How do you determine your personal value? Do you determine your value based upon your needs, your wants, your haves, your have nots, or on what other people say about you? This is the dilemma that faces Hannah in 1 Samuel chapter 1. She built and defined her own worth based upon the fact that she was barren and without child while Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife, was blessed with children. The love that Elkanah has for Hannah was not the foremost thought in her mind because she had become poisoned by the lie that her value was found in what she did not upon who God was. Continue Reading…
Tag Archive - Tabernacle
The source of true self worth imparted in 1 Samuel 1 and 2
Signpost to true satisfaction past disbelief: Numbers Summary
What is the book of Numbers all about. It starts with details on how the Israelite camp was arranged and it ends with laws about cities of refuge and inheritance. The journey which started in Exodus with the Israelites leaving captivity in Egypt and then learning to love and worship God in Leviticus heads into growing pains in Numbers. The people of Israel constantly grumbled against God even as he proves Himself faithful time and time again to them. The people consistently looked back to their old life in captivity and longed for what they saw as a better existence. I wonder if this existence was easier because in Egypt they were not constantly reminded of their dependance on God. It is always easier to complain about a problem or circumstance but once deliverance comes it can be more painful to be free than you would have ever realized. I think of drug addicts that may wish to be free from their dependancy on drugs but the road to overcome the addiction is blocked by an insurmountable wall. I think there was an insurmountable wall in the Israelites way. Continue Reading…
Silver trumpets heralding the Israelites journey: Numbers 9 and 10
“Rise up, O Lord!
And let Your enemies be scattered,
And let those who hate You flee before You.”
– Numbers 10:35
The Israelites are setting out in Numbers chapter 10 to claim the land that God had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What an amazing site it must have been to hear the ring of a silver trumpet and then the orchestration of the multiple millions began as the Israelites set out and follow God. The image that is given in Numbers chapters 9 and 10 is one of dependance. The only time that the Israelites moved the camp was when God raised the cloud up from the Tabernacle. Continue Reading…
Dedication of the Tabernacle and foreshadowing of the Messiah: Numbers 7 and 8
I wonder what the energy level of the Israelites was like on the day that Moses had finished setting up the Tabernacle? Was there an awe and reverence of God? Were the millions of men, women, and children pressing in to see just a glimpse of the Tabernacle? In Numbers chapters 7 we get a little of the feeling of what took place when the Tabernacle was completed. What blessing God bestowed upon Moses. Moses was within the Tabernacle anointing and consecrating the walls, furnishings, and utensils. Moses was declaring that the Tabernacle and all with in it was Holy and God’s. Continue Reading…
The Levitical redemption for Israel and Myself: Numbers 3 and 4
Numbers 3 and 4 are the two chapters that I read today in my journey to blog as I read my way through the Bible two chapters at a time. In Numbers 3 and 4 God is giving continued instruction to the people of Israel. Specifically God instructs Moses and Aaron to take the Levites as the priesthood in service to God. The Levites were divided by the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The sons and all the generations of these households were in service to the Tabernacle of God. The sons of Gershon were instructed to manage the the tent of meeting and the hangings in the court within the Tabernacle. The sons of Kohath were instructed to minister within the sanctuary with the ark, table, and lamp stand. The sons of Merari were instructed to manage the framework of the Tabernacle.
Foreshadowing of Jesus Christ within the Israelites Camp Arrangement: Numbers 1 and 2
I honestly was kind of dreading starting to read Numbers. I was thinking about all of the people and numbers in Numbers. I went into reading the book with a prejudice. My prejudice toward the book of Numbers came from all the many times I have attempted to read through my Bible where I would try to read through the these old testament books as fast as I could. This time I took a long time to look at chapters 1 and 2 in Numbers mainly because I became very busy and didn’t take the time to post the blog after my first reading the chapters. After reading through the books a few times I became aware of some amazing truths in scripture.
Provision for a fast food sex saturated world: Leviticus 17 and 18
Lord,
Open these eyes to see your glory. I sit in the torrent of life and I feel beaten and bruised by all the concerns of life. Oh how easy it is to get consumed with the swirling waters around me and not focus on you. Open my heart, mind, and soul as I read Leviticus 17 and 18 today Lord. I need your help to heal my heart. I submit to you now and forever, Amen.
Throughout Leviticus I am constantly reminded about how inadequate humanity is inherently. In chapter 17 God commands the people of Israel to stop sacrificing animals to other gods like the people of Egypt. People needed to bring their offering to the tabernacle to sacrifice to God as a peace offering. In chapter 18 God restates some of the 10 commandments in greater detail regarding how people can relate to each other. After reading these two chapters I feel saddened and a little depressed. Continue Reading…
Overwhelming iniquity of mankind and a scapegoat: Leviticus 15 and 16
I have found it enjoyable yet difficult to read through Leviticus. I am overwhelmed by the burden the law places upon the Israelites. In Leviticus 15 you find out what circumstances cause a person to be unclean and it seems like everyone is unclean frequently. In chapter 16 verse God tells the people that the law is for their good because they will not defile His tabernacle. I know I struggle accepting rules even when they are for my own good. How did the Israelites react to this command? Continue Reading…
Splendor of God glimpsed in His Tabernacle: Exodus 39 and 40
I long to see the glory of God! When I think how wonderful all the elements of the tabernacle must have looked I want to see the creator of it all so much more! I am reminded by how much more I need God in my life.
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. Continue Reading…
The workmanship of the Tabernacle: Exodus 37 and 38
I wonder how long it took to complete all the work for the Tabernacle? I am too used to running to the hardware store to get all the equipment needed for projects but everything was hand made. That just boggles my mind. I can’t fathom how it was all done. It must have been a sight to behold when the work was completed. What was Bezalel thinking when he was working on all the components to the tabernacle? Continue Reading…
