Gary Gleans

The journey to the Promised Land must continue, however the sin and idolatry of the people has caused God to withdraw His presence from the people because He would likely kill them all because of their sin.  God offers to replace His presence with that of an angle who would guide them along the way.  Perhaps one of the most impressive things that the children of Israel have done to this point is how they responded to this news.  They were not willing to accept this reality.  They longed for God’s presence and basically refused to go forward without the assurance that God would go with them.  Learning dependence on the Lord is a very important lesson for all of us to remember. GOD REFUSES TO REMAIN IN THE PRESENCE OF ISRAEL: Sin has consequences, and one of the greatest consequences is broken fellowship with God.  The sin and idolatry of Israel had grieved God greatly.  It was time for the children of Israel to move forward, however God was not willing to move forward with them.  Go

It is amazing how quick the people forget the law of God and the promises that they had made to obey the commandments that the Lord had given.  Only a few days earlier they had all promised to obey all that God had told them to do, then they come and ask Aaron to make a god for them to worship.  Moses delayed on the mountain and the people got tired of waiting.  This passage makes it very obvious how important leadership is with people.  Moses was a strong a godly leader that held the people accountable to the will and Word of God.  Aaron proved to be a weak and corrupt leader who wanted to please people more than obey God. THE PEOPLE FORGOT THEIR PROMISE TO GOD: The people had unanimously promised to obey the commandments of God.  Specifically that they would not worship other gods or make graven images.  However, the time that they had spent in Egypt apparently had a huge impact on the lives of the people and they wanted a god like they had seen in Egypt.  No matter how much we m

God is a provider.  He knows exactly what we need and He has made adequate provision for all of our needs.  God had revealed to Moses exactly what the children of Israel were supposed to build.  God gave the materials to them through the families of Egypt and now we can see God equipping His people for the work ahead.  However, God’s provision in the lives of His people goes beyond the physical realm.  God also knows that His people need time for rest and worship, so He made provision for that as well.  It is a comfort and blessing to serve a God who not only knows our needs but also has made provision for all of our needs. GOD EQUIPES US TO COMPLETE HIS WORK: The building plans for the tabernacle were detailed and required special knowledge and skill for those plans to be executed.  Moses may have felt overwhelmed with all of the details and the obvious amount of work that needed to be done.  God makes it very clear that Moses was not the one required to do this work but that God

The Lord had specific purposes for the items and instruments that were made for the tabernacle.   His instructions were to be followed closely and they were unique to His plan for worship.   These instructions were not to be duplicated or replicated for other purposes in secular life.   These were holy things that were to be used only for their intended purpose.   We must never make the grace of God be a common thing but must recognize His holiness and live in awe of Him. AARON WAS TO BURN SPECIFIC INCENSE: There was a special altar made on which Aaron was to continually burn incense to the Lord.   Every morning and every night there was a specific mixture of incense that Aaron was responsible to see that it was made and then use it in the tabernacle as a means of pleasing God.   We are called to pray without ceasing and I believe that our prayers are much like that incense was before the Lord; a pleasing fragrance that continually came before Him.   When we pray we must be caref

God chose Aaron and his sons to be His representatives before the people.  They were to serve God by being mediators of God’s promise to the people.  This was a vitally important job that was not to be taken lightly in any way.  Sinful man cannot live in the presence of a holy God and a Holy God cannot relate to sinful men.  The sacrificial system provided a means through which sin could be forgiven and fellowship with God be restored.  It was a difficult, messy and costly system; but it was a necessary part of restoring a relationship between holy God and sinful men. AARON AND HIS SONS WERE SEPARATED UNTO GOD: God chose Aaron and his sons to be consecrated as His servants in order that they might be used of God in restoring relationships with His people.  This was a serious and needful ministry that God established because He loves His people and created them so that He could commune with them, enjoy their company and live rightly related with them.  Sin gets in the way of that relati

Aaron and his sons were set apart by God to represent the people before Him.  As a priest he served the Lord by representing the people before God.  Christ is the true mediator between God and man, but prior to His coming, Aaron and the priestly office was used by God to prefigure the ministry of Christ.  This was a serious position and a vital part of Israel’s worship before the Lord. THE PRIEST’S CLOTHING REPRESENTED THE PEOPLE BEFORE GOD: The clothing that God told Moses to prepare for Aaron and his sons had several aspects that were designed to represent the people.  The names of every tribe were inscribed on several different objects including the breastplate that had a special stone for each tribe.  This is an illustration of how one man could represent many men before God.  Aaron made sacrifices on behalf of the people, but he was incapable of resolving the sin problem before God because he himself was a sinner.  Aaron was simply an illustration of how Christ, one man, would one

God created us to worship Him.  Worship is the central purpose of our lives and should be the driving force behind all that we do.  The tabernacle was built to be a place for worshiping the Lord.  It was to occupy the central place in the camp of Israel and was to serve as a constant reminder to the people of their job to worship Him. THE IMPORTANCE OF SACRIFICE: The tabernacle was essentially a center for worship and sacrifice.  Making sacrifice for sin was a vital part of the purpose of the tabernacle.  God was clear that there was to be an altar for the purpose of offering sacrifices for the sins of the people.  We do not make sacrifices today as a part of our worship because Christ has paid the price for sin and has made a complete payment for our sin in His blood.  Since His sacrifice was perfect and complete, there is no need for further or additional sacrifices of animals that were only a prefiguring of what Christ would do.  For that reason Christ is to be the focal point of ou

There was a clear and specific plan for how the structure of the tabernacle was to be built.  The exact measurements and all the materials were determined by the Lord and revealed to Moses.  It is very obvious that God is a master builder and architect.  This truth can be seen not only in God’s design for the tabernacle but also in the amazing order and structure that we see in all of creation. GOD CALCULATES HIS PLAN: The tabernacle was to be made in the form of a tent and the walls were made of cloth and goat skins that were to be woven and designed according to exact specifications.  All of the measurements fit together in a logical manner and were all masterfully planned so that the dimensions would come together and work.  The framework was all planned out in diverse parts to be able to hold up the entire structure.  This type of planning is observed in so many aspect of God’s creation as well as in the makeup of the Body of Christ the church and in God’s master plan of redemption

God pays close attention to detail and He had a specific way that He wanted the children of Israel to build the tabernacle and the furniture that was in it.  This would be the center for worship and sacrifice for the new nation and every detail was vital in this process.  God made it very clear to Moses how he was supposed to build these items and Moses was expected to pay close attention and then lead the people to execute these instructions.  There are two principles I would like to observe and apply to our lives through these instructions. THE PRINCIPLE OF PROVISION: God had made provision for the materials for the tabernacle through the nation of Egypt.  God had told Israel to ask for gifts from the people and as they were leaving Egypt, they were given much gold, silver, bronze, jewels and other materials that would be necessary for this project.  These objects of value were given to the individual families and would be considered personal property.  This was a nation of slaves, b

To experience the presence of God was a wonderful and terrifying thing for the children of Israel.   God has made Himself known to them through His Word and the revelation of His law.   They heard His voice and now they are able to see His glory on the mountain.   Their response to this experience is to worship and make sacrifices to Him.   The more that we grow in our knowledge of the Lord, the more we ought to grow in our worship of Him. THE PROMISE OF THE PEOPLE TO OBEY:   The Lord has made His will and His law known to the people.   Moses reads the law to the people and they all agree, with one voice, to obey all of the Laws that they have heard.   Anytime that the Lord reveals Himself to us the natural response of every man is to pledge allegiance and obedience to Him.   However, it is far harder to obey than it is to promise to obey.   As much as we may want to obey and not believe that we would disobey such a wonderful God; our tendency with time is to forget our promise as w

God is preparing His people for something great.  He wants them to become a great nation for His glory.  He wants them to stand out as a contrast to the other nations of the world and be a nation that reflects His character to the world this is what God wants from His people.  He wants us to be a contrast in the world through which His character, power strength and mercy can shine. THE PRIORITY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: No matter what situation in which we find ourselves, God wants us to be righteous.  It does not matter if the truth hurts a poor person or if the truth helps our enemy, we are called to always speak the truth and defend what it right.  Our love and mercy for people who are in need or danger is not to be conditional upon our past relationships with them.  When we see people that need assistance we are to give it to them even if they have been dishonest or cruel to us.  Those who do evil to us should receive good from us. THE PROVISON OF REST: God has provided for rest for His pe

God has placed a conscience within every man that allows him to distinguish between that which is right and that which is wrong.  God desires that men respond correctly to that conscience and live in a manner that is pleasing to Him.  However, man’s conscience has been negatively affected by the curse of sin.  Men are able to ignore their conscience or sear it to the point that it no longer accuses them.  God is so concerned that men know His standards that He has revealed His will to us in His Word.  God’s law is to help us know and understand God’s holiness and then demonstrate how far from that standard we have strayed.  These laws presume that men will sin and show how men are to respond when sin occurs. THE SIN OF STEALING: We are fascinated by things.  The heart of man longs to possess things that do not belong to him.  This lusting after things will often lead to stealing.  God recognizes the right of man to own objects, animals and property.  When one man steals or damages the

God is a God of order and justice.  Due to the sinfulness of men and their tendency to hurt and be violent towards one another, God regulates how men are to be punished for this.  We must be very careful in our dealings with one another and recognize that our actions have consequences.  God never intended that man would have to deal with these kinds of problems.  But, because of sin, all of these problems must be handled.  These laws are designed to demonstrate both the seriousness and the consequences of sin and should also serve as a deterrent to sin. REGULATIONS ON SLAVERY: In today’s world it is hard for us to imagine the regulation of slavery as opposed to the abolishment of slavery.  The reality is that slavery existed in almost every culture.  The entire nation of Israel had lived as slaves and it was a common practice of men at that point of history.  God does not seem to forbid the practice in and of itself but regulates it so that it was not abusive.  His regulation of slave

God has come down to the mountain in order to tell His people His will.  It must have been an amazing experience to hear the voice of God echoing through the valley and to see the mountain covered in smoke and seeing the lightning flash with thunder all around.  If there was any doubt about God’s presence with them it should have been done away with at this point.  The experience was so terrifying for the people that they told Mosses that they feared for their lives and would much rather that he alone hear the voice of God and then they would know God’s will from what he told them to do.  Knowing the will of God is a precious gift that the people were given.  They heard it in a voice and we have it in writing.  There is no question about the blessing we have of knowing God and His will.  The question that must be constantly asked is if we are obeying God’s will. GOD COMMANDS HIS PEOPLE TO LOVE HIM: The first four of the Ten Commandments tell us how we are to love God.  He demands excl

The Lord has demonstrated His power to the people and given them liberty from their slavery but He is now about to reveal Himself to them in a new way.  God wants them to understand who He is and what He requires of them.  God wants to transform their lives and make them a special people who live in obedience to Him and in worship of Him.  He wants so much more than just to move them from one land to another land.  In order for that transformation to take place, God needs to reveal Himself to the people so that they might know how to live in a manner that is pleasing to Him.  God’s revelation of Himself to man is a tremendous blessing and must never be taken lightly.  Knowing God is an honor and privilege for which we must be forever grateful. GOD MAKES HIS PROMISE KNOWN TO THE PEOPLE: God promises that if the people will obey Him and the commandments He is about to reveal, that they will be a holy people who are set apart as a kingdom of priests.  They will be a people who represent

Even the strongest and most capable of leaders needs help and advice from others.  It is often very hard for us to see our own failures and weaknesses.  We can become blind to solutions that others can easily see.  It is essential that we realize how much we need one another to help us serve the Lord to our full potential.  A wise leader will always be open to counsel and not be threatened by the advice of others.  God is faithful to provide the help and encouragement that we need, but we must be humble enough to recognize our needs and be encouraged by others. MOSES IS ENCOURAGED BY THE RETURN OF HIS FAMILY: During the confrontation in Egypt Moses left his family with his father-in-law for their own protection.  Moses has been through many difficult days and had to face these situations without the comfort of his family.  Now that a certain level of stability has been established, it must have been a great encouragement to have his father-in-law bring his wife and children back to hi

God delights in doing the extraordinary.  We get excited when the extraordinary happens, but if we are honest with ourselves we would really just rather have things calm and predictable.  God wants to test our faith and demonstrate that we must learn to depend upon Him.  Trials in our lives seem to be the most effective way for us to learn to lean upon the Lord.  When we face difficult circumstances we can either choose to doubt the Lord and complain or we can depend on the Lord and humbly pray to Him.  We would be wise to learn the latter because if we do not we are most certainly setting ourselves up for more difficult days ahead. GOD USED THE TEST OF WATER: Once again the children of Israel are thirsty, and once again they complain to Moses.  They accuse God of bringing them to the wilderness out of Egypt for the sole purpose of killing them.  This same attitude keeps coming up over and over again.  I believe that it is for this exact reason that problems keep coming up over and ov

We are so quick to complain when we feel like our needs are not being met.  God had provided water, but now the people were hungry.  Unmet needs are one of the hardest things for us to understand and deal with in our lives.  Suffering in general is a true test of our character and our trust in the Lord.  However, God’s provision also provides a test of our willingness to obey His instructions.  Israel fails both the test of suffering and the test of obedience. ISRAEL DOUBTS GOD’S GOODNESS: Once again the physical need of food that remains unmet reveals the continued lack of trust in the heart of the children of Israel.  They have seen sign after sign of God’s intention to bless them and keep His promises to them.  Never the less, they continue to doubt God’s goodness and His ability and accuse Him of bringing them out to the wilderness to die.  They want to go back to slavery when they had plenty of food.  Hunger is a legitimate need, but the proper response to an unmet need is to ask