For forty years I led you through the desert … yet your sandals did not wear out." Duet. 29:5
“These carrying poles must stay inside the rings; never remove them.”
The carrying poles were inserted into the rings for transport. But they were not to be removed, symbolizing the transitory nature of the placement of the Ark of the Covenant, where God’s presence dwelt.
“And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!”
Inexplicably, God’s deepest desire seems to be to fellowship with his covenant people.
“Do not even speak their names.”
God gave careful instructions to his people through his servant Moses, so they might be holy, and wholly devoted to the LORD their God.
“You must be my holy people.”
The little word “must” is used over and over again in this chapter, accompanying every command given by the LORD.
What an emotionally charged word! Not “could”, or “might”, or even “shall” – but “must”.
The command of God, the promise of God and the zeal of God all come together in this one little word. Must.
“These are the regulations you must present to Israel.”
The people of Israel were to be God’s treasured possession and, as such, were to reflect His justice and righteousness. To that end, God gave them these regulations. It was God’s to order. It was theirs to obey.
“If you use stones to build my altar, use only natural, uncut stones. Do not shape the stones with a tool, for that would make the altar unfit for holy use.”
Using a tool to shape the stones of the altar symbolizes man’s attempt to to be right with God by his own efforts. It is the essence of religion. But God doesn’t want it. Nothing artificial. Salvation is not man-made.
God will do the shaping. He will fit us for his work. There is no way we can fit ourselves.
How fitting the Christmas hymn now playing in the background: “…and fit us for heaven to live with Thee there”.
“Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure.”
God is not arbitrary. He is not capricious. His plans are from everlasting. He keeps his promises.
“This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.”
Moses, the man of God, benefited from the sage advice of his father-in-law, Jethro. Sometimes God’s instructions come to us through the advice of those closest to us.
“Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) … because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?”
They “tested” the Lord – meaning, they tried his patience.
And yet the people of Israel framed the question as it should be framed: “Is the Lord here with us or not?”
The answer is either yes or no. He either is or he is not. It’s one or the other. It’s either black or it’s white. It’s either everything or it’s nothing. The answer is not sometimes yes and other times no. It is not, “It used to be yes, but now it is no”. The God of Israel is a covenant-keeping God.
“Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim, and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin.”
Elim and the widerness of Sin were real places, but it almost sounds metaphorical. Elim was an oasis with seventy palm trees and twelve springs of fresh water. Sin was a barren wilderness.
The people would much rather have stayed in Elim, especially had they known what lay ahead. But God was leading them. The God of Israel – the God of Moses – was determined to show his faithfulness to them, their physical circumstances notwithstanding.
