And If There Are Any Animals Left...

Leviticus 4- 5:13

Sin offerings aplenty in this section. God spells out several contingencies regarding his people and sin.

First- if the priest sins - bringing guilt on the people- he brings a young bull to be sacrificed. He is to slaughter it as the other sacrifices, take the blood into of the tent of meeting, put his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of it in front of the curtain of the sanctuary seven times. Then some blood goes on the horns on the altar of fragrant incense. The rest of the blood gets dumped in front of the altar of burnt offering over at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Then the fat gets stripped off as before and gets burned on the altar, the rest of the bull gets taken outside of the camp, to somewhere ceremonially clean and burned in a woodfire on an ash heap.

It's interesting that the sin of the priest can bring guilt on the people. Is this if they instruct them incorrectly and cause them to do things God disapproves of? Does this mean that these priests are held to a higher standard? Does this mean that the priests had to answer to the people for his actions on a regular basis... hey Aaron, watch your step- your sin makes me guilty too...

Second, if the whole community sins they bring a young bull before the tent of meeting. The elders lay their hands on the bull's head and these same steps are taken. Slaughter, sprinkling, fat burning, flesh disposing.

What kind of sin involves the whole community? A lynching? The golden calf? How does an entire community seek forgiveness as a unit. It's certainly an interesting concept, but pragmatically it seems a little difficult to come to fruition.

Third, if a leader sins, he brings a defect-free goat, he slaughters it, blood goes on the horns, and the fat gets burned. These actions are similar to the last two- but just a little less involved. Is God making a statement about the severity of this sin compared to others? Is Moses just getting lazy or bored relaying detail?

Fourth, if a member of the community sins, he brings a lamb or female goat and follows the same pattern as the leader.

In all instances, it is stressed that these are for sins committed unknowingly. This unknowing sin idea is interesting. How often is sin an instance of a lack of knowledge? Certainly those things do exist- but it seems that sin is more often an act of rebellion. I know better, but I do it anyway. Not even slaughtering an animal seems to help in those instances.

Perhaps in a culture that depends on oral tradition, surely highly illiterate, without much written or accessible, the unknown sin would have been more common. But there's something odd to me about taking someone without general knowledge of God's will and penalizing their error with intricate sacrifice instructions. It all seems a bit harsh.

The last bit seems to deal with miscellaneous sin contexts. For one, if a public charge is made, and you have information about it and keep it to yourself, you are guilty.

My first thought is that this is a good way to get people to turn on each other- and to not share their foibles and weaknesses. But perhaps this is an attempt to prevent the wrong person from being condemned.

If you touch something unclean- carcasses of unclean wild animals, farm animals or animals that crawl on the ground- you are guilty. So if your animal dies, let it rot where it is, because touching it is a sin? Well the cow died, I guess we have to move so we don't touch it accidentally.

If you accidentally touch human uncleanness you are guilty.

If you thoughtlessly take an oath- good or evil...guilty. It doesn't say if you fail to fulfill it- just taking a flippant oath is sin. But maybe the implication is that if you take it flippantly, you won't fulfill it.

If you do any of these things, you have to confess it and bring a female goat or lamb to the priest.

There are provisions made for the poor. If you can't afford to bring a goat or lamb- you can bring two doves or young pigeons. The first is a sin offering, the priest wrings its neck without severing it, sprinkles some blood on the side of the altar and drains the rest. The other is for a burnt offering. Once this happens the sinner is forgiven.

If the birds are out of the sinner's price range, he can bring two quarts of flour or so for a sin offering. Since it is a sin offering, there is to be no oil or incense mixed in. The priest takes a handful of it and puts it on top of another offering and burns it. The rest of the flour becomes the property of the priest.

This strikes me as an intense system to live in. I can see where people would develop severe obsessive compulsiveness. I would live in a constant state of paranoia that I'd sinned ( I mean I pretty much do in our grace based system , I can't imagine having to go through this process- I wouldn't do anything all day besides kill animals).

Ultimately, even in this burdensome system, forgiveness exists. It comes with a lot of work, but it does come. And I really like the notion that forgiveness is not only for the rich- provision is made for the poor, too.

Ultimately, I'd never be rich enough to survive as an Israelite. The ability to live day-to-day in such an environment eludes me.

And to realize that Jesus' gift covers all of these sacrifices makes our era of grace even more amazing.

Fat-Free Offerings

Leviticus 3

This chapter spells out the specifics of offering "fellowship offerings." The most significant piece of information missing from the directions is what exactly fellowship offerings are. A wild guess is simply an offering showing a desire to be close to God- showing goodwill and kinship to the one receiving the sacrifice. But that's a stab in the dark- there's not much here to spell it out.

These fellowhip offerings follow the same format as the offerings mentioned back in chapter one with a few exceptions- or at the very least extra detail. If the animal is from the herd, after the slaughter and blood sprinkling they are to take all the fat that covers or is connected to "the inner parts" and the liver covering and the kidneys and this is what gets burned.

If the animal is from the flock it is to be a male or female without defect. The slaughter of the lamb is the same as before except this time all the fat gets chopped off too- at least the tail, fat that covers the inner parts, both kidneys and the liver covering. A goat works the same way except no tail. Jana says goat tails aren't very long- this could be the reason for the omission.

Finally this ordinance goes to generations to come- wherever they live- don't eat fat or blood.

That sounds like a healthy choice but not a very fun one. I'm guessing a juicy steak, medium rare from Outback with really flavor-filled fat would have been right out. And not only would the Israelites have missed out on some good food- logistically, this complicates things. Food becomes harder to prepare. And if food preparation becomes a matter of faith and law rather than one of preference, the pressure of getting it right has to increase too.

But why these specifications? Is God trying to keep His people healthier? Is he stressing the sanctity of blood? It's for healing not for eating. Is he teaching them discipline?

Think about trying to avoid blood and fat in your diets today? How can you be sure that no blood is in your meat? You can get it cooked well-done, but does that get it all out? Wouldn't it require that the blood be drained a certain way? If you didn't do the draining, how can you know? Is God trying to teach them to be self-reliant? Kill your own food. Drain your own meat.

Let's not even get into eating no fat. Good luck. And sad days.

Are these laws even worth bothering with in our culture? I'm not Jewish, but later on blood is still a sacred emblem. But later on the rules change regarding what can be eaten. It's still a little fuzzy.

I suspect a theme of this book is going to be...good luck, you can't do it. There are so many specifics to keep up with that even if you memorized the law, it would be impossible to keep it all straight. Maybe, once again, it's all pointing back to the need for grace- the acceptance that you can't do it without Jesus.

Hold the Yeast, Extra Salt

Leviticus 2

In case you're not an animal lover, or a lover of animal slaughtering- God also gives instruction for grain saccrifices.

First off, the offering is to be of flour with oil and incense added. The offerer takes it to the priest who burns it as a "memorial portion". The priest burns a handful of it and can keep the rest for Aaron and his sons.

If the grain offering is baked in an oven, it still must be of fine flour- but can take the form of "cakes made without yeast and mixed with oil, or wafers made without yeast and spread with oil." If it's made on a griddle, it's got to be flour mixed with oil without yeast. The offerer should crumble it and pur oil on it. If it's made in a pan it should still be fine flour mixed with oil.

In all of these instances, a portion is burned and Aaron and Sons get the rest.

The theme seems to be no yeast- in fact no yeast or honey is to be part of any burnt offering. They can be brought as an offering, but not burned. They are also instructed that the offerings are to be seasoned with salt. They are told: "Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings..."

If the offering is a grain offering of firstfruits, they are to"offer crushed heads of new grain roasted in the fire" with oil and incense added in. The priest will burn the memorial portion.

The best I can tell, there are two kinds of offerings being made here- since the last section distinguishes between regular grain offerings and offerings of firstfruits. I'm not sure if one is atonement for sin and the other is more like a tithe- or what. I tend to doubt it since no blood is involved and that seems to be a central element for sin atonement. If anyone has any insight, I'm all ears.

What I find interesting here is the specification God makes regarding the different sacrifices. It's almost like going to dinner with Sally- if I can't get Thousand Island on the side, than I'll have French dressing, but only if it's made here, if it's not I'll just have the soup of the day, but then only if...

My point is that it seems like God really knows what He likes, and the sacrifices aren't just something made up to give the Israelites some hoops to jump through. He wants these specific things done at least in part because, He likes the way they smell. He's not a fan of honey, He likes salt (although it seems as if this may be a metaphorical reminder of something I'm missisng). But He gets joy from the outcome.

If you want to please Me, give Me what I like. I think it could be easy to take a legalistic message away from this chapter. God has spelled it out pretty specifically for them. But maybe the key is that in this context, detail matters. I like my double cheeseburgers plain and dry- and I'm sure to order them that way, because if a pickle was anywhere near it, I'm not touching it. God cares about these aromas, He wants to enjoy them- so He spells it out. If He didn't care, He wouldn't offer such detail.

It's also interesting that even though He doesn't want any yeast, He's okay with it being offered as long as it isn't burned. He doesn't impose these preferences on His followers. If Aaron's family wants to eat yeast (at least from these offering)s, that's cool- just don't burn them with My stuff.

It's an obvious but important conclusion that our sacrifices aren't simply ways of passing a test. Not just hoops to jump through- but ways of accomplishing things that bring God joy. Ways of creating what's described in this chapter multiple times as "an aroma pleasing to the LORD."

Old-School Cookouts

Leviticus 1

So God calls Moses from the tent of meeting and gives him specific instructions for the Israelites regarding burnt offerings. First off they have to come from the herd or the flock. These words seem to be the same to me- get my shoes from the bedroom, or the room that has the bed- but contextually it seems to simply be an indicator of what kind of animal is to be sacrificed: bulls vs. sheep, goats or birds.

This sacrifice involves more than just giving blemish-free animals from your private collection- in fact that seems like the easy part. The slaughter of these animals is to be very a much a hands-on experience.

Aaron's sons are their for assistance, but their capacity seems to be more in the line of being grill-masters- the killin' is up to the former owner of the animal being offered. For bulls, he's to place his hand on the bull's head to atone for his (the man, not the bull's) sin and then slaughter him in front of the priests. Aaron's sons sprinkle the blood on the altar and on all sides of the entrance to the tent of meeting. After killing it, he has to skin it and cut it into pieces. In short, they are to make the tent of meeting resemble the set of a Roger Corman film.

Aaron's sons arrange the meat on the altar after putting wood and fire on it. They even cook the head and the fat. The offerer also has to wash the inner parts and legs with water.

If it's a sheep or goat (from the flock)- they still slaughter it but by the north end of the altar. The sprinkling, meat arranging and washing all still happen.

Finally if it's a bird, it has to be a dove or young pigeon. For some reason, the priest seems to have a much more violent role in these circumstances. The priest brings the bird to the altar, wrings its head off and burns it on the altar. The blood is to be drained beside the altar. He (not sure if this is the offerer or the priest) is to remove the feathers and put them with the ashes on the east side of the altar, rip the bird open by the wings- but not sever it completely- and burn it on the altar.

In all instances, the final product is described this way: "It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD."

What strikes me as important here is the involvement in the process of sacrifice. The Israelites couldn't just write a check and feel absolved- it took getting their hands dirty, in ways that I don't know I could have handled. Obviously there are some pretty serious cultural differencs between then and now, and there and here- but I don't know if I have it in me to do what these folks had to do. I'd have had to find a way, but my strengths and my comfort zones would have been left far behind. For these folks, it took doing things that would have been unpleasant and messy and smelly and expensive. It shows how serious the idea of sin is to God- but it might also show that he expects us to invest ourselves in His service, not just our bankbooks.

That's tough. And often puzzling. I know how to send money to a disaster relief fund- I know how to reach in my wallet to help the guy on the side of the road who's down on his luck. And those things are important- but I don't know how to rebuild the house of the victim of the flood- and I don't know how to help get someone off the street. But perhaps this struggle, if taken seriously- this dirtying of our hands and involvement in our sacrifices makes us people who greater appreciate the grace we've been given and the blessings offered.

I Had Some Dreams There Were Clouds in My Tabernacle

Exodus 40: 34-38

Apparently God was pleased with the finished product- His glory filled up the tabernacle. As a result, Moses couldn't enter it. I'm guessing this has more to do with the power of God than the girth of the glory.

The form of the glory was a cloud. When the cloud covered the taberacle, it was a sign that they weren't to travel that day. They would look to the tabernacle every day- if the cloud hovered, they stayed put- if the cloud had lifted, they set out.

By day the cloud would cover the tabernacle and at night the cloud would encompass fire in sight of the Israelites.

What strikes me here is that God was close enough to His people that they could literally see His presence. In a sense we can too. The glories of nature, the beauty of kindness, the majesty of art- but these are byproducts, or perhaps even metaphors. The Israelites actually SAW God's presence. He's in the cloud! He's right here with us! Fear not!

I wonder if there were doubters there too- how do we know that this cloud is God? It's a cloud- it's just smog. Would a sign like this increase faith- or simply make our doubt less excusable?

We have no cloud- well we do, but not like that cloud. But may God still be our gage to move or stay put.

Some Assembly Required

Exodus 40: 1-33

So the tabernacle is ready. The workers are done and God tells Moses to set it all up. It's like we've been reading a behind the scenes at IKEA account and now the shipment has arrived and Moses has to put it all together, that's, of course, if IKEA made fancy, golden stuff.

God tells Moses that on the first day of the first month he's to begin putting it all together. He's to set up the tabernacle, put the ark of the testimony inside it, and shield the ark with the curtain. He's to set up the table- and everything that goes on it. He's to set up the lamps on the lampstand that he's to bring inside. He has lots of other detailed things to deal with too- the gold altar of incense, the altar of burnt offerings, the basin (and water for it), the courtyard, and lots of curtain arranging.

Moses is then to annoint the tabernacle and everything in it, making it all holy. The altar of burnt offerings will be "most holy." He's to bring Aaron and sons to the entrance and wash them, dress Aaron in sacred garments, annoint him and consecrate him (which seems redundant? Unless one is the action and the other is something spoken?) and then Aaron will serve as priest.

Repeat process for Aaron Jr.'s, "(15)Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue for all generations to come". This strikes me as both interesting and odd. ALL generations to come? Where are they now? Is God suggesting that their annointing begins the line that ends with Jesus who is still our high priest? I'm guessing that isn't how they interpreted it then, but if it's not pointing to Jesus, I'm not sure what to make of it.

We get lots of detail about Moses finishing up the assembly of it all. And this was apparently how he celebrated New Year's Day- year two.

Does Moses do this by himself? God tells Moses to do it and it says that he did. Is their something about the sanctity of what's being done that excludes everyone else and only Moses is involved? Is it too avoid a "too many cooks" scenario? Or is it just that God told Moses and he orchestrated it, ran the show, saw that it got done?

I think it's pretty cool that they refer to the opening of the tabernacle as the second year. It's obviously been more than a year since it all began back in Genesis- it's like they're starting over. Are they counting time from when Moses came back down the mountain. Are they saying, the passing of this law is significant enough that we're measuring the future from that moment? We've really been following You for this long...

Kind of makes the idea of birthdates and being "born again" something interesting to ponder too. I'm 37, but I haven't marked time from the day I was baptized, or the day I decided to stop messing up, or the next day I decided to stop messing up, or the next day I decided...

But maybe this small detail shows how significant their devotion was. OK, it's not practical to count time from your baptism date (if you were an adult when it happened)- it's not very helpful to doctors, the DMV, the guy selling cigarettes, etc., but theoretically it's cool to consider yourself only so old based on your second life.

Or maybe that was just an odd translation. In which case, never mind.

Going Mobile

Exodus 39: 32-43

So the tabernacle is completed, and as we've observed ad nauseum they did all that the Lord commanded them. When they finished, they brought it to Moses for final approval.

I'm not sure why Moses didn't come to it- it seems like that would have been a much simpler proposition. But he didn't, and they brought it to him and he approved their work and blessed them.

It seems like quite a bit of responsibility to be the person to declare the tabernacle good enough for God. Did Moses feel pressure to inspect every inch, break out the tape measure, weigh the gold, compare color hues? Or was this more of a ceremonial way of declaring the end of the work they had done?

Either way, he issued blessings and the people could consider their work completed. It must have been an amazing feeling of relief and pride in the completion of such a project. And they were probably a closer community as a result of their efforts.

Purple Pomegranates

Exodus 39: 22-31

So remember our discussion about holy robes and ornamental pomegranates? Didn't think so...http://chiphall.blogspot.com/2008/06/holy-underwear-exodus-28-31-43-and-now.html.

They make the robes and headbands and undergarments which makes me think that observing Aaron and his family would look very much like an episode of "Kung Fu" or maybe like Will Ferrell in "Semi-Pro".

Finally, they made the plate and engraved "HOLY TO THE LORD" on it. And of the detail given here, this is the point that seems the most important. Despite the oddness of the attire, especially out of the context of their culture, ultimately all their work was to proclaim God's holiness. It was a form of worship.

And our labor, no matter our specific skill, can have the same purpose. With or without headbands.

Dressing up the White Meat

Exodus 39:8-21

These blog entries are falling into an unfortunate pattern. Open with moderately pretentious commentary about the boring nature of the passage- and complain that it's material already covered earlier. Post link to earlier blog entry: http://chiphall.blogspot.com/2008/05/other-things-to-not-wear-on-red-carpet.html

Make a few semi-related comments about the retread and try to not simply repeat the info found on the link.

One thing I notice here that strikes me different is that this garment seems more like a dressy vest and less like warrior garb than I had originally thought. No application or point, just an observation.

It sure must have been purty.

Close with some application.

The detail spelled out seems silly to me. Why do all these things need to be just so? Couldn't time and energy of these Israelites been better served doing something more important like feeding the hungry or defending the weak?

Ultimately I think this is still part of the major contrast between the testaments. Outward, lavish, burdensome law versus inward, grace-filled, service.

Homemade Bling

Exodus 39:2-7

And the reruns continue. If you don't remember our previous ephod discussion, you can catch it here: http://chiphall.blogspot.com/2008/02/men-in-aprons-exodus-28-6-14-next-comes.html

In case you've forgotten (I had) an ephod is an apron-like article of clothing that holds the breastplate- or something like that. The Israelites follow through and make it.

I'm struck again, as I was during the first telling by the representation of the tribes as a memorial. Not just Levi, not just a few, but all twelve tribes- each important for different reasons.

Just like the individuals doing the work here. Different skills, different circumstances, different tribes, different heritages- but collectively, like the tribes all working toward glorifying God.

All these years later, we form His body the same way. Different walks, different scars, different skills- but all important, all of use, all recipients of His love.

Another Exodus Yarn

Exodus 39:1

Double whammy... first it's another one verse section. Second, it's something already discussed several chapters back. Here's the original discussion: http://chiphall.blogspot.com/2007/12/lookin-good-exodus-28-1-5-so-god-has.html

So all we learn here is they made ministering garments out of purple, scarlet and blue yarn- and they made sacred garments for Aaron.

Aaron's role seems steeped in importance. Even his clothes are holy. It seems like much of the ornate attitude certain religious cultures have toward priestly attire could come from passages like this one. Aaron would have been macking something serious in his priestly garb.

Somehow, I can't picture Jesus ministering in this same kind of outfit. The man who didn't have somewhere to lay his head probably didn't sport fancy duds when he interacted with the poor and down-trodden. Seems like another contrast between the outwardness of the old law and the inwardness of what's to come.

So in short- clothe that inner man with purple yarn... or at least let the focus of your grooming be on the inside.

Heavy Metal

Exodus 38: 21-31

This section is a summary of the material needed to complete the tasks we've been pouring over the last several chapters. Lest you think you can relate to these workers because one time you added a deck to the back of your house- consider this:

There was a little over a ton of gold donated for this work. The community gave about three and three fourths tons of silver to use. Just the silver for the hooks alone weighed 45 pounds. They also pulled in two and a half tons of bronze.

Not just your average trip to Home Depot.

While pouring over the boring specifics, it's easy to lose sight of what a huge undertaking this was. It must have taken not only skilled laborers and skilled craftsmen, but certainly people well-skilled management-wise, keeping everyone working together and productively.

A volunteer force working as a unit for a common goal and doing amazing thing...sounds like a great blueprint for what God expects the church to be too.

Supreme Court

Exodus 38:9-20

So, here we are again. Another Exodus retelling of an incident that was pretty boring to begin with. The courtyard is built. You can read the earlier discussion here: http://chiphall.blogspot.com/2007/11/curing-insomnia-exodus-279-19-warning.html.

Lots of bronze, lots of linen, lots of yawning.

I am struck though, by the importance of work here that might not be the most thrilling. Menial, tedious, sweaty- work that would be great to pawn off on someone else to free me up to work on things more important. Besides my strong inepitude regarding most physical labor, I also harbor a deep-seated desire to avoid it... and with that desire comes great skill.

I would not have been the man chosen to head up this project. And I wouldn't have felt slighted by not being chosen. But maybe it says something that these people complete job after job, measuring posts and meeting specifications.

Granted, there was probably an artistic side of this endeavor that those in "the trade" might have reveled in, but I'm guessing there were folks there too who took part not because of the thrill of the work- but because of the desire to please the one who commissioned them in the first place.

Even when the work is less than glamorous, dull, or seems like it is beneath me (which is another issue)- perhaps remembering who the work is for can inspire dedication and focus. Even for someone who thinks a jigsaw is a puzzle.

Less is Less

Exodus 38:8

I'm not sure why the fine folks who worked on the NIV determined that Exodus 38:8 warranted an entire heading all by its self. But they did. So here we are. The verse reads: ⁸ They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

Yeah.

So what to take from this? Well these same women who I guess worked to help with washing and preparing for sacrifices and perhaps getting Aaron's family's garments ready- also gave up their mirrors- bronze mirrors no less to create the basin and stand. And while much has been stressed about the sacrifice of the craftsmen and artisans- here we see less skilled people (perhaps?) giving what they had to offer. They couldn't create the basin and stand themselves...but they could wash, and prepare, and give where supplies were lacking.

Every part contributing to the whole.

Not much... but what do you want from one verse?

Re-Altared

Exodus 38:1-7

Still bored? Yep, me too.

Another fulfillment of things we've already read about... in detail. Here's the original mini-discussion: http://chiphall.blogspot.com/2007/11/strange-fire-place-exodus-27-1-8-now.html

Even the first time it wasn't too riveting.

So they built the altar- a square about 4 1/2 feet on each side and about 7 1/2 feet high. They made utensils, rings and poles.

Do you think Moses got bored writing this?

Redundant:  See Redundant

Exodus 37:25-29

When Robin Williams wrote that joke, he may have been reading Exodus.  I'm looking forward to Leviticus- you don't hear that sentence very often.  This passage talks about the building of the altar of incense.  If you'd like a refresher on our previous discussion the first time Moses went through these details (and why wouldn't you?) you can look here:  http://chiphall.blogspot.com/2008/08/days-before-deodorant-exodus-30-1-10-so.html

I wonder when these craftsmen were plying their trade if they realized just what they were doing. Granted they knew the construction side of things, but did they get why God was having them create the various altars and edifices?  

And what must it have been like for the perfumer to work for God?  Did he feel a fulfillment in his job that he never had before?  Was it a great marketing tool?  Smell like God's official altar...yes, I'm that perfumer!  Was it just another day at the office?

Those are moments to savor- when the work you do every day is obviously praising God.  A doctor saves a life, a musician creates a work of majestic beauty, a libraian inspires literacy, or a dj comforts a distraught soul with a request played.  Some moments ring of importance, some are subtle, but when our work touches others in life changing ways, then maybe we become that perfumer seeing the value in the beauty we create.

Shine a Light

Exodus 37:17-24

It's passages like these that give the Old Testament a bad name.  It really is beyond me why we need so much repetition here at the end of Exodus... but like it or not, we're getting it.  So, the lampstand and lamps are built.  We discussed plans for them here:  http://chiphall.blogspot.com/2007/11/hide-it-under-bushel-no-exodus-2531-40.html

My reaction to all of this gold is one of curiosity.  I kind of feel like Judas claimed to when the woman poured the ointment on Jesus' feet... it seems like 75 pounds of gold could feed lots of people and wouldn't that glorify God more than a golden lampstand?  Maybe it says a lot about how already took care of the poor, maybe it says a lot about the lack of material "necessity" in that culture, maybe it speaks to a greater equality in wealth-sharing, maybe it shows that at times God likes extravegance in His honor- but for whatever reason... 75 pounds of gold goes to create this lampstand.

Litle by little, God's plans for his "house" are coming together.

Midas Touch

Exodus 37:10-16

We're still in reruns...or maybe in this section it would be appropriate to say we're revisiting golden oldies. You can find our original discussion on the golden table here: http://chiphall.blogspot.com/2007/11/tabled-discussion-exodus-25-23-30.html . It wasn't too interesting the first time.


Not much new to add. God gave them specifications...and it looks like they did it.

Now this is all being made from items freely donated by the Israelites. I wonder if this gave them an added connection to the finished product. Look Jimmy, grandpa's gold watch went into this table, you can still hear it ticking. Well, I can't chew my food because I don't have any fillings left, but that table is majestic.

And if so, maybe we should have that same connection to what's done with our "golden offerings." Instead of a blind sense of satisfaction, maybe we should take more specific interests in the lives of those who are impacted by what we give.

Author Shane Claiborne downplays the role of charity because it separates the classes of people involved. If I have money, I give, I get rid of my guilt, but I never become involved in the lives of the needy. He advocates becoming one of the needy- being connected with where our help goes.

I still think charity is important. But I think that the idea of becoming involved in the lives of those who you impact is powerful and important. I've strayed a bit from the golden table here - but maybe in the same way an Israelite might feel more connected to a table made for God because of the role they played in it being built, I might feel more connected to people all over the world if I not only help them...but am invested in the finished product.

Arkane Discussion

Exodus 37:1-9

Really short section without much new. If you recall, we earlier discussed detail about the construction of the ark. If you don't recall, you can find it here: http://chiphall.blogspot.com/2007/10/real-reason-jesus-became-carpenter.html

So, it seems that Bezalel took on the task of building the ark to God's specifications. The end.

Almost. So, he builds these poles to carry the ark... but I wonder at what point these poles became necessary for carrying it. Bezalel obviously had to touch the ark to build it... at some point this will become off-limits. But how does that happen- and how does he know?

More interestingly, how does that change affect Bezalel? An artist would surely feel some sense of ownership for the art he created. When a composer hears her song on the radio- there's a sense of pride that comes with it. When a playwright sees his play performed- he still feels a part of the process, even if he wasn't directly involved with that specific production.

What would it be like for Belazel to have worked so hard and created this beautiful artifice and do it with the spirit of worship only to know that once it's done- you've got to keep your hands off? Maybe the lesson is to understand what it means to truly turn things over to God- to release them- to let them go.

Once you've invested time, money, energy, love, and/or sweat- if it's really not for you... maybe it's ok to not have ownership any more. Maybe, as difficult as it may be, it isn't until we've released it, when we've agreed to keep our hands off, that it's really a gift for God and not just a gift from God.

Hard Hat Area

Exodus 36:8-38

And you thought it was boring the first time.

If you've keeping score at home, you may remember talking about God's instructions for the tabernacle. We heard great detail about curtains and frames and inlaid cherubims. We shared a laugh, maybe a tear...it was a grand time. If you want to relive it, look here: http://chiphall.blogspot.com/2007/11/put-it-on-my-tab.html


In this equally riveting passage, we see the tabernacle actually being built. The blueprint becomes action. They work with linen, they make rings, crossbars of acacia wood. It may have made for a beautiful edifice, it doesn't make for an interesting narrative.

But I wonder about what these workers are feeling as construction goes on. Are they paranoid that a beam isn't exactly the length God commanded? Are they pounding with pride knowing they're doing God's work? Are they thrilled to finally be connected with the other Israelite followers... finally a shared experience of importance? Are they tired of it all and resentful? Or maybe a mixture of them all?

I feel all of these emotions at times doing my own taberbacle building (not a power tool in sight). Sometimes elation at feeling like I'm finally a part of the club, sometimes skepticism that what I'm doing matters or makes a difference, sometimes burnout if the load isn't shared, sometimes self-importance, forgetting what the focus of it all should be.

Many of these emotions aren't things to be proud of... but they happen. I think especially when we focus on the "what" at the expense of the "why".

It might be easier to keep your eye on God when the commands are coming audibly, but it's no less important for us view our work as God's work- and do it for Him even when we're fighting feelings of being burdened.

Enough Already

Exodus 35: 30- 36:7

Remember our old friends Bezalel and Oholiab? Moses takes this opportunity to out them as inspired (literally) craftsmen. He lists many areas of expertise of Bezalel's handiwork. He tells them he's gifted with abilities working with gold, silver, bronze, stones, wood, and "all kinds of artistic craftsmanship." Plus he and Oholiab are gifted as teachers. They can also do work with yarn and linen embroidery, designing, and weaving.

So this newly trained troop start to build the sanctuary.

There's a lot of repetition here. We talked about it earlier and you can remind yourself of it by going here: http://chiphall.blogspot.com/2008/09/oh-holy-ab.html

What follows, though, is pretty cool and I think new. The offerings keep coming. Morning after morning there's new stuff being brought for the work. Finally, the workmen go to Moses and say, look we've got plenty- in fact more than we need to get the job done.

So Moses decrees- no one else is to bring anything else for the sanctuary.

Interesting. No locked doors until we get enough. No final desperate plea to close out the pledge drive. No guilt trips or shameful sanctuary plugs to get the last few shekels. They had more than enough offered- and had to be stopped from bringing more.

Cool challenge. Can I give enough (financially or otherwise) that someone has to stop me and say... we dont need any more. Can I invest so fully in a need that the need goes away? Can I care enough about anything that my focus, my strengths, and my resources go to it until the job is actually done?

May our lives be filled with completed sanctuaries.

But Do I Have To?

Exodus 35: 4-29

And once again we're in reruns...at least mostly. Moses tells the Israelites to take up a collection for the temple. They are looking for gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple and scarlet yarn, fine linen, goat hair, ram skins dyed red, hides of sea cows (and who doesn't have those laying around?), acacia wood, olive oil, onyx stones, and other gems. Moses specifies that these items should come from anyone who is willing.

But he doesn't stop with just getting material things from the Israelites. Next we need skilled laborers to donate some labor. Come make...oh just a few things... the tabernacle, the tent..."covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; 12 the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain that shields it; 13 the table with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light; 15 the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle; 16 the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin with its stand; 17 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; 18 the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; 19 the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary—both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests."

I mean really... how long could that take?

So the Israelites withdrew and thought about it. This seems like a pretty amazing undertaking. I would guess that once you committed, your life would virtually be on hold. This would become the bulk of your day, the way you filled your time. Congregated with other devoted laborers or by yourself creating for God. Some of the work could be done individually, but it would seem the larger tasks would require collective effort. Did this time together bring them closer together? Did it make them appreciate each other more? Did they feel closer to God as a result?

Whatever the result, they did it. All who were willing came and brought materials and the skilled who were willing made it all happen...spinning, mounting, building, creating. Many created and brought their creations as offerings. None of this was coerced- Moses describes it as freewill offerings.

But how do you say no to Moses? Yeah- we appreciate the whole deliverance from slavery thing...but there's this book I've really been wanting to read... and the Oscars are next week- I've got some movies to watch.

Easily. The same way you say no to Jesus today. You keep your checkbook to yourself and your time in isolation- except for Sunday when you wave to people from your car pulling out of the church parking lot.

And nothing is created. Not even relationships.

Moses in Syndication

Exodus 35:1-3

Moses gathers the Israelites together and proceeds to... tell them exactly what we've already read about God telling him to tell them. So essentially it looks like we may be in reruns for awhile.

Here, Moses repeats laws about the Sabbath- work for six, rest on the seventh. You work, you die. And do not light fires in your dwellings on the Sabbath.

This is at least the third time we've gone through variations of sabbath laws which makes me wonder... why do we need so much repetition. It's certainly not to make the prose more compelling. In the film version, at least one of these sections gets left on the cutting room floor.

I understand why Moses had to tell them, why does he have to tell us... again?

Is it to stress the importance of these sabbath laws? Maybe- except that it looks like the other laws are about to be repeated too.

Is it to give these Israelites ever opportunity to learn these laws? Third time's a charm. Preview statement, body, review statement? Perhaps, but it seems like only Moses is privy to all of these tellings (and retellings).

Is it to show Moses' faithfulness? God told him to do these things, and here he is doing them. Go Moses.

Or is Moses just not a good writer? We get all the content that we need to understand what's going on, but he's not getting into the Pushcart collection this year. And maybe our culture's view of narrative is different than that culture's. While it may not fit our desired plot development- we do see Moses' faithfulness, we are reminded of the laws, and we aren't left wondering if the Israelites ever got the word.

However, I'm ready for the new season to start... and for sweeps week.

Moses in Drag

Exodus 34:29-35

After Moses came down from Mt. Sinai, his face was "radiant." When the Israelites saw him, being the solemn people they were, they were astonished, and afraid to get too close, lest this joyousness be contagious. So Moses took to wearing a veil. However, he would take the veil off in God's presence- and put it back on again when he left to be around his people.

Now to be fair, I don't think this radiance is just Moses in hap-hap-happy mode. The Message translation says that the skin of his face glowed. So- it might have looked like Moses had been in front of the microwave a bit too long, they may have been justified in wanting to keep their distance, but metaphorically there are some pretty cool ideas here.

Moses' reaction to seeing God is to literally be beaming. His face shines from being in God's presence. God's love is so bright that it leaves a mark- He leaves us in a state that we are visibly changed.

However, the natural inclination is to be wary of folks in such a state. What's he so happy about? Let's not get too close, that dude is weird.

So Moses adapts, and hides himself (partially) from his people. He's still beaming, but he's striving to be a little subtle about it. But when he's in God's presence, he's free to be himself. The veil comes off, all pretending is gone, here I am God, this is me.

Metaphorical or not- it's pretty cool to envision time with God as a joyous time where you can be yourself.

Butterfingers

Exodus 34:1-28

So God tells Moses to go and chisel some more stone tablets to match the ones he broke and He'll rewrite the text from the first set.  God uses some clever subtext here- he doesn't berate Moses for breaking the first set, but in His instructions He includes Moses' faux-pas.  Hey Mo, remember when you messed up?  Let me fix that for you.

Perhaps from secrecy, perhaps for reverance sake, or maybe for a totally different reason, God tells Moses to come alone- I don't even want to see anyone anywhere on the mountain- I don't even want to see animals grazing on the mountain- just you, tomorrow morning.  This conjures images of a mafia kingpin or kidnapper- I'll meet with you at the drop-off, but come alone, no cops, no wires, and certainly don't bring a gun.

This, however, feels more like God's still a bit annoyed with His creation.  He's saying, I haven't forgotten how you hurt Me- I'll get there- things will be ok- but right now, My emotions are still a little tender.  I'll see you Moses, but I'm not quite ready to be around these people who were so quick to leave Me.  

So Moses gets the stones and goes to the meeting place, and God comes down in the cloud and stands in front of him, apparently still in the cloud.  And he prclaims His own name to Moses.  He says:

The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 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 fathers to the third and fourth generation.

It almost seems like He's trying to convince or remind Himself.  That's right, no matter what I'm feeling right now, I'm compassionate, I'm forgiving, now matter how much I'd like to, I'm not going to wipe these people out.  

The second half of His decree is a little more troubling.  Is this simply pre-Jesus theology? Is this God speaking through His anger?   Is He saying that when people mess up- the ramifications ring down through the generations?  Is He saying that when your parents and grandparents mess up, He holds you accountable?  

Moses senses that God isn't happy- he instantly bows and worships.  He asks God to come with him, to forgive His people and to take them as His inheritance.

And God says- ok here's the deal:

I'm going to do amazing things that no one anywhere has seen before.  Everyone around will see how awesome My works are.  Obey Me!  I'll drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.  Don't make a treaty with any of the people living around you- it'll only turn out bad for you.  

Break down their altars and the like.  And don't worship other gods, becasue I'm jealous.  In fact, my name is "Jealous."  

Do not make cast idols.

Yet another subtle reminder about their mistakes.  I haven't forgotten that whole stupid golden calf thing- don't do it again.

Then he revisits those commands about the Feast of Unleavend Bread, the odd "firstborn are Mine" laws, resting on the Sabbath rules, the Feast of Weeks (maybe the first time for these) and the Feast of Ingathering rules.  He reminds them that He will drive out other nations and tells them that He will enlarge their territory- and that when they make these trips of worship three times a year- no one will covet their land.  

He recaps laws about blood and yeast and Passover feast sacrifices.He reminds of the need to bring the best of the firstfruits.  And he tells them not to cook a young goat in it's mother's milk.  I assume this last is more than just a recipe tip- but I'm not sure about the rationale behind it.

God tells Moses to write down His words; they'll be a covenant with Him and His people.  Moses was there with God for 40 days and nights with no food or water.  The section ends by saying. "And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments."

I'm left with two major reactions.  My goodness, how could anyone keep any of these laws straight?  Especially in an age without printing presses or rampant literacy ( I assume), how could anyone remember all the particulars?  I don't remember appointments with students, how would I ever remember all the details and minutae of all these laws regarding goat milk and yeast?  Grace is a wonderful thing.

Second, I'm struck by the pain God seems to be feeling through this section.  I certainly understand the strain and hurt that we cause each other on a regular basis, but to picture the hurt God seems to be feeling here by the rejection of His people adds a whole other layer to this onion.  God loves us and wants our acceptance and love- when we deny them from Him, it hurts in a similar way that rejection hurts us.  And that makes His forgiveness and grace even more amazing.