Then you shall make curtains…

Exodus 26:7

In Exodus 26:7-14 we learn about three more layers of curtains. It would be a curtain of goat hair that would cover the beautiful curtain of fine twisted linen. This curtain of goat hair would be woven in eleven pieces and would be long enough that it would drape all the way to the ground completely covering the inner curtain.

Practically speaking the curtain of fine twisted linen and beautiful colors and designs would not be able to withstand the weather. So the Lord made provisions for three more layers of curtain to cover it, each one more weather resistant that the last. However, true to the inner curtain, these next three hold their own story of the person and work of Christ and His people.

This curtain of goat hair would also be held together with clasps, but these clasps would be made of bronze. It is believed by many that bronze has always represented judgment. This curtain, covering the curtain underneath that represented the glory of Christ, His Kingship, Priesthood, and Deity and even deeper under its layer covering the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat, the Table of Showbread, and the Lampstand could it possibly be that this goat hair curtain would represent the humanity of Christ?

It would be Jesus who was fully God who would take on flesh and humble Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8), so that He could receive the full judgment of God on our behalf. He who knew no sin became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Perhaps the reason this curtain was held together with clasps was because after the judgment, after the resurrection, our Lord would stand before His disciples not in the form of God alone, but also in the form of humanity. He would still bare the scars of His judgment, the wrath of God that should have been on us, on His flesh. He would say “see My hands and put Your hand in My side and know that I AM“. He would still be the One who could wrap us up in His arms and allow us to be able to stand in His presence though we, although forgiven and justified in His sight, still live in this tent of sinful flesh, this weak jar of clay.

The next curtain would be made of ram’s skin and it would be dyed red. In Genesis 22 it would be a ram that would catch the eye of Abraham after the angel stayed his hand before he offered Isaac on the altar. This ram would be sacrificed in place of Isaac and the Lord would teach Abraham and us that He would provide the sacrifice. It would not be Abraham’s son that would be offered for the sin of the world, but His.

There are no measurements given for the size of this curtain. There are no instructions for it to be cut into pieces or held together with clasps. As far as we know it is sewn together to be one solid piece. For it would be one sacrifice, one offering, that would be enough for all people for all time (Hebrews 10:12-14).

The fourth curtain would be that of porpoise skin. There are no measurements given for the porpoise skin curtain either. Its purpose is simply to protect the precious. From a distance, from a stranger passing through, this tabernacle covered in porpoise skin would give no evidence of the glory that rested underneath it’s covering. It could be a shelter, refuge, a place to weather a storm, but someone seeking grandeur and power would pass right on by never taking a second glance.

Yet, for someone who was hurting, someone who was hungry, someone who was weary, to this one it would scream a place of rest. It would shout, “I won’t turn you away because you smell. I won’t reject you because you are broken. I won’t pretend that I did not hear you knocking. I will let you in. Come inside, the door is open.”

In Isaiah 53:2 we read,

“For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.”

Even the curtain of porpoise skin was there to be a foreshadowing of the One who was to come. It was not the charisma or the sweet talk of Jesus that drew people to Him. It was the hidden glory within. It was a pull that no one could explain. They just knew He was real. They just knew that the closer they got to Him the more sinful they would feel, but it was not a feeling of condemnation but of conviction that allowed them to also feel free to cry out for mercy.

And as we draw nearer to Him and pull back the curtains and step even deeper into His nearness He reveals more and more and more of His beauty to us… more and more of His grace… more and more of His glory… more and more of His holiness… and we become ever more amazed that He even considered to come and rescue us.

And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.

Revelation 6:4

It’s Christmas Eve.

The night when we celebrate the coming of the Son. The Son who would be called the Prince of Peace… yet in our nation and around the world there is evidence of a great lack of peace.

In the Middle East the terror of ISIS is still raging strong, in North Korea threats are being made toward civilian businesses in our nation, a war against Ebola is still being waged in places in Africa, and the Ukraine crisis continues. Our own headlines are flooded with the murder of our men and women in blue who have taken oaths to serve and protect us.

Scabs are being picked off and old wounds that were being healed are being ripped open again. It’s like the childhood saying of what hurts worse… going down a slide of razor blades into a pool of alcohol or admitting the root cause of it all is that we are a wicked hearted deceived people.

It all should be a wake up slap in the face reminder that this world is not our home. This world is corroded in sin and its effects. Sin is the cause… immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these (Galatians 5:19-21) are its effect.

The headlines testify to the truth of the words of Scripture.

The wars and rumors of rumors. The repeated horrid acts of violence. The continuos and growing popularity of these disgusting television commercials, shows, and movies. These do not make me doubt the existence of God or the validity of His Word… they confirm Him.

Those who see Noah and Moses through the interpretation of Hollywood and Oprah, those who see the flood, the death angel of the Passover, as an act of a cruel heartless God… no… beloved that is an act of a merciful God.

That is the work of a God of great love.

Hollywood’s interpretation comes from a pampered people who have never experienced the full throttle level of the evil of men. This comes from men and women who disregard the fact that their mere ability to dream up the evils that they write into scripts is evidence of the depravity of their minds. It’s not just entertainment… wait let’s add this to the evidence… that the simple fact these evils are called “entertainment” is evidence… let’s also be reminded that before men could “safely” and “non-judgmentally” act out these evils in the fantasy of the big screen or the video game… they simply fleshed them out on real people… (thus Genesis 6:5) and if man remains in this place of fantasy it will eventually not satisfy and man will once again act them out on real people.

For as he thinks within himself, so he is.

Proverbs 23:7

Our God of great love showed how very great His love was in that He, knowing the evil of our heart, knowing the depravity of our mind, knowing the sinfulness of our soul, sent His Only Begotten Son to us…

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16

God did not just “so love” a certain people group… He “so loved” the world. He could have stayed up high in the heavenlies with a big ole bucket of popcorn and a large sized pop with a bag of juju beans and watched the show, but He didn’t.

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

Hebrews 2:14-15

***

although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:6-8

God knew what we still can’t seem to come to grip with…

You can’t legislate peace.

For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,

Romans 8:3

You can’t teach peace.

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

Colossians 2:8, 20-23

Peace is a promise (Psalm 29:11, Isaiah 26:3)

Peace is a person (Isaiah 9:6, John 16:33)

Peace is a gift (John 14:27)

Peace is for people with whom the Lord is pleased…

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” 

Luke 2:14

How do we please God?

It is really quite simple.

We believe Him.

We have faith in Him and His Word and we believe HIM.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6

Peace cannot be achieved by any dreamt up method of man. It is a work of God and it must come from God, through God, to God, for God. Peace is a choice based on the conviction that God was, that God is, and that God is to come.

Yesterday morning as I worked on my next book, Devotions From Exodus Part Two, I was pondering the measurements of the Table of Showbread. I had to dig through my Mamaw Lola’s sewing kit to find a measuring tape, because I was not going out to the cold garage to find my husband’s. I crawled around the house yesterday morning measuring the tables in our house looking for a visual of the actual size of the table.

When I first read the measurements I thought, good grief that’s small. But after crawling around a bit, I realized hmmmm maybe it was not as small as I thought. Then another thought hit me, I wonder what the average size of a manger in the time of Christ would have been? As I pondered this thought, my gut got its usual anticipation butterflies. The connection that the Table of Showbread in the Tabernacle held the bread of the Presence and that the manger in a stable held the Bread of Life just would not stop bouncing around in there! So me and the Holy Spirit went on an internet search 🙂

And here is some of of what I found…

“The idea that a woman about to give birth cannot find shelter and assistance from the village women in a Middle Eastern village, even if she is a total stranger, staggers the imagination. We are pressed to affirm on the basis of everything we know of Middle Eastern village life that Joseph most likely sought out and found adequate shelter in Bethlehem. This shelter, we assume, was an occupied private home, for it had a guest room that was full (as we will discover).

What then of the manger? The text tells us, “She gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.” The traditional understanding of this verse in the Western world moves along the following path. Jesus was laid in a manger. Mangers are naturally found in animal stables. Ergo, Jesus was born in a stable. However, in the one-room peasant homes of Palestine and Lebanon, the manger is built into the floor of the house. The standard one-room village home consists of a living area for the family (Arabicmastaba), mangers built into the floor for feeding the animals (mostly at night), and a small area approximately four feet lower than the living area into which the family cow or donkey is brought at night (Arabic ka’al-bayt).

The family animals were kept in the one-room house at night, but taken out early each morning.

The text of the New Testament itself alludes to the one-room peasant home in Matthew 5:15 where it states that a lamp is put on a lampstand so that it “gives light to all who are in the house.” Obviously, the house must have one room if a single lamp shines on everyone in it. Furthermore, the one-room house with a lower end for the animals is presupposed in Luke 13:10–17. The family ox and/or donkey was brought into the house at night and taken out early each morning. Thus, everyone knew that every family with any animals carried out this simple domestic chore at the start of each new day. To leave the animals in the house during the day was socially and culturally unthinkable. All of this is presupposed by the text. Jesus knew the head of the synagogue had untied his animals that very morning and led them out of the house. With calm assurance Jesus could announce to his face that he did, in fact, lead his animals out that very morning, confident there would be no reply. Were animals kept in a separate stable, the head of the synagogue could have saved face by asserting firmly, “I never touch the animals on the Sabbath.” But if he tried to claim that he leaves the animals in the house all day, the people in the synagogue would ridicule him with laughter! In short, no one would believe him. Thus the debate ends simply, “As he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame” (v.17). Thus, in the case of Luke 2:7, any Palestinian reading the phrase, “She laid him in a manger,” would immediately assume that the birth took place in a private home, because he knows that mangers are built into the floor of the raised terrace of the peasant home.

This assumption is an important part of the story. The shepherds were told that the presence of the baby in a manger was a sign for them. Shepherds were near the bottom of the social ladder and indeed, their profession was declared unclean by some of their rabbis.¹⁰ Many places would not welcome them. In many homes they would feel their poverty and be ashamed of their low estate. But no—they faced no humiliation as they visited that child, for he was laid in a manger. That is, he was born in a simple peasant home with the mangers in the family room. He was one of them. With that assurance they left with haste.”

~ Associates for Biblical Research

 

Is this not some really good info!

Here is a little more…

The gospel of Luke contains specific details regarding Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem of Judea.  One of the things mentioned in this narrative is that he was placed in a “manger” (Luke 2:7, 12, and 16).

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, … and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  And there were shepherds … find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger … found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

The Greek word φαντη that is used here typically refers to a stone type trough that was used for feeding of animals—sometimes in the stalls within a dwelling.

This word is used once more in the Gospels (Luke 13:15) where it refers to a “stall” (NIV), actually a feeding trough, for a donkey—and it is clear from the context that this was within a house (Luke 13:10–17).

The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall (φαντη; “manger“) and lead it out to give it water?

It appears that after the birth of Jesus, that he was actually placed in a feeding trough somewhat similar to the ones presented here if not ones that were carved into the stone floor of the “stable”—a far cry from the rickety wooden “mangers” of Christmas pageants

~ Holy Land Photos and Blog

 

I found this extremely interesting!

I love biblical research. The words of our Lord make so much more sense to me and resonate so much deeper when I take the time to dig into the details. This is why the Lord laid the Devotions Through the Torah on my heart. I write the devotionals to hopefully help anyone reading see the beauty and relevance of the Scriptures to there everyday life… because God ALWAYS intended for His Word to be flesh… to be lived out.

 

The most important lesson that I have learned as a parent is to be transparent and to be real. I learned that it was not my job to just be a dominant figure in my children’s life but to be a picture of a sinner saved by grace, standing on faith, secure in the gospel. I was to be a servant leader in their life allowing God to use me to lead them to Him… which meant teaching them what it means to be forgiven and to forgive.

In his book, Parenting Unchained: Overcoming the Ten Deceptions That Shackle Christian Parents, Dr Dempsey writes: “our walk must match our talk. Parenting is a no-hypocrisy zone!”

Here’s another gem from the book: “The foundation for all things in life, including parenting, is your character, and that’s determined by your relationship with God. As you parent, God wants to mold your character right along with your child’s. Don’t ignore God’s work in your own heart as He directs your work on the hearts of your children. By doing so, you can follow Jesus’s advice to “first take the log out of your own eye, then you can see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5).”

I can confirm Dr Dempsey’s words with my own experiences… you can read a little of my own parenting testimony here, Really, It’s Not You. It’s Me., and throughout other various posts in my blog.

In Parenting Unchained, Dr. James D. Dempsey reveals the ten most destructive lies about parenting. He writes from the heart about the way these lies infected his own parenting, and illuminates the Bible’s powerful truths that counter each lie. Both Biblical and practical, each section ends with home activities to help parents take immediate steps to develop their kids’ character–character that lasts when they leave home. 

The last chapters focus on the most important adjustments parents must make with teenagers to prepare them for independence. Weaving humor into strong warnings, Parenting Unchained points out the hazards that derail the parenting journey.

Satan has been pretty busy in this age. He has done a wonderful job of stringing parents out and convincing them they don’t have what it takes to adequately raise their own children. We have been told it takes a village and we can’t do it apart from Dr Phil.  The world has worked hard at trying to tell us that the best thing for our kids is to get them away from us and our influence as soon as possible. It has even come to the point that the world wants us to not even define our children’s gender, but to leave that for them to choose.

Dr Dempsey hits on this lie as well:

Parents outsource much of their responsibility to schools, coaching clinics, and even churches. One reason is that parents often believe they lack the specialized information needed to train their children, so they defer to others. This plays right into the hands of Satan, who wants us to believe that information is all that’s needed to make a good decision. We’re told that if we give our kids all the info they need, they’ll make good decisions and develop right thinking. But as information has increased and our kids have accelerated their intellectual growth, character training has withered. And our society is paying a price. The Information Age has produced smarter sinners!

Dr Dempsey goes on to share that, Satan wants to shut you up. One way he accomplishes this is by making you feel awkward about verbally sharing your faith with others, even your own children.

Satan wants you, as a parent, to be as uninvolved as possible with the foundational development of your children… make no mistake they are after the minds of your children and they are not ashamed to admit it.

Please don’t think that it was an accident that this interview played the morning of a holiday that our children were out of school… Satan is after our kids. Let us not get caught up in the rat race of life and forget that our #1 calling from God is to parent the children He entrusted to us.

You can get the kindle version of Parenting Unchained today (Dec 11th) and tomorrow (Dec 12th) for $0.99. If you are a parent, I would say this would be a $1.00 well spent 😉

 

 

Just a few more of my favor quotes… this book is filled with some great stuff!

God disciplines His children, and His punishment stings, yet He always forgives His repentant children. Herein lies the most important instructional guide for us as parents: we must have rules (otherwise forgiveness has no relevance), but we must always convey the truth that rules are the result of the relationship, not the cause. Your message must be “I love you, therefore, these are the rules,” not “These are the rules. If you obey them, I will love you.”

…our choice of disciplinary acts should be made with discretion and to achieve a purpose, not out of reactions like anger or revenge. Waiting until we know what to do serves us, and our children, better than jumping in to correct before we have a clear idea of what we want to achieve. Take time to pray that the discipline tool you choose will teach the precise lesson the child needs to learn.

~ Dr James D Dempsey

 

In our Sunday school class at Central Baptist Church we are working through a book by Robertson McQuilkin called The Great Omission: A Biblical Basis for World Evangelism. In this book Robertson McQuilkin talks about the three main motives behind what most of us do… Those motives being the love of self, the love of others, and the love of God.

As I sat and listened in our class, our teacher asked if having love for self was wrong, I had to answer, no. As he asked this question two things popped into my mind, one being a Scripture verse (and I had to include a few cross-references of this verse) and the other being a conversation I had just had with my husband the day before.

The Scripture verse…

You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19:18

***

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’³⁸ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:36-40

***

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:14

 

Think about it, if we do not love ourself, then how does that translate into our ability to love others? If we do not love ourself then how does that affect our ability to come to the mercy of God?

This leads me back to the conversation that I had with my husband. I rarely watch the news… especially sports news. As I was passing through the living room I overheard a sports caster say something about the Ohio State football team having gone through some major struggles. I asked my husband what struggles, and he shared with me that one of the Ohio State players committed suicide. What upset my husband so much was that this young man climbed into a dumpster and shot himself.

To my husband it appeared that this young man was convinced that he was nothing more than trash. Would it have made the least bit of difference had this young man felt some, even just a smidge, of love for himself?

Is it not the fact that we have at least a bit of self love that leads us to want to be saved from the wrath of God and the fires of hell? If we don’t see the least bit of value in our lives, then why would even consider that God would find us valuable? If we do not have even the smallest amount of love for ourselves then what value are we going to put on the lives of others?

One of my most favorite things about sharing the gospel with people who have never really “done church”, who have never really heard the gospel, who are currently weighed down with the consequences of either their own wrong choices or the wrong choices of others is to share with them Psalm 139…

For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

Psalm 139:13-16

There is something amazing and transforming that comes with the realization that the Creator of the universe places value on your life… so much value that He left the glory of heaven to take on flesh, live among us, and die for us. He came to bring hope to the hopeless, help to the helpless, and love to the loveless. We are no more like Him than when we choose to love the deemed unlovable.

However, loving ourselves is not enough. If we only love our selves we will not bow our knee to the authority of Christ or choose to sacrifice ourselves for the cause of another. We will even use this self love to justify the destruction of others in order to advance our own lives.

Yet, once again, if the command of God is to love our neighbor as ourself. How can we be obedient to that if we do not love ourself? We also cannot love if we do not have the love of God within us, because God is love … we might call what we are doing or feeling “love”, but it’s most likely really just another way to meet our own selfish needs and desires.

In his book, The Great Omission, McQuilkin writes, 

The Father’s controlling motive in sending His Son to provide for humankind’s salvation was His love for the helpless and hopeless. John tells us that if we have been truly born of God and know God, we will love in the same way (1 John 4:7). In fact, “whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (v.8).

God’s kind of love is proved by the sacrifice it makes. Our love is proved the same way (v. 11).

In the conflict of loves, we choose to save our lives, not lose them. But in saving, we lose.

He (God) loved us, of all people, when we were not only unworthy, but in fact, were fully worthy of the very opposite, His wrath. God’s kind of love depends not on the lovability of the object, but on the loving character of the one who loves.

It is in the reflection of the love of God that we are able to learn what it really means to love ourselves and to love others. Apart from His love our love is merely an idea made up of our own definitions and imaginations and expectations. This love will fail us and it will fail others. But God’s love, it never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).

I love the next two verses to follow our quoted passage in Psalm 139…

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.

Psalm 139:17-18

When God’s thoughts become precious to us, then we begin to see ourselves the way He sees us… it’s just like that child that sits quietly at a closed door while they hear their parents, who do not know they are listening, talk about how precious they are too them… even if they say it to them face to face… it means so much more to know they say these things even when they are not around, and especially after a time of failure that leads to needed discipline.

Beloved do you know that you are not trash? Do you know that you are loved by the One that names every star in the sky and numbers every hair on your head? Are you able to receive this truth? Are you able to lift up your head just enough to love yourself enough to come to the mercy of God… believing that He wants to call you His own?