The Glory of the Lord

 

 

Exodus 40:34-38

 

November 25, 2024

 

The Glory of the Lord

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.  And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.  Throughout all their journeys,  whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out.  But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up.  For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

Does the Church, that is, not a building but all who, by faith in the finished work of the Cross, put their trust in the blood of Jesus Christ, have covered their sins, past and present?  We do not have a cloud that covers us; no, it is so much better: we have the Holy Spirit living in us to guide us in our calling.

 

The problem is that many who go by the title of Christian have no access to Him, because they are attempting to bypass the Cross with their goodness.  Big problem: Scripture is clear, no one but God is good, and He looks at our good works as filthy rags.

 

The leaders, both teachers and preachers, do not teach on how one can look to and listen to the Holy Spirit.  Often, people go by their own feelings and instincts, doing what they believe is right.  Once more we err in such, for once more we find in the Scriptures that the heart is wicked; who can understand it.

 

Blaise Pascal, who lived in the sixteenth century, said, “Human beings must be known to be loved; but Divine beings must be loved to be known.”  A key quote from Pascal, which is the key to cutting out the noise and hearing from the Holy Spirit, is this.  “All human evil comes from a single cause, man's inability to sit still in a room.”  I would add a quiet room, with no T.V. or radio, just you and the Holy Spirit, and listen for His voice.

 

Be like the young man Samuel in the Bible; one must say Lord I’m listening; lead me in the way of righteousness.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice 

Your Freedom as a Follower of Christ

 

Your  Freedom as a Follower of Christ

 

The question is: are you walking in that Freedom?

 

The Scriptures are very clear: we are free, and how that freedom should be used to bless, not to harm.  So, the question that must be answered is: how are you doing with that freedom?

 

Let us begin with Galatians 5:1, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”  Many, I believe, dismiss this verse, believing they have never been a slave.  So, allow me to remind you that all women in the time of Christ were seen as not slaves but more as property; Jesus set them free.  Also, many a person who goes by the title of Christian is a slave to a world system of bondage to many things; just to list one, a credit card.  The church often does not stand firm, and Covid 19 is a great example of the Church allowing fear to control, and not God.

 

2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”  If you believe by faith in Christ, action on the Cross, taking your place, paying for your sins, then the Spirit of God is living in you.  Jesus makes that clear in John 14:20: “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”  We have been enveloped in God’s Spirit.  The Spirit of God is where you are, so allow the Lord to give you freedom over your trials.

 

Romans 14:5, “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”  I have experienced that many of my brothers and sisters in Christ have freedoms that I do not have.  As a very young believer in Jesus a man I looked up to told me, he had the freedom to go to a bar and have a beer, and witness to the guy next to him, I knew that I could not do so.  I do understand this Scripture was referring to the Sabbath, but we are told not to be a judge of others' actions unless they are not abiding in Christ.  It is easy to be a Pharisee and judge others; I know I’ve been one.

 

Colossians 2:16 is very clear on how one who is a follower of Christ should act toward a fellow follower.  “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or about a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.”

 

1 Corinthians 8:9, “But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.”  With freedom comes responsibility.  If you are a follower of Christ and God gives you the freedom to have an adult beverage, that freedom comes with a lot of responsibility.  First, it should be in moderation; second, you should remember that many of your brothers and sisters in Christ do not have that freedom.  A wise person would not ever willingly cause a brother in Christ to go back into such bondage of alcoholism.

   

As a follower of Christ, one must be looking at how his walk affects those who are watching them.  Your children, your family, your friends, and your neighbors. Galatians 5:13-14: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  As a person in Christ and Christ in us, we are free to do as the Spirit of God allows us, but not to use that freedom to harm anyone.  So yes, you are free, but you are also reasonable to live out that freedom to bring glory to your Lord.  So, the question you must answer is: are you walking in the gift of freedom, no matter your trials or circumstances?

 

Examine oneself: 2 Corinthians 13:5,  “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”

 

At the age of 27, I was confronted with men in a Bible Study that knew the Jesus I knew about. As I examine myself one night as I enter my motel room, and hear a voice telling me this is the last time my Spirit will deal with you.  I've been in that Bible study with four guys, one being my barber.  It became clear that they had a personal relationship with Jesus.  I tried making a deal with the Lord, and it was clear He offered to confess your sins; mine were many, and I asked Jesus to forgive me and to come into my life. As I said, I believe a lot about Jesus.  I believe He was God only Son, I believe He was born by a virgin by the name of Mary.  I also believe He died on a Cross and paid my sin debt.  But I was not willing to allow Him to be the Lord of my life.  That night I got to the hotel Bible it open to Romans 10, and my eye went to verse 9-10.  It reads: “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”  I ask Jesus to forgive me, and to come into my life as Lord and Master.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Moses Obedient

 

Exodus 40:22-33

 

November 22, 2024

 

 He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil, and arranged the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.  He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle,  and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.  He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil,  and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord had commanded Moses.  He put in place the screen for the door of the tabernacle.  And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses.  He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing,  with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet.  When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses.  And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So, Moses finished the work.

 

What if we, who are followers of Christ, were obedient to what the Lord has commanded us to do as those workmen and women in obedience to what the Lord had commanded Moses?  Would the Church see the Wind of the Spirit of God moving in their lives?  Would our neighbors see that we put their interests as important as ours?  

 

What if we, the followers of Christ, examined ourselves and asked the Holy Spirit to guide us as He did? Moses and the people who were obedient to what God had told them. We do not need the water in a basin to wash our hands and feet, but just ask and knock, and the door to our ministry will be open.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Tabernacle Erected

 

 

 

Exodus 40:1-21

 

November 21, 2024

 

The Tabernacle Erected

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.  And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.  And you shall bring in the table and arrange it, and you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps.  And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle.  You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting,  and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.  And you shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court.

“Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy.  You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy.  You shall also anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it.  Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest.  You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”

This Moses did; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did.  In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected. Moses erected the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars. And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses.  He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark.  And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

My mentor Ken Ryan would ask me, after we spent time in God’s Word, Bob, do you believe what we just read? And I was quick to answer yes.  Then Ken would say I wish that was true, but it's not, because if you did, you would do as it says.  Moses listened to God's voice, and did according to all that the Lord commanded him to do.  Church, if we did so, our light would be so bright that people would be asking us to show them how to have the light in this dark world.  The light is the Truth, in Love, that is Jesus.

I was in my late 20s when Ken became my second mentor; Jack Archer was my first, and he was not far ahead of me, but taught me a wonderful lesson: God loves me.  I am now 84, and today I read what we in the Church need to live out our faith in a big God.  But first, to do as Moses did, and to apply Philippians 2:1-11: “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,  complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Obedience to God

  

Exodus 39:27-43

 

November 21, 2024

 

They also made the coats, woven of fine linen, for Aaron and his sons,  and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined linen, and the sash of fine twined linen and of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the Lord.” And they tied to it a cord of blue to fasten it on the turban above, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Thus, all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses; so, they did. Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its utensils, its hooks, its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;  the covering of tanned rams' skins and goatskins, and the veil of the screen;  the ark of the testimony with its poles and the mercy seat;  the table with all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;  the lampstand of pure gold and its lamps with the lamps set and all its utensils, and the oil for the light;  the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the entrance of the tent; the bronze altar, and its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin and its stand;  the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, and its pegs; and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting;  the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons for their service as priests.  According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work.  And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.

Obedience brings blessing; this was one of the times they not only obeyed Moses, but also God.  Jan and I are mentoring a couple and as I worked on some Scripture for their homework, it became very clear that I may need this assignment more than they do.

 

·       Proverbs 18:13 – Answer before listening is folly and shame.

·       Ecclesiastes 5:2 – Do not be quick with your mouth or hasty in your heart to utter anything. 

 

James 1:19-20, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

 

Proverbs 18:13,  “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.”

 

Ecclesiastes 5:2,  “Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore, let your words be few.”

Jan and I are going down a new path in our relationship; she is my bride of 61 years and the love of my life.  She has memory issues, and I find that I am falling short in many of my homework assignments. I desire to be more than a conqueror, to rest in the Lord, and please him.  I need your prayers.

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Making the Priestly Garments

 

 

 

Exodus 39:1-26

 

November 20, 2024

 

Making the Priestly Garments

From the blue and purple and scarlet yarns they made finely woven garments, for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

He made the ephod of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. And they hammered out gold leaf, and he cut it into threads to work into the blue and purple and the scarlet yarns, and into the fine twined linen, in skilled design. They made for the ephod attaching shoulder pieces, joined to it at its two edges.  And the skillfully woven band on it was of one piece with it and made like it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

They made the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold filigree, and engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.  And he set them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod to be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

 He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.  It was square. They made the breastpiece doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth when doubled.  And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row; ¹¹ and the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond;  and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree.  There were twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They were like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes. And they made on the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold.  And they made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece.  And they put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece.  They attached the two ends of the two cords to the two settings of filigree. Thus, they attached it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod.  Then they made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.  And they made two rings of gold, and attached them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod; they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it should lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece should not come loose from the ephod, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

He also made the robe of the ephod woven all of blue,  and the opening of the robe in it was like the opening in a garment, with a binding around the opening, so that it might not tear.  On the hem of the robe, they made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.  They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around the hem of the robe, between the pomegranates—a bell and a pomegranate, a bell, and a pomegranate around the hem of the robe for ministering, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

This chapter begin with a lot of they a he, so we would have to go back and recall who they are addressing.  The they refers to the skilled craftsmen and artisans of Israel; “he” refers specifically to Bezalel.   

That refers to information, but that is not what one should learn from this; our God is detail-oriented.  The precision and thought that went into the garments for Arron and his sons.

As we give thought to the precision God put into a garment, have you given thought to the detailed design of your body?   The plans God has for your life.  In Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  

That made me give thought to my plans for retirement; I had a good plan: move to Asheville, N.C., and volunteer at the Bill Graham Cove.  Now that sounds like a good plan, being of service to others.  We planned to do that for six months, and if that was not where God desired us to be, we would go to Colorado Springs and do the same thing at Focus on the Family.  But while calling on an old Friend, he asked if Jan and I would like to come to his open house.  He said we would see people we had not seen in 40 years.  So, we went, and it was a great time, visiting with many people we had grown up with.  But while sitting on Buddy’s back porch, looking at the twin sister, tall hills, I said Jan this seems right, and she said I was going to tell you the same thing.

We built a house; it took over a year, but it put us one hour and fifteen minutes from our two grandsons, and we got to invest in their lives.  We are reaping the reward of following God’s plan and not ours.  Jan has been able to invest in many girls at a lock-up home for girls, and I’ve been able to invest in a few men who need a mentor.  God has a plan, and it is better than anything you can do without him.

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Materials for the Tabernacle

 

 

Exodus 38:21-31

 

November 19, 2024

 

Materials for the Tabernacle

These are the records of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.  Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses;  and with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer and embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.

All the gold that was used for the work, in all the construction of the sanctuary, the gold from the offering, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary.  The silver from those of the congregation who were recorded was a hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary: a beka a head (that is, half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone who was listed in the records, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men.  The hundred talents of silver were for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent a base.  And of the 1,775 shekels he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their capitals and made fillets for them.  The bronze that was offered was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels;  with it he made the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and the bronze grating for it and all the utensils of the altar,  the bases around the court, and the bases of the gate of the court, all the pegs of the tabernacle, and all the pegs around the court.

I took this from the internet on the value of a talent in Exodus: “A talent" in Exodus is roughly equivalent to around $522,000 in today's dollars, based on the understanding that a talent is equal to 3,000 shekels, making it a substantial sum of money in ancient times; however, the exact value can vary depending on whether it is measured in gold or silver and the specific time period being considered.” 

 

That was a lot of gold and silver for a people of about two million, to be having while wandering around in a desert.  So how did they get all the materials needed?  That's a great question, and the answer is God provided them.  Now he used the Egyptian people to do so when the people of Israel left Egypt.

 

You may also have wondered, as I did, what a beka was. It was a tax of half a shekel of silver paid by each man in the congregation who was at least 20 years old.  We serve a mighty God, who has promised to provide all we need, but often the Church is not about needs but wants.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice