Really enjoyed the parables. It’s so easy to get discouraged over the little things in life sometimes. These parables demonstrate just how powerful our faith in God is!! INCREDIBLE encouragement.
“Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.””
Matthew 13:31-32 NLT
this!
32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” – Matthew 13:32 !
32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” – Matthew 13:32 !
Exodus 25:2 “From every man whose heart moves him. . .” God does not tax us. He does not impose. He always invites us, gives us opportunity to join Him, whosoever will—come. And when we do, we share in the beauty He is creating.
Beautiful picture of God’s tabernacle a symbol of Him dwelling in our hearts & all that gold is His righteousness that we are clothed in, because of Christ.
The kingdom of heaven so valuable & precious, we inherited this only because someone loved you and me enough to die & shed his blood. Thank you Jesus for the Price you paid, now to give all that I have, my time, my talents, my abilities to serve this King who owns this kingdom.
What a great read this morning! God told them how to make the Ark of the covenant detail by detail. Jesus is telling us how to follow him through detailed parables. It’s so awesome to see how the Old and New Testaments intersect.
The “bread of the presence” in the tabernacle stood out to me and I don’t think I’d ever caught it before. Do we think there is any tie to the body of Christ and the communion loaf? Very interesting!
A small seed of faith can become something great. That’s so encouraging as we try to plant these tiny seeds within our non- Christian friends and family
That holy holy holy God would desire to dwell with wretched sinners enough to send His Son is astounding. The foreshadowing in the tabernacle is but a glimpse of the glorious fellowship we have through the Lord Jesus.
I’m just wondering if anyone could tell me what kind of lesson we could pull out and maybe apply to life when we’re reading about measurements of a boat? Just wondering :)
I also really envy the way Moses heard God so clearly! Such details! I know in the past God had tried to prompt me to take specific actions and when I feared what people would think and didn’t obey, his voice became less clear, less often. He offered me a talent and a gift I did not use out of concern for humans rather than obedience and respect of God. The detail in this story reminds me that continued obedience in the details will keep me connected and enjoying amazing detailed relationship with Almighty God!
I also really envy the way Moses heard God so clearly! Such details! I know in the past God had tried to prompt me to take specific actions and when I feared what people would think and didn’t obey, his voice became less clear, less often. He offered me a talent and a gift I did not use out of concern for humans rather than obedience and respect of God. The detail in this story reminds me that continued obedience in the details will keep me connected and enjoying amazing detailed relationship with Almighty God!
Hi Lexi, the She Reads Truth Bible offers this accompaniment:
When I was growing up, my parents had two oversized chairs in their bedroom. I call them “the prayer chairs” because I’d often find my mom or my dad there, reading their Bibles and praying. We had a lot of talks in those chairs-good talks where we laughed and told stories, and hard talks that were painful and involved tears. All kinds of talking was welcome in the prayer chairs. Grace and mercy were plentiful there.
On first read, Exodus 26-27 is a rather long list of architectural instructions for the chilling of the tabernacle: dimensions, materials, and many, many details. But if you let yourself step away a bit and rise above for an aerial view, what you see before you is a beautiful picture of God drawing near to his people.
“They are to make a sanctuary for me so that I may dwell among them” Exodus 35:8
The aerial view of these chapters reveals building plans for a room where grace and mercy dwell- like a set of prayer chairs for God and for you. A place where all kinds of talks are welcome and grace and mercy abound.
One of the most important pieces of the tabernacle is the mercy seat. That name alone is so inviting, isn’t it? Come, sit where mercy is. In Exodus 25:22, God says, “I will meet with you there above the mercy seat…I will speak with you from there…” How incredible for the God of the universe to set up a regular meeting spot for Him and Moses!
In the tabernacle layout, there is a barrier between the people and the mercy seat, something to divide the holy place from the most holy place: a curtain (Ex 26:33). This is the same curtain that was torn from top to bottom when Jesus’ sacrifice was complete on the cross (Mt 27:51). Just as God commanded it to be hung, so He commanded it to come down when the final sacrifice was made- an invitation for us to step through and enter the mercy seat, no matter who we are.
The tabernacle points to Christ in every detail. As Hebrews explains, “he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption” (Heb 9:12).
God’s plan for the tabernacle was for the Israelites to build it, and for Jesus to tear it down and rebuild it in our hearts. This was His plan all along, to dwell among us. To draw us into the mercy seat where we can talk to Him, worship Him, and simply be with Him.
When we look at these chapters from 30,000 feet, we realize they aren’t merely instructions. They are a blueprint for our own hearts- the place where God chose to dwell, and chooses to dwell still.
^ all quotes from the She Reads Truth Bible. Sorry for the length, but this really helped my understanding. I hope it helps you too!
@Lottie I think you might have misunderstood. I definitely think that God is in control of salvation, but I don’t think at the beginning of time he has already decided who will be joining him in heaven. I think that he may have an idea, but the day we die is when he determines if we will be in heaven, purgatory, or hell. Of course I may be wrong, and I only recently have found Christ, but that’s what I think.
There are several scriptures that speak to that exact thing: “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”
Ephesians 1:4-5
I also highly recommend you read Romans 8 and Romans 9. Remember, God has a very long history of choosing certain people over others, so this isn’t a new concept.
This is the age old paradox – – sovereignty or free will?? I think there’s a mystery here we aren’t to fully understand on this side of heaven. Deut 29:29 says “The secret things belong to the Lord. But the things revealed belong to us and our sons forever”. So instead of siding with one attribute of God (his sovereignty) over another (his mercy) for example, both are true. The classic illustration that helped me understand this mystery was given at BSF– The gate on the outside says “whosoever will may come” (2 Peter 3:9) Upon passing through you look back and see written “chosen of God” (Eph 1:4) God certainly has chosen certain people groups – In the OT (Abraham, Isaac & Jacob- or Israel as he was later renamed) to carry out His plan of salvation through the Jewish line. And in the NT we see in Ephesians that “God chose us ‘in Him’ to be holy & blameless in his sight” God certainly is not accountable to anyone but if we understand His full character we see overriding it all is His love for His creation. So much so that He provided in His own Son a way for our reconciliation. One key point I like to recall is from Matt 25:41 that says the “eternal fire (hell) has been prepared for the devil and his angels.”
yeah, I think I’d have to agree with Heidi. it’s a mystery we cannot fully understand. it’s hard for us to reconcile the two in our head, but it might be we just put our trust in God and acknowledge we do well not fully understand until we reach heaven.
@Alisha, I differ with you on that doctrine point. I believe in total depravity and it scares me to think that someone could belief that God is not in control of salvation. if He is not in control of salvation then how can He be sovereign over all His creation?! I think it’s hard to reconcile His sovereignty while we are still responsible for our actions, but that might be something we leave on the table as something we cannot fully wrap our minds around while on earth.
@Jasmine I apologize but I don’t think that’s right either. God gives us the free will to believe in him and to have faith in him, if we choose not to, that’s on us and not because God has already hand picked who’s getting into heaven. We were put on this earth to listen to him and spread his glory, if we do everything he has taught us, then he will have mercy on us and allow us into heaven. I don’t think that we can follow Jesus all our lives and not get into heaven just because he didn’t pick us to go into heaven when we were born. Jesus knows us, but he can’t make decisions for us. We have the free will to stray from Jesus or follow him. We live life in the name of Jesus because it’s a beautiful life, Heaven is a bonus when we die. God hopes that we will follow him, but he can’t make us. I don’t think that God would allow non-believers into heaven. As for your question Justine, I apologize but I don’t have the answer to that. We all have to keep praying that Jesus will give us the answer
Something I have a hard time wrapping my head around is how God loves the world, but will throw non believers into a fiery pit and suffer. What about the people on this earth who never had the privilege of hearing God’s Word? Ladies help me understand this in a better light!
So I prayed on this. If we reject Jesus’ offer of forgiveness, there’s no one else to pay the penalty for our sins except ourselves. God will not send us to hell – we will send ourselves. Our eternal destiny lies in our own hands.
@Justine, sorry wasn’t clear who I was agreeing with, haha. I think we are still responsible for our salvation, even though we cannot work outside of what God ordained.
Wether you are a non-believer or believer the Lord already had his chosen people since before the Earth or we were even created. Non-believers could hear about the Lord’s word, read the Bible, Worship, etc. and still wound up in hell if God does not have them as his selected people. In this world there are many people claiming to be ‘Christians’ in which will not be sent to Heaven and when God comes they will protest saying “But I did everything you said.” But He will say “Part from me for I do not know you.” Your destiny does not rely on your own hands either, like I said it is within GOD’S hands with he chosen. If he chooses to save you it’s because it’s his gift of mercy and love. I’m sorry, but what you said was all wrong.
I believe in God’s sovereignty. don’t get me wrong. I also believe in total depravity. however, I believe we can say that those who do not believe do indeed, send themselves to hell, so to speak. because it is because of the deeds they did. God did not “make” them sin. I think the theology gets deep here, and it’s hard to reconcile how God is 100% in control, while we are still responsible for our deeds. Sometimes there are times when our (rather small, let’s be honest) human brains cannot understand the ways of God. and that is okay. like, it really is. can you fathom how there was no beginning for God? well, neither can I. so I just believe what He says and except that my brain can never fully comprehend on this earth. God is not an unjust God, but He does not owe us anything. maybe there have been people who have died without ever hearing His word and have gone to Hell. maybe that seems cruel to you. but that is completely in His power because we are His creations and deserve Nothing. there’s a lot to be said here, and I am obviously still trying to wade through it all myself.
I’m actually going to disagree with your disagreement. :) God has given every person a free will but what is a free will if there is no choice? You may choose to accept his offer of salvation or reject it. Based on your choice, you choose your eternal destiny. Since God is omniscient, He already knows everything and sees all of time and space, He knows who will choose Him, and therefore He chooses them back, but He does not make the decision for them. Where you choose is up to you. He is love. He wants everyone saved, but it has to be your choice.
What about the people on this earth who never had the privilege of hearing God’s Word? Since you have already heard His Word, it’s now your time to share the Gospel to others. That’s why Jesus commanded us to “go and make disciples.” We must share the Word of God to them so they can hear the Good News as well. Now, once we’ve done our part, it is up to the people if they will follow Christ. It’s not our duty to save them. Our duty is to share and tell people the love of and salvation through Christ. ❤️
Please pray for me! I have drifted away from God and returned to my worldly ways of living. Pray for my walk with him and pray that I can have a thirst for his word! It’s greatly appreciated
Chloe you will be in my prayers. Thank you for your comment! Your humility before God is encouraging me to confess my recent struggles with the things of this world. I know if we seek Him wholeheartedly He will always show Himself in a huge way. God bless you recent so
Chloe, I strayed for two years and God took my hand and dragged me out. I hope you know God will never leave your side and He will welcome you back with open arms. I pray for you. Have strength, and ask God to lead the way for you!
Hey ladies! I just joined this community a few minutes ago. Trying to get more into reading the Bible this year. My home church is getting a new Senior Pastor in about 3 weeks or so and I’m excited about that! Consistent Preaching is what will help me to be more disciplined in reading the Bible for myself.
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This is the upsetting reality for my best friends who aren’t Christians. This just reiterates how important it is for us to bring God’s word to them to help them out of this future before it is too late!
God is instructing them to make an altar and he has his own divine instruction on what he wants it to look like. Of course it sounds like a beautiful altar, God the creator of this beautiful world has a good eye for those things :) I think it’s being used to show us that he lays the instructions and answers to how he wants us to serve him.
I also think that God wants us to bring us his finest without hesitation from our hearts. Not to hold onto the things that we hold precious in this world. How much more we will receive in his presence. I praise you Lord! He didn’t command the Israelites to bring these sacrifices. In Ex 25:1 the Lord says ‘From everyone that gives willingly with his heart’. I pray that I am always joyful to give what is asked of me.
The bible says fear the Lord. Jesus is the Lord in a human form. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
We don’t have to be afraid because our sins have been forgiven.
Just my thoughts:p
thank you for all your insights sisters, i’m learning so much! :) i’m amazed that before God even led them out of Egypt, He already had a plan for their whole wilderness journey! i remember in thr later part of Exodus 12, when the Lord told the Israelites to ask for silver, gold and expensive stuffs from the Egyptians… He caused them to have favor on the Israelites, so they exited Egypt with so much wealth! God knew this is where they were going to need all those gold and luxurious stuffs!
Reminds me that God always has a purpose for the resources that He entrusts to us! We don’t own them, and God has the right to use them in any way that would bring Him Glory. What a privilege to be a steward of God’s riches!!! :)
If God would out this much design, effort, detail and beauty into the tabernacle it makes me wonder how beautiful, pure and holy are bodies are supposed to be since they are the “temples of the Holy Spirit.” I’m quite convicted I can do better. That I need to do better.
No house had ever existed for God before.
This tabernacle, a token of the Presence of God.
Right smack dab next to their tents in the middle of a wilderness. No more will they need to ask if God is with them? And the tabernacle will move with the tents.
although I loved reading the details of the tabernacle, the verse that caught my attention today is in the Matthew reading verse 52: He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” I think of the value of both the Old Testament and the New. And now – we can’t continue to teach the same old ways, but we can’t abandon the old ways, either. There is talk at the church where I work about updating the Sunday school space and program. The nay-sayers say, “it was good enough for me, it should be good enough for these kids.” I hope they can find a compromise.
41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil… 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Oh sisters, this gives my heart such peace and relief. We get to live in the Kingdom of our Father forever, where there will be no sin or causes of evil or anything bad. He is a great gardener and will weed it all out–and we get to shine in the sun with Jesus. Such good news for a very weary world-we see so much evil around and yet we can take heart that He will make all things good and pure and beautiful.
Looking at my baby girl, seeing all the tiny little veins, feeling the tiny bones in her spine, and thinking back to just a year ago when she was the size of a poppy seed in my belly…I often think about this and am amazed and thankful for God’s wonders. Reading this passage in Exodus today, I thought, wow God really put some serious detail into this. The words that I’m just skimming over because I can’t actually picture such an amazing creation, well God laid out each of those details for a reason. And it’s the same with us. Every tiny little thing in the creation of the human body has a purpose. And how much more detailed and intricate are we than the ark and tabernacle? How He loves us! Every single day is just more reassurance of how important we are to Him!
Thank you for saying this! I read your comment as I am nursing my 3 month old son so it really struck a chord with me. I must confess I found the exodus passage to be boring and wondered what it’s purpose was. Thank you for showing me a better way to look at it!!
I am so engrossed in today’s reading! I loved the details of the tabernacle and the book of Matthew in general continues to convict me and blow me away. I pray that the Lord will use me with what I have learned today to be graceful and loving and seek refuge in Him!
Yay I’ve finally caught up!! I’m so glad this passage is today. How great is it that God put so much detail in the tabernacle. How much greater that he put so much detail into us. Adonai you are so great! You have every detail planned in our lives beyond our wildest dreams.
God had them build something beautiful. Not just a candlestick. But a gold candlestick. Not plain. But shaped like almond blossoms. The details were important. And they were beautiful. Designed to be done with quality and skill. Not just quickly thrown together to “get it done”.
Antimony, true! Yes almond tree represents life! Almond trees are the only tree to live in the winter so when we’re going through barrenness, drought, weariness, etc…Remember the almond tree (living God) is still there! Amen.
I loved verse: 2 “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give.
May our hearts continue to be prompted to give. So many time we think of the OT as rules about how to live, how much to give, etc. this is a sweet remind that God has always wanted us to give from our hearts.
I also love reading about the details of the plan for the tabernacle- from the tent frame totally covered in gold, to the specific colors chosen for the curtains, everything had significance.
But one thing that never crossed my mind before this morning- what a blessing for the Children of Israel to have something to do!! After wandering around, and living without a home, God gave them a purpose- something of real significance to focus their energy on- a tangible way to worship Him; building Him a place to dwell among them. Everyone could participate in bringing their own offering for the tabernacle! As much or as little as they desired.
God graciously gave them a common focus during this period in the middle of their season of wandering. Maybe they didn’t know what the future held, but for now they had a purpose!
I had never thought if like that before. I always get bogged down in the details that don’t really mean anything to me, that I never stopped to think that like you said it gave the Israelites something to do. Thanks for this insight!
Christina, yes, this struck me as well. Particularly in this sense — sometimes artists/creators feel like we don’t belong in the church “scene” (I say “we” because I’m a musician, but I mean this to encompass all creative types of people). We feel as if there is no place for us, no way to use our talents for the Lord. But here God clearly glorifies fine craftsmanship and design — he placed those skills in people to be used for his glory!!
If any of you is struggling (like i do) with being a Christian in a non believing family: the passage in Matthew speaks comfort to me. Jesus knows what that’s like, in his hometown people scoffed at him, where strangers and even foes to the Jews in some cases came along side his teaching! Jesus truly knows where you are at.
Wow my mind was enthralled with reading those details!! I can’t even being to picture the beauty of the tent of meeting and the tabernacle! As I was reading- I was thinking ; “Wow Abba,…You had a lot of riches and expensive stuff for You to be worshipped..and then, You send Your Son to die a bloody, gruesome death- to fully satisfy Your wrath, and to bring us to You. That wasn’t so beautiful or rich, at least outwardly…”
Then Abba presses on my heart “Yet it’s more beautiful than all the riches in this world.”
Excuse me while I go sob for joy in the corner at the amazing mercy and grace and love of our Father- and just the profound contrast between the stain of sin and His glory. Wow does He love us. He could have kept us in the OT days- but He didn’t.
I feel like a wound being reopened again as new sin is being exposed to me- but instead of it hurting or becoming worse, my Abba is tending to it and mending it.
( Sorry sisters, I’ve not had much sleep and I woke up this morning to no heat and a very cold house, so I’m especially thankful for Jesus right now )
Anne-Marie, while you didn’t have a warm house, your soul was warmly stirred, pouring back on to us! Love your heart, and the very convicting perspective. Funny how certain situations, as dire as they are, bring a fresh perspective of our Father! Thank you for sharing. Hope you got some rest and your heat is back in order.
I haven’t yet made it to our NT passage for the day because I got lost in the tabernacle! I’ve definitely skimmed through this passage before, but as with the chapters that speak of biblical ancestry, I can get lost in the shuffle because I have no anchor for the information.
It’s time to anchor it down! I wanted to share this research that I found via Google about the incredible significance of each part of Moses’s Tabernacle. It is breathtaking and all a foreshadowing of Christ! http://www.netbiblestudy.com/00_cartimages/Tab-Le…
It’s such a great passage, to think although He gave Moses those details, He then anointed a man within the tribe with the skills in which to complete the Ark. God have this man the exact detail of how the curtains, cherubs and everything else should look like. It just shows that every though God uses highly anointed leaders, he also uses those who work behind the scenes.
God is indeed amazing! Yes, personally I believe God has a way of putting things in our heart & minds, in such specific detail, for them to take place. We are all wired uniquely for our specific tasks, and roles. What was interesting too is that God told Moses twice “see that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” I found that double intriguing and so very cool!
Love love love this passage in Exodus!!! Ok if I’m honest, I struggle to understand and comprehend the detail and picture it in my mind. Anyone with me??? But if you look up maps and pictures of the Bible and see some of the items that were included in the sanctuary, it really helps.
What I get in this passage is this: Our God is an awesome creator and designer!!!!! If He put so much effort and detail into a temporary sanctuary HOW MUCH MORE amazing is Heaven going to be???? His perfect and eternal sanctuary!!!!!!!!bit blows my mind.
Also we are the temple now, the sanctuary in which He dwells. This is important to Him. He is working in us something glorious, because only that is fitting for Him to dwell in!!! Never forget that. Every work that He is doing in you is done with detail, love and indescribable care. He is building a holy sanctuary in you. Sometimes the work is painful and seemingly slow, but never believe the lie that He has given up or taking a break. God is working in you and since it is HIS work when He looks at you, He smiles at His beautiful handiwork and says, It is good!!!
I am so blown away by the Gold Lampstand. God is SO detailed! Elohim is the greatest creator ~ and reading all his specific instructions for a lamp is so amazing. If God is this specific over how a lamp is put together how much more is He over the details of my life? Sometimes it’s easy for me to think God doesn’t care about the small stuff- but He does.
I’ve read this part in exodus before and just get so bored and lost with the details of the tent and lamp . So thank you for pointing this out! Such a sweet reminder of how detailed and involved God is in our life :)
A wise man builds his house.
Really enjoyed the parables. It’s so easy to get discouraged over the little things in life sometimes. These parables demonstrate just how powerful our faith in God is!! INCREDIBLE encouragement.
“Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.””
Matthew 13:31-32 NLT
this!
always loved the parable of the seed. It really helps me to know what to look out for in order to keep strong faith.
Awesome testimony not to give up. Sorry for the typo. Thank you for pointing this out to me. Danika.
Phenomenal insight. So even the smallest branch God creates from the smallest of seeds can become a fruitful tree. This is an anweslme
A reminder that we live to plant seeds in peoples lives of the good news of Jesus and we have no idea what can become of that one seed! Matthew 13:32
32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” – Matthew 13:32 !
A
32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” – Matthew 13:32 !
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Exodus 25:2 “From every man whose heart moves him. . .” God does not tax us. He does not impose. He always invites us, gives us opportunity to join Him, whosoever will—come. And when we do, we share in the beauty He is creating.
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Beautiful picture of God’s tabernacle a symbol of Him dwelling in our hearts & all that gold is His righteousness that we are clothed in, because of Christ.
The kingdom of heaven so valuable & precious, we inherited this only because someone loved you and me enough to die & shed his blood. Thank you Jesus for the Price you paid, now to give all that I have, my time, my talents, my abilities to serve this King who owns this kingdom.
“The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father”☀️
What a great read this morning! God told them how to make the Ark of the covenant detail by detail. Jesus is telling us how to follow him through detailed parables. It’s so awesome to see how the Old and New Testaments intersect.
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The “bread of the presence” in the tabernacle stood out to me and I don’t think I’d ever caught it before. Do we think there is any tie to the body of Christ and the communion loaf? Very interesting!
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A small seed of faith can become something great. That’s so encouraging as we try to plant these tiny seeds within our non- Christian friends and family
You have to believe it to see it, and the faith of a mustard seed can grow into the biggest of mountains.
i learned in bible study that God is like the merchant and he found one person of great value and sent his son down, “sold all that he had” -ellie
That holy holy holy God would desire to dwell with wretched sinners enough to send His Son is astounding. The foreshadowing in the tabernacle is but a glimpse of the glorious fellowship we have through the Lord Jesus.
Wow! What a thought!
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Done!
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I’m just wondering if anyone could tell me what kind of lesson we could pull out and maybe apply to life when we’re reading about measurements of a boat? Just wondering :)
I believe it was both a test of obedience, but also goes to show God is interested in even what we would consider the most mundane.
I also really envy the way Moses heard God so clearly! Such details! I know in the past God had tried to prompt me to take specific actions and when I feared what people would think and didn’t obey, his voice became less clear, less often. He offered me a talent and a gift I did not use out of concern for humans rather than obedience and respect of God. The detail in this story reminds me that continued obedience in the details will keep me connected and enjoying amazing detailed relationship with Almighty God!
Oops I meant that reply for Lexi.
I also really envy the way Moses heard God so clearly! Such details! I know in the past God had tried to prompt me to take specific actions and when I feared what people would think and didn’t obey, his voice became less clear, less often. He offered me a talent and a gift I did not use out of concern for humans rather than obedience and respect of God. The detail in this story reminds me that continued obedience in the details will keep me connected and enjoying amazing detailed relationship with Almighty God!
Hi Lexi, the She Reads Truth Bible offers this accompaniment:
When I was growing up, my parents had two oversized chairs in their bedroom. I call them “the prayer chairs” because I’d often find my mom or my dad there, reading their Bibles and praying. We had a lot of talks in those chairs-good talks where we laughed and told stories, and hard talks that were painful and involved tears. All kinds of talking was welcome in the prayer chairs. Grace and mercy were plentiful there.
On first read, Exodus 26-27 is a rather long list of architectural instructions for the chilling of the tabernacle: dimensions, materials, and many, many details. But if you let yourself step away a bit and rise above for an aerial view, what you see before you is a beautiful picture of God drawing near to his people.
“They are to make a sanctuary for me so that I may dwell among them” Exodus 35:8
The aerial view of these chapters reveals building plans for a room where grace and mercy dwell- like a set of prayer chairs for God and for you. A place where all kinds of talks are welcome and grace and mercy abound.
One of the most important pieces of the tabernacle is the mercy seat. That name alone is so inviting, isn’t it? Come, sit where mercy is. In Exodus 25:22, God says, “I will meet with you there above the mercy seat…I will speak with you from there…” How incredible for the God of the universe to set up a regular meeting spot for Him and Moses!
In the tabernacle layout, there is a barrier between the people and the mercy seat, something to divide the holy place from the most holy place: a curtain (Ex 26:33). This is the same curtain that was torn from top to bottom when Jesus’ sacrifice was complete on the cross (Mt 27:51). Just as God commanded it to be hung, so He commanded it to come down when the final sacrifice was made- an invitation for us to step through and enter the mercy seat, no matter who we are.
The tabernacle points to Christ in every detail. As Hebrews explains, “he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption” (Heb 9:12).
God’s plan for the tabernacle was for the Israelites to build it, and for Jesus to tear it down and rebuild it in our hearts. This was His plan all along, to dwell among us. To draw us into the mercy seat where we can talk to Him, worship Him, and simply be with Him.
When we look at these chapters from 30,000 feet, we realize they aren’t merely instructions. They are a blueprint for our own hearts- the place where God chose to dwell, and chooses to dwell still.
^ all quotes from the She Reads Truth Bible. Sorry for the length, but this really helped my understanding. I hope it helps you too!
@Lottie I think you might have misunderstood. I definitely think that God is in control of salvation, but I don’t think at the beginning of time he has already decided who will be joining him in heaven. I think that he may have an idea, but the day we die is when he determines if we will be in heaven, purgatory, or hell. Of course I may be wrong, and I only recently have found Christ, but that’s what I think.
There are several scriptures that speak to that exact thing: “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”
Ephesians 1:4-5
I also highly recommend you read Romans 8 and Romans 9. Remember, God has a very long history of choosing certain people over others, so this isn’t a new concept.
This is the age old paradox – – sovereignty or free will?? I think there’s a mystery here we aren’t to fully understand on this side of heaven. Deut 29:29 says “The secret things belong to the Lord. But the things revealed belong to us and our sons forever”. So instead of siding with one attribute of God (his sovereignty) over another (his mercy) for example, both are true. The classic illustration that helped me understand this mystery was given at BSF– The gate on the outside says “whosoever will may come” (2 Peter 3:9) Upon passing through you look back and see written “chosen of God” (Eph 1:4) God certainly has chosen certain people groups – In the OT (Abraham, Isaac & Jacob- or Israel as he was later renamed) to carry out His plan of salvation through the Jewish line. And in the NT we see in Ephesians that “God chose us ‘in Him’ to be holy & blameless in his sight” God certainly is not accountable to anyone but if we understand His full character we see overriding it all is His love for His creation. So much so that He provided in His own Son a way for our reconciliation. One key point I like to recall is from Matt 25:41 that says the “eternal fire (hell) has been prepared for the devil and his angels.”
yeah, I think I’d have to agree with Heidi. it’s a mystery we cannot fully understand. it’s hard for us to reconcile the two in our head, but it might be we just put our trust in God and acknowledge we do well not fully understand until we reach heaven.
@Alisha, I differ with you on that doctrine point. I believe in total depravity and it scares me to think that someone could belief that God is not in control of salvation. if He is not in control of salvation then how can He be sovereign over all His creation?! I think it’s hard to reconcile His sovereignty while we are still responsible for our actions, but that might be something we leave on the table as something we cannot fully wrap our minds around while on earth.
@Jasmine I apologize but I don’t think that’s right either. God gives us the free will to believe in him and to have faith in him, if we choose not to, that’s on us and not because God has already hand picked who’s getting into heaven. We were put on this earth to listen to him and spread his glory, if we do everything he has taught us, then he will have mercy on us and allow us into heaven. I don’t think that we can follow Jesus all our lives and not get into heaven just because he didn’t pick us to go into heaven when we were born. Jesus knows us, but he can’t make decisions for us. We have the free will to stray from Jesus or follow him. We live life in the name of Jesus because it’s a beautiful life, Heaven is a bonus when we die. God hopes that we will follow him, but he can’t make us. I don’t think that God would allow non-believers into heaven. As for your question Justine, I apologize but I don’t have the answer to that. We all have to keep praying that Jesus will give us the answer
Something I have a hard time wrapping my head around is how God loves the world, but will throw non believers into a fiery pit and suffer. What about the people on this earth who never had the privilege of hearing God’s Word? Ladies help me understand this in a better light!
So I prayed on this. If we reject Jesus’ offer of forgiveness, there’s no one else to pay the penalty for our sins except ourselves. God will not send us to hell – we will send ourselves. Our eternal destiny lies in our own hands.
You are incorrect about that.
I provided I reason why down below, I hope this helps.
I agree!
@Justine, sorry wasn’t clear who I was agreeing with, haha. I think we are still responsible for our salvation, even though we cannot work outside of what God ordained.
Wether you are a non-believer or believer the Lord already had his chosen people since before the Earth or we were even created. Non-believers could hear about the Lord’s word, read the Bible, Worship, etc. and still wound up in hell if God does not have them as his selected people. In this world there are many people claiming to be ‘Christians’ in which will not be sent to Heaven and when God comes they will protest saying “But I did everything you said.” But He will say “Part from me for I do not know you.” Your destiny does not rely on your own hands either, like I said it is within GOD’S hands with he chosen. If he chooses to save you it’s because it’s his gift of mercy and love. I’m sorry, but what you said was all wrong.
@Justine
I believe in God’s sovereignty. don’t get me wrong. I also believe in total depravity. however, I believe we can say that those who do not believe do indeed, send themselves to hell, so to speak. because it is because of the deeds they did. God did not “make” them sin. I think the theology gets deep here, and it’s hard to reconcile how God is 100% in control, while we are still responsible for our deeds. Sometimes there are times when our (rather small, let’s be honest) human brains cannot understand the ways of God. and that is okay. like, it really is. can you fathom how there was no beginning for God? well, neither can I. so I just believe what He says and except that my brain can never fully comprehend on this earth. God is not an unjust God, but He does not owe us anything. maybe there have been people who have died without ever hearing His word and have gone to Hell. maybe that seems cruel to you. but that is completely in His power because we are His creations and deserve Nothing. there’s a lot to be said here, and I am obviously still trying to wade through it all myself.
I’m actually going to disagree with your disagreement. :) God has given every person a free will but what is a free will if there is no choice? You may choose to accept his offer of salvation or reject it. Based on your choice, you choose your eternal destiny. Since God is omniscient, He already knows everything and sees all of time and space, He knows who will choose Him, and therefore He chooses them back, but He does not make the decision for them. Where you choose is up to you. He is love. He wants everyone saved, but it has to be your choice.
What about the people on this earth who never had the privilege of hearing God’s Word? Since you have already heard His Word, it’s now your time to share the Gospel to others. That’s why Jesus commanded us to “go and make disciples.” We must share the Word of God to them so they can hear the Good News as well. Now, once we’ve done our part, it is up to the people if they will follow Christ. It’s not our duty to save them. Our duty is to share and tell people the love of and salvation through Christ. ❤️
Please pray for me! I have drifted away from God and returned to my worldly ways of living. Pray for my walk with him and pray that I can have a thirst for his word! It’s greatly appreciated
Chloe you will be in my prayers. Thank you for your comment! Your humility before God is encouraging me to confess my recent struggles with the things of this world. I know if we seek Him wholeheartedly He will always show Himself in a huge way. God bless you recent so
Praying for you Chloe!
Chloe, I strayed for two years and God took my hand and dragged me out. I hope you know God will never leave your side and He will welcome you back with open arms. I pray for you. Have strength, and ask God to lead the way for you!
Hey ladies! I just joined this community a few minutes ago. Trying to get more into reading the Bible this year. My home church is getting a new Senior Pastor in about 3 weeks or so and I’m excited about that! Consistent Preaching is what will help me to be more disciplined in reading the Bible for myself.
Welcome! I just started my self a few months ago. This app really helps! :)
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This is the upsetting reality for my best friends who aren’t Christians. This just reiterates how important it is for us to bring God’s word to them to help them out of this future before it is too late!
40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
Love this verse!
God is instructing them to make an altar and he has his own divine instruction on what he wants it to look like. Of course it sounds like a beautiful altar, God the creator of this beautiful world has a good eye for those things :) I think it’s being used to show us that he lays the instructions and answers to how he wants us to serve him.
He was very precise on those animal sacrifices. Praise the Lord that we have the ultimate sacrifice for our transgressions.
I also think that God wants us to bring us his finest without hesitation from our hearts. Not to hold onto the things that we hold precious in this world. How much more we will receive in his presence. I praise you Lord! He didn’t command the Israelites to bring these sacrifices. In Ex 25:1 the Lord says ‘From everyone that gives willingly with his heart’. I pray that I am always joyful to give what is asked of me.
Can anyone explain the purpose of this Exodus passage?
I replied down below to you :) this is just my take on it… I’m definitely no bible scholar!
The bible says fear the Lord. Jesus is the Lord in a human form. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
We don’t have to be afraid because our sins have been forgiven.
Just my thoughts:p
Yes! But don’t forget that we must fear God! (Fear as in a holy fear)
thank you for all your insights sisters, i’m learning so much! :) i’m amazed that before God even led them out of Egypt, He already had a plan for their whole wilderness journey! i remember in thr later part of Exodus 12, when the Lord told the Israelites to ask for silver, gold and expensive stuffs from the Egyptians… He caused them to have favor on the Israelites, so they exited Egypt with so much wealth! God knew this is where they were going to need all those gold and luxurious stuffs!
Reminds me that God always has a purpose for the resources that He entrusts to us! We don’t own them, and God has the right to use them in any way that would bring Him Glory. What a privilege to be a steward of God’s riches!!! :)
I totally forgot about that! Thank you so much for your thoughts and insights :)
I was wondering why he asked the Israelites to do that, but it all makes sense now!
As a former High school English teacher, I must say that I love the way the Bibje is written. All the figurative language makes me happy.
If God would out this much design, effort, detail and beauty into the tabernacle it makes me wonder how beautiful, pure and holy are bodies are supposed to be since they are the “temples of the Holy Spirit.” I’m quite convicted I can do better. That I need to do better.
What great insight. Thank you!
No house had ever existed for God before.
This tabernacle, a token of the Presence of God.
Right smack dab next to their tents in the middle of a wilderness. No more will they need to ask if God is with them? And the tabernacle will move with the tents.
although I loved reading the details of the tabernacle, the verse that caught my attention today is in the Matthew reading verse 52: He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” I think of the value of both the Old Testament and the New. And now – we can’t continue to teach the same old ways, but we can’t abandon the old ways, either. There is talk at the church where I work about updating the Sunday school space and program. The nay-sayers say, “it was good enough for me, it should be good enough for these kids.” I hope they can find a compromise.
41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil… 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Oh sisters, this gives my heart such peace and relief. We get to live in the Kingdom of our Father forever, where there will be no sin or causes of evil or anything bad. He is a great gardener and will weed it all out–and we get to shine in the sun with Jesus. Such good news for a very weary world-we see so much evil around and yet we can take heart that He will make all things good and pure and beautiful.
Looking at my baby girl, seeing all the tiny little veins, feeling the tiny bones in her spine, and thinking back to just a year ago when she was the size of a poppy seed in my belly…I often think about this and am amazed and thankful for God’s wonders. Reading this passage in Exodus today, I thought, wow God really put some serious detail into this. The words that I’m just skimming over because I can’t actually picture such an amazing creation, well God laid out each of those details for a reason. And it’s the same with us. Every tiny little thing in the creation of the human body has a purpose. And how much more detailed and intricate are we than the ark and tabernacle? How He loves us! Every single day is just more reassurance of how important we are to Him!
Sara, your post reminds me of Psalms 139.
Thank you for saying this! I read your comment as I am nursing my 3 month old son so it really struck a chord with me. I must confess I found the exodus passage to be boring and wondered what it’s purpose was. Thank you for showing me a better way to look at it!!
This was a wonderful connection!
I am so engrossed in today’s reading! I loved the details of the tabernacle and the book of Matthew in general continues to convict me and blow me away. I pray that the Lord will use me with what I have learned today to be graceful and loving and seek refuge in Him!
Yay I’ve finally caught up!! I’m so glad this passage is today. How great is it that God put so much detail in the tabernacle. How much greater that he put so much detail into us. Adonai you are so great! You have every detail planned in our lives beyond our wildest dreams.
God had them build something beautiful. Not just a candlestick. But a gold candlestick. Not plain. But shaped like almond blossoms. The details were important. And they were beautiful. Designed to be done with quality and skill. Not just quickly thrown together to “get it done”.
I absolutely love reading your insights every day. :)
Antimony, true! Yes almond tree represents life! Almond trees are the only tree to live in the winter so when we’re going through barrenness, drought, weariness, etc…Remember the almond tree (living God) is still there! Amen.
I didn’t know that about tha almond tree. thanks!
I loved verse: 2 “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give.
May our hearts continue to be prompted to give. So many time we think of the OT as rules about how to live, how much to give, etc. this is a sweet remind that God has always wanted us to give from our hearts.
Lead, the heart part stood out for me as well! Everything boils down to the heart. The chapter starts with it, then all other detail…
Sorry Leah, should have double checked my writing….I am sure you would prefer to go by your real name, rather than “Lead”… :)
I also love reading about the details of the plan for the tabernacle- from the tent frame totally covered in gold, to the specific colors chosen for the curtains, everything had significance.
But one thing that never crossed my mind before this morning- what a blessing for the Children of Israel to have something to do!! After wandering around, and living without a home, God gave them a purpose- something of real significance to focus their energy on- a tangible way to worship Him; building Him a place to dwell among them. Everyone could participate in bringing their own offering for the tabernacle! As much or as little as they desired.
God graciously gave them a common focus during this period in the middle of their season of wandering. Maybe they didn’t know what the future held, but for now they had a purpose!
I had never thought if like that before. I always get bogged down in the details that don’t really mean anything to me, that I never stopped to think that like you said it gave the Israelites something to do. Thanks for this insight!
Christina, yes, this struck me as well. Particularly in this sense — sometimes artists/creators feel like we don’t belong in the church “scene” (I say “we” because I’m a musician, but I mean this to encompass all creative types of people). We feel as if there is no place for us, no way to use our talents for the Lord. But here God clearly glorifies fine craftsmanship and design — he placed those skills in people to be used for his glory!!
If any of you is struggling (like i do) with being a Christian in a non believing family: the passage in Matthew speaks comfort to me. Jesus knows what that’s like, in his hometown people scoffed at him, where strangers and even foes to the Jews in some cases came along side his teaching! Jesus truly knows where you are at.
Thank you for this insight Annie. This is something I really struggle with myself and hadnt thought of it this way! Thank you
Wow my mind was enthralled with reading those details!! I can’t even being to picture the beauty of the tent of meeting and the tabernacle! As I was reading- I was thinking ; “Wow Abba,…You had a lot of riches and expensive stuff for You to be worshipped..and then, You send Your Son to die a bloody, gruesome death- to fully satisfy Your wrath, and to bring us to You. That wasn’t so beautiful or rich, at least outwardly…”
Then Abba presses on my heart “Yet it’s more beautiful than all the riches in this world.”
Excuse me while I go sob for joy in the corner at the amazing mercy and grace and love of our Father- and just the profound contrast between the stain of sin and His glory. Wow does He love us. He could have kept us in the OT days- but He didn’t.
I feel like a wound being reopened again as new sin is being exposed to me- but instead of it hurting or becoming worse, my Abba is tending to it and mending it.
( Sorry sisters, I’ve not had much sleep and I woke up this morning to no heat and a very cold house, so I’m especially thankful for Jesus right now )
I appreciate your sharing Anne-Marie. I pray that your heat gets fixed real soon and that you get caught up with your sleep.
Anne-Marie, while you didn’t have a warm house, your soul was warmly stirred, pouring back on to us! Love your heart, and the very convicting perspective. Funny how certain situations, as dire as they are, bring a fresh perspective of our Father! Thank you for sharing. Hope you got some rest and your heat is back in order.
I haven’t yet made it to our NT passage for the day because I got lost in the tabernacle! I’ve definitely skimmed through this passage before, but as with the chapters that speak of biblical ancestry, I can get lost in the shuffle because I have no anchor for the information.
It’s time to anchor it down! I wanted to share this research that I found via Google about the incredible significance of each part of Moses’s Tabernacle. It is breathtaking and all a foreshadowing of Christ!
http://www.netbiblestudy.com/00_cartimages/Tab-Le…
Lydia thanks for sharing this! Amazing how many things in the OT point to Christ!!
Thanks for sharing that awesome article, Lydia!
Hi Lydia or someone else, can you please resubmit the entire link…it displays as a cutoff on my iPhone & won’t allow me to click on the link, thanks!
http://www.netbiblestudy.com/00_cartimages/Tab-Lesson%205.pdf
Enjoy!
Thank you
hey SRT, is there a reason android phones can’t click on links? they can’t be copied or selected or clicked
Hi JJ,
Email [email protected]! I’m so happy to help.
Grace and Peace,
Kaitlin
It’s such a great passage, to think although He gave Moses those details, He then anointed a man within the tribe with the skills in which to complete the Ark. God have this man the exact detail of how the curtains, cherubs and everything else should look like. It just shows that every though God uses highly anointed leaders, he also uses those who work behind the scenes.
God is amazing! The detail! Wow! How did Moses remember all this? Do yall think that God just made Moses able to remember all the details?
God is indeed amazing! Yes, personally I believe God has a way of putting things in our heart & minds, in such specific detail, for them to take place. We are all wired uniquely for our specific tasks, and roles. What was interesting too is that God told Moses twice “see that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” I found that double intriguing and so very cool!
Love love love this passage in Exodus!!! Ok if I’m honest, I struggle to understand and comprehend the detail and picture it in my mind. Anyone with me??? But if you look up maps and pictures of the Bible and see some of the items that were included in the sanctuary, it really helps.
What I get in this passage is this: Our God is an awesome creator and designer!!!!! If He put so much effort and detail into a temporary sanctuary HOW MUCH MORE amazing is Heaven going to be???? His perfect and eternal sanctuary!!!!!!!!bit blows my mind.
Also we are the temple now, the sanctuary in which He dwells. This is important to Him. He is working in us something glorious, because only that is fitting for Him to dwell in!!! Never forget that. Every work that He is doing in you is done with detail, love and indescribable care. He is building a holy sanctuary in you. Sometimes the work is painful and seemingly slow, but never believe the lie that He has given up or taking a break. God is working in you and since it is HIS work when He looks at you, He smiles at His beautiful handiwork and says, It is good!!!
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! Awe inspiring :) How Glorious He Is.
This is beautiful!
Wow, great perspective! I love this!! Thank you for the reminder!
This was good! Thank you
Yes! Love this!
I am so blown away by the Gold Lampstand. God is SO detailed! Elohim is the greatest creator ~ and reading all his specific instructions for a lamp is so amazing. If God is this specific over how a lamp is put together how much more is He over the details of my life? Sometimes it’s easy for me to think God doesn’t care about the small stuff- but He does.
Thank you for this reply because I really had trouble searching for meaning in this reading. Your post made me look at this passage with new eyes.
I’ve read this part in exodus before and just get so bored and lost with the details of the tent and lamp . So thank you for pointing this out! Such a sweet reminder of how detailed and involved God is in our life :)