Last week we discussed the details of the Lord's Tabernacle and the establishment of the Priesthood. God provided Moses and the Israelites with incredibly detailed plans that included the types of materials to be used, measurements and instructions for the ceremonies to be held at the Tabernacle.
The whole process was set up to incur proper respect and awe in who God was (and is) and to facilitate a relationship between the Lord and His people. This was obviously needed as the children of Israel, and people in general, show an amazing propensity for becoming accustomed to the most incredible things.
Just a few chapters before we studied about how the Israelites came to Moses and accused him of leading them into the desert to die because they did not have any food. Just imagine that moment for a minute. It's evening. The people have just finished a long day of walking. Tents have been set up. Children are being put to bed. Some leaders get together and decide to go complain to Moses. Their people have been grumbling for days now, and mass unrest has taken the camp. They walk over to Moses's tent. Of course, they don't need a light to see, because God has manifested himself as a massive pillar of flame that watches over the camp at night. Moses comes out of his tent, and the leaders of Israel tell Moses that they were better off in Egypt and they're all going to die in the desert as the light from the massive pillar of flame reflects of their faces.
It sounds pretty absurd. We all think, "If I had a massive pillar of flame from God there's no way I'd lack faith to follow His lead." I disagree, we all have the ability to become accustomed to the most amazing things. Remember when your child went from "most amazing miracle ever" to "thing that cries all night?" It doesn't take long for us to forget the miracle of a child, and it doesn't take us long to become blase about God.
Gratefully, we don't have the ceremonies that the Israelites practiced. At the same time, most modern Believers fail to have physical memorials in our lives that are constant reminders of who God is and what He's done for us. So I'm encouraging all of you, make a memorial for your family, whether it be something in your home or a regular "ceremony" with your family where you remind yourselves and each other of who God is, how powerful and majestic He is, and what a miracle it is that He wants to know us and love us. Just like the Israelites, He has brought us out of slavery so that He could dwell among us. We would do well to keep that in the forefront of our minds.
If you want to do some Beth Mooring around, you can get some good info about the Tabernacle and the meaning behind it at these sites:
Cross Rhythms
The Tabernacle Place
(Caveat: I haven't read everything in these sites, so I'm not vouching for it all, but they appear to have solid historical and spiritual analysis of the Tabernacle)
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