Bible Reading Reflection from Exodus 21-30

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (LRAU), a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day]

𝔼𝕏𝕆𝔻𝕌𝕊 𝟚𝟙:𝟚𝟜

"Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."

Does anybody seriously want justice in life? I don't think so. We want mercy, grace, and love.

If you knock out somebody's tooth, do you want them to knock off yours too?

"Justice for me, but not for others" is actually what human beings are crying for.

 

𝔼𝕏𝕆𝔻𝕌𝕊 𝟚𝟚:𝟚𝟝

"If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him."

Consider these:

1. Don't lend money to the poor, give them.

2. Don't lend money to fellow Christian who are poor, give them generously! Don't ask them to pay back. Tell them to come again😂

There's a difference between needs and business! In business, both have to look for a profit! The lender will expect a profit too.

This verse is not about business.

Is it not true that a man can afford to do business only when he has more than his basic needs?

 

𝔼𝕏𝕆𝔻𝕌𝕊 𝟚𝟛:𝟙𝟝

"You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. ℕ𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕣 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕖𝕞𝕡𝕥𝕪-𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕕."

We are a bunch of ungrateful people! God wants us to be grateful.

So, he gave some specific commandments that we may be compelled to realize. One of them is this commandment of bringing an offering before God.

Think through that! BTW, I forgot to pay my Sunday offering yesterday because I was trying to keep up the news of home [my grandfather’s funeral]. Anyway, I shall pay doubly this coming Sunday!

 

𝔼𝕏𝕆𝔻𝕌𝕊 𝟚𝟜:𝟙𝟠

"Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights."

Can you be alone with God for 40 days and nights?

Jesus did a [more] terrific thing, huh? He was alone with the Devil for 40 days and night?

Whom can you stay alone with for 40 days and nights up on mountain or desert? 🙂

 

𝔼𝕏𝕆𝔻𝕌𝕊 𝟚𝟝:𝟚

"Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me."

When was the last time God moved your heart?

When was the last time you shut off your heart and rationalise why it was better to not contribute or help? (1John3:17)

We want to have God working in our life to bless us but not to help others, as if, receiving is better than giving. God owns everything. Everything that comes to us and everything that goes out of us is an economy of God. We are neither richer nor poorer. We come to earth having nothing and shall leave earth nothing.

 

𝔼𝕏𝕆𝔻𝕌𝕊 𝟚𝟞

"Shall"

How many times do you see this word in this chapter? In every verse except 20, 21,27.

Let me know how many times. Just open your Bible and count @_______, you lazy fellow! 😅 You shall count!

And why so much instruction on making the tabernacle? God is in the details!

 

𝔼𝕏𝕆𝔻𝕌𝕊 𝟚𝟟

"Shall"

Another chapter of heavy prescription "shall" in every verse of this chapter!

We cannot worship God as we like. There's a prescription. And if God is serious even in building prescription, how much does He seek after circumcised hearts?

 

𝔼𝕏𝕆𝔻𝕌𝕊 𝟚𝟠:𝟛

"You shall speak to all the skilful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood."

Another chapter of "shall" but this chapter mentions "skills" not less than 7 times.

We need skilful people in the service of God. Church may be friendly and open to fools, but the wise and skilful people must be there too. After all, who gives wisdom to the wise? Is it not the everlasting God? Who is wiser than Him? He doesn't despise you [the skilful ones] nor the fool, how dare the wise of the world despise the fool?

 

𝔼𝕏𝕆𝔻𝕌𝕊 𝟚𝟡:𝟜𝟞

"And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God."

God called them out, freed them from Egypt that He may dwell among them. The Israelites would have idols rather than God. So, God gave them up to heathens.

God called us out from sin that He may dwell in us, yet we neglect Him. So, what shall [has] become of us?

 

𝔼𝕏𝕆𝔻𝕌𝕊 𝟛𝟘:𝟙𝟝

"The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the LORD's offering to make atonement for your lives."

When it comes to atonement, the rich are not rich enough, and the poor are not poorer than the rich! Everyone is a beggar before God. Not the wealth of the universe can appease the wrath of God.

Also, let's consider this: the most righteous man is not righteous enough before God, nor the vilest sinner more sinful than the most righteous man. In front of God, they altogether are as filthy rags.

Atonement offering shows how to humble themselves before God and should remove pride, boasting, and oppression from their hearts! They aren't better! Nobody is better than anybody.