A Work in Progress….

Exodus 30:22-24 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant calamus, 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. 

As I was reading today’s verses, the phrase “an aroma pleasing to God” came to mind, and I am reminded of how important the sense of smell is just in the normal everyday sense. A setting can be as beautiful as anything you’ve ever seen, but if it stinks (think rotting fish, for instance), the beauty of the scene is completely lost. 

Exodus 30:25 Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. 

Similarly, I can make my life look as pleasing and as perfect as I want, but if the substance is rotten underneath, the aroma will not be pleasing to God. Don’t confuse this with a stinky attitude–those aren’t fun and aren’t great, but they also aren’t systemic. A stinky attitude is a temporary problem. A rotten core is a much bigger issue.

Exodus 30:26-28 Then use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law, the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that You care not only about what’s on the surface but also what’s underneath. You want my life to offer a pleasing aroma to You that can only come from a heart that reaches for You daily. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 30:29 You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 30:17-18 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 

Exodus was written following the Israelites exodus from Egypt. For 400 years, they had been immersed in Egyptian gods and habits. God was reestablishing His presence and importance to a people who didn’t know Him as the only One, who were used to the practices of the Egyptians. 

Exodus 30:19 Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. 

I think the formality and ceremony was a part of that reestablishment, to put habits into place about how to worship God properly and reverently. I am thankful, though, that for me, I can see Jesus everywhere–in the sunrise, in the lapping of the ocean waves, in devotionals written by both people and AI. Jesus is with me, and all I have to do is look to see Him everywhere.

Exodus 30:20 Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord, 

Precious Savior, Thank You for who You are and who You are to me. Thank You that I do not have to stand on ceremony to see Your presence, to worship You, to talk to You. Thank You for showing that You are with me in myriad ways every day. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 30:21 they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 30:9 Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. 

This morning, a small group of us celebrated Easter Sunday services just after sunrise on the porch of a beach house. It’s a tradition for this crew, and Jesus is just as present with us on the porch as He is at every sunrise service held in cemeteries and sanctuaries all around. 

Exodus 30:10 Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the Lord.”

That, to me, is the beauty of God, of Jesus, of my relationship with the Trinity. We no longer have to have these rigid, specific ceremonies and sacrifices. God is with us, always. Jesus is with us, always–on the mountain tops, in the valleys, in cemeteries and churches and on the porch at the beach. He is risen. He is risen indeed. 

Exodus 30:11-12a  Then the Lord said to Moses, “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. 

Precious Savior, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. Hallelujah, You are risen. Amen.

Exodus 30:12b Then no plague will come on them when you number them.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 30:1 “Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. 

Holy Father, Today is Good Friday, the day of Your death for my sins. It ends in darkness and silence “as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.” Be with us in the silence and the darkness of grief and uncertainty as only You can.

Exodus 30:2 It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high—its horns of one piece with it. 

Dearest Lord, “It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming” is a powerful refrain these days–sermons, songs, lots of reminders that Your death on Good Friday is not the end, that Sunday is coming, hope is coming, resurrection and restoration are coming. Help us, no matter what we are going through, to hold on to Your hope.

Exodus 30:3 Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for who You are and who You are to me. Thank You for the example of love, grace, and compassion You have for us on this Good Friday. Help us to love others as powerfully and completely as you do. Help us, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 30:4 Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 29:43 there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.

The end of this chapter revealed an important element to all of this planning, preparing, and consecrating. As commentary puts it, “what we do is remove barriers and spend time with the focus on Him.” All of the preparation, all of the work, it’s as much to prepare US as it is to prepare FOR Him. 

Exodus 29:44 “So I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 

As I think about it, while my preparation looks completely different, I still prepare for Him each morning. I make my coffee, read my daily reflection, read the scripture, read the commentary, ponder, write. All of that preparation “removes the barriers” so that I can more clearly “focus on Him.”

Exodus 29:45 Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for this clarity today. I have been struggling mightily with these last few chapters, with the minutiae and the bloodiness. Thank You for clarity and understanding today that it’s about removing barriers so I can better focus on You. Help me to do that every day. Amen.

Exodus 29:46 They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 29:39 Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight. 

Verse 42 carries the important bit in this long list of “do this, do this, do this, do this”: “There I will meet you and speak to you.” THIS is what it is all about–all the sacrifices, all the specifics, all the minutiae is so that God will meet us and speak to us.  

Exodus 29:40 With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering. 

He wants that relationship. He wants us to want that relationship. He won’t force it, and He’s pretty specific about the requirements (though Jesus eased those tremendously), but God wants relationship with us. He wants to meet us and speak with us daily. 

Exodus 29:41 Sacrifice the other lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and its drink offering as in the morning—a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord.

Precious Savior, Help me to never lose sight of what a gift it is that You want relationship with me. Help me to nurture that relationship daily, to sit with You, meet with You, speak with You every single day. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 29:42 “For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the tent of meeting, before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you;

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 29:35 “Do for Aaron and his sons everything I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. 

Being a priest, especially during the time of Exodus, was clearly serious business. The work was hard, physical, bloody, and neverending it seems. Commentary says the priests had to be careful not to “give up attending the means of grace as hearers, because they have so much to do as workers.”

Exodus 29:36 Sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. 

As someone who spent decades in the classroom, I get it, at least on some level. It is so easy to get so caught up in all that has to be done that you miss the simple joy of doing it. I can imagine that was even easier for the priests of this time to miss the joy and awe of their position.

Exodus 29:37 For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the joy of my salvation. Thank You for smoothing the path from me to God. Thank You for the myriad joys that surround us daily. Help us never to be so busy, so focused, that we miss the beauty of this life You have given us. Amen.

Exodus 29:38 “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 29:31 “Take the ram for the ordination and cook the meat in a sacred place. 

The priests have been hallowed for God; therefore, they may eat “these offerings by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration” (v33). No one else can because they are not hallowed, sacred. 

Exodus 29:32 At the entrance to the tent of meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket. 

It reminds me a bit of a Catholic mass. The priest and communion helpers are hallowed to serve, and the bread and wine are consecrated. Before the consecration, it’s just wafers and wine. After the consecration, it’s the body and blood of Christ, and if there are leftovers, you can’t just throw them down the sink or in the trash.

Exodus 29:33 They are to eat these offerings by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But no one else may eat them, because they are sacred. 

Precious Savior, There is more than one way to be set aside for You, hallowed for You. And You are present in so many more things than just official consecration ceremonies. You are all around us. And You can always use us to shine Your light. Help me shine for You always, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 29:34 And if any of the meat of the ordination ram or any bread is left over till morning, burn it up. It must not be eaten, because it is sacred.

Have a blessed day.