The Finger of God–Exodus 31:18

Today’s Scripture Reading:  Exodus 29:1 through Exodus 31:18

There were several amazing things in today’s reading…

• God started talking to Moses in Exodus 25:1 and didn’t stop until Exodus 31:18 (Thanks to my hubby for pointing  this out!)

• It was important to God that His priests were set apart in dress and ceremonial activities. –Exodus 29:1-37

• God wanted to be with his creation:  “…there I will meet with you and speak with you.  I will meet the people of Israel there, in the place made holy by my glorious presence.  Yes, I will consecrate the Tabernacle and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests.  Then I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, and they will know that I am the Lord their God.  I am the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live among them.  I am the Lord their God.”  –Exodus 29:42b-46

• In the Old Covenant each male Israelite was required to pay a ransom to get the Lord’s attention and purify their lives.  In the New Covenant, Jesus paid the ransom for us. –Matt. 20:28

• God specifically chose Bezalel and filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts (Exodus 31:2).  Here’s a perfect example of  ‘God qualifies who He calls’.

• God knew that two heads were better than one and that it was important to know who was in charge, so he appointed Oholiab to be Bezalel’s assistant.

• God made it clear that the plans had already been drawn and they were to be followed “exactly”.  They weren’t the design team; they were the implementation team.  –Exodus 31:11b

• Setting aside a day to honor the Lord and be refreshed was a really big deal to Him. –Exodus 31:12

• The covenant was written on two stone tablets by the finger of God! –Exodus 31:18

My eyes filled with tears as I let the reality of Exodus 29:42-46 soak into my spirit.  God built the Tabernacle  because He wanted to be with his creation.  It makes me think back to Exodus 20:19, when the Israelites said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen.  But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!”

As a parent I think about how God must have felt— His children didn’t want to talk to Him… it makes me sad.  He wanted to be their God, He wanted to live among them and he wanted them to know that He was their God.  God wanted a relationship.  This is as true today as it was in Exodus 20—God wants to be our God and He wants us to know that He is our God!

Father God, write your Word on our hearts with Your finger!

©2013, Dianne Guthmuller

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:  Exodus 32:1 through Exodus 34:35