Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"Then the Lord said to Moses, "Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 24 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. Then use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony, the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy. "Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. Say to the Israelites, 'This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. Do not pour it on men's bodies and do not make any oil with the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from his people.' " Then the Lord said to Moses, "Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred. Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the Lord. Whoever makes any like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off from his people."
"Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you: the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent-the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand-and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you." Exodus 30:22-38, 31:1-11
The end of Exodus, Chapter 30, and the beginning of Chapter 31 find God giving Moses directions about production of materials that will support future worship, namely anointing oil, incense and all the items He commanded be built for the tabernacle. As we have examined before, every item had a specific purpose and function within the worship process and God doesn’t get so much into that in our scriptures today but rather more into what ingredients will be used to make items and who was to make them.
For example, God gives Moses painstaking details as to how the anointing oil and incense was to be made. The anointing oil was to made with "500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 24 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil" while the incense consisted of "fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts..." The recipes were detailed so that they could be replicated through the generations…just as the parts of the tabernacle were detailed in case any of the pieces needed to be reconstructed. God left a blueprint for everything He wanted done.
The other important matter to glean from today’s verses involves God detailing who should and would make the items He commanded. Notice that the anointing oil and incense were to be manufactured by a "perfumer" and only for God’s purpose…not for personal use. Likewise, God blessed men like Bezalel, Oholiab and other special abilities to build the items for the tabernacle. God’s word tells us they were blessed with the "skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship" to make "the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent-the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand-and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place." In other words, they would have the special talents to make everything God commanded. God not only leaves blueprints but He continues to empower His people with the abilities to carry out His commands.
Question: Have you stopped to explore what gifts God has placed within you? What is your specialty? We all have them and most of us have more than we have even realized. This is because we too often take a defeatist attitude toward doing things. We don’t believe in ourselves and so we say the words, "I can’t" when it comes to why we don’t do something.
God’s word in Second Corinthians assures us of the following:
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." 2 Corinthians 12:4-11
Question: Do you believe and trust that God can do within you whatever He wants through His promised manifestation of the Spirit? Friends, His word is truth. If He wants you to carry out something, He will give you the ability and strength to carry it out. So while we’re saying we can’t, He is saying, "Through me you can do any and all things. Just trust in Me."
This Lenten season as we reflect on our lives and the life of Jesus, comparing the two and seeing how we can become more like Him, let us spend some time exploring this matter of gifts that God has given. Let us explore with an unswerving trust in Him so we might never rule out anything that He might be able to do in and through us. And when we realize those gifts, may we boldly step forward to apply them for the "common good" of all of God’s children. Friends, this life of service to the Lord and others is more exciting than any life you could ever hope for. Never underestimate how the Lord can use you to that end. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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