BSF Moses 2014-15 – Page 7 – The Notes are Good

14.4 Moses 14, Day 4

In Leviticus 11:45 God says:, “I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.”

Our word holy comes from the word whole. God is whole. He is complete. He lacks nothing, He wants for nothing, He needs nothing.

But when we look at our own lives, we are not whole. Our life looks jagged at the edges, missing in the middle. We resemble something much more like a puzzle piece.

But we are a puzzle piece created by God. God has made a place in Himself for us to fit exactly. God doesn’t fill us in so that we are whole, He invites us to join Him in His wholeness. Not because He needs us to complete us, but because it is only in a relationship with Him that we become part of the full and complete picture (what we were created to be).

If we are not connected to God, we still recognize that something is missing in our life and we try to fill it in. We look around and try to see what we can connect with. Our focus is on ourselves. We experiment. We try all kinds of different things, every matter of perversion, because nothing that we try to fill in with ever satisfies completely. It can’t.

God’s laws in Leviticus are to help us restore our puzzle piece life back to the design God had intended, not to leave us lacking, but to join us to Him. To be holy because He is holy. This holiness is meant to permeate our lives, to touch everything about the way we live, eat, bathe, even use the restroom. God wants all of us consecrated wholly to Him.

My Answers:

8.
a. Dietary – clean and unclean animals
b. After giving birth
c. Skin diseases
d. Mold
e. Making people clean from skin diseases
f. Making things clean from mold
g. Liquid body wastes

9.
a.
It isn’t what goes in that makes a person unclean, it is what they hold in their heart and comes out.

b.
That God is holy, they are to be holy and should consecrate themselves full to God

c.
Fasting, prayer, obedience

14.3 Moses 14, Day 3

The purpose of Offerings

The sacrificial offerings were not punishment, nor were they adequate payment. This was not a quid pro quo – you did the crime now you must pay the fine – arrangement. Offerings were about honor and respect and relationship. God had given everything to His people. It pleased Him when they gave part of it back.

But, God also knew His people better than the people knew themselves. He knew they would be tempted to just go through the motions. Giving Him back things of lesser value, giving Him back from their excess or trying to bargain and negotiate on what was going to be sufficient to be enough of a give back to Him.

But the sacrifices were not for that purpose. The moment those thoughts come in to play, the sacrifices are no longer gifts to God, they are obligations – they are something God is taking from them. Instead of building a relationship with God, they become something that separates us from God. That is why the giving is not about the gift, it is about the heart of the giver.

There was a price to be paid for sin. But the death of a bull, goat, pigeon or dove was never going to pay that price. But, God blessed the Israelite people by giving them the ability and instructions to have a sacrificial heart, just as God does. God didn’t provide the Israelite people with a failed system of repayment – He provided them with a gift of participation and revelation into the atonement He was going to make for their sin through the death of His only perfect son. The gifts of sacrifice were foreshadows of God’s gift on our behalf.

We should continue to make offerings to God. Not sacrifices as payment – any attempt to add to the sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf is a slap in the face to God that somehow we consider the sacrifice of His son to be insufficient. But offerings of gratitude, praise and worship. Offerings of denial of self through fasting and meditation and prayer to be filled more fully with the Holy Spirit are honoring. Setting aside the “normal” of others and, in so doing, setting apart our lives to God’s service, is an honoring sacrificial offering to the Lord.

My Answers:

6.
Grain: fine flour covered in oil and incense, memorial portion on altar, rest to Aaron and sons
Fellowship: either male or female animal from the herd – blood splashed on altar, fat and entrails burned at altar
Sin offering, Bull for priest or all, male or female goat for individual sin – blood in tent, sprinkle 7 times, poured outside, fat removed and burned at the altar, remainder of animal (hide, head, organs, meat) taken out of the camp, burnt there
Guilt: ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver

7.
a.
Atone means to make amends, to repair a wrong – The act of being made one again with God in a proper relationship

b.
God paid the full price for all – a full atonement

c.
money, time, talents, heart, body, voice, teaching, praise

14.2 BSF Moses 14, Day 2

A New Normal

The word normal is defined as conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.

So what happens to normal when God moves in?

That is what we see in our lesson today. The Hebrews are at the foot of Mount Horeb. God has given them the 10 commandments (twice) and God has consented to dwell among them and to go with them. He has given them instructions for the construction of the tabernacle, it has been built and He has filled the tent with His glory. And, with that, normal is no longer the same.

For 430 years normal was defined by the Egyptians. For a couple of months now, normal has been in transition. What are going to be the standards for this new nation? What is expected?

In love, God spoke. The new normal isn’t going to be just about how the Hebrews live with each other and neighboring tribes and nations. Much more importantly it is going to be about how they live with God. The new normal starts with offerings. Everything the Hebrews have came from God. Without Him, they are slaves. Without Him, they have no food or water. Without Him, they do not have life or freedom. In the new normal, they remember this and give an offering back to God, not out of obligation or fear, but out of honor and respect and gratitude for Him.

God doesn’t want to be a god in a box that they pull out when they need something. God wants to be in a complete relationship with them – He desires and commands that they consecrate themselves and their entire lives to Him. Dedicated fully, wholly, to be His people and He will be their God.

While the sacrifices have discontinued through the one, everlasting sacrifice that Christ made for us, we must not lose sight of this new normal. We live in times were sinners strongly desire for their sin to not be seen as sin, but to be seen as normal. Sinning is normal, right? Lying, cheating, sexual immorality… all just normal, right? And sadly, without God, that is exactly what normal is. But, when God is in the house, when God is in the neighborhood, community, tribe and nation, there are higher standards. Why? Because He is the Lord.

My Answers:

3.
a.
The tabernacle construction was complete, it had been fully constructed for the first time and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

b.
For consecration – God would live among them and they were to dedicate their lives and what they had been given to Him.

4.
a.
Male animal without defect, bull, sheep, goat. Or, a dove or young pigeon.

b.
Presented whole, alive, laying hands upon it. Presented to the priest at the tabernacle. Sacrifices were never left-overs – they were first-overs.

c.
killed, prepared according to specific instructions (internal organs removed and washed, birds defeathered), burned all of it on the altar – a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD

5.
a.
Our body and the church is the dwelling place of God on earth with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone – Christ was sacrifice once to take away the sins of the many

b.
God, as your glory filled the tabernacle, please fill me with your spirit. Shine your light even in the shadow areas of my heart that I have kept from you, the sins and guilt I have not confessed, and reveal it. Make me holy in you.

13.5 Moses 13, Day 5

Moses’ Prayer – Waiting in Faith and Refusing to go with out God

In Exodus 33:15, Moses prayed to God, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”

In today’s scripture we see the people of Israel as faithful followers. When the cloud lifts, they follow. When the cloud does not lift, they stay put.

What a great lesson for us! How often do we race forward in front of God? God is my co-pilot. God’s got my back. But should the best pilot be at the controls? If God has my back, then doesn’t that mean I’m leading and He is following me?

While God may (and in my life, has) bailed us out when we get heading down the wrong path, wouldn’t it be smarter, easier, better and more fulfilling to simply go down the right path to begin with? But we grow impatient. There is so much to do, shouldn’t we be doing something?

But, the example God sets with the Israelites is a simple no. There are times to follow and there are times to wait. When we wait, it is not that nothing is happening – just the opposite. If we truly trust in God, then part of the waiting is the acknowledgement that He is at work, clearing out the enemies, building the bridges, synchronizing all the green lights along the path.

Waiting is not easy, but it is an amazing witness of faith. Waiting is an act of trust. Waiting is a time of preparation. Waiting is a time for Sabbath Rest to God.

We live in a go, go, go world. What would happen if, instead, we lived in a God, God, God world?

Over and over again, the bible is filled with stories of men and women who followed God and amazing things occur. It is also filled with stories of men and women who raced ahead of God and found themselves in horrible situations. Even the Lord’s prayer says, “lead us not into temptation.” That request assumes we are following, not racing ahead.

Try it. I challenge you. When you wake in the morning, pray that God make His presence known to you this day, whether it is a day to move or a day to stay put. Lamentation 3:25, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.” Galations 5:22,23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

As I thought about God filling the tent of meeting and the Israelites waiting on the cloud, the lyrics to a Hillsong tune kept running through my mind:

“As I wait, you make me strong. As I long, draw me to your arms. As I stand and sing your praise, You come and fill this place.”

My Answers:

11.
a.
When the cloud lifted, they would set out. When it did not lift, they stayed put

b.
It went before them and protected them – it drew their enemies into a state of confusion

c.
He has kept me and my family safe. He has given me renewed opportunities to serve and teach

12.
a.
through Jesus, the light of the world, the radiance of God’s glory and exact representation of His being

b.
Ezek 36:26 for me and Matt 7:11 for my family – God is so much better equipped than i am.

c.
God guides everything – it isn’t a question of whether He is guiding, it is whether we are participating and/or observing

13.4 Moses 13, Day 4

Cloud v. Cow

God is always intentional. Everything He does is done for a reason.

God appearing to the Israelites as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night was not random or inconsequential. God could have taken any form He wanted. He could have appeared as a man, as a mist, as a dove, as a small voice, as a trumpet blast. But God chose a cloud.

I don’t understand exactly why God chose a cloud, but I think it is interesting to compare/contrast the image God chose to reveal Himself and the image the Hebrews chose when they crafted a god.

A golden calf if tangible. It is shiny (if polished). It can be physically carried from place to place. It is visible. It can be located (there it is). It is an image

A cloud is tangible, but it cannot be contained. When you walk through a thick fog, you can feel it, see it, but you can’t hold it. When you inhale while standing in a fog, you can smell and taste it and feel the mist fill your lungs. You can see it. It moves. It is real.

A pillar of fire also is visible and tangible, but also cannot be held or contained. It emits light and heat and power. It permeates and it is reflected and absorbed. It moves. It is real.

I think this helps teach us about the attributes of God. God is not imaginary or figurative, He is real. He is visible. He is tangible, but He cannot be contained or controlled by man. He is not limited to a specific place or time, but He moves. He is all around us and inside us as well. He protects us, shields us, shelters us and lights our path. God is a God of Wonders that still have never been seen by any nation or people on this earth!

My Answers:

9.
a.
the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle

b.
He dwelt among them

c.
Pentecost

d.
1 Cor 3:16 – Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (note: see also 16 Bible Verses about the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit)

10.
a.
Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle

b.
Some days I am to be in a leadership role and some days I am to be a servant in the church, one, like others, bowing down to God

13.3 Moses 13, Day 3

Within Tolerance

Moses was called on to inspect the work of the craftsmen. God had provided very exact standards in terms of measurement, materials, forms, function and structure. Moses was uniquely qualified to inspect the work. First, because he had heard the specifications first hand. Second, because he, and he alone, had been given a glimpse at the glory of God. While you and I may be enamored with the beauty of the craftsmanship, any handiwork would pale in comparison to the glory of God.

But, what if the craftsmanship was a little off? What if something was a quarter of a cubit short? What if the bronze was just a bit tarnished? What if one of the rods was a little too long? How big of a deal would it be, really? What level of tolerance to the standards was there?

What we see over and over and over again is the work was done “just as the Lord commanded.”

Do we apply this standard in the work we do for the Lord? There is a difference between being perfect and being exact. We are not perfect, no human but Jesus has been. But we can be exact. We can exactly honor the commitments we make to God. If we commit to give a certain amount, we should give exactly that amount (or more). If we commit to spend time in the bible every day, then that should be every day. Once we make that commitment will we immediately face trial and tribulation – Yes – but there are no new trials, just the same old ones that God has helped people overcome since the beginning of mankind.

The people of the church are the building blocks of the church. Each time we give ourselves an extra level of tolerance for inexactness, we cut a corner, slant an edge, or round an end. When others use our work or example to build upon (either with our intent or not), the structure of the church is weakened.

What should we do instead?

Pray and be patient before making commitments. Sometimes we do what we think and then pray for support.
Seek training. The craftsmen were skilled, but they still received training.
Execute exactness – not perfection, but exactness. Why would you give God less than your best work?
Ask God and fellow Christians to hold you accountable and to help your contribution to the church be square and level. When you seek this feedback and accountability it is not a criticism of you, it is a recognition that you want to delivery the best work you can.

Finally, our group got into a discussion about the tent of meeting. The term has 2 different meanings. First, there was the tent of meeting that Moses built outside of the camp where he would go and meet with God. In this regard, you and I may have a “tent of meeting”, a special place where we spend time with God in prayer or praise or study. This may be a place in your home or work, inside or outside. It’s purpose is not to constrain God, but to remove outside distractions. The second is the Tent of Meeting. I’ll call this Big-T Tent. This is the tent inside the tabernacle that contained the table, the lampstand, etc. and had the curtain separating a space in it as the Holy of Holies, the place where the Ark of the Covenant Law was placed. The priests were required to properly wash and prepare before entering this Big-T Tent.

My Answers:

6.
a.
Just as the Lord commanded

b.
Attention to detail – a loving heart for God

c.
Obedience and boldness

7.
a.
14 days before the passover – God announced that He would soon deliver the people from Egypt. This commitment by God was so important that He set it to be the date of the 1st day of their calendar.

b.
They had seen God’s faithfulness and that 1 year to the day He would pick to renew His covenant and live with them

8.
a.
The ark of the covenant law

b.
God’s presence is what made the tabernacle more than a tent

c.
God’s guidance and love

12.5 Moses 12, Day 5

God’s Jealousy

We often confuse jealousy and coveting and treat them as the same thing. They are not. Both have to do with being in possession of something. Coveting is wanting to take possession of something that belongs to someone else. Jealousy is wanting to retain possession of things that rightly belong to you but are at threat of being taken away.

Coveting is a sin. It violates the 10 commandments. Righteous jealousy is not a sin.

I use the term righteous jealousy because it assumes the item for which you are jealous rightly belongs to you. If you are in possession of something that rightly belongs to someone else, then desiring to retain possession of it isn’t jealousy, it is coveting and theft.

All of this is based on the item being held as valuable. No one, in their right mind, would covet or be jealous of a rock. It is immaterial, without value. But if the rock is a gemstone, then that changes.

And there in lies the precious gift of God’s jealousy for us. Everything belongs to God. He created the entire universe. All matter, anti-matter, time and space belong to God. But God looks at you and me, a collection of molecules and synapses, carbon and water, and He sees a precious gemstone. Every soul born as a human belonged to God before life entered their cells, even the free will that enables us to choose to turn away from God is from God, and He is jealous for us.

What an amazing blessing. You are a thing of beauty, of great wealth, precious, desired, something that God, who has everything, wants to possess because you rightly belong to Him. God is jealous for you! That should make your face shine with some radiance!

Write that fact on your mirror and look at it in the morning!

My Answers:

10.
a.
They had been forgiven for their wickedness and for breaking their covenant and commitment to do everything God had commanded

b.
I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you.

c.
Through the children I have helped teach. Through their ministry.

11.
a.
“A strong feeling of possessiveness, often caused by the possibility that something which belongs, or ought to belong, to one is about to be taken away.” Everything belongs to God, help comes from Him alone

b.
All of this is a prophecy and foreshadowing of the sins they would be tempted to commit in the future.

12.
a.
He was with God

b.
Because he had spoken with the Lord

c.
my face, heart and hands, my voice. my writing and actions all reflect God’s glory – (still a work in progress)

12.4 Moses 12, Day 4

God’s grace

God is eternal and knows everything. That doesn’t mean He just knows everything in the past, but He knows everything in the past, present and future. Not only that, but He is control of all of those events.

When we think of God’s grace, we think of it from a human view of time and events. The Israelite people messed up big time and Moses threw the tablets that God had written with His finger to the ground. We see the grace in the fact that God gives them a second chance and that he has Moses participate in the construction of the 2nd set of tablets.

But, here is the deal: God knew they were going to mess up and Moses was going to break the tablets and, yet, He gave Moses the first set of tablets anyway! That is true grace.

When you look at your life and the ways you have sinned and you wonder can God make anything out of me, remember, He knew before you were born you were going to commit all of those sins, but He gave you life anyway. He gave you life because of what He knows you can become and the way you can serve and honor Him and walk in a relationship with Him. His grace doesn’t start at the point of forgiveness, His grace in your life started before you were ever born.

My Answers:

8.
The law was to bind the people with God on a path to holiness – even as it was given, it was broken. God gave them another chance in grace

9.
a.
The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.

Remind me of God’s depth and power. His willingness to forgive, but His preservation of justice

b.
bowed to the ground at once and worshiped, asked for forgiveness for the people

c.
God is a person – not an idea or impersonal force, He has a mind and a will. He is willing to meet with me face to face and I should talk with Him every day and long for His presence

12.3 Moses 12, Day 3

God’s Glory

Have you ever traveled away from home for an extended period of time? Whether being separated by work, school or service, your heart tugs to connect with your loved ones. You can write letters, talk to them on the phone, even video conference with them, but it isn’t the same. You want to be physically in their presence. That isn’t a logic thing, but it is a heart thing.

Today we see Moses speaking to God from his heart. He isn’t asking for special honor, his heart is longing to be with God. He is homesick for a heavenly home that he doesn’t even know about, yet.

And, God does not turn him away or say no. Instead, God cautions him, but finds a way to provide the connection Moses seeks.

Moses can’t see God in all His glory. “God’s glory” is the sum total of all of His attributes. It is simply too much for a human to experience fully. Too much power. Too much presence. Too much eternity. Too much. But God doesn’t hide his glory from those who seek it, He reveals it Himself in measured ways – not to hide Himself back from us, but to give us the ability to experience Him.

Think of it this way. You are sitting in a totally dark room for several minutes, when all of a sudden someone flips on extremely powerful flood lights. What do you do? You squeeze your eyes shut and cover them with your hand. Did you long for the light? Do you want the light? Yes to both. Can you handle that much light? Not at that moment.

But each day we walk with God, we move farther out of the darkness and farther into the light. Each day God reveals more of His light to you if you continue to seek Him.

My Answers:

5.
a.
Teach me so that I may continue to know you and walk in the path you have divined for me

b.
earlier this year I asked God to show me how and to whom I should minister and in 2 weeks time he brought the leader of house churches in a communist country and dozens of foreign nationals to my house for a 5 hour lunch and prayer and praise meeting

c.
Remember that this nation is your people

d.
I pray for the children in our school program – their willing acceptance of God helps teach me how complicated I make things that are actually very simple

6.
Honors God’s servants, Honors God, Approaches God, Tries to reflect His glory, Tries not to be an enabler of others sin

7.
a.
A glimpse into Heaven

b.
I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you and proclaim my name, have mercy and compassion

c.
No one may see me and live

12.2 Moses 12, Day 2

Face to face, as one speaks to a friend

As Moses’ faith and understanding of God increased, he entered into a deeper personal relationship with God.

When Moses first encountered God, God was a voice in a burning bush. While that reveals parts of God’s character (especially in the way the bush burned but was not consumed). It is hard to have a relationship with a burning bush. God repeatedly talked with Moses during the plagues on Egypt. God was present in a cloud and pillar of fire leading them out of Egypt. He was present in the cloud descending on the mountain top.

But, in the tent of meeting God meets with Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. This may be a figurative description explaining the relationship they had formed or it may be a literal description. God has the ability to take on human form (Jesus Christ), and there are instances of the preincarnate Lord appearing to people.

But, here is the key thing to keep in mind. God didn’t change. Moses changed.

Moses has grown and matured from obedience, respect, honor, fear to love and longing and friendship and joy. He didn’t set those other things aside, they are still appropriate responses, but he has grown and matured.

Where are you in your relationship with God? Is He a distant being? Words in a book? Or is He real and substantial and someone he long to talk with every day as your best friend (BFF!)? If you aren’t there, yet, do you recognize that you are the one who needs to change? God is there already – He is waiting with open arms. He doesn’t just consider you to be a friend, you are family.

My Answers:

3.
a.
The people of Israel had chose to remove themselves from God’s presence when they worshiped the golden calf

b.
They inquired of the Lord, they honored Moses (rose and stood at their tent entrance), when saw cloud, stood and worshiped each at the entrance to their tent

4.
a.
God presented Himself to Moses in human form, not in His full heavenly glory

b.
Through Jesus He did and still does