Jun 20 2012
Curtain Call
Exodus 40.1-4, 21-23, 34-35
Everyone both loved and feared the One behind the curtain. Once a year when the High Priest went behind it (Heb 9.7), they all waited with a sense of awe. Would he live? Would he hear the voice? Would he return glowing like Moses (Ex 34.29)? The priests lived in tension with that curtain. There were times when it frustrated them; when they most needed the blessing of the Almighty they couldn’t go in. But there were times when they were grateful for it; when sin was rife no one desired the Holy Light.
God told Moses to use the curtain to shield the Ark of the Testimony (Ex 40.3). The Ark was an ornate gold box. Inside was the Testimony: Ten Commandments. This was Israel’s agreement with God. The Almighty manifested His presence where the written agreement was. The curtain was not a shield to protect God, but a shield to protect Israel. Everyone knew that God was like a consuming fire. He made the good glow and the bad burn.
Then it happened. What no one expected. More
Jan 17 2013
Tithing: The Spirit and the Law
John 2:13-22
There was shouting, cattle and sheep bolted, birds lost feathers, table tops whacked against stone, then came the tinkle of coins showering the floor. John gasped, what was Jesus doing? Those were tithes and offerings bolting out the door! “Stop turning my Father’s house into a market” he shouted! John’s eyes were wide with horror; it did look like a market. Passover had always been a good time to bring the seasonal tithe; and everyone knew the temple priests made a nice profit from that and the Passover lambs; but no one had the guts to say so…till now. The money changers looked at their overturned tables. They didn’t know what to think. Some were worried, others were angry. More