Devoted to Scripture

Day 34 of the podcast, reading Leviticus 5-7 NET, read along at:

This is day 34 of our journey.

Today, we delve specifically into the guilt offering.  First, we look at what would cause the Israelites to be guilty in God's eyes so that a sacrificial guilt offering would be required. This included all kinds of unintentional breaking of the law as well as simply interacting with things that were unclean.  Guilt offerings must also be offered in cases of extortion, robbery, and for the failure to return found property.  In these cases, the extorted thing must also be paid back with interest.  As the rules for the guilt offering are laid out, note that the cost of the guilt offering is always high, but even if the person cannot afford that guilt offering, he was given options that were within his means.  Cleansing from guilt is NOT just for the wealthy...God makes a way because He knows that the cost of sin is great and weighs heavily upon each of us regardless of our finances and situations.  

Join me in Leviticus 5-7 to see the high cost of sin, God's understanding of our helpless estate, and the Love that led to our guilt being washed away by God's own Son.

Key verses:

Leviticus 5:17

Leviticus 6:13

Leviticus 7:37

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 33 of the podcast, reading Leviticus 1-4 NET, read along at:

This is day 33 of our journey.

Leviticus begins by simply jumping into the discussion of offerings to the Lord. We read of 4 types of offerings today: burnt, grain, peace, and sin offerings.  Each offering has a different purpose and a different set of rules regarding how it should be done and what type of animal (or grain) may be offered. As we go through the book of Leviticus, we are reminded, again and again, of the price that Christ paid for us and of the insurmountable debt that His blood freed us from.  Each offering we read about relates to a different aspect of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross on our behalf and is a blessed reminder of God's amazing Grace.

Join me in Leviticus 1-4 as we begin to understand the consequences of man's sin.

Key verses:

Leviticus 1:3

Leviticus 2:13

Leviticus 3:17

Leviticus 4:35

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 32 of the podcast, reading Exodus 39-40 NET, read along at:

This is day 32 of our journey.

The book of Exodus closes today with the finished construction of the Tabernacle.  All of the work was completed exactly as God commanded. Moses blessed the craftsmen who did the work, set up the Tabernacle as God instructed, and anointed it with oil to consecrate and make it holy for God. In the final verse of Exodus, we see that God has taken up residence with his people, seen as a cloud by day and as fire by night, displaying his glory throughout their journey.

Join me in Exodus 39-40 to see God bless his people for their obedience and dwell among them as they continue their journey to the land of promise

Key verses:

Exodus 39:43

Exodus 40:9

Exodus 40:38

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 31 of the podcast, reading Exodus 36-38 NET, read along at:

This is day 31 of our journey.

Today we read the account of all the work that was done to create the Tabernacle and its articles.  While much of what we read seems to be repeated from Exodus 26-27, this repetition serves to emphasize that the people had heard God's instructions and had chosen to follow those instructions to the letter. The proper response to God and his commandments has alway been (and will always be) complete and worshipful obedience.    In order to accomplish the construction of the Tabernacle, the Israelites gave generously to the work...in fact, so much was donated that the workers had to start refusing donations! May our giving to the work of the Lord be so generous!

Join me in Exodus 36-38 and marvel at a beautiful picture of joyful service and giving as Israel works diligently to bring glory to God!

Key verses:

Exodus 36:5

Exodus 37:9

Exodus 38:8

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 30 of the podcast, reading Exodus 33-35 NET, read along at:

This is day 30 of our journey.

God is still angry with Israel for their idolatry and, instead of dwelling amongst His people, God plans to send them away from his holy mountain with an angel to lead them to the Promised Land. Knowing the great need of the people, Moses claims God's promises and intercedes on their behalf.  In response, God chooses to renew his covenant, forgives the Israelites, and commits (once again) to stay by their side. Because of this, the nations of the world would see that the people of Israel were distinct because the Almighty God had chosen to dwell with them.  During this time, God appears to Moses and reveals His glory.  Meanwhile, the people of Israel worship God in obedience by freely bringing all the materials required for the construction of the Tabernacle.

Join me in Exodus 33-35 to see a God who keeps His promises, forgives the repentant, and brings honor to His people.

Key verses:

Exodus 33:16

Exodus 34:6-7

Exodus 35:21

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 29 of the podcast, reading Exodus 30-32 NET, read along at:

This is day 29 of our journey.

Today, we read of the special incense that was to be burned continually before the Lord and of a census tax that God commanded to remind each Israelite of their debt to Him. God ordains two artists to oversee all the work of the Tabernacle and sets work before them that He specifically gifted them to complete. He then commands Moses to remind His people of the importance of the Sabbath as a day of rest, worship, and a sign of the work that God accomplished in Creating the world.

Then, after 40 days on the mountain, Moses heads back to the Israelite camp with all of the instructions God has given him.  This should be a cause for celebration but Moses discovers that the people have lost faith while he was communing with the Lord.  Instead of worshipping the God who rescued them from Egypt, Moses finds them throwing a festival and worshiping a calf of gold. Moses berates Aaron and the people, then returns to mountain to plead with God for the lives of the His sinful children.

Join me in Exodus 30-32 as God remembers his promises and relents from the destruction of his people.

Key verses:

Exodus 30:15

Exodus 31:3

Exodus 31:17

Exodus 32:14

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 28 of the podcast, reading Exodus 28-29 NET, read along at:

This is day 28 of our journey.

What does it take to minister before the Lord? God gave a detailed description of the garments that the priests must wear when they came before him. Each piece fulfilled a specific role in the worship of the One True God.  Together, the pieces were to be worn "for glory and for beauty." They were expertly crafted by artists to whom God had granted special skills. Upon receiving their garments, the priests were also consecrated by the sacrifice of animals and by their blood. Again we are reminded that, just as darkness cannot exist in the presence of great light, the items used for worship and the priests who used them had to be consecrated and made holy before entering the presence of a Holy God.  Because of sin the the world, there is a great cost associated with being in the presence of God.  We can be encouraged by the fact that the Almighty God wants to dwell among us and that Christ's blood, once and for all, made that possible for all who would follow Him!

Join me in Exodus 28-29 to learn the great lengths God goes to so that he can dwell with us.

Key verses:

Exodus 28:2-3

Exodus 29:46

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 27 of the podcast, reading Exodus 26-27 NET, read along at:

This is day 27 of our journey.

Today, we dig deeper into the intricacies of the Tabernacle as God instructs Moses on how the people will construct a dwelling worthy of His holy presence.  While modern eyes might see these chapters as an ancient blueprint for a church without great spiritual application, there is a much deeper story behind these seemingly mundane words.  The building of the Tabernacle is a story of obedience to God's instruction and one of humanity showing God the great honor that He is due.  As we read about each of the elements of the Tabernacle, we also must consider their connection to Christ and our relationship with Him.  The Tabernacle was not only a temple but also a royal throne from which God would lead Israel...a place where His holy presence would physically abide amongst his people.  The Tabernacle would change EVERYTHING for the children of Abraham.  Roughly 1500 years later, long after the Tabernacle had been destroyed and God's physical presence had left Israel, Christ (a living Tabernacle) came down to Earth and walked among us.  He became the offering that allowed us, once again, to dwell in the presence of God.

Join me in Exodus 26-27 to see a powerful Old Testament symbol of God's glory and of Christ's matchless gift to us.

Key verses:

Exodus 26:33

Exodus 27:20

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 26 of the podcast, reading Exodus 23-25 NET, read along at:

This is day 26 of our journey.

God meets with Moses on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights.  The Lord gives Moses instructions regarding the treatment of justice in the land. He promises to lead Israel into the Land He has promised if they will only follow his commands and gives them instructions for the building of a tabernacle where God can dwell amongst them throughout their journey!

Join me in Exodus 23-25 to learn what is required to be in the presence of God.

Key verses:

Exodus 23:22

Exodus 24:17-18

Exodus 25:8-9

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 25 of the podcast, reading Exodus 20-22 NET, read along at:

This is day 25 of our journey.

God established that the people of Israel were to remain holy and set apart for Him.  To guide his people, God gave them laws that they needed to follow in order to remain in His presence.  These laws encompassed all areas of life...some may seem strange to our modern ears while others are guidelines that we still follow today.  The Law served the purpose of showing what was required to be holy and taught the Israelites how to interact with God and with others. Israel had been slaves to Egypt for generations...the Law now laid the foundation for a life of service to a master that was worthy of their love and devotion.

Join me in Exodus 20-22 to see a picture of Holiness from God's point of view.

Key verses:

Exodus 20:2-3

Exodus 20:22

Exodus 21:5-6

Exodus 22:21

Exodus 22:31

All Scriptures are from the NET.