The room was filled with random conversations as students continued to shuffle into the lecture hall and find a seat. Most were looking at their phones, a few unfolded laptops, and others pulled lunch sandwiches from takeout boxes. Some were laughing. One had his hood-covered head down on the desk, eyes closed. Many scrolled through emails and social media.
After about ten minutes, when no professor or teaching assistant had arrived, each student packed up their stuff and left. No one was upset or concerned as they wandered off to do something else.
Not long into the exodus from Egypt, the question on everyone’s mind is, “Where’s Moses?” He went up the mountain to talk to God in the cloud, but “we don’t know what has become of him” (Exodus 32:1). The people quickly assume, “I guess we’re going to need some new gods.” Everyone pitches in some jewelry, Aaron makes a calf of gold, similar to a Canaanite god, and they create their own religious ritual and festivities.
It’s hard to believe the nation of Israel so quickly goes off the rails. But not if you ask yourself, “What’s my backup plan” when God takes too long to answer prayer? Or when I lose confidence in his presence, provision, or protection? What cultural gods take his place?
Everyone’s got a golden calf of some kind. We all hedge our bets. Work harder. Get a second opinion. Eat comfort food. Go shopping. Ask for a prescription. Quit.
And that’s after about forty minutes. Moses was up on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
None of those things are necessarily bad. But why not, as Air1 Radio puts it, “Worship through it?”
After Aaron makes the golden calf, the people “got up early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings;” and the people “sat down to eat and to drink, and got up to engage in lewd behavior” (Exodus 32:6).
Why not enter his gates with thanksgiving, offer up a sacrifice of praise, and wait to see what God’s going to do next? Why not approach his throne of grace, where we find grace? Why not keep our eyes on Jesus?
Having a rough day? Bored? Stressed? Restless? Sounds like an opportunity for worship.
In his book Recapturing the Wonder, Mike Cosper shares this experience:
“Once, I attended a Sabbath dinner with an Orthodox Jewish family in Jerusalem. they welcomed about twenty of us into their home, packing tables and chairs around their small living room. The sheer quantity of food they served that night was astounding. Every time you thought you thought you were done eating, another course came: the bread, the salad, the matzoh soup, the eggplant and hummus, the fish , then the chicken, then the beef, then more cheese and snacks, then dessert, and then more dessert. The host sang and read scripture and told stories and prayed, and the night is forever marked in my mind. The Sabbath is a celebration that the week is over, that the work is done, and that God has provided. The feast made that reality tangible.”1
When I was growing up, our “Sabbath” was Sunday, and everything was closed. But there was still plenty to do. Sometimes we went to Granny’s (my dad’s mom) apartment for dinner. Reading the Sunday newspaper (especially the color comics) took up a chunk of time in the afternoon. I usually had homework to complete for school on Monday. Sunday night was a big night for television watching, especially the Ed Sullivan Show, The Wonderful World of Disney, and movies.
We found plenty of things to fill up our weekend that had nothing to do with the original observance of a Sabbath, or day of rest. I like the idea of not working in order to enjoy the fruits of your work just like God did. What a great weekly reminder of God’s presence and provision in our lives.
“The sons of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a permanent covenant. It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.” (Exodus 31:16,17).
1Mike Cosper, Recapturing the Wonder (InterVarsity Press, 2017), p. 134
It’s possible to find a copycat recipe for just about anything. I’ve made a lemon loaf just like the ones at Starbucks, Italian salad dressing just like Good Seasons, and Olive Garden’s chicken marsala.
However, you didn’t want to mix up a batch of anointing oil or incense like the blends used for the tabernacle. If you got caught, you’d be in big trouble.
“This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations. It shall not be poured on anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in the same proportions; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. Whoever mixes any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people” (Exodus 29:31,32).
“And the incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the Lord. Whoever makes any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people” (Exodus 29:37,38).
Worship wasn’t a do-it-yourself endeavor. It was set up to be done a specific way at a specific time in a specific place. Unlike pagan rituals done on any and every high place to any number of different gods, there’s only one true God. We relate to him on his terms, not ours.
God is holy. Nothing about him is ordinary. So it is fitting to have oil and incense only used for worship. The fragrance of each would remind you of the uniqueness of God. Is anyone or any thing like him? Nope. Nothing even comes close.
As I sit in the waiting area, a service representative steps over to let me know what repairs my car needs. He or she is well dressed in a polo shirt and khakis. Their hands are clean unlike the mechanics who are working with tools, parts, and fluids underneath my car. That’s the one I pay. That’s the one who hands me my keys and sends me on my way. I never get to meet the actual technicians, only the rep.
That scenario reminds me of the Old Testament priests who served at the tabernacle and later, the temple in Jerusalem. God established a dress code for Aaron and the priests who go before the Lord on behalf of the people. Why? There are two reasons: “For glory and for beauty” (Exodus 28:2). The garments will glorify God. But they will also reflect a relationship with the Lord.
As you read through it, it’s complicated. There is a “breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a tunic of checkered work, a turban, and a sash.” These all work together as a reminder that when the priest goes before the Lord, it is on behalf of all the people. The priest represents a nation, but also every individual in that nation. That includes the good and the bad, the rich and the poor, and the sick and the healthy.
As the gold plate on the high priest’s turban states, the people are “holy to the Lord.” They have been chosen. They have been set free. Their sin has been atoned for, that is covered. It’s easy to forget these truths. This was a great reminder.
In the very first chapter of Revelation, John catches a glimpse of Jesus in glowing, glorious, and beautiful priestly attire. He’s also the mechanic who did all the work of salvation. Not only does he clean up nicely, but he’s give me garments of salvation and robes of righteousness, too.
Israel may not have put all these pieces together in the Sinai desert. But now, in the last days, it’s good news!
When I’m working on a jigsaw puzzle, I always look at the picture on the box to try and figure out where some of the pieces go. I do that even when I am working with my grandson on a hundred piece puzzle.
When I’m putting together a piece of furniture that came in a box, it helps to look at the picture of the item online or sometimes on the side of the box.
My finished food preparation rarely looks like the picture in the cookbook or at the top of the recipe page, but at least I know what I’m aiming for. Sometimes I’m even in the ballpark.
As I read through the instructions for the construction of the tabernacle, I think there’s a lot of room for interpretation. It’s a good thing God showed Moses what he had in mind.
God told Moses, “You shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan which you have been shown on the mountain” (Exodus 26:30).
I so wish Moses had a camera at that moment. I would love to see what Moses saw and the tabernacle he built. I can find all sorts of pictures online of what it might have looked like. But there’s not even have a sketch to look at.
Sometimes I think it must have been magnificent. After all, this is where the Lord will “tent” or camp out with his people. But other times I think it was ordinary. I think that because Jesus came in ordinary form. His physical “tent” was just like us.
When he got to his cubicle and logged into the computer, the first email that caught his eye was from the boss.
Come by and see me when you get in.
Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good. Now what? What did I do? What did I forget to do? Should I just clean out my desk?
But it was a different kind of meeting. It was all about a a great annual review, a promotion, and a raise.
In a flurry of instructions about building a tabernacle and an ark, God gives Moses this instruction:
“You shall make an atoning cover of pure gold…Then you shall put the atoning cover on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. There I will meet with you (Exodus 25:17,22).
Another expression for “atoning cover” is “mercy seat.” God would come and meet with his people from a place of mercy.
This is huge. As David will later sing, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8). The gold-covered lid for the ark, topped by two angels, was a visual statement of this truth. The condemning law of God, tablets inside the ark, was covered or “atoned” for by the mercies of God. Ultimately, that mercy would be seen at the cross, where the death of Jesus covers sin.
Now that I think about it, once the ark was placed in the holiest place of the tabernacle, no one but the high priest ever got to see it. When it was time to travel, the ark was covered in blue cloth. But everyone knew about it. The craftsmen made everything according to specifications. And then the cloud of God’s presence filled the tabernacle, it was an awesome and reassuring sign of his presence and mercy.
When I install or update software on my phone or computer, I have to agree to terms and conditions. I have to admit, I never read them. I scroll to the bottom and check the agree box. I don’t have time for all that.
I’ve only met one person who told me they always read every end user license agreement. He’s never refused to agree to the terms and conditions. But he knows what they say.
Starting with the commandments in Exodus 20, Moses brings a boatload of laws down from the mountain. There are rules about everything from personal injury to property rights. There are regulations for financial matters, farming, and feasts.
In response, “The people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!’” (Exodus 24:3).
Really? Don’t you want to sleep on it before you make this kind of commitment? Do you want to talk it over with your family? Do you want to have your lawyer look it over, just for good measure?
You and I know the people will not do all the Lord has spoken. Not even close. God knows it, too. They couldn’t even handle one rule in the garden.
But this isn’t just list of rules and regulations. God cares about his people. So he brings order to their life together just as he brought order to the universe at creation. He says he’ll be their God. They agree to be his people.
Yes, they have a lot to learn. Of course they will make mistakes. Lots of forgiveness will be needed. And all that is included in the words the Lord has spoken.
Just like I need a lot of forgiveness. Because I make a lot of mistakes. And I have a lot to learn. Just like he says in his word.
Our July 12-24 Hawaii trip began with a 4 am drive to the Orlando airport. We left super early because Delta was still recovering from computer problems and we anticipated long wait times for check-in and security. Of course, when you give yourself lots of extra time, there will be no wait. We checked our backs at the curb, got through security in about fifteen minutes, so we had two-and-a-half hours before the first leg of our trip.
One of our traveling companions, the one who owned the house in Hawaii where we would be staying, got us into the Delta Sky Club with her diamond travel status. We got to enjoy the buffet breakfast and some great coffee while we waited.
Our first flight took us to Seattle, where we stretched our legs and split a roast beef sandwich and Caesar salad for lunch. For the next flight to the big island of Hawaii, I switched us to two aisle seats across from each other in the comfort plus section. A little more room was nice, and I read and snoozed while my wife watched a couple of movies.
The Kona airport wasn’t at all what we expected. It’s small (only eleven gates), and the baggage claim and waiting areas were outdoors. We were not met by hula dancers putting leis around our necks to ukulele music, either. And once we got our bags and rental car, we drove down the coast through desolate lava fields to the house. We picked up some food and found our way to the house.
Our view at sunset
The five bedroom, five bathroom pool home was on the side of a mountain with a breathtaking view of the ocean. The owners rented it out most of the year. But these next two weeks, we were there with another couple and the owner. During the busy season and for the annual Ironman, they would get $1,500 a night. Off-season was about half that. So it was a blessing we could stay there for free!
Electricity is expensive on the big island, so there was no central air conditioning. Each bedroom had it’s own cooling unit. Solar panels helped with electricity usage and heated the hot water.
On Saturday morning, Lisa and I walked about a mile-and-a-half down the hill to Kona Heaven Coffee, where we sat and enjoyed some 100% Kona with a nice view of the ocean. When we got back to the house, the other couple was ready to go to the Mountain Thunder Coffee Farm with us. (Read about that excursion here.) After that we found Benny & Finn’s in downtown Kona that had Hawaiian Purple Yam Dole whip, which was amazing!
On Sunday morning, we took the two-hour Blue Hawaiian helicopter ride past the volcanoes, up the Hilo coast, and then past the gorges and waterfalls on the northern part of the island. Each Eco-star helicopter held a knowledgable pilot/guide and six passengers. The lava floes made a lot more sense from the sky. Unfortunately, there were no active lava floes for us to see. We saw the recently vacated Mars dome in the middle of a place that might as well have been a different planet. After refueling at the Hilo airport (which is even smaller than Kona), we flew into some beautiful gorges to see waterfalls not accessible by land. Just before we returned to the Waikoloa heliport, we saw a circular rainbow, visible when the sun is above you but the clouds are below. After our flight, we had a quick lunch at the Lava Lava Beach Club and headed home.
Lava flows from the sky
Part of the circular rainbow beneath our helicopter.
On Monday, we went to the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, where we hiked to the ocean on rocky lava trails to see remains of ancient fish traps, ponds, settlements, and petroglyphs. One sea turtle was lounging on the beach, posing for pictures.
From there, we stopped by a seahorse farm, but decided that the $77 (!) entrance fee was too steep and instead had lunch at Big Kahuna in downtown Kona.
In the evening, I swapped out our Nissan Altima rental at the airport for a Jeep Wrangler, something more fun for exploring the island.
On Tuesday, Lisa and I hiked the Captain Cook trail, a steep, 3.5 mile round-trip trail to the ocean to see the Cook monument. With a 1,300 ft. elevation gain, the all uphill return hike was tough. As recommended, we had decent hiking boots. But we met quite a few other hikers in flip flops. They were either tougher or more foolish than us.
Captain Cook monument
In the afternoon, we drove to the Painted Church. The inside of this church is covered with hand-painted scenes of bible stories. Just about everyone who lives on this little road has a little fruit stand, coffee shop, or botanical garden, taking advantage of the traffic to and from the church.
On Wednesday, we took a quick flight to the Honolulu airport and took an Uber to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. We spent time at the submarine museum and walked through the U.S.S Bowfin, toured the U.S.S. Missouri, and went to the U.S.S. Arizona memorial. There is more to do and experience at Pearl Harbor than we could do in one day, so we didn’t get to the Aviation museum. It was a moving experience, and I learned more about World War II.
U.S.S. BowfinU.S.S. Missouri
On Thursday, we took an ocean kayak and snorkeling tour. The ocean was fairly calm and the kayaks very stable. It was a beautiful day and I must have seen fifty different kinds of colorful fish in fifty-feet of absolutely clear water.
After we got home, Lisa and I took another walk down the hill to Kona. Once there, I started feeling light-headed while perusing the Lava Java restaurant menu. After I sat on the front steps, someone brought me some ice water, and I actually passed out. I woke up to EMTs who took me to the Kona Community Hospital to get checked out. My EKG and blood work were fine. With a little fluid in me, I felt better and we took an Uber back to the house. Even though I thought I was drinking plenty of water, apparently I got dehydrated. When I got back to the house, the rest of the group was waiting for me to get home so I could grill steaks for supper.
Friday was a busy day. We headed out about 7 am to get to Punalu’u Bake shop, the southernmost bakery in the United States, and also the place to get the best malasadas (Portuguese sugar-coated doughnuts). The Portuguese came here in the late 1800’s when sugar cane farming was a huge part of the island economy. Malasadas go down very easy. I ate four that day.
With cartons of malasada in hand, we drove to the green sand beach at South Point, the southernmost place in the United States. Rather than a five-mile round trip hike, we hired a driver to take us on a bouncy standing ride in the back of a four wheel drive pickup to the beach. It’s not a big beach, but it’s one of only four places in the world where the sand is green.
Green Sand BeachBlack Sand Beach
Next stop was the black sand beach, a little farther up the coast. It was unique, but not especially exciting.
From there we drove to Volcanoes National Park. This park is huge. When this volcano last erupted in 1959, lava shot up 1,900 feet into the air. That’s taller than the Empire State Building! We saw the crater from several vantage points. We could have spent a whole day here.
But we wanted to go to Mauna Kea to see the sunset. Unfortunately, the mountain was clouded in, so we couldn’t see anything.
We tried to do too much on Friday. We could have spent a day doing any one of those things. Plus, there were so many little coffee shops and bakeries along the road we could have stopped at!
On Saturday, we went back to downtown Kona. We had lunch at Java Lava, another Dole whip at Bubba & Finns, and bought ornaments for all the grandkids.
Hawaiian Purple Yam Dole whip!
On Sunday, we worshiped at Waikoloa Lutheran Church. After lunch at Lava Lava Beach Club, we drove to Waimae to visit a coffee shop and general store.
Who cares about lunch……when this is dessert?
On Sunday night we went to the luau at the King Kamehameha Courtyard resort. The food and entertainment were okay, but not as great as we expected. When you go to Hawaii, you have to go to a luau, right?
We celebrated by 67th birthday on Monday with a trip to Hilo on the other side of the island. We started with breakfast at Ken’s Pancakes, where I also got a souvenir coffee mug. The pancakes were good, but their famous macadamia nut pancakes were just pancakes with macadamia nuts sprinkled on top. The wait staff sang “Happy Birthday” to me and brought me another stack of pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream.
Akaka Falls – check out the rainbow at the base
Then went to Akaka Falls State Park. It’s only a short hike to the falls, which at four hundred feet are actually taller than Niagara Falls. After we toured the Mauna Loa Macademia Nut factory we took a tour of the Lavaloha Chocolate farm. I loved learning about the production of chocolate, from the cacao pods to a big selection of 70% cacao chocolates.
Our chocolate farm tour guideCacao pod right off the tree
We walked around down Hilo and visited a ukulele shop. The impressive selection of ukes was priced from $90 to over $1,500. The owner taught us a lot about the instruments, but we decided not to buy one on this trip.
We spent most of Tuesday packing up and cleaning up the house. Our flight home left about 8:30 pm Hawaii time, and we were back in Florida by late Wednesday afternoon.
It was a great trip, but Hawaii was much different than I expected. It wasn’t like Hawaii 5-0 or Magnum P.I. The coastline was mostly rock, not sandy beaches. Of course, we were on the big island of Hawaii, not Oahu which is more touristy. When we go back, we’ll hop and see what the other islands have to offer.
Even though my memory gets fuzzier each passing year, I remember some of those September back-to-school days. (I grew up as a public school student). It was great to see my friends. I had teachers to get used to. I had to find all the different classrooms. There was a new locker combination to memorize.
And of course, there were rules. Get to class before the bell rang. This is where you sit. Homework must be turned in on time. Get a physical at the doctor before you try out for a sport. No smoking in the bathroom.
God’s people have experienced his power, provision, and protection, summed up pretty well here: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 20:2).
And then there are rules (Exodus 20:3-17). There are rules about how to live together. Other rules are about taking care of each other. God provides structure for their lives as they journey from a place of hopeless bondage to a new home of freedom and abundance.
Even though the rules aren’t numbered, they will be called the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13). Different traditions have numbered them differently, but it probably doesn’t make that much difference.
But I guess it’s like the first day of school. Are you ready to learn? Are you ready to learn about mercy, grace, and forgiveness? Are you ready to learn what it means to trust God? Are you ready to not only hear his word but keep it and be blessed?
Waite for it... 