Psalm 14:5-7 Antidote for Alligators
14:1 “The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they have done abominable deeds, There is no one who does good. 2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. 3 They have all turned away, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one. 4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call on the LORD?
5 There they are in great fear, for God is present with the generation of the righteous.
6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but Yahweh is their refuge.
7 Oh, that the salvation/deliverance for Israel would come out of Zion! When Yahweh restores the fortunes (NIV) of His people, Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad."
Observations
14:1-4 See post on Genesis 35 for vv 1-4, where David laments the departure of people from being dependent upon God, to instead seeking to devour those who are loyal to Him.
14:5-7 David affirms that God is with the righteous, which causes the wicked to fear. The evildoers desire to oppress the poor, but God is the refuge of the righteous. He ends with a prayer for God to act, and restore the fortunes (reverse the captivity) of His people. Then they will rejoice.
Application: Call upon God when the wicked are seeking to take bites out of you, and trust that He will be your refuge and defense, and hope that at the appropriate time, He will totally deliver you.
Prayer: God, You are my God, and I will always trust You to protect and prosper me, because that is what You said You would do for the righteous. Amen.
Proverbs 4:17-19 Light and Dark
Observations: 4:17-19 The unrighteous both consume and are consumed by wickedness and violence. They wind up downed in the dark, not knowing what hit them. The righteous who walk in the light, progress to greater light, until they will stand in the secure light of God's presence on that perfect day when He returns.
Application: Make sure your choices and steps lead to light and not darkness.
Prayer: God, may the wisdom of Your word guide my steps so I don't stumble in the dark, but walk with You in the light. Thanks. Amen.
Exodus 29-31 The Consecration of the Aaron and sons in Exodus 29 introduces us to a number of sacrifices/offering which are explained in more detail in the opening chapters of Leviticus (the next book).
Exodus 29 Consecration and Dedication
29:1 "This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them holy, to minister to me in the priest`s office: take one young bull and two rams without blemish, 2 unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil: you shall make them of fine wheat flour. 4 You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tent of meeting, and shall wash them with water. 5 You shall take the garments, and put on Aaron...7 Then you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head, and anoint him. 8 You shall bring his sons, and put coats on them.
10 "You shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting: and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. 11 You shall kill the bull before Yahweh, at the door of the tent of meeting. 12 You shall take of the blood of the bull, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. 13 You shall take all the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But the flesh of the bull, and its skin, and its dung, you shall burn with fire outside of the camp: it is a sin-offering. 
15 "You shall also take the one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 16 You shall kill the ram, and you shall take its blood, and sprinkle it around on the altar. 17 You shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its innards, and its legs, and put them with its pieces, and with its head. 18 You shall burn the whole ram on the altar: it is a burnt offering to Yahweh; it is a sweet savor, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 19 "You shall take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 20 Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood, and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood on the altar round about. 21 You shall take of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron, and on his garments, and on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be made holy, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons` garments with him. 22 Also you shall take some of the ram`s fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), 23 and one loaf of bread, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before Yahweh. 24 You shall put all of this in Aaron`s hands, and in his sons` hands, and shall wave them for a wave-offering before Yahweh. 25 You shall take them from their hands, and burn them on the altar on the burnt offering, for a sweet savor before Yahweh: it is an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 26 "You shall take the breast of Aaron`s ram of consecration, and wave it for a wave-offering before Yahweh: and it shall be your portion. 27 You shall sanctify the breast of the wave-offering, and the thigh of the heave-offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons: 28 and it shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the children of Israel; for it is a heave-offering: and it shall be a heave-offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifices of their peace-offerings, even their heave-offering to Yahweh. 29 "The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, to be anointed in them, and to be consecrated in them. 36 Every day shall you offer the bull of sin-offering for atonement: and you shall cleanse the altar, when you make atonement for it; and you shall anoint it, to sanctify it. 38 "Now this is that which you shall offer on the altar: two lambs morning...evening 43 There I will meet with the children of Israel; and the place shall be sanctified by my glory. 44 I will sanctify the tent of meeting and the altar: Aaron also and his sons I will sanctify, to minister to me in the priest`s office. 45 I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. 46 They shall know that I am Yahweh their God, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am Yahweh their God."
Observations: God sets apart/sanctifies His servants, deals with their sin, and then prepares them for unreserved service to Him.
29:4 The preliminary washing might indicate a desire for holiness, or maybe they didn't want to get the nice clothes dirty.
29:4 The preliminary washing might indicate a desire for holiness, or maybe they didn't want to get the nice clothes dirty.
29:14 The first offering, a bull, is a sin-offering, slain as their substitute for the death penalty of sin. Its blood was kept in the tent; its fat, representing the best of the animal was burned (same word for burning incense) on the altar, but the body, tainted with sin, was totally consumed by fire (different word for burn) outside the camp.
29:14 The first ram, a whole burnt offering, was entirely dedicated to God (up in smoke).
29:21 The second ram, the ram of consecration, was marked on the ear (hear the Word), thumb (do the Word), and toe (walk in the Word), and sprinkled on the beautiful garments as a reminder of the covenant to obey, when Moses sprinkled the people with blood (Exodus 24:8).
29:24 The wave-offering was a symbol of giving the first and best of what one has (time, money, strength) back to God. Normally one would give the wave offering to Aaron and the priests to eat (which is why it was waved rather than burnt), but in this case Aaron burns it, showing God's ownership of all.
29:28 The peace-offering was more of a fellowship meal, for now God and man were in right relationship.
Application: Have you gone beyond getting your sins forgiven to dedicating yourself to serving God? That's the path to true fellowship with Him.
See: the sermon Holy Priests Offer Pleasing Sacrifices for part III. The Poor Saints Guide to Big Ticket Sacrifice.
See: the sermon Holy Priests Offer Pleasing Sacrifices for part III. The Poor Saints Guide to Big Ticket Sacrifice.
Prayer. Lord, I recognize that You desire all believers to be Your priests, may I be wholly serving You with the best of my life. Amen.
Exodus 30 Incense, Census, and Oils
30:1 "You shall make an altar to burn incense on. 3 You shall overlay it with pure gold...6 You shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you. 8 When Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before Yahweh throughout your generations. 9 You shall offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal-offering; and you shall pour no drink-offering on it. 10 Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once in the year...It is most holy to Yahweh."
12 "When you take a census of the children of Israel, each man shall give a ransom for his soul to Yahweh, when you number them; that there be no plague among them when you number them. 14 from twenty years old and upward 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel 16 You shall take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting; that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before Yahweh, to make atonement for your souls.
18 "You shall also make a basin of brass, in which to wash. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they not die...23 "Also take fine spices: of liquid myrrh, cinnamon, fragrant cane, 24 cassia, and olive oil. 26 You shall use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, 27 the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, 28 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its base. 29 You shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy. 30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest`s office. 31 You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, `This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations. 34 sweet spices, gum resin, and onycha, and galbanum; with pure frankincense: 35 make incense of it, seasoned with salt, pure and holy: 36 and you shall beat some of it very small, and put some of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be to you most holy. 37 The incense which you shall make, according to its composition you shall not make for yourselves: it shall be to you holy for Yahweh. 38 Whoever shall make any like that, to smell of it, he shall be cut off from his people."
Observations: Incense, census/tax, basin/laver, two anointing oils.
30:1 The smoke from the incense would ascend toward God and be something pleasing to Him. The prayers of the saints are equated with incense in Revelation 5:8 and 8:3-4. Not all prayers smell equally nice.
30:12-17 The census tax is said to ransom and atone for their souls and serve as a memorial and for maintenance.
30:23 & 31 Perfumed anointing oils are specified, one for the place, the other for people, and any other use would result in discipline.
30:38 Keeping ourselves in a state where God can bless still requires holy obedience, not just ritual.
Application: Are your prayers sweet-smelling incense offered from a holy heart, or a smelly laundry list of things you badger God about?
Prayer: O God who inhabits the Holy of Holies, may my words and works be a fragrant offering to You. Amen.
Exodus 31 Spirit and Sabbath
31:1 "Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Behold, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4 to devise skillful works, to work in gold... 6 I, behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab...and in the heart of all who are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you...13 "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, `Most assuredly you shall keep my Sabbaths: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 18 He gave to Moses, when he finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets, written with God`s finger."
Observations: 31:3 Being filled or controlled by the Spirit of God is necessary for serving God acceptably. Wisdom (choosing the right objectives {devise} and the right means of attaining them {work}), Understanding, Knowledge, and Skill in our work are areas the Spirit should infiltrate and permeate. See Digging Deeper below.
31:13-19 God repeats and emphasizes only one of the Ten Commandments, the fourth, about the Sabbath, since it is the sign of the covenant. Treating it as common resulted in being cut off and death. It's tough for a dead person to be blessed.
31:18 The tablets were a testimony/witness to the covenant God made with Israel, and placed in the ark of the covenant/testimony. So much for these being man's ideas. People prone to lying, think everyone lies and makes up stories.
Application: Does the Spirit of Truth fill/control/permeate your desires and Day-Timer?
Prayer: Lord, I ask that Your Spirit would fill every area of my life, so the work of my life would accomplish Your design and desires. Amen.
Digging Deeper:
God in a nutshell: God uses people to accomplish His purposes, but those He uses must first be separated from what they were and dedicated to whole-burnt-offering obedience. He is pretty specific about what He requires. The greater the service, the greater the requirements, but He does compensate His servants well. God provides reminders to His people, but ritual is no substitute for a real relationship with Him.
Us in a nutshell: We have a tendency to forget where we've come from, and what God has done for us, thus taking God for granted, and setting ourselves up for discipline. Participation in Biblical corporate worship provides a partial corrective, but a personal daily dedication to doing things God's way works wonders.
Where to Go for More:
See part III. of the sermon Holy Priests Offer Pleasing Sacrifices:
Exodus 29
Exodus 29-31 complete text
Exodus 29
29:1 "This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them holy, to minister to me in the priest`s office: take one young bull and two rams without blemish, 2 unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil: you shall make them of fine wheat flour. 3 You shall put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bull and the two rams. 4 You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tent of meeting, and shall wash them with water. 5 You shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate, and dress him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod; 6 and you shall set the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban. 7 Then you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head, and anoint him. 8 You shall bring his sons, and put coats on them. 9 You shall dress them with belts, Aaron and his sons, and bind headbands on them: and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute: and you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons. 10 "You shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting: and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. 11 You shall kill the bull before Yahweh, at the door of the tent of meeting. 12 You shall take of the blood of the bull, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. 13 You shall take all the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But the flesh of the bull, and its skin, and its dung, you shall burn with fire outside of the camp: it is a sin-offering. 15 "You shall also take the one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 16 You shall kill the ram, and you shall take its blood, and sprinkle it around on the altar. 17 You shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its innards, and its legs, and put them with its pieces, and with its head. 18 You shall burn the whole ram on the altar: it is a burnt offering to Yahweh; it is a sweet savor, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 19 "You shall take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 20 Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood, and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood on the altar round about. 21 You shall take of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron, and on his garments, and on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be made holy, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons` garments with him. 22 Also you shall take some of the ram`s fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), 23 and one loaf of bread, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before Yahweh. 24 You shall put all of this in Aaron`s hands, and in his sons` hands, and shall wave them for a wave-offering before Yahweh. 25 You shall take them from their hands, and burn them on the altar on the burnt offering, for a sweet savor before Yahweh: it is an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 26 "You shall take the breast of Aaron`s ram of consecration, and wave it for a wave-offering before Yahweh: and it shall be your portion. 27 You shall sanctify the breast of the wave-offering, and the thigh of the heave-offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons: 28 and it shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the children of Israel; for it is a heave-offering: and it shall be a heave-offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifices of their peace -offerings, even their heave-offering to Yahweh. 29 "The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, to be anointed in them, and to be consecrated in them. 30 Seven days shall the son who is priest in his place put them on, when he comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place. 31 "You shall take the ram of consecration, and boil its flesh in a holy place. 32 Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the door of the tent of meeting. 33 They shall eat those things with which atonement was made, to consecrate and sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat of it, because they are holy. 34 If anything of the flesh of the consecration, or of the bread, remains to the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy. 35 "Thus shall you do to Aaron, and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. Seven days shall you consecrate them. 36 Every day shall you offer the bull of sin-offering for atonement: and you shall cleanse the altar, when you make atonement for it; and you shall anoint it, to sanctify it. 37 Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it: and the altar shall be most holy; whatever touches the altar shall be holy. 38 "Now this is that which you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day lamb you shall offer at evening: 40 and with the one lamb a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil, and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink-offering. 41 The other lamb you shall offer at evening, and shall do to it according to the meal-offering of the morning, and according to its drink-offering, for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 42 It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tent of meeting before Yahweh, where I will meet with you, to speak there to you. 43 There I will meet with the children of Israel; and the place shall be sanctified by my glory. 44 I will sanctify the tent of meeting and the altar: Aaron also and his sons I will sanctify, to minister to me in the priest`s office. 45 I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. 46 They shall know that I am Yahweh their God, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am Yahweh their God.
Exodus 30
30:1 "You shall make an altar to burn incense on. You shall make it of acacia wood. 2 Its length shall be a cubit, and its breadth a cubit. It shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3 You shall overlay it with pure gold, the top of it, the sides of it around it, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding around it. 4 You shall make two golden rings for it under its molding; on its two ribs, on its two sides you shall make them; and they shall be for places for poles with which to bear it. 5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 6 You shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 Aaron shall burn incense of sweet spices on it every morning. When he tends the lamps, he shall burn it. 8 When Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before Yahweh throughout your generations. 9 You shall offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal-offering; and you shall pour no drink-offering on it. 10 Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once in the year; with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once in the year he shall make atonement for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to Yahweh." 11 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 12 "When you take a census of the children of Israel, according to those who are numbered among them, then each man shall give a ransom for his soul to Yahweh, when you number them; that there be no plague among them when you number them. 13 They shall give this, everyone who passes over to those who are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary; (the shekel is twenty gerahs;) half a shekel for an offering to Yahweh. 14 Everyone who passes over to those who are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering to Yahweh. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of Yahweh, to make atonement for your souls. 16 You shall take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting; that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before Yahweh, to make atonement for your souls." 17 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 18 "You shall also make a basin of brass, and the base of it of brass, in which to wash. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in it. 20 When they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they not die; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they not die: and it shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his descendants throughout their generations." 22 Moreover Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 23 "Also take fine spices: of liquid myrrh, five hundred shekels; and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, even two hundred and fifty; and of fragrant cane, two hundred and fifty; 24 and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary; and a hin of olive oil. 25 You shall make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 You shall use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, 27 the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, 28 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its base. 29 You shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy. 30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest`s office. 31 You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, `This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on man`s flesh, neither shall you make any like it, according to its composition: it is holy. It shall be holy to you. 33 Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.`" 34 Yahweh said to Moses, "Take to yourself sweet spices, gum resin, and onycha, and galbanum; sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be an equal weight; 35 and you shall make incense of it, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy: 36 and you shall beat some of it very small, and put some of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be to you most holy. 37 The incense which you shall make, according to its composition you shall not make for yourselves: it shall be to you holy for Yahweh. 38 Whoever shall make any like that, to smell of it, he shall be cut off from his people."
Exodus 31
31:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Behold, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4 to devise skillful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 5 and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all manner of workmanship. 6 I, behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the heart of all who are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the mercy seat that is on it, all the furniture of the Tent, 8 the table and its vessels, the pure lampstand with all its vessels, the altar of incense, 9 the altar of burnt offering with all its vessels, the basin and its base, 10 the finely worked garments -- the holy garments for Aaron the priest -- the garments of his sons to minister in the priest`s office, 11 the anointing oil, and the incense of sweet spices for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded you they shall do." 12 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 13 "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, `Most assuredly you shall keep my Sabbaths: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to Yahweh. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall surely be put to death. 16 Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.`" 18 He gave to Moses, when he finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets, written with God`s finger."
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