Exodus 35:10-36:38
Exodus
35:10-35
Lots
of observations here, but I'll only make a few.
Vs.
10-19 Being a pastor, I always wonder how Moses did this logistically. God had
already told Moses which men had been especially gifted for the work of
construction. Did they hold meetings? How did Moses communicate the detailed
designs he was given? Did they have a white board or did they each have little
stone tablets?
Vs.
20-29 The people gave willingly and eventually had to be restrained in their
giving. They also gave willingly to make the calf. Giving doesn't tell the
entire story, nor is it a sure sign of spiritual maturity.
The
caution I see in all of this, for us as disciples, is that if they had sought
the Lord and waited on Him, they would have gotten what they wanted, a place
and symbol of worship. God was already giving the plan to Moses as they were
pressing Aaron to allow them to go bovine. As often as I have heard preachers
"wax elephants" on this story, talking about the willing heart of the
people, as Paul/Spirit reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10, all of these people who
were giving (except a couple) rebelled and died in the wilderness. Sin is
incurable and the heart is deceitful beyond all things. Our religious routines
and sacrifices do not mean spiritual maturity and can be used by us to gain our
own ends and pacify our guilt. Our only hope is to keep our hearts soaked daily
in the Word and to set our hearts on closely, humbly following the Spirit.
Vs.
30-35 Apparently Bezalel was the main leader and artist of the tabernacle. The
"he" of chapter 36 probably refers to Bezalel. Bezalel taught himself
and Oholiab to make what needed to be made, and these two men led and guided
all the men and women who worked on the tabernacle.
One
point of trivia in v. 30 is that the title, son
of Hur, would have been pronounced "Ben Hur." You were wondering where
they got the title for that movie, right? You'll notice in the movie, Ben Hur
is of the tribe of Judah.
Exodus
36
Vs.
1-7 Notice that after commissioning Bezalel and Oholiab, the first order of
business was to get the people to stop bringing stuff. Apparently it was
interrupting the work.
Vs.
8-38 There is a great amount of detail and care given to what was done in
building this place of worship. What do you think God is trying to say to us?
V. 35
This refers to the veil that stood before the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies),
in the Holy Place. The tabernacle was one tent divided into two rooms. One was
called the Holy Place, where the lampstand, altar of incense and table of the
bread of the Presence stood. As you entered this tent, straight ahead was the
altar of incense, and just inches beyond that altar was the veil. Beyond that
veil was the Most Holy Place. The ark of the covenant was in the Most Holy
Place, holding the Ten Commandments, and the top of the ark was the mercy seat,
symbolically, the throne of God.
The
priests entered the Holy Place twice every day, but the high priest only entered the Most
Holy Place once a year on the Day of Atonement when he made sacrifice for the
sins of the people/nation. This veil separated the people from the presence of
God. It was only by going through this veil that forgiveness for the people and
nation could be made. This is the making of that veil. Now notice what happens
in the NT reading for today.
The
tabernacle would be completed about a year after the Exodus.
Matthew 27:32-66
For us
as disciples, this is hallowed ground. All that Jesus endured and suffered for
our salvation comes to a focus on the cross, as He is cursed and punished by
His Father, for our sins.
V. 32
Jerusalem was filled with people who had come to the Passover. This man, Simon,
was a Jew from Cyrene in North Africa. Talk about being in the wrong place at
the right time. Mark 15:21 mentions that two of Simon's sons became known in
the church. They apparently all became believers. Also, see Acts 13:1 where one
of these sons is there in that prayer meeting when the Holy Spirit sent Paul
and Barnabas on the first missionary journey. Also, the Jewish believers from
Cyrene were some of the first to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.
V. 34-37
This gall was like morphine; it numbed the mind and the pain. Jesus wanted, and
chose, to stay lucid.
V. 37
Usually the charge was written on this plaque. In this case it was ironic for
two reasons. First, Pilate was lashing out at the Jews for threatening him with
blackmail if he didn't crucify Jesus. Second, the title was the charge against
Jesus and it was true. He was guilty of being the Messiah, the coming Son of
Man.
V. 38
This is Isaiah 53:9.
Vs.
39-43 To understand this in a deeper way, read Psalm 22 again.
V. 44
At this early point in those six hours on the cross, the thieves also joined
in. Toward the end, Luke tells us that one of those thieves repented and was
saved.
Vs.
45-50 This is also in Psalm 22. Note that the bystanders tried to prolong
Jesus' life/death to see if Elijah would come. Ironically, the only way Jesus
died was that He allowed Himself to die. He had the power at any time to save Himself,
but He submitted Himself to the Father's will to be poured out as a sacrifice
for our sins.
Vs.
51-54 Notice v. 51 and think about what you just read in the OT portion….pretty
cool, huh?
Notice
the time when vs. 52-53 actually take place. They couldn't rise until He did.
Just as Jesus was the "firstfruits" of those risen from the dead,
there was this "token" resurrection of some of those whose graves
were in Jerusalem.
V. 54
The centurions were always good guys.
Vs. 55-56 At the time of Jesus’
death these women were standing at a distance. There were a lot of Mary's. Matthew
doesn’t mention that the women were earlier standing under the cross at the
moment when Jesus gave His mother into the Apostle John’s care (John 19:25-27).
I think that Matthew refers to Jesus’ mother here as the mother of James and Joseph, Jesus’ brothers.
Vs. 57-61 Joseph of Arimathea
was a member of the Sanhedrin, like Nicodemus. Both were followers of Jesus, and
in John 19:39 it says that Nicodemus met with Joseph and brought the materials
and spices for a quick burial in Joseph's expensive tomb. Again, this is Isaiah
53:9.
V. 61 I think this other Mary was Jesus’ mother.
Vs.
62-66 The best laid plans of mice and men.
That
was Friday, but Sunday's coming. What does this section mean to you in your
life as a follower of Jesus in the harvest? What observations or thoughts come
to mind as you read this?
Psalm 34:1-10
I have
to admit that my heart really clings to the promise and assurance of this
psalm. This morning, my heart is on the needing end of what David has
experienced.
Vs.
1-3 This is the declaration of praise. The reasons for this bold praise are
about to be given.
V. 4
This was David's situation.
Vs.
5-10 Does v. 5 remind you about something from Moses in Exodus?
V. 7
This sounds like another reference to Exodus.
Proverbs 9:7-8
For
anyone who has tried to help others, the trick is to understand the difference
between a wise man and a fool. There are a lot of brilliant fools, and as you
see in Matthew, even a lot of religious ones. As a disciple, seeking and
praying for others to nurture as disciples, what does that spark of wisdom look
like that can shine through immaturity? Jesus saw it in Peter and didn't let
Peter go. On the other hand, in Matthew 7:6 Jesus warned His disciples to stay
out of fruitless discussions with fools. Wisdom teaches us when to speak and
when to be quiet. It isn’t a matter of right or wrong or courage or cowardice.
It is a matter of wisdom and the Spirit.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year
Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't
work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/
and click on “Every
Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are
following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple,
following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship
culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging
each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make
disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here
or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some
explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My
comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on
Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups
will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with
and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the
harvest.
If you would like a complete description of this model
of being and making disciples you can find it in my book: Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is
still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's
keyed to the NIV, so the result is the commentators are constantly telling you
what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in
fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is
encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the
comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding,
that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only
to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it. Send
comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like documents containing an entire month
of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download
these to use on your computer or to print.
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