Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Rest or Die

Exodus 31: 12-18

So God tells Moses that this whole honoring of the sabbath thing isn't optional. Work for six days and rest on the seventh. Violating this commandment is to result in death. Actually in one place it says that he who does work will be cut off from his people. That might be a literal cutting because twice in this series of verses it says that he will be put to death.

This is an interesting commandment- forced rest. You will relax! It's like force-feeding someone a banana split and threatening punishment if you don't enjoy the hot fudge.

It goes beyond the need for rest, although I think that that concept plays into it. God says that the sabbath is a holy day and is a sign between Himself and the Israelites commemorating the creation. It is a sacred day.

So- how do those concepts apply to us in a capitalistic, workaholic, go-go-go society (he asks typing from his office keyboard at 5:11 pm)? I think I work hard- but I get more than my share of rest- four months worth in fact. So getting enough isn't the issue- but does God expect a ritualistic day of rest. Is he mandating that Saturday we take it easy?

Is Sunday (the first day) our sabbath? If so, is working that day the wrong choice? If so, preachers beware- all sermons must stop.

I know that some of my apprehension regarding this issue comes from having a job which requires lots of on-duty Saturdays and Sundays. And even if I'm not on the road, I might be preparing lectures, editing speeches, or cutting literature. Maybe the issue for us isn't a mandated, uniform, everyone-take-a-day-off kind of day- but to treat days of rest as holy- to reverance God with rejuvenation- to honor Him by resting as He did.

If so, no sweat- I'm a great rester.

At the end of the chapter, God gives Moses the two tablets containing the testimony. I'm guessing it was a paranoid trip down the mountain with Moses afraid of dropping the tablets ala Mel Brooks and settling for the five commandments.

Monday, September 08, 2008

Oh Holy Ab...and Your Friend Too

Exodus 31: 1-11

So God tells Moses- I picked these two guys- Bezalel and Oholiab and I've blessed them with some talent which should help with all this construction I've been talking about.

He tells Moses, "I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship..." Oholiab has been appointed to help him. So the focus is really more on Bezalel than Oholiab- but it's harder to make a corny pun out of his name.

This is really interesting to me (the passage, not the pun). Bezalel is gifted with ability for handiwork with metals- and his skill comes from being filled with the Spirit of God. I'd be inclined to think that these were two very special instances except for what comes next:

Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you: the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent- the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand- and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place.

So- all this ability to create beauty- comes from being filled with the Spirit. Did they just wake up able to carve and create- or were they simply predisposed to excel in these endeavors after being trained? Did they resist it?

But dad... I really like math- I don't care about the arts.

Get your heads out of the clouds, kid, there's no future in science...but if you'd just apply yourself to the arts...

An army of Spirit-filled artists. That would make quite a forensics team. But all kidding aside, maybe that's what I have. And have had. Every year. People with a talent for creating beauty and poignancy in a world sometimes lacking in both. People who search for outlets to share and develop talents that began by being filled with the Spirit... often (always?) unknowingly.

The end result for me is to think of our talents, our inclinations, and our fortes not just as gifts from God (which is huge by itself... so my skills at track and the xylophone both come from God?) but as tools commissioned by God for His service.

What am I good at? Am I good at it because God filled me with His spirit and wants me to use it to praise Him? When I view my interests, my hobbies, and my leanings to things of an artisitc nature as service to God it changes not only my interest in producing art of quality but also the fervor and intensity with which I create and share that art.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Incense You're Already Making Things Smell Better...

Exodus 30: 34-38

Very short passage very similar to the last one.  Not only are they going into the perfume business- they are also to construct some holy incense.  They'll make it out of gum resin, onycha, galbanum , and pure frankinsence, all of my favorite ingredients.   Just like with the perfume, this is an exclusive smell, all rights reserved, no imitation, duplication or personal application even with the consent of major league baseball.  It is to be "salted, pure and sacred."

Here's the odd part.  It is also to be ground to powder and placed in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting.  So, pretty close to where things are covered with perfume.  My initial reaction is... yikes.  This is going to be like hanging out with the guy who wears way too much cologne.  Even if the smell is ok initially, it ends up overpowering and creating pain.  Perfume AND incense?  Just hope you have a head cold when you approach the tent.

But maybe... the incense is strategically placed far enough away that the smells don't meld.  Even then though, Aaron and his boys are mobile units of odor- so wherever they go they're bringing the perfume with them. 
 
Here's my theory, maybe God created an intricate recipe- he picked these ingredietns specifically knowing the combination of smells would be perfect- like adding a bassline or harmony vocals.  And what seems like a mess to the ignorant (in this case me) works out to create beauty, perfection, something sacred.

Bottom line- God's wisdom is a bit more advanced (note: understatement) than my own.





Friday, September 05, 2008

There Shall be Oil

Exodus 30: 22-33

The LORD tells Moses that he's to go into the perfuming business. He's to take some liquid myrrh, fragrant cinnamon, fragrant cane, some cassia, and some olive oil and mix it together (with specific amounts determined for each). This oil is to be taken and used to annoint "the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony, 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." So essentially the are to create a sacred smell.

Aaron and spawn are also to be annointed with it. The text makes a point of saying that all of these items (and Aaron's kin) are to be annointed AND consecrated. This is a tad puzzling to me- I would think that something would become consecrated by being annointed. Maybe the point here is they are to pour oil on it and treat it as sacred, pointing out desired behavior, not consecration methodology.

The most interesting part of the section to me comes in the admionition to not use this magic formula for any other purpose. This holy smell is strictly for these items and people. Don't try to profit from it. Keep it off of QVC, don't try to use it for purposes of seduction. This is a holy smell. Amazingly interesting. I think of language being holy- using words to praise or worship, I think of music and art as tools of signifying things as holy- hymns or paintings or sculpture- even architecture- but I don't think I've ever considered the olfactory as a venue for sacred expression. I can think of lots of smells that are much less than holy- but the thought of a perfume used only for God is amazing.

Folk singer Leonard Cohen has a song (Hallelujah) in which he references a secret chord that David played to please the Lord, and this has a smilar feel to it, a smell only for God. In fact in this case the smell is to be so exclusive that if you make a knock-off perfume, or wear the perfume when you shouldn't you are to be cut off from your people.

When annoionted, they are holy (as are the items) and anything that touches them becomes holy.

And from an unlikely source... perfume, God is praised.

Thursday, September 04, 2008

The Waterboys

Exodus 30: 17-21

Short passage today. God tells Moses to build a bronze basin and stand and put it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar. It's supposed to be filled with water. Aaron and spawn-of-Aaron are to wash their hands and feet when they enter the Tent of Meeting "so that they will not die." Same thing when they are serving to minister offerings by fire- wash or die. This is to be an ordinance for generations to come.

Interesting and odd. This seems to me to be about the need for purity when approaching God. When you're before Me wash your hands and feet...and maybe metaphorically it's a statement about the need for our own purity when we approach His throne. It's a little different for us. We don't have to go through the priest on holy days...we pray wherever, whenever the need strikes us. I don't think the application is to be sure you've got some handi-wipes nearby in case you feel the need to pray- it seems to me more about our lives being clean.

So...when I approach God with troubles, requests, petitions, moanings, etc- it's important that I'm being real with God-that my hands are clean. I don't think that necessarily means without sin- but that I'm not hiding my sin from God. I'm not pretending that everything's hunky dory while I'm living a life that's making my hands grimy and my feet stink. I'm working to clean myself up- recognizing that without God's help the dirt won't come out from under my nails.

It's also interesting that they weren't required to totally bathe- just wash their hands and feet. I think this may suggest several things (or maybe a few of these several things).

First- this may be an issue of practicality. Maybe God didn't want his priests stripping down for a full-fledged cleaning outside of the Tent of Meeting. It may have made for an unwanted spectacle.

Second- It may suggest some of what's written above (on this blog, not in heaven). Maybe the point is that when we work to wash our hands and feet- God takes care of the rest (metaphorically...please continue to shower on a regular basis). Simply put- we work to straighten our lives up- and when we try- God covers the rest with His grace.

Third- Maybe it says something about the nature of how God views our hands and feet. Since these are tools we would use to carry out work for Him (and in practice for others) God wants to make a statement about the way we view that work...it's holy- it's for Him- treat it with respect.

Fourth- Maybe this is foreshadowing baptism. Before you're fit to approach and serve, your imperfections (dirt, filth) are washed away. They probably wouldn't have gotten it- but it could be pointing toward Jesus. Not specifically about hands and feet but still regarding the need for washing.

Fifth- Aaron's kin generally smelled bad.

Regardless of why the washing was commanded, it's likely that they were without anti-bacterial soap.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Brother, Can You Spare Half a Shekel
Exodus 30:11-16
When it gets to be census time, every Israelite aged 20 or older is to pay a ransom to the LORD- one half shekel. Apparently paying this levy will ensure they avoid any plagues from visiting them. Being a people whose history witnessed some pretty serious plagues, this would be a pretty good incentive to part with a little spending drachma.
This seems like it would have been less than fun for the census-taker. I did a little census work some time back and I met some interesting folks including a professional "chicken chaser" and someone else who wanted to buy my car. He was concerned that there was a governmental conspiracy involving people sneaking over at night and moving the property lines of his home...or something equally odd. I think the census process would have been even more challenging if the collection of money was involved.
I don't know how significant a sacrifice this would have been. I'm not sure if a half shekel was the price of a can of diet-camel dew or a down-payment on a Dodge Ram, but either way, the payment was standard for everyone.
Moses makes a point of signifying the rich are not to pay more and the poor are not to pay less. Initially my reaction to this statement is to apply it to contemporary tax policy. Does that mean that a flat tax is somehow a more just governmental tool? Maybe the key to this policy comes in to what this money is for. I've used the terms "levy" and "tax" but I don't think that those terms are appropriate for what really is going on there. This is an atonement offereing- I can't make an offering for you any more than I can repent for you- this is about showing God appreciation for sparing lives, and each individual was required to show an individual appreciation...a half-shekel's worth.
I'm not sure about how often this happened. They may have paid annually- or just once when they turned twenty but either way the money went toward the service of the Tent of Meeting. This was to be a memorial making atonement for their lives. Seems like a pretty good deal