Exodus 40:9-17 Anointing!

9Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it along with all its furnishings, and it shall be holy. 10Anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it shall be most holy. 11Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them.

12Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. 13And you are to clothe Aaron with the holy garments, anoint him, and consecrate him, so that he may serve Me as a priest. 14Bring his sons forward and clothe them with tunics. 15Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may also serve Me as priests. Their anointing will qualify them for a permanent priesthood throughout their generations.”

16Moses did everything just as the LORD had commanded him. 17So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month of the second year.

“For their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood - By this anointing a right was given to Aaron and his family to be high priests among the Jews for ever; so that all who should be born of this family should have a right to the priesthood without the repetition of this unction, as they should enjoy this honor in their father's right, who had it by a particular grant from God. But it appears that the high priest, on his consecration, did receive the holy unction; see Leviticus 4:3; Leviticus 6:22; Leviticus 21:10. And this continued till the destruction of the first temple, and the Babylonish captivity; and according to Eusebius, Cyril of Jerusalem, and others, this custom continued among the Jews to the advent of our Lord, after which there is no evidence it was ever practiced. See Calmet's note Exodus 29:7 (note). The Jewish high priest was a type of Him who is called the high priest over the house of God, Hebrews 10:21; and when he came, the functions of the other necessarily ceased. This case is worthy of observation. The Jewish sacrifices were never resumed after the destruction of their city and temple, for they hold it unlawful to sacrifice anywhere out of Jerusalem; and the unction of their high priest ceased from that period also: and why? Because the true priest and the true sacrifice were come, and the types of course were no longer necessary after the manifestation of the antitype.” (Adam Clarke)

Clarke refers to “See Calmet's note Exodus 29:7 (note)” 

Antoine Augustin Calmet, O.S.B., a French Benedictine monk, was born at Ménil-la-Horgne, then in the Duchy of Bar, part of the Holy Roman Empire.

His notes were in French and weren’t translated, but George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary quotes him a lot and I couldn’t find a reference to Calmet’s note on Exodus 29:7 Then take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head. BSB

Some say anointing by pouring the oil on the head until it ran down the beard and some say in the hands. 

But our high priest Jesus, had His feet anointed.

John 12:3 Then Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. BSB

I believe it’s the act of anointing not where the anointing oil or perfume is poured that is important.

Blessings, David 

Exodus 40:1-8 (On Fire 🔥 For Him!)

1Then the LORD said to Moses, 2“On the first day of the first month you are to set up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting. 3Put the ark of the Testimony in it and screen off the ark with the veil. 4Then bring in the table and set out its arrangement; bring in the lampstand as well, and set up its lamps.

5Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the Testimony, and hang the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. 6Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting. 7And place the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.

8Set up the surrounding courtyard and hang the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard.

“Set up the Tabernacle on the first day of the new year. NLT

Verse 2 indicates that it’s been 1 year since they were brought out of Egypt, it was the anniversary of Exodus!

"It is generally supposed that the Israelites began the work of the tabernacle about the sixth month after they had left Egypt; and as the work was finished about the end of the first year of their exodus (for it was set up the first day of the second year) that therefore they had spent about six months in making it: so that the tabernacle was erected one year all but fifteen days after they had left Egypt. Such a building, with such a profusion of curious and costly workmanship, was never constructed in so short a time. But it was the work of the Lord, and the people did service as unto the Lord; 'for the people had a mind to work.' " (Adam Clarke)

When we come to Christ and the Holy Spirit enters us we also had a mind to work, to read, to learn more about Jesus. We are on fire 🔥 for Him!

There is nothing more pleasant to watch as a new Christian on fire for Christ, to do service as unto the Lord!

What quenches that fire that we once had?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 39:32-43 Blessings!

32So all the work for the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

33Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses:

the tent with all its furnishings, its clasps, its frames, its crossbars, and its posts and bases;

34the covering of ram skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather,f and the veil of the covering;

35the ark of the Testimonyg with its poles and the mercy seat;

36the table with all its utensils and the Bread of the Presence;

37the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and all its utensils, as well as the oil for the light;

38the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the tent;

39the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils;

the basin with its stand;

40the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases;

the curtain for the gate of the courtyard, its ropes and tent pegs, and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting;

41and the woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary, both the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests.

42The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 43And Moses inspected all the work and saw that they had accomplished it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

Are we blessed when we obey the Lord? Or does obedience bring a blessing?

Luke 11: 28But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

James 1: 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.

Deuteronomy 11: 27a blessing if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you today,

Deuteronomy 28: 1“Now if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God and are careful to follow all His commandments I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the voice of the LORD your God:

3You will be blessed in the city

and blessed in the country.

4The fruit of your womb will be blessed,

as well as the produce of your land

and the offspring of your livestock—

the calves of your herds

and the lambs of your flocks.

5Your basket and kneading bowl will be blessed.

6You will be blessed when you come in

and blessed when you go out.

7The LORD will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you in one direction but flee from you in seven.

8The LORD will decree a blessing on your barns and on everything to which you put your hand; the LORD your God will bless you in the land He is giving you. 9The LORD will establish you as His holy people, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. 10Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will stand in awe of you.

11The LORD will make you prosper abundantly—in the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land—in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.

12The LORD will open the heavens, His abundant storehouse, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but borrow from none.

13The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward, if you hear and carefully follow the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am giving you today. 14Do not turn aside to the right or to the left from any of the words I command you today, and do not go after other gods to serve them.

I believe we won’t fully understand ALL our blessings until we meet Jesus! 

Thank Him for everything you have, children, family, food, shelter, income, friends etc.

Can you count your blessings?

Here’s one!

Blessings, David

Exodus 39:22-31 Crown Rewards!

22They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, the work of a weaver, 23with an opening in the center of the robe like that of a garment,d with a collar around the opening so that it would not tear.

24They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and finely spun linen on the lower hem of the robe. 25They also made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates, 26alternating the bells and pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe to be worn for ministry, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

27For Aaron and his sons they made tunics of fine linen, the work of a weaver, 28as well as the turban of fine linen, the ornate headbands and undergarments of finely spun linen, 29and the sash of finely spun linen, embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

30They also made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and they engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal:

HOLY TO THE LORD.

31Then they fastened to it a blue cord to mount it on the turban, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Speaking of crowns, did you know there are five crown rewards in heaven?

The Victor’s Crown (1 Corinthians 9:25-27)

The Crown of Rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2:19)

The Crown of Righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8)

The Crown of Life (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10)

The Crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:4)

https://davidjeremiah.blog/what-kind-of-rewards-will-believers-receive-in-heaven/

Which one(s) will you (I) earn?

Blessings, David

Exodus 39:15-21 Obedience!

15For the breastpiece they made braided chains like cords of pure gold. 16They also made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the two rings to the two corners of the breastpiece. 17Then they fastened the two gold chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 18and they fastened the other ends of the two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front.

19They made two more gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod.

20They made two additional gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on its front, near the seam just above its woven waistband. 21Then they tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece was above the waistband of the ephod and would not swing out from the ephod, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

They made these things just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 

Obedience: positioning oneself under someone by submitting to their authority and command.

Why is obedience to God important?

Here are eight reasons why!

https://www.learnreligions.com/obedience-to-god-701962

Fairchild, Mary. "Why Is Obedience to God Important?" Learn Religions, Mar. 17, 2020, learnreligions.com/obedience-to-god-701962.

2 John 1:6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. NIV

But what does the Lord say about obedience to our leaders? (Church)

Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. NASB

Are you walking in love?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 39:8-14 Clothes of Righteousness!

8He made the breastpiece with the same workmanship as the ephod, with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. 9It was square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide.

10And they mounted on it four rows of gemstones:

The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;

11the second row had a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;

12the third row had a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

13and the fourth row had a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper.

These stones were mounted in gold filigree settings.

14The twelve stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel. Each stone was engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

Clothes of righteousness! The Lord instructed them to make these and they were obedient, they did it just as God had said.

Isiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

What we put on is every bit important as what priests put on.

Jesus has become our high priest and He clothes us in His garments of salvation, in His righteousness.

If we could see ourselves in the spiritual realm, (our soul) after we came to Christ when He anoints us with the Holy Spirit, what do we look like? Marked as His, do we shine brightly with His colors? We are set apart from the ungodly!

Put on His clothes of righteousness, shine brightly in your world and let the unsaved know about Him.

Blessings, David 

Exodus 39:1-7 Skills!

1From the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn they made specially woven garments for ministry in the sanctuary, as well as the holy garments for Aaron, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

2Bezalel madea the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. 3They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut threads from them to interweave with the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen—the work of a skilled craftsman. 4They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached at two of its corners, so it could be fastened. 5And the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod was of one piece with the ephod, of the same workmanship—with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

6They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings, engraved like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. 7Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

a: He literally made.

“They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut threads from them to interweave with the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen—the work of a skilled craftsman.”

Can you imagine the skill required to do that?

Where did Bezalel (they) get that skill?

James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. NASB

What skills has the Father of lights given you?

He has given me the skills to fix things.

I started working on cars at the age of eleven.

At fifteen I purchased a used Volkswagen Beetle and rebuilt it.

While reviewing 8mm film my father had taken during Christmas when I five years old I noticed I was given a gift of a gas station with cars and my older brother received a tool belt with carpenter tools. I asked my father jokingly, we’re you trying to brain wash us? He said no, that’s what you wanted. I became a mechanic and my brother a builder!

Our Father of lights has given us at birth certain skills. 

A parents duty is to nourish those skills.

What skills (gifts) has He given you?

Blessings, David

Exodus 38:21-31 Weight and Value!

21This is the inventory for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, as recorded at Moses’ command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. 22Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the LORD had commanded Moses. 23With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.

24All the gold from the wave offering used for the work on the sanctuary totaled 29 talents and 730 shekels,h according to the sanctuary shekel.

25The silver from those numbered among the congregation totaled 100 talents and 1,775 shekels,i according to the sanctuary shekel— 26a beka per person, that is, half a shekel,j according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone twenty years of age or older who had crossed over to be numbered, a total of 603,550 men.

27The hundred talents of silverk were used to cast the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil—100 bases from the 100 talents, one talent per base.

28With the 1,775 shekels of silverl he made the hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and supplied bands for them.

29The bronze from the wave offering totaled 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.m 30He used it to make the bases for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the bronze altar and its bronze grating, all the utensils for the altar, 31the bases for the surrounding courtyard and its gate, and all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and its surrounding courtyard.

When we read the number of shekels the amount just doesn’t sink in! 

24 h The total weight of the gold was approximately 1.1 tons or 1 metric ton.

25 i The total weight of the silver was approximately 3.79 tons or 3.44 metric tons.

26 j A beka is half a shekel, or approximately 0.2 ounces or 5.7 grams.

27 k 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver.

28 l 1,775 shekels is approximately 44.6 pounds or 20.2 kilograms of silver.

29 m The total weight of the bronze was approximately 2.67 tons or 2.42 metric tons.

Gold 1.1 tons

Silver 3.79 tons

Half a shekel 0.2 ounces

Bases of sanctuary 100 bases 3.77 tons of silver

Hooks for posts 1,775 shekels 44.6 pounds

Bronze, 70 talents and 2,400 shekels, 2.67 tons

A ton equals 2,000 lbs.

That’s a lot of weight and value!

What do you think the value of your soul is worth?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 38:9-20 A Sure Foundation!

9Then he constructed the courtyard. The south side of the courtyard was a hundred cubits longc and had curtains of finely spun linen, 10with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 11The north side was also a hundred cubits long, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver. 12The west side was fifty cubits longd and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver. 13And the east side, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits long.

14The curtains on one side of the entrance were fifteen cubits long,e with three posts and three bases. 15And the curtains on the other side were also fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases as well. 16All the curtains around the courtyard were made of finely spun linen. 17The bases for the posts were bronze, the hooks and bands were silver, and the plating for the tops of the posts was silver. So all the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver.

18The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It was twenty cubits longf and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits high,g 19with four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks were silver, as well as the bands and the plating of their tops. 20All the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the surrounding courtyard were bronze.

It occurred to me that the courtyard curtains with bronze bases were used everywhere the Israelites traveled. What kept the wind from blowing them over?

The following is from Charles Spurgeon’s Volume 27 Sermon #1581

Even though this sermon deals with the foundation of the Tabernacle the same could be said about the foundation for the courtyard curtains, linking (tying) these foundations back into the foundation of Christ’s church.

“What and where is the church of God? The true church is founded upon redemption. Every board of shittim wood was tenoned and mortised into the sockets of silver made of the redemption money and every man that is in the church of God is united to Christ, rests upon Christ, and cannot be separated from Him. If that is not true of you, my dear hearer, you are not in the church of God. You may be in the church of England or of Rome—you may be in this church or some other—but unless you are joined to Christ and He is the sole foundation upon which you rest, you are not in the church of God. You may be in no visible church whatever, and yet, if you are resting upon Christ, you are a part of the true house of God on earth.

Christ is a sure foundation for the church, for the tabernacle was never blown down. It had no foundation but the talents of silver and yet it braved every desert storm. The wilderness is a place of rough winds—it is called a howling wilderness—but the sockets of silver held the boards upright and the holy tent defied the rages of the elements. To be united to Christ by faith is to be built on a sure foundation. His church will never be overthrown let the devil send what hurricanes he may.

And it was an invariable foundation, for the tabernacle always had the same basis wherever it was placed. One day it was pitched on the sand, another on a good piece of arable ground, a third time on a grass plot, and tomorrow on a bare rock—but it always had the same foundation. The bearers of the holy furniture never left the silver sockets behind. Those four tons of silver were carried in their wagons and put out first as the one and only foundation of the holy place.”

https://www.spurgeongems.org/sermon/chs1581.pdf

Is your spiritual foundation set in straw, sand, rock or some other church, other than the church of God (Christ)?

Do you have a sure foundation?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 38:8 Mirrors!

8Next he made the bronze basin and its stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

“Let those who view themselves oft in their looking-glasses take his counsel who said, ‘Art thou fair? Be not like an Egyptian temple, varnish without and vermin within. Art thou foul? Let thy soul be like a rich pearl in a rude shell.’” (Trapp)

We’ve been watching several church services live streaming on the internet with the laptop connected to our television. I thought, is it vanity (sin) for people to dye their hair? Or to tattoo their flesh? It occurred to me that many musicians that serve on worship teams and pastors seem to take pride (to look younger) in their appearance. Or is it sinful for me to notice such things? 

The way I view myself is simple, the Lord made me who I am. If I happen to be bald and gray, so what? If I dye the hair I have left, won’t I still be a bald guy with dyed hair? 😇

Lets look at Trapp’s full commentary on verse 8 again and meditate on it!

Ver. 8. Looking glasses.] Or, Brazen-glasses. These devout women that used to assemble by troops at the door of the tabernacle to pray and serve God, - see Luke 2:37, 1 Timothy 5:5, - frankly gave the instruments whereby they dressed their bodies, to make the instrument whereby, through faith, they might sanctify their souls. Let those who view themselves oft in their looking glasses take his counsel who said, "Art thou fair? be not like an Egyptian temple, varnish without and vermin within. Art thou foul? let thy soul be like a rich pearl in a rude shell." Some such advice as this Pythagoras gave his scholars. St James would have men "look" often "into the perfect law of liberty," that crystal glass, "and continue therein." [James 1:25] David did so, and got much good by it. [Psalms 119:59] I considered my ways: Heb., I viewed my ways on both sides. The curious works of the sanctuary were wrought on both sides, therefore called works with two faces. Common works are wrought only on one side, on the other full of ends and shreds. The prophet here strives to walk curiously, precisely, accurately, to turn his feet to God’s testimonies: and hence he is so exact in his self-searching.

I want my soul to be like a rich pearl (a heart like Jesus) in a (my) rude shell!

Leviticus 19:32 'You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD. NASB

If the grayheaded dye their hair, how will you know to rise up?

Were you taught to respect the elderly, to rise up in their presence?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 38:1-6 Alter of Burnt Offering! 🩸

1Bezalel constructed the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high. 2He made a horn at each of its four corners, so that the horns and altar were of one piece, and he overlaid the altar with bronze.

3He made all the altar’s utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and firepans. 4He made a grate of bronze mesh for the altar under its ledge, halfway up from the bottom.

5At the four corners of the bronze grate he cast four rings as holders for the poles. 6And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7Then he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar for carrying it. He made the altar with boards so that it was hollow.

From a construction standpoint I find it interesting that wood was used to make a altar of burnt offering and overlaid with bronze. The bronze would protect the wood from burning when the animals were sacrificed as a burnt offering. If the alter was solid bronze they wouldn’t have been able to carry it!

Sin carries a high price and prior to Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection required animal sacrifices with the blood 🩸 covering their sin.

Ever wonder, why blood to cover sin?

I believe the following is why....

Genesis 2: 19And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field......

Did you get that? Adam named all the animals, they were in affect his pets!

The first animal sacrifices were in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve had the great fall. 

Genesis 3:21 And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.

Garments of skin, animal skin! Because of the fall, the Lord was getting ready to expel, to remove, Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden and their life was about to change drastically! They needed clothing to protect them from the elements.

The animals lives were “sacrificed” for clothing, their blood was shed because of sin!

I believe this is why the Lord required animal sacrifice, blood 🩸 to cover the sins of man. 

Blood from the animal sacrifice could only cover sin, but Jesus Christ’s blood 🩸 removes sin.

Have you accepted His blood sacrifice for your sin?

Blessings, David

Exodus 37:25-29 May my prayer be set before You like incense!

25He made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high.f Its horns were of one piece. 26And he overlaid with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns. Then he made a molding of gold around it.

27He made two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it. 28And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

29He also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.

25 f The altar was approximately 1.5 feet in length and width, and 3 feet high (45.7 centimeters in length and width, and 91.4 centimeters high).

This was the alter of incense. But why incense?

In Scripture, incense is often associated with prayer.

David said in Psalm 141: 2May my prayer be set before You like incense,

my uplifted hands like the evening offering.

Revelation 5: 8When He had taken the scroll, 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.

Exodus 30

The Incense

34The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures, 35and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36Grind some of it into fine powder and place it in front of the Testimonym in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. 37You are never to use this formula to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the LORD. 38Anyone who makes something like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”

The fragrance of the incense was special.

This incense was only to be used on the “alter of incense”.

Incense is associated with prayer 🙏.

Luke 1: 8One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.

Jesus completed the law so incense offerings are no longer required. Some religions still use incense on special occasions like funerals when prayers are offered for the deceased. Unfortunately I cannot find anywhere in the Bible that prayer helps a deceased person. 

If you are reading this you still have time to offer up your prayers to the Lord, use David’s example.

“May my prayer be set before You like incense”.

Blessings, David 

Exodus 37:17-24 To Watch!

17Then he made the lampstand out of pure hammered gold, all of one piece: its base and shaft, its cups, and its buds and petals. 18Six branches extended from the sides, three on one side and three on the other. 19There were three cups shaped like almond blossoms on the first branch, each with buds and petals, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches that extended from the lampstand.

20And on the lampstand were four cups shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals. 21A bud was under the first pair of branches that extended from the lampstand, a bud under the second pair, and a bud under the third pair. 22The buds and branches were all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.

23He also made its seven lamps, its wick trimmers, and trays of pure gold. 24He made the lampstand and all its utensils from a talent of pure gold.

All the gold came from the spoils of Egypt.

But why an almond branch with blossoms? My wife used the following in one of her devotionals and I thought I would share it.

It is amazing to see beautiful almond trees blossoming all over Israel every winter. They are the first tree to blossom and yet the last to bear fruit.

The almond tree is associated with one of the earliest prophecies of a young Jeremiah. “Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Jeremiah, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a branch of an almond tree.’ Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching to perform My word.’” (Jeremiah 1:11-12)

This prophecy uses a play on words that carries a vital truth for Israel as well as for us. The Hebrew word for almond, shaked, is also translated “to watch”. By seeing the almond branch, God assured Jeremiah that He is watching over His word to bring it to pass, no matter the passage of time.

In context, God had just given Israel a warning. “I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:9-10)  Then after Jeremiah sees the almond tree, God shows him a boiling pot over Jerusalem which portends “calamity”. (Jeremiah 1:13-14)  While the almond is a sign of hope that God will eventually fulfill His wonderful promises to Israel (or to us), the context is more ominous.

Later, God repeated the warning through Jeremiah: “Behold, I will watch (shaked) over them for evil, and not for good…” (Jeremiah 44:27). God’s message to Israel was that sin has consequences and there will come a time of reckoning – namely the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of Israel.

Years later, Daniel would pray: “Therefore has the Lord watched (shaked) upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all His works which He does: for we obeyed not His voice.” (Daniel 9:14)

The lesson of the almond tree, therefore, is that God in heaven watches a sinful nation walking away from Him and declares it will have consequences. His message to humanity today is still the same: God is watching! He will watch over His word either for curse or for blessing. When sin and immorality engulf nations and even penetrate the Church, we should remember: God is watching! When nations assail Israel and seek to divide her land, we can be sure: God is watching!

Still, the message of the “almond” does carry a strong encouragement. Jeremiah also foresees a miraculous restoration for Israel. “And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them, to destroy, and to afflict… so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 31:28)

If we decide to consecrate our lives to God, then He promises to watch over us for good. Even with our weaknesses and frailties, His eyes are always upon us!

(Dr. Juergen Buehler serves as ICEJ Executive Director in Jerusalem)

To watch! 

Did you catch that?

Do you believe the Lord is watching over His word and you?

Blessings, David