Monday, June 14, 2010

Exodus 34 - Leviticus 6: Glowing, gold, and blood

- What glowing skin:  Love how Moses' face glowed after he talked to God. He had to wear a veil. I'm wondering--do we glow when we spend lots of time with God?
- Ton of gold:  Amazed at the craftsmanship that went into the tabernacle and its furnishings. For example, the lampstands were made of pure gold and formed into a stem, branches, calyxes, and blossoms. 1900 pounds of gold went into the construction of the sanctuary--almost a ton of pure gold. Wow.

- They did it all:  When the Israelites were good, they were very very good. "The did what God had commanded to Moses. They did it all" (Ex 39:32). Do I always do all of what God asks?
- Overwhelming:  The sacrifices were bloody. They were instructed to make an offering of blood by splashing it against the sides of the altar. I can only imagine the sight, the sounds, and the smells (Lev 1:3-9). It must have been overwhelming and unforgettable.
- Pure and perfect:  The animals used for sacrifice were to be without defect. This foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice, Christ, and his sinlessness (Lev 3:1).
- Offerings:  Many different types of offerings described in Leviticus include absolution (atonement) offerings, burnt offerings, peace offerings, grain-offerings, and compensation-offerings.

Verse of the Day: "I am the Lord God. I am merciful and very patient with my people. I show great love and can be trusted." (Ex 34:6 CEV) --from Elena Santos Scharnhorst

I'm sharing a few thoughts from each day's reading. Feel free to jump in and share your own!
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2 comments:

  1. PortiaJune 14, 2010 at 11:59 PM

    There were some beautiful, poignant themes that emerged and were continually repeated -"without defect", "God's spirit filled them with every skill"; "pleasing aroma". There were so many others...

    "Without defect" - I pictured our precious Lord Jesus, perfect and without defect; our atoning sacrifice on the altar, heart-wrenchingly, known as the Cross.

    "God's spirit filled them with every skill" - The Israelites each had different gifts and skills for construction, weaving, sculpting; they all came together to build the Tabernacle. In the new covenant we see something very similar, all having different gifts, talents and skills, yet coming together as a single Body of Christ. very beautiful.

    "Pleasing aroma". Now, I got a chuckle out of this because I pictured God sitting on his throne taking in deeply, with each breath, the tasty smell of barbequed chicken on a warm, breezy summer day. Seriously, that "pleasing aroma" was His perfect Son, coming into our world and giving himself completely on the cross for our sins. perfect holiness. wow.

    The smybolism of the Tabernacle and the various offerings keep me in wonderment and awe. You begin to see this beautiful picture as a precursor to the life, teachings and, ultimately, the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus.

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  2. SusyJune 15, 2010 at 12:43 PM

    Portia, I love this. Your words are beautiful. And I love the barbecued chicken image!

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