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Devotional Hope On Offense

A Drink of Water

Jesus didn’t have to go through Samaria. Well, it wasn’t an earthly necessity, anyway. When Jesus is heading north from Judea to Galilee after causing a stir with all the baptizing his folks were doing, he ends up at a well in the city of Sychar. It’s an interesting location, a city that sits in the shadow of Mount Gerizim, where the Samaritans made sacrifices and worshipped YHWH, because they believed that was the place He had designated. They had, in fact, built a temple there in the 4th Century B.C. The Israelites believed this to be a perversion, a heretical decision to avoid God’s clear instructions that Jerusalem would be the holy city.

Most Jews would go around Samaria when travelling north, and Jesus certainly could have. But John tells us Jesus “had to” go through Sychar. The lady He meets at the well by the city is hesitant to give Him water, suspicious of this Israelite who would be seen interacting with a Samaritan on something so familiar as sharing water and close company. Plus, she may have had trouble of her own, a woman with five previous husbands and in a relationship with a current man who she wasn’t married to. As a woman, she wouldn’t have been able to initiate divorce, so her previous marriages ended through either death of her spouse or divorce that he initiated. And we do not know the state of her relationship with this current man, it could be all above board. But, none of this keeps people from talking or inferring that she is somehow trouble or her assuming they are thinking it, even if they aren’t.

In a surprising turn of events, Jesus goes from asking her for water to suggesting that she should ask him for living water, an interesting proposition given His lack of bucket and the unclear nature of “living water”. She namedrops Jacob (Israel, the man, and namesake of this well) because even he didn’t offer living water, and this rando Jew was surely no Jacob (she will learn He is greater than that here in a second).

Jesus claims to offer water that will quench forever and suggests the woman go get her husband that they both can return and have some. Her story is more complicated than that, but that’s the point. Jesus isn’t shaming her, he’s winking, probably smiling, and letting her in on a secret that will change her life and the village that surrounds her. She recognizes him as a prophet and immediately calls the prophet to account for what by now has been a centuries old disagreement, the contention around where the right place is to worship YHWH. This is a bold lady.

Jesus provides a length response to her question, which it appears she doesn’t quite fully understand, as she basically goes, “Yes, well, when Messiah comes He will get it all sorted out and explained”. Jesus agrees and affirms that He for whom she waits is right in front of her.

When I think of Hope on Offense, I think of this story, here’s why:

  • Hope Goes Where God Points: Jesus stops at this well in Samaria, not because it’s easier or faster or because He likes the scenery, it’s because God wants Him to. That “had to” that John says, in Greek, isn’t a physical force, it’s a divine imperative.
  • Hope Knows No Boundary: Geography, background, ethnicity, current life choices…Hope is comfortable hanging around any mix of these things, even when humans aren’t.
  • Hope Engages Hard Questions: The lady chose to jump right in at the painful, hard question of the day, nay, the last half-millennia. But Jesus had an answer, one that pointed to reconciliation and to a hopeful future. He wasn’t afraid of engaging in disputes over finer points of the law or human behavior, but what the lady at the well needed was to see where all of this was going.
  • Hope Multiplies: When the lady at the well sees Jesus for who He is, she can’t help but share. And the village, regardless of what she or we may presume about their judgment or rendering of her, respond to her call and come see for themselves. And “many more believed” and come to “…know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

Guided Prayer

Father,
Teach me to go where You point, even when it’s not the easy road.
Give me eyes like Jesus — to see the person instead of the label, to speak grace instead of retreating from hard questions.
Let my hope cross boundaries, start conversations, and draw others toward You.
And when You reveal Yourself in unexpected places, help me to run back and tell the story so others can come and see.
Fill me with living water, Lord, until it overflows into the lives around me.
In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Hope On Offense Devotional

No Way In

There was no way in.

The fellas had expected a crowd, of course, as they weren’t the only ones to hear about this man named Jesus who was casting out demons and healing the sick. They had heard of the man of the tombs in Gadara who he set free from the evil that had overcome him. And they had heard of his willingness to restore the man who had leprosy outside of town. Whatever power this Jesus was working with, they had desperate need of it.

But they had walked all this way, carrying their paralyzed friend, and it seemed like the whole town was between them and Jesus. Every time they tried to push through the way was blocked. They couldn’t hear the words Jesus was speaking, just the reaction of the crowd as he spoke them. And the captivated crowd wasn’t going anywhere. But neither were they, not when the only hope for their friend was in that house.

They went around the side the house and precariously climbed the ladder, friend and mat and all, and made their way to the roof, the dulled voice of Jesus teaching below them. And in an act of benevolent vandalism, they began to unroof the roof. First the thatch, then the mud, then the sticks, then through, daylight pouring into the room, giving them away as the vandals. But they didn’t stop there, they kept going, more thatch, more mud and more sticks, until there was enough room to lower their friend to Jesus.

Jesus watched, no doubt smiling, watching the men. Seeing their faith, he looked at the paralyzed man and said, “Man, your sins are forgiven”. This is a confounding declaration. The men on the roof were expecting a physical healing for their trouble. The religious leaders in the room were taken aback at the audacity of someone proclaiming that they can speak into reality the forgiveness of sins. This was blasphemy.

Jesus knew what they were thinking, of course. The man’s sins had been forgiven, but it wasn’t something anyone could see, wasn’t something that could be proven. So Jesus took what happened inside the man and made it true on the outside as well. “Take up your mat and walk,” he told the now formerly paralyzed man. And that man walked out of that house through the very door he could not enter moments before, healed.

When I think Hope on Offense, I think of this story, here’s why:

  • Hope Persists: The friends could have given up when they saw the crowds. They could have consoled themselves that they did their best and walked away on good intentions. But they would not be put off by the world that stood in their way or the effort it would take to get their friend up the ladder or the scowling looks it would draw to unroof the roof. They risked it all so their friend could meet Jesus.
  • Hope Speaks for the Silent: The paralyzed man never speaks. He can’t yell from the rear of the crowd, he doesn’t explain himself as he’s being lowered down, he doesn’t tell his back story to Jesus to justify why he should be healed. He is carried by the faith and persistence of his friends and it is that faith that Jesus calls out in his healing.
  • Hope Makes the Invisible Visible: Love is an action and rescue a tangible reality, not just an inner affirmation. Jesus gifts this understanding to the man, his friends, the crowd, and the pessimistic religious leaders by healing the man physically in the same way he brought restoration within his soul. Just as well, sometimes when we pray with our hearts God answers with our hands and feet, our eyebrows and elbows, our voices and treasure and time.

Guided Prayer

Father,
Give me the kind of hope that won’t quit when the way is blocked.
Make me willing to carry my friends when they can’t walk, and stubborn enough to unroof whatever stands between them and You.
Teach me to trust that what You do on the inside is just as real as what everyone can see on the outside.
And give me courage to follow You even when it offends the crowd, and may my trust in You create within them a holy confusion that resolves in Your arms.
In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Devotional Hope On Offense

In the Pit

Grigor’s father, Anak, was an assassin. His assignment was the Armenian king Khosrov II, targeted by a neighboring ruler who wanted a more pro-Persian, anti-Rome ruler on the throne. As a kinsmen of Khosrov, Anak had the ability to get access to the king as well as likely support to take over the throne at his demise. Although successful in murdering the king, the plot found no sympathy with the Armenian elite who turned against Anak, killing him and most of his family.

The infant Grigor was rescued and rushed out of the country by a nurse to Cappadocia where he was raised by a Roman family of Christians. When Grigor became a man, he returned to Armenia, entering into the service of King Tiridates III (the son of the murdered king). Tiridates did not know Grigor’s true identity as Anak’s son. Grigor served faithfully, but he refused to take part in pagan sacrifices to the goddess Anahit. When his refusal became known, Tiridates discovered his lineage and saw him as both a traitor’s son and an enemy of the gods.

In anger, the king ordered Grigor to be thrown into a deep pit (later known as Khor Virap, “the deep dungeon”), where he remained for thirteen years. During this time, Christian women secretly brought him food and kept him alive.

Meanwhile, Tiridates continued to persecute Christians. Among those he executed was a group of virgin nuns led by Hripsime, who had fled from Rome to Armenia. After their martyrdom, legend says that King Tiridates was struck with madness, wandering the forests and living like a wild beast (kind of like Nebuchadnezzar). His court and his nobles, desperate to save him, remembered Grigor, the man they had left in the pit. They reasoned that perhaps the God Grigor served could heal the king.

Grigor was brought up from the pit, weak but still alive. He prayed for Tiridates, and the king was restored to his right mind. In gratitude and awe, Tiridates freed Grigor, ended the persecution of Christians, and declared himself a follower of Christ.

At Grigor’s urging, Tiridates summoned his nobles and declared Christianity the official faith of Armenia. This event, traditionally dated to 301 AD, is remembered as the first time an entire nation formally adopted Christianity as its state religion.

When I think Hope on Offense, I think of this story, here’s why:

  • Hope Reconciles: Grigor could have stayed in Cappadocia, away from the risk of being found out in Armenia and the shame his family’s actions had left behind for him. But he went back anyway, to serve the new king, to serve his country, and possibly bring the good news of Jesus to Armenia.
  • Hope Takes Risks: Those ladies could have been arrested or worse for bringing food to Grigor to sustain him as he he was imprisoned in the pit but they did it anyway. They put the needs of the man in the pit above their own, they risked their lives for a brother, they served the least of these, and thus served Jesus.
  • Hope Plays the Long Game : After 13 years in the pit at the direction of the king, one might expect Grigor to be a bit surly about the whole thing and be less inclined to participate in Tiridates’ rescue from despair and madness. But this is what he came for. The pit had to happen, it had to be lived through to get to the situation where Grigor could show his dedication and service to the king and through that be able to introduce Jesus to the Armenians. And every day in that pit was one step closer to that reality coming to be.

Guided Prayer:

Father,
I don’t like the pit, but I see what You do with it.
Teach me to trust that even the long, silent years are moving toward something You’re building.
Give me courage like Grigor — to go back into places I’d rather avoid, to reconcile when bitterness would be easier.
Give me boldness like those women — to risk for the sake of someone who can’t repay me.
And give me patience — the kind that can sit in the pit until the day You call me out, ready to bring hope to someone who needs it.
Use me, Lord, to turn hearts toward You.
In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Devotional Hope On Offense

Back to Jail

Paul and and his friend Silas found themselves in prison. Earlier that week a slave girl kept following them around proclaiming that they were servants of the Most High God. Although true, Paul got annoyed with it and cast the spirit out of the girl, which is good news for her, but bad news for her owner who was basically selling her services as a fortune teller (although it is unclear whether her having a demon made her better or worse at this). Owner gets mad, gets in league with a bunch of other fellas, including local judges, who strip Paul and Silas (probably to their nuthin’s), beat them with rods, and throw them into jail, putting their feet in stocks as a kicker. Rough times.

At midnight, the bros are in their cell singing hymns when an earthquake happens, opening up all the cells and loosening all the chains (these are the hallmarks of YHWH’s freedom, unlike some rando earthquake, which is markedly less precise in its impact). Jailer wakes up, sees all the doors open, and decides to kill himself (likely because that was going to be his punishment for allowing a jailbreak anyway, plus it saved him the dishonor of being executed in front of everyone).

But no, Paul says “Don’t worry, we’re all here” and then proceeds to tell this man that Jesus Saves. Guard takes Paul and Silas to his own house so this Good News can be shared with his family. Everyone believes, gets baptized and celebrates, then Paul and Silas go back into the jail.

When I think Hope on Offense, I think of this story, here’s why:

  • Hope Keeps Going: Paul had already been stoned and beaten in a few other places prior to this, and yet he kept on moving and sharing the message of rescue, repentance and freedom.
  • Hope Praises in Uncertainty: In a dark hour on the floor of a dirty cell, feet bound, body aching, Paul and Silas sing to Jesus. They don’t know what the next day will bring but they trust God is good and sing the reminders of that fact when the world that surrounds them makes it difficult to believe it.
  • Hope Draws a Crowd: We’re told that the prisoners around them were listening as they sang. And the jailer, when he sees that the bros didn’t make a break for it, suddenly realizes his view of the world doesn’t fit with what he’s seeing in these two fellas and wants to reconcile himself to whatever it is they are representing. Their actions brings him to ask, “What must I do to be saved?”
  • Hope Serves: Who doesn’t run when the doors open? Who witnesses to and baptizes a man who is keeping you in prison under very dubious pretenses? Who then extends this grace to his family? And then who goes back into the jail to see what tomorrow brings? These fellas do, because fleeing any of this doesn’t provide the opportunity to serve those around them. Their escape would mean the guard’s death. The credibility of the gospel is upheld in their trust and patience, not in their self-preservation.

Guided Prayer:

Father, I want the kind of hope that sings in chains. The kind that doesn’t need the outcome before I can trust You.
Give me faith that looks at the darkness around me and still praises Your name.
Teach me to serve people even when it costs me comfort, and to love people who haven’t loved me back.
And when You open doors, help me to move where You’re moving — or stay put if staying puts Your name on display.
I believe You still set captives free.
In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Bible Study Exodus

Exodus | Chapter 40

The stage has now been completely set, the lights are humming, the crowd has gathered, it’s time to fire this beast up. God speaks to Moses and tells him it’s time to erect the tabernacle. This happens on the first day or the first month of the year, which seems very unlikely to accidentally coincide with when the Israelites actually completed all the work. More likely is they got it done some time before that and God waited to provide the instruction as to when to put it together so that it matched the start of the year.

They are kicking off the new year in worship (the same time of year of the Passover celebration as well). I know we’ve kind of traded it out for college football, but firing up the new year with a reminder of God’s presence among us and a right prioritization of worship as it begins anew seems like a pretty good call. Also, note that all of this was to be completed on that day, meaning it shouldn’t take more than a day to get set up. Remember, this was a mobile operation, whenever God moved the nation was to follow, including the tabernacle. And when they stopped moving, this thing had to be set up quick. So, we get a run through here to confirm the design was up to the task and indeed it was.

There’s nothing surprising about what occurs. All that God had them build, Moses sets up. It’s not just him, even though the text says he did it, Moses would have enlisted some Levites help him out with certain things (the ark of the testimony had to be carried with two poles and the multiple layers of cloth over the Holy Place are certainly too unwieldy for one man to wrangle on his own). In either case, all of it gets set up and anointed (cleansed) for use. This includes the priests (more detail to follow in Leviticus).

Over and over again we are given confirmation that Moses does as God commands. Everything is up to snuff and comes together without a hitch. And so Moses finishes the work.

Once it’s all up, the cloud, the manifestation of God’s presence among the people, covered the tent of meeting (now the holy of holies, not that little tent outside the camp) and His glory fills the tabernacle. What does that mean? Could be a lot of things but most likely it’s something akin to what happened to Moses’ face before in God’s presence, except that it is so expansive that it “fills” the tabernacle. Even without further detail, we should be confident that this is something physical that the nation can see.

But Moses isn’t allowed to enter. Why not? This seems odd, Moses has been in God’s presence numerous times. He’s been on Mt. Sinai, he’s been in the tent of meeting outside the camp, he was the one dude who was allowed to handle the 10 Words and put them in the ark. What gives here? It’s relatively simple, God has now come to reside there. And, like we discussed earlier with the bell on the priest entering the holy of holies, you don’t just walk into Yahweh’s house. This is not unlike a builder constructing a new house for one of ya’ll. Sure, as it’s being built the man has full access, can come and go as he pleases, is trusted to move put the walls up and move the furnishings around and otherwise oversee the project. But, once you move in, he doesn’t get the key anymore and he can’t just walk in whenever he wants. This is Yahweh’s residence, you can’t just walk in, even if you’re Moses.

Now, what we find happens a lot is that God’s cloud sits above the tabernacle, not in it, which allows the priests to go about their day to day business without an issue. And besides, most of the time this cloud was out in front of the people, leading them. Whenever the cloud left the tabernacle and headed out, the people followed. When it stopped, the people set up the tabernacle and lived life until the cloud moved again. All relationships that had been broken with their rebellion in the golden calf incident have been set back to right. Yahweh is their God and they are His people, and He has forgiven their transgressions and is going to lead them in the promise we were reminded of in chapter 1, the one made to the man Israel and his children. The land of promise yet awaits them.

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Bible Study Exodus

Exodus | Chapter 38

As with the chapters that precede it, chapter 38 continues the historical record of the people of God fulfilling the commandments of God that were passed down to them through Moses. We’ve moved out into the items in the courtyard and both the burnt offering altar and wash basin are made as instructed. Interestingly here we get a detail of where the bronze is sourced, the mirrors of the ladies ministering at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

This is interesting in a couple of different ways. One, it speaks of a high quality of bronze to otherwise be previously used as a mirror (sourcing an alloy in this way might have at least been questionable and you can’t use some kind of junk ball alloy in the Lord’s area). So, this solves that. Also, we for the first time find out that there are ladies who worked outside the tent of meeting. It’s not clear what they did, although later we find that ladies continue to serve a role of the tabernacle/temple. In those cases they were likely helping with discarding some of the unneeded animal parts, assisting women who need a hand/help doing whatever they came to do, perhaps also bringing water (a lady’s job in nearly every ancient culture) and helping wash the priests clothes.

The court is also erected as specified and records are kept of all that was given to build the tabernacle (here called the tabernacle of the testimony, the place where God’s covenant with the people resides). The Levites keep track under the direction of Aaron’s son Ithamar. We also see Bezalel (tribe of Judah) and Oholiab (tribe of Dan) pop up again, a reminder, along with the offerings, that it takes everyone to pull together the tabernacle as God instructed.

The gold equals a little over a ton. The silver is nearly 4 tons. Note that the silver doesn’t come from a gift, it’s the ransom and matches what was laid out to pay in chapter 30 (those in the census, 20 years old and upwards).

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Bible Study Exodus

Exodus | Chapter 34

In chapter 33, Yahweh is meeting with Moses in the tent of meeting outside the camp, His restricted presence a consequence of Israel’s recent golden bull/revelry idolatry action and its clear breaking of the covenant between them and Yahweh. God tells Moses to continue on the journey into Canaan, He will keep His promise, but due to their stiff-neckedness He can’t be close to them, lest they be destroyed. Moses pleads with God to go with them, and God mercifully agrees, they will get His mercy and confirmation of His presence.

So chapter 34 begins with Yahweh’s instruction for Moses to cut some stone and bring it up to Mt. Sinai, we need some new tablets to put the 10 words on. This is freakin’ fantastic news. God has decided to forgive the Israelites and to accept them again as His covenant people. This is no small thing, the previous covenant was broken, their idolatry had broken it. They have done nothing to earn its reinstatement, God’s mercy carries the weight here.

As expected, if you’re going to have a covenant, some things need to be in place. Much of what we see in this chapter is stuff we’ve seen before because we’ve gone through this process once already. But, it’s being started again and the terms of the covenant need restated, the promises re-established, and the copies of the words for each party put back into practice.

In v. 5, God starts to keep His promise from chapter 33.

The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Yahweh “stands” with Moses (these descriptions are necessary but fallible in that God isn’t likely “standing” or any other physical human behaviors. Understandably, our language and perception is limited in our ability to adequately speak to what God is actually doing). In either case, we should have the sense that God is revealing His presence to Moses, likely some sort of manifestation that confirms who He is without directly being a physical manifestation of God Himself (the idiom from chapter 33 of showing his back is used in Scripture to indicate the revelation of basically nothing at all.)

Repeated names usually indicates terms of endearment, so we could read v. 6 to be something like, “to you I am your dearest friend Yahweh”. What follows is a revelation of His ways, his character, things that describe His essence. And all of these are good news for Israel, both in their content and the fact that God is proclaiming it as part of the reinstatement of the covenant.

We’ve seen the phrase about visiting iniquity on children’s children before and, as then, we risk misunderstanding. The point is not that God is punishing children for the sins of their father. “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin. (Deuteronomy 24).” The point here is that as sin continues throughout the generations, it will continually be dealt with. God is reminding His people that they can’t get away with something just because He already punished a previous generation for it. Which, perhaps with some difficulty, we must digest to understand that the fact that certain behaviors were exampled to us by our parents does not leave us unaccountable when those own behaviors show up in our own lives (think alcoholism, poor marriages, etc.)

Rightly, Moses’ reaction to the presence of God here is to worship. This is good. Then he formalizes the ask. Yes, we are a stiff-necked people, but please Yahweh, be You in the midst of us that we may be forgiven and yet be Your people.” Yahweh agrees. Then the restating of the covenant work begins again.

God makes promises about what He will do. Then He restates how they are to behave, with nothing really new here except a hyper focus on idolatry. We’ll notice this as we progress through the rest of the Torah, the “more” laws that follow are really extensions of behavior Yahweh has already laid out. They already know they aren’t supposed to have other Gods before Yahweh. Now, we find more specific instructions about tearing down Asherah poles, not engaging in interactions that bring the Israelites into temptation to do what they are clearly susceptible to when it comes to foreign gods. Also, no intermingling marriages (note that here, as elsewhere in the Bible, the restriction is never on mingling ethnicities, it’s mixing spiritual belief systems). And the primary concern was ladies coming from Canaan or elsewhere marrying fellas and the ladies having influence on the spiritual beliefs (which speaks to strong faith of ladies and their level of influence). Fellas don’t leave when they marry and Israelite ladies who marry outside of their camp aren’t a threat to the Israelites purity either, that’s why it’s focused just on foreign wives.

They need to keep the feasts, they need to Sabbath, they need to not sacrifice incorrectly. Like I said, not new, it needs re-established, reaffirmed. And the end result are the expected covenant documents, the 10 Words. (There is some debate that the 10 commandments here could refer to the instructions given in chapter 34, which do number 10. However, most agree we’re still talking about the original 10 Words here).

When Moses heads out, his face if shining. It’s almost as if there is now evidence of the glory of Yahweh physically visible without actually revealing Him physically. In fact, that’s exactly what we have. On the rock (Mt. Sinai) God has kept His promise and protected Moses from His actual manifestation (which would likely kill him, just like everyone else) and yet exposed Him to His glory and His name, just as promised in chapter 33. And, the people benefit from it also.

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Bible Study Exodus

Exodus | Chapter 32

Chapter 32 represents a major shift in the Exodus narrative. Since arriving at Mt. Sinai, God has been laying the foundation of His covenant with His people, including what He will do for them, their purpose (a kingdom of priests), and how they are to live to properly reflect that purpose and the image of Yahweh, their covenant partner. As well, they are instructed how Yahweh is to be interacted with and worshiped, a necessary instruction to a group of people who, as a nation, had spent the last 400 years in an idolatrous, Egyptian culture. Through the extensive instruction around the construction of God’s dwelling among them and its consecration (cleansing for use) as well as the appointment and consecration of His dedicated servants, they are being taught about His character, His holiness, His absolute purity and how they may interact with it/Him relative to that.

And yet now, all will be put at risk. The scene opens as the people have been waiting for Moses’ return from the mountain as He was receiving instruction from Yahweh. In previous trips, Moses appears to have not been gone overnight so this extended period of time (40 days should not necessarily be taken literally, it’s an idiom like we might say “dozens” or “a great many”) causes them to react poorly. Perhaps we can understand the normal human response here, that in absence of a strong leader, folks not only begin to abandon their fealty to the leader but also to the ideals that leader held them to.

So, the people appear to go back to what they know and ask Aaron to create an idol for them (a direct rejection of commandments/words 1 & 2 which they did know about, it was shared with them back in chapter 24.) Aaron, completely abandoning any pretense of being the stand-in leader of this group of folks, caves and facilitates the making of an idol using the earrings from the women and children to overlay the top with gold. Most translations say he made a calf, but our impression from that is like a really young cow but it’s really meaning to get at a young but otherwise strong bull.

Next, Aaron declares that these are the “gods” who brought you out of Egypt and that tomorrow there will be a feast to Yahweh (remember, in most translations when you see LORD in all caps it’s referring to God’s personal name vs. the other times when the word for lord has a range of meanings from “sir” to “king”.) This is interesting, because Aaron has not made a new god and credited it with bringing them out of Egypt, he’s created a visible representation and called it Yahweh. In any other culture, this may not be an issue, but it is a direct rejection of not only God’s instruction in the 10 Words but also a rejection of His way of doing things. Part of His relationship with His people was a trust in His faithfulness, or put another way, faith in His faithfulness, in His presence. Idol construction was a refusal to do so.

The people make offerings to the idol but even in this we see distinctions about how God goes about things. Traditional idol sacrifice is on an altar in front of the idol to ensure that the god “sees” it so it may bless the people in response. Note that in the tabernacle, and later the temple, the altar is in the courtyard, separated and out of the line of sight of the Holy of Holies. Yahweh, of course, is aware of the sacrifices, He doesn’t need to “see” them. So we find here a continuation of the pursuit of something physical/tangible where God expects His people to act in faith and trust in Him.

God alerts Moses to the situation going on down below. They have corrupted themselves with very little provoking and have completely cast aside God’s commands. (Flashback to chapter 24 “When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the LORD has said we will do.”) What a disaster. Note, these people were still eating manna daily provided by Yahweh. They had only recently been part of hearing God’s voice, seeing his fire and cloud lead them through the wilderness. But they rejected God’s way of showing Himself to His people and instead landed on a man made idol who cannot speak, move, turn into fire, or any such other obviously cooler expressions of God-ness. God is right, they/we are a stiff-necked people.

God tells Moses to leave Him alone whilst he destroys the people and offers to make a new people out of the lineage of Moses. This is not a command, it’s rhetoric, God is expecting a response from Moses, who does indeed do so by “reminding” God of His promises to Abraham and the potential sullying of His name by the Egyptians who predicted such a destruction of the people. This is not, odd, by the way. We see other examples of God proclaiming what will happen with an expectation that a prophet of his will intercede (see Amos 7). And the concept of it being odd for God to change His mind isn’t a Biblical one, it’s an extrapolation of a theology that says all is already determined. It is perfectly within God’s prerogative to alter a course based upon a request from His people.

Note, though, that God is relenting from the wiping out of the people, not the consequences completely. They are not being acquitted (there will be some sword justice and a demonstrative plague). Moses heads back down with the two tablets with the Words on them (both tablets have all 10 Words, front and back. When you’re doing a covenant, both parties get a copy). God did the writing, that’s also cool.

Moses sees the rabble-rousing going on once he reaches the base of the mountain (not coincidentally, the place where the people meet and worship occurs). In reaction to the situation, Moses chucks both tablets to the ground and they break. This is not an irrational, out of control action by Moses out of anger (although he certainly is mad). What Moses threw to the ground was not a random object, it was the most priceless item in the whole world that represented the covenant terms between Yahweh and His people. Moses was openly and clearly demonstrating that what the people have done has broken the covenant. Now what? God has every right to walk away here. What will He do?

Moses gets down to business and first destroys the bull, burning it up (remember, made primarily out of wood) and then sprinkling the ashes into the water they all drink from at the base of the mountain. The impression shouldn’t be that he forced them to drink it as a punishment like right then and there. In general, the powder of the remains of the idol would be drunk by the people as they normally consumed the water, their body would process it, come out as waste, and it would be defiled and ruined for any future idol making.

Moses turns to Aaron, who responds pathetically. The impression that his hand was forced seems accurate, the people did appear to pressure him into it. However, he relented quickly and jumped on in. Also, his attempt to convince Moses that all he did was melt the gold and the young bull idol jumped out of the fire after fashioning itself would be comical if it didn’t represent such a cowardly act and pathetic defense.

Then follows the decision. Literally, the Hebrew is “Whoever for Yahweh, to me!” They are being offered the chance to repent. All of them? Yes, all of them. Immediately, the Levites join (certainly including Aaron, who is not so foolish as to not jump at the chance to publicly repent of his action). But not everyone joins. The instructions here aren’t for the Levites to kill everyone that wasn’t them, it was to go systematically through the camp and offer repentance on Yahweh’s behalf. Anyone that did not turn back go God was to be killed. Now, that seems harsh in our minds. However, if idolatry were allowed to continue, many people in ancient Israel would turn from saving truth to destruction. And given the role of Israel in the world, this was not acceptable. And remember, these folks were given the chance to repent, they simply refused.

Also note, this is specific to the Old Covenant. The New Covenant, the one based upon Jesus, does not allow for killing as a means of preserving truth.

The next day, Moses addresses the people and clearly calls out their sin and goes to Yahweh to speak of how it can be atoned for (“covered”). Moses lumps himself in with Israel in their sin, basically saying if this can’t be atoned for that he will go down with the ship. God does two things here. One, he stays faithful to the covenant and His promises. He instructs Moses to continue to lead the people to the promised land and will continue to go before them to lead them there. However, justice is still to come. A plague will be sent directly (not directly implying folks will die, could just be a sickness) but eventually there will be a punishment for this sin (that’s v. 35, most likely referring to the future event of the exiles from the promised land). Basically, it reads as a “for now, I will do x, but eventually y will come to roost.

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Bible Study Exodus

Exodus | Chapter 28

We’ve established where God is going to “live” among His people (the tabernacle), how His place will be furnished (and what it will be used for), and what the area surrounding His house will be like. Now, the burning question of what those who are in God’s service are going to wear. This may seem of little consequence to us, but it shouldn’t be a foreign concept that clothing communicates status or office or responsibility. These duds will carry a significant duty, these are the servants of Yahweh we’re talking about, they must appropriately reflect that the work for the king.

First, though, we need to know the fellas who will wear these items. God calls Aaron and his sons to be the priests, an indication that this is not a job one can merely apply for or attain skills to get, nor purchase (yes, this will be attempted). These duties will be carried out by this man chosen by God, Aaron, and his sons and their sons and so on. And for them, holy garments are to be made (think clothes that set them apart, indicating their chosen service to Yahweh).

In the ancient world, vestments signified authority. There was no human king of Israel, Yahweh was it, so the High Priest (Aaron, at present) was the leader of the people and was wearing the types of clothing that would traditionally be reserved for kings in other cultures. Thus, we are prepared to see the High Priest as one who served Yahweh on behalf of the people of Israel, most often expressed in worship.

This plays out in the sacrificial system kind of like this. A guest doesn’t prepare food at another’s home, the homeowner does the preparation of the food and the guests join in eating it. Thus, in the logic symbolized by the meal-based sacrificial system, worshipers at the tabernacle were Yahweh’s guests and the priests were Yahweh’s servants, serving both the host and the guests. In the case of tabernacle worship, the guests brought the food not because it was theirs and they wanted to honor their host by contributing to the meal; it was not theirs, but they were bringing that portion of their harvest that had belonged to Yahweh from the beginning. By reason of having a meal together they were showing covenant relationship since it was not normal in ancient times for people to eat together unless they were allies.

Now the items. First up is the ephod. Easiest visual here is kind of like an apron or if someone took a sleeveless man-bruiser and turned it into a short dress (so, a covering from thigh to shoulder but not covering legs or arms). We should recognize the colors, it’s the same as the bottom layer ornate tabernacle covering and the curtains. Basically, dude should look like he belonged with the tabernacle because he did. There was to be an onyx stone on each shoulder, each carrying the names of 6 of the sons of Israel (Jacob). The engravings of the names were to be deep (when you see “signet” think “seal”. So, had to be deep like a seal would be to carry and press ink on a document). Point was, Aaron was carrying the representative nation on his shoulders, he was representing all of God’s people, and all of the people were in solidarity with him as he did his work.

The ephod itself, aside from being created using the same thread action as the tabernacle innards, was a pretty basic item. See, for example, in 2 Samuel 6 where the Ark of the Covenant is being taken back into the city and we see King David dancing in the streets in excitement around it. I had generally been under the impression that David was nude here, that’s why his wife Michal said to him, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, (she was being sarcastic), uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” However, he wasn’t naked, v14 says he was wearing a linen ephod. His wife was upset with him because she believes that he had embarrassed himself by dressing below his station, wearing just the ephod like a common man.

Next, a breast piece of judgment. Think of this like a giant, man-chest sized pocket (which contained the Urim and Thummim, more on that in a minute) and was decorated on the outside by another representation of the people/tribes, 12 precious stones. For each of the stones, one of the names of the sons of Israel was to be engraved, cut deep like the names on the onyx stones that are on the shoulders. (As an interesting digression, these are largely the same stones listed in Revelation 21 as being contained throughout the walls of the New Jerusalem. Still thinking through if there’s anything to that or not). The breast piece was attached to the ephod by blue lace tied between the rings of the ephod and the rings of the breast piece. Again, the point was for Aaron to represent the tribes in himself, what he was doing in the Holy of Holies was being done on behalf of everyone.

That leads to the Urim and Thummim, translated as “lights” and “darks” likely in reference to the colors of the rocks (or whatever they are) in the pocket that were used to discern the will of God. The Bible is never really explicit as to how these are used. It’s likely something akin to casting lots where a question is posed to God and the High Priest takes out a rock (either among two options or perhaps a bunch of rocks with either light or dark colors) and it is answered in the affirmative or negative based upon what was picked. So, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that someone would use this type of thing as a way to divine God’s will on something (in fact, we see folk casting lots to decide the replacement for Judas in Acts so, go figure).

However, before we get too far down this action, we should remember its notable absence as a reference to solve problems (meaning, it’s not popping up all the time with fellas going, “take it to the Urim!”) It most certainly wasn’t normal. It seems like it was an option, but we see God’s commandments as the primary source of guiding decisions, followed by receiving word from God from a prophet (also not frequent) and then petitioning God directly for response (even less frequent). It also wasn’t likely for personal matters, it was a need for guidance on corporate decisions. The issue, of course, with the Urim and Thummim, is that a rock, so to speak, would always come out and there would always be an answer. However, if it was being petitioned unfaithfully or without having gone through the other options (especially fealty to God’s commandments), it might be hard to discern whether the answer was actually guided by Yahweh.

Next, the robe. Worn under the ephod, it’s a blue rectangle with a whole in the middle for the head of the High Priest, hanging down likely around ankle length. At the bottom of the hem, there were pomegranate shaped tassels and gold bells. The bells, perhaps surprisingly, were necessary so that the priest “…did not die”. Again, seems odd to us, but consider how we’re to think of the tabernacle. One simply cannot invade Yahweh’s house (in this case, the Holy of Holies) without proper warning. Yes, this all seems like a show to us, but that’s probably because we’re prone to treating the presence of God as some kind of magical mist or some other silliness. If you believe that the Holy of Holies is where the presence of God actually resided (because it did), then you don’t just waltz in there. It wasn’t the priest’s house, it was Yahweh’s, and you best announce yourself before strutting in. The bells ensure you don’t forget. Obviously, it wasn’t necessary, but it was the symbolism relative to the covenant reality established by God for the benefit of the people.

Next, the turban with the gold plate on the front that reads “Holy to Yahweh”. The purpose of this seems to be a tagging of Aaron (or the High Priest in general) as the one who is to bring the sacrificial offerings, those being submitted for atonement of the sins of the people. Why is this a deal? How does the gold plate make the Israelites “acceptable to the Lord”? It’s a notion of intentionality, or doing something with conscience purpose. Religious rituals, Christian/Jewish ones specifically here, aren’t magic. You don’t take communion just by drinking wine, you don’t get baptized just because you were in a hot tub, and you’re not worshipping God just because you were sitting in a church with other folks who were doing so. All of these rituals require conscience faith, intent. The gold plate on Arron’s head was a reminder that Aaron’s actions on their behalf were done in faith for a purpose, to receive God’s gracious forgiveness of sins that they might be holy, making them able to serve Him as a “kingdom of priests, and a holy nation”.

The other priests (Aaron’s sons) get garments, they just aren’t as fancy (although, still noted as beautiful). Also, everyone who does the priest work gets linen undergarments (it’s not acceptable to expose your parts to anything holy to Yahweh). The forever statute for Aaron and his offspring isn’t limited to the underpants thing, it’s everything in this chapter related to how they dress, how they’re anointed, and what they represent.

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Bible Study Exodus

Exodus | Chapter 26

On to the tabernacle, or “dwelling place”. Here we have the symbolic home of God’s presence among His people. It was to be situated in the middle of the Israelite camps (entrance facing east). So, although in battle or travel, God’s presence went before His people, when they were at rest, His presence was to be in the very center, residing among them. And when they moved, He moved with them and settled again where they did.

Chapter 26 provides instructions for the “building” itself, designed to be quickly assembled and disassembled, while also withstanding the elements, protecting the sanctity of the elements and proceedings within, and being up to snuff as a place where YAHWEH would reside. Broadly, it was a rectangle with two disproportionate rooms. The first room, taking up 2/3 of the tabernacle and being closest to the entrance on the east was the Holy Place, which was 30′ x 15′ x 15′ and contained a food/utensil table, the lampstand and an incense altar.

The remaining 1/3 was the Holiest Place or the Holy of Holies which was separated from the first room by an ornate curtain that did not have a door (the High Priest would have to move one of the poles to the side to enter. This was intentionally prohibitive). The curtain was wide enough and tall enough that it was attached to both the walls and the ceiling coverings so someone could not see past it from any angle. Unless you’re the high priest, it’s not your business. The ark of the covenant was in there and it was a cube (15x15x15).

Everything was held up by a series of ladder-like pole structures that sit upon silver bases, the poles covered in gold (a single ounce of gold can be hammered out to nearly 100 sq ft of covering so, although it seems like they would have needed a lot of gold for this action, it wasn’t all that much. And, they got some from the Egyptians anyhow). Only exception to the gold and silver here was for the poles that held up the curtain that covered the entrance, no gilding was required and the stands were brass or copper. They were farther away from God’s presence so didn’t require the extra bump in style (same will be true for the elements in the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle.

The tabernacle had four coverings on it. One was a sweet, stylish cherubim-infused action that was the initial cover so that when you walked in the walls and ceiling had this ornate look to it. On top of that was goat hair, adding thickness and providing protection for the more delicate, stylish layer from the courser layers that were yet to come. To ensure covering, the goat hair layer was bigger than the style layer. On top of the goat hair layer was tanned ram skins. This adds weight and some protection from the elements (weight was important, you can’t have the Lord’s dwelling tumbling away). Finally, translations vary on the top layer but it’s quite likely the skins of sea cows (or dolphins or some other sea animal). This final layer provides waterproofing, protection from the sun, dew, frost, dust, and whatever else may come.

We should probably be careful not to look too far into the design elements. Just because God is specific doesn’t mean there is secret meaning to everything. Most of the design appears to be a combination of function (here’s why I need clasps and proper support and two rooms, etc.) and design (it’s gold because YAHWEH is a king, same reason why the fancy cloth faces in and the boring cloth faces out).

Finally, don’t miss the note in 26:30 that Moses appears to be privy to the whole design whereas this chapter is not hitting up every detail. Moses seems to know how things should look when they come out, there isn’t enough here in all instances to do that (some of the pole spacing, for example). The point is, God showed him what He wanted. The people weren’t creating something and offering it to God, God had designed something and was graciously inviting His people to be part of implementing it, much like how Jesus uses us today in being part of spreading the Good News of His Kingdom.