Call on the Name of the Lord -- Jared Anderson

Here are the lyrics to the song.

Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
And be saved and be saved

Come to the water and be purified
Though your sin be a scarlet
He will wash it white as snow

Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
And be saved and be saved

All those who seek Him surely find
All those who know Him
Drink from the well of everlasting life

Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
And be saved and be saved

Yes, everything this song speaks about it true.  Call on the Lord and he will save you.  You will be purified and will have eternal life.

Romans 10:13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

 John 6:47 “I assure you: Anyone who believes has eternal life.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

To me, this is one of those feel good, all inclusive songs, that say anyone can come to Christ and it will be easy.  Just say his name and you are saved. What this song fails to mention is (as was written in a previous post)

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, having this inscription: The Lord knows those who are His, and Everyone who names the name of the Lord must turn away from unrighteousness.

Yes, calling on the name of the Lord will save you, but you must also do the will of God and turn away from unrighteousness and sin.  I know that no person will ever completely turn away from sin in this life, but it is what we are striving to do in our sanctification.  No, your works will not save you.  If you are saved, then you will want to do the good works, which are the will of God.

The song  fails to mention that we must be in the Father's will and turn from those scarlet sins and remain white as snow, as best we can.  It is not easy to be a Christian.  Simply saying, "Lord, Lord" and doing nothing to further the kingdom of our Lord is not going to get you into heaven.  You must give up sin.  You must endure persecution. (Granted I have never felt true persecution like our sister and brothers in other countries, but if it were to happen here, we would have to endure).

Overall, while this song is not unbiblical, it does seems to portray an easy Christianity where all you have to do is "call on the name of the Lord" to be able to experience the richness and joy of being a child of God.  To me, the song is shallow and does not go deep into scripture.  For someone who, as Hebrew says, still needs milk, this song would work well, but if you are now eating solid food, you need songs which have a bit of meat to them.

Call on the Name of the Lord

In our service one day, we heard a story from a group of people who had witnessed, what they called, a spiritual moment.  I was not there.  I did not experience it, but something was not quite right with the story.  In the story, a man came into a church service and attempted to strangle a woman.  The pastor, who was a woman, came to stop the man.  She told the congregation to "call on the name of Jesus" while she was trying to defuse the situation.  According to the group, what happened was the congregation literally repeated "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" over and over.  Eventually the man stopped choking the woman and left.  The group felt that just by saying Jesus over and over was the reason the man eventually left and the woman was out of harms way.  

I have a hard time accepting this.  Just saying Jesus over and over has very little value or meaning.  Now, if it were a situation where someone was so scared or distraught that all they could utter was Jesus, then I know that their prayer will be interceded for and be heard, but it seems, from the way the story was told, that no one, but perhaps the woman being hurt, was in such an emotional state where they could not actually pray. 

Here is an illustration on how it would seem if you only said Jesus over and over. 

Person:  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!
Jesus:  Yes, I am here.
Person:  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!
Jesus:  I'm here.
Person:  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!
Jesus:  Yes?

How should we expect an answer to our prayers if all we say is Jesus.  Yes, the Lord knows our thoughts and our prayers even before we say them, but it is through our prayers that the Lord chooses to work.  Simply saying Jesus is not a prayer.  It is just a name.  The name, Jesus, was a very common name in ancient Israel.  It was not a name unique to Christ.  Just saying Jesus could mean you are talking to almost anyone.

The group brought out this verse to back up their story:

Philippians 2:10 at the name of Jesus every knee will bow.

While I agree this is true, I do feel that it was taken out of context, they did not even use the whole verse.  For one thing, the man did not 'bow' or humble himself in front of this congregation.  He just left, probably still hot and mad.  The full section of this scripture is:

Philippians 2:5 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,
6 who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be used for His own advantage.
7 Instead He emptied Himself
by assuming the form of a slave,
taking on the likeness of men.
And when He had come as a man
in His external form,
8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
9 For this reason God highly exalted Him
and gave Him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
of those who are in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
11 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

We know that not every knee has bowed to Christ, but they will.  When he returns.  This section of scripture is showing us how we should be humble and obedient like Christ.  It was for this reason that God exalted Christ so that every knee would bow and every tongue confess in Him.  All this for the Father's glory. 

Notice, that Jesus was given a name that is above every name.  His name is holy and special.  Not just the name Jesus, but who Jesus is.  Like I said earlier, Jesus was a common name in His time, so many people had that name, but none of the others were the Christ.  In Israel, many times, the name of a person reflected who he was or what he did.  So, by making Jesus Christ's name unique and above other names, speaks about his character and actions, not about what his actual name was.

Another disappointing thing about this particular service was the closing song.  We sang "Call on the name of the Lord."  Not the whole song, just the chorus.  Just "call on the name of the Lord and be saved."

Yes, the Bible does say this:

Romans 10:13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

However, the Bible also says:

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, having this inscription: The Lord knows those who are His, and Everyone who names the name of the Lord must turn away from unrighteousness.

Yes, calling on the name of the Lord will save you, but you must also do the will of God and turn away from unrighteousness and sin.  I know that no person will ever completely turn away from sin in this life, but it is what we are striving to do in our sanctification.  No, your works will not save you.  If you are saved, then you will want to do the good works, which are the will of God. 

Exodus 29 -- Consecration

Exodus 29:1 “This is what you are to do for them to consecrate them to serve Me as priests. Take a young bull and two unblemished rams, 2 with unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers coated with oil. Make them out of fine wheat flour, 3 put them in a basket, and bring them in the basket, along with the bull and two rams. 4 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 5 Then take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe for the ephod, the ephod itself, and the breastpiece; fasten the ephod on him with its woven waistband. 6 Put the turban on his head and place the holy diadem on the turban. 7 Take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. 8 You must also bring his sons and clothe them with tunics. 9 Tie the sashes on Aaron and his sons and fasten headbands on them. The priesthood is to be theirs by a permanent statute. This is the way you will ordain Aaron and his sons.

I am assuming that Moses is performing the washing and dressing since it was to him the command was given.  They are to be physically cleaned to remove anything impure from their bodies.  Like we, when we are saved are washed by baptism and by the blood of Christ.

Exodus 29:10 “You are to bring the bull to the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons must lay their hands on the bull’s head. 11 Slaughter the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 12 Take some of the bull’s blood and apply it to the horns of the altar with your finger; then pour out all the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 13 Take all the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But burn up the bull’s flesh, its hide, and its dung outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

The bull is to be a sin offering to the Lord.  The bests parts of the bull are to be burned on the alter while the rest is to be removed and burned outside the camp as something unclean. 

Exodus 29:15 “Take one ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram’s head. 16 You are to slaughter the ram, take its blood, and sprinkle it on all sides of the altar. 17 Cut the ram into pieces. Wash its entrails and shanks, and place them with its head and its pieces on the altar. 18 Then burn the whole ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the Lord. It is a pleasing aroma, a fire offering to the Lord.

This sacrifice is a pleasing aroma to the Lord.  He is pleased when his children obey him and do as he asks.  

Exodus 29:19 “You are to take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons must lay their hands on the ram’s head. 20 Slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on his sons’ right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Sprinkle the remaining blood on all sides of the altar. 21 Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle them on Aaron and his garments, as well as on his sons and their garments. In this way, he and his garments will become holy, as well as his sons and their garments.

Aaron and his sons were to cover themselves in the blood of the sacrifice.  Perhaps this was a way to show how they purify themselves?  I do not know the significance of the body parts mentioned.  Perhaps someone can enlighten me!  We are to cover ourselves with the blood of Christ.

Revelation 1:4 John:  To the seven churches in Asia.  Grace and peace to you from the One who is, who was, and who is coming; from the seven spirits before His throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth.  To Him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by His blood, 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—the glory and dominion are His forever and ever. Amen.

We are cleansed from our sin by the blood of Christ.  The sins of the Israelites were cleansed by the blood of animals.  Christ's sacrifice is permanent.  The animals were temporary.

Exodus 29:22 “Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, and the right thigh (since this is a ram for ordination); 23 take one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord; 24 and put all of them in the hands of Aaron and his sons and wave them as a presentation offering before the Lord. 25 Take them from their hands and burn them on the altar on top of the burnt offering, as a pleasing aroma before the Lord; it is a fire offering to the Lord.

I wonder if using the right thigh has anything to do with Abraham making his servant make an oath for Isaac's wife by placing his hand "under his thigh?"

One thing I thought about while reading the above was why did the offering have to be burned?   Well, after reading several commentaries, I am still not sure why.  I know that the whole animal was consumed.  Perhaps since the animal was to be used as a sacrifice to atone for our sins, and the punishment for sin is death, and those who do not trust in Christ are thrown into a lake of fire, perhaps the animal is to represent what happens to sinners who do not repent of their sins?  If anyone can provide any answers on this, please let me know!

Exodus 29:26 “Take the breast from the ram of Aaron’s ordination and wave it as a presentation offering before the Lord; it is to be your portion. 27 Consecrate for Aaron and his sons the breast of the presentation offering that is waved and the thigh of the contribution that is lifted up from the ram of ordination. 28 This will belong to Aaron and his sons as a regular portion from the Israelites, for it is a contribution. It will be the Israelites’ contribution from their fellowship sacrifices, their contribution to the Lord.

29 “The holy garments that belong to Aaron are to belong to his sons after him, so that they can be anointed and ordained in them. 30 Any priest who is one of his sons and who succeeds him and enters the tent of meeting to minister in the sanctuary must wear them for seven days.

31 “You are to take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. 32 Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 33 They must eat those things by which atonement was made at the time of their ordination and consecration. An unauthorized person must not eat them, for these things are holy. 34 If any of the meat of ordination or any of the bread is left until morning, burn up what is left over. It must not be eaten because it is holy.

Only Aaron and his sons can eat the holy sacrifices.  Since the priest did not farm or have work with which to buy food, it was the other Israelites jobs to take care of them.  The Lord even made it where they could be fed through the sacrifices that were offered.  This passage also reminds me of the wanderings in the desert.  The mana was only to be gathered so that each family had what they needed for the one day and not to save any for the morning.  Also, with the passover lamb, none of it was to remain until morning either (Exodus 12:10).

Exodus 29:35 “This is what you are to do for Aaron and his sons based on all I have commanded you. Take seven days to ordain them. 36 Sacrifice a bull as a sin offering each day for atonement. Purify the altar when you make atonement for it, and anoint it in order to consecrate it. 37 For seven days you must make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. The altar will become especially holy; whatever touches the altar will become holy.

38 “This is what you are to offer regularly on the altar every day: two year-old lambs. 39 In the morning offer one lamb, and at twilight offer the other lamb. 40 With the first lamb offer two quarts of fine flour mixed with one quart of oil from crushed olives, and a drink offering of one quart of wine. 41 You are to offer the second lamb at twilight. Offer a grain offering and a drink offering with it, like the one in the morning, as a pleasing aroma, a fire offering to the Lord. 42 This will be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet you to speak with you. 43 I will also meet with the Israelites there, and that place will be consecrated by My glory. 44 I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests. 45 I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. 46 And they will know that I am Yahweh their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, so that I might dwell among them. I am Yahweh their God.

Here at the end of the chapter, God says that He will be the one who will consecrate and make holy by His glory.  The actions performed by Moses, Aaron and his sons are not necessary but are to be a sign of how to approach God.  You must prepare yourself for seven days.  You must become a new creation.  Since creation took seven days, so must the preparation to come before God. 

God brought the Israelites out of Egypt so that He may dwell among them in the tabernacle.  He saves us Christians to that he can dwell with us in the new heavens and the new earth at the end of times.

Exodus 28 -- Instructions for Priest

Exodus 28:1 “Have your brother Aaron, with his sons, come to you from the Israelites to serve Me as priest—Aaron, his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 Make holy garments for your brother Aaron, for glory and beauty. 3 You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron’s garments for consecrating him to serve Me as priest. 4 These are the garments that they must make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a specially woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they may serve Me as priests. 5 They should use gold; blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; and fine linen.

We know that the Levites are the priests of the Israelites.  So, Aaron and his family, as well as Moses were Levites.  We know this from the first chapter of Exodus.  The priests were the ones who were allowed to come before God.  They could be in His presence.  The people had to bring their sacrifices to the priests of the temple and correctly perform the sacrifices.  They could not do the sacrifices themselves.  Today, Christ is our priest.  We go through Him to reach God.  We, as ourselves, cannot go before God because we are unholy and are sinners, but through Christ, the perfect, sinless son of God, we can come before God.  Once we are saved, God will look on us and see Christ.

Exodus 28:6 “They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. 7 It must have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges so that it can be joined together. 8 The artistically woven waistband that is on the ephod must be of one piece, according to the same workmanship of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen. 9 “Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of Israel’s sons: 10 six of their names on the first stone and the remaining six names on the second stone, in the order of their birth. 11 Engrave the two stones with the names of Israel’s sons as a gem cutter engraves a seal. Mount them, surrounded with gold filigree settings. 12 Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the Israelites. Aaron will carry their names on his two shoulders before the Lord as a reminder. 13 Fashion gold filigree settings 14 and two chains of pure gold; you will make them of braided cord work, and attach the cord chains to the settings.

The ephod was to be made with embroidery of gold, blue, purple and scarlet yarn.  These colors were often expensive and hard to come by.  People who wore such colors were often rich or powerful.  The priests were to be adorned with fine clothing when they were in the presence of the Lord.  Every piece of the ephod, from the shoulder pieces to the waistband, were to have this excellent craftsmanship. 

Exodus 28:15 “You are to make an embroidered breastpiece for making decisions. Make it with the same workmanship as the ephod; make it of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen. 16 It must be square and folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide. 17 Place a setting of gemstones on it, four rows of stones:
The first row should be
a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald;
18 the second row,
a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;
19 the third row,
a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
20 and the fourth row,
a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper.
They should be adorned with gold filigree in their settings. 21 The 12 stones are to correspond to the names of Israel’s sons. Each stone must be engraved like a seal, with one of the names of the 12 tribes.

So each of the 12 tribes were to have their names inscribed into one of the stones.  I would guess that they would have been in birth order since they had been instructed to do the names of the stones in birth order on the previous stones for the shoulder pieces of the ephod.

Exodus 28:22 “You are to make braided chains of pure gold cord work for the breastpiece. 23 Fashion two gold rings for the breastpiece and attach them to its two corners. 24 Then attach the two gold cords to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece. 25 Attach the other ends of the two cords to the two filigree settings, and in this way attach them to the ephod’s shoulder pieces in the front. 26 Make two other gold rings and put them at the two other corners of the breastpiece on the edge that is next to the inner border of the ephod. 27 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the ephod’s two shoulder pieces on its front, close to its seam, and above the ephod’s woven waistband. 28 The craftsmen are to tie the breastpiece from its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece is above the ephod’s waistband and does not come loose from the ephod.

Can you imagine how heavy this garment must have been?  All that cloth and emproidery, not to mention the stones and gold settings.  I would imagine the gold was nearly pure, since that would be the highest quality.  Gold is heavy.  Lots of fabric and yarn is heavy.

Exodus 28:29 “Whenever he enters the sanctuary, Aaron is to carry the names of Israel’s sons over his heart on the breastpiece for decisions, as a continual reminder before the Lord. 30 Place the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece for decisions, so that they will also be over Aaron’s heart whenever he comes before the Lord. Aaron will continually carry the means of decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord. 31 “You are to make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue yarn. 32 There should be an opening at its top in the center of it. Around the opening, there should be a woven collar with an opening like that of body armor so that it does not tear. 33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn on its lower hem and all around it. Put gold bells between them all the way around, 34 so that gold bells and pomegranates alternate around the lower hem of the robe. 35 The robe must be worn by Aaron whenever he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters the sanctuary before the Lord and when he exits, so that he does not die.

I would imagine that the blue would be a deep rich blue color.  Not pale or light.   Why pomegranates?  I know they can be a sign or symbol for fertility, but why on the robes for the priests? 

Exodus 28:36 “You are to make a pure gold medallion and engrave it, like the engraving of a seal:  HOLY TO THE LORD. 37 Fasten it to a cord of blue yarn so it can be placed on the turban; the medallion is to be on the front of the turban. 38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead so that Aaron may bear the guilt connected with the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate as all their holy gifts. It is always to be on his forehead, so that they may find acceptance with the Lord. 39 “You are to weave the tunic from fine linen, make a turban of fine linen, and make an embroidered sash. 40 Make tunics, sashes, and headbands for Aaron’s sons to give them glory and beauty. 41 Put these on your brother Aaron and his sons; then anoint, ordain, and consecrate them, so that they may serve Me as priests. 42 Make them linen undergarments to cover their naked bodies; they must extend from the waist to the thighs. 43 These must be worn by Aaron and his sons whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister in the sanctuary area, so that they do not incur guilt and die. This is to be a permanent statute for Aaron and for his future descendants.

Exodus 27 -- Instructions 3

Exodus 27:1 “You are to construct the altar of acacia wood. The altar must be square, 7½ feet long, and 7½ feet wide; it must be 4½ feet high. 2 Make horns for it on its four corners; the horns are to be of one piece. Overlay it with bronze. 3 Make its pots for removing ashes, and its shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans; make all its utensils of bronze. 4 Construct a grate for it of bronze mesh, and make four bronze rings on the mesh at its four corners. 5 Set it below, under the altar’s ledge, so that the mesh comes halfway up the altar. 6 Then make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. 7 The poles are to be inserted into the rings so that the poles are on two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 Construct the altar with boards so that it is hollow. They are to make it just as it was shown to you on the mountain.

I noticed something while reading this.  In earlier chapters, the acacia wood is covered in gold, but here it is covered in bronze.  The items and structures located in the center of the temple, where God would keep his presence was adorned with more costly and precious materials, while the things and areas around the inner sanctuary were made of less expensive materials.  God deserves to be surrounded by what is pure and precious.  He is God.  We, as sinners, should not deserve the finer things, thus the less luxurious surroundings for the common areas where man would be.

Exodus 27:9 “You are to make the courtyard for the tabernacle. Make the hangings on the south of the courtyard out of finely spun linen, 150 feet long on that side. 10 There are to be 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands of the posts must be silver. 11 Then make the hangings on the north side 150 feet long. There are to be 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands of the posts must be silver. 12 Make the hangings of the courtyard on the west side 75 feet long, including their 10 posts and 10 bases. 13 Make the hangings of the courtyard on the east side toward the sunrise 75 feet. 14 Make the hangings on one side of the gate 22½ feet, including their three posts and their three bases. 15 And make the hangings on the other side 22½ feet, including their three posts and their three bases. 16 The gate of the courtyard is to have a thirty-foot screen embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It is to have four posts including their four bases.  17 “All the posts around the courtyard are to be banded with silver and have silver hooks and bronze bases. 18 The length of the courtyard is to be 150 feet, the width 75 feet at each end, and the height 7½ feet, all of it made of finely spun linen. The bases of the posts must be bronze. 19 All the tools of the tabernacle for every use and all its tent pegs as well as all the tent pegs of the courtyard are to be made of bronze

Another thing I noticed was the order in which the parts of the temple were told to be built.  God starts with the inner temple and the items that would be in his presence.  He then moves to the areas for the priest then to the more common areas.

Exodus 27:20 “You are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil from crushed olives for the light, in order to keep the lamp burning continually. 21 In the tent of meeting outside the veil that is in front of the testimony, Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamp from evening until morning before the Lord. This is to be a permanent statute for the Israelites throughout their generations.

The priest were to attend to the lamps from evening until morning.  During the dark of the night, the lamps were to be kept burning.  Just like the lamps of the temple were to be kept lit during the darkness of the night, we, as Christians are to be the light that shines in the darkness of the world.  We are to be pure, like the oil, so we can shine forth the glory of Christ.  We are to live as Christ would.  We are to do what is good and right, especially when everything around us seems evil and bent towards destruction.

Exodus 26 -- Instruction 2

I'm still trying to get back into my daily readings.  I wish I would not get preoccupied with other, less important things.

Exodus 26:1 “You are to construct the tabernacle itself with 10 curtains. You must make them of finely spun linen, and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, with a design of cherubim worked into them. 2 The length of each curtain should be 42 feet, and the width of each curtain six feet; all the curtains are to have the same measurements. 3 Five of the curtains should be joined together, and the other five curtains joined together. 4 Make loops of blue yarn on the edge of the last curtain in the first set, and do the same on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. 5 Make 50 loops on the one curtain and make 50 loops on the edge of the curtain in the second set, so that the loops line up together. 6 Also make 50 gold clasps and join the curtains together with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single unit.

The Lord is being very specific about the furnishings that are to be in the tabernacle.  I do not know the meanings behind most of the things in these chapters, so I have looked at some commentaries.  These curtains were inside the tabernacle and were made of rich and fine linen and have images of cherubim on them.

Exodus 26:7 “You are to make curtains of goat hair for a tent over the tabernacle; make 11 of these curtains. 8 The length of each curtain should be 45 feet and the width of each curtain six feet. All 11 curtains are to have the same measurements. 9 Join five of the curtains by themselves, and the other six curtains by themselves. Then fold the sixth curtain double at the front of the tent. 10 Make 50 loops on the edge of the one curtain, the outermost in the first set, and make 50 loops on the edge of the corresponding curtain of the second set. 11 Make 50 bronze clasps; put the clasps through the loops and join the tent together so that it is a single unit. 12 As for the flap that is left over from the tent curtains, the leftover half curtain is to hang down over the back of the tabernacle. 13 The half yard on one side and the half yard on the other of what is left over along the length of the tent curtains should be hanging down over the sides of the tabernacle on either side to cover it. 14 Make a covering for the tent from ram skins dyed red and a covering of manatee skins on top of that.

Here these curtains are made of common materials, like goats hair and skin.  I bet a lot of the common tents were made from these.  These seem to be (according to commentaries) surrounding the finer curtains mentioned above.  This tabernacle is here God would dwell with his people.  The inner curtains, surrounded with angels was made fit for the presence of God but having the fine materials and angelic patterns.  In the last chapter we learn that the mercy seat was to have cherubim covering it as well.  The cherubim not only surround God on the mercy seat, but also in the tabernacle itself.  The goats skin curtains were to protect the finer linens of the inside of the tabernacle for the elements so that the finer curtains would not be ruined.

Exodus 26:15 “You are to make upright planks of acacia wood for the tabernacle. 16 The length of each plank is to be 15 feet, and the width of each plank 27 inches. 17 Each plank must be connected together with two tenons. Do the same for all the planks of the tabernacle. 18 Make the planks for the tabernacle as follows: 20 planks for the south side, 19 and make 40 silver bases under the 20 planks, two bases under the first plank for its two tenons, and two bases under the next plank for its two tenons; 20 20 planks for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, 21 along with their 40 silver bases, two bases under the first plank and two bases under each plank; 22 and make six planks for the west side of the tabernacle. 23 Make two additional planks for the two back corners of the tabernacle. 24 They are to be paired at the bottom, and joined together at the top in a single ring. So it should be for both of them; they will serve as the two corners. 25 There are to be eight planks with their silver bases: 16 bases; two bases under the first plank and two bases under each plank.

These planks served to hold up the tabernacle.  They were designed to be strong and carry the weight of the curtains.  The bases were made of silver so the planks would have a good and strong foundation.  

Exodus 26:26 “You are to make five crossbars of acacia wood for the planks on one side of the tabernacle, 27 five crossbars for the planks on the other side of the tabernacle, and five crossbars for the planks of the back side of the tabernacle on the west. 28 The central crossbar is to run through the middle of the planks from one end to the other. 29 Then overlay the planks with gold, and make their rings of gold as the holders for the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold. 30 You are to set up the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you have been shown on the mountain.

Again we see acacia wood covered with gold.  The tree that represents life in so many cultures is covered with one of the most precious and costly metals.

Exodus 26:31 “You are to make a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen with a design of cherubim worked into it. 32 Hang it on four gold-plated posts of acacia wood that have gold hooks and that stand on four silver bases. 33 Hang the veil under the clasps and bring the ark of the testimony there behind the veil, so the veil will make a separation for you between the holy place and the most holy place. 34 Put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the most holy place. 35 Place the table outside the veil and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle, opposite the table; put the table on the north side. 36 “For the entrance to the tent you are to make a screen embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. 37 Make five posts of acacia wood for the screen and overlay them with gold; their hooks are to be gold, and you are to cast five bronze bases for them.

Here they are to make a veil.  This cloth is similar to the curtains before in color and pattern, but they are much finer.  They are to house the most holy of artifacts.  The Israelites were not to enter this most holy place, except for a very limited and strict time and then it was only one person.  That one priest could come close to God in a way other Israelites could not at that time.  Today, we know that Christ has torn that veil and we can now come to God through Christ.

The above is some of the instructions that Moses was given on the building of the  tabernacle.  Today, we do not need a tabernacle in which to worship.  We, ourselves, serve as the temple of God in which he can dwell.  Our outward appearance is marred with sin and the roughness of the world, but inwardly, since we are followers of Christ, our hearts will reflect beauty of the inner tabernacle in which God dwelt in the past.   I pray that my life and actions will reflect the inner beauty of the tabernacle of God so that I can better serve Him.

Bill Nye and Ken Ham Debate

First off, I really enjoyed watching the debate last night.  I am just going to go over some of my thoughts and response to both men in the debate.  I am not in any way an expert in knowledge of scientific understanding, so I may be wrong in some of my thoughts, though I will endeavor to research and accurately portray the science.

The main disagreement that I have with Bill Nye (despite the whole old Earth argument) is that he seems to believe that a person who believes in the Bible and a literal six day creation cannot be a scientist.  This is just not true, as Ken Ham demonstrated by showing many Creationist who were also scientist.  Ones personal beliefs does not change the constants of the universe, so a creationist and an evolutionist can study science just the same.  They both have the same things to look at and study, and each person can see the same things.  Where they differ is how that data is interpreted.

Ken Ham relied heavily on the "you weren't there so how do you know" argument.  While this is true, neither man was there.  Neither one knows for sure exactly what happened.  Ken Ham believes that the Bible tells the accurate portrayal of the creation while Bill Nye believes that the Big Bang was the beginning. 

One question I wish was explained was how could a tree date to be older than creation exist.  I do not that some species of trees will produce more than one ring per year if there is a period of drought during the normally wet period, but I would still like to see good answer for this question.

Bill Nye also made a foolish comment about reading the Bible.  The Bible is written in different writing forms, historical, apocalyptic, poetic, etc.  You have to read those types of writings differently.  Historical writings are literal.  Apocalyptic are largely metaphorical.  Poetry can be both.  You can't read all types of literature the same way.  You will not read Edgar Allen Poe the same way as you read an autobiography.

I remember Bill Nye making this comment, "Then, as far as Noah being an extraordinary shipwright, I'm extraordinarily skeptical."  He mentions how his family built ships in New England and how it took a lifetime to learn the trade.  Well, the Bible states that Noah was 500 years old when he was told to build the arc.  I'm sure he had plenty of time to learn how to build a ship properly, much more time than Bill Nye's ancestors.  Also with this same story, Bill Nye failed to acknowledge that all species were not put on the ark.  We need to remember that the sea creatures stayed in the sea.  Noah did not need to carry them on the ark.  Also, all the single celled organisms just hitched a ride on the wood, people and animals.  Those would not need extra room either. 

Another thing Bill Nye stated was that there isn't enough time for all the species to have been in 4000 years since the flood.  Well, just look at dog breeds.  How quickly did all the breeds of dogs we have today came into existence?

The main disagreement I have with evolution is that creatures are becoming more complex.  This is just not true.  If anything, they are loosing genetic information.  If you have a dog species where some have long hair and some have short hair and place them in a cold environment.  More than likely, through survival of the fittest, the long haired dog will live to reproduce and the other will not.  The population will loose the genetic ability to have short hair since only the long haired dogs reproduced.  You can only reintroduce the short hair by breeding in another short haired dog.  Likewise, long haired dogs would probably die off if placed in a warm environment while short haired ones would survive.

One thing that Bill Nye showed was a picture of many different skulls that he implied were many different human species, or all the ancestors that lead up to the human race today.  Well, what if they were all the same race of human?  Before the flood, there would have been a much wider variety of humans and facial features and head structures.  Since Noah and his family likely only represented a small portion of the total human genome at that time, it is safe to assume that there were other facial and cranial structures that existed in Noah's day that we will not see today since they all died in the flood.

Bill Nye also said multiple times that how can someone take Ken Ham's word that the Bible is true instead of what is seen and observed.  I think Bill Nye missed it there.  Ken Ham does not disagree with what is seen and observed.  He disagrees with how it go there.  Also, if Bill Nye is going to say that it is unreasonable to accept the Bible as a historical document based on one man's word, then how many other books, that are widely accepted as historical fact, have been taken on the word of men to be true.  The word of those men who were not there to witness the historical events.  All those ancient historical books, including the Bible, have been translated into "American English."

Why not teach creationism in schools?  It is just another "theory" when approached by science, just like evolution is a theory.  It is call the Theory of Evolution, not the Fact or Principle of Evolution.  It is still a theory.  The Bible and Christianity are not taught in schools because people do not want religion taught to their kids, but they are fine when they are taught about Islam and Buddhism and other world religions, but do not dare talk about Christianity. 

These are just some of my thoughts.  I do not have time to delve in more since I have to get going. If you have not listed to the debate, you can do so HERE.

Exodus 25 -- Instructions 1

Exodus 25:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Tell the Israelites to take an offering for Me. You are to take My offering from everyone who is willing to give. 3 This is the offering you are to receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair; 5 ram skins dyed red and manatee skins; acacia wood; 6 oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 7 and onyx along with other gemstones for mounting on the ephod and breastpiece.

Here the Lord is instructing Moses on what materials will be necessary to make the tabernacle of the Lord and the items that will be inside of it.  You should notice that the Lord did not command Moses to take these items from the people, but he said that Moses should take from those who are willing to give. 

2 Corinthians 9:7 Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.  

Today, the Lord does not force us to give Him anything.  He wants us to, but will not force us.  He wants us to give to Him because we want to and he wants us to be happy about it.  

Exodus 25:8 “They are to make a sanctuary for Me so that I may dwell among them. 9 You must make it according to all that I show you—the pattern of the tabernacle as well as the pattern of all its furnishings.

The Lord did not make the Israelites guess as to how the tabernacle should be be built, but he gave them specific instructions.  The Lord wanted a place where He could dwell among His people.  Today, the Holy Spirit dwells in those who believe, but before the sacrifice of Christ, no one could have anything holy within them since they were full of sin, so God required a separate place to dwell.  He could no dwell within men as he does today.  Christ's sacrifice on the cross means that those today who are believers are covered by the blood of Christ and when our Heavenly Father looks at us, he will see Christ.

Exodus 25:10 “They are to make an ark of acacia wood, 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

Why acacia wood?  What I know of acacia is that it is a thorny tree that grows in parts of Africa and giraffes like to eat it... thanks Discovery Channel! -- Anywho, I did some looking up about acacia and found that they are all over the world, not just Africa.  The plants have some medicinal purposes, but I could not find anything specific about that.  In Egyptian myths, acacia is associated with life.  In Asian cultures, acacia bark is burned and used as an incense to keeps demons away and to put the gods a good mood. (Wikipedia) So, knowing in other traditions acacia is associated with life and is something to ward away demons, it seems to be fitting to use acacia wood for various things in the tabernacle.

Exodus 25:11 Overlay it with pure gold; overlay it both inside and out. Also make a gold molding all around it. 12 Cast four gold rings for it and place them on its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. 13 Make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark with them. 15 The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it. 16 Put the tablets of the testimony that I will give you into the ark. 17 Make a mercy seat of pure gold, 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. 18 Make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. At its two ends, make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 The cherubim are to have wings spread out above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and are to face one another. The faces of the cherubim should be toward the mercy seat. 21 Set the mercy seat on top of the ark and put the testimony that I will give you into the ark. 22 I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony; I will speak with you from there about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.

So, the Lord will appear on the ark, in the mercy seat between the two cherubim.  All of these things described are covered in gold.  Inside and out.  The ark would be heavy and since they were not allowed to touch it (we will see this later on) the poles were necessary to carry it. 

Exodus 25:23 “You are to construct a table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high. 24 Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding all around it. 25 Make a three-inch frame all around it and make a gold molding for it all around its frame. 26 Make four gold rings for it, and attach the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 27 The rings should be next to the frame as holders for the poles to carry the table. 28 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, and the table can be carried by them. 29 You are also to make its plates and cups, as well as its pitchers and bowls for pouring drink offerings. Make them out of pure gold. 30 Put the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.

Bread of Presence?  Anyone know this?

Exodus 25:31 “You are to make a lampstand out of pure, hammered gold. It is to be made of one piece: its base and shaft, its ornamental cups, and its calyxes and petals. 32 Six branches are to extend from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from one side and three branches of the lampstand from the other side. 33 There are to be three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a calyx and petals, on the first branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a calyx and petals, on the next branch. It is to be this way for the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 34 There are to be four cups shaped like almond blossoms on the lampstand shaft along with its calyxes and petals. 35 For the six branches that extend from the lampstand, a calyx must be under the first pair of branches from it, a calyx under the second pair of branches from it, and a calyx under the third pair of branches from it. 36 Their calyxes and branches are to be of one piece. All of it is to be a single hammered piece of pure gold.

The sculpture of this piece must have been very skilled to make such an object out of a single piece of gold.

Exodus 25:37 “Make seven lamps on it. Its lamps are to be set up so they illuminate the area in front of it. 38 Its snuffers and firepans must be of pure gold. 39 The lampstand with all these utensils is to be made from 75 pounds of pure gold. 40 Be careful to make them according to the pattern you have been shown on the mountain.

I am suddenly reminded of this:

Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” 12 I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven gold lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe and with a gold sash wrapped around His chest.

 I wonder if  there is any significance to this.  

What Many Christians Need to Know

So, yesterday I was reading an article about a women who had a miscarriage at 19 weeks and the article talked a lot about the family's experience as well as detailing how a 19 week fetus, and those of similar gestational age look human and are not just a "clump of cells."  Well this post is not about that article, but about the comments to that article.

Why arguing is pointless
As with most articles, whether talking about abortion, global warming or even the color of sheets that people most prefer, it seems that in the comment section there seems to always be a battle between Christians and Non-Christians.  It seems to always turn into an argument that both sides think they can win, but in reality neither side will gain any ground.  I cannot answer for the non-believers, but I can say this to those who believe:  Why bother arguing?  The Bible is clear:

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually.

The unbeliever will always view God and anything about Him as foolish.  We cannot, in ourselves, do anything about that.  So, as a believer this is what we should do.  Arguing is futile.

Titus 3:6 But avoid foolish debates, genealogies, quarrels, and disputes about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.

It is God alone who can change the heart of the unbeliever.  He alone can call the sinner to Himself.  He may use us in that process, but in reality, arguing on a message board will not win anyone for Christ.

The Devil causes sin
This comment was on the message board SO much!  Saying this like "the devil causes sin in the world" or "the devil made me do it" is giving the devil way to much credit.  The devil cannot make us sin, he can only tempt us to sin.  The sin comes from our own heart.  We are all born with a sinful nature and it is by the grace of God we are brought out of that nature into a new nature in Christ.

The baby will be in heaven
Many Christians tried to give comfort for the family telling them their baby is in heaven and in God's arms.  Where does the Bible tell us this?  No where.  Each and everyone of us were conceived in sin and each and everyone of us must deal with the consequences of sin.  That goes for those who are in the womb as well as those who are living in the world.  If as a Christian we believe that the fetus inside the mother is a human with a soul, we must also believe that the child is sinful, even though he/she is not yet born.  As Christians, we also believe that God will justly judge all humans and give them the consequences they deserve.  I am sure that the unborn who have passed away will be judged in a just way just as us who live today.  I am not saying unborn children our young children who pass away before they themselves are conscience of such a decision as to follow Christ will not be in heaven, but I cannot say with certainty that they will be. 

Why would a loving God cause a baby to die?
This question was asked multiple times.  The answer, while partly given was never fully explained.  Yes, our God is loving, but he is also wrathful and jealous.  The nature of God is more than love.  The real reason, however, that a baby dies is because of sin.  Yes, this was pointed out by many people.  Sin causes death. 

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Death entered the world when Adam and Eve ate the fruit.  It was not completely Eve's fault.  She was tempted to sin, Adam was not.  Eve would not have eaten if the devil hadn't tempted her.   Adam was there the whole time the devil was speaking to Eve and did not even try to stop her.  The command had been given to Adam, and not to Eve.  Well, anywho, I am getting a little off topic here, let me get back to my point.  Sin entered the world through sin.  Before sin, there was no death.

Going back to the question, yes, the death of the child was the will of God, or it would not have happen.  This does not make God evil for allowing the child to die.  Death and sin was necessary for Christ to come.  If there was no death or sin, then Christ would not have come and we would still be living in the Garden of Eden without sin and with a perfect relationship with God.  This, however, would not have served God's purpose of man.  Man is here to glorify God.  God wants the greatest glory for Himself.  If everything had remained perfect, and there was no sin, how much would we appreciate what God had done for us?  We would not know despair or sadness to know what joy and happiness would feel like.  The greatest glory for God is having His son come and give Himself for us.  Remember, Christ was the plan from the beginning.  All of creation and everything that has happened was for Christ and the glory of God.  Sin and death was necessary for Christ to come.  One day, everything will return to paradise.  We will again live in perfect harmony with our God and creator.  It isn't here yet, but it is coming.

You can't judge me!
Um, if you are a Christian I can.  The Bible tells me to do that.  What we are not to judge is whether or not someone is a believer.  We cannot tell by looking at someone if they are or are not a Christian.  We should reserve this type of judging to God, and God alone. (I believe this is what James is talking about).    We are to judge the actions of our fellow believers.  If we see our brothers and sisters straying away from God, we are to point that out to them, lovingly, and bring them back to Christ. (This is talked about in Matthew).

One of the commenters stated how he hated Christians because they were hypocritical and did not approve (or allow) him to live in a sinful situation.  We are hypocrites.  We are not perfect.  Even though we are Christians, we are still sinners.  It is by the grace of God we can claim a relationship with Him and believe we can go to heaven, when what we deserve is Hell.  It is not a Christians place to tell him not to live in sin because he is not a Christian.  I do think this commenter is giving Christians too much credit in the equal marriage debate.  How much influence do we Christians have in politics?  How many of the politicians today are truly Christian?  If Christians had their way in all things, abortion would be illegal as would any sin that could be committed, but a vast majority of sins (according to the Bible) are legal and even protected under the law. 

Conclusion
So, I really should not read the comment sections on articles.  The get me so riled up, but I know it is pointless to argue with those who think I'm crazy no matter what I say.  I do believe we should share our faith, but I see no need to argue my believes with other people.  I do not need to prove my believes to anyone.  Just like the old argument, "Prove to me that God exist!"  I want to ask them to prove that He doesn't, but that to is just pointless. 

Exodus 24 -- Covenant Ceremony

Exodus 24:1 Then He said to Moses, “Go up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and 70 of Israel’s elders, and bow in worship at a distance. 2 Moses alone is to approach the Lord, but the others are not to approach, and the people are not to go up with him.”

Moses was the only one to approach.  When we read about the temple, we learn that their is one high priest that can enter the holy of holys.   Here Moses is acting as a high priest by being the one who can enter closest to God.

Exodus 24:3 Moses came and told the people all the commands of the Lord and all the ordinances. Then all the people responded with a single voice, “We will do everything that the Lord has commanded.” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early the next morning and set up an altar and 12 pillars for the 12 tribes of Israel at the base of the mountain. 5 Then he sent out young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses took half the blood and set it in basins; the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 He then took the covenant scroll and read it aloud to the people. They responded, “We will do and obey everything that the Lord has commanded.”
8 Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you concerning all these words.”

Blood is used as a sign of this covenant.  This reminds me of the need of Christ's blood to atone for our sins.  We too needed the blood of something (in our case someone, Christ) to bind us to God.  It is through Christ's blood that we are able to draw near to God.

Exodus 24:9 Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and 70 of Israel’s elders, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. Beneath His feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire stone, as clear as the sky itself. 11 God did not harm the Israelite nobles; they saw Him, and they ate and drank.

Perhaps they saw the throne of God?  In Ezekiel, it is described as being sapphire stone:

Ezekiel 1:26 The shape of a throne with the appearance of sapphire stone was above the expanse. There was a form with the appearance of a human on the throne high above.

and

Ezekiel 10:1 Then I looked, and there above the expanse over the heads of the cherubim was something like sapphire stone resembling the shape of a throne that appeared above them.

Sapphire is also found in the foundation of the new Jerusalem. (Revelation 21:19) 

Exodus 24:12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there so that I may give you the stone tablets with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua and went up the mountain of God. 14 He told the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are here with you. Whoever has a dispute should go to them.” 15 When Moses went up the mountain, the cloud covered it. 16 The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day He called to Moses from the cloud. 17 The appearance of the Lord’s glory to the Israelites was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop. 18 Moses entered the cloud as he went up the mountain, and he remained on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights.

Forty days and nights, just like the rains of the flood.  I wonder if there is any significance to that?  

Exodus 23 -- The Law 3

Exodus 23:1 “You must not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked to be a malicious witness.  2 “You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert justice. 3 Do not show favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit.
4 “If you come across your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.
5 “If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, and you want to refrain from helping it, you must help with it.
6 “You must not deny justice to a poor person among you in his lawsuit. 7 Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent and the just, because I will not justify the guilty. 8 You must not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and corrupts the words of the righteous. 9 You must not oppress a foreign resident; you yourselves know how it feels to be a foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

These verses are showing how one must be honest.  You are not to lie.  You are not to cheat anyone based on how you like them or how much they have.  You are not to take bribes because that could cause you to sin.

Exodus 23:10 “Sow your land for six years and gather its produce. 11 But during the seventh year you are to let it rest and leave it uncultivated, so that the poor among your people may eat from it and the wild animals may consume what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.
12 “Do your work for six days but rest on the seventh day so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave as well as the foreign resident may be refreshed.

Rest on the seventh day.  Just as the Lord rested on the seventh day after creation we too are to follow His example and rest.

Exodus 23:13 “Pay strict attention to everything I have said to you. You must not invoke the names of other gods; they must not be heard on your lips.

The Lord repeats this often through out the Bible.  You are to only have one God.  No idols should be in your life.

Exodus 23:14 “Celebrate a festival in My honor three times a year. 15 Observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, because you came out of Egypt in that month. No one is to appear before Me empty-handed. 16 Also observe the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of your produce from what you sow in the field, and observe the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field. 17 Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God.

The Lord set up three specific times for the Israelites to celebrate their God.  The Festival of Unleavened Bread to remind the Israelites of God's power when bringing them out of Egypt.  The Festival of Harvest and the Festival of Ingathering were to remind the Israelites that it is God who provides for them the food they need to survive, both now and when leaving Egypt.  From the notes in the Bible I am using, the Festival of Ingathering is also called the Festival of Booths, which serves as a reminder to the Israelites of the structures they lived in during the exodus.

Exodus 23:18 “You must not offer the blood of My sacrifices with anything leavened. The fat of My festival offering must not remain until morning.
19 “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your land to the house of the Lord your God.
“You must not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.20 “I am going to send an angel before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Be attentive to him and listen to his voice. Do not defy him, because he will not forgive your acts of rebellion, for My name is in him. 22 But if you will carefully obey him and do everything I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. 23 For My angel will go before you and bring you to the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. 24 You must not bow down to their gods or worship them. Do not imitate their practices. Instead, demolish them and smash their sacred pillars to pieces.

Here the Lord is telling the Israelites that if they obey him and his laws that he will deliver their enemies and completely destroy them.  All they have to do is obey.  Do what God has told them to do.

Exodus 23:25 Worship the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. I will remove illnesses from you. 26 No woman will miscarry or be childless in your land. I will give you the full number of your days. 27 “I will cause the people ahead of you to feel terror and throw into confusion all the nations you come to. I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you in retreat. 28 I will send the hornet in front of you, and it will drive the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites away from you. 29 I will not drive them out ahead of you in a single year; otherwise, the land would become desolate, and wild animals would multiply against you. 30 I will drive them out little by little ahead of you until you have become numerous and take possession of the land. 31 I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. For I will place the inhabitants of the land under your control, and you will drive them out ahead of you. 32 You must not make a covenant with them or their gods. 33 They must not remain in your land, or else they will make you sin against Me. If you worship their gods, it will be a snare for you.”

Obey God and you will prosper.  Drive out the people of the land and do not worship their Gods.  We know as we read further that the Israelites did not do this.  They disobeyed God.  They intermarried.  They worshiped other Gods... And they were punished.

Exodus 22 -- The Law 2

It has been a little while since I have posted.  Now that the holidays are over I hope to post a little more.  I have really not kept up with my readings either and really need to get back to reading and studying.

Exodus:22:1 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. 2 If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, 3 but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4 If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.

Not only does a thief have to return or repay the owner of the animal he stole, he must pay at least double or if the animal is no long in his possession, whether dead or sold, he must pay 4 or 5 times what he stole.  IF he cannot pay, the man himself will be sold to make up for the lose of the animal.  IF we had such strict punishments today, how much less theft would we see?

Exodus 22:5 “If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man's field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.
6 “If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.
7 “If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man's house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. 8 If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. 9 For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.
10 “If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it, 11 an oath by the Lord shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution. 12 But if it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. 13 If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn.
14 “If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution. 15 If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee.

I'm not sure what is meant by "come near to God" or what kind of "oath by the Lord" these verses are referring to.  Matthew Henry's Commentary says this on the subject:  "It is called an oath for the Lord (v. 11), because to him the appeal is made, not only as to a witness of truth, but as to an avenger of wrong and falsehood. Those that had offered injury to their neighbour by doing any unjust thing, yet, it might be hoped, had not so far debauched their consciences as to profane an oath of the Lord, and call the God of truth to be witness to a lie: perjury is a sin which natural conscience startles at as much as any other. The religion of an oath is very ancient, and a plain indication of the universal belief of a God, and a providence, and a judgment to come."

Exodus 22:16 “If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife. 17 If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride-price for virgins.

I a man sleeps with an unwed, single woman, he must marry her if her father consents.  If there is no consent, the man must still pay for her since he lay with her as a husband with a wife.

Exodus 22:18 “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
19 “Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.

Here "lies with an animal" means engaging with the animal as a man would with his wife.  This is an abomination to the Lord who created man in His own image.  God also made each creature to reproduce after its kind. 

Exodus 22:20 “Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the Lord alone, shall be devoted to destruction.

God is our one and only God and he is the only one worthy to receive our sacrifices.  Since we do not sacrifice using animals today, we can still show our devotion to God by not placing idols or other things in front of God.  We must only pray and worship the Lord, and no other. 

Exodus 22:21 “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 22 You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, 24 and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

The Lord really dislikes the mistreatment of widows and orphans.  Those who do so will see the wrath of God.

James 1:26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Here James shows that the Lord wants us to care for and visit the orphans and widows, not neglecting them.

Exodus 22:25 “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. 26 If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, 27 for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
28 “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.

Really?  This does not say you have to like your ruler, but you are not to curse them.  How many Christians today are saying nasty things about our current president.  We do not have to like him or his policies, but we should still honor him in his position.

Exodus 22:29 “You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. 30 You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.

The Lord is requiring the first born of all the Israelites and their livestock.  He does not mean they must be killed or sacrificed but that they are set apart to God.  Since God spared each of their first born sons during the Passover and He also gave His first born son as a sacrifice to save all His people.

Exodus 22:31 “You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.