So, let me just state the main idea:
The purpose of reading this is to help us understand just how important sacrifice is in the relationship between people and God. It is so important because when Jesus dies on the cross, he embodies ALL of these sacrifices: the purification offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering ... See how that works? Everything else is secondary.
Below are some things I found interesting.
Blessings,
Steve
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We are reading The One Year Chronological Bible (New Living Translation). The best way is with your own copy of this Bible translation. Or, copy and paste this link to the daily reading schedule:
http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearchronologicalbiblereadingplan.pdf
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Some key thoughts from this week's readings:
1. Day 2/12: Moses communicates to the people God's requirements for the Tabernacle. After God says, "Let those with generous hearts" present the materials to the Lord, there is a remarkable series of statements.
A. Only those "whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved" brought materials needed for the Tabernacle.
B. Some others "willingly brought" thread, cloth, etc.
C. All the women "who were willing" employed their yarn skills
D. Just those who were "eager to help" brought their gifts
2. Day 2/12: God specifically endowed two people with the skills to construct the Tabernacle and craft all its contents. And then they we're told, He had given both "the ability to teach their skills to others." God never intended for just two people to do all that work. He set two in leadership positions, which included a requirement to teach others how to do the work!
3. Day 2/13: We come across the word, "Holy," quite a bit, and particularly in this reading with reference to the engraving on Aaron's turban medallion ("HOLY TO THE LORD"). Over time, there have been a lot of derivative meanings that have come to be associated with the word. Just to clarify, when you see “holy” in the Bible, that word means, "to be utterly apart, completely separate." When the Israelites are commanded "to keep the Sabbath holy," they understand that God means for it to be completely different from every other day; separate, apart, not like any other day. It is a gift from God to humans and must be treated with the true respect one should accord to a gift from God.
4. Day 2/14: If it wasn't clear before, it becomes abundantly so in Exodus 40 and Numbers 9: the pillar of fire/cloud is the "Glory of the Lord" and represents God's presence among the people. The cloud covers the Tabernacle to indicate God's presence there. When it lifts, the people pack up and follow it to the next location. “This continued throughout all their journeys.” = 40 years!
5. Day 2/15: Each tribal leader brought exactly the same gifts to the Tabernacle. Makes me wonder if they planned this in advance or if after the first day, each one decided to match the one that went the day before.
6. Day 2/16: (Numbers 9:1-14) — it is here that God doubles down on His instruction to celebrate the Passover every year. He makes it clear: it is a requirement of being one of God’s people. Either do it or leave. How does that impact our thinking about Jesus saying, “When you do this, do it in remembrance of me.”??
7. Day 2/16: I thought it was interesting that the Levites couldn't start serving in the Tabernacle until age 25 and had to retire at age 50. We might not burn out so many preachers/pastors if we followed this rubric in our churches. After 50, like the Levites, they can stay on staff part-time and help out, but are no longer allowed to "officiate." That sounds nice.
8. Day 2/16: I believe the Leviticus passage, here, is the first time God spells out that a person may lay his hands on the animal's head and God "will accept its death in your place, to purify you, making you right with Him." Substitutionary death. Foreshadowing of the Cross.
9. Day 2/16: "All the fat belongs to the Lord."
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