threatened their contr

Matthew 20

“Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (v28). Jesus’ parables about the generosity and grace of God were shocking (v1-16), as were his statements about what would soon happen in Jerusalem (v17-19). The disciples struggled to release their assumptions about the Messiah, including their traditional understandings of leadership and authority. Jesus warned that the human status they craved had no place in his kin

Psalm 14

“The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'” (v1). The psalmist knew that the source of “abominable deeds” and every kind of sin is what humans tell themselves in their hearts. Humanity has “turned aside” (v3) from God’s truth; “not even one” is completely righteous. Those who persist in denying God’s reality and rule end up “corrupt” and justify terrible things, like mistreating the poor (v6) and taking advantage of others (v4). But the psalmist had faith in God’s sal

Exodus 21-23

“You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him ... You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child” (22:21-22). After the Ten Commandments, Moses gave the people situational examples to demonstrate how the commandments applied to their real-life concerns. Most of the laws taught people to take responsibility for their actions and accept reasonable consequences. However, in the case of sojourners (foreigners), widows, orphans, and the poor, God directed his people to

Exodus 19-20

“You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice ... you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples” (19:4-6). Before giving the Law, God’s invitation to the Israelites was to a new relationship; he wanted them to be his “treasured possession”. The deliverance from slavery came first; the Law came afterward, to teach them to live as his people (ch 2

Exodus 18

“Moses' father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good” (v17). Moses’ limitations were obvious in the battle against Amalek, when he needed Aaron and Hur to hold up his arms (ch 17). Yet, he was still overestimating his strength, serving as the only judge/counselor/spiritual advisor for thousands of people. Jethro told him bluntly that this was “too heavy” a task and it would wear him out (v18). Jethro directed him to delegate authority to trustworthy men who