Travels through Exodus . . . part four

Exodus 28:3 . . .
"'Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom.'"
God moved the hearts and minds of people to be inspired to design. God calls people today to be filled with the desire and skill to design for a greater good.

Colors of the Tabernacle . . .
—gold
—blue
—purple
—scarlet

Exodus 28:15-43 . . .
The priests wore reminders on their shoulders and over their hearts of their commitments to the people. We should all be so good-and bold-to wear reminders of our purpose in life. This clothing was not ceremonial; it was required to be in the Lord's presence.

When did I sign up for this?
It's interesting that the Bible never mentions if anyone ever asks Aaron and his sons if they want to be priests. I wonder what their reactions were to the news that they had been set apart for this job.
It's also interesting that no one ever asks Moses if he wants to continue leading the people. I can imagine him saying, "Didn't I just sign up to help get everyone out of slavery? Why do I have to keep leading this group of complainers?"

Exodus 31:12-18 . . .
"'Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is the sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation.'"
Why do I so easily ignore the Sabbath? Why don't I care about being "cut off from the community"? Actually, I do care or I would if I thought it mattered. So why do I think this command doesn't apply to me? Is it because society ignores this so completely, so I think I can too? What if we started with one day a month? How would our life be different? What would we do?

Exodus 32:21 . . .
Aaron nevers owns up to his part in creating the golden calf. He encouraged the worship of an idol when he knew far better and never defended God to the people. Why was he sparred when others weren't? Was it for redemption and entrance into the priesthood?

Exodus 34:33-35 . . .
Moses' face was "radiant" after speaking with God. How long did this last? Was it just this time or did this happen every time he spoke with God? Wouldn't such a visible reminder of God's awesome power be a comfort to the people? Why were they so afraid of Moses that he felt compelled to wear a veil?

Exodus 35:20 . . .
What an amazing time: A people who saw God's great power in their rescue from slavery and in their ability to eat and drink daily in the desert are punished for their rebellion against God. Now, those "whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved" brought all of their prized posessions, many or most of which were given to them by the Egyptians, as offerings to God. What a journey! It's amazing that the people gave so much that they had to be told to stop giving. What an outpouring of love for God! (Exodus 36:4-6)

Exodus 38:26 . . .
At this time, there were 603,550 Israeli men over the age of 20, which means there must have been more than a million people wandering in the desert. Imagine the number of people that will have to die on a daily basis for all of these men to die in the 40 years before entering the Holy Land: roughly 40 people per day.