Archive for category: GAMEtime Sharing

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 31:1-18.  Let’s go!

Exodus 31:1-11 (NIV)
1  Then the LORD said to Moses,
2  “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,
3  and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts–
4  to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze,
5  to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship……..

On verses 1-11:  Could God have created the artistic designs and done all the work himself for the tabernacle?  Of course He could have.  God could have spoken these things into existence in an instant.  Yet He chose to involve Moses, Bezalel, Oholiab and a bunch of unnamed craftsmen in the designing and making of the items that would form the tabernacle.  Why?  It’s because God delights in involving His children in His work in the world.  God didn’t make us only to be spectators to God’s work but participants too.

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 30:1-16.  Let’s go!

Exodus 30:1-10 (NIV)
1  “Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense.
2  It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high–its horns of one piece with it.
3  Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.
4  Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding–two on opposite sides–to hold the poles used to carry it.
5  Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
6  Put the altar in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the Testimony–before the atonement cover that is over the Testimony–where I will meet with you.
7  “Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps.
8  He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the LORD for the generations to come.
9  Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it.
10  Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the LORD.”

On verses 1-10:  In the tabernacle where the Israelites would worship the LORD, out in the courtyard there would be a bronze altar for offering animal sacrifices.  But in addition to that bronze altar, there would inside the Tent of Meeting itself a smaller golden altar for burning incense.  It is this second, smaller, golden altar that verses 1-10 are describing.  This golden altar would be located (most likely) in the Holy Place, together with the lampstand and the bread.   

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is  Exodus 29:15-28.  Let’s go!

Exodus 29:15-21 (NIV)
15  “Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.
16  Slaughter it and take the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides.
17  Cut the ram into pieces and wash the inner parts and the legs, putting them with the head and the other pieces.
18  Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire.
19  “Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.
20  Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle blood against the altar on all sides.
21  And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated.

On verses 15-21:  Exodus 29:10-21 talk about three sacrifices that God tells Moses to make on behalf of Aaron, his sons and the altar they’ll be serving at.  Let’s look at these 3 sacrifices now.

The first sacrifice is a sin offering (v10-14) where Moses slaughters a bull (v11), puts the blood of the bull on the horns (the tops) of the altar and pours out the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar (v12).  He then burns the fat around the bull’s inner parts on the altar (v13) and takes the rest and burns it outside the camp (v14). The purpose of this first sacrifice was to pay for the sins of Aaron and his sons.  Thus it was called a “sin offering”.

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 28:31-43.  Let’s go!

Exodus 28:31-35 (NIV)
31  “Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth,
32  with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear.
33  Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them.
34  The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe.
35  Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the LORD and when he comes out, so that he will not die.

On verses 31-35:  Here the LORD describes the robe that the priest would wear underneath the two pieces of clothing we looked at in verses 6-30: breastpiece and the ephod.  Unlike the breastpiece and ephod which were both multicoloured, the robe was to be a solid blue (v31).  The hem of the robe was to have yarn pomegranates (apparently a symbol of abundance in Moses’ time) with gold bells between each pomegranate.  

What does verse 35 mean when it says that the sound of the bells will be heard when the priest enters and exists the Holy Place “so that he will not die”?  One theory is that you were not to enter or exit the LORD’s presence unannounced, and so the ringing of the bells served as an announcement that the priest was moving, either in or out of the Holy Place. 

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 28:1-14.  Let’s go!

Exodus 28:1-2 (NIV)
1  “Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests.
2  Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give him dignity and honor.

On verses 1-2:  The LORD wanted Aaron, who was going to be Israel’s high priest, to wear sacred garments that would “give him dignity and honour” (v2).  What can we learn from this?   Whether we want to admit or not, the clothes we wear consciously or subconsciously make us feel a certain way and can also give others a certain feeling about us as well.  If you want to change the way you feel, consider changing the clothes you wear.  For example, I know some very effective business people who, during COVID 19 season, still change into work clothes every morning even though they are working from home.  I have friends who still wear their “Sunday best” just to watch online church at home.  That’s because how we dress does affect how we feel.  That’s also why God, because He loves us, gives us robes of righteousness to wear, so that we would not feel ashamed (Isaiah 61:10), but that we, like Aaron, would feel dignity and honour.   

Exodus 28:3 (NIV)
3  Tell all the skilled men to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest.