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SILENCE
Okay – lots to cover, little to dwell on but what we do have to dwell on are some BIG concepts.
We left off with Moses having spread the blood over the altar and the people. Then we read at Exodus 24:9
Exodus 24.9 – 28.30
February 11th 2024
ARTISTS FROM GOD
9 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:
10 And they saw “the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.”
First Bomb – “they saw the God of Israel.”
And we could also add, “and what surrounded Him,” which included,
“under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.”
Sounds like a pure vision, right?
What can we say in the face of this plain claim, “And they saw the God of Israel?”
All we can really say is that . . . they did. They saw the God of Israel. But from there, instead of just taking it at face value and as literal, let’s let the Bible give us some insight and balance.
Other references to people seeing God in scripture include,
Genesis 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”
I’ve had to look over my shoulder and revamp some former thought a bit because, again, we cannot get around the clarity of Jacobs statement.
Frankly, I am more ready to accept that the way and means anyone has ever seen (or saw) God face to face was to see His preincarnate Word made flesh. Start to finish.
Exodus 3 brings us another example and there Moses wrote of his own experience and has God Himself say,
Exodus 3:6 “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”
I suggest that again, Moses could have looked upon God, and if he had he would have seen God, but only in a representational form of Him.
A representational form of God? Yes. Has to be. It could not be God Himself. It had to be some sort of way means, sight, visage, something that Moses’s eyes, mind, psyche could handle – and that, my friends, seems to be the mode by which the invisible God reveals Himself to human beings which we know was through His future incarnate Word made flesh.
Again, one chapter later in Exodus YAHAVAH says, relative to the Nation of Israel, who HAD seen Him (somehow)
Exodus 4:5 That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
We read in Isaiah 6 the memorable passages from the mans own eyes the following:
Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
In vision or dream or while awake, Isaiah also claims to have seen the Lord sitting upon a throne.
In case we wonder, “what “Lord” is being referred to here” because YAHAVAH not used, a few verses later Isaiah adds,
Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, YAHAVAH of hosts.
When we consider these references, we must conclude that people have, in fact, seen God. But we must rebalance this information with three passages in John (two in His Gospel and one in His epistle) where he records Yeshua as saying,
John 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
The only one which “is of God” is the Son, who scripture says “proceeded from Him,” so we can say that the only one who has EVER seen the Father is His Son.
Perhaps, “being of God’s Son by faith” will allow all His true Children to see and encounter Him in the realms to come. Can’t say. But there is always the chance that His Son is forever our representation of Him.
The second reference from John is something that he writes himself in his epistle where he says,
1st John 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
Herein we can conclude another idea and that is the very living God dwells in us IF and WHEN we love one another. And that in this decision, His love is perfected in us.
Look out friends! We may not, even as believers, ever see Him – or at least not here in the flesh, but (LISTEN) WHEN WE CHOOSE TO LOVE AS HE LOVES GOD DWELLS IN US and when that happens, His love is “more and more perfected in us!”)
None of this answers how Old Testament characters in certain places and times claim to have seen God.
Things get a bit clearer when we resort to the third example from Yeshua’s Himself when He said,
John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
And here we have the ability to rightly “assign a premortal existent state of the man who was ultimately named Yeshua who, even then, from the heart or from the bosom of His Father, declared Him – whether in the Old Testament or In His incarnate flesh.
Why? Thomas asked Yeshua when incarnate in John 14:5:
John 14:5 Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 And Yeshua saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have . . . seen him.
This Yeshua declared to His own Apostles that to see Him WAS to see the Father as He was in the very “expression of His person.” It was in this setting that Philip then says to Yeshua,
8 Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Yeshua saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He who has seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
And from this declaration/teaching we are able to better understand who and what was appearing to men (who Yeshua claimed had no capacity to see God but never the less they claimed to see)!
They were seeing what, whom and how the very living God named YAHAVAH reveals and revealed Himself to the physical world – by and through His Word, first, in a pre-incarnate heavenly representation and later in a representation that was incarnate who, as a witness to the world revealed Him.
There is a paradoxical aspect to all of this which is very difficult to tease apart. The paradox is no man has seen YAHAVAH at any time, but YAHAVAH incarnate (God with us) is known and even seen.
This PROVES that God is the Father, that He is One and that His Word made flesh reveals Him because those Word proceeded forth from Him.
Very complex. Let the spirit work on you and your mind on this. Contemplate Him and it. It will become more and more clear.
So, we continue after that line in Exodus, reading,
11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.
This passage needs some explaining which is not really certain as there are a number of views about it.
First, some believe this means that God did not conceal himself from the nobles of Israel by covering them with His hand, as he did with Moses in Exodus 33:22.
2. Or God did not endow any of the nobles, ( the seventy elders) with the gift of prophecy which represents the “laying on of the hands.”
3. Some suggest that this means that God did not slay any of them or none of them received any injury.
Then to the line that after seeing God they did eat and drink might refer to them remaining alive (to do such things).
We can’t really tell. Then we read Exodus 24:12
12 And YAHAVAH said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.
14 And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.
15 And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.
Got that whole scene in our minds?
16 And the glory of YAHAVAH abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
17 And the sight of the glory of YAHAVAH was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
18 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
So, Old Moses is up there now. Surroundings and circumstances understood. Ten words given of the Ketubah, the marriage contract, the Law added to some extent, writings are being produced, and the Nation of Israel waits below waiting.
In the first verses of chapter 25 we read:
Exodus 25:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
This was in preparation for building a material TABERNACLE from the proceeds of the free collection and from chapter 25 through 27 we read specific details of what all that would look like and mean.
We could cover it – there are some items that speak to the promised Messiah, but we are going to read about most of this again and/or the import is not so important today – unless you want it to be. So let’s move on.
Just know that this is where YAHAVAH gives the initial instructions on how to make this ark.
Also know that the ark was small.
It was portable.
It was made with exact specifications and the reason was?
It was a material representation of the heavenly realm for the nation and would serve as the place to worship, gather, and offer “sacrifice to Him” for si – which remember, was in the propitiated blood of bulls and goats.
After describing all of that we come to chapter 28 where we read,
Exodus 28:1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.
And YAHAVAH adds,
3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
Before we talk about Aaron and this priesthood, I want to reiterate this passage which I believe is often or at least somewhat “lost’ in the annuls of playing church today and it is unfortunate.
To me we need to help resurrect the idea. What idea?
It’s in verse three where YAHAVAH Himself says to Moses with reference to those who will create Aarons priestly apparel,
3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
I mention this because God Himself tells Moses to speak unto all that are (and He calls them wise-hearted), and adds, “WHO I HAVE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM.”
Who is He describing? Seamstresses. Tailors. People who God gives the ability, the wisdom, the hands the minds the eyes to create things – in this case, it’s the priestly clothing for Aaron.
The line God uses is that the priestly clothing that these souls would create would serve to “consecrate Aaron.”
The meaning of that here is that the clothing would serve to set him apart from the rest of the people as the High Priest before God.
It would be designed to indicate something that has since been stripped away from and removed from Christianity by Yeshua – “the material distinctions between peoples.”
In the age of material religion these things were important, purposeful and intentional as they illustrated all that was materially required to evidence God having a holy people.
It set them apart visually. No more.
But His endorsement of the arts, so to speak, and His nod to the capability that He gives us to “create”extends far beyond clothing for the high priest.
In 1st Kings 7:14, we will read about when Solomon made the house for God and the one He would use to do the brass work. And this is how the scripture describes him,
“He was a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.”
In Exodus, jumping from our study of the priests garments being made, YAHAVAH gives Moses on the Mount the following when it comes to describing the Tabernacle and in verse 1 of chapter 31 we read,
1 And YAHAVAH spake unto Moses, saying,
2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.
6 And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;
Why am I spending time on this here and now? It all hearkens back to the expressions of the ten words that YAHAVAH gave Moses on the Mount, specifically when He said,
Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Over the years, I have heard, seen, read or otherwise had the idea communicated to me that art, creation and expression is somehow an inferior way to live out ones life.
This notion is handed down by virtue of people condemning image-making, and this includes making pictures of heavenly things, images that are disconcerting or statues and the like.
In other words, there is an over-all attitude in the faith against image-making “UNLESS “it is strictly within the confines of the denomination involved and what it allows and rejects.
When I was in the school of Ministry it was good and acceptable for a man to craft a wooden pulpit, but not good to draw Yeshua.
I had a sponsor of ours (back in the day) heavily ridicule me for taking liberty in a children’s book that he said, “depicted Jesus as a hippy,” called the innocent illustrations close to “blasphemous” and warned against my trying to replicate the Lord through “artifice.”
Where this subject may not resonate to you as a believer (because most people just do not care) going all the way back to the garden commands for Adam, God Himself, HAVING CREATED everything, tells the first man, made in HIS image, to then,
Ge 1:28 Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Is the God who created heaven and earth upset when His creations CREATE? Express themselves. Their hearts and soul in art, music, film, and literature?
Is not art and all of its expressions just another form of subduing and having dominion over the other material things given?
Remember God told Adam to dress and keep the garden created for Him! Does this distract from his heart for God or does it lend to our being literally in His image and honoring Him through the expressions of our hands?
Remember, that central to the prohibition of making an image or idol is, “the bowing down to it.” Central to everything around us, to all we say, all we do and all we lend our hand-to then “is the heart in the undertaking,” the intention. It is NOT in the act or resulting product – especially in this day and age.
Religious evangelical zeal has literally allowed us to judge and condemn anything and everything that God Himself has not only allowed and used BUT EQUIPPED PEOPLE WITH THE SKILL, but biblical literalism has been allowed to overwhelm reason and context.
The act and art of creating things – whether technological advances, medical inventions, artistic representations are the actual RESULT of being made in His image. To remove the very need, and the import of the creative act in humans is to strip us of one an item central to our construction – the joy of expression and creation – especially if or when it is done to honor and not replace Him.
In my estimation Christians should be leading the world in the arts, sciences, businesses and solutions to our material ills. Christians should rise up and create without apology or explanation. Christians, if they would allow it and Him to bring wisdom ought to be creating the best art not the worst.
Unfortunately I find the minds and hearts that are MOST removed from relishing in the creative art to be those of believers. They seem to have been trained to resist art and artistic temperament, because they appear to be making idols or are part of this world.
Re-listen to YAHAVAH’s WORDS describing the seamstresses, the tailors, the fabricators of the tabernacle and all that YAHAVAH wanted in that place:
2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.
6 And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;
Make what the Spirit of the Living God commands you to make with the wisdom and gifts He has given you. Boldly present it to the world in His name and cause.
I’ve long been possessed, at times even obsessed with the art of film, music, architecture, apparel, hair, make-up, interior design, literature. The Christian world has politely reminded me that such things are acceptable only IF they represent Biblical themes or ideas about God.
I suggest we shift away from such man-made limitations and revel in the wisdom the living God gives each individual so led.
I want to share with you a living example of why this shift is needed.
Abortion is a hot hot hot topic. Some of our group here will every now and then express their views on how heinous, callous and godless it is.
Many Evangelicals jump right in that fray and what we have is warfare. I am personally repulsed by abortion and when confronted with it in my own life have never agreed to it as a viable response.
But my personal views only add one more soul to one side of the aisle and that simply amounts to, nothing.
I refuse to make it the hill. I refuse to allow it to get in between me and the Great News and think that there is a better way. Especially in the day and age where the sins of the world have been paid in full for all.
Last week I had the opportunity to get a call from the head-fundraiser for the National Right to Life foundation out of Washington DC. She called me about an art piece I was working on that indirectly speaks to the subject of Right to Life.
She asked me early on in the conversation, “So where are you at in everything,” and I guessing she wanted to hear from the artist about my personal views.
I could have jumped on the zeal wagon but instead chose to speak with integrity, and so I said,
“I leave legislation to the legislators. I am of the opinion, however, that the subject of abortion itself is way too far down the line in terms of getting to a real lasting answer. To focus on women getting abortions on the day they go in to do it is hacking at the leaves of the thing and means little in the overall scope.
It’s an emotionally based action for which emotionally driven people thrive. The more emotion involved, the more opportunity for zeal to enter in and rationality to flee.
For me, we need to get working on the subject years before a woman parks her car and walks into a clinic. For me, if a woman thinks nothing of aborting a pregnancy, the reality is she would most likely think nothing about what caused the pregnancy in the first place, and therefore she thinks little about the act of procreation, and therefore she probably has no esteem for her own body nor the God who made it to do what it does.
However, to force such a woman to bear the child would most likely lend to her being indifferent to its wellbeing as a creation that 100% is reliant upon her to survive.
We need to start way, way, way back with people and to extol the profundity of the Creator, His Creation, of the amazing capacities in the human body, of the miracle of conception, the significance of mitosis, gestation and then, THE inherent obligation to honor this life once its born by providing it with a home with parents and love.
That is what my art depicts,” I said, “all depicting a creation that, both in and out of the womb, has no voice in the matter. This voice, from beginning to end, needs to be protected.
You know what? She agreed with me. And I sent her this picture of the art in question.
The art is intended to cause us to think. To think about creation. About God. About the incomprehensible power of His creative genius that gives us the ability to bring new life into this world through these bodies He created and gave.
Art transports the observer, when it is allowed, into such thoughts without the on the nose emotional shouts of “You are killing your baby!”
It leads gently, causes introspection, and allows for the anger of man to abate in with the peaceable presence of His Spirit.
We need more of it. And again, believers and followers of “the very King who made all things” should lead the way and never be at the back of the pack.
I would no more worship a piece of manipulated plastic than I would worship the sun, moon or stars – but we must admit – the sun, moon, and stars do cause us to reflect on Our Creator as believers . . . if we let them.
So that was my soapbox in context with the text we are studying. Moving back to the first two verses of chapter 28 we read,
Exodus 28:1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.
So, let’s conclude today by talking about Aaron the older brother of Moses. And next week we will read about what Aaron does while Moses is on the mount.
Aaron was the oldest son of a couple named Amram and Jochebed, who according to Exodus 6:20 was a daughter of Levi.
Some explain his name as meaning mountaineer, others mountain of strength, and even others an “illuminator.”
He was born in Egypt three years before r Moses, and a number of years after his oldest sister Miriam. (Exodus 2:1,4; 7:7)
According to Exodus 6:23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab of the house of Judah, with whom he had four sons whose names were, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
According to Exodus 4 when the time for the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt drew nigh, he was sent by YAHAVAH to meet his at that point long-missing brother Moses so that he might co-operate with him in all that they were required to do in bringing about the Nations Exodus from Epypt.
Aaron was supposed to be the “mouth” or “prophet” of Moses, (meaning, he was to speak for him, because he was a man (according to Exodus 7) “of a ready utterance.”
Aaron was faithful in this and stood by Moses in all his interviews with Pharaoh.
After the exodus, when the tribes fought their first battle with Amalek in Rephidim, (Exodus 17) Moses stood on a hill overlooking the scene of the conflict with the rod of God in his outstretched hand.
Here we read about Aaron and Hur, who was apparently Miriams husband, and they held up his wearied hands till Joshua and the chosen warriors of Israel had the victory.
Then, when the Nation was encamped before Sinai, and when Moses at the command of God ascended the mount to receive the tables of the law, Aaron and his two sons, Nadab and Abihu, as we just read, along with seventy of the elders of Israel, were permitted to accompany Moses part of the way but were to behold afar off the manifestation of the glory of Israel’s God. (Exodus 19:24; 24:9-11)
We are going to stop here in discussing Aaron and his role in the establishment of the Nation until he pops up again and return to Moses who is still on the mount, in the cloud and presence of the living God.
The rest of Exodus 28 has YAHAVAH describing to Moses all the things necessary to be included in Aarons priestly custom-made clothing.
There are a whole bunch of representative items that the clothing was to include and speak significantly to the way the Living God organized and created this detailed expression of material religion.
So we read at verse 4 of chapter 28 that YAHAVAH says
“And these are the garments which they shall make;”
a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.
6 And they shall make
the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.
two shoulder-pieces,
the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
Then YAHAVAH says
And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. (And these should be engraved with . . .
– two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.
Then speaking of stones at verse 17 YAHAVAH adds
17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.
18 And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.
20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.
These represent the twelve tribes of Israel by name.
Then after a whole bunch of instructions on making gold ring attachments we read at verse 29
29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.
This brings us to where we will begin next week, which is verse 30 which says,
30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.
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REMEMBER MAY 7th 2024 8pm
Heart of the Matter FULL CIRCLE
