May the mumbling commence!
We cannot possibly honor the Lord without making a sacrifice that will cost us something. David knew this well when we bought the place for sacrifice and the animals to be sacrificed after he took a census of his armies (2 Samuel 24:18ff). It is this same principle for the people who have reached their twentieth birthday. Read from Exodus chapter thirty:
And the Lord said to Moses, "Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself to the Lord. Then there will be no plagues among the people as you count them. His payment to the Lord will be one-fifth of an ounce of silver. All who have reached their twentieth birthday must give this offering to the Lord. When this offering is given to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves, the rich must not give more, and the poor must not give less. Use this money for the care of the Tabernacle. It will bring you, the Israelites, to the Lord's attention, and it will make atonement for your lives."
One-fifth of an ounce of silver is to be given by everyone to atone for their lives. The rich and the poor people are to give the same amount. In the eyes of the Lord, the rich and the poor are on the same level. God loves the poor and the rich equally… which means, at times, that those better off, who often treat the poor with contempt, see this equality as preferential treatment of the poor. You know, God turns the world upside-down. But, in reality, the world is already upside-down and God is turning us a right. We’ve just been upside-down for so long we’ve forgotten what the world looks life right-side up!
Another passage caught my eye from Exodus chapter thirty. It caught my eye in a new way because of a book I have been reading in conjunction with a Sunday school class – Sara Laughed by Vanessa Ochs. It mentions the components of holy incense. Read them from the end of chapter thirty:
These were the Lord's instructions to Moses concerning the incense: "Gather sweet spices – resin droplets, mollusk scent, galbanum, and pure frankincense – weighing out the same amounts of each. Using the usual techniques of the incense maker, refine it to produce a pure and holy incense. Beat some of it very fine and put some of it in front of the Ark of the Covenant, where I will meet with you in the Tabernacle. This incense is most holy. Never make this incense for yourselves. It is reserved for the Lord, and you must treat it as holy. Those who make it for their own enjoyment will be cut off from the community." (Verses 34-38)
A most holy incense that is meant only for the Lord has an ingredient that on its own has a strong repugnant stench, according to Ochs. Yet it is used in equal amounts with the other spices to make a odor pleasing to the Lord. Even that which stinks in our communities and us can be redeemed when it is put in the proper mixture with the other components of God’s family. What joy and hope I find in that redemption!
We are holy – set apart for God. Read from Exodus chapter thirty-one:
The Lord then gave these further instructions to Moses: "Tell the people of Israel to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you forever. It helps you to remember that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. Yes, keep the Sabbath day, for it is holy. Anyone who desecrates it must die; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community. Work six days only, but the seventh day must be a day of total rest. I repeat: Because the Lord considers it a holy day, anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death. The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day forever. It is a permanent sign of my covenant with them. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but he rested on the seventh day and was refreshed." (Verses 12-17)
A sign of this holy covenant between God and us is the Sabbath. It is a reminder that the Lord is holy. And, through the covenant, we, too, are holy. The Sabbath is holy. Keep it. What revolutionary words to a 24/7 culture we live in! God rested to give us an example. We, too, are to rest and enjoy the work we have done.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
No comments:
Post a Comment