The Table for Bread

 

 

Exodus 25:23-30

 

September 30, 2024

 

The Table for Bread

“You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a molding of gold around it.  And you shall make a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and a molding of gold around the rim.  And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs.  Close to the frame, the rings shall lie, as holders for the poles to carry the table.  You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with these.  And you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold.  And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly.

I find myself as a gentile not fully understanding the fullness of the orders God is giving to Moses on the items going into the Temple.  They were only using the most precious medals, the best items that could be found, the best of what the Egyptian people had given them to get rid of them after the ten plagues.   I do get that, but I feel as if I’m missing so much.  The items of worship we not to be handled by the people, the Levi’s used the poles to carry the items and only certain priests were allowed to touch the table and what was on it.

Its dimensions were to be two cubits long and one cubit wide and one and a half cubits high. Assuming that a cubit was around 18 inches, this would make the table three feet long (36 inches), 1 ½ feet (18 inches) wide, and 2 ¼ feet (27 inches) tall.

In almost all of the Ancient Near East, pagan worshippers would leave food for their gods and goddesses to eat. They believed that their deities needed sustenance, so they would put food out for them to eat. Since the LORD never gets hungry (Psalms 50:12), the purpose of the food and the items on the table was to serve as a reminder that the LORD was the Provider of His people's physical needs. The bread and sacrifices at the table were to be done with gratitude and thanksgiving for His gracious provision. The cover on the ark represented the place of atonement (Exodus 26:34). The table possibly represented a place of provision, to remind the Israelites that God provided for them (Exodus 16:32-34).

Finally, the LORD instructed Moses to set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times. The bread of the Presence meant that the bread was to be in the presence of the LORD constantly. The bread itself consisted of twelve loaves (one for each tribe) placed in two rows (six in each row) on the table. The twelve loaves were to be replaced every Sabbath as an "everlasting covenant" (Leviticus 24:5 - 8) (From the Bible says. com)

How does this apply to my walk as a follower of Jesus Christ?   I do not have or need the twelve loaves on a gold table but I must fully understand the need to give thanks to God for His provision, for God is as much your and my provider as the chosen people coming out of Egypt.

Many a man sees himself as the provider of his family; that is his duty, but if he does not understand who has given him the skills, the tools, the mind, and the abilities to do so, he will not lead his family into Truth. Jesus is the Truth,

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Ark of the Covenant

 

 

 

 

Exodus 25:10-22

 

September 29, 2024

 

The Ark of the Covenant

“They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.  You shall overlay it with pure gold; inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it.  You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it.  You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.  And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them.  The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.  And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you.

One must always remember that God’s ways are higher than ours, and when we believe our plan is better, we are in for some painful surprises. Many people have a better plan, but God has given us the account of King David, who came up with a quicker way to move the Ark, and it cost the life of the man who stopped it from coming off the cart that was being pulled by an animal, not carried by the poles.

When we, as Followers of Jesus Christ, try to put anything, politics, religion, power, or wealth, into our lives and not Jesus, we are in trouble, for Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

 

“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.  And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat.  Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends.  The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.  And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark, you shall put the testimony that I shall give you.  There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

 

The first time my pastor called us all messes, my first thought was I’m not sure that was true, so I began to search my heart and the Scriptures, and guess what, he was 100% correct.  Yes, we have been washed clean by the blood of our Lord, but we all fall short of God’s glory.  Aren’t you thankful that God gave us a mercy seat, in that He knew before one of us was created that we would need mercy, that we deserved judgment, but His grace was given so that we would be able to respond to His offer of forgiveness and love.

 

Each of us has tried to carry our ark another way; we have all at some time tried to put something in the Ark that God did not design nor desire for our lives.  Many are putting jobs, children, money, sports, and pleasure before God.  That is a long way from “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” 

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Contributions for the Sanctuary

 

 

Exodus 25:1-9

 

September 28, 2024

 

Contributions for the Sanctuary

The Lord said to Moses,  “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him, you shall receive the contribution for me.  And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze,  blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats' hair,  tanned rams' skins, goatskins, acacia wood,  oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,  onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breast piece.  And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.  Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.

We have the model in 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 of what God was talking to Moses about.  “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”

Did you understand it was things they put great value on that the Lord is asking them to give with a cheerful heart?  Is that the heart of the Church?  I believe many in the Church and out have not set their hearts on becoming a cheerful giver, which is why.  One very large and profitable business in the USA is storage buildings.  You wonder why; let me share why people do so. It is stuff they value; was that not what God was asking the chosen people to give?  It is stuff they may use someday; it has too much value to give to someone who is not family, and the kids do not want or need it.  In other words, its value makes the person pay for something they are, their family, will never use, but it is too nice to give to someone in need.  The storage business is built on greed, not on helping others who can use it, so they pay for it again and again. I am sure they are missing out on the blessing of giving.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Covenant Confirmed

 

Exodus 24:1-18

 

September 27, 2024

 

The Covenant Confirmed

Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar.  Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”

Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.”  And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.  And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord.  And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar.  Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”  And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up,  and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet, as it were, a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.  And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.

The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.”  So, Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.  And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.”

Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.  The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day, he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.  Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.  Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

 

The Scripture tells us that the elders saw God, and yet only Moses and Joshua went into the presence of God.  They were on the mountain with God for forty days and forty nights.  We also have the Son of God being tempted for forty days and nights, found in Matthew 4:1-11.  It was after His Baptism by John, this is the account in Matthew 3:16-17,  And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”  But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple  and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands, they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to him, “All these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”  Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

 

“Got Questions” gave us this insight; 
Here are some examples of the Bible’s use of the number 40 that stress the theme of testing or judgment: 

In the Old Testament, when God destroyed the earth with water, He caused it to rain 40 days and 40 nights (Genesis 7:12). After Moses killed the Egyptian, he fled to Midian, where he spent 40 years in the desert tending flocks (Acts 7:30). Moses was on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 24:18). Moses interceded on Israel’s behalf for 40 days and 40 nights (Deuteronomy 9:18, 25). The Law specified a maximum number of lashes a man could receive for a crime, setting the limit at 40 (Deuteronomy 25:3). The Israelite spies took 40 days to spy out Canaan (Numbers 13:25). The Israelites wandered for 40 years (Deuteronomy 8:2-5). Before Samson’s deliverance, Israel served the Philistines for 40 years (Judges 13:1). Goliath taunted Saul’s army for 40 days before David arrived to slay him (1 Samuel 17:16). When Elijah fled from Jezebel, he traveled 40 days and 40 nights to Mt. Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).

 

Whether or not the number 40 really has any significance is still debated. The Bible definitely seems to use 40 to emphasize a spiritual truth, but we must point out that the Bible nowhere specifically assigns any special meaning to the number 40.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Attributes of Peace

 

The Attributes of Peace

 

By 

 

Jan Rice

 

When we live in the peace of God, we experience: Forgiveness Grace, Mercy, and Love, give us insight to where we are now.  In Ephesians 2:4-6 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”

 

Ephesians 1:20-23, “that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.  And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

 

As a follower of Christ, you are now in the seat of power, authority, and strength over your enemy.

·      Power to be all God intends.

·      Power that equips for service.

·      Power that strengthens us in the inner man.

·      Power that works within us.

·      Power that seats us in the heavenlies. 

 

Colossians 1:27 is a powerful verse: “God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

 

One basic need is to belong; God chose you {He will not let you go or turn His back on you}.} John 10:27-30, John 3:16, and Isaiah 49:16.

 

From our Back Porch,

Jan Rice

Conquest of Canaan Promised

 

 

Exodus 23:20-33

 

September 26, 2024

 

Conquest of Canaan Promised

“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.  Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.

“But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

 “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I blot them out,  you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.  You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.  None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.  I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.  And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.  I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you.  Little by little I will drive them out from before you until you have increased and possess the land.  And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.  You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.  They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

Does the Church have an angel that goes before it?  One man said, I’m not sure but it's clear, we have a lot of demons that attend each week.  This I can state with 100% accuracy that when one person enters the building we refer to as Church, and they have received Jesus Christ into their lives the Holy Spirit has entered and we are told in the Scripture “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18: 19-20)  It requires trust and faith in what God has stated in His word to understand that Jesus is Spirit and He has no limits to what He can do.  

 

I asked Jan this morning if she understood that because of our belief and public confession of faith in Jesus Christ any time we are with others who have entered into Christ, He is there.  As we give thought to that it enters my very small mind and my also small faith in a Big God that He is with us in our home, and yet I often act as if He is not.

 

Israel needs to once again know that God is willing to send His angel, and we are told in the Scriptures in Daniel 10:21 that he is Michael, their Prince.  Israel is once more in a war against those who should have been removed but did not follow the commands of God.  If you read the Scriptures for any reason other than application, then you will miss what was told to Daniel.  It is found in Daniel 10: 11-12, “And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now, I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling.  Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. “

 

So, you may want to do as I and many others who are followers of Christ set your heart to understand and humble yourself before God.  But this thought came into my mind: am I ready to be as Paul and Silas were when put in jail for doing good?  It is found in Acts 16:25-30, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.  Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.  The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.  But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.  He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

I wonder, would I have been praying and singing hymns, or would I have been yelling for a lawyer?  

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Laws About the Sabbath and Festivals

 

 

Exodus 23: 10-19

 

September 25, 2024

 

Laws About the Sabbath and Festivals

“For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield, but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.

“Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.

“Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.

“Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me.  You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed.  You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.  Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God. 

 “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my feast remain until the morning.

“The best of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.  “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.  

 

We live in a culture of I deserve, but my dear brother and Sister, if you got what you deserve, you would not like it.  You deserve judgment, you have received mercy and Grace.

 

As followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, how should one apply this Scripture to their daily walk with the Lord?  To not only be aware of the under-resourced in your community but also help those who cannot help themselves.  Jan and I are blessed to be part of two organizations that do so.   One is Oakwood in New Braunfels, Texas.  Our Pastor has a heart for the under-resourced and has led the Church to be part of solving the problem.  Oakwood just finished a clinic for 2 million dollars, and local doctors and others give of their time to help meet the physical needs of people at no cost to them.  In that same area, we have a thing called a kids club that works with the Community & Schools to help children who are not meeting the level or requirement of the grade they are in.  It has helped many young children.  And a counseling center that is also to meet the needs of the under-resourced. 

 

The other is Samaritan’s Purse, which helps families all over the world, and we have been blessed to help do what they call mud-outs of homes that have been damaged by weather, and give to help with monthly gifts. 

 

Many of us who God has blessed are blind to the many needs of those who are under-resourced.   But the need is great, and God will show you what to do if you just ask.

 

Now I believe the Lord is telling His people to rest, to give thought to all that He has done for them.  We live in a culture that seems to never rest; they are not grateful, and they are not happy because they are driven for more.  How does that show up in our lives as followers of Christ?  We have so much good stuff that many of you have storage buildings full of stuff you are paying to keep, much of it you will never use, but it is too good to give to someone who can use it.  That is not being Christ-like, but it is a sign that you have valuable stuff, good stuff over others.

 

Scripture is clear that we need rest; many believe that they can achieve more by long hours of work, but Scripture is not in agreement with that view. “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil;  for he gives to his beloved sleep.”

(Psalm 127:1-2)

 

Each of us who follows Jesus must find time to rest, to be thoughtful of how we have been blessed, and to care about those who have needs.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice