Peace, Power, and Promises

September 29, 2023 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

²⁰Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, ²¹equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

²²I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. ²³You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. ²⁴Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. ²⁵Grace be with all of you. – Hebrews 13:20-25 ESV

It was Peter who wrote, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3 NLT). And as he wraps up his letter the author of Hebrews echoes that same theme. As part of his benediction, he calls on the God of peace to equip his readers with “everything good” so that they may be able to do His will.

The Greek word translated “equip” in this passage is katartidzo and it means “to strengthen, perfect, complete, make one what he ought to be” (Greek Lexicon :: G2675 (KJV). Blue Letter Bible). It was also commonly used to refer to mending something that was damaged, such as setting a broken bone in order that it would heal properly.

Part of God’s ongoing work in our lives is to repair what sin has damaged. Our sanctification includes the process of healing us from the negative effects of sin. God has justified us, declaring us righteous in His eyes, but that is a positional or judicial status. It does not mean that we are sinless or morally righteous. It simply means that, because of our faith in Christ, God views us through the sacrificial blood of His Son, “the blood of the eternal covenant.” But as long as we live on this earth, God is constantly equipping and perfecting us, in order to make us increasingly more like His Son.

…those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son… – Romans 8:29 ESV

…the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. – 2 Corinthians 3;18 NLT

Peace. The author refers to God as the God of peace. He is the God of shalom, and His desire for us is wholeness, completeness, and a sense of oneness with Him. When sin entered the world, that shalom with God was shattered. But with the coming of Christ, God provided a means by which man’s peace with Him might be restored. Paul reminds us, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1 ESV).

Writing to an audience made up primarily of Jewish Christians, the authorof Hebrews most likely had Jeremiah 29:11 in mind. It says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

The word translated “welfare” is actually the Hebrew word shalom. This statement from God was given to the people of Israel by the prophet Jeremiah at the beginning of their Babylonian exile. It was a reminder that God was not done. He had not completely given up on them. One day He was going to return them to the land of Canaan. But there is a yet-to-be-fulfilled aspect to this verse. God is still not done with the people of Israel. He will one day restore them to a right relationship with Himself. They will once again enjoy shalom – peace with God.

The Jewish believers to whom the letter of Hebrews was written were being reminded that they were already the beneficiaries of this promise. They had been restored to a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. But God was also working in them in such a way that they might be equipped to do His will. God is always working in His children “that which is pleasing in his sight.” Paul put it this way: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13 NLT).

Power. The very same power that raised Jesus back to life from the dead, is at work in us who have placed our faith in Him as our Savior. Revitalizing, resuscitating, rejuvenating, restorative, resurrection power is available to us and at work in us. We have the power of God available to us in the form of the Spirit of God who dwells within us. Our ongoing transformation does not depend upon our own efforts and willpower. It is the work of the indwelling presence and power of God. Truly, He has “given us everything we need for living a godly life.”

Promise. The author ends his letter by reminding his readers of the promises found in Jesus Christ. One of the most amazing statements in this passage that can easily be overlooked and under-appreciated is his reference to “our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep.” In that simple phrase, the author reminds us that the sacrificed Lamb of God has become our Great Shepherd. He died for our sins but rose again so that we might have life more abundantly. He gave His life so that He might guide us into new life.

Jesus said of Himself, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15 ESV). His death was not wasted. He didn’t die a martyr to a hopeless cause; He gave His life knowing that He would rise from the dead and provide the means by which all who believe in Him might enjoy eternal life.

“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” – John 10:17-18 ESV

Peter reminds us, “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls” (1 Peter 2:24-25 NLT).

Our Great Shepherd found us wandering from the fold of God. He rescued us. He has healed us. And He has promised to guide and direct us as we make our way to the glorious future God has prepared for us. He sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven, and from His place at His Father’s side, He intercedes for us. He watches over us. And He has promised to return for us one day.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” – John 14:1-3 ESV

And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor. – 1 Peter 5:4 NLT

It is for that day we are to live. It is for that hope we are to eagerly wait.

For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. – Romans 8:22-24 NLT

And while we wait, we enjoy peace with God, the presence and power of God, the guidance of the Great Shepherd of God, and the hope of the eternal promise of God.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Grace to Grow

September 23, 2023 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹²Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, ¹³and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. ¹⁴Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; ¹⁶that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. – Hebrews 12:12-17 ESV

Even with your eyes focused on Jesus, the Christian life can be difficult. As sons and daughters of God, we will experience His loving discipline so that we might share in His holiness. As the author of Hebrews reminded us, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11 ESV).

Learning to live a life of holiness in the midst of a world and culture that is diametrically opposed to it is anything but easy. But holiness is to be our goal because holiness is God’s will for us.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification… –1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV

Sanctification refers to our ongoing transformation into holiness marked by the increasing presence of righteousness. Ultimately, God’s goal for us is our glorification, the day in which we will be completely free from the influence of sin and totally righteous in His eyes, both positionally and morally. Paul puts it this way: “but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved” (Romans 8:23-24 ESV).

He told the Galatian believers, “For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness” (Galatians 5:5 ESV). Redeemed bodies, free from the effects of the fall and a righteousness unhampered by a sin nature – that is to be our hope. That is to be our goal. Yet, while it is something promised to us in the hereafter, we are to strive for it in the here and now.

We are to “strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14 ESV). The Greek word translated “strive” is diōkō and it means “to seek after eagerly, earnestly endeavor to acquire” (Greek Lexicon :: G1377 (KJV). Blue Letter Bible). But it can also mean “to persecute, in any way whatever to harass, trouble, molest one.”

In this world where enmity and hostility are the norms, we are to pursue peace with all men. When the world returns our love with hatred, we are to persevere and continue to love regardless of what happens. And we are to pursue holiness in the same way, persistently and purposefully. It will not be easy. That’s why the author tells us, “take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong” (Hebrews 12:12-13 NLT).

Notice that this is not to be an individual journey, but a shared one. The life of sanctification is to be a community affair.

Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. Make sure that no one is immoral or godless… – Hebrews 12:15-16 NLT

We have a mutual responsibility to our brothers and sisters in Christ to see that we all strive after holiness. No one is to be left behind. The pursuit of holiness is not a solo event; it is a team sport. We are members of the body of Christ and so, we are in this together.

The author warns us against three things: gracelessness, bitterness, and unholiness. Back in chapter four, he wrote, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 ESV). Grace is undeserved favor or “the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith” (Greek Lexicon :: G5485 (KJV). Blue Letter Bible).

Grace is made available to us by God. But to live gracelessly is to attempt to live our lives without His help and apart from His strength. Yet, holiness is impossible without God’s help. We can’t make ourselves holy; it is a work of the Holy Spirit within us. But we can become grace-less through prayerlessness. We can fail to tap into God’s life-giving grace when we refuse to spend time in His Word and the fellowship of His people.

And gracelessness can lead to bitterness. When we fail to live in God’s grace, availing ourselves of His power, we become defeated. Our pursuit of holiness becomes nothing more than a self-fueled effort in futility. We try and fail. We strive, in our own strength, and experience nothing more than disappointment and disillusionment. This “root” can spread unseen through the body of Christ, strangling the life out of the fellowship and damaging its witness. When we see our brothers and sisters in Christ failing to avail themselves of the grace of God, we must be willing to step in and speak up. Gracelessness is infectious and highly dangerous. It can become like cancer, spreading unseen through the body of Christ, sapping the life and vitality of the people of God.

And the end result of gracelessness and bitterness is unholiness. The author describes it as defilement. The Greek word is miainō and it means “to defile, pollute, sully, contaminate, soil” (Greek Lexicon :: G3392 (KJV). Blue Letter Bible). It was a word often used to refer to the dyeing or staining of a cloth. Gracelessness can lead to bitterness and bitterness can end up contaminating the body of Christ, leaving it less than holy.

The author uses Esau as an example of unholiness. The slightly older twin brother of Jacob, Esau sold his birthright to his younger sibling for a bowl of porridge. Driven by his passions and his physical appetites, he gave up what was of value for what was temporal and, ultimately, worthless. And while he would live to regret his decision, it was irreversible. Esau was consumed with the here and now, and for the fleeting pleasure of a bowl of stew, he sold his future birthright. John Calvin describes someone like Esau as…

“…those in whom the love of the world so holds sway and prevails, that they forget heaven as men who are carried away by ambition, addicted to money and riches, given over to gluttony, and entangled with other kinds of pleasures, and give the spiritual kingdom of Christ either no place or the last place in their concerns.” – William B. Johnston, trans., Calvin’s Commentaries: The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of St. Peter

The walk of faith can be long and arduous, but it is not impossible. Peter would have us remember, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV).

Through His grace, we have what we need to strive after holiness. We may experience drooping hands and weak knees, but we have the power of the indwelling Spirit at our disposal. Holiness is not only possible but it is inevitable for the Christ-follower because it is the promise of God. And our pursuit of it in this life reveals our confidence that we will receive it in full in the life to come.

Mission Accomplished

August 28, 2023 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹¹And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹²But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁴For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

¹⁵And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

¹⁶“This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”

¹⁷then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

¹⁸Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. – Hebrews 10:11-18 ESV

Year after year, sacrifice after sacrifice, the Israelites followed God’s instructions regarding His pattern for receiving atonement for their sins. The Hebrew word for atonement is kaphar and it means “to cover.” In the sacrificial system, atonement was achieved when an innocent, unblemished lamb, bull, or goat was sacrificed and its blood was sprinkled on the altar to “cover” the sins of the guilty party.

The death of an innocent animal was used to pay for the sins of a guilty individual. The sacrifice involved the shedding of blood, which was necessary to atone for the sins, essentially hiding them from God’s eyes. But this process was only partial in nature. It could not completely remove the guilt of sin and the penalty of death that it incurred. Each sacrifice was temporary in terms of its effectiveness and limited in duration. Every day, the priests had to stand ready to offer additional sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. It was an endlessly repeated process because the hearts of the people remained unchanged. They could not stop sinning against God because they lacked the inner power to keep His divine laws and holy decrees. And the sacrifices they offered could “never take away sins” (Hebrews 10:11 ESV) – at least not completely or permanently.

But when Jesus sacrificed His life on the cross, it was a one-time deal that never had to be repeated. And because His sacrifice was effective, He was raised back to life by His heavenly Father and restored to His rightful place in heaven.

For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. – Hebrews 10:14 NLT

Because the sacrifice of His sinless life satisfied the just demands of God, Jesus “sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12 ESV). His mission was complete. He had accomplished the will of His Heavenly Father by atoning for all the sins of humanity, for all time.

Quoting from the prophet, Jeremiah, the author of Hebrews reminds His Jewish readers that God had long ago predicted the moment when a new and better covenant would be enacted.

“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” – Jeremiah 31:33 NLT

God was revealing through His prophet that a day was coming when He would make a new covenant with the people of Israel. Rather than having to rely on some kind of external code of conduct (the Law), they would have God’s will planted right in their hearts. The motivation to obey God would come from inside and not outside. In addition, God promised to provide permanent forgiveness for sins.

“And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” – Jeremiah 31:34 NLT

The author of Hebrews reveals that these former promises that were provided centuries earlier to Jeremiah, had been the work of the Holy Spirit. They were divinely “breathed out” by God through His Spirit to Jeremiah but never took place in Jeremiah’s lifetime. They were prophetic in nature and pointed to a future day when God would implement His new covenant plan through His Son’s death, burial, and resurrection.

God was letting Jeremiah know that hope was not lost. Despite the people’s rejection of Jeremiah’s message and their refusal to repent of their sins and return to God, there was a silver lining on the dark cloud of God’s judgment. A brighter future was on the horizon. God was going to provide a sacrifice that would take care of man’s sin problem once and for all. No more temporary, partial atonement.

…where there is forgiveness…there is no longer any offering for sin. – Hebrews 10:18 ESV

Because Jesus offered His body and blood as payment for mankind’s sin debt to God, there is nothing more required for sinners to be made right with God. That does not mean that those who place their faith in Christ’s sacrificial death are free to live however they want to live. Paul dealt with this misconception in his letter to the believers in Rome.

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? – Romans 6:1-2 NLT

Paul went on to shoot further holes in this misguided and dangerous assumption.

Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. – Romans 6:15-16 NLT

We are free from the Law (rules and regulations) when it comes to our salvation. But we are not free to live as we choose. As children of God, we are expected to live lives in keeping with our new status as His adopted heirs. That is why Peter strongly encouraged believers to live in a way that reflected their new identity in Christ.

So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. – 1 Peter 1:13-15 NLT

We no longer have to obey God’s law in order to be made right with Him. We obey God because we have been made right with Him through faith in His Son. We obey out of love, not obligation. We pursue righteousness, not in order to earn favor with God, but out of gratitude for the favor He has shown us by sending His Son to die for us.

For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. – Hebrews 9:14 NLT

Consider the implications of that verse. We are already seen as righteous in God’s eyes. And yet, we are in the process of being sanctified or continually set apart for His use. We are positionally holy and yet, we are being made progressively holy.

We are already right with God, but at the same time, God is transforming us into the image of His Son. That is why we are commanded to put off the old nature and put on the new. We are to die to ourselves daily and to live for Christ because we are in the continual process of transformation that will one day be completed by our glorification by God. It is then that we will receive new redeemed bodies and complete freedom from the effects of sin and the threat of death. But, in the meantime, as we wait for that glorious day, we have work to do.

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 NLT

Our salvation is God’s doing, not ours. In his letter to the Romans, Paul describes this as “the gospel of God.” He further defines it as “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith’” (Romans 1:16-17 ESV).

Faith in our own human effort? No. He is talking about faith in the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross. Our salvation is based on God’s plan, Christ’s work, and the Spirit’s power. We brought nothing to the table. In fact, Paul paints a vivid picture of just how amazing the grace of God and the gift of His Son really is.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ESV

We have been fully forgiven. Our debt has been paid. Our future is secure. And our response is to live in willful, joyful obedience to the One who made it all possible.

Out With the Old, In With the New

August 23, 2023 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

⁸For he finds fault with them when he says:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
    when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
    and with the house of Judah,
⁹not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
    on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
    and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
¹⁰For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
    after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
    and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
    and they shall be my people.
¹¹And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
    and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest.
¹²For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
    and I will remember their sins no more.”

¹³In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. – Hebrews 8:8-13 ESV

In this passage, the author of Hebrews uses the Old Testament to prove his point and bolster his case concerning the new and better covenant made possible by Jesus. He quotes from Jeremiah 31, verses 31-34. In this passage, the prophet Jeremiah delivered a message from God to the rebellious people of Israel who were living in exile in the land of Babylon. Jeremiah had spent years warning them that this would be their fate if they failed to repent of their sins and refused to keep their covenant commitments to Yahweh. Even after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple, Jeremiah had sent a message to the captives living in Babylon.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord.” – Jeremiah 29:4-9 ESV

It was because of their failure to keep their end of the covenant that they found themselves living as exiles in a foreign land. But God wanted them to accept their fate and endure the punishment He had ordained for them. They were not to listen to the false prophets who tried to minimize their guilt and who promised them immediate salvation. God wanted them to know that their divine judgment came with a non-negotiable timeline.

“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:10-11 ESV

When the seven decades had passed, God would keep His promise and restore a remnant of the exiled people of Israel to the land of Canaan.

“For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.” – Jeremiah 30:3 ESV

And in chapter 31 of Jeremiah, God declares that their restoration will be accompanied by a new covenant. On the day that He restores them to their former homeland, God promises to do four things for them. Back in verse six, the author of Hebrews refers to these four things as the “better promises.” Each of these four promises falls under the new covenant, which will not be like the old covenant that God made with their fathers in the wilderness.

God said that when the new covenant was enacted, He would put His law into their minds and write them on their hearts. In other words, their motivation for obeying God would be internal and not external. Under the new covenant, they would have the capacity to obey Him willingly and gladly. He also promised that they would be His people and He would be their God. This was actually a recommitment on God’s part, a reiteration of the promise He had made to the people of Israel when they were living as slaves in Egypt.

“Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.’” – Exodus 6:6-7 ESV

But this time, things would be different. This renewed relationship would be permanent and not based on their own capacity to keep God’s law. Unlike the old covenant which was conditional in nature, the new covenant would be the work of God. He promises them a special relationship with Him that will be better than the one they enjoyed during their days in the wilderness and as His chosen people living in the land of promise.

The history of the people of Israel was one marked by blessing and cursing and with faithfulness and apostasy. And ultimately, because of their unfaithfulness, God was forced to give them over into the hands of their enemies, as punishment for their failure to remain obedient to the covenant commitment they had made. That is why He says, “they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them” (Hebrews 8:9b ESV).

The third promise God said would come with the new covenant was an intimate relationship with Him – for all Jews. They would no longer need to be taught about God because they would know Him closely and personally. Finally, God promised that the new covenant would bring complete and permanent forgiveness of their sins. No more sacrifices would be needed. No more threat of punishment, condemnation, or death.

When God spoke these words through Jeremiah, He was indicating that the old covenant was on its way out. With the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple, the sacrificial system was put on hold. There was no way for the people of God to receive forgiveness and atonement for their sins. And even after the people returned to the land, the Temple was rebuilt, and the sacrificial system was restored, the old covenant remained in a weak and ineffective state.

The new Temple cast a dim shadow of its former glory. The great city of Jerusalem would never achieve the status it once enjoyed in the days of King David and his son, Solomon. Over the following centuries, the Israelites would find themselves a conquered people, living under the heavy yoke of a long line of foreign kings, all the way up to the occupation of Rome in the days of Jesus.

But the promises God gave them in association with the new covenant were fulfilled, in part, with the coming of Jesus. His death, burial, and resurrection made them possible. That is why Jesus, on the night He shared His last Passover meal with the disciples, told them, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people – an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you” (Luke 22:20 NLT).

The sacrificial death of Jesus made possible the new covenant, and with the coming of the new, the old became obsolete. Even at the time the letter of Hebrews was written, the old covenant, based on the Mosaic law, was passing away. With the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in A.D. 70, the sacrificial system was brought to an end. Jesus had predicted this event when He announced to His disciples that all the beautiful buildings associated with Herod’s Temple would soon be destroyed.

“Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!” – Matthew 24:1-2 NLT

In quoting the passage from Jeremiah, the author of Hebrews is telling his Jewish readers that God is not yet done with the people of Israel. The promises found in Jeremiah were specifically for the people of Judah and Israel. But Gentile believers have been grafted into the family of God and have become descendants of Abraham. That is what Paul meant when he wrote, “…if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29 ESV).

Paul also wrote, “…you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree” (Romans 11:17 NLT).

But while the Gentiles have been included in the promises found in Jeremiah 31, God has not forgotten His original covenant people, the nation of Israel. That is the point the author of Hebrews is trying to make. There is no reason for them, as Jewish Christians, to return to their reliance on the old covenant with its rules, rituals, and regulations. The old covenant remained incapable of saving or sanctifying anyone; as was the case in the days of Moses, David, and Solomon.

Jesus has ushered in something far greater and better. A better high priest. A better covenant based on better promises. A better sacrifice. A better mediator. A better outcome altogether. And to those Gentiles who enjoy a restored relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, the new covenant has brought freedom from law-keeping and self-righteousness. Obedience and faithfulness to God are no longer based on external motivators or the self-produced capacity to keep a list of rules and rituals. It is based on the indwelling Spirit of God who encourages and empowers us to live in faithful service to God. We don’t have to earn His favor, we already have it. That is why Paul reminds us:

We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. – 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 NLT

Spiritual Complacency Can Lead to Apostasy

August 17, 2023 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, ²and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. ³And this we will do if God permits. ⁴For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. ⁷For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. ⁸But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

⁹Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. ¹⁰For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. ¹¹And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹²so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. – Hebrews 6:1-12 ESV

Spiritual maturity is not the result of human effort, any more than our salvation was the result of anything we had done or deserved. When the writer tells us to “leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity,” the Greek word he uses is pherō and it has the idea of being carried along, like passengers in a boat. It is in the passive voice and so it does not convey the expenditure of effort as much as it promotes an attitude of reliance. We are to allow the Holy Spirit of God to move us by His power into further spiritual maturity.

That doesn’t diminish our responsibility or alleviate our need for effort, but it lets us know that the end result is the work of God and not man. The Holy Spirit indwells believers in order to assist them in their quest of becoming increasingly more like Christ. But clearly, there is an expectation that believers in Christ should grow up in their salvation. The recipients of this letter did not need further instructions on faith versus works or repentance from performance-based efforts to achieve a right standing with God. It was time to move on. It was time to grow up.

The author refers to washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Each of these was a teaching or belief related to Judaism. They all had their counterpart in Christianity, but there was a need for the Jews to whom this letter was addressed to understand this foundational truth in a new way. Ritualistic washings, as practiced in Judaism, had been replaced by New Testament baptism – a one-time act that was symbolic in nature. The laying on of hands in Judaism was part of the sacrificial ritual, but it carried a new meaning in Christianity. The Jewish concept regarding the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment had been expanded and carried a clearer connotation ever since Jesus’ death and resurrection. All of these doctrines, while considered elementary by the typical Jew, would have required additional insight and instruction for the believer. There was no room for resting on your laurels or relying on old truths.

The real issue here has to do with spiritual stagnancy, which can result in the believer regressing in their faith. Earlier in his letter, the author warned his readers “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.” (Hebrews 2:1 NLT). He also told them, “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12 NLT).

He is clearly speaking to believers, those who had placed their faith in Jesus, but who ran the risk of regressing in their faith because they were not pressing on and moving forward spiritually. He knows the very real possibility of believers falling away and describes them as those who “have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come — and who then turn away from God” (Hebrews 6:4-6 NLT).

He warns that “it is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame” (Hebrews 6:6 NLT). It would seem that the writer of Hebrews is dealing with extreme cases of apostasy when believers turn away from and reject Christ. He is not referring to what many of us call backsliding or periods of spiritual doubt. The seriousness of his warnings conveys the idea that he is dealing with cases of an extreme nature. His point seems to be that if you fail to grow, you will leave yourself open to apostasy. You will be vulnerable to false teaching and the possibility of turning away from the truth. This was not uncommon in the New Testament. Paul warned Timothy not to follow the example of two individuals who had wandered from the truth.

Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus. They have left the path of truth, claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; in this way, they have turned some people away from the faith. – 2 Timothy 2:16-18 NLT

Paul also warned Timothy, “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead” (1 Timothy 4:1-2 NLT).

The author of Hebrews is legitimately concerned about the ongoing spiritual growth of his readers. Why? Because a lack of spiritual growth can have dangerous consequences. He is not saying that believers can lose their salvation. But the longer a believer wanders from the truth, the more difficult it will become for them to repent. And ultimately they will reach a point where they are living and acting as an unbeliever, and their return to Christ will appear as if His saving work was insufficient the first time. It will be like crucifying the living Lord all over again.

Apostasy makes a mockery of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. That is why we are commanded to grow. It is a non-optional expectation for all Christ-followers. But apostasy is the very real consequence of a life of spiritual complacency. Paul tells us that when the church is equipping its people and they are ministering to one another, the result will be the spiritual maturation of all the members. And spiritual growth serves as an antidote to apostasy and a protection against false teaching.

…we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. – Ephesians 4:14 NLT

According to the author of Hebrews, believers are to keep on growing in Christ-likeness, allowing the Spirit of God to use the Word of God to change them from the inside out. This divine process of transformation is meant to produce spiritual maturity and prevent spiritual complacency. But it requires the willful participation of each believer. That is why the author conveys his strong desire that each of his readers “show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end” (Hebrews 6:11 ESV). He wanted them to remain committed to the hope found in their faith in Christ. Their eternal future was dependent upon the saving work of Jesus, not their own attempts to keep the law or practice the rites and rituals and Judaism.

When it comes to the Christian life, you are either moving forward or going backward. There is no middle ground or state of spiritual immobility. A stagnant faith is a dead faith. It lacks power and will eventually result in spiritual regression. But those believers who maintain their hope in the promises of God made possible through faith in Christ will find all the power they need to avoid spiritual complacency and the risk of apostasy.

Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. – Hebrews 6:12 NLT

The Feast of Weeks

July 19, 2023July 20, 2023 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹⁵“You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. ¹⁶You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. ¹⁷You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord. ¹⁸And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁹And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings. ²⁰And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. ²¹And you shall make a proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.

²²“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” – Leviticus 23:15-22 ESV

The Feast of Firstfruits was to mark the beginning of the spring harvest season for the nation of Israel. It was a time to express thanks to God for His gracious provision of produce in the new land. But Moses was given instructions to establish yet another holy convocation to take place 50 days later when the final crops of that harvest season would be gathered in.

This festival was called the Feast of Weeks or Shabuoth (Exodus 34:22). Sometime during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek and this came to be known as the Septuagint. In the Septuagint, the Feast of Weeks became the Feast of Pentecost because of the 50-day timeline reference. The Greek word, pentekostos means “the fiftieth day.”

Nearly two months after the wave offering was presented (Leviticus 23:12), the Israelites were to bring another offering that marked the end of the harvest season. This feast was intended to celebrate the rich bounty that God had provided. At the beginning of the season, they had given God a small portion of the initial harvest that represented the first and best of the land’s produce. But 50 days later, when the last of the grain was harvested, the people were to look back in gratitude for all that God had given them. He had blessed them richly.

The harvest season was to be bookended by two different grain offerings. The first was an offering most likely consisted of barley grain because it was one of the first crops to ripen. This was presented in the form of a sheaf that was waved before the Lord by the priest. It was accompanied by the sacrifice of a single unblemished one-year-old lamb along with a food and drink offering. But the grain offering given during the Feast of Weeks was to consist of wheat grain that had been made into loaves of bread.

“From wherever you live, bring two loaves of bread to be lifted up before the Lord as a special offering. Make these loaves from four quarts of choice flour, and bake them with yeast. They will be an offering to the Lord from the first of your crops.” – Leviticus 23:17 NLT

This one-day feast was intended to celebrate the generosity that God had shown to His covenant people. He had brought them into the land as He had promised and blessed them with homes, fields, and vineyards. The faithfulness of God was visibly demonstrated by the fruitfulness of the land. All their needs had been met and, in grateful response, they were to celebrate their gracious God.

As the text makes clear, this celebration included a greater number of sacrificial animals. Through a tangible display of generosity, the Israelites would demonstrate the true extent of their gratefulness. They were required to offer a one-year-old lamb, a young bull, two rams, a male goat, and two additional one-year-old lambs. There were also food and drink offerings that were included in the day’s ceremonies.

One of the interesting differences between this feast and the Feast of Unleavened Bread that marked the beginning of the festival season, was the presence of yeast in the baking of the bread. The Israelites calendar year began with Passover, and the day after Passover began the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

“The Lord’s Passover begins at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the next day, the fifteenth day of the month, you must begin celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the Lord continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast.” – Leviticus 23:5-6 NLT

But 50 days later, the people were given permission to bake bread with yeast.

“…bring two loaves of bread to be lifted up before the Lord as a special offering. Make these loaves from four quarts of choice flour, and bake them with yeast.” – Leviticus 23:17 NLT

The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread were intended to commemorate the Israelites’ release from captivity in Egypt. In the inaugural Passover, God had instructed His people to prepare bread made without yeast.

“This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord. This is a law for all time. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast. On the first day of the festival, remove every trace of yeast from your homes. Anyone who eats bread made with yeast during the seven days of the festival will be cut off from the community of Israel.” – Exodus 12:14-15 NLT

And God had been adamant about the prohibition concerning yeast.

“The bread you eat must be made without yeast…” – Exodus 12:18 NLT

“During those seven days, there must be no trace of yeast in your homes.” – Exodus 12:19 NLT

“Anyone who eats anything made with yeast during this week will be cut off from the community of Israel.” – Exodus 12:19 NLT

“During those days you must not eat anything made with yeast.” – Exodus 12:20 NLT

“Wherever you live, eat only bread made without yeast.” – Exodus 12:20 NLT

The idea was that the people of Israel needed to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. When God got ready to deliver them, they would have to move quickly. There would be no time to wait for their bread to rise. So, as the book of Exodus reveals, “The Israelites took their bread dough before yeast was added. They wrapped their kneading boards in their cloaks and carried them on their shoulders” (Exodus 12:34 NLT).

And that event was to be celebrated every year at the Feast of Unleavened Bread. But 50 days later at the Feast of Weeks, the rules changed. There was no longer any prohibition against yeast because there was no longer any need to leave the land. They were home. The Egyptians had been defeated. The promised land had become a reality. And the Israelites were enjoying the bounty and blessing of God in their new homeland. They had plenty of time to harvest their wheat, mill the grain, make the dough, and wait for the yeast to do its work. Then they could bake the bread and enjoy the fruits of their labor. All because of the goodness of God.

It’s interesting to note that, centuries later, the apostle Peter would preach a sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the very same feast day described in Leviticus 23. On that day in the city of Jerusalem, Peter and his companions had been waiting in an upper room just as Jesus had told them to do, and something incredible happened.

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. – Acts 2:1-4 NLT

Some 50 days after the Passover, Peter and the disciples were transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised them.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8 NLT

And, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter preached a sermon to the crowd that had gathered in the streets of Jerusalem. And as a result of his message, more than 3,000 people came to faith in Christ, and the church of Jesus Christ was born. And Luke notes that this new community of Christ-followers was marked by their fellowship and unity.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. – Acts 2:42 NLT

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. – Acts 2:46-47 NLT

Don’t miss the reference to bread. God had delivered these 3,000 individuals from slavery to sin to freedom in Christ. They were new creations and were living in the “promised land” of salvation that was rich and bountiful. They were “feasting” on the bread of life.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” – John 6:35 ESV

All their needs had been met in Christ. Their sins were forgiven. Their iniquity had been replaced with the perfect righteousness of Christ. Those who had once been enemies of God were now His adopted children and heirs. God had graciously provided for all their needs through the gift of His Son.

Set Apart for God’s Service

June 11, 2023 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread. ³And assemble all the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting.” ⁴And Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

⁵And Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded to be done.” ⁶And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. ⁷And he put the coat on him and tied the sash around his waist and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him and tied the skillfully woven band of the ephod around him, binding it to him with the band. ⁸And he placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim. ⁹And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden plate, the holy crown, as the Lord commanded Moses.

¹⁰Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. ¹¹And he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them. ¹²And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him. ¹³And Moses brought Aaron’s sons and clothed them with coats and tied sashes around their waists and bound caps on them, as the Lord commanded Moses. – Leviticus 8:1-13 ESV

At this juncture in the narrative, an important change is about to take place within the Israelite community. Up to this point, Moses has functioned as their de facto priest, leading and serving them as God’s emissary and acting as the divinely appointed mediator between Yahweh and His chosen people. Each time Moses ascended Mount Sinai to meet with the Lord, he did so as the representative of his people. On all the occasions when he had entered Pharaoh’s palace to demand the release of the people of Israel, he had done so as the designated spokesman for God and the divinely appointed leader of the Israelite community.

Along the way, Moses repeatedly interceded before God on behalf of his people. At Mount Sinai, he pleaded with God to forgive and spare the people from His wrath for their worship of the golden calf (Exodus 32:11-14). It was to Moses that God gave the Ten Commandments and His plans for the sacrificial system. Moses was the one to whom God laid out His designs for the construction of the Tabernacle as His earthly dwelling place. But God also gave Moses instructions regarding the priesthood with his brother, Aaron, designated to serve as the first high priest.

More than four decades later, when Moses was nearing death and preparing to turn over the leadership of the nation to Joshua, he offered up this blessing concerning Aaron and the rest of the priestly tribe of Levi.

“The Levites obeyed your word
    and guarded your covenant.
They were more loyal to you
    than to their own parents.
They ignored their relatives
    and did not acknowledge their own children.
They teach your regulations to Jacob;
    they give your instructions to Israel.
They present incense before you
    and offer whole burnt offerings on the altar.” – Deuteronomy 33:9-10 NLT

God had designated the Levites as the sole tribe to serve as priests and caretakers of the Tabernacle. And in chapter 8 of Leviticus, Moses is preparing to officially turn over the priestly duties that he had performed for so long. From this moment forward, Aaron and his sons would serve as the spiritual leaders of Israel, with responsibility for teaching God’s law, maintaining the purity of the Tabernacle, and offering sacrifices before God to atone for the sins of themselves and the people.

In the book of Malachi, God refers to the covenant He made with the tribe of Levi.

“The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name. They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin.

“The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” – Malachi 2:5-7 NLT

This divine statement of the Levite’s covenantal relationship with God was included to accentuate their fall from grace. At the time Malachi penned these words from God, the Levitical priesthood was in disarray and morally compromised. The opening verses of Malachi chapter 2 paint a rather bleak picture of their degraded spiritual status.

“Listen, you priests—this command is for you! Listen to me and make up your minds to honor my name,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “or I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not taken my warning to heart. I will punish your descendants and splatter your faces with the manure from your festival sacrifices, and I will throw you on the manure pile. Then at last you will know it was I who sent you this warning so that my covenant with the Levites can continue,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. – Malachi 2:1-4 NLT

They had broken their covenant bond with God, having failed to maintain their faithfulness to Him. The priests were complicit in the moral and spiritual fall of the people of Israel and God was holding them accountable.

This account from the book of Malachi is important to consider when looking at the watershed moment recorded in the book of Leviticus. Here, Moses records the inaugural moment when the priesthood was established and the Levites assumed their roles as the spiritual leaders of the nation of Israel.

But before Aaron and his sons could serve in their new capacity as priests, they had to be consecrated and purified. So, God commanded Moses to “Bring Aaron and his sons, along with their sacred garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of bread made without yeast, and call the entire community of Israel together at the entrance of the Tabernacle” (Leviticus 8:2-3 NLT).

A special ceremony was arranged for the dedication and consecration of the Levitical priesthood. A new phase in Israel’s spiritual journey was about to begin, and it would be marked by sacrifice, purification, and the dedication of Aaron and his sons to God’s service. From this point forward the Levites would become servants of the Most High God. And to mark the occasion, God ordered a special ceremony that was meant to prepare them for their unique and indispensable role.

This ordination service was to take place under the watchful eyes of the people of Israel. God commanded Moses to “assemble all the congregation” (Leviticus 8:3 ESV). No one was to be left out. The entire community was to serve as a witness to this auspicious event, and Moses told them that what they were about to see was “the thing that the Lord has commanded to be done” (Leviticus 8:5 ESV). In other words, this was going to be a God-ordained ceremony that would forever alter the nature of their interactions with God. Up to this point, they had always seen Moses as their primary intercessor and spiritual leader. When Moses had lingered longer on Mount Sinai than they thought necessary, they had panicked and decided to appoint Aaron as his successor, even demanding that their new leader fabricate a new god for them to worship. But now, God was officially turning over the responsibility for the spiritual well-being of His people to someone other than Moses.

The entire ceremony began with a purification process in which Aaron and his sons were physically and ceremonially cleansed for their new role. The next phase of the process involved their “robing,” a special ceremony that involved Moses placing upon each of the men the sacred garments that God had designed for them. In a sense, these garments symbolized their holiness by distinguishing them from the rest of the Israelite community. God had given detailed instructions for the manufacturing of these special robes, ordering Moses, “you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood” (Exodus 28:2-3 ESV). These were to be “holy garments” (beḡeḏ qōḏeš), that served to set apart Aaron and his sons and illustrated that they belonged to God alone. The purification process cleansed them from defilement and sin. Dressing them in the sacred robes that symbolized that God was clothing them in His righteousness.

This elaborate ritual was designed to remind everyone involved that these men were being consecrated for a special role that required cleansing and holiness. In their capacity as priests, there was no place for sin, impurity, or defilement of any kind. Their job would be to maintain their own purity and that of the people so that the presence of God might continue to dwell among them.

“Wearing the brilliant garments of the priestly office indicated to the people that the high priest was God’s representative and was ready to function in any of the priestly capacities. The message of this ritual is that those who minister must be prepared and equipped to do what God called them to do.” – Alan P. Ross, Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus

Having dressed Aaron and his sons in their robes of righteousness, Moses preceded to anoint them for their new roles. This part of the ceremony was to serve as their official consecration to God’s service. The oil represented the pouring out of God’s Spirit upon these men, sanctifying them to serve as His ministers and mediators. They had been cleansed of all sin, dressed in robes of righteousness, and were now being empowered by God to perform the formidable task to which He had called them. The anointing with oil of the Tabernacle, its content, and the priests who would serve within it, also symbolized God’s divine seal of approval on the entire enterprise. He was pleased and was providing His Spirit’s power and enablement so that this tent made with human hands might become all that He had intended it to be. Without the Spirit of God, the Tabernacle would remain just another earthly dwelling place made by human hands. Without the Spirit of God, Aaron and his sons would be nothing more than well-dressed men masquerading as servants of God. Without the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God and His divine enablement, buildings and people remain nothing more than empty shells that lack the power to reflect God’s glory and any hope of accomplishing His will.

God had a job for Aaron and his sons to do, and He not only provided them with proper attire for their new role, but He also provided them with the power to do all that He had called them to do. They had everything they needed to do what He had set them apart to do.

Purified and Repurposed for God’s Glory

May 20, 2023 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹⁰He also made the table of acacia wood. Two cubits was its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. ¹¹And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a molding of gold around it. ¹²And he made a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and made a molding of gold around the rim. ¹³He cast for it four rings of gold and fastened the rings to the four corners at its four legs. ¹⁴Close to the frame were the rings, as holders for the poles to carry the table. ¹⁵He made the poles of acacia wood to carry the table, and overlaid them with gold. ¹⁶And he made the vessels of pure gold that were to be on the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and flagons with which to pour drink offerings.

¹⁷He also made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it. ¹⁸And there were six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; ¹⁹three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. ²⁰And on the lampstand itself were four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, ²¹and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out of it. ²²Their calyxes and their branches were of one piece with it. The whole of it was a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. ²³And he made its seven lamps and its tongs and its trays of pure gold. ²⁴He made it and all its utensils out of a talent of pure gold.

²⁵He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit. It was square, and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it. ²⁶He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And he made a molding of gold around it, ²⁷and made two rings of gold on it under its molding, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it. ²⁸And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

²⁹He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure fragrant incense, blended as by the perfumer. – Exodus 37:10-29 ESV

Seven different times in these verses, Moses mentions Bezalel using “pure gold” to overlay or fashion the various objects he was creating. Many of these items, like the Ark of the Covenant, the Table of Shewbread, and the poles used to carry them, were made of wood. But they were covered in a thin veneer of gold leaf that transformed them into objects of beauty and great worth. Though made of common materials, their appearance was greatly altered and enhanced by Bezalel’s careful addition of the gold overlay. These sacred objects were meant to symbolize God’s power to take that which was ordinary and transform it into something holy and set apart for His use.

The table that Bezalel created was to sit just outside the Holy of Holies in the Holy Place. But it was nothing more than a well-made wooden box, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches tall. It was not impressive in and of itself. But when the gold veneer was added, it took on a different appearance. The ordinary was transformed into the extraordinary. The commonplace became uncommonly beautiful and worthy of being set apart for God’s use. In some ways, what the layer of gold did to the Ark of the Covenant and the Table of Shewbread was exactly what happened to Moses when the glory of God transformed his face. During his 40-day encounter with God on Mount Sinai, Moses’ countenance was dramatically altered so that his face literally glowed. This ordinary and highly flawed man had been radically transformed by God. To the people of Israel, he no longer appeared as the Moses they had grown to know. They were terrified by his glowing face and he was forced to cover it with a veil.

But God is in the transformation business. He had taken Moses, who had been nothing more than a common shepherd and a convicted murderer, and transformed him into the man who would stand before Pharaoh and deliver the people of Israel out of their captivity in Egypt. The timid and tentative Moses had to be divinely altered so that he might accomplish that task the Lord had assigned for him to do. Moses was still Moses, with all his faults and failings, but he had been transformed by the power of God and equipped with all the resources he needed to accomplish the will of God.

There was nothing special about the table that Bezalel crafted, but the layer of gold leaf he affixed to it gave it an aura of worth and value beyond comprehension. It’s value increased dramatically and made this ordinary table worthy of occupying the inner recesses of God’s house. And on this golden table would be placed the Bread of the Presence – a memorial food offering to the Lord. This was to be God’s dining table. But the bread placed on the table was meant to symbolize God’s presence. It was to be baked from the finest flour and placed on the table each Sabbath day.

“You shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf. And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the Lord. Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange it before the Lord regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever. And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the Lord‘s food offerings, a perpetual due.” – Leviticus 24:5-9 ESV

God graciously allowed Aaron and his sons to eat the Bread of the Presence that sat on the golden table in the Holy Place. But they had to be wearing their designated priestly robes and had to have gone through the proper purification ceremony. Their divinely-designed garments, like the gold leaf on the table, not only altered their outer appearance but transformed them from their normal, ordinary state to that of set-apart servants of God. They were worthy of entering His presence and sharing a meal from His table.

Located in the windowless recesses of the Tabernacle, the table was illuminated by a special lampstand that Bezalel also handcrafted. But unlike the Table of Shewbread, the lampstand was to be made from nothing but gold. There would be no wooden substructure. Bezalel “made the lampstand of pure, hammered gold. He made the entire lampstand and its decorations of one piece—the base, center stem, lamp cups, buds, and petals” (Exodus 37:17 NLT). It is estimated that this ornate object was crafted from 75 pounds of the purest gold. As a skilled metallurgist, Bezalel would have gone to great lengths to ensure that the gold he used to craft this lampstand was only of the highest quality. He would accept no impurities and imperfections. As the sole source of light within God’s house, this lamp had to be both functional and beautiful. It would burn 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the oil used to light its flames would be of the highest quality as well. Its rays would illuminate the darkness of the Holy Place, reflecting off the golden Table of Shewbread and the Altar of Incense.

This lamp was covered in golden blossoms and buds, symbolizing life. So, it represented both light and life, and offered a fitting image of the one who would eventually come to earth as the light of life.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:1-5 ESV

The lamp contained no wood. It was made of the purest gold and, therefore, of extraordinary value and worth. There was no gold leaf veneer covering an inferior interior. Like Jesus, who referred to Himself as “the light of the world” (John 8:12), this lampstand was perfectly pure and holy. The apostle Paul described Jesus as sinless.

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

His light was pure and able to illuminate the darkness of sin that pervaded the lives of men. He gave light to the world and life to all those who would step into His glorious presence.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God… – John 1:9-12 ESV

The final piece of furniture Bezalal crafted for the Holy Place was the Altar of Incense. Just 18 inches square and 36 inches high, this wooden altar was far from impressive in size. Yet, it too was covered in a layer of gold and equipped with carrying poles that were veneered with a fine layer of gold leaf. But this diminutive piece of furniture had a significant role to play in God’s house. It was from this altar that the priests would burn sweet-smelling incense to the Lord. And even the recipe for this incense was proprietary in nature, and only to be used within the confines of the Tabernacle. It was to represent the prayers of God’s people and illustrated their dependence upon Him.

Glistening gold, brightly shining light, sweet-smelling incense. All of these elements were to reflect the glory of God, but it must not be missed that they emanated from ordinary objects made by human hands. Yet, God transformed them from their ordinary, pedestrian state to that of holy and set-apart objects worthy of use in His house. God had communicated their design and designated the nature of their purpose. He made sure that they would be holy and distinct, perfectly unique, and totally dedicated to His use.

The apostle Paul reminds us that, as Christians, we too have been set apart for God’s use. We have been transformed from ordinary, sin-stained people into His holy temple. He has covered us in the righteousness of His Son and transformed us into objects of beauty and holiness, worthy to be used for His glory.

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? – 1 Corinthians 3:16 NLT

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT

A House Fit For God

May 18, 2023 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

⁸And all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains. They were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked. ⁹The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size.

¹⁰He coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another. ¹¹He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain of the first set. Likewise he made them on the edge of the outermost curtain of the second set. ¹²He made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set. The loops were opposite one another. ¹³And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to the other with clasps. So the tabernacle was a single whole.

¹⁴He also made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle. He made eleven curtains. ¹⁵The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains were the same size. ¹⁶He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. ¹⁷And he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other connecting curtain. ¹⁸And he made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together that it might be a single whole. ¹⁹And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins.

²⁰Then he made the upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood. ²¹Ten cubits was the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. ²²Each frame had two tenons for fitting together. He did this for all the frames of the tabernacle. ²³The frames for the tabernacle he made thus: twenty frames for the south side. ²⁴And he made forty bases of silver under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons. ²⁵For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames ²⁶and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame and two bases under the next frame. ²⁷For the rear of the tabernacle westward he made six frames. ²⁸He made two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear. ²⁹And they were separate beneath but joined at the top, at the first ring. He made two of them this way for the two corners. ³⁰There were eight frames with their bases of silver: sixteen bases, under every frame two bases.

³¹He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, ³²and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle at the rear westward. ³³And he made the middle bar to run from end to end halfway up the frames. ³⁴And he overlaid the frames with gold, and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.

³⁵He made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it he made it. ³⁶And for it he made four pillars of acacia and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four bases of silver. ³⁷He also made a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework, ³⁸and its five pillars with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals, and their fillets were of gold, but their five bases were of bronze. – Exodus 36:8-38 ESV

Like any other construction project, the Tabernacle was built in phases – literally from the ground up. Chapter 36 contains Moses’ description of the first stage of the project, when Bezalel orchestrated the fabrication of the Tabernacle’s structural frame, exterior walls, roofing membrane, and the more intricate veils that would form its interior rooms. Having already reintroduced Bezalel as the primary foreman for this massive project, Moses makes it sound as if this one man did all the work alone.

He coupled five curtains to one another… – vs 10

He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain… – vs 11

He also made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle… – vs 14

But it is safe to assume that Bezalel had plenty of help. His role was supervisory in nature. While Bezalel was “filled him with the Spirit of God…with all craftsmanship…for work in every skilled craft” (Exodus 35:31, 33 ESV), he did not do all the work alone. Moses makes it clear that “all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains” (Exodus 36:8 ESV), but Bezalel was responsible for overseeing all the intricate details that God had specified for the Tabernacle’s construction. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, this one man served as the principal project manager with the responsibility of ensuring that God’s house was constructed according to God’s plans.

This one man was expected to safeguard the stockpile of gemstones, gold, silver, timber, fabric, and leather that the people had donated for the Tabernacle’s construction. The potential for theft would have been high. There would have been a constant temptation for workmen to pilfer some of the overstock of building materials. After all, they seemed to have far more inventory than the building plans required. But Bezalel would have understood that every single item the people had given belonged to the Lord. Nothing was to be lost, looted, or allowed to disappear from the inventory. Every gold bracelet, silver amulet, or yard of fabric was to be accounted for and reserved solely for its part in the completion of God’s earthly dwelling place.

Each item donated by the people of Israel was unique and necessary. Together they would form the completed sanctuary of God. Under the skilled hands of Bezalel and his team of gifted craftsmen, these ordinary objects would be transformed into a dwelling place fit for God Almighty. The apostle Paul picks up on this concept when he describes the believers in Corinth in a similar way.

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NLT

In his second letter to the very same people, Paul reemphasized their status as God’s temple.

For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” – 2 Corinthians 6:16 NLT

Paul was simply reiterating the promise God had made to the people of Israel.

“I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” – Leviticus 26:12 ESV

“My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” – Ezekiel 37:27-28 ESV

The Tabernacle would be compromised of tens of thousands of individual donations that, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, would be transformed into a single structure designed to serve as the temple of God. Bezalel and his craftsmen would melt down all the gold jewelry, melding them into loops that would hold up the beautiful woven tapestries that adorned the Holy Place. The individual donations of tanned rams’ skins and goat skins would be woven into a single unit that would serve as the outer walls of the Tabernacle, protecting its sacred interior from the elements. Every piece of acacia wood that was donated to the cause was painstakingly planed and finished so that it could become part of the support frame for the entire structure.

Everything had a purpose and a place in God’s plan. Each item, no matter how small or insignificant, was needed to complete God’s house. And when the Tabernacle was finished, every Israelite who had donated to the cause would know that their contribution had played a part. Their gift had been transformed by the Spirit of God into a house fit for Yahweh. And, once again, the apostle Paul uses the analogy of the Old Testament Tabernacle as a reminder to New Testament believers that they too have been formed into a dwelling place for God Almighty.

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. – Ephesians 2:19-22 NLT

The Motivation to Give Sacrificially

May 16, 2023 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do. ²Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. ³You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.”

⁴Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. ⁵Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord’s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; ⁶blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats’ hair, ⁷tanned rams’ skins, and goatskins; acacia wood, ⁸oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, ⁹and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

¹⁰“Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded: ¹¹the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; ¹²the ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the veil of the screen; ¹³the table with its poles and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; ¹⁴the lampstand also for the light, with its utensils and its lamps, and the oil for the light; ¹⁵and the altar of incense, with its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle; ¹⁶the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand; ¹⁷the hangings of the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court; ¹⁸the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court, and their cords; ¹⁹the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests.”

²⁰Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. ²¹And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. ²²So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord. ²³And every one who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats’ hair or tanned rams’ skins or goatskins brought them. ²⁴Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord’s contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. ²⁵And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. ²⁶All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats’ hair. ²⁷And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece, ²⁸and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. ²⁹All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord. – Exodus 35:1-29 ESV

His face aglow with the glory of the Lord, Moses delivered his latest message to the people of Israel, and he began with a reminder of the Sabbath day of rest. With the construction of the Tabernacle not yet begun, Moses knew that the Israelites would be tempted to violate God’s prohibition against working on the Sabbath in order to complete the massive project as quickly as possible. Since the Tabernacle was to house God’s presence, it would be to their advantage to finish its construction in record time. They likely believed that the longer it took them to build it, the greater the risk that God might abandon them. So, God had Moses warn them against working on the Sabbath.

“In six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there must be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of complete rest to the Lord. Anyone who does work on it will be put to death.” – Exodus 35:2 NLT

They were not to allow the project’s size and scope and their zeal to complete it to lead to further disobedience. Violating the Sabbath would not be an acceptable compromise. In fact, God reminds them that even the simple task of kindling a fire on the seventh day would result in death. All of God’s were equally valid and binding. There were to be no concessions or compromises. Attempting to fulfill the will of God by breaking the law of God was never acceptable. The Tabernacle was to be built according to God’s terms and no shortcuts or loopholes were allowed. The people were expected to do everything God’s way or not at all.

With the golden calf incident behind them, the Israelites were to prepare for the construction of the Tabernacle. It was time for God’s design to become a reality but before they could begin, the people had to provide the materials for its construction. This was not the first time the people had heard about God’s command for a voluntary contribution of building materials.

“Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them. Here is a list of sacred offerings you may accept from them:

gold, silver, and bronze;
blue, purple, and scarlet thread;
fine linen and goat hair for cloth;
tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather;
acacia wood;
olive oil for the lamps;
spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense;
onyx stones, and other gemstones to be set in the ephod and the priest’s chestpiece.

“Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them.” – Exodus 25:2-8 NLT

The people had been more than willing to donate their gold so that Aaron could make the golden calf but would they prove generous when it came to all the material needed to build God’s house? And the list was a long and expensive one. Precious metals, rare gems, fine linen, timber, thread, oil, tanned animal skins, and incense were all required for God’s house. Without the building materials in hand, the craftsmen would find it impossible to create the walls, framework, and furniture for God’s house. There would be no bronze altar, ark of the covenant, or mercy seat. The walls that designated the Holy of Holies where the presence of God would rest above the mercy seat could not be built. The entire structure would remain little more than an idea, instead of becoming a tangible reality and the place where God would dwell among His people.

So, Moses reissued God’s call for donations and restated that this was to be a voluntary contribution, given by those “of a generous heart” (Exodus 35:5 ESV). This was not a mandatory tax but was to be considered a freewill offering. God was giving His people an opportunity to participate in His work by donating their time, treasures, and talents. The promise of His presence would require sacrifice on their part. For God’s house to become a reality, they would have to give of themselves, sacrificially surrendering their resources and their lives to the cause. And the people responded.

So the whole community of the Israelites went out from the presence of Moses. Everyone whose heart stirred him to action and everyone whose spirit was willing came and brought the offering for the Lord for the work of the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. – Exodus 35:20-21 NLT

Motivated by the Spirit of God, the people rose to the challenge and contributed all the resources God had requested. Nothing was missing. No items were left out or withheld. And Moses records that this voluntary effort had 100 percent participation.

Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord‘s contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. – Exodus 35:24 ESV

Everyone gave something, whether wood, gold, silver, fabric, spices, oil, yarn, or talent. The entire Israelite community got involved and engaged.

All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord. – Exodus 35:29 ESV

God moved among His people, creating the desire to fulfill His will. This was not a case of coercion or forced generosity. Their hearts were moved to do the right thing. Left to their own devices, the Israelites would have proven to be stingy and stubbornly resistant to God’s request. But He moved their hearts to do the right thing. And this movement of the Spirit of God was a foreshadowing of things to come. Centuries later, God would declare His intention to move in their lives yet again, transforming their sin-hardened hearts so that they might do the right thing.

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” – Ezekiel 36:26-27 NLT

God’s will is always done His way, but He graciously chooses to use people to accomplish His will. To do so, He transforms hardened hearts so that they might respond to His invitation to serve alongside Him in His work. God could have built the Tabernacle Himself, but He chose to give His people a part to play in its construction. Their time, talents, and treasures would be essential ingredients in the making of His earthly dwelling place – for their good and His glory.

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