Good morning! We close out the month of January today with the final three chapters of Exodus. Earlier we’ve read God’s instruction to Moses about each part of the tabernacle, then read about it being built. Here we have the actual setting up of the tabernacle, which is a great accomplishment for the Hebrew people and a “guarantee” of God’s presence among them for the decades of wilderness time still to come.
Month: January 2016
Exodus 36-37
Good morning! I’ve been thinking of you each day as I write, and wonder how the reading is going for you. Have you heard the phrase, “After the ecstasy, the laundry”? I suspect that following our initial euphoria at Genesis and the start of a new resolution, many of us are now feeling the “laundry” portion of just getting through the daily readings. Let me encourage you to do what you can as you have time, and to recognize that this is a marathon endeavor. So just do what you can to get a taste of each day’s reading, and I recommend skimming or listening to an audio edition if that makes it easier to stay caught up. Free yourself of the burden that you must read each verse, plus everything that I or others write, if it gets in your way. Giving some of your finite attention each day to this effort is a lovely demonstration of your desire, and the “perfect” need not get in the way of your “personal best”. Many of us have already read more of the Bible in a faster and deeper way than ever before, and this is a huge accomplishment all on its own!
Exodus 33-35
Good morning! In today’s passage (Exodus 33-35) God, Moses and the Hebrew people must figure out what they’re going to do to repair their breach. After chapters of God’s rhapsodic descriptions of the beautiful tabernacle, the people lost patience and decided to create other gods, which evoked slaughter and divine plague in response. The relationship between God and people is sometimes described in the Bible as like a marriage, so what to do now when one’s vows have been betrayed?
Exodus 30-32
Good morning! Today in Exodus 30-32 we finish the description of the tabernacle’s furnishings, then run into the story of idolatry and retribution which is known by the Golden Calf.
Exodus 27-29
Good morning! Today’s passage (Exodus 27-29) continues yesterday’s instructions for the outfitting of the tabernacle and its items, then describes the appearance and preparation of Hebrew priests. You might get either glassy-eyed or grossed out at the details here, but I’ll do what I can to help us find contemporary significance in this ancient haberdashery.
Exodus 24-26
Good morning! Today’s reading from Exodus 24-26 describes the ascent of Moses and other leaders on Mount Sinai, plus detailed instructions from God for what sacred artifacts are to be built as symbols of God’s presence in the wilderness. It’s odd to get architectural blueprints from the Divine, so let’s look for the meaning behind these instructions to see what purpose they serve in the Hebrew community. Throughout, these chapters emphasize holiness through hierarchy.
Exodus 21-23
Good morning! Expanding from the Ten Commandments yesterday, today’s chapters (Exodus 21-23) describe a framework of moral and legal practice which is both utterly foreign and yet perhaps still understandable. I find it fascinating to imagine the human dynamics by which these laws came about. These situations came about often enough that ancient Hebrews established patterns for dealing with them in a fair manner. I invite us to bracket our inclination to measure these laws against today’s morality as much as possible, and instead read them with a sense of curiosity for what they teach us of early Jewish life.
Exodus 17-20
Good morning! Today in Exodus 17-20 we witness Moses’ response to the challenges of leadership, encounter God at Mount Sinai and learn the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 14-16
Good morning! It continues to be a pleasure to share these readings with you each day, and thank you for those who have time to share your reflections via comments. We’re a better learning community for all your participation! In today’s passage (Exodus 14-16), we see the final miraculous escape of the Hebrew people from Egyptian pursuers, and the beginning of an eventual forty years of wandering through wilderness before beginning to settle in the land of Canaan.
Exodus 11-13
Good morning! Today in Exodus 11-13 we read about the final deadly plague against Egypt and the departure of the Israelites from Goshen, interspersed with descriptions that set up and ritualize the observance of the Passover.
Pastor Oby Ballinger 