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Tue, 01/02/2011

Exodus Chapters 36 to 38

EXODUS 36

Commentary

After we, the children of Israel, came out of Egypt, we camped in the wilderness of Sinai (also known as the dessert of sin). Jehovah had given instructions to Moses and the Israelites on how to build a tabernacle. I remember Moses going up the mount and being gone a long time (40 days) we thought he must surely be dead, what was he eating? We heard rumours that he would not come back therefore the leaders asked Aaron to make a model for us, as our god. Some of us fought against this decision but we lost and they made the calf. This all happened on the 40th day and as the people started to dance and celebrate their calf god, Moses came down the mount with Joshua and he had 2 big stone tablets in his hand. In his anger he threw them to the ground and broke them, he then ran to the calf picked it up & threw it into the fire. That was a bad time for us. Once again he went up the mount for another 40 days but this time we all waited for him. When he came back his face was like the sun so people hid from him. He had to use a veil to cover his face in order to speak with us as we assembled to hear what Moses had to say. He started off by telling us of the covenant that Jehovah had for us as a people. These were exciting times indeed after all the wrong we had done.

Moses stood up to speak (Aaron on his left, Joshua on his right) he told us the plans of Jehovah and we brought to Moses an offering of all that was needed to build & furnish the tabernacle, then at the end he said in the hearing of all the children of Israel “The Lord has called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri of the tribe of Judah, and has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, understanding of all manner of workmanship”. I thought to myself how could Jehovah choose me for this work when I have never done this kind of thing before or even been a leader, then I remembered that Moses also said that Jehovah had filled me with HIS Spirit.

The first day we had people bring us so much material that by the end of day 5 we went to Moses & asked him to tell the people that the offering was enough. I had an assistant Aholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. He would work with me in writing down all the measurements that were required as Moses the man of Jehovah had given us. Then we would give this to the men in turn, some of the men made the 10 large curtains and they brought it to us. As we got the curtains, we would make the loops for them (50 in each curtain) then we would join them one to another with taches [clasps] of gold (50 in all & joined them to each curtain). While the work was issued Aholiab & myself made the Ark of shittim [acacia] wood and we would melt the gold in the furnace and overlay the Ark with it. We also made all the other furnishings for the tabernacle including the mercy seat (which we later found out that this is where Jehovah himself would meet Moses). We worked night and day but work always stopped on the 7th day as this was a day of rest.

We had now left Egypt some 6 months and been in the wilderness for the same time on a journey which should take 3 days, some times I would wonder why we where still in the wilderness when I remember that they told us the journey was 3 days.
From all this I realised that God will accomplish his plans and purpose no matter where we are. As it goes we did worship him in the wilderness, but he does not stand for rebellion.

It is good to always listen to what God has to say as sometimes we go ahead and make choices that take us the long way round to where God wants to take us.

When we are scared to take a step into the unknown we have to remember that God has filled us with HIS Spirit in order to do the work that is before us, this is what helps us to walk with God. We might not always get it right, but we have to trust God and sometimes stop and go back to him for the next step. Spending time with Him helps us to hear him when he speaks.

Kwabena Asare

GENESIS 1:28

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

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Mon, 31/01/2011

Exodus Chapters 33 to 35

EXODUS 33

Commentary

Ex33: Synopsis.
Moses sets up a tent of meeting. He said to the LORD, "Don't send us from here without your presence." The LORD passed near to Moses.

Moses asks to see God in person.
The meeting tent is mentioned here by anticipation; its actual construction is described in following chapters.

God doesn’t rebuke Moses for wanting to see more of Him. He desires that response from His children. God agrees to make all His goodness (glory, beauty) pass in front of Moses and declare who He is as He does so. I think the last half of the verse is an indication of why the Lord is granting Moses’ request. He can choose to be gracious/kind and show mercy (love, compassion) to whomever He chooses.

The Lord tells Moses that he cannot actually see His face, because no human being can see God’s face and live. I think this means that man’s response to God’s person would cause man to go into shock and have a stroke or heart attack and die.
These verses are a wonderful depiction of God’s desire for intimacy with us. He is making special provision for one man to fulfill his desire to know Him more intimately as Lord. I think God will do the same today. The key is our desire as reflected by our service in obedience.

The phrase “ Face to face” with regards to God discussion with Moses is in a most familiar manner, as we learn from this very chapter, Moses could not see the face of the Lord.

Ex34: Synopsis
Moses made new tablets for the law. The LORD spoke to him and made a covenant with Israel. When Moses returned his face was shining.

The Glory of the LORD
Moses was commanded to hew two tablets similar to the first, and bring them up to the mount to get the covenant renewed. He prepares the tablets and goes up to meet the Lord. The Lord descends, and proclaims his name JEHOVAH and what His name signifies. Moses promptly worships and intercedes. The Lord promises to renew the covenant, work miracles among the people, and drive out the Canaanites. He commands that no covenant to be made with the idolatrous nations and No matrimonial alliances to be contracted with them (meaning in today’s language “unequally yoked with unbelievers”). The Israelites must have no molten gods.

The LORD is "the Jealous One": some, by a slight emendation, render, "The LORD is jealous for his name." Feast of Weeks:-The festival of thanksgiving for the harvest, celebrated seven weeks or fifty days after the beginning of the harvest. It was also called Pentecost (fiftieth) and coincided with the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, fifty days after the offering of the first fruits (Lev 23:10-11; Deut 16:9).

Moses’ shining face (Horned... That is, shining, and sending forth rays of light like horns) such that he put a veil over his face; Apostle Paul sees this as a symbol of the failure of the Jews to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah: the true spiritual meaning of the writings of Moses and the prophets is still veiled from the unbelieving Jews. 2 Corinthians 3:7-18. Spending time in the presence of God today will produce the same effect as with Moses.

Ex35:Synopsis
Moses told the Israelites to keep the Sabbath. He called for craftsmen to make the tabernacle. The people gave gifts for the work.

Work begins on the Tabernacle
Moses assembles the congregation to deliver to them the commandments of God, directions concerning the Sabbath, free-will offerings of gold, silver, brass for the tabernacle, of oil and spices, and of precious stones. Skilful artists are to be employed to work the tabernacle and its tent, the ark, the table of shewbread, the candlestick, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt-offering the hangings of the court, clothes of service, and holy vestments.

The people cheerfully bring their ornaments as offerings to the Lord and the rulers brought precious stones. All the people offer willingly. Bezaleel and Aholiab were appointed to conduct and superintend all the work of the tabernacle, for which they were qualified by the spirit of wisdom.

How many of us are Bezaleel’s and Aholiab’s with the innate God given wisdom for cunning invention and craftmanship in-born and needed for the body of Christ who today are using the same gift for making some form of golden calf, participating in some form of idolatry with other gods to provoke the true God whose name is JEALOUS

May God deliver us all.

Deacon Michael Atkin Faleye

ZECHARIAH 4:6

⁶ So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.