Category: Morning Musings

Morning Musing: Exodus 27:1-8

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“You are to construct the altar of acacia wood. The altar must be square, 7.5 feet long, and 7.5 feet wide; it must be 4.5 feet high. Make horns for it on its four corners; the horns are to be of one piece. Overlay it with bronze. Make its pots for removing ashes, and its shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans; make all its utensils of bronze. Construct a grate for it of bronze mesh, and make four bronze rings on the mesh at its four corners. Set it below, under the altar’s ledge, so that the mesh comes halfway up the altar. Then make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. The poles are to be inserted into the rings so that the poles are on two sides of the altar when it is carried. Construct the altar with boards so that it is hollow. They are to make it just as it was shown to you on the mountain.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The sacrificial system formed the heart of Israel’s worship of Yahweh. As the apostle Paul would later explain, the just consequence for sin is death. When sin occurs, a life that belongs to God (because all life belongs to God as He is the creator of all life) is being taken from Him. If that life is not return to God, it will remain separated from Him. If it is to be reconciled to God, though, it must be returned to Him. If we don’t have our own lives any longer because they have been returned to God, then we are without life, or dead. Relationships aren’t possible with the dead, though, and God created us to be in relationship with Him. The sacrificial system took a means of worship the people already understood and graciously made it a way for their sins to be covered by the substitutionary death of an animal so they could approach God’s presence. Because of all this, the altar was really important. Let’s talk about the alter here and explore some of its details.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 26:1

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“You are to construct the tabernacle itself with ten curtains. You must make them of finely spun linen, and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, with a design of cherubim worked into them.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When Washington, D.C. was designed, the goal was to create a capital city that would make a foreign visitor feel a sense of awe at the power of the nation whose capital looked like this. How a space looks affects both its function and its feel. If that weren’t the case, we wouldn’t have several whole television networks dedicated to home design and repair. If a space isn’t designed with its purpose in mind, we won’t ever quite feel comfortable doing whatever it is the space is for in it. God’s directions for the building the tabernacle and later the temple are almost mind-numbingly specific. Yet it only makes sense that there’s a reason for the specificity. Let’s talk about the tabernacle itself and what to think about this chapter that doesn’t make for very exciting reading.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 25:31, 36, 39-40

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“You are to make a lampstand out of pure, hammered gold. It is to be made of one piece; it’s base and shaft, its ornamental cups, and its buds and petals. . .Their buds and branches are to be of one piece. All of it is to be a single hammered piece of pure gold. . .The lampstand with all these utensils is to be made from seventy-five pounds of pure gold. Be careful to make them according to the pattern you have been shown on the mountain.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Light is necessary for life. Okay, I know that’s not strictly true. There are certain plants and animals that have evolved and adapted to thrive in the dark. But for human life, light is a must. We were made to live in the light both literally and metaphorically. Speaking of the metaphorical sense of light, it has been possessed of a rich spiritual meaning in nearly every human religion. The religion God was directing the Israelites to build around their worship of Him was no exception. Let’s talk about the lampstand God told the people to build.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 25:23-24, 29-30

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“You are to construct a table of acacia wood, thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding all around it. . .You are also to make its plates and cups, as well as its pitchers and bowls for pouring drink offerings. Make them out of pure gold. Put the Bread of the Presence on the table before me at all times.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

In the summer between my junior and senior years of high school, I had the privilege of spending three weeks in Japan as part of a sister-city exchange program. Before going we took several classes to learn about Japanese culture so we didn’t embarrass ourselves or our hosts. One of the most important customs they drilled into our heads was gift giving. Anytime anyone does anything for you in Japan, it is appropriate to respond by giving a gift. The bigger the favor, the bigger the gift. Because of this, they almost never go anywhere empty-handed. In a similar way, Israelites were never to appear before God empty-handed. To help facilitate this, God told them to build a table to leave gifts on. Let’s talk about it.

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Morning Musing: Proverbs 17:22

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“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” (CSB – Read the chapter)‬‬

When Jerry Seinfeld is complaining about the modern state of comedy, you know there’s a problem. His recent complaint was linked to the fact that because of the scourge of wokeness and microaggressions and fears of offending someone, somewhere, resulting in being cancelled, many comedians are afraid to let loose and be funny. As the Joker once asked Batman, “Why so serious?” I was reminded recently just how good it is to be able to laugh. Even in the midst of a divided and partisan culture, when we can learn to not take ourselves so seriously and laugh together, then even when we disagree, we can still be friends and neighbors.

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