Devotions

revisiting the sacred pouch

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 39:8-21

⁸ He made the sacred pouch, the work of a skilled worker, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.⁹ It was square. They made the sacred pouch doubled, a span[1] its length and a span its breadth when doubled.¹⁰ 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;¹² and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;¹³ and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree.¹⁴ 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.¹⁵ And they made on the sacred pouch twisted chains like cords, of pure gold.¹⁶ And they made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two edges of the sacred pouch.¹⁷ And they put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the sacred pouch.¹⁸ They attached the two ends of the two cords to the two settings of filigree. This is how they attached it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod.¹⁹ Then they made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the sacred pouch, on its inside edge next to the ephod.²⁰ 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.²¹ And they bound the sacred pouch by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it would lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the sacred pouch would not come loose from the ephod, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

revisiting the sacred pouch

As we revisit the intricately fashioned sacred pouch, we are reminded of its value as a symbol of representation. The twelve names listed the tribes, and reminded the whole community that its people are important. The priesthood was not just about going through ceremonies and rituals. It was not even just about worshipping God. The LORD was in a relationship with his people, and those people mattered. To symbolize this, he made sure that the sacred pouch would be fastened securely to the high priest’s ephod.

LORD, thank you that our names are securely fastened to your heart.

[1] nine inches.

Posted in leadership, relationship with God | Tagged Exodus 39 | 1 Comment

remembering who you serve

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 39:1-7

¹ From the blue and purple and scarlet yarns they made intricately woven garments, for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron, as the LORD had commanded Moses.² He made the ephod of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.³ 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.⁴ They made for the ephod attaching shoulder pieces, joined to it at its two edges.⁵ And the skillfully woven band on it was fashioned 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.⁶ 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.⁷ 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.

remembering who you serve

The design of the priests garments was intended to convey two truths simultaneously. First, the elaborate and precious nature of the ephod spoke of the worthiness of the LORD whom the priests were sworn to serve. Second, the names upon the shoulder pieces reminded the priests of the people of the nation who depended upon them to represent them in the presence of that mighty God. Those in ministry must always keep before them the reality of who they serve.

LORD, may we never forget your unparalleled holiness, nor the need of those who depend on us to represent them before you.

Posted in holiness, leadership, ministry | Tagged Exodus 39 | 1 Comment

silver and gold

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 38:21-31

²¹ These are the specifications of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded by Moses’ command, detailing the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.²² Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses;²³ 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.²⁴ All the gold that was used for the work, in all the construction of the sanctuary, the gold that was contributed, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.²⁵ The silver from those of the congregation who were recorded was a hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary:²⁶ a beka per person (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.²⁷ 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.²⁸ And from the 1,775 shekels he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their capitals and made bowls for them.²⁹ The bronze that was offered was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels;³⁰ 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,³¹ 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.

silver and gold

At this point in the history of God’s people, they had lots of money. The silver and gold contributed by the Egyptians as they urged the Israelites to leave Egypt was put to good use. It became raw materials for the construction of the tabernacle of testimony.

At another point in the history of God’s people, a beggar looked up at two Israelites, seeking help. But Peter and John did not have those material resources. But they did have a name. So, Peter said to the crippled beggar “I don’t have any silver or gold, but I will give you what I do have: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk.”[1]

In the kingdom from the sky, we never lack the resources to accomplish the will of our king. If he provides silver and gold, we can use them for his glory. If we have no silver and gold, we are still able to do the work, because we have the name of our king. That is enough.

LORD, thank you for all the resources you have put at our disposal – especially those which we can never lose.

[1] Acts 3:6.

Posted in faith, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, money, prayer | Tagged Exodus 38 | 1 Comment

distance to holiness

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 38:9-20

⁹ And he made the courtyard. On the south side the hangings of the courtyard were made of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits long;¹⁰ their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver.¹¹ And on the north side there were hangings a hundred cubits long, their twenty pillars, their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver.¹² And on the west side were hangings fifty cubits long, their ten pillars, and their ten bases; the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver.¹³ And on the front to the east, fifty cubits long.¹⁴ The hangings for one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases.¹⁵ And also for the other side. On both sides of the gate of the courtyard were hangings fifteen cubits long, with their three pillars and their three bases.¹⁶ All the hangings around the courtyard were of fine twined linen.¹⁷ And the bases for the pillars were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver. The plating of their capitals was also of silver, and all the pillars of the courtyard were banded with silver.¹⁸ And the screen for the gate of the courtyard was embroidered with needlework in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It was twenty cubits long and five cubits high in its breadth, just like the hangings of the court.¹⁹ And their pillars were four in number. Their four bases were of bronze, their hooks of silver, and the plating of their capitals and their bands of silver.²⁰ And all the pegs for the tabernacle and for the court all around were of bronze.

distance to holiness

The courtyard was quite large compared to the size of the sacred places within it. To me, it speaks of the distance to holiness. That is a distance I feel regularly. Even though I have been in the LORD for over 40 years, I still feel most of the time – like Paul in Romans 7 – that I am not doing what I want to do.

I am comforted in my failure to live up to God’s righteousness by the picture of the tabernacle in my mind’s eye. It speaks of God’s presence among an unfaithful and disobedient people. The Holy Spirit within us can make us miserable, because he reminds us how far we have to go. But he also reminds us how far Jesus went. He went all the way. His death on the cross reconciled us to God. So, even though we are not yet what we will be, we can never again be what we were.

Thank you, LORD, for your presence within, and your provision of the atoning death of Christ.

Posted in atonement, discipleship, grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ | Tagged Exodus 38 | 1 Comment

the ministering women

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 37:25-38:8

²⁵ He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit. It was square, and two cubits was its height. Its horns were carved of one piece with it.²⁶ He plated it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And he made a border of gold around it,²⁷ and made two rings of gold on it under its border, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it.²⁸ And he made the poles of acacia wood and plated them with gold.²⁹ He made the sacred anointing oil also, and the pure aromatic incense, blended like the perfumer would. ^38:1 He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. Its length was five cubits, and its breadth five cubits. It was square, and three cubits was its height.² He made horns for it on its four corners. Its horns were carved of one piece with it, and he plated it with bronze.³ And he made all the utensils of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its utensils of bronze.⁴ And he made for the altar a grating, a network of bronze, under its ledge, extending halfway down.⁵ He cast four rings on the four corners of the bronze grating as holders for the poles.⁶ He made the poles of acacia wood and plated them with bronze.⁷ And he put the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it with them. He made it hollow, with boards.⁸ He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, fashioned from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.

the ministering women

Stuart says that it “appears that women were organized into bands that served at the tent of meeting.” [1] In fact, the word for their service is not the usual one. It is the word usually used for soldiers in an army. Aside from that, we know little of what they did. But it is significant that at least part of the bronze basin was made from the bronze mirrors of these same women. They must have been rich, and probably prominent in their tribes. Perhaps they were greeters at the entrance of the tent. The role was no doubt a sought-after one. Their presence in this sacred place would be a message from the LORD that his worship is for everyone. It is not an exclusive club for the men only.

Dear lady in Christ, do not think that you are a second-class citizen in the kingdom of God. There is no such thing. What the Father said here, the Holy Spirit said by pouring himself out upon the believers at Pentecost, resulting in the daughters of Israel prophesying in his name.[2] And, in the Lord Jesus Christ there is neither male nor female.[3] You are equal to your brothers in Christ in all respects, because God has no favorites,[4] and he challenges us to show no favoritism.[5]

Thank you LORD for those godly women who serve in your holy army. May they be treated with the respect that they deserve as your ministers.

[1] Douglas K. Stuart, New American Commentary, vol. 2 – Exodus. (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group), 2006.

[2] Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17.

[3] Galatians 3:28.

[4] Acts 10:34.

[5] James 2:1.

Posted in equality, ministry, worship | Tagged Exodus 37, Exodus 38 | 1 Comment

spotlighting his face

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 37:17-24

¹⁷ And he made the lampstand out of pure gold. He made the lampstand by shaping it with a hammer. Its base, its stem, its cups, its bowls, and its flowers were fashioned from one piece.¹⁸ And there were six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it;¹⁹ three cups made like almond blossoms, each with bowl and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with bowl and flower, on the other branch- so for the six branches going out of the lampstand.²⁰ And on the lampstand itself were four cups made like almond blossoms, with their bowls and flowers,²¹ and a bowl from the same piece as it under each pair of the six branches going out of it.²² Their bowls and their branches were from the same piece as it. The whole of it was a single piece of pure gold, shaped with a hammer.²³ And he made its seven lamps and its tongs and its trays of pure gold.²⁴ He made it and all its utensils out of a talent[1] of pure gold.

spotlighting his face

The Menorah and all of its utensils were to be fashioned out of one huge block of pure gold. Although the lampstand was a complex thing, this insured that it would serve a single purpose. As one entered the sacred place, the light from the Menorah would draw his focus onto the table of face bread, directly to his right. The purpose of the light was to focus the worshipper’s attention on the symbol of the presence and provision of God.

As we lead people to Christ, we must be careful to keep them from being distracted by us, and keep them focused on the LORD himself. The Christian light is not like a chandelier, drawing attention to our own ideas or brilliance or beauty. It is more like a spotlight on Christ himself.

LORD, give us wisdom to light our world with a focused beam on the presence and provision of our Savior.

[1] The talent was a measure of weight, about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms.

Posted in integrity, leadership, witness | Tagged Exodus 37 | 1 Comment

come to the table

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 37:10-16

¹⁰ And he made the table of acacia wood. Its length was two cubits, its breadth was one cubit, and its height was a cubit and a half.¹¹ And he plated it with pure gold, and made a border of gold around it.¹² And he made a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and made a border of gold around the rim.¹³ He cast for it four rings of gold and fastened the rings to the four corners at its four legs.¹⁴ The rings were close to the frame, to serve as holders for the poles to carry the table.¹⁵ He made the poles of acacia wood to carry the table, and plated them with gold.¹⁶ And he made the articles of pure gold that were to be on the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and jars with which to pour drink offerings.

come to the table

An altar speaks of sacrifice, but a table speaks of fellowship. It is fitting that the God of grace who would sacrifice his own Son for us has a table in his tabernacle. By his grace he calls on his people to enjoy his presence, and feast on his provision. We do not deserve it any more than the priests serving in the tabernacle did. But God loves us, and he loved them. He wanted to show them that serving him was not just a job. It came with the privilege of fellowship with the LORD at his table.

Today, the LORD invites us to come to his table. Like the Laodiceans, the Lord invites us to open the door and he will come into our hearts and have a fellowship meal.[1] It is not about becoming worthy of his presence. It is about believing in his grace.

LORD, welcome to our hearts. Come and have fellowship with us.

[1] Revelation 3:20.

Posted in fellowship, grace | Tagged Exodus 37 | 1 Comment

hidden masterpiece

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 37:1-9

¹ Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was two and a half cubits, and its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits;² And he plated it with pure gold inside and out, and made a border of gold around it.³ And he cast for it four rings of gold for its four feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side.⁴ And he made poles of acacia wood and plated them with gold⁵ and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark for carrying the ark.⁶ And he made a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.⁷ And he made two cherubs of gold. He made them of hammered work on the two ends of the mercy seat,⁸ one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. He made the cherubs as a unit with the mercy seat on its two ends.⁹ The cherubs spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubs.

hidden masterpiece

This amazing and beautiful masterpiece, crafted by the chief artisan himself, was destined to be hidden from view to almost everyone in the community. Only Aaron (then the high priests who succeeded him) was to see it, and then only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. [1] The golden cherubs face toward the ark, not to guard it from outsiders, but to be the symbols of the only other witnesses to its function: the angelic beings.

Because one day in history, God would fulfill the symbolism of this hidden ritual. He would sacrifice his most prized One: his only Son. The angels would watch as this sacrifice would take place – not in a glorious temple, but on a tragic hillside.

None of us have ever seen this event. We might have seen paintings or drawings depicting it, or video representations of it, but we did not actually witness it. It was the most important event in our lives, yet we did not see it. We were not even born yet. But just like the ritual of the Day of Atonement, we believe that what took place that day made a difference in our relationship with God.

LORD, thank you for the cross that Jesus died on. Thank you for the love that sent him to die in our place. Thank you for the day that made all the difference.

[1] Leviticus 16.

Posted in atonement, faith, Jesus Christ, relationship with God | Tagged Exodus 37 | 1 Comment

strength and beauty

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 36:20-38

²⁰ Then he made the structure for the tabernacle of acacia wood.²¹ Ten cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board.²² Each board had two hand holds for fitting together. He did this for all the boards of the tabernacle.²³ The boards for the tabernacle he made this way: twenty boards for the south side.²⁴ Also he made forty bases of silver under the twenty boards, two bases under one board for its two hand holds, and two bases under the next board for its two hand holds.²⁵ For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards²⁶ and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one board and two bases under the next board.²⁷ For the rear of the tabernacle westward he made six board.²⁸ He made two boards for corners of the tabernacle in the rear.²⁹ And they were separate beneath but joined at the top, at the first ring. He made two of them this way for the two corners.³⁰ There were eight boards with their bases of silver: sixteen bases, under every board two bases.³¹ He made bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,³² and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle at the rear westward.³³ And he made the middle bar to run from end to end halfway up the boards.³⁴ And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.³⁵ He made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it he made it.³⁶ And for it he made four pillars of acacia and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four bases of silver.³⁷ He also made a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework,³⁸ and its five pillars with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals, and their fillets were of gold, but their five bases were of bronze.

strength and beauty

When choosing the raw materials to make a building out of, a builder needs to ask what purpose the building is for. If the purpose calls for endurance, the builder will look for materials that can endure the stress. If the purpose is mainly for show, the builder will look for materials that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Most of the time, it is not one or the other. Architects and designers and construction engineers have to find the right balance between strength and beauty.

For the tabernacle, the challenges included the fact that it was to be taken down and moved regularly. This made strength even more important. Also, it was to be constructed in a desert. Its beauty was not going to be enhanced by idyllic surroundings. The materials had to dazzle.

The LORD has decided to manifest his presence among his people today. He takes up residence inside us. He has decided not to wait until our permanent glorified bodies arrive. We will always feel like we are not strong enough to endure, and we will always feel too ugly to represent God’s glory. But we are the ones he has chosen to do just that.

LORD, use us to show yourself to a lost world. Strengthen our structure, and beautify us, so that this dying world sees your life shining through us.

Posted in commitment, evangelism, glory, witness | Tagged Exodus 36 | 1 Comment

curtains and a covering

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 36:14-19

¹⁴ He also made curtains of she-goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle. He made eleven curtains.¹⁵ The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains were the same size.¹⁶ He joined five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.¹⁷ And he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other connecting curtain.¹⁸ And he made fifty clasps of bronze to join the tent together that it might be a single whole. ¹⁹ And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and male goatskin leather.

curtains and a covering

The lexicons are not unified on the meaning of some of these terms for the materials, so it is hard to nail down their significance. But one interesting thing I noticed is that all the curtains were made of the long flowing hair of female goats, but the outer covering was made of the leathered hides of male sheep (rams) and (probably) male goats. Both male and female animals are used in this part of the construction of the tabernacle. Notice what Moses had already said about “male and female” in Genesis:

God created male and female in his image.[1]
God blessed both male and female when he created them.[2]
God preserved both male and female through Noah’s ark.[3]

We will not have marriages at the resurrection, but they are a good thing for us today. Both genders have a part to play in the manifestation of the LORD’s presence among us. Neither is insignificant or intended to be suppressed or belittled. Through our cooperation and valuing each other, we demonstrate our relationship and mutual submission to one LORD, who created us each to display his glory and reflect his image.

LORD, forgive us – as men and women — for belittling each other. Give us relationships which demonstrate your worth that that we see in one another. Help us to celebrate our differences and see your plan in them.

[1] Genesis 1:27.

[2] Genesis 5:2.

[3] Genesis 6:19; 7:3,9,16.

Posted in marriage, partiality, prejudice, sexuality | Tagged Exodus 36 | 1 Comment