#213 Moses Intercessor

32 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods[a] who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”

2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,[b] Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings.Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’

9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” 14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”

18 Moses replied:

“It is not the sound of victory,

it is not the sound of defeat;

it is the sound of singing that I hear.” Exodus 32:1-18 NIV

Where is your God? Where is Moses? So the Lord's patience is delinquency, an absentee parent always. The cloud of God is still visible upon the mount and not far off. It has been within in a month that they have received and agreed to the laws of God, and yet again, their minds wander. They have witnessed miracles, and have been given the words of God. I refuse to laugh at them though, for I am reminded of my own fickle nature and that of the churches in my nation. "Well sure, God said that, but that was back then. God just wants you to be happy. Judge not lest ye be judged. Society has deemed these things ok, and so you are falling behind; you're archaic in your thinking." So we yield against the wave of emotion, to the "sincere" cries of the self righteous and ever growing mob.  They don't like this God; He does not cater to their wants, their "needs", and He does not show up on command. Let us make them an image, an image that will represent this God Who has done all these things, but let it be a toned down, modern version. Make a God that we can all get behind. 

…26"And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28"It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building;…Luke 17:26-28

They have broken the second commandment. They are oblivious to it; it was only their word that they gave after all. They fell apart quickly and acted as those, who worship creation over the creator, always do. God's wrath is kindled against them and rightly so. The punishment for this is the unleashing of God's wrath, death, yet Moses steps in to the role of intercessor and pleads for their lives, referring to them as God's people. 

When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.35And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One."…Luke 23:33-35

#212 Shadow of Worship

12 Then the Lord said to Moses, 13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come,so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.

14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. 15 For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. 16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17 It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”

18 When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God. Exodus 31:12-18 NIV

This is written in with the moral law and has become a stumbling block for many. I have come to a place in my life where I no longer want the interpretation of scripture that is convenient or based on my emotions. We live in a time where many believe in an origin without God, a creation without a creator. So rigid was the law here that its remembrance was inscribed in stone. The Bible also describes men's hearts as stone and a change of heart as requiring a new heart of flesh. 

25"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26"Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.27"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.…Ezekiel 36:25-27

I would never tell another person they are wrong for celebrating the Sabbath. If you desire to worship on Saturday, then by all means, but everything in the Old Testament is brought to clarity in Christ. The best way I have found to interpret scripture is not to pull from context what I like, "judge not lest ye be judged," that is one of my favorites. I acknowledge that God created the earth in six days and that He rested on the 7th. I acknowledge that I was born with a hard heart, and that I could not keep the law, nor without Christ and a change of heart please God. For me, it is not about a day in particular, for I do not wish to chase shadows. It is about the honor and glory of God, and knowing Him the way He reveals Himself to us. 

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. Colossians 2:13-19. 

#211 Talented

31 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— 8 the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense,9 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand— 10 and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you.” Exodus 31:1-11 NIV

We are asked, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul? I esteem the gifts of craftsman, but how much more the Maker of all, the Origin of all. Men get excited when they are called upon for their talent, but this is much higher than that of  a CEO, President or earthly king. It is a commission from the only true God, the provider of all such talent. A man might say, "but no, it is from my mother and my father, for they could both sing like angels, and that is where my gift of voice originated." It may be a very long line, but before the line starts there is Alpha and Omega. What can I give to God that is not already His? What can I honestly hold back from Him that is truly mine? We have all been blessed that ever take a breath, no matter what may happen here, there was God, Who saw me in mother's womb from eternity to past. I pray that what He has made will come to glorify Him. I pray that I should be anxious for nothing and grateful for everything.

…28Do not move the ancient boundary Which your fathers have set. 29Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men. Proverbs 22:28&29

1A [good] name [is] rather to be chosen than great riches, [and] loving favour rather than silver and gold.

2The rich and poor meet together: the LORD [is] the maker of them all.

3A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

4By humility [and] the fear of the LORD [are] riches, and honour, and life. Proverbs 22: 1-4

#210 A Sweet Smell

34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, 35 and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred. 36 Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. 37 Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes incense like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off from their people.” Exodus 30:34-38

Onycha: A nail; claw; hoof, (Hebrews sheheleth; Exodus 30:34), a Latin word applied to the operculum, i.e., the claw or nail of the strombus or wing-shell, a univalve common in the Red Sea. The opercula of these shell-fish when burned emit a strong odour "like castoreum." This was an ingredient in the sacred incense.

An ingredient in the incense burned at the golden altar, in the Holy Place, Exodus 30:34. It is the gum of a plant growing in Abyssinia, Arabia, and Syria, called by Pliny stagonitis, but supposed to be the same as the Bubon Galbanum of Linnaeus. The gum is unctuous and adhesive, of a strong and somewhat astringent smell.

Frankincense: a vegetable resin, brittle, glittering, and of a bitter taste, used for the purpose of sacrificial fumigation. (Exodus 30:34-36) It was called frank because of the freeness with which, when burned, it gives forth its odor. It burns for a long time, with a steady flame. It is obtained by successive incisions in the bark of a tree called Arbor thuris . The first incision yields the purest and whitest resin, while the product of the after incisions is spotted with yellow, and loses its whiteness altogether as it becomes old. The Hebrews imported their frankincense from Arabia, (Isaiah 60:6; Jeremiah 6:20) and more particularly from Saba; but it is remarkable that at present the Arabian libanum or olibanum is a very inferior kind, and that the finest frankincense imported into Turkey comes through Arabia from the islands of the Indian Archipelago. There can be little doubt that the tree which produces the Indian frankincense is the Boswellia serrata of Roxburgh, or Boswellia thurifera of Colebrooke, and bears some resemblance when young to the mountain ash. It grows to be forty feet high.

Again, they are warned not to make this incense for anyone but the Lord, it is reserved unto Him. Only God deserves our worship, and so it is set apart, sacred, sincere.

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let himsing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore,confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.[a]17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. James 5:13-18

#209 The Anointing

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant calamus, 24 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. 25 Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil.26 Then use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law, 27 the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense,28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand.29 You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.

30 “Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. 31 Say to the Israelites, ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. 32 Do not pour it on anyone else’s body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. 33 Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from their people.’” Exodus 30:22-33 NIV

Myrrh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrrh , It was one of the gifts brought by the Magi from the east to present to the young Christ. It is here used as part of an anointing perfume. 

Cinnamon: Cinnamomum zeylanicum was apparently not native to Egypt or Israel, but it was another ingredient added to the anointing oil from parts East. Its origin would appear to be India and the trade caravans. 

Cassia: Cassia lignea or Cinnamomum cassia, a fragrance often associated with linens or clothing, and that of funerals. 

Olive Oil: The olive tree and it's oil was not only common to the area, but was also used to represent both the stability and blessing of a nation, and also it's judgment in the lack of this commodity. 

You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured upon me. Psalm 92:10

2 Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses--the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine oil, his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. Isaiah 39:2

10 The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up; the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the oil fails. Joel 1:10

Only the priest received this symbolism. God reserved this anointing to Himself and His work; it was not to be taken advantage of, nor could the priest pour it on others outside of God's direction. It is a gross act of  charlatans, that they would feel themselves empowered, to sell those things set aside as sacred representations. Those who do so were cut off. 

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with giftsof gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Matthew 2:9-12

Cinnamon

Cassia

Olive grove

Myrrh

Calamus

#208 Sanctification

17 Then the Lord said to Moses, 18 “Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it.20 Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord, 21 they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.” Exodus 30:17-21 NIV

It is a perplexing situation to many a new believer, and even more to those holding the magnifying glass from the outside. This matter of becoming clean, and growing in faith after it has first awakened. The priest underwent a symbolic cleansing upon entry to the priesthood, and a time of reflection upon the state of the heart. Why then do we still struggle in our members? Did we ever really struggle before, or did we merely strive towards the approval of men? 

and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;…Hebrews 10:21-23

This business of walking daily with the Lord, of waking not feeling it, of dependence upon Him, and having yet again to pray, confess and be reminded of the cross; it defies all magic or emotion. It transcends all present hope or lack there of, every situation, this sanctification. Yes, somehow God, I have needed You more, yet no more than before I realized I needed You at all. 

13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 2Thessalonians 2:13

For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.15For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.…Romans 7:14-16

#207 No More, No Less

11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them. 13 Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the Lord. 14 All who cross over, those twenty years old or more, are to give an offering to the Lord. 15 The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the Lord to atone for your lives. 16 Receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord, making atonement for your lives.” Exodus 30:11-16 NIV

The tribute or ransom of the soul was the same whether rich or poor. The Bible tells us that to whom much is given much is required, and that we should give of our abundance, but that is not the picture here. This is a stern reminder that there is no respect of persons with God. My soul is no more valuable than yours and all was bought at the same rate. No one could add to ensure the placement of the soul, nor give less by way of a "good heart." One Price, that is the picture.

"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27"For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.…Matthew 16:25-27

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19&20

#206 Incense

“Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. 2 It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high—its horns of one piece with it. 3 Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it. 4 Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. 5 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 Put the altar in front of the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law—before the atonement cover that is over the tablets of the covenant law—where I will meet with you.

7 “Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. 8 He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come. 9 Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the Lord.” Exodus 30: 1-10 NIV

It is easy for us to become intrigued with the material side of rituals, but that would not be the end and only superstition. When an act makes us feel or appear holy then it becomes a form of idolatry or self worship. This reads so much differently to me now vs. my youth, where I was just trying to get through. Other religions burn incense and make sacrifices, and so it is I would have guessed back then that this God of the Hebrews, must be fond of blood and sandal wood. I do now relish the picture of intercession, of prayer going up before the Lord, who so loves His people that they are given and Intercessor, and that we may now offer up our own prayers, ever searching the will of God.

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. Psalm 4:1

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16