Part 3 - The Rest of The Righteous
By now, the Israelites had seen, heard and experienced God for themselves, and they were getting an idea of who He is and who they were to Him.
But their understanding of and faith in God was small and their limited human comprehension stopped them from being able to fully embrace God's supernatural exquisiteness.
And it's the same for us.
Without a yearning, hunger and thirst to go deeper, combined with faith and obedience to what's required from us, it's impossible to step into the fullness of what God has for us.
It's critical that we grasp the radiant, blinding, searing majesty that is God, so that we can enter His presence, and bask in His glory.
Sabbath Regulations
Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and told them the things the LORD had commanded them to do.
For 6 days, work was to be done, but the 7th day shall be their holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the LORD. (Exodus 35:1-3).
When God created the world, He blessed the 7th day and made it holy, because on it he rested (Genesis 2:2-3).
If we keep our feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as we please on His holy day, if we call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honourable, and if we honour it by not going our own way and not doing as we please or speaking idle words, then we will find our joy in the Lord, and He will cause us to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of our father Jacob (Isaiah 58:13-14).
The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27), it is our day to honour God, to remember Him and to take comfort His every word.
Materials For The Tent of Meeting & It's Service
Moses told the whole Israelite community what God had commanded to bring to Him as an offering, from what they had, and God had already given them everything He asked for.
God made the Egyptians favourably disposed towards them, so that when they left, they did not go empty handed, but left with articles of silver and gold and clothing, plundering the Egyptians (Exodus 3:21-22 & Exodus 12:35-36).
All who were skilled among them were to make everything including the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant, the table, the lamp stand and lamps, the altar, the bronze basin and stand, the curtains and the woven garments worn for ministering to the sanctuary.
Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses' presence, and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments (Exodus 35:4-21).
God was showing Moses that they must put Him first. He wanted a proper dwelling amongst them, one that was fitting for the great majesty that He is, and He wanted them to be serious about their responsibility for up-keeping their part of the covenant.
Bezalel Filled With The Spirit of God
Then Moses told the Israelites that He had chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills - to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, bro but and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.
And he had given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others.
He had filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiders and weavers (Exodus 35:30-35).
Let's look into the meanings of these names for a moment as names carry great significance and foretell prophesy.
There are no coincidences with God, everything is exactly as it should be, in perfect order. How glorious that God chose these men to bring about His glory. God is amazing.
Constructing The Sanctuary
So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given skill and ability and know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary, were to do the work just as He had commanded.
Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work, and they received from Him all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary.
And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning, so all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary told Moses that the people were bringing more than enough for doing the work that God had commanded to be done and Moses gave an order that no-one was to make anything else and the people were restrained (Exodus 36:1-7).
It is God who gives people the skill and ability that is required to carry out His work. God provides everything, even our drive and determination comes from Him, this is a humbling reality.
If God commissions a project, He provides the workforce, resources and materials, but it is up to the people to step in, based on their freewill, God does not force anyone to do anything.
Completion of The Sanctuary
So the work of the sanctuary was carried out by the skilled workers and the Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the LORD had commanded.
So Moses blessed them (Exodus 36:8-39).
We must set about the task of doing God's work first. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).
We must trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding; in all our ways submit to Him, and he will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:6).
Setting Up The Tabernacle
Then God told Moses to set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting and place the ark of the covenant law in it and shield the ark with the curtain.
God then gave Moses exact instructions about how He must set up everything else and how the items were to be anointed and consecrated, so that it would be holy.
He then told Moses to bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance and with Aaron first, to wash them with water, dress them in the sacred garments and anoint and consecrate them so they may serve Him as priests.
Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.
Moses did everything just as God commanded (Exodus 40:1-16).
The Glory of The LORD
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle and Moses could not enter.
In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted.
So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels (Exodus 40:34-38).
This was how the Israelites knew that God was with them and this is exactly what happened when He brought them out of Egypt.
God's glory and presence was visible, they travelled under His shadow and protection, and God was with them, because they put Him first, literally and physically, by taking the tabernacle with them wherever they went and being obedient to His guidance.
Entering God's Rest
God being with us is an essential component to entering His rest.
Rephidim, the place of God's rest, is both a place in the wilderness and an outpouring of grace.
The only way we can enter God's rest is to remember and honour God by keeping His laws and decrees, and by putting Him first.
The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and the second is love our neighbour as ourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Matthew 22:37-49).
Love for God is to keep his commands (1 John 5:3) and to make Him the epicentre of everything, surrendering all and subjugating our will to His will. If we do that, He will provide everything, as we need it, in the way that we need it and we will want for nothing.
Faith & Right Action
God's rest is a spiritual rest that comes from living a life of faith, righteous action and obedience.
By understanding and following the word of God and allowing it to transform us from within, we are able to enter into God's rest.
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
Not by our might or power, but by God's Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). We must only be still, and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).
Faith and action works together, our faith is made complete by our actions. A person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. As The body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead (James 2:22-26).
Fixing Our Eyes On Jesus
We must continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in us to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.
We are to do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that we may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”
Then we will shine among them like stars in the sky as we hold firmly to the word of life (Philippians 2:12-16).
Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Our Inheritance
Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world'. (Matthew 25:34).
God’s wisdom is a mystery that has been hidden, that He destined for our glory before time began.
None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to the apostles by his Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:7-10).
We cannot fathom the ways of God, but if we draw close to Him, He will speak to us in ways we can understand, and He will lead us out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land.
A Living Sacrifice
We are to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is our true and proper worship (Romans 12:1).
There is no greater honour than to live and die for the living God, Creator of all, owner of everything, Lord of lords, King of kings, the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13).
Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in us, whom we have received from God (1 Corinthians 6:19).
We are walking tabernacles and God put His law in our minds and wrote it on our hearts, so we cannot forget (Jeremiah 31:33).
God is a part of us, and we are a part of Him, we are eternally interconnected and interdependent and if we are able to connect with His essence, magnificence and aptitude, we will never go short and God will always go before us.
The Power of God's Word
God's word is a gift to us, to heal us not to harm us.
We must be careful to obey all God's regulations so that it may always go well with us and our children after us, because we will be doing what is good and right in God's eyes (Deuteronomy 12:28).
We must be open to the refining power of God's word, which is like fire and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces (Jeremiah 23:29), so that we may be broken open and purified.
The way to enter into God's rest is to die to ourselves and to be made alive in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:22).
We are to submit to God’s righteousness (Romans 10:3), and give all the glory to Him. Not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness (Psalm 115:1).
The Day & Hour Is Unknown
Going back to my dream, the road had come to an abrupt end with no warning, and this signifies the day and hour that no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.
That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
Therefore, we must keep watch, because we do not know on what day our Lord will come (Matthew 24:36-42).
Saved By Grace
I couldn't stop or turn quickly enough and we went over the cliff. I told my Mum I loved her and prepared to die, and then put on my seatbelt to brace for the impact and by some miracle, we were saved on a thread.
We were saved by God's mighty hand and outstretched arm and I woke up to Rephidim, God's place of rest.
For it is by grace we are saved, through faith—and this is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Grace is gifted to us when our power and might is not enough and God's power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
May we look to God for everything, may His power rest on us, may our eyes look straight ahead, as we fix our gaze directly before us, may we give careful thought to the paths of our feet and be steadfast in all our ways, turning not to the right or the left, to keep our feet from evil (Proverbs 4:25-27).
The Journey Home
The entire bible is based on the journey home, back to the Source of where we came, back to God.
It begins with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, who were free from sin and wanted for nothing, but their disobedience resulted in their fall from grace and they were banished, driven out and under a curse (Genesis 2:7 to Genesis 3).
Ironically, their desire to be like God (Genesis 3:4-6), was something they already were, as they were made in God's image and likeness (Genesis 1:26).
In between the beginning and the end is our search for meaning and our longing to return to God, specifically, to God's place of rest, to Rephidim.
May we remember God, may we return to Him and may our journey home be blessed.
God Is Perfect, Righteous & Holy
God is perfect, righteous and holy, and nothing outside of God can come close.
Our disobedience leads us away from God and into sin, darkening our hearts and making it impossible to be in God's presence, as righteousness and wickedness have nothing in common and light cannot fellowship with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14).
Our transgressions lead us into captivity and slavery and through the wilderness, but God in His infinite mercy freed us and chose us and entered into a covenant with us.
His law is just.
Garments of Salvation & Robes of Righteousness
Let us be washed with water through the word, that we may be presented to Jesus as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. (Ephesians 5:25-27).
Let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light (Romans 13:12).
May we be clothed with garments of salvation and arrayed in a robe of His righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels (Isaiah 61:10).
Praise God
Praise the Lord.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever (Psalm 106:1).
May we find favour with God so that He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths (Isaiah 2:3 & Micah 4:2).
May we be nourished by living water and God's mighty hand of protection as a covering.
May God come to know us by name, may He be pleased with us and may He speak to us a friend.
Amen.
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