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Exodus-Let Your Glory Fall

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  Introduction   I am an avid hiker.  I am lucky enough to live in Washington state and am only a short drive away from oceans, mountains, and forests.  I love to be outside as it pushes me physically as well as gives me time to visit with my friends.  Most of all, I love being constantly surrounded by the beauty and majesty of God. When I think of heaven, the thing I am the most excited about is seeing the splendor and magnificent light of God first hand.    This week’s section brings a glorious conclusion to the journey Israel has been on as they have followed God.  Coming off of the idol worship and judgement of the golden calf, Israel now turns to obey God’s guidelines in worship.       Scripture Exodus 35-40  This is the final section of the book of Exodus.  As you read, note the similarities between this and the previous building instructions.  Also note the people’s willingness to serve God in the way he commanded in contrast to what happened with the golden calf.     Commentary
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Exodus-False Idols

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  Introduction   One of my favorite movies as a kid was Indiana Jones.  I loved the cinematic action of the hero  racing the bad guys with a few faithful friends to find priceless treasures.  It seemed the an idol was always involved in every story line, be it a stone, statue, or challis, something unique and valuable was always at stake.  The history of these objects usually meant that someone was worshiping them at some point.     Reading our story today seems like a scene from a treasure movie.  And it seems ridiculous, just like those over the top Hollywood films, that people would bow down to an object that they had just made.  An extended passage from Isaiah 44 describes the foolishness of Idolatry:    [12] The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. [13] The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shap
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Exodus-Plans to Worship

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  I don’t know if you’ve been involved in a building project.  Like me, if you work in a field far removed from construction, many of the steps involved can be foreign to you.  Several years ago we built a house.  It was a “spec house,” meaning we met with a company who offered several floor plans and we got to pick out some of the details within-which color carpet, what stain the cabinetry would have, which door handles matched our coordinated design scheme.  I was truly overwhelmed with all the decisions and details, even though compared to those building custom homes our choices were minimal.  At a certain point, I just wanted someone to make those design decisions for me!    I’m so grateful when it comes to worship, God has laid out a plan for us.  For how would we begin got decide how to worship a God so holy and majestic as our God, so different and other? From the beginning God makes it clear that He puts boundaries around how He wants to be worship.  In Genesis 4:4, we see God
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Exodus-Commandments and Covenants

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  Introduction This week we will encounter another familiar section of Exodus, the 10 commandments.  Many people, including those who aren’t religious, are familiar with these commandments.  For example, most would agree that theft and murder are wrong.  Yet beyond these 10 moral statements, we will read about more detailed and specific laws.  At first glance, many may seem to not apply to God followers today.     This brings the reader to consider what commands and covenants are good for?  Let’s consider God’s words from chapter 19 to set up our study today.  In a summary statement in verses 5-6 set the tone for all that is to follow.     Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for the earth is mine,  and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Exodus 19:5-6    A theme in Exodus is that God did not rescue His people to leave them in the dessert to scatter and scratch out a living. 
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