Today’s Tasting: Exodus 25-27: God called Moses up onto the mountain, where he remained hidden from the Israelites for forty days and forty nights. During that time, God gave Moses detailed instructions for building a sanctuary where He would dwell among His people. He tells Moses to take an offering from “every man who gives it willingly and ungrudgingly from his heart” (Exodus 15:1; AMP). The offerings were to include gold, silver, and bronze, finely woven linen of blue, purple, and scarlet, as well as goatskins and acacia wood. From these offerings, the people were to make the sanctuary or tabernacle.
First they made an ark, overlaid with pure gold, into which Moses placed the Ten Commandments that he received from the Lord. The ark had four gold rings attached to the four lower corners, with poles through them with which to carry the ark. This prevented the ark from being touched by human hands. God told Moses how to construct the tent, the altar, and the vessels and utensils to be used in the tabernacle. He told Moses the people were to bring offerings of pure olive oil for the lamp in the tabernacle, which was to burn continually. Aaron and his sons were appointed to keep the lamp burning.
Today’s Nourishment: As I read the three chapters in Today’s Tasting, I wondered why God devoted so much space to giving His people instructions for building a temple. Then I got it! God wanted His temple to be like no other building the people had ever seen or could imagine! After all, He alone is God, all powerful and unmatched in His majesty, and His dwelling place should reflect His glory. He wanted the people to come into His presence with awe. Psalm 29:2 tells us: “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty [splendor] of His holiness.”
I realized that as Christians living in the twenty-first century we sometimes lose sight of God’s glory and majesty. We live in cities, far away from nature, with only an occasional photo of an ice-capped mountain or a magnificent sunset, which reminds us that He is the Creator of everything under heaven.
He also is our Creator. He made us and, of all creation, He calls us His masterpiece! (Psalm 139:14; Ephesians 2:10) If you think about it, when you gave your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, God in the form of the Holy Spirit came to dwell in you. As the Apostle Paul tells us, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). I think that just as God wanted the people of Israel to be careful to come into His presence with awareness of His majesty and glory, so we should be careful to treat our bodies with respect and to keep them as reflections of His glory. Our modern society socializes us to aspire to superficial standards in our appearance. But our Creator didn’t intend for us to be carbon copies of each other. Just like He makes no two snowflakes identical, so we are all different, by design. So the next time you’re tempted to dislike some aspect of your appearance, or to criticize someone else’s, remember that we are all magnificent creatures, created by design for the unique purpose God has for each of us.
A prayer for today: Father, thank you for making me, fearfully and wonderfully, in your image! I rejoice in knowing that you hold me in high esteem, and that you care for me as your own precious possession. I ask you to give me a heart to see myself and others the way you see us. Amen.
Tomorrow’s Delight: Exodus 28-29
Joanne Creary
Joanne, this is so good to remind us of our amazing God. He not only created everything, but created all for us to enjoy. He created us and then made us new again, by His Spirit and for His glory. God, the creator of all now lives inside us by His Spirit. We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit to live and glorify Him. May His name be praised.
Thank you Joanne. This message was received right on time. I’ve been struggling with some image issues and as you say society socializes us to not see ourselves as the perfect creations we all are. I re-commit to focusing on God’s unique purpose for my life. Thank you!
I am so glad God made each and everyone of us unique. That’s just how awesome He is, I will remember this when I want to complain or compare my self to someone else.
Our God is just so amazing at all He does. I was thinking how He wanted His temple to be desirable for us to be in such a magnificent place to worship Him and at the same time bask in the beauty of it. He wants to give His best which in return causes us to want to give Him our all.