To get a greater grasp on what this word test means I looked it up in my concordance and it appears throughout the Old Testament in Hebrew and also in the New Testament in the Greek. Now I want to limit myself to looking at the use of the word within the Pentateuch. Limiting my search to the first five books of the Bible helps because Moses authored all the books and I can have consistency in the use of the word.

This word ‘testing’ found in Deuteronomy 13:3 in Hebrew is ‘nasah’ which means: to test, try. The word appears as test six times, tested five times, and testing twice within the Pentateuch in Genesis 22:1; 42:15,16; Exodus 15:25; 16:4; 17:2,7; 20:20; Numbers 14:22; and Deuteronomy 6:16; 8:2,16; 13:3. You have the story of God testing Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, of Joseph testing his brothers to see if they were spies, when the Israelites grumbled about water and food it says that God tests the people to see if they will walk in His instructions, of the Israelites complaining and testing God asking for water again, of God testing the Israelites so they may fear Him and not sin, where the people tested God ten times and didn’t listen and they were sent to wander in the wilderness, when God tells the people to not test Him as at Massah, of God testing the people for 40 years in the wilderness to know their hearts and see if they will obey, that God tested the people for their overall good, and lastly of God testing the people with false prophets. All of these verses show that God indeed will test the Israelites and in turn the Israelites put God to the test. How does this relate to me? I honestly do not know. Does God test people today? Do we test God? From all of my reading through the Bible the story of the Israelites parallels my journey as a christian. I think that God test people today and I imagine we put GOd to the test just as the people of Israel did. I think it is important to know that God is not causing us to fall when we are tested. He allows me to choose which is a mystery and when I choose and sin that is wholly my fault.

In light of my study on the word ‘test’ I have a greater appreciation of Deuteronomy. The rules laid down in chapter 13 to stay away from idolatry and in chapter 14 to only eat clean animals was for the greater good of the Israelites. God desired loving obedience from the people and that formed as He laid tests before them where they sometimes failed and other times succeeded to follow God’s command. How does this reflect to my faith? I don’t know exactly. I just believe that I should not live in fear of every circumstance that is in my path wondering if I am being tested. I will trust that God has my best in all His plans and I will seek to honor Him in the choices I make. I will fail but when I fail I will get up and keep following God.

In the beginning of Leviticus chapter 19 I was faced instantly with the question why is the command that mothers and fathers to be reverenced listed right in the middle of the relationship law of chapter 18 and the sundry laws given in rest of chapter 19. It initially seemed out of place among all the laws and commands about sacrifices and daily living. I remembered that Paul in Ephesians chapter 6:1-3 states, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.” The promise that Paul is referring to is from Exodus 20:12 when God is giving the Ten Commandments to Moses, “Honor your father and mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” What appears to be random charge to honor your parents is actually God restating the Ten Commandments in greater detail as is seen in chapters 17 and 18.

Chapter 20 brings the consequences to the laws found in chapter 18. Laws given without consequence do not carry the same threat or dissuasive power. These consequences were not light hand slaps they were death or being cut off from the community. It seem like being cut off is better than death but image what it meant to be cut off from your friends, family, or job without a fallback plan. That is a heavy burden in a society where you rely on the community interaction to survive. It makes the burden of sin weigh even heavier on people. In addition to the consequence God is consistently telling the Israelites to be holy because He is holy and that charge is also given to me. How could the Israelites follow God’s command to be holy because He is holy? How can I? I think that this command is another reminder of how inadequate we all are. It makes me wonder how people lived before Christ died on the cross? There was no cornerstone to belief so there was no assurance in life. Jesus Christ gives assurance to christians today. At first glance I though that it would be too difficult to live with the continual sacrificing for sin and lack of assurance of forgiveness but my perspective of life under grace overshadowed a key aspect of the forgiveness extended. After someone brought their sacrifice to the Lord their sins were forgiven, end of story! An Israelite could walk away with a weight lifted off their shoulders because of God’s forgiveness. There was assurance of forgiveness from God just as we have today. A sacrificial offering had to be made in order to be forgiven but this is a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ dying on the cross for all mankind.

How and why does this apply to me today? I look at the stories of how God did many wonders and I am in awe of HIs power and faithfulness. I also see that I am wholly unable to work my own salvation! The people of Israel had a very tangible and visual reminder of God about them yet they constantly strayed from His commands. I do the same thing but by the Grace of God I can place my trust in the death of Jesus Christ for my hope.

I look forward to continuing the journey through the Bible with Leviticus next to see the story of salvation play out one step at a time.

At this point God has occupied the tabernacle with a cloud by day and fire by night. What a sight that would have been to see. The splendor of the whole tabernacle would have been overshadowed by the awesome Glory of God. I think it is so amazing to think that God was in the midst of the people of Israel but in truth I have the Holy Spirit within me. How blessed I am in Christ’s resurrection!

Lord help me to see the gift that you have given me in the Holy Spirit! I am so often distracted by life and the pursuit of tomorrow. I am such a poor man and I don’t have the ability to follow you on my own. I feel so lost Lord. How can I do anything apart from you. It sounds so simple to give up my will to follow but I need your strength. All I want to do is wallow in sin Lord and I know that is not what you made me for. Lord help me! Please help me! I can’t do it on my own, help!

How often do I give from my heart to God? I think many times it is easy to give money to the church out of obligation. What would happen if we allowed God to move in out hearts to do with our money whatever he desired?

How often do I express my desire to know God more to God? It is all too easy to share my struggles and lack of hunger for my relationship with God at times with my friends. Does it really matter that I tell them that? Absolutely not. I need to talk to God about my relationship with Him. It is like a person struggles in a relationship and they talk to every random person on the street but never to the person who they are having the problem with. I love how Moses found favor in God’s sight and God knows his name. What a thought that is that a small insignificant being can find favor in the Creator God’s sight! Do I find that kind of favor? I think that in my own flesh I do not and never will. I am evil to my core but through Jesus Christ I do find that favor and freedom. Also I know that my name is written in God’s book of life and I can relish in that fact.

Imagine the awe and splendor Moses saw when he saw but a glimpse of the glory of God when he was hide in the cleft of the rock! Wow! And the name of God, ‘The Lord, the compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth, who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the forth generations.” God is holy and reading through the new testament reminds me of how unable I am to approach god because of my inherent sin. I want to jump ahead to the the good new, the Gospels but I need to see and ponder the sinfulness that is me first.

How easily the people of Israel forgot about God and sought to make an idol to follow. Even Aaron who worked directly with Moses before Pharaoh was drawn astray. In verse 32:10 God was so angered that he was going to destroy the people of Israel and start again with Moses. How fierce that anger must have been and I like the difference in Moses’ confidence to speak to God compared to Exodus 3. God didn’t destroy Israel as He had wanted because of the covenant he had made between them but that doesn’t mean that His anger was taken away. The sin that the people had committed will be remembered by God and it is not to be taken lightly. They made an idol and worshiped it. How many idols have I unknowingly or knowingly made in my life? What has replaced God in my life? I know I have sinned before God and that sin will be punished. By the grace of God the burden of my penalty was places upon Jesus Christ when he died on the cross. How thankful I am for the salvation that I have through Jesus.

Another thought that came to my mind while reading Exodus 29 and 30 was how much the term aroma was used. I wonder what does God smell? I have never thought about the senses that God has but to think that something had a pleasing aroma to God is very interesting. I wonder what the oils and incense smelled like.

I have found that reading through the Bible at a slow pace has really allowed me to look at all the stories and see details I would typically pass over all too quickly. It is quite enjoyable.

There were many artisans that were used to build the tabernacle. To think that each one as they grew up were destined by God to work on the tabernacle. It makes me know that there is a job that I am being prepared for and I need to trust that God is in control and He has a purpose for all that happens to me.