Flax & Barley--Introduction

 

This is the process of how some of my Bible studies come into existence--

--Be actively working on a Bible study. 

--Get distracted by a verse/phrase/thought/idea while researching another part of the text of the active study.  

--Start making notes on the distracting verse/phrase/thought/idea so I don't forget. 

--Struggle to finish active study because all my thoughts are now wrapped up in what distracted me. 

--Power through original study and move to new study!!

The idea to learn about flax and barley came to me during our last study on Heaven's Royal Sacrifice

When I was reading in Exodus about the tabernacle, I came across these verses--

"The flax and the barley were destroyed because the barley was ripe and the flax was budding."

Exodus 9:31

This destruction of crops came from the 7th plague--hail. The description of these two plants and where they were in their lifecycle when they were destroyed is so helpful in dating the timeline of the 10 plagues.  Flax is usually in it's budding stage in Jan-Feb, and barley is ripe at the same time.  We know that Passover happened in the month of Abib/Nisan (It was called Abib originally, then changed to Nisan after the exile.) Abib/Nisan corresponds with modern-day April so we know that the 7th plague fits into the proper timeline.  

Each of the plagues is a show of strength by Jehovah God against the gods that Egypt worshiped. (Squirrel alert....) Nut was the goddess of the sky, Isis and Seth presided over agriculture, and Shu over the atmosphere.* God, Almighty was victorious over these false gods in their own domain by bringing a hailstorm of epic proportions, never before seen in Egypt. (Exodus 9:18)

  The loss of their flax crop would have been a low blow to the Egyptians because the flax plant is processed to make linen for clothing, bedding, burial fabric.    Linen was practical to wear because it was cool in a hot climate.  It was a favorite among royalty and nobility.  (God also clothes His priests in linen in the wilderness and beyond.)

Barley was also a very important crop because they would use it to feed their horses.  It wasn't a diet staple for humans, as any bread made from it was considered inferior to bread made with wheat.  (The wheat and the spelt--two grains that were necessary for human diet survived this plague according to verse 32, but then were destroyed in the plague of locusts in chapter 10.)

I hope you aren't tired of your AG lesson, because there is more to come!!  We will spend the next lesson studying flax--its uses, how it's processed, its symbolism--all through the lens of one Biblical account.  Then we will take a day and study barley--its uses, how its processed, its symbolism--all through one Biblical account.   Finally we will tie them together and realize that Flax & Barley are for us, too!!! 

*   Understanding the 10 plagues

Heaven's Royal Sacrifice--It's Jesus!!!--Day 10 (Finale!!!)

 

I have been dying for 9 days to mention Jesus's name.  It didn't feel right, skirting around Him, and Jesus Himself agrees. ("You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me" John 5:39) But we have been talking about Him the whole time.  Jesus is Heaven's Royal Sacrifice.  The tabernacle, the priestly garments, the veil--all have been pointing to the coming Perfect Sacrifice, given once for all.  

Heaven's Royal Sacrifice--Imposters--Day 9

 

Imposters

Does anyone remember the "Left Behind" books and movies?  I spent a lot of time doom reading them. (Before doom scrolling was a thing...) I was TERRIFIED of Nicolae Carpathia, the man written as the anti-christ of Revelation.  He was just as slimy, conniving, creepy, snakey as I've ever imagined.  And lots of you know this, but I grew up so so scared of the book of Revelation in general, the anti-christ in particular.  We wonder who might rise up as the anti-christ, the end time beast.  But let me tell you, the spirit of the anti-christ is already here.  It is not just an evil force wrapped up in one person, it is an evil ideology that has been here since page 2 in my Bible.  

I don't know who to credit for this phrase I've heard many times, (could be Abraham Lincoln if you believe the internet 😒) but it goes something like this:

What God creates, Satan perverts.

Satan doesn't have an original thought on his own, he can only try and fail to take what God does and twist it for his own evil plans.  We are going to look at a few imposters who wore the colors woven into the veil that covered the Holy of Holies.  I'm not saying wearing blue, purple, or scarlet is evil--obviously this whole study is about God choosing these colors for His priestly garments and placing them all over the tabernacle and temple.  It's their motives, actions, hearts that are evil, and the scripture just so happens to mention what colors they're either surrounded by or wearing.  The symbolism meant something to them then, and we can learn from it now.  

Esther 1:5-6

King Ahasuerus was the ruler of 127 provinces, with his palatial headquarters in Susa.  He threw a huge banquet for all the nobles, officials, staff, army to display his wealth.  The party lasted 180 days!!  At the end of this 6 month shindig, he hosted a week long banquet for all the people.  He decorated the garden courtyard with white and blue linen hangings, that were fastened with fine white and purple linen cords to silver rods on marble columns.  White the color of purity, blue the color of heaven, linen the fabric of righteousness, and purple the color of royalty.  But by his actions, we know that while God was sovereign over this king's story, this king did not follow God.  He was not pure, he was not of heaven, he was not righteous.  He banished his wife, he held a beauty contest to pick a new wife, he cared more about riches than right-living.  He has no red, no sacrifice to give because he lives for himself.  

Proverbs 7:6-27

Folly is compared to Wisdom in Proverbs 7-9.  A father (likely King Solomon from yesterday!) is teaching his son to tell the difference by comparing them as if they were two women.  The father spies Lady Folly seducing a young man who surrounds himself with inexperienced simpletons.  She is dressed like a prostitute and has covered her bed with richly colored linen from Egypt.  As we learned in our "A Tale of Two Ladies" study, she also seduced him with what she thought was a lovely perfume, but it was the recipe for embalming--death. Lady Folly  Her linen did not represent righteousness, but was a pathway to death and destruction.  

Jeremiah 10:1-10

The idol makers are not that different than the skilled craftsmen and women who made the tabernacle and the temple.  They cut down a tree, carve it, decorate it with silver and gold.  But like "scarecrows in a cucumber patch" they are worthless.  They can't talk or walk--they can't do harm or good.  The idols will not declare that they have come to dwell among their people.  Compared to the LORD God, they are both stupid and fooish, the idols and their makers.  They are clothed in blue and purple at the hands of skilled artisans, but they do not come from heaven, they are not pure nor righteous,  and they can't offer a sacrifice that can atone for one's sins.   Imposters.  

Ezekiel 27:1-7

The city of Tyre has some connection to our temple story.   Hiram of Tyre provided many temple elements for King Solomon.  His mother was a Jew, but his father was from Tyre.  Tyre--often mentioned with Sidon--is a port city.  The city is noted for its rejection of God and His ways, especially in comparison to God's people, Israel.  The city is being lamented, mourned, because it has declared itself beautiful in every way.  They are bordered by seas and the builders have spared no expense.   If compared to a boat, only the finest from surrounding lands have been cultivated; including fine embroidered linen from Egypt as the sail, and blue and purple as the awning.  But their beauty becomes their downfall.  The blue is not of heaven, the purple is not royal, the linen is not righteousness.  A lament is cried over them as they are destroyed by sinking, like the useless, worthless ship it is.  

Revelation 17:4; 18:16, 24

Babylon. The enemy.  The spirit of anti-christ personified as a woman.  Dressed in purple--royalty but of the worst kind of kingdom, the kingdom of darkness. Dressed in scarlet, but only interested in the blood of the saints and martyrs.  Babylon.  The enemy.  The spirit of anti-christ portrayed as a city.   Dressed in linen, but no righteousness to be found.  Dressed in purple--wealthy beyond imagination, riches made from cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, linen, purple, silk, scarlet, fragrand wood, ivory, fine metals, stones, spices, wine, olive oil, grains, livestock, horses, carriages, human lives.    Scarlet--the color of their destruction, not sacrifice. In her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all those slaughtered on the earth.  

We can often learn as much from what something ISN'T as what it is. The colors alone mean something, symbolism was a big deal to the ancient world, maybe even more so than now. The colors separated in our examples meant someone or something trying and failing to imitate God.  But the colors of the veil are a holy combination--blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen.  They colors are chosen by God to weave a tapestry that tells a story--to those before, of a coming Redeemer.  To those after, of a Redeemer come. It's the story of Holy Week.   

Heaven's Royal Sacrifice--The Temple--Day 8

 

The Temple

My Bible Study group--Much Needed G.I.R.L. Time--did a study on First Kings way back in January  2020.  ( I published it on this blog in May of 2020) I spent so much time doing the math of the measurements, converting cubits into inches and feet and yards.  You can drown in the details, but the details are there for a reason.  

I'm not going to pretend I completely understand what happened in the 440 years between Moses's Tabernacle and Solomon's Temple.  The tabernacle was meant to be mobile, as it traveled with the Israelites through the wilderness and into the Promised Land.  A jar of manna, the flaky food that God miraculously provided the Hebrews in the wilderness, was added to the ark of the covenant.  Manna  We learn from Hebrews 9:4 that Aaron's staff was also added. Aaron's staff  The ark itself was stolen, given away, misplaced over the years, and to this day no one knows where it is.  Most scholars believe that the harsh conditions of the wilderness eventually broke down the fabrics of the tabernacle and they were possibly discarded.  

In 2 Samuel 7, King David had it in his heart to build the LORD God a permanent dwelling place.  King David feels guilty that he lives in a house of cedar, while God lives in a tent of curtains.  However, God tells David He has been content to live in a tent.  It will not be King David who builds God's temple, but it will be King Solomon--David's yet-to-be-born son.  King Solomon takes that dream as his own in 1 Kings 5:3-4.  The details drawn out for the temple sound much the same as the tabernacle, but bigger, more elaborate, and more permanent.  Skilled artisans are commissioned to work with precious metals, wood, dye, and fabric. 2 Chronicles 2:7  The same colors are used in the temple veil--

"He made the veil of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, and he wove cherubim into it." 

(2 Chronicles 3:14)

In 1 Kings 8, the ark was moved into the temple. When the priests came from placing the ark in the holy place, the cloud filled the LORD's temple.  The priests were not able to continue ministering because of the glory of the LORD in the temple.  

God has put His "stamp of approval" on the temple, His new dwelling place.  I wonder if these priests 440 years after the priests first commissioned the tabernacle stood  and wondered anew at the tapestry that was the veil covering the Holy of Holies.  What picture was it painting for them?  What story did it want them to see?  I imagine the tapestry was majestic to behold.  Did they get lost in its beauty and intricate weaving?  Or did they see beyond  to the promise of a future King who would be the righteous, pure, sacrifice from Heaven?  When King Solomon dedicated the temple, he turned to the congregation and prayed--

"But will God indeed live on the earth?" (1 Kings 8:27)

Look to the tapestry.  Look to the veil.  Yes.  Yes He will.  

Heaven's Royal Sacrifice--Cherubim--Day 7

 

The Veil

I think we all have a picture in our minds of a cherubim. We would probably more likely use "cherub" as the ai overview in google describes it--"a baby or a young child with a round, sweet, and angelic-looking face, often with a rosy complexion and a pleasing, innocent appearance."  I found this video on instagram and it says it all.                                                                                                                           Cherubim

The first time we encounter cherubim (plural of cherub), is in Genesis 3:24   God formed Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils.   Then He planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He placed the man He had formed.  God told Adam that He is FREE (emphasis mine) to eat of any tree of the garden, except one.  After God gave this command, He said "It is not good for man to be alone, I will make a helper corresponding to him."  So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to come over Adam, removed one of his ribs, made it into a woman, and gave her to the man.  Adam responded with joy over finally having someone the same as him.  They were naked and unashamed.  But then...the couple ate of the tree that Adam was commanded not to eat, first Eve then Adam.  Sin brought a curse on each of the players--the serpent would be doomed to crawl on his belly; the woman would have pain in childbirth, and the man would have to work the thorny ground with painful labor just to get enough to eat.  The LORD God traded the fig leaves--man's effort to cover his own sin--for clothing from skins and He clothed them.  The consequence of their sin evicted them from the garden--from the Presence of God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze.  God drove the man out and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life.  Genesis 2-3 

Cherubim are a class of angelic beings, whose name likely means to guard or to cover.  So why did God command Moses to skillfully weave cherubim into the veil?  What was behind the veil that needed guarded, covered?  The "only" thing behind the veil is the ark of the covenant.  But it is everything.  Exodus 25:10-16 The ark's template was given along with every other element of the tabernacle.  Moses was to put the "tablets of the testimony", the Ten Commandments, inside the ark.  On top of the ark--the lid, essentially--would be the mercy seat.  

"Make a mercy seat of pure gold, forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide.  Make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat.  Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end.  At its two ends, make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat.  The cherubim are to have wings spread out above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and are to face one another.  The faces of the cherubim should be toward the mercy seat. Set the mercy seat on top of the ark and put the tablets of the testimony that I will give you into the ark.  I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony; I will speak with you from there about all that I command you regarding the Israelites." (Exodus 25:17-22)

The ark of the covenant (or testimony) is like the garden of Eden.  The Presence of God will dwell there among His people yet again.  He is faithful in His steadfast love to them, but the consequence of sin  remains.  The cherubim woven into the veil are a reminder to the Israelites and specifically to the priests that sin still separates them from God.  Even the high priest, who can go behind the veil into the Holy of Holies once a year, would see the cherubim perched on the mercy seat and know that his contact with the LORD God is only as much as the LORD Himself will allow.  

The veil is now complete.  The LORD spoke to Moses in Exodus 40:1-3 to erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, put in it the ark of the testimony, and to screen the ark with the veil.  I wonder what the priests thought when they saw the finished veil as they stood in the Holy Place for the first time.  They saw blue for heaven, purple for royal, red for sacrifice, linen for purity, and now cherubim to block them from it all?  I wonder what the high priest--Aaron--thought the first time he entered the Holy of Holies and saw the cherubim guarding the mercy seat, the place where God said He would meet them?  God was right to evict Adam and Eve from His Presence.  God was right to keep the priests from being fully in His Presence.  Their lives are a testimony to the separation sin brings.   But, until then, because God has sworn by His own Name to keep His promises; because He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, Exodus 34:6-7 He moves back in to dwell among His beloved people.  It's a guarded dwelling, it's a covered dwelling. 

"Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.  And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.  Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out.  But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up.  For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys." (Exodus 40:34-38)

It's not like it was in the Garden of Eden.  But, praise God, it's also not like it will someday be!!!

   

Heaven's Royal Sacrifice--Linen--Day 6

 

The Veil

I had Jenna (my second baby) in February.  For Christmas a couple of months before, I asked for gift cards so I could buy new clothes after the baby was born.  My mom bought me one from Lerner and I couldn't wait to shop.  Even though that was 32 years ago, I clearly remember what I bought--pleated linen pants.  They were so comfortable and rich feeling.  They were neutral colored, so they matched every top in my closet  that spring and summer.  And so I wore them with everything.  (A couple of years later, Mike sheepishly told me that they weren't very flattering.{I mean, I should have known...Pleats postpartum?  Come on.}  Although it hurt my feelings a little at the time, I know it would've been MUCH WORSE if he'd told me while  hormones were raging.)

Linen was valuable during the time of the tabernacle.  Flax is the plant that is processed into linen, and the Israelites likely remembered flax being completely destroyed during the 7th plague--hail.  The flax was just starting to bud when God struck Egypt yet spared Goshen, the area the Hebrew slaves lives. Hail storm The Israelites might have recognized linen as the fabric used to bury Pharaohs and other royalty and notables in Egypt.  Their own ancient ancestor, Joseph, was taken from prison, promoted to 2nd in command in all of Egypt, and clothed in fine linen after helping Pharaoh interpret a troubling set of dreams. He was also embalmed, which was a process more like mummification, which required yards of linen.  (They would know about Joseph, because they carried his bones in a coffin throughout their 40-year trip to the promised land, burying him there. Joseph's bones  Joseph's burial )  

Linen also represented purity, holiness, and righteousness.  In Leviticus 21 and 22, God lays out for Moses all that will consecrate--set apart as sacred--the priests and most notably the high priest. This was a reciprocal agreement between God and the priests of His tabernacle.  Leviticus 20:7-8  

"Consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.  Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sets you apart."  

The priests were required to be ritually pure, not unclean.  They were required to be holy, not profane.  They are required to be righteous, not corrupt.  They came before the LORD with offerings on behalf of the people and their sins.  These were not requests, they were requirements.  

God is so good to the Israelites.  He has given the blueprint for the tabernacle.   He has given the pattern for the priestly garments.  He has gifted them the abilities to weave the veil.  Exodus 35:35

All that He has required, He has provided.  But I wonder if the priests looked up at the veil and down at their garments, at the linen woven into the blue, the purple, the scarlet, and felt unclean, profane, corrupt.  Oh they wouldn't have appeared so on the outside, it was forbidden.  If they showed any outward signs of disobedience, they would have been cut off from their people or killed.  But they were people like us.  I'm sure they felt the weight of  their sin.  Maybe even more so than us, because the blood of sacrifice covered them.  But wait.  Maybe we are more alike than we are different....

💙💜💓🤍

Heaven's Royal Sacrifice--Scarlet--Day 5

 

The Veil

My husband, Mike, is a trapper.  (Sorry if this is offensive to anyone, but also not too sorry because he is very respectful of God's creation.) He traps coyote, muskrat, mink, possum, raccoon, otter, and beaver.  Every winter since I met him 38 years ago, this has been a major part of his schedule, a hobby handed down from his own dad.   Anytime I go visit him in his trapping room (which is RARELY!!!), you better believe I have my eyes, nose, and mouth covered because it's gross work.  It's blood and guts and stench. He can't help but end up with some of the gore on him and his clothes.  He occasionally tries to get me to touch the fur, or at least admire it from afar, and I always say "I prefer these in check form."  (He sells the fur.) 

Today, we are on our final color--scarlet.  The dye was drawn from an insect for this ancient color.  The color of life, the color of blood.  Being a priest in the tabernacle was bloody work.  The first time we see the Israelites encounter a blood sacrifice is in Exodus 12  They are to take a lamb, prepare it for dinner in a certain way, then take the blood on a hyssop branch and swipe it above the door and on both doorposts.  This was right before the last plague on the Egyptians, the death of the firstborn.  When the LORD passes through to strike Egypt and saw the blood on the Israelites' doors, he would pass over that home.  (Hence the name Passover)  

The next time they see blood sacrifice is in Exodus 29 (although there were references to sacrifices between chapters 12 and 29).  The consecration ceremony was elaborate. It's what set them apart from the rest of the Israelites as they prepared to offer various sacrifices for various sins.  Aaron and his sons, from the tribe of Levi, the priestly line, would be called in to the tent of meeting and washed with water.  The priestly garments--blue, purple, scarlet--were put on each man in order.  Anointing oil was poured on their heads and applied.  Then the sacrifice--a bull in this case--was brought to the tent of meeting and Aaron and his sons laid hands on it.  The bull would be slaughtered and the blood would be applied to the altar with the priests' finger, then poured out at the base of the altar.  Then a ram would be slaughtered and the blood would be splattered on all sides of the altar.  Then a second ram was slaughtered and blood was applied to Aaron and his sons' right earlobe, right thumb, and right big toe.  (Because the right was considered superior.  As a left-hander, I've decided not to take offense since, you know, it's God's Word...)  Then some of the blood was mixed with the anointing oil and sprinkled on the priests' garments.  There are other commands, but since we are focusing on the blood, I'll let you read them on your own.  

The blood was an essential element of atonement.  Adam and Eve found this out when they were expelled from the garden of Eden in disobedience and shame.  They tried to cover themselves with fig leaves to no avail.  God traded their fig leaves for animal skins--their work for His--because blood must be shed to pay for sin.  Leviticus 17:11 says God has arranged for the blood of the creature to be the atonement--the payment.  It is His plan, and as such, it is beyond contestation.  (Knight's Tale reference.)

The office of priest was an inherited line.  If the father was a priest, so were his sons.  The blood on the ear meant they were set apart to be hearers of God's Word.  The blood on the right thumb was a remembrance that they were to be doers of God's Word.  The blood on the right big toe was a sign that they were to be walking in step with the LORD.  They carried the weight of the sin of the people and it was heavy.  Maybe they looked down at their blood smeared skin and their blood splattered clothing, and felt like it was too much.  Maybe they were like me and felt woozy at the sight, smell, feel of the blood.  Maybe they tried to wash the scarlet out of their clothing with the blood.   Maybe they saw the scarlet woven into the curtains and the veil and counted the cost as too high.  But in God's currency--when it comes to buying His people back from the slavery of sin and keeping us in freedom--the scarlet will be the exact payment required.  Yes, please.  💓

Heaven's Royal Sacrifice--Purple--Day 4

 

Purple

The Veil

Have you ever taken on a job that was not nearly as glamorous as it first sounded?  I worked at a flower shop for a few years and it was a much dirtier job than I thought.  I imagined I would be arranging beautiful bouquets and making people deliriously happy when I delivered them with love.  And it was some of that.  But it was also dressy-enough-clothes-to-wait-on-customers getting dirty and wet and sticky from preparing the flowers for sale.  It was thorn pricks all over my hands from the roses, and hot glue gun burns from the silk arrangements.  

It's well known even today that purple is considered to be the color of royalty.  Very similar to the history of blue yesterday (Day 3),  the color purple was drawn from a snail--some say the same as the blue, some say a different version of snail.  Either way, its believed it would take THOUSANDS of snails to make a tablespoon of dye.  It was an elaborate process to extract the dye from the snail, therefore purple was very expensive and could only be afforded by the wealthy.  

In Exodus 19, God had told Moses to tell the Israelites that, if they would carefully listen to God and keep His commandment, they would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.  So maybe they looked at the purple--the color of royalty, wealth, authority--and thought "well, yeah!" (But in Hebrew...)  Exodus 19:3-6 Royal Priests

All the Israelites had known of royalty was from the Pharaoh and his family in Egypt.  And while the Pharaohs worked, they mostly lived a life of luxury. They were highly revered and worshiped. Everything about them reflected that they considered themselves god on earth.  

The tabernacle was a mobile dwelling place for the presence of God.  As the Hebrews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, the tabernacle would be packed up and taken with them.  It was an honor but it was work. The priests--and ONLY THE PRIESTS--could take down the veil on moving day.  They would take the veil and cover the ark of the testimony with it.  Moving Day  Even while being moved, the veil blocked the people from seeing the ark of the testimony, where the Presence of God dwelled.   

 I'm not trying to make the priests seem whiny, unhappy, ungrateful.  They were serving Jehovah Mekoddishkem, the God who sanctifies them.  Exodus 31:13  They were royalty unlike anything on earth to that point.  But I wonder if they looked at the purple--woven into the tabernacle, woven into their clothes, woven into the veil-- and thought this job was not as glamorous as they thought. The ritual, ceremony, fanfare of daily life in the tabernacle as they gave God their best lay adjacent to the humility, meekness, obedience required as a priest to the Most High God.  Not unlike the Royal One to come....💜

Heaven's Royal Sacrifice--Blue--Day 3

 

Blue

The Veil

(Depending on which version of the Bible you use, you may find this word translated "curtain".  But I compared it to the word for curtain in other parts of the tabernacle, and it's a different word.  While I typically read the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), I switched to the English Standard Version (ESV) for this.)

When I got married back in the 1900s, a veil on the bride was traditional.  A comb or a crown or a pouf  would attach on top of your head and flow down the back AND the front, over your face.  The front part of the veil could be raised and pushed back either when the father gave the bride away to the groom; or it could be lifted by the groom to give his bride the first kiss.  Veils have changed in fashion and function, but the origin is to separate the bride from the groom until the appropriate time.  

 Bezalel, the man gifted skill for every craft, took the instructions in Exodus 25, and fulfilled them obediently in Exodus 36:35-36 (obedience) The instructions for the veil for the tabernacle seem pretty simple when you think of its important duty.  It kept every one but the high priest out of the Holy of Holies.  The high priest could go behind the veil once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).  The day was so weighty--the sacrifice had to be worthy to atone for the sins of the whole Hebrew community, including the high priest.  The stakes were so high for the high priest  that bells were sewn around the hem of his robe and he would move continously while offering the sacrifice.  If the bells stopped ringing, it means he had died due to an unworthy sacrifice.  Exodus 28:35 (bells)

The first color the weavers were instructed to include was blue.  The word for blue here is "tekeleth", which could mean blue, purple, or violet.  But according to most Jewish scholars that I could find, they all agreed that it would be what we know as "sky blue".  The tradition is that the color was extracted from a murex snail.   (The verification was lost over the centuries, but people a lot smarter than I mostly agree. If anyone is interested, I will send some links that I read and compared.)  The secretion from the snail is yellow, but when left in the sunlight it turns the most beautiful blue. Symbolically, blue means divine, eternal, pure.  According to Mischpacha--A Jewish Family Weekly publication, rabbi Herzog  said the blue should "draw our thoughts to heaven, to God, and to His commands."  They also believed that this color--sky blue--was similar to the color of the throne of God.  We can somewhat verify this without leaving Exodus.  In chapter 24,  

"Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu [Aaron's oldest two sons], and 70 of Israel's elders went up the mountain and saw the God of Israel.  Beneath His feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself.  God did not harm the Israelite nobles; they saw Him, and they ate and drank."

This is a lapis lazuli today...we can only imagine what they look like in heaven!!

Can you imagine the sights, sounds, and smells around the tabernacle as the sacrifices were made, blood was sprinkled, fat and entrails were burned?  It's exhausting, disgusting work. When the priests looked around the tabernacle at the curtains, blue thread woven first, did it draw their thoughts to heaven? Did they look down at their priestly garments, woven with care but covered in blood, and wish for the purity of heaven?  Did they think of the commands given to them by God-- whose Presence was right behind the veil in the ark of the covenant--and pray for Divine strength?  Did they wake up to perform morning sacrifices with the scent of evening sacrifices still in the air,  and think "We can't do this forever!!" Did their lack make them long for a Forever Worthy sacrifice, one who would finish this exhausting, disgusting, never ending work for good?  The blue yarn taught them to "Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens!!" (Isaiah 40:26) 💙

Heaven's Royal Sacrifice--The Tabernacle--Day 2

The Tabernacle

In our Introduction--Day 1, we read the praise song of the newly rescued Hebrew slaves.  Exodus 15:17-18 --"LORD, you have prepared the place for your dwelling;  Lord, your hands have established the sanctuary.  The LORD will reign forever and ever!"  On the Red Sea's freedom side, Moses and the Israelites are already singing of a day when the LORD will dwell among them.  They may not have known what that meant--they'd only known slavery and foreign taskmasters.  But the story of Father Abraham had likely been passed down to them through oral tradition.  They may have heard of Jehovah-Jireh, the LORD who provides, who Abraham trusted to provide a worthy sacrifice in the place of his son, Isaac.  God provided then and He has provided again, from an unlikely source--the Egyptians.  Exodus 12:35-36   The Hebrews asked the Egyptians for precious, expensive goods, and the Egyptians--moved by the LORD they didn't worship on behalf of the people who did--gave them what they requested.  (Never doubt the LORD's faithfulness. 💓 )

Ten chapters later, when the Israelites (Hebrews) have only been on this new adventure for 6 months 😲, God gives Moses--their faithful leader--a pattern for the tabernacle.  Exodus 25:9  The instructions start with an offering from everyone who is willing to give.  What do 6 months free/400 year slaves have to offer in the wilderness?  Exactly what God provided for them on the night of their rescue.  (I'm crying at how good He is to them, because He's been that good to me, too.  He's the same God.)  It's an expensive list, and God and His dwelling place are worth it.  Exodus 25:1-8  It's a precise list with exact measurements for every element, because God is a God of order.  God spends the next 3 chapters outlining every aspect of where His presence will abide.  The ark, the mercy seat, the table, the lampstand, the copper altar, the altar of incense, and the basin will furnish the tabernacle.  But for this study, we will focus on the tabernacle itself, its structure.   Exodus 26:1-30 details elaborate curtains as coverings for the entire tabernacle, and also for each section.  Exodus 26:36-37 instructs them to make a screen over the entrance of the tent.  Exodus 27:16 is the template for the gate to the courtyard.  

The priests, who will  keep the tabernacle's perpetual worship of the LORD, also have regulations for what to wear in His Presence.  Exodus 28 describes the ephod (a kind of apron), the breastplate, the robe, the turban--all to be worn by the priests.  If they were not properly attired, they would die.  

So much detail. So much artistry. So much effort required to follow God's intricate pattern.  Can you imagine?  Where did these generational slaves learn to weave, to carve, to build, to sew, to dye?  Another gift from God.   Exodus 31:1-11  God gifted them with the ability of every craft required through the power of His Spirit.  

But I skipped over one item in the tabernacle--the veil.  The tapestry.  Our focal point.  

Exodus 26:31-35 

"And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.  It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it.  And you shall hang it on  pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver.  And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil.  And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy.  You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place.  And you shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you shall put the table on the north side."

What story is this ancient, beautiful, blue, purple, scarlet, linen, angelic tapestry trying to tell?  It's a story for them then. It's a story for us now.   It's the greatest story ever told.  

Tabernacle Walkthrough 

Heaven's Royal Sacrifice--Introduction--Day 1

 Introduction

I am reading through the Bible in a year.  I should be reading Ruth today, but I am still in Exodus.  I am 57 days behind. I've never been that far behind before. 😓 But God caught my attention in Exodus and I've not been able to leave.  (Accidental pun alert...)

To recap where we find the Israelites for our study, starting in Exodus 15:1-18

Moses has led the Israelites out of the slavery of Egypt by God's power.  They escaped through the Red Sea, promptly followed by a song of praise on the seashore.  

They praise God for who He has been--

"He has thrown the horse and the rider into the sea.  The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation."  

They praise God for who He is--

"LORD, who is like You among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?"

 They praise God for who He will be--

"You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your possession; LORD, You have prepared the place for Your dwelling; LORD, Your hands have established the sanctuary. The LORD will reign forever and ever!" 

The Israelites trade their praise for complaints before they'd walked 5 miles from the shore.  God answers with provision--water for their thirst, manna and quail for their hunger.  He has introduced Himself to them in a big way--Yahweh, I AM.  As they continue to learn to walk in freedom, God introduces Himself in more devoted specifics--"I am the LORD who heals you." Exodus 15:26 "The LORD is my banner." Exodus 16:14-15 (Declared by Moses based on God's promise of protection.) They've been given the Ten Commandments, and laws for living in community--civilly, morally, and ceremonially.  While Moses is on the mountain--Mount Sinai-- receiving all these words from God, the people build a gold calf to worship as deliverer.  😑  But God entered into a covenant with them anyway, because He is faithful, steadfast, and loyal to His Word and to His Name even when the Israelites are not.  

From the beginning of the Wilderness Walk, God was preparing the Israelites for a dwelling place for Himself among His people.  In Exodus 26, God gives Moses the blueprints for the tabernacle.  And this is where I found myself captivated.  

The tabernacle is drawn out to be a beautifully furnished dwelling, as it should be...gold, silver, bronze, fine leather, acacia wood, fine linen, goat hair, oil, spices, incense, gemstones...

Since this is the introduction, I'm going to stop myself from going into too much detail, or this may end up as a one day study instead of ten.  😁 So to start off, I would like to challenge you to read Exodus 25-28.  If you find it hard to follow along, draw it out as best you understand it.  (Pretend like you're on HGTV..whatever works!!)  But I would like you to mark every time you read the words "Blue Purple and Scarlet".  If you aren't a Bible marker, at least make note of it.  We are going to focus on these three colors for the rest of the study!!!  

Link to these chapters below.  I am using the CSB, but will also be referencing the ESV.  

Exodus 25-28

Regret to Redemption--Moses

Moses is the third most mentioned person in the Bible.  In the Old Testament, he was mentioned approximately 767* times, second only to King David.  In the New Testament, he was mentioned approximately 85* times, not even close to the most mentioned--King Jesus (OBVI).  Moses is known by many focal points in his life story--saved as a baby by the bravery of his mom and sister; found as a baby in a basket- and subsequently raised--by an Egyptian princess; the burning bush; the ten plagues; crossing the Red Sea; the Ten Commandments.  He wrote the first 5 books of the Bible, known as the Torah to the Hebrews.  It would take us months to study all Moses did in his walk with the LORD.  

But for this series, we are going to start with his regret.  Not necessarily an action that Moses regretted, although he had many of those.  He killed a man he saw mistreating a Hebrew slave.  God instructed Moses to strike a rock once for water, but he struck it twice, blocking his entrance into the Promised Land.  No doubt Moses regretted those actions.  But the verse we are going to study is using this definition of regret--"A feeling of loss or remorse for a fault, act, loss, or disappointment". (dictionary.com)  In Exodus 3 and 4, Moses is shepherding the flock of his father-in-law.  While in the wilderness, an angel of the LORD appeared to him in the burning--but not consumed--bush.  God called out to him from the burning bush, proclaiming the place as holy ground. (Spoiler alert--This is the same mountain where Moses will return to receive the Ten Commandments from God.  Holy Ground indeed!!)  God has heard the cry of the Israelites--Moses's true people--and is commanding Moses to go and deliver them.  God lays out the plan before Moses, promising His Presence the whole way. Moses had questions--"Who will I tell them sent me?"; "What if they don't believe me?" God gave His eternal name and some miraculous signs to reassure Moses.  Then finally, Moses said "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent--either in the past, or recently or since You have been speaking to Your servant--because my mouth and my tongue are sluggish."  "Please, Lord, send someone else."  God relents angrily, sending Aaron along to speak on Moses's--and God's--behalf.  

Moses asked honest, human questions.  But what it all boiled down to is this--all he saw was his own lack.  Even in the miraculous presence of Almighty God, Moses was filled with regret that it was his lack that would prevent God's rescue plan for the Israelite nation. 

But God redeems our lack.  That's literally the whole point of the Bible.  The Old Testament is filled with people who did wrong and people who tried to do right.  In fact, there are several people in the Old Testament who did so much right and followed God so closely that you can almost convince yourself that THIS is the superhero--Abraham, Solomon, David-- only to watch them go down in flames over sinful choices.  That lack is designed to make us long for the True Superhero--the True and Better Moses; the True and Better Solomon; the True and Better David---Jesus, Lord of All!

We know the story of deliverance for the Hebrew slaves.  (If you don't, read Exodus.  Or you'll have an opportunity to watch the Ten Commandments the Saturday night before Easter to refresh your memory!) God through the leadership of Moses and Aaron rescued the slaves and brought them into the wilderness for a time of learning.  (They weren't always great learners--from leadership on down.)  God canceled Moses's entry into the Promised Land and he dies in the wilderness.  God Himself buried His friend, and no one knew his final resting place. ("The LORD would speak with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend...."Exodus 33:11) Yet Moses DID go to the Promised Land in the New Testament, with the Superhero Himself, Jesus at His transfiguration. (Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36) 

But what about Moses and his personal regret?  The self-doubt that almost caused him to bow out of God's purpose for his life.  We know that talking became a huge part of his ministry.  We know that people hung on his words--Pharaoh in defiance; the Israelites in obedience or disobedience, depending on the day.😖 In fact, he is most famous for receiving the Ten Commandments, also known as the Ten Words.  

But to me, the most evident redemption of Moses's personal regret is found in Acts 7-- approximately 1550 years after the burning bush--in the speech of a young follower of Jesus Christ.  Stephen has been accused of blasphemy by those who oppose the teachings of Jesus.  The "bad guys" convinced some other "bad guys" to lie and say they heard Stephen speaking against Moses and God.  They stirred up a mob against Stephen, seized him, and brought him before the religious rulers of the time.  The high priest asked, "Are these things true?" The question that launched the sermon where Stephen obeyed God's purpose lined out for Moses in Exodus 10:2 "So that you may tell..... and so you will know that I am the LORD."   Stephen starts at the beginning, tracing the line of God's faithful, loyal, stubborn love for Israel.  And in this sermon, we find the redemption to Moses's regret.  "So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his speech and actions."  (Acts 7:22)  

What difference does it make what some squirt disciple (sorry Stephen, I'm saying this for effect only...) centuries later says about Moses and his abilities?  Because Stephen was speaking in wisdom and BY THE SPIRIT!!! As Moses was the mouthpiece for God to the Israelites, so is Stephen to these leaders and all the mob gathered near.  If God says it, it is said.  Our arguments against it hold no sway.  

What about us?  Do we have lacks--real or perceived--that we use as an excuse to not lean in to God's purpose for our lives?  Do we long to serve God but only see the list of why we can't?  Or maybe we do finally obey, and see no result?  Can we accept that our regrets will possibly not see redemption while we are on this side of the Promised Land?  Is the purpose still worthy?  Yes, it is.   My prayer is that we will take our regrets and give them to Jesus.  They are only safe in His hands as He calls us toward our purpose.  For our Good.  For His Glory. 

 Let's end with some of my favorite words of Moses--Psalm 90.  

"Lord, You have been our refuge in every generation.  

Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, 

from eternity to eternity, you are God.

You return makind to the dust, 

saying "Return, descedants of Adam." 

For in your sight a thousand years 

are like yesterday that passes by, 

like a few hours of the night.  

You end their lives; they sleep.  

They are like grass that grows in the morning--

in the morning it sprouts and grows; 

by evening it withers and dries up.

For we are consumed by your anger; 

we are terrified by your wrath.

You have set our iniquities before you,

our secret sins in the light of your presence.

For all our days ebb away under your wrath;

we end our years like a sigh.

Our lives last seventy years

or, if we are strong, eighty years.

Even the best of them are struggle and sorrow; 

indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.

Who understands the power of your anger?

Your wrath matches the fear that is due you.

Teach us to number our days carefully

so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.

LORD---how long?

Turn and have compassion on your servants.

Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love

so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days.

Make us rejoice for as many days as you have humbled us, 

for as many years as we have seen adversity.

Let your work be see by your servants,

and your splendor by their children.

Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us;

establish for us the work of our hands--

establish the work of our hands!"

*These numbers are approximate based on the version of the Bible.  Also, I did not count every time but used a few trustworthy resources such as gotquestions.org and biblegateway.com

 

Regret to Redemption--The Tower of Babel

 

Genesis 11:1-9 "The Tower of Babel"

It dawned on me one day that everyone not only speaks their language of origin, they also think in it.  I guess I imagined that while I heard someone speaking a language foreign to me, they were translating it from English in their heads.  But obviously that's not true. English may be universal-ish, but it's not common to everyone.  My 2 year old granddaughter, Rayna Kate, told me yesterday "I bumped my head, Grammie. I need a band-aid". (Oh, she's so smart!!!) She knew the problem, and knew how to communicate the solution.   She thought and spoke that sentence because she has learned and is learning the English language.  And I understood her because I also speak English.  Someday she may become fluent in another language, one I've never learned,  I'll have to say "In English, please!" because English will be our, mine and Rayna's, common language. (And because old brains don't learn as well as young brains 😅) 

There was a common language once.  Way back in Genesis.  It was a gift to humankind from their Creator. They were able to build, travel, thrive because of this one language.  But humanity used this gift to try to reach heaven their own way.  We may never know the building's original purpose, but soon the thought popped into someone's mind that maybe they could build bigger.  When the original  thinker conveyed it to another, he hopped on board with the idea, and added even bigger plans. There's nothing wrong with dreaming, nothing wrong with using your talents to build and fluorish.  But as they brainstorm, using the gift of one language, they start puffing up with all they can do.  They see only their own dreams, their own talents.  They get so full of themselves that someone finally says out loud what they are all thinking--

"Come let's build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky.  Let's make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth."

We shouldn't be surprised.   Their ancient ancestors, Adam and Eve, thought they could live in Eden, God's world--God's gift to them--their own way.  Their closer ancestors, Noah and family, were found faithful enough to be spared death by flood, but weren't two steps off of the ark in a new world--God's gift to them--before they were choosing their own way.  

So, when these people built the tower, God intervened by "confusing their language so they couldn't understand one another's speech".  Can you imagine that first conversation?  Maybe they were still thinking the same common language, but they couldn't convey that through speech.  Language barrier is frustrating because we know what we want to say, but can't make the other understand.  We've learned to use certain signals--your hand in a circle and tipped up to your mouth  means "drink".  Your hand in a fist brought multiple times to your mouth means "eat".  Bending a finger at someone means "come here".  Putting a palm up means "Don't come here."  A new one in our generation is hand bent, pinky and thumb extended and held up to your ear means "call me", or "I'm on the phone."  I'm sure they did something similar.  But you can't build a city, a community, a family--you can't thrive--when you have an extremely limited way to communicate.  So, in their frustration, they stopped building the city. God scattered them, which was ironically part of the original fear that led them to try to make a name for themselves with this heaven-reaching tower.  Humanity made a name for themselves alright--Babylon. 

Although ancient Babylon, the ancient valley of Shinar, is modern day Iraq,  Babylon in the Bible is portrayed as the place of sin, worship of false gods, and exile.  Revelation shows Babylon as the great city fallen.  Revelation 18  God's people are called to come out of her, out of exile brought on by sin; the world--those who continue to choose their own way-- will mourn her fall.  

But how do we get from Genesis 11 to Revelation 18?  How do people become God's people in a world cursed by a limited ability to communicate?

Acts 2--"Pentecost"

The disciples of Christ Jesus are gathered to celebrate Pentecost, known in the Old Testament as the "Feast of Weeks". In Leviticus 23, the Israelites were instructed how to conduct worship, sacrifice, daily life on these holy days.  For this holy day, they were to count 7 full weeks after Passover, and on the 50th day, they celebrate the festival of weeks.  So the disciples have gathered on this holy day, 50 days after their Master had presented Himself as the only perfect passover sacrifice, forever accepted by God the Father on our behalf, paying for our sins.  Maybe the disciples were just now starting to wrap their minds around all the connections between these ancient holy instructions, and the reality they are now living in.  But, even if they understand in their minds, how can they convey the truth of it to the people around them?  Because God redeems language on the day of Pentecost.  He reverses the curse of the tower of Babel for the purpose of the Gospel.  Tongues like flames of fire rested on each of the disciples.  Fire that refines and purifies, a picture of the reversal of the tower of Babel. Malachi 3:3

They spoke their own language, but each one there heard it in their own language. And when Peter realized the crowd  could understand him, he stayed true to the original instruction for the Feast of Weeks in Leviticus 23:21 and he made a PROCLAMATION!!! He shared the gospel with boldness--as much a gift from the Holy Spirit as the language.  He laid the truth of God's Word from beginning to end before them.  There were still those in the crowd that identified with the original tower builders--scoffers, mockers, earth dwellers, Babylon-mourners.  But there were 3,000 added to the church that day. 3,000 added!! 3,000 new "God's people" 💕

 Jesus had commissioned His disciples--the first leaders of the New Way--to tell others about Him and the place He goes to prepare.  And He made that possible by redeeming the curse, removing the barrier for them as a seal of approval on His New Way.  I believe this gift was largely situational, was given multiple times over the course of early history, is not necessarily needed today now that the miracle of the Bible is in our hands; yet, I would not begin to put God in a box and say He doesn't use this still today to proclaim His beautiful New Promise to the people He loves.  The same Spirit that entered the disciples that day lives in us.  There isn't some magic formula, language class, heavenly tongue.  It's truly this simple--Speak His Word.  He will do the rest.  He already has.  

"Famous Last Words"--Malachi Finale

 

We've spent the last several days learning about "The Famous Last Words" of the LORD to Malachi.  He spoke of His love for Israel, His covenant people.  He spoke of the peace that was supposed to find it's way to the people through the priests.  He spoke of the hope that was still to come through a prophet that will prepare for the ultimate Hope-bringer, Messiah.  He spoke of the joy they would feel when they realized the FREEDOM that the Messiah would bring to those who served Him.  

After 400 years of silence, God spoke again. And it was a Word echoing from eternity past--

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was creaeted that has been created.  In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.  That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it."  John 1:1-5

God reaffirmed His love in John 3:16--

"For God loves the world in this way; He gave His one and only Son, so that every one who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."

And right in the Christmas story, we see the Messiah coming with the promise of peace, hope, and joy!

"...An angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they {the shepherds} were terrified.  But the angel said to them,

 "Don't be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will the sign for you:  You will find the baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger."   

Suddenly there was a multitiude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: 

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!

When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another "Let's go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us"

They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger.  After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told." Luke 2:9-20

So familiar.  But so sacred.  The dawn of redeeming grace.  Love, peace, hope, joy.  All fulfilled in Christ.  The famous last words of Malachi were not the last words at all.  God from the beginning of time had a final word for us---Jesus, Messiah.  Praise His Name Forever.  

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel HAS come to you!!