Skip to main content

The First Passover, Getting ready to Move on

Today's readings are in Numbers 9 & 10

The Israelites are still near Mt. Sinai, but they are getting ready to move on. A whole year has passed since they left Egypt. In that time the Tabernacle has been built and they have received the laws that will direct them as a nation. They are ready to go to the promised land that is north of them.

The first thing that marks their preparation to leave is the first Passover worship. On the fourteenth day of the 1st month (around April) they celebrate Passover. Provisions for those who cannot celebrate are made. All are included, even those who are foreigners dwelling among them. God is the God of all peoples and the purpose is to bring glory to God's redemption to the nations - beginning with this one nation.

The next chapter seems at first to be another of those "minor details" - making trumpets. Yet the trumpets were an integral part of their communication - sort of their warning system, their noon whistle, the church bells on Sunday I grew up hearing. They were used to summons leaders, to break camp in preparation for leaving, to call to worship, to summons the military for warfare. Think of trumpets at a military funeral - their distinctive sound is meant to convey solemnness and honor of a former soldier.

At last they break camp: "On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the covenant law...Then the Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran."

The description is amazing if we can imagine a camp of 2 million people taking down everything from their tents, household furnishings, the Tabernacle, all of the animals, children, etc...and moving across the desert in an orderly way. It must have been quite the sight.

God's development of this nation is an awesome display of his purposes. He gathers these people out of slavery, redeems them, delivers them, and gives them victory over their enemy. Then, as redeemed people, he gives them instruction in terms of their culture, and his ways. He calls them to be a nation of priests - a nation that is going to show the other nations what it means to know and follow the Lord - Yahweh. Everything is prepared...it all looks good, BUT... that's tomorrow.

Peace


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wednesday, Day 25: Christmas Eve - God Loves Us (So We Can Relax)

For Kids: There’s a lot of things we have to do each day. Get up from our sleep, Get dressed, Eat Breakfast, Get ready for School, Listen to the teacher, play with friends, eat our lunch, and after it’s all done, go back home. There’s time to play, Then we eat our supper… And eventually we have to get ready for bed and go to sleep! And then we do it all over again the next day. Sometimes there’s a vacation - like right now - and we get more time to play, to have fun and not have to do work at school. Our parents are good at helping us know what time it is and what we need to do next – even when we don’t want to move on to the next thing.  God is also good at helping us know what time it is, and what is next.  He doesn’t shout at us, or yell, or even scream…he does it peacefully, quietly.  He wants us to understand that he does it, most of all, for us. Christmas can be quite busy and there’s lots of things going on at once…but let us not forg
Post a Comment
Read more

The Tabernacle

The readings today are Exodus 36, 37, 38 I wanted to post some pictures of what these various parts of the Tabernacle looked like. It's not the easiest read in the world, but if you persevere through it, you can get a picture of all the different pieces that made up the tabernacle. It is a replica of the various parts of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness: First thing in the chapter listed is the outside of the tabernacle which consisted of curtains tied together and put on cross bars through loops. Next at the beginning of 37 is the table and lampstand: Also, the altar of incense: And, the altar for the burnt offering which was in the courtyard: Finally, the courtyard which made it all come together: Hope that helps with what it might have all looked like. Most importantly, this was their "place" of worship they were building. I hope you have a great day of worship. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
1 comment
Read more

The difference between defending and explaining

The news of recent has focused the suffering of Christians in the middle east who have been martyred for their faith in Christ at the hands of Islamic Terrorists. Through the centuries many Christians have lost their lives as a result of their faith. For us, who live in America, there is little chance that we would have this happen here - but it's entirely possibly that terrorism will strike out at Christians sometime.  But, for many Christians in the western world - especially here in the U.S. - being a Christians who believes God's word there is a form of persecution that is defined by words like "ostracized", "passed over", "ridiculed", and more. What do we do in the face of opposition to faith? When the Apostle Peter writes to the early believers who are undergoing great pressure, even persecution for their faith in Jesus, he gives them this charge. 1 Peter 3:8-18 8  Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly lov
1 comment
Read more