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Good Wednesday morning friends, today we read together Exodus 25.
You might want to begin today in Exodus 24:15.
Moses and Joshua have responded to God’s invitation, and have been sitting on the mountain side for six days, just outside a great cloud, which has engulfed the mountaintop. Then God called Moses to enter the cloud, for the purpose of meeting with HIM, and Moses did. . . leaving Joshua outside the cloud. As far as we can tell Moses had no idea how long he’d be in there, nor what exactly to expect this time. This is now the 6th time Moses has gone up this mountain to meet with God. Each trip was unique, and they are growing in length of time and scope of experience.
You’ll recall on the last trip up the mountain for Moses, he received from God all that he then wrote down for the people, which we have recorded in Exodus 21,22,23. Those were laws, guidelines, on developing a God honoring society, and how to live in community, of a large and diverse group of people, with dignity, mutual respect, law and order, justice and God honoring ethics.
Exodus 25-31 is a 40 day and night retreat with God and Moses in the cloud. This time the topic is WORSHIP. In great detail God will outline for Moses how HE, the one, true, Almighty, Holy God wants to be worshiped, by His unique people, that He has rescued from Egypt, and brought to Himself at Mount Sinai.
At first glance you might be tempted to yawn, and skip this section, but that would be a terrible mistake. This ‘in the cloud’ conversation was another ‘defining moment’, as the future of Israel, and their unique worship relationship with God, is explained by God Himself.
May I ask you a question? Think back over your lifetime. Think of all the different churches you’ve ever been part of, where-ever you’ve lived in the world. Now compare them one to another. Compare their buildings, their worship experience, their congregations, their leadership and Pastors, their activities/programs and their reputation in the community.
Now here’s the question… which of them, do you believe was functioning, at that time in history, in full alignment with what God wanted for that church, in that community, at that time? You see friends, so easily we, God’s people, and the churches we are part of, pursue what WE think should be happening in the life of OUR church. Rarely do you find a church that is really focused on BEING and DOING what the Holy Spirit is trying to lead that church to BE & DO, in obedience to Jesus Christ, who is the Head of HIS Church world-wide (Eph. 4:11-16).
Remember Jesus said “I will build My Church and the gates of Hades will not prevail.” (Matt. 16:18) In our enthusiasm, we human beings, of every culture, every generation, everywhere in the world, tend to shape our religious journey according to what WE want, or at least what we imagine that it should be. Not many people spend much time focused on seeking to know how GOD wants to be worshiped, in any particular place, at that particular time in history, by that particular people.
Egypt, where these slaves had lived for generations, was a country with lots of worship. The Egyptians worshiped the sun, moon, stars, and made idols of wood, covered in gold, that they they worshiped as representing gods, they could not see, nor had they ever experienced an encounter with. Figments of their imagination.
But suddenly, the one, true, Almighty, Living, Holy God has reached to humanity, and the Hebrew slaves & Egyptians in particular, through Moses and this Exodus experience. So now, in Exodus 25, the time has come for GOD Himself, to explain worship of God, as HE wants it to be!
May I point out four things in this chapter for us to consider?
First… A worship relationship with God depends on the willingness of the heart. God does not force us to worship Him, nor does He demand our worship regardless of the circumstances of our lives.
God INVITES our worship, from a heart that is responding to HIM and His love, His majesty, His power, His Holiness, His direct involvement in our lives as a human race, on this unique planet earth, which He designed just for us!
“Tell the Israelites to bring Me an offering. You are to receive the offering for Me from each man whose heart prompts him to give…“ (Ex. 25:.12) There it is… true worship of Holy, Almighty God begins with HIM initiating an invitation to us. But invitations can be ignored, rejected, delayed or… accepted with joyful response. So look back in your life, your family, our nation. Look around your neighborhood on Sunday morning. What has been your response, the response of your family, and of America, to God’s invitation to worship Him, in gatherings all across America, called churches?
Of course we understand that thanks to Jesus, worship can be private or corporate. Alone from anyplace on our planet, at anytime, or with a gathering of other people, at anytime, from anyplace. But always, it depends on the heart, doesn’t it? What do you understand is required in a human heart, that will have an authentic, worship encounter with Almighty, Holy God?
Up to this moment, the relationship between the Hebrew slaves and God was very one sided. God was doing all the miraculous work, and the Hebrews were receiving the benefits. Thus far they had been asked to participate by putting the blood on their door-frames, that Passover evening back in Egypt, so the angel of death would pass over. And they had been asked to follow the cloud by day & pillar of fire by night. Beyond that… God was doing everything for their daily existence. But here, God was inviting them to bring an offering to Moses, for God, from what they had. Ah, time for a heart check!
Notice in vs 3-7 a description of what types of things God had in mind for this ‘in-gathering offering’. Then look at vs 8 to see what Moses was supposed to do with this offering. “Then have them make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings, exactly like the pattern I will show you.”
Oh my! The God of the Universe, wants to come and reside among us humans? …among the runaway slaves, at Mount Sinai, in the desert!! Does God need a house to live in?…of course not! Remember 1500 years later Paul said to the scholars in Athens “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and He does not live in temples built by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.” (Acts 17:24,25)
So if God doesn’t need us to build Him a house to live in, if He wants to be here on earth, then what’s He saying to Moses about an offering, a tabernacle, and His desire to ‘dwell among the slaves’? In God’s complete understanding of these runaway slaves, He knew exactly what would be needed for them to understand and experience, life changing worship of and relationship with Holy God. Therefore, in chapter 25-30 we will see a very detailed explanation from God for their worship.
It begins with an offering of precious things…but they are slaves. How could they possibly have gold, silver, precious gems, royal robes etc? Do you remember what God did, as they were fleeing Egypt that Passover night? He told them to ask the Egyptians for gifts… and Exodus 12:35,36 tells us they walked out carrying the bounty of Egypt! Now 90+ days later, God was asking for the people to realize He had blessed them with that bounty, so they could use some of it to build a place of worship encounter with Almighty, Holy God!
It was time for a heart check. Who was ready to give, in response to God’s outrageous blessing of them, and all He had done over these past several months, to free them, and bring them to this mountain? And who was willing to give, so a place could be made, for God to ‘dwell among them’? And who was willing to give, from the bounty they had brought out of Egypt?
Worship always begins with a heart check…because worship is the overflow of a grateful heart, a response to God’s invitation, not a demand nor a punishment from God.
Secondly, please note in vs 8, God instructs Moses to build this ‘tabernacle’ exactly as God will describe it to him. The word “tabernacle” is one we don’t often use in normal talk. It mean’s “reside, dwell, settle down, put down roots, but with Holy intent. While the Hebrews had helped build places of worship for Pharaoh and the Egyptians, this would be very different, because this was for Holy, Almighty, Living God, who wanted a living, vibrant relationship with His people. So God had a very special design for this place. . .and it would need to be portable, since He was going to lead them on a journey, but worship would need to be central to their society, even as they traveled!
Third, you’ll see Exodus 25 has the description from God for three specific artifacts, He described for Moses to have fabricated. . .the Ark of the Covenant / the Table of the Bread of the Presence / the Golden Lampstands. While each had a specific purpose, all three represented one fundamental, glorious reality. . .GOD was there, among His people!
The Hebrews were not worshiping some part of creation, nor an animal, nor a far away deity whose attention they were trying to attract. The Hebrews were worshiping the God who made them each, and was sustaining their lives, and was watching over them, and loved them…and wanted them to love Him in response!
As you read, take special note of the details related to design of the Ark, Table & Lampstands…remembering this is 3500 years ago, these are slaves in the desert! Take note of the detail of the top, the cover of the Ark. “There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the Ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all My commands for the Israelites.” (25:22) What? No more need to hike up that mountain? God would meet with Moses there, at the Ark, after it was constructed and placed in the Tabernacle? Remember… God is always looking forward, into the future. This slave city would not always be camped at the mountain. Before too long the cloud would move, and the people would follow, and so would the Tabernacle, and the Ark!
Notice also what Moses was going to put INSIDE the Ark! “Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the Ark the Testimony, which I will give you.” (25:21) What God refers to here as the “Testimony” is the stone tablets He was going to give Moses with the 10 Commandments inscribed on them. The word “testimony” here reminds us that these Commandments form the foundation of the Covenant between God and His people. Therefore these tablets are a living ‘testimony’ or ‘witness’ to the Covenant and the day the people said “We will obey the LORD” (Ex. 24:7).
So now my friends, may I invite you to read slowly, this powerful 25th chapter, remembering this is 3500 years ago, in a desert… so the next time you feel yourself in a desert emotionally, struggling to find some reason for gratitude or joy or direction in life, let this chapter remind you, of God’s deep desire that you WORSHIP Him, with an overflowing heart, in response to His greatness, His majesty, and His involvement in every detail of your life.
Oh God, we bow before You. . .
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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