The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and
majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him today and what came to my heart and mind in Hebrews 9:3-4,
"Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,
which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the
covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that
had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant."
The writer of Hebrews points to the tabernacle Moses was told to
build. He describes the "Most Holy Place", that part which God
reserved for himself with highly restricted access. In it was the Ark
of the Covenant that contained just three items. Three specific items.
In my mind the specificity of those three items is important for a
reason. If it is to communicate something to us, here is what those
three items communicate to me:
The gold jar of manna
God provided Israel with food in the wilderness. Some 2-3 million Jews
wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. The logistics of providing
sustenance for a group that size is staggering. The transportation
alone without rail, truck or air lift would have been impossible. The
volume of food to keep a population that size alive is enormous. To me
the gold jar of manna represents God's ability to provide.
Aaron's rod that budded
When others felt they should be able to enter the priesthood, God
confirmed his choice by miraculously causing Aaron's walking stick to
bud. This speaks to me of God's will. He will decide who and how.
Stone tablets of the covenant
These contained the Ten Commandments. These commandments are not just
rules to live by, they express God's very character and nature. The
inclusion of these tablets speaks to me of God's perspective. He sets
the standards of right and wrong, acceptable lifestyles, what is
right, just and moral.
Taken together, the contents of the Ark of the Covenant express a full
picture of God. He provides, he determines and he sets standards. In
Romans 4 Paul speaks of Abraham's faith in God that he was fully
persuaded that God had the power to do what he had promised. Paul
tells us that is why righteousness was credited to Abraham. Abraham is
held up to us as the model of faith for those who would obtain eternal
life. Our God provides. In Romans 9 Paul speaks of God having the full
right to decide what he wants. He has decided to choose for himself
those who will embrace him in that same faith of Abraham. And in
Romans 1 and 3 Paul speaks of that which is sin, that which is
detestable to God. God sets the standards and in our shortcoming he
has sent his Son, Jesus Christ to make a way for us.
A lot of folks want it their way. They don't trust God. They decide
what "religion" ought to look like, what they think is right and
wrong, and set standards for themselves.
As for me… I'm going with God!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
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