An Offering from the Heart - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 25:1-7,

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give. These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather; acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.'"

When Moses went up on Mt. Sinai to meet with the Lord, the Lord told him to take up an offering from the people. The purpose of this offering was to provide the materials for the construction of the tabernacle the Lord asked Moses to have constructed, as well as the furnishings attending it together with the activities the Lord would prescribe to take place there.

So, how were these vagabonds trekking in the desert to provide these materials of gold, silver, precious stones and the rest of what the Lord asked for? Earlier in Exodus we read where I suspect a substantial amount of it came from.

In Exodus 11:2, prior to the plague of the firstborn and Israel leaving Egypt, the Lord told Moses that Pharaoh would finally concede and allow Israel to leave. Then the Lord told Moses, "Tell the people that men and women [of Israel] alike are to ask their neighbors [the Egyptians] for articles of silver and gold." This they were to do when leaving Egypt. In Exodus 12: 35-36 we read, "The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians."

What the Lord asked for he had provided! I happen to notice that when the Lord asked for the offering, he only wanted what he asked for from those "whose heart prompts them to give."

I am reminded that so it is today. The Lord provides for us. Whatever it is we have has come from him. Even the health and strength required for us to make a living, the Lord provides it all. As the Lord builds his kingdom, it is from those whose hearts are willing that he receives gifts to carry on the work. 

The Philippian church provided a wonderful example for us all, "Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:15-19.

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!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

The Beginning of Scripture - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 24:4,

"Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said."

The first "book" mentioned in the Bible comes three verses after the verse quoted above, "Then he [Moses] took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people." Verse 7.

Moses is known as the great lawgiver. God met with Moses and gave him his expectations for his people that he intended to enter into covenant with - the Law of God. Moses, in turn, delivered this law to the nation of Israel and to all mankind. Not only did Moses provide God's law verbally, "...  Moses went and told the people all the Lord's words and laws..." verse 3, he also wrote it down. Having written it down, he then read what he had written down to the Israelites.

Moses wrote the first five books of our Bibles, referred to as the Pentateuch. Psalm 90 is attributed to Moses as well as the book of Job (per the Babylonian Talmud and many others). The wonderful thing to me about Moses is he was the first to begin writing the Scriptures.

Scripture-writers, prophets, were very unique people who were given a unique task from God. God desired to communicate to mankind, not only through the verbal communication the prophets provided, but also in written format. We have in our Bibles the very words of God.

Peter's observation of this process is fascinating, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21. The production of Scripture provides us with God's very words cast in the language, regional dialect and usage of language by the various prophets God chose to use. The book of Hebrews (?) sounds nothing like the book of Romans (Paul). The gospel and letters of John sound nothing like Luke and Acts (Luke). Yet all have a common author, God himself. Moses is the man God chose to begin this process.

Over forty human authors were used to produce the Scriptures over a period fourteen-hundred plus years - and Moses stands as the man God chose to be the first as we read in Exodus 24. Through all these writings, we have been given from God the means to be taught by God, to be rebuked by God, corrected by God and trained by God for righteousness to be fully equipped for him and his use, 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Through these writings we find the strength for endurance and encouragement that leads to the great hope we have, "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope." Romans 15:4.

Exodus 24 contains the beginning of something that just cannot be overlooked!

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!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Forty Days - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 24:18,

"Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights."

The Lord called Moses up to Mt. Sinai where he had manifested himself to the nation in what looked to be a consuming fire on top of it. We are told when Moses went up a cloud covered it and he "entered the cloud". We are told Moses stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. Not 38 and not 77, but 40!

It occurs to me there are a number of instances where this period of forty days is illustrated in the Scriptures:

When God destroyed the earth with the flood in Noah's day, we are told it rained forty days an forty nights, Genesis 7. We are also told forty days after the water receded from the earth Noah sent out  a raven from the ark, Genesis 8:6.

The Egyptian physicians took 40 days to embalm Jacob when he died. This, however, seems to be the normative period for embalming (so this reference probably doesn't relate to anything other than embalming.) Genesis 50.

In addition to the first time Moses spent with the Lord forty days, he spent another forty days and nights with the Lord (without eating bread or drinking water) when he chiseled out the second set of tablets with the Ten Commandments, Exodus 34:24

The Israelite spies spent forty days exploring the promised land when they brought back a report that communicated their lack of faith in God, Numbers 13.

Goliath terrified the Israelites for 40 days before David took him out, 1 Samuel 17.

Elijah traveled forty days and forty nights after he fled from Jezebel, 1 Kings 19.

When Jonah finally went to Nineveh to proclaim God's judgment, he told them it was coming in forty days, Jonah 3.

Certainly the most famous period of forty days and forty nights was the period Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and being tempted by the devil, Matthew 4.

Following his resurrection, we are told Jesus spent forty days speaking about the kingdom of God to the apostles, Acts 1.

All of these passages speak of forty days or forty days and forty nights. While forty days can be a reference without further meaning (the embalming of Jacob by the Egyptian physicians), other references appear symbolic to many of "probation" or "trial". Times of trouble and hardship.

I'm not one given to "numerology" in Scripture, but the Bible does have a feel to it that some numbers are significant or important, such as the number twelve.

Do you see a theme here associated with 40 days?

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!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Favoritism in Court? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 23:3,

"... do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit"

In this verse the Lord tells Moses to not grant a person partiality in court simply because he or she might be poor. Partiality has no place in the courtroom. Justice is not really just if favor is extended to anyone-- justice is to be blind. The Lord knows there are those who might pervert the cause of justice to make amends for circumstances not having anything to do with the business at hand in a courtroom.

The Lord certainly is not picking on the poor. Two verses later he tells Moses, "Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits." While this direction focuses on what we would call civil law, it would certainly apply to criminal law as well.

The book of Proverbs talks about justice and provides us guidance, "Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent— the Lord detests them both." Proverbs 17:15. It is equally a miscarriage of justice to fail to convict a guilty person as it is to convict an innocent person.

When it comes to outcomes of justice, some might prefer to end the practice of capital punishment to prevent the possibility of executing an innocent person by mistake. This misses the point of justice. An appeal to determine the appropriateness of penalties for violating law should be made to the Scriptures, and not predicated on the veracity of justice itself. This is why justice is such an extremely important business.

I might point out that those who reject the Scriptures have absolutely no basis for determining the appropriateness of various punishments for crime. I think that is why we see criminals today being punished by whatever the popular whim of the people might be at a given time. (Remember "three strikes and you are out"?)

Oh, and "social justice"? That is not about justice at all. lt is only about political domination and the grasping of power. It is stunning to me how many churches and denominations have adopted the language of such political groups. How about we all get back to our Bibles?

Real justice requires the conviction and punishment of the guilty as well as the  exoneration of the innocent - and no one is to be afforded favoritism.

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!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

No Safety in Numbers Regarding Guilt - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 23:2a,

"Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong."

What might a crowd be doing that is wrong? We might say it doesn't matter what it is if it is wrong. The entirety of the law defines right and wrong. What is consistent with God is right and what contradicts him in any way is wrong. Right and wrong can be articulated in a variety of ways, but the truthfulness and proper expression of right and wrong comes from our Creator.

Here in this short sentence we have a prohibition against following the crowd in doing wrong without the "wrong" being identified. Consequently, this law doesn't define the "wrong" but instead declares that no matter what the numbers are in a crowd, wrong is wrong and there is no escape from culpability in doing wrong simply based on the number of those doing it. There is no safety in numbers when it comes to God's justice and his judgment.

This is certainly applicable today when large numbers of people have hijacked a protest concerning the murder of George Floyd to loot, plunder, assault and destroy property. Each and every last person involved in this episode of lawlessness is just as culpable for their actions as if they were the only one on the planet doing it.

No safety in numbers when it comes to God's justice.

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!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Don't Eat Roadkill! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 22:31,

"You are to be my holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs."

The Israelites were to be God's "holy people", and so God had an expectation they would comport themselves in a manner reflecting that. In this law I see something akin to our day, where we might joke about someone who would cook up roadkill to eat. God says don't do it!

The term "holy" in this context equates to Merriam-Webster's third definition of "holy": "devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity." Israel was set apart by God for his special purposes to bring his redemption to mankind. God desired their standard of living to reflect that.

By the time the gospel went out to the world through the apostolic witness, historians tell us that the Jewish quarter within a city during the Diaspora was the part of town that reflected higher moral virtues. Although Israel has had her shortcomings, and notably their rejection of God's Son, God nevertheless has left his fingerprints all over this people.

I am reminded that the redeemed of the Lord are to live our lives reflecting that status with God. As Peter quotes Leviticus 11:44, 45 and 19:2, "Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" 1 Peter 1:13-16.

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!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Capital Punishment and God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 22:18,

"Do not allow a sorceress to live."

In this chapter of sundry laws given by God for Israel, the death penalty was required for a variety of things. Here in this verse, if a woman is found engaging in sorcery she was to be put to death. A sorcerer or sorceress was one who used the power gained from the help or control of evil spirits.

And, no, I'm sure the same applied to men who engaged in the same. I assume the female practitioner was the more common gender which probably is why the prohibition references "sorceress" instead of "sorcerer". We can find the prohibition for any and all who engaged in divination, sorcery, interpreting omens and witchcraft in Deuteronomy 18:9-13.

In addition to sorcery, in this chapter we find the death penalty prescribed for bestiality and idolatry. In the case of taking advantage of widows or the fatherless, God says he himself will have the perpetrator killed by the sword, verse 24.

God chose Israel as a people for himself with a purpose. That purpose was to provide for the redemption of all mankind from their sins. He chose Abraham's offspring as a vehicle to accomplishing this by communicating through Israel's prophets his intentions and to provide many types and examples that would point us to Jesus Christ. And, of course, the biggest use of his people was to bring his Son into the world through them to be the atoning sacrifice to provide that redemption.

These laws, in addition to defining for sinful man what God finds repugnant and worthy of damnation, was to provide for Israel's development as an appropriate people to pursue his agenda of redemption. The law God gave Israel and his handling of Israel over the centuries was to pursue this purpose.

A part of God's activity in this pursuit included capital punishment where he deems it needful. We say that human life is sacred. By that we mean that life is to be protected because all life comes from God and our lives belong to him. We are not to take human life. Human life is only God's to take. Here in the these laws, God delegates to appropriate human authorities he has established to take human life as he prescribes it.

There are many today with good intention who oppose capital punishment. Whether they deem it unjust or unfair, whether they feel capital punishment is not ours to exercise because we might make a mistake or for whatever reason, I would point them back to the Scriptures.

Many, myself included, feel the law God gave Israel has application for all human authority. We are told that all governing authority has been established by God (yes, including your favorites to hate on), Romans 13:1. The laws God gave Israel lay a firm foundation for systems of justice in all nations. Obviously some of the laws pertained only to Israel in her role as God's chosen people for rolling out his agenda of redemption, but much of the law God gave Israel provides a blueprint for the rest of our nations.

When it comes to capital punishment, it is God who determines what is right, just and fair. Not us sinful human beings.

Here is a fascinating passage on God's reasoning in mandating capital punishment for murder, a seeming paradox: "And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being. Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind."

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!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/