God Reveals Himself to us in Exodus

Exodus: God reveals Himself to Us

Exodus 40 ESV

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3 And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. 4 And you shall bring in the table and arrange it, and you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. 5 And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. 6 You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, 7 and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 8 And you shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court. 9 “Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy. 10 You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy. 11 You shall also anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it. 12 Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water 13 and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest. 14 You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, 15 and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.” 16 This Moses did; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did. 17 In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected. 18 Moses erected the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars. 19 And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 20 He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark. 21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 22 He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil, 23 and arranged the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 24 He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, 25 and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 26 He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil, 27 and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 28 He put in place the screen for the door of the tabernacle. 29 And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30 He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, 31 with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. 32 When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses. 33 And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work. 34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 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. 36 Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 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.

Hebrews 8:5–6 ESV

5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” 6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

Pastor Ben Jorden on the occasion of completing a sermon series through Exodus June 18, 2023

It’s a tale as old as time,

recorded in song and rhyme

coming up out of one place and going somewhere better.

But the pursuit of better can bind you like fetters

Written into the American dream that upward mobility should be the theme of one’s life

But that theme runs out of steam when you realize that you could gain the whole world and still loose your soul

A better job? Sure.

Two kids and a dog? Why not?

A bigger house?

More education?

What’s your declaration?

Where does it lead?

When is it enough?

A younger wife?

A man on the side of the one whom you became the bride?

Drugs to dull the pain of disappointment when you lack words that gain you encouragement from your father?

Why bother when a mother’s pride-in her favored child; not you

undergird the belief that you must move upward and be better

Not just better but perfect is the standard

Measured against the law of God written by his hand

handed To Moses by God.

No matter the sin that stains

Brokenness brings pain and death

and we all need a rescuer

Being upward mobile

no matter how global without someone greater to rescue us is just another tower of babel seeking ascend to to the very Heights of heaven; being like gods ourselves.

Someone needs to rescue us

The God who is and was and is to come reveals himself in Exodus

The land once a family’ salvation-Eqypt

was now and a nation’s captivation.

Captive, enslaved, mistreated and engaged in hard labor until God rescued.

The Rescuer’s tool was raised in the finest schools

as Moses’ was lifted up from a basket in the Nile he was brought up like Pharaoh’s own child

Assuming upward mobility for his people

Through his own ability

This man of forty years killed a man to rescue a people

But like going to a church with a steeple does no good by itself without being one of a repentant people

Moses’ the murderer was discovered and fled to the dessert for another 40 of education in sheep and insignificance.

Moses had diligence at what he was doing, so as the would-be savior of his people watched his sheep

he met the True rescuer

A bush that burned,

but was not consumed

caught the attention of the basket boy

With fear that would turn eventually to joy

God revealed himself to Moses as I AM

and he was

I AM sent Moses back to his childhood home

declaring his power over all the gods he was taught to serve before he was grown.

with a mighty hand the God who is

rescued his people from the land where they were

Rescued from Egypt

But stuck in the dessert

Songs of celebration in their rearview mirror

Rumblings in their tummies caused doubt in their God

Grumblings in the community

Caused a lack of unity in following the leader that God had appointed

But God was gracious.

Water from the rock to quench their thirst.

Taste this, what is it? Manna as bread and quail for meat to eat.

God the rescuer is God the provider.

Not always how, how much, or when we want, but God will provide for you His greatest provision is truly through Christ

He will grant salvation to all who call on the name of the Lord to be saved

Salvation pre-Christ was still the way of mercy

To all who are spiritually thirsty,

Christ is the water welling up to a spring of eternal life

His life was the sacrifice that all others pointed to

The lamb, the bird, the wheat to God was sweet when offered as a sacrifice

The ram and all the rest point to the once-for-all propitiation for our sins.

Sins like horrendous worship of a false god on the foot of the mountain of the true God. Sins like pornography in the night or lust in the day. Sins like pursuit of stuff instead of the pursuit of knowing God. In the day and in the night, we all need Christ.

Come to Christ today.

So on this fathers day if you’re a father or have ever had one, became a son of God by believing on the Son, Jesus Christ. Heirs with Christ are all the children of God. Children not born of the flesh, but of the Spirit by believing in the Son. The Spirit indwells those believe, and doesn’t leave. The God in the dessert brought his people to Himself as an inheritance to live with Him and be His people. If you let Him, God will draw you ever to Himself, so come to him anew and tell others what you saw and who you met. If it’s truly good news, it’s good news truly and should not be hidden or kept to yourself, so tell everyone. The Word made flesh and dwelt among us, crucified and died that you and I might live.

So the book ends like it begins like two book ends with God’s people in need of Him. Every day his presence would go with them.

where he leads they would follow

when he tarried, they stopped carrying their heavy load and rest awhile.

Coming up out of somewhere, and going someplace better.

We’re all going somewhere.

Every one of us is leaving Eqypt,

but not all will make it to the promised land.

If where you stand before God is on your own merits, then you’re dead in your trespasses and sins. If you dabble in idolatry or alternative spirituality, than watch out! Flee from those and follow the Way of Mercy alone. If your present is in Christ, then Christ is your future, and in Christ you’re in. Into eternal life with Christ instead of eternal death apart from Him.

Christians are all headed somewhere better, but in the meantime, we are stuck in the desert.

Walking where God leads us. Struggling against sin in our lives and sin in the world. Learning to love and loving to learn that God is the one to help us discern the way to live that leads to life. Our only hope in life and death is we’re not our own but belong to God. The hope of the Christian is the hope of the exodus. God‘s presence goes with us. better stated we go where God’s presence leads us.

His presence made known their sinful selves to own and repent and sacrifice-that was the price to redeem. Redeem. Rescue. Even the sacrifice was the way of mercy. Jesus was the final sacrifice, the better mediator, the perfect rescuer, and God himself. In the book of Exodus God reveals Himself to us as the rescuer. He’s our rescuer.