Posts from January 2023

Posts from January 2023

“I Didn’t Mean Too”

  BIBLE READING: Leviticus 5-7                 We have all heard someone say to us, “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean it” or “Forgive me, I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to this or that.” We like to excuse many of our actions as “only mistakes”, “I didn’t know better” and “no big deal”. God sees things differently as He speaks to us in today’s reading about our unintentional sins.             “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “If anyone commits…

“Understanding Leviticus”

  BIBLE READING: Leviticus 1-4                 To the average Bible student who is attempting to follow a daily Bible reading plan up until this point, it has been somewhat easy.  The story of God’s creation of the world and the introduction to Abraham and Israel becoming God’s chosen people, along with their journey to get out of bondage and the reintroduction to Jehovah, is not only interesting, but rather compelling.   However, the task can be rather difficult when we get…

“The Glory of the Lord”

  BIBLE READING: Exodus 38-40                 Upon completion of the tabernacle, Moses records “a cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” (Exodus 40.34) .   Like me, you have probably heard the phrase “Glory of the Lord” all of your life, but I’m not sure many of us understand what exactly that was.  The word “glory” used in the text is the Hebrew word “kabod” , which means “Honor, great quantity; multitude, wealth;…

“You Don’t Have to be Famous to be Faithful”

  BIBLE READING: Exodus 35-37             Today we read again about Bezalel and Oholiab. They are two of the most famous names in the whole Bible. Right? Of course not. Were they priests? Or prophets? Or Apostles? No, they were two guys who worked with their hands. Yet Bezalel is the first person in Scripture to be described as “filled with the Spirit of God.”  God says in Exodus 31:3 , “See I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur,…

“THE EPHOD & ME”

  BIBLE READING: Exodus 28-30                 As Moses gives instructions from God as to all the details of the priestly garments for Aaron, I have always been fantasticated by the ephod.  The ephod was the breastplate the high priest was to wear that was constructed of material that was gold, blue, purple and scarlet.  The construction of the ephod is described in Exodus 28.15-ff.  What was always so fascinating to me was that embedded into the ephod, was to be twelve…

“Would You Like Fries with That?”

  BIBLE READING: Exodus 24-27                 As you continue to read through the book of Exodus, you can’t help but notice the specific detail that God gives to the Israelites as to how they were to construct the tabernacle and its contents.  It is almost as if God has given them a blueprint of everything, all the way down to the tiniest of details.   Have you ever wondered why God was so specific?  Couldn’t God have gotten by with just…

“Pierce My Ear”

  BIBLE READING: Exodus 21-23             Have you ever sung a song in worship and wondered what does that song even mean? For instance, what is a “night with ebon pinion” or how can I “raise my Ebenezer”?  If you have ever asked that question, you’re not alone.  I once had a teenager in my youth group try to convince his parents that it was okay for him to have his ears pierced because of the song “Pierce My Ear”. …

“IS GOD A JEALOUS GOD?”

  BIBLE READING: Exodus 17-20                      In James 3, the writer is expressing a severe concern for those that are jealous and envious.  He says, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” (James 3.16).  In fact, James isn’t the only writer that warns us of the danger that jealousy presents to Godly people.  Paul warns the church at Corinth against it in I Corinthians 3.3.  It is even included in Paul’s list…

“BREAD FROM HEAVEN”

BIBLE READING: Exodus 14-16                 “… “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” (John 6:35).  Those were the words that Jesus spoke to the crowd that had followed Him across the sea after the feeding of the five thousand.  They were following Jesus, not because He was the Son of God but because they were hungry and wanted another free meal.  Jesus’ statement was…

“Final Notice”

  BIBLE READING: Exodus 11-13             Have you ever gone to the mailbox and noticed a small postcard from the Power Company with the large print letters that say, “Final Notice”?  Maybe you received a scolding from a parent that said, “You better stop hitting your brother, this is your FINAL WARNING!”  The point of a final warning is to let you know, “This is your last chance, if you do not do what needs to be done there will…

“Things Don’t Always Go as Planned”

  BIBLE READING: Exodus 5-7             I imagine as Moses enters the throne room of the Pharaoh, he is just oozing with confidence.  After all, just days before he had been specifically called by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.   He had been reunited with his brother Aaron, he had the weight of the Israelite elders behind him and he had the signs from God to support him.  Deep down, he probably knew that Pharaoh wasn’t just going to lay down…

“I Am Special”

  BIBLE READING: Exodus 1-4                                              After the initial shock of the whole burning bush incident, I am sure Moses felt pretty special to have been selected by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.  I am sure he knew that facing those same people he had fled from all those years ago was not going to be easy.  I am also confident he knew it was going to be difficult to convince the elders of Israel to…