Today’s reading includes Exodus 35:10-36:38, Matthew 27:32-66, Psalm 34:1-10, Proverbs 9:7-8.

In today’s reading we are introduced to an important character in the Bible.  He is not well-known like the Moses or Joshua or John the Baptist.  His name does not ring a bell for most of us.  But his name is the beginning of his purpose.  His name was Bezalel.  His name literally meant “”in the shadow [protection] of God.”

Living in someone’s shadow is often depicted as limiting.  The person living in another’s shadow is often overshadowed by another’s talents or opinions and is not given the light to truly grow into all he or she was meant to be.  However, living in the shadow of God is an altogether different thing.  In fact, the reality that Bezalel lived in the shadow of God was the very reason he was selected to use his great talents to build the first ever earthly dwelling place of God.

At the very beginning of the Bible we find out a very important factor in the character of God.  He is the Creator and is therefore the most creative of all.  If we are made in His imagine, and we are, then it stands to reason that He has placed in us the ability to be creative, too.  This does not mean we all can draw or paint or sew.  Creativity is available to all of us in whatever realm of influence or business or calling God has placed us.  Let’s look further at why Bezalel was selected.

Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. 4 He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. 5 He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft!

                                                                                                Exodus 31:1-5

Here we find several truths.  Bezalel was called by God.  The genealogy of his birth was important in the building of this most important structure and all it contained.  What was his genealogy?  He was the son of Uri, grandson of Hur, and ancestor of Judah.  Let’s pause and think about who those people were.  Remember that Hur was key in helping Moses hold up his arms in the first major battle they faced.  He was Moses “right-hand man”, so to speak.  He had proved himself faithful to God and faithful to Moses and had obviously led his family in doing the same.  Most importantly, we need to remember who Bezalel’s ancestor was, of which tribe he was.  He was of the tribe of Judah, the one of whom Leah declared, “this time I will praise the Lord”; and the line of whom the Savior of the world, Jesus, would eventually be born.  Jesus is called the Lion of Judah, which declares His power as well as His lineage.  As we remember and understand the Trinity, we realize that Bezalel was called by God to build a “family home” for Jesus by way of the Tabernacle.

Next, we see that he was filled by the Spirit of God which gave him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of work.  Obviously, there were talented people among the Israelites.  And those talented people had wrongly used that talent to build a golden calf.  This was idolatry and obviously not inspired by the creative Spirit of God.  Bezalel must have stayed out of the mix of that debacle or he would not have been selected to lead the work of the Tabernacle.

Talent alone was not the requirement for this great work.  Talent and anointing by the Spirit of God was what was needed, and this is what Bezalel had been given.  Why was it so important that Bezalel not rely solely on his talent?  The answer is found in going back to the creation of everything.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[a] 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

                                                                                            Genesis 1:1-2

In the very beginning, the Spirit of God was there, hovering over what was to become the greatest creation.  And in today’s reading we find once again that the Spirit of God was hovering over Bezalel, preparing him to create a mobile home for the presence of God.  The Spirit of God prepared him by giving him wisdom and enhancing his ability and expertise—all for God’s glory and not his own.

Each of us have been given talents. Each of us are gifted in different ways.  And we have a choice to make about what we have been given.  We can use our talents for worldly endeavors which may lead to destructive things, like the builders of the golden calf, or we can offer our talents back the One who gave them to us and let the Holy Spirit have His way with us, all for the glory of God.

How do we do this? We dwell in the shadow of the Almighty.  Today, read Psalm 91 as a prepare of dedication.  Pray for this protection of His shadow for you and your family, that each may use the God-given talents for the glory of the Giver and the further of His Kingdom.

1

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]

2

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

3

Surely he will save you

from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

4

He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5

You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7

A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

8

You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

9

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”

and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10

no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

11

For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

12

they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13

You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14

“Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15

He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

16

With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

Today’s reading includes Exodus 34:1-35:9, Matthew 27:15-31, Psalm 33:12-22, Proverbs 9:1-6.

In today’s reading we see that Moses is dealing with a lot. He is acting as a liaison between God and the people.  He is carving a new set of commandments, as directed by God.  He is learning how to go forward as the leader of a stubborn group of people.  He was climbing mountains to be near God and he was fasting for forty days and nights.  How does a mere man have strength for us great tasks?  The answer is that his strength came from friendship with the Lord.  He developed this friendship and found renewed strength when he spent time with God.  There were the mountain top experiences which were very pivotal and important.  But it was the day in day out worship that prepared him for the mountain top experience.  And so it is with us.  We can go on a retreat, have a huge life-changing moment with God and those times are cherished ones.  But our strength comes from the day to day private moments of worship.   Remember that the tent of meeting was a place of worship.  It was a place where Moses could go to be in the presence of God.  God met him there.  We see evidence that God was with Moses always, but when he was in the tent of meeting it was a divine set-apart time.  We need that divine time each day as well.  My friend, Kelli, calls it a holy hush.  Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.”  This holy hush prepares us for our purpose: to be participants in the extraordinary.

“And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents watching Moses until he entered the tent.:

As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses.  Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped each at the entrance to his tent.”  (Exodus 33:8-10)

Moses may have been oblivious to others watching his sincere worship, but they did.  And so do others watch us, as believers.  His sincere worship affected others, causing them to rise up and stand at the entrance of their own tents.  It caused others to stop what they were doing and take notice.  But Moses couldn’t see them.  He just saw God.  The pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, blocking Moses’ view of others.

True worship does the same for us.  When we worship, in spirit and in truth, then our view of others is blocked out, even if only temporarily.  Suddenly, we have an audience of One; or rather we are the observer of a one-on-one display of magnificent glory.  And we are changed.  But we are not the only ones changed.  We also see in those verses that when the cloud, which was the presence of the Lord, descended, when true worship began, the focus was no longer on Moses.  The focus and glory was God’s alone.

“They all stood and worshiped each at the entrance to his tent” (Exodus 33:10).

They did not go to the tent of meeting to worship, but seeing Moses’ true worship did affect change in the whole camp.  So it is with us.  We may never see the extent of effect that our true worship has on others this side of heaven.  But it affects the thread of the tapestry being woven all around us.  It may begin the weaving of a holy tapestry in the hearts of others.  But that is not why we worship.  That is just a wonderful consequence of worship.

We worship because we realize Who God is.  When we begin to get even a glimpse of that, the knowledge alone demands a response.  The response will be different in different people.  Some will pray, some will cry, some will laugh, and some will raise their hands.  Some will sit quietly and meditate in their heart.  God has made so many different personalities; it makes sense to me that the response would be different in each one, personalized between us and God.  But the common factor is that a change of heart occurs in the midst of true worship.

“The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Exodus 33:11).

It is during our times of worship that intimacy in our friendship with God grows and develops.  Our closest friends are the ones that we have spent much time with, and in whom we confide.  In the same way, time spent in worship, both private and corporate, is the means of developing a best-friend status with the King of Kings.

As leader, Moses would then return to the camp, to the outside world.  We can’t stay in the tent of meeting all day, every day.  We do have work to do.  God has given us an assignment, a purpose, which will require entering the outside world.  But we are called to be in the world but not a part of the world.  True worship gives us the strength to engage in the world, but not to be stained by it.  Daily worship equips us for our daily assignments, which God graciously entrusts to each of us.  Consistent worship equips us to look and act like a friend of God.

There are, however, seasons of our life that God calls us to take time away and come apart from the world.  There will be seasons that you need to spend more concentrated time with God, because He is preparing you for something new and special and extraordinary.

“…but his young aide, Joshua, son of Nun, did not leave the tent” (Exodus 33:11).

Joshua did not yet know that God would call him to the mighty task of leading the people into the Promised Land.  He did not yet know that he, an ordinary man, would be called to an extraordinary assignment.  All he knew at that point was that he had to be near God.  This season of separation from the rest of the camp was preparation for the great task ahead.  I, too, have had times like that.  I have, at times, been called to resist all urges of busyness, no matter how “good” the busyness is.  And I have found that almost always, those times of being called aside for long periods of time in His presence result in me being equipped for a new God-assigned task.

I may not even understand that He is preparing me for something.  I simply must be obedient when He calls me to clear the calendar.  There are times that I was commanded to say no to everything in my life.  It did not even make sense to me, but if I was disobedient, I felt the rebuke of the Lord.  Not only that, I felt that His hand of favor was not on the task I was trying to complete, and it caused major stress for me, and poor results for others.

Whether it is a season of intense worship or simply daily time with the Lord, worship is crucial for our lives and our mission.  When we learn to truly worship, we can’t forget His ways and His calling.  We praise Him and worship Him because of who He is, not because of what He has done.  The fact that He is God is enough knowledge for us to continually praise Him.  Today, may we worship Him purely, sincerely, and consistently.

Today’s reading includes Exodus 32:1-33:23, Matthew 26:69-27:14, Psalm 33:1-11, Proverbs 8:33-36.

Today’s reading encompasses many components.  There is impatience, which leads to unbelief, which leads to sinful idolatry. There is sin, which leads to consequences, which leads to discipline, which leads to mercy, which leads to renewed faithfulness.  We also see a faithful leader, Moses, who found his strength in friendship with God.  It was his custom to set up the Tent of Meeting outside the camp, where he would go to worship God.  Exodus 33:11 tells us, “Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.”  And this is true for us, as well, especially now that Jesus has made a bridge between God and man.  We, too, must daily withdraw to worship and hear the Lord speak to us as a friend.

The Westminster catechism says that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.  Our ultimate purpose is to glorify God forever which will bring us deep joy forever.  On this earth, we will each be assigned different means of glorifying Him.  But the preparation for the assignment is the same for all of us: worship, true heartfelt worship.  Not the “go to church on Sunday and Wednesday night” kind of worship.  I’m talking personal, face-to-face realization that He is an extraordinary God who deserves more than we could ever offer Him, but Who is somehow pleased with a heart that simply acknowledges and loves Him.

We can worship corporately, such as during Bible Study or a Sunday church service, but we must also worship privately.  We can worship with prayer and praises.  We can worship with singing.  We can worship by reading and meditating and memorizing and remembering God’s Word.  And we can worship Him by reaching out to others.  Our good deeds are an act of worship.  Keith Green wrote a beautiful song with the following words:  “Make my life a prayer to You.”  Every action and word of our lives can be an act of worship.  And this happens through complete surrender to Him.

We see that God called Moses to a mighty purpose.  Moses did not take the assignment lightly, nor did he feel equipped in his own ability to fulfill the assignment.  So he worshipped in good times and bad times and in joy and in sorrow.  Moses led the people in worship through all the years of wandering in the desert.  Exodus 33:7 says, “Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the ‘tent of meeting’.”  I believe that the tent of meeting was pitched outside the camp for several reasons.

First of all, we cannot forget the holiness of God.   We must realize that though we are able to ‘come boldly to the throne of grace’ through Jesus, it is still a throne.  A throne calls for reverence, attention, and acknowledgement of its superiority.  And we are not just talking about any old throne.  This is the throne of all thrones, holding the presence of the King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords.  All earthly thrones will fall.  And yet we pay homage to these temporary thrones.  How much more should we come with awe, diligence, respect and reverence to the eternal throne?  Our true worship brings us to a front row seat before the eternal throne.  Our prayers and praises thrust us forward to His mighty feet, propped up on the footstool of the earth. Our worship is a sweet-smelling incense for the Lord.

I once attended a worship conference at a large church in the Chicago area.  One night we attended a worship service with thousands of people.  The people were of one accord praying and praising.  My heart was filled to overflowing and my desire to please the Lord grew stronger.  At one point, I looked around at the believers gathered together, and I prayed, “Lord, are you pleased with our worship?  Are you pleased, Lord?”  Suddenly a picture formed in my imagination:  Jesus rose to his feet from the throne with outstretched arms.  And then He brought His arms forward towards His face in a grand sweeping motion, as if He smelled something divine. The picture in my imagination brought tears to my eyes, and joy to my soul; and I felt a true peace that our worship was indeed pleasing to Him.

A few days later, back at my home, I was reading my Bible and came across the following verses: 

“Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.  And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?’  But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it.  I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.  Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep!  See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.  He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’

“Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.  He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.  He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.  And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty four elders fell down before the Lamb.  Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.  And they sang a new song:

‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

                                                                                                                    Revelation 5:1-10

You see, our true worship is sweet smelling aroma to the Lord.  And our praises and prayers move heaven and change earth.  And as we have just read, we are called to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God.  We are called to leave our slave mentality behind, and walk as royalty.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”                                                                                             

                                                                                                                         1 Peter 2:9

Another reason that I believe the tent of meeting was placed outside the camp is because true worship requires effort and obedience on our part. True worship is not always convenient, and is often painful because it strips us of false pride, false humility and false strength.  We can’t enter true worship without being totally aware of our inadequacies.  But true worship heightens our awareness of His abundant adequacies. Second Timothy 1:11-13 says, “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him against that day” (KJV).  Paul wrote these words in the midst of a discussion of his suffering.  This kind of confidence, faith and patience come from the knowledge, peace and assurance gained from our personal times of true worship.  Today, worship God with your time, your words, your thoughts, your prayers, your praises, and your good deeds.  Today, ask the Lord to make your whole life a prayer to Him.

Today’s reading includes Exodus 30:11-31:18, Matthew 26:47-68, Psalm 32:1-11, Proverbs 8:27-32.

Today’s reading was much like a recipe book.  It laid out the recipe for the anointing oil and for the incense to be placed in front of the Ark of the Covenant.  What was the Ark of the Covenant?  In the most basic terms, it was a holy box.  It was said that the presence of God was in the box, representing the everlasting presence of God.  Placed inside were the Stones of the Ten Commandments, a sample of the Manna, the bread from heaven, and Aaron’s staff that sprouted.  There is so much to the Ark of the Covenant and what it represents.  In fact, you can find all of the Trinity represented.  But today, my mind is on the Holy Spirit.

I love the Holy Spirit.  He doesn’t always get the emphasis from Christian teachers, maybe because He is more mysterious.  We can understand the concept of the Father, and we can understand the concept of the Son.  But God the Holy Spirit is not as tangible, and yet, the Holy Spirit is represented throughout the Bible.

Oswald Chambers said, “The Spirit is the first power we practically experience, but the last power we come to understand.”

In Exodus 30, we see the recipe for the anointing oil that is to be applied to the priests and the Tabernacle, and the recipe for the incense that is to be placed in front of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies.

Rev. John Schultz said, “Most of the ingredients were not locally available. Apart from the myrrh, everything was imported from a far distant source. The cinnamon may have come from India, or even from the Far East. This presupposes that a vast trade among countries and, maybe even continents, existed already at that time. God does not use only local ingredients since His field is the world from which He harvests His perfumes. We could say that there is a missionary flavor conveyed by the anointing oil.” 

This thought appeals to my soul.  The anointing oil and the incense, both which represent the Holy Spirit, contained international ingredients, most likely gathered from traders in the wilderness.  The end result was very valuable and very holy.  I have traveled to many different parts of the world and have spoken with believers in China, Costa Rica, Peru, England, and Ecuador.  And all could express an experience with God, a knowledge deep down of His presence.  They could express times when they saw miraculous answers to prayer, and gentle whispers of peace.  They could express times when the Word of God became alive for the them; when the ancient Word was applicable and perfect for their current situations.  These are all workings of the Holy Spirit and the work of the Holy Spirit is found throughout the world.  So, how precious is the knowledge of that the oil which was a reflection of the Spirit of God was made from ingredients from around the world.

The word anointing means to bless, make holy, consecrate, set apart for a specific purpose.  There are only two types of anointing found in the Bible, anointing with oil and anointing with the Holy Spirit.

Throughout the Bible, the oil represents the Holy Spirit, either by way of reflection or by way of remembrance.  In the Old Testament, the oil was a reflection of the presence and anointing which would come through the Holy Spirit.  And in the New Testament the oil was a reminder that the Holy Spirit had come and is at work in our lives.

In the Old Testament, we find it is mostly the priests who had the opportunity for anointing, although we do see examples of the Spirit of God filling others who had a great mission of God to fulfill.  But in the New Testament, after Jesus dies and is resurrected, we see a new promise fulfilled.  In John 14, this is what is promised:

15 “If you love me, obey[a] my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[b] who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.[c] 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 

And in 1John 2: 20, we find these words:

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.

Who is the “you”?  Who had the anointing from the Holy Spirit?  It was written in a letter to Christian believers.  It is not specified who those believers were.  It was to all of us.  And how is that different from the instructions laid out in Exodus 30?  In that passage, only the priests were to be anointed with the oil; but after the completed work of Jesus, all believers can be anointed by the Holy Spirit.

Another interesting thought is this one:  When the promise of the coming Advocate, the Holy Spirit, was fulfilled it was fulfilled in a dramatic way.  We find that account in Acts 2.  When all the believers were together in one place, they were unified not only in proximity but also were unified in their spirits.  And when the Holy Spirit came upon them, there was a great sound like the rushing of the wind, and those present, spoke in languages from all over the world.  And then look what happened:

5 At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

                                                                                                Acts 2:5-6

Jerusalem was a very “metropolitan” city with representatives of many nations residing there.  When the Holy Spirit came upon the believers the native languages of many nations were represented and the people were shocked to hear their own languages spoken in such a holy way.  What does this fact have to do with our Exodus 30 reading?  Think about the “recipe” for the anointing oil.  It’s ingredients represented many nations.  When the Holy Spirit came upon the believers, the anointing of the Holy Spirit represented many nations.  No longer was this “international” anointing oil only for the priests.  With the finished work of Jesus came the anointing of all men from every nation.

The Book of Revelation shows us a veiled picture of the end of time.  Revelation 7:9-12 tells us:

9After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,

who sits on the throne,

and to the Lamb.”

11All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying:

“Amen!

Praise and glory

and wisdom and thanks and honor

and power and strength

be to our God for ever and ever.

Amen!”

The anointing of the Holy Spirit brings about truth for all men.  Pray that the anointing of the Holy Spirit enables you to change the world, especially your corner of the world.  Keith Green wrote a song many years ago which I have used as a daily prayer for almost four decades.  It is called Rushing Wind and here are the lyrics.  Read these aloud today as a prayer.

Rushing wind blow through this temple,

Blowing out the dust within,

Come and breathe you breath upon me,

I’ve been born again.

Holy spirit, I surrender, take me where you want to go,

Plant me by your living water,

Plant me deep so I can grow.

Jesus, you’re the one, who sets my spirit free,

Use me lord, glorify, your holy name through me.

Separate me from this world lord.

Sanctify my life for you.

Daily change me to your image,

Help me bear good fruit.

Every day you’re drawing closer.

Trials come to test my faith.

But when all is said and done lord,

You know, it was worth the wait.

Jesus, you’re the one, who set my spirit free,

Use me lord, glorify, your holy name through me.

Rushing wind blow through this temple,

Blowing out the dust within,

Come and breathe you breath upon me,

For I’ve been born again.

Today’s reading includes Exodus 29:1-30:10, Matthew 26:14-46, Psalm 31:19-24, Proverbs 8:14-26.

To continue our discussion of the repetitive colors found in the scriptures, I wanted to take a look at the color scarlet.  The color scarlet is mentioned throughout the Bible.  It often refers to blood atonement and sacrifice.  It can also represent sin.  It is interesting that our sins of scarlet is atoned for by the scarlet blood of Jesus.

A scarlet cord was tied around the wrist of Zerah (Genesis 38:28-30).  It is used a great deal in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:4).  It is the color of the cord hung from Rahab’s window (Joshua 2:18).  It is a mark of prosperity (II Samuel 1:24; Proverbs 31:21).  It is the color of the robe placed on Jesus (Matthew 27:28), though scarlet and purple were not always distinguished (Mark 15:17).  It is color of the beast ridden by the harlot Babylon (Revelation 17:3) along with some of her garments (Revelation 17:4) and those of her followers (Revelation 18:16).

Yesterday we looked at Mark 15:17 which described the soldiers mocking Jesus and placing a purple robe on Him.  In Matthew 27:28 we find the same account but the robe is said to be scarlet.  This should not worry us too much.  Those two colors were not always distinguished.  And the truth is that God allowed both accounts to be included in His Word, for both colors represented Jesus very clearly.  Yes, the robe may have appeared purple, for He is the King of kings.  And yes, the robe may have appeared to be scarlet, for His scarlet blood was being shed for our scarlet sins.  Only the King of kings would have that kind of strength and authority.  And it is only by that strength and authority are we cured of our scarlet sin problem.  Let’s look at Isaiah 1:18 in two different translations.

ESV ““Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

NIV “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

I love both of those translations and both have words that shout truth to my soul.  Come, let us reason together.  God is saying, “Let’s reason this out.  Let’s talk reasonably.  Let’s listen to reason.  I’m got this figured out.  I’ve got this handled.  You can’t handle it, but I can.”

He also says, “Let’s settle the matter. Let’s settle it once and for all.  Let’s look to the Only One and the Only Way it can be settled.  You can’t settle it, but I can.”

In today’s reading we see many hits at the symbolism of scarlet.  Aaron and his sons are at the entrance of the Tabernacle and they are getting ready for an important event.  Aaron was getting dressed in his priestly garments, which we already know would have blue, purple, and scarlet thread woven throughout.  He is then anointed with oil and a sacrifice is made.  Blood from a bull is put on the horns of the altar and poured out at the base.  Then scarlet blood of a ram is splattered on the sides of the altar. Then another ram is slaughtered and this one is not applied to the altar.  This one is applied to Aaron and his sons before it is applied to the altar.

19 “Now take the other ram, and have Aaron and his sons lay their hands on its head. 20 Then slaughter it, and apply some of its blood to the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons. Also put it on the thumbs of their right hands and the big toes of their right feet. Splatter the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar.

                                                                        Exodus 29:19-20

Where was the blood to be applied to Aaron and his sons?  To the right earlobe, to the thumbs of the right hand, and to the big toes of their right feet.  Now, what in the world is that all about?  These parts of the body are vital as little as they are.  What is it to live without thumbs?  Take notice today as to what all you do with your thumbs.  And how difficult it is to walk without a big toe?  One does not understand the stability it brings to the body until you experience walking without it.  And then there is the earlobe.  It doesn’t appear that the earlobe has much function, however, it does.  The nerve endings are very sensitive and the shape may assist the pinna in capturing sound waves and help us hear better.  And let us not forget that the earlobe carried the markings of identification, as in the piercing of the ear of the slave when he chose to remain with his master forever.  These “little” parts of the human anatomy may not seem important, but they help to complete us, help us function to the best of our abilities.  And in these scriptures, we see that all parts of us, both big and small, both knowingly important and seemingly small, must be consecrated to God and set apart for His glory.

As we see in Exodus 29: 2, the bull and the two rams were to be without defects—perfect specimens, symbolic of the perfect Lamb of God to come.  There were several types of sacrifices mentioned here.  There was the sacrifice of loaves and oil, and there was the burnt offering of the bull.  When we get to the sacrifice of the rams, it is a peace-offering to God.  This shows the constant striving to reach a peaceful union of a sinful people to a holy God.  Interesting to note that there were two sacrificial systems in place throughout the Bible, just as there were two rams sacrificed as a peace offering.  There was the sacrificial system of the Old Testament which only provided temporary relief from our sin and peace with God.  Then, there was the sacrificial system in the New Testament which only included the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God.  It is an everlasting sacrificial system.  The only one that truly offers us eternal peace.

Note that the second ram was the one whose blood was applied to Aaron and his sons.  It was the second system, the New Testament system that is applied to us and our sin.  We “plead the blood of Jesus” over ourselves and our families.  We apply the blood in prayer, as we proclaim, “What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

The blood of the second ram was applied to their right earlobe, that they could clearly hear the voice of the One who lead them to the promise land.  It was also applied to the thumbs of their right hand—the one which is most commonly the dominant hand, that whatever they accomplished with their hands would glorify God.  And it was applied to the big toes of their right, dominant feet, that wherever they walked, wherever they went they would walk with God.  And so it is with us.

Lord, take our ears today, that we may be cleansed to hear Your Voice saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”

Lord, take our hands that whatever our hands find to do, we may do it for Your glory.

Lord, take our feet today that where ever we go we can walk in the light of Your Love and take it to others.

This is what I found in Benson Commentary as pertaining to Exodus 29:19.

There must be a peace-offering; it is called the ram of consecration, because there was more in this, peculiar to the occasion, than in the other two. In the burnt-offering, God had the glory of their priesthood, in this they had the comfort of it. And in token of a mutual covenant between God and them, the blood of this sacrifice was divided between God and them, part of the blood was sprinkled upon the altar round about, and part upon them, upon their bodies, and upon their garments. Thus the benefit of the expiation made by the sacrifice was applied and assured to them, and their whole selves, from head to foot, sanctified to the service of God. The blood was put upon the extreme parts of the body, to signify that it was all, as it were, enclosed and taken in for God, the tip of the ear and the great toe not excepted. And the blood and oil signified the blood of Christ, and the graces of the Spirit, which constitute and complete the beauty of holiness, and recommend us to God.

May we be consecrated to Him.  May we find our peace in the Prince of Peace.  May we be wholly His, from head to toe.