Freedom For Today

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 27 before reading the devotional below. 

The lights never go out at God’s house. He’s always guiding us, showing us the way out of the darkness. His Tabernacle design reflects his desire to always leave the light on for his children. Even in the midst of the painful separation between God and his people, he wants them to come as close as they can. These actions serve as a reminder that the separation was not caused by God, nor is it his desire, but it was brought about by evil. God’s heart is forever closely knit to his children’s.

Today’s chapter describes the altar upon which the priests will offer the burnt offerings. As is later described in Leviticus 1, the burnt offerings were the ones given as an atonement for sin. Imagine every time you sin you are required to give up an animal to be killed and offered by the priests. Your sin and your inability to stop sinning would be ever present on your mind. The cost of sin was great, and God’s people felt it on a daily basis.

Here’s your freedom for today: your mistakes have been consumed  on God’s altar. He has offered a permanent atonement for our sins. Your sin and mine went up in smoke on God’s altar as Jesus died on the cross. It is mindblowing that God lowered himself to the place of an animal to be killed and destroyed. Now the sin-separation between you and God is gone. Completely. You have been made right with God forever. He’s left the light on for you — will you stop by to talk with him today?

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 26 before reading the devotional below.

A Bible story about a bunch of curtains may seem a bit obscure, but we have to keep asking, “What does this reveal about the heart of God?” Why did God go into such detail about curtains? I mean, of all the things he could have covered with Moses, it seems like his tent decor is an odd choice.

Remember from our earlier posts throughout this Exodus series that God’s people are not able to come to him directly. He can communicate through a handful of prophets, and  he designated the Israelite tribe of Levi to serve as the priests. These are the only chosen ones who can have access to God without falling down dead. And even then sometimes the priests didn’t make it out of his presence alive.

Today’s chapter describes the creation of what is known as the “Holy of Holies.” It was a room that only the priests could enter, and even they could only go in once a year. The people would tie a rope around the priest’s waist before he went in so that in case he fell down dead they could pull him out. In Matthew 27:50-52, at the exact moment of Jesus’ death, this curtain (replicated in the more permanent Temple building) was torn from top to bottom. God’s people would now have a way into his presence.

Here’s your freedom for today: God has made himself accessible to you. Jesus’ death ripped these curtains straight down the middle. The doors to God’s holiest of holy places were swung wide open for all to enter. Because the Israelites had lived with these curtain barriers dating all the way back to this very chapter in Exodus, the mental shift about what that torn curtain meant about Jesus would have been absolutely extraordinary. The symbolism of these supernaturally ripped curtains means that either Jesus was a heretic who should be condemned or he is truly God embodied in human form. A trespass of those curtains meant certain death for all the years leading up to Jesus. It was clear in that the old system was officially replaced.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 25 before reading the devotional below.

Moses is having a face-to-face meeting with God at the top of Mount Sinai, and the next few days we will be eavesdropping to find out the focus of their conversation. God begins by giving instructions for building him a place to dwell with them. He calls it the Tabernacle, which is essentially a divine tent. God wants to camp out with his people and have a place for them to interact with him. Of course, the priests will continue to act as intermediaries because God’s direct presence is a danger to his people at this point in history. Before Jesus broke the curse, sin caused a spiritual divide between God and humanity so great that few could interact with God and live. Death was the inevitable result of trying to enter God’s presence without a covering.

God details some of the key pieces that will be featured in his Tabernacle: the Arc of the Covenant (a box for the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments inscribed), the Table (used by the priests to present offerings to God), and the Lampstand (basically a giant menorah). What do these objects tell us about God and what is important to him? First, the Arc of the Covenant becomes the most sacred object — God’s standards for his people are central and must not be forgotten. These laws will set them apart from all other nations and they set the stage for Jesus’ arrival. Second, God chooses to put a table in his dwelling place because much like our kitchen tables, the best relational interactions are able to occur there. Finally, God’s choice of a lamp shows his continual light to his people and is full of symbolism that is too vast to cover here.

Here’s your freedom for today: God is deliberate. He knows what he is doing, and he has a reason for everything. He uses symbolism quite a lot to teach his people and reveal more about his character. Sometimes the true meaning of God’s intentions remain a mystery for quite a while, and some mysteries we have yet to understand. However, sometimes we make the mistake of making ourselves the focal point of the universe. We interpret life circumstances as if God is deliberately controlling everything — from stoplights to great discounts to politics. This overspiritualizing removes the impact of our free choices (and the choices of all those around us). In this Bible passage, we see that God is deliberate about revealing himself as the central figure in the grand plot of the universe. What can you do to re-center God as your focal point today instead of focusing on yourself?

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 24 before reading the devotional below.

Have you ever noticed things often seem better when you first sign up? We usually have some energy for a new project or idea, but as time moves along that enthusiasm fades. The Israelites just got more details from God on his plan for them than they have gotten in a while. New laws, new holidays, a sense of a new beginning. Finally, they can stop running — their freedom has been secured. There are still many steps to come in their journey, but they have a fresh sense of hope that God is leading the way.

In today’s chapter, the people make a covenant with God and they promise to do everything God has commanded. They are signing on the dotted line, and the seventy elders even get a chance to eat in God’s presence. Moses is then called by God to go up the mountain for a face-to-face encounter. Only Moses and Joshua are allowed to go, and Moses says some famous last words: “Wait for us until we come back.” (Spoiler alert: Moses takes too long and by chapter 32 — not even a month and a half later — the people have already broken their part of the deal with God.)

Here’s your freedom for today: God is faithful even when we are not. God entered into a covenant with his people — a spiritual and legal promise. He gave them laws, told them exactly how to handle all the types of situations they were facing, and told them he would go before them to conquer the Promised Land. He met with his people, ate with them, and allowed them into his presence. He did not do all of this because he thought they were going to be faithful to him. God knew that the people would not be able to hold up their end of the bargain. Yet he was willing to shake on it with them anyway. Why? Because his goal is to rescue his people. Step one of that mission was to help his people see they needed to be rescued. Through failure they will return to God again and again. Take a moment to connect with your complete dependence on God today — when we forget this we stray from his path for us.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 23 before reading the devotional below.

God is trying to set his people up for success and cast vision for the long road ahead. Interestingly, we find out a little bit more of the reason why the Israelites cannot rush into the Promised Land quickly: if they did so the land would be ruined for farming and the wild animals would take over. God makes it clear that he is the one leading this journey. He promises to go ahead of them and drive their enemies out of the land a little at a time.

In the meantime, God has two things he wants his people to focus on: remembering the poor and remembering Him. As we have already seen, God set up his laws to ensure justice and fight oppression. His intention is to fight every kind of evil, to ensure that everyone is treated fairly, and to make sure the poor are not taken advantage of. He also lays out three national holidays: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of the Final Harvest. The point of each of these holidays? Celebrate God and honor him for all he has done.

Here’s your freedom for today: God is fighting your battles for you. Honestly, we often make the Christian life way too complicated by feeling like we have to do the right thing plus fight a whole bunch of spiritual battles and ward off Satan in our daily lives. We try to do what God asks us to do plus we take over his job. Let God handle Satan — he’s already fighting those battles for you. Today, right now, in this one moment, what is the best way you can honor God, remember the poor, and stay away from evil? Just do that, and you’ll be alright.