Because of Jesus, we can be intimately close to God. Unlike the Israelites who could only go into the courtyard, or even the priests that ministered in the Holy Place but could not go behind the veil into the Most Holy Place where God's Spirit dwelt, we can enter His Presence without fear. As a matter of fact, He welcomes us at any time. The High Priest, who was the only one that could go behind the veil, only entered once a year & only then to ask forgiveness for the sins the people committed in the past year. We can ask God to forgive us the moment we realize our sin and we can go to Him to talk about anything else that we want to. We no longer need a priest to speak to God on our behalf. When we ask for forgiveness, God accepts the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf and grants us mercy. Through the Holy Spirit, because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we can have a relationship with the Holy God.

The house that God told Moses to build for Him was BEAUTIFUL! It was a portable building, but this was no ordinary tent. Its frame was overlaid in gold. Its entrance had golden pillars with bronze bases & a beautifully embroidered curtain. Inside, the walls were made of linen curtains with angels woven into them & so was the roof. When in the Holy Place, you would feel as if you were surrounded by angels. The room was lit with 22 candles on a golden lampstand. Their light bounced off the other 2 golden pieces of furniture in the room. The golden table held the bread that reminded them of God's provision & the altar of incense burned the sweetest perfume. The lights never went out & the incense burned continuously. In the back was the Most Holy Place, separated by 4 golden pillars, with silver bases, & a veil with angels woven into it. Behind this curtain sat the ark of the covenant, the golden chest which held the 10 commandments. There the Lord met with the High Priest between the 2 cherubim of hammered gold that were attached to its seat. God's house was beautiful & costly because God is beautiful & valuable beyond measure.

God wants His Spirit to dwell in the midst of His people, so He commands Moses to build a tabernacle. While the people are traveling to the Promised Land, God meets with them in this portable tent made specifically for Him. Later, Solomon built the Temple & God's Spirit dwelt with them there. When Jesus came, He was called Immanuel, God with us. Those that worshipped in the Temple rejected Jesus, so now His Spirit dwells within each one of us. We are His Temple! Also in this episode, tithing, the donations are abundant & God equips His people to serve Him. How generous are you with your possessions & gifts? Trust God to equip you to serve Him.

We can learn a lot about the Christian walk by looking at the journey of the Israelites after they escaped Egypt & became their own sovereign nation. So before we move on from Mount Sanai, we summarize their journey and look for similarities in our own Christian walk. We also look at Paul's description of his walk with the Lord and how we can relate. We ultimately will see that the victory is in Jesus and not in our own power. God's desire for us is to grow closer to Him & stronger in our faith.

Moses asked God to show him His glory & God revealed more of who He is to Moses. But still he only sees God in part because here on earth, we can only see Him in part. Thankfully God shows us the part of Him that we need to see at the time. So ask Him to reveal Himself to you. He wants His children to know Him more. When Moses left the Presence of the Lord, His face reflected God's glory. When we spend time with God, we become more like Him, & we exhibit that to the world. So turn to the Lord & allow Him to transform you more and more so that you can reveal Him to the world.

Moses told the Lord that He could not move forward if He was not with him. Moses knew what Jesus told his disciples, that we can do nothing without Him. Sometimes we just need a little reassurance. Sometimes, we just can't get our feeling to line up with the truth we know. That is when we talk to God. Pray according to His Word. Let Him know that you trust Him but you just need encouragement, hope, & direction. Just as it was with the Israelites, the only thing that separates us from the rest of the world, is the Lord's Presence in our lives.

Only a month after agreeing to obey the Lord, the Israelites broke their covenant. Moses had to intercede for mercy but they did not fully escape the consequences. He tried to illustrate what breaking only a few laws really meant and also showed them the usefulness of their visible god. The Levites paid a huge price by publicly proclaiming their allegiance and service to God but were blessed abundantly. Then Moses tried to atone for their sins only to be told he was not worthy or able. From the Israelites we learn that the law can only condemn. We all break God's law and we all need His mercy. We must all choose whether we are willing to serve Him or not. No one but Jesus can bring forgiveness, mercy, and salvation and we are alone are responsible for our faith or lack there of. We all must choose what price we are willing to pay for the One that paid it all for us?

Even though we cannot see and hear God, we can see the evidence of His Power. The people wanted a visible god. Aaron led them in their sin instead of encouraging them to have faith and obey the Lord. He built them a golden calf and as they worshipped it, they thought they were worshipping the Lord. They had been influenced by other religions and began mixing their practices with the worship of God and did not even realize it. Do we do this today? Have we mixed the practices of the world around us into the church & formed a perverted gospel without realizing it? Are we pulling in the things of the world and calling it Christianity?

Upon hearing the Word of God, the people confessed Him as their Lord & accepted the sacrifice made on their behalf. Then they were covered in its blood, reconciling them to God. By entering into this covenant relationship with God, they were brought into fellowship with the Holy, Almighty God. The process is the same for us today. When we hear the Word of God spoken to us & confess Him as our Lord, accepting the sacrifice of Jesus that was made on behalf of all people, then we are reconciled to the Lord & brought into fellowship with Him.

God does not send His people into the unknown future alone. His angel will go with them into the Promised Land. He has prepared it for them and goes with them. What is unknown to us is not unknown to our Father in Heaven. His Holy Spirit is our Helper, Truth Teller, Teacher, Reminder, & Peace-giver. His plan may not come quickly but His will for our lives will be fulfilled. Little by little He destroys the obstacles as we gain possession of what He has prepared for us. Our job is to trust and obey as we wait for His plans to be fulfilled. Do not allow yourself to be compromised or led astray by the ways or things of the world. Do not look to the world for answers or deliverance. Our God is sufficient for us. He is all we need. Wait, keep His way, hope in Him.