Tag Archives: Warren Wiersbe (Be Delivered)

God’s Presence and Glory Dwells with the People, Exodus 34:29-35

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At last, God blesses Israel’s tabernacle with the glory of His presence. Exodus begins with Moses witnessing God’s glory in the burning bush (3:1-5) and ends with God’s glory descending in the camp and filling the tabernacle. Warren Wiersbe (Be Delivered) writes: “The presence of the glory of God in the camp of Israel was not a luxury; it was a necessity. It identified Israel as the people of God and set them apart from the other nations, for the tabernacle was consecrated by the glory of God (29:43-44). Other nations had sacred buildings, but they were empty.”

God’s Glory Reflected (34:29-35; 2 Cor. 3)

Did Moses realize his face glowed? He apparently “absorbed” some of God’s glory when he soaked in God’s presence the past 80 days while fasting and praying. He had also caught a glimpse of God’s glory. According to this passage, however, Moses was clueless about his radiant face. But it didn’t take long for him to figure out why the people were afraid of him when he came down the mountain. Moses soon persuaded them to come and converse as before. He eventually covered his face with a veil as the glory faded (2 Cor. 3:13). Why? Weren’t the people afraid this strange phenomenon? Wiersbe observes: “The Jews saw this glory as something wonderful and exciting, but what would they say if they knew it was fading away? Who wants to follow a leader who is losing his glory?”

So Moses continued the pattern: Talk to God inside the tent of meeting; God’s glory illuminates his face; Moses covers face with a veil as the glory fades. The Apostle Paul—when answering legalists who taught that God’s way to salvation involves not only faith in Christ, but also obedience to the law (Acts 15:1)—made the following applications about this amazing event (2 Corinthians 3):

  1. The glory of the Mosaic legal system was fading away, but the glory of God’s grace in the gospel is more glorious (vv. 7-11).
  2. The lost Jews during Paul’s day had a veil covering their hearts due to unbelief, blocking their view of God’s glory (2 Cor. 3:14-16). The only remedy for the removal of the veil was to trust Jesus and believe the Word.
  3. Paul also related Moses’ experience to Christians, who through faith experience a spiritual transformation by seeing Christ’s glory in the Word (vv. 17-18). Wiersbe writes: “This is why Christians read the Bible and meditate on it, because when the child of God looks into the Word of God and sees the Son of God, he or she is transformed by the Spirit of God into the image of God for the glory of God.”

    (Credit: elleandcompanydesign.com)

REFLECT (Or should I say “RADIATE”?) 🙂

I’ll close with two more Wiersbe quotes (because they’re really interesting!): “The Greek word for ‘transformed’ in 2 Corinthians 3:18 is “transfigured,” as in Matthew 17:2. It describes the glory on the inside being revealed on the outside. Moses only reflected the glory of God; the dedicated believer radiates the glory of God. Unlike Moses, we don’t wear a veil when we come to God’s Word because we have nothing to hide.”

“Truly spiritual people don’t recognize their own godliness but usually feel as though they’re failures and far from what they ought to be. At Pentecost (Acts 2), each believer could see the tongues of fire above the other believers’ heads, but not over their own heads.”

Next week will be my last post on Exodus. Have a great week!

The Great Discipline, Exodus 32:15-33:11

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God never permits His people to sin successfully.” –Charles Spurgeon

Warren Wiersbe (Be Delivered) writes: “God in His grace forgives our sins, but God in His government allows sin to work out its terrible consequences in human life. We reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7-8). . . . What a tragedy it is to reap the consequences of forgiven sin!”

King David—a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22)—was one example of not only experiencing God’s forgiveness, but also having to face the consequence of his sins. God told him that the sword would not depart from his family, and it didn’t (2 Sam. 12:1-14).

With Moses’ absence for 40 days on Mt. Sinai, Israel impatiently grumbles against Moses and demands that Aaron set up an idol to lead them in place of God. Aaron complies and the people say: “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt,” (32:4).

Moses Disciplines the people (32:15-29)

Moses asks Joshua to join him as he treks down Mt. Sinai. For one day Joshua would replace Moses and take up his leadership role. As Moses sees the golden calf idol, he throws down the stone tablets—that God had inscribed with His finger—in righteous anger. This act of breaking the tablets symbolizes Israel’s breaking the covenant with God. Now they would face the consequences.

After Moses confronts Aaron, he obeys God’s order and asks the people: “Who is on the Lord’s side? (see Josh. 24:15). The people are given opportunity to repent of their sin and return to God, but only the Levites respond. Setting aside the bonds of family and friendship, these men obediently follow through with the gut wrenching task of killing all involved in the orgy (about three thousand). Paul uses this event—among others—centuries later to warn believers about rebelling against God (1 Cor. 10:1-12).

Next, Moses destroys the idol calf by burning it, grinding the gold to powder, then throwing the powder into a stream. As he makes the people drink from this stream (Deut. 9:21), he forces them to identify with their sins.

Although Moses is angry with the people, God is angrier. When Moses returns to Mt. Sinai again for forty days and nights fasting and praying, he petitions God for an exchange: Spare the Israelites and kill him instead. But God rejects his offer. Maybe if the Israelites knew the anguish Moses experienced because of them they might have been more supportive of him. The Lord, however, comforts Moses with the assurance that His angel would go before them and Moses would once again lead them. But punishment would be certain, in God’s own way and in His own time.

God Disciplines the People (32:35-33:11)

“Grace is simply not just leniency when we sin, grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon.” –John Piper

After the Levites kill three thousand men, God’s first discipline comes in the form of a plague among the people. Wiersbe writes: “God knew who all the guilty people were. Sometimes God passes the sentence of judgment immediately but then delays executing the penalty. However, whether in the Old Testament or the New, ‘there is sin leading to death’ (1 John 5:16-17 NKJV).”

In God’s second judgment, He withdraws His presence leading Israel in their march to the Promised Land (33:1-6). Although He would still keep His covenant promises He made with the patriarchs earlier, He would send an angel to accompany them instead of in the person of His Son—“the Angel of the Lord”—going before Israel (23:20-23).

God’s third judgment involves moving Moses’ “tent of meeting” outside the camp where he could personally meet with God. Moses used this as a special tent to consult God since the tabernacle hadn’t been erected or dedicated yet. The cloud of pillar that led Israel thus far would hover at the tent door as God graciously granted Moses the privilege of talking to Him face-to-face (Num. 12:1-8; Deut. 34:10).

Reflect

The brief pleasure of sin isn’t worth its cost. Not only did Israel’s sin lead to thousands of deaths, but it also robbed the nation of God’s presence in both their camp and in their journey to the Promised Land. Although God punishes sin, He also shows His love to a thousand generations to those who love Him and keep His commandments (Exodus 20:6).

If you are experiencing God’s discipline, know that He loves you. Turn away from the sin and turn to Him. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Consecration of the Priests (Part 2), Exodus 29; 30:22-33

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For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” –Hebrews 9:24-26

In order to set the high priest and his sons apart for service, God commanded that they participate in a public consecration ceremony that lasted a week. During this time, the priests had to remain in the tabernacle precincts. My last post summarized the first two stages of this ceremony. Below are the following five stages.

  • The priests were anointed (Ex. 29:7, 21; Lev. 8:10-12, 30). In the Old Testament, God granted priests, prophets, and kings His Holy Spirit for empowerment and service (Luke 4:17-19; Isa. 61:1-3). A special oil was used only to anoint the priests, tabernacle and its furnishings. Moses poured the oil over Aaron’s head. The oil flowed down his beard—covering his breastplate and stones that represent Israel’s tribes—displaying a beautiful picture of unity in the Lord (Ps. 133:2).

(Source: chongsoonkim.blogspot.com)
Under the new covenant, the Holy Spirit’s anointing isn’t reserved just for priests, prophets, and kings. Those who have placed their trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior have also received an anointing of God’s Spirit (1 John 2:20, 27; 2 Cor. 1:21-22). The Holy Spirit is the “down payment” of future glory. He has both anointed and sealed us by His Spirit.

  • The priests were forgiven (Ex. 29:10-14).

    Jesus Christ is our sin offering. We find forgiveness in Him alone (Isa. 53:4-6, 12; Matt. 26:28; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; Rev. 1:5-6).

    To atone for the priests’ sins, they had to sacrifice a slain bull (Lev. 4; 8:14-17). This sin offering was to be repeated daily for a week (Ex. 29:36-37) to cleanse not only themselves, but also to sanctify the altar where the priests would minister.

  • The priests were completely dedicated to God (Ex. 29:15-18; Lev. 8:18-21). God expected the high priest and his associates to fully devote themselves to their work of ministry. Total dedication to the Lord is depicted when the animal is completely given to Him during the burnt offering sacrifice (Lev. 1). Likewise, Jesus held nothing back in both His ministry before the cross and becoming our sacrifice on the cross.
  • The priests were marked by the blood (Ex. 29:19-22; Lev. 8:22-24). Warren Wiersbe (Be Delivered) writes: “At this point in the ordination ceremony, we would have expected Moses to offer a trespass offering (Lev. 5), but instead, he offered a ram as a peace offering, “the ram of consecration” (Ex. 29:22). The Hebrew word means “filling” because the priests’ hands were filled with bread and meat.” Moses not only sprinkled the blood—along with the anointing oil—on Aaron, his sons, and the altar, but also marked each man with some blood on the right thumb, right big toe, and right earlobe as a reminder to the following: Listen to God’s Word; carry out God’s work; and follow God’s way. As the blood speaks of sacrifice, the priests became “living sacrifices” in their service of the Lord (Rom. 12:1).
  • The priests were fed (Ex. 29:22-28, 31-34; Lev. 8:25-29). As part of the priests’ payment for serving at the altar, pieces from some of the offerings—along with special harvest tithes—were given to them. However, they were to eat in the tabernacle precincts and view these gifts as holy sacrifices. The priests’ hands were filled from the “food basket” (Ex. 29:2-3) and from the altar (vv. 22-28). Then the priests would wave these gifts toward the altar in devotion to God. Lastly, they shared this food in a fellowship meal (vv. 31-34). The priests would never lack for nourishment if they faithfully encouraged Israel to obey God and taught His Word. Sadly—in later years—some of the priests lost sight of God and His commands as they consumed the best for themselves (1 Sam. 2:12-17; Mal. 1:6-14).

Upon completion of their ordination ceremony, the priests immediately entered into ministry with no allotted vacation or sick days. Their daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly schedule were charted in the law that God gave Moses on Mount Sinai. Every day would start with sacrificing a lamb as a burnt offering. This signified the people’s total dedication to God. The day also ended with offering another lamb as a burnt offering. Wiersbe observes: “That’s a good example for us to follow, opening and closing the day with surrender to the Lord. . . . The flour and wine [given as a meal offering] represented the results of the people’s labor in the fields and the vineyards. Symbolically, they were presenting the fruit of their toil to God and thanking Him for the strength to work and for food to eat (Deut. 8:6-18). The wine poured out was a picture of their lives poured out in His service (Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6, NIV).”

Reflect

The priests’ first obligation was to minister to God. What does this mean for God’s people today? Who has been anointed with the Holy Spirit today? What is gained from this anointing? What does it mean for believers to present their bodies as a living and holy sacrifice (Rom. 12:1)?

The Priestly Garments, Exodus 28

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I hope you are enjoying this last day of summer! We are drawing closer to the end of Exodus, (exhale). I am certainly learning a lot as I plod through this Old Testament book. It’s time to examine “the holy priesthood” that God ordained for the tabernacle.

God desired for Israel to be “a kingdom of priests” (Ex. 19:6) to share His blessings and reveal His glory to the surrounding unbelieving nations. But to glorify the Holy God, Israel would need to be a holy people. So God called the Aaronic priesthood (Aaron’s family) and the Levites (Num. 3-4) to serve and represent the people before Him in the tabernacle. They were also to represent God to the people by helping them obey the law through their teaching (Lev. 10:8-11; Deut. 33:10; Mal. 2:7). God didn’t choose Aaron and the Levites because of any special merit on their part, but rather as an act of sovereign grace.

Israel, however, failed in their role as a kingdom of priests. Instead of helping the people worship God, the spiritual leadership slowly decayed to the point of allowing idol worship in God’s temple (Ezek. 8). So God disciplined His people by permitting the Babylonians to carry thousands of Jews into exile. The Babylonians not only destroyed Jerusalem, but also the temple. Why? “But it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests who shed within her the blood of the righteous” (Lam. 4:13).

How does the Old Testament priesthood relate to us today? Warren Wiersbe (Be Delivered) writes: “Today, God wants His church to minister in this world as a “holy priesthood” and a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:5, 9). If God’s people are faithful in their priestly ministry, they will “proclaim the praises of Him who called [them] out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:5, 9 NKJV).

Like Aaron and his sons, we didn’t choose God. Rather, “[He] chose us” (John 15:16) as an act of divine grace. It’s no small thing that the Almighty God saves sinners, makes us His children, and then equips us to be His “holy priesthood”. Our first priority is to please God and serve Him. If we accomplish this, then He will work in us and through us to achieve His work in this world.

As we study the Old Testament priesthood, let’s look for parallels between the past work of the Jewish priests and the church’s ministry today of “the holy priesthood”.

The priestly garments

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One way the priests were to please the Lord was to obediently dress in His designed garments for them. They couldn’t dress however they wanted when ministering in the tabernacle. Why? Wiersbe lists three reasons: 1) They gave the priests “dignity and honor (Ex. 28:2) and set them apart, just as a uniform identifies a soldier or a nurse; 2) they revealed spiritual truths relating to their ministry and our ministry today; and 3) if the priests didn’t wear the special garments, they might die (vv. 35, 43).

And now—although I love having you here at my site—let’s examine GotQuestions.Org’s summary of this topic: the significance of the priestly garments. Listed below their post are related topics including: What were the Urim and Thummim?, What was the significance of the ephod?, and What was the significance of the anointed priest?  Have a terrific week, end of summer, and beginning of fall! 🙂

God Wants His People to Appreciate and Enjoy His Blessings

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God, I love living with you; your house glows with your glory.” –Psalm 26:8 (MSG)

The outside of the wilderness tabernacle may have looked common to foreigners, but Godly Old Testament believers realized the high price and great beauty inside the sanctuary.

Of these treasures, King David testified: “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple” (Ps. 27:4 NIV). And, “Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple” (Ps. 65:4).

The holy sanctuary served as nourishment for the souls of believers who loved God. “People take refuge in the shadow of your wings [the Holy of Holies]. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights” (Ps. 36:7-8).

The Sons of Korah wrote: “How lovely is your dwelling place, LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Psalm 84:1-2).

What the Old Testament believers treasured in the tabernacle—and later in the temple—God’s people now have in Jesus Christ, who is enthroned at God’s right side in heaven. Everything within the sanctuary pointed toward the Savior, who would come from Israel’s line of descendants. Even the ceremonies pointed to Christ, revealing much of His character and salvation freely given to those who place their trust in Him.

God’s people have every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3). Anything that adds or subtracts from the person and work of Jesus Christ, as revealed in Scripture, is false teaching. For all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ (Col. 1:19; 2:9). He is all we need “for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).

Jesus The “Bread of Life”

After Jesus had fed more than five thousand people with five barley loaves and two small fish, a crowd in Capernaum’s synagogue wanted Him to prove Himself as Messiah by replicating the miracle of manna (John 6:30-31). They mainly followed Jesus because He gave them food to eat. But they—like us—needed something more substantial than food for their bodies. They needed food for their souls (Isa. 55:2).

God may have only given Israel manna in the desert, but He gave His only Son, Jesus, for the whole world. Jesus said “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).

Jesus came to give Himself as the Bread of Life for hungry sinners. The only way to be saved from eternal death is to receive Him into our inner being, similar as the body receives food. Warren Wiersbe (Be Delivered) puts it this way: “Just as the Jews had to stoop and pick up the manna, and then eat it, so sinners must humble themselves and receive Jesus Christ within. The Jews ate the manna and eventually died, but whoever receives Jesus Christ will live forever.”

Reflect

My heart goes out to those who have recently found themselves in the devastating wake of Mexico’s earthquake and the recent hurricanes: Harvey and Irma. It seems these natural catastrophes are on the rise, both in frequency and intensity. Many people are reeling from the loss of homes, businesses, schools and their local economy.

If all of our treasures are only invested here in this earthly life then fear and despair will eventually barge in. But fear and despair are not the final outcome for God’s children. Though we might walk through difficult times, God fills us with hope through His Son, Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

I like how The Message translates verses 16-18: “So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”

Let’s keep our eyes on the prize—our treasure Jesus Christ—and the eternal life He promises those who place their trust in Him!

Have questions on Christianity? My pastor, Cliff Purcell, is a gifted communicator of the Gospel. You may listen to his latest teaching here, (and/or sign up to listen to his podcasts): http://firstnaz.com/media?id=544981.