I’ll Meet You There: God’s Invitation in Exodus 29
Listen to Today’s Passage – Exodus 28 – 29
Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Exodus 28
Second Milers also read – Luke 13 – 14; Proverbs 29; Psalms 141 – 145
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – 1 Timothy 1:17
Read the “0129 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by Charles Spurgeon.
Read previous posts from this passage – “Interceding on Behalf of God’s People,” and “Serving Together as a Family“
Have you ever felt unworthy to approach God? This morning in Exodus 28–29, I was struck by something astonishing: the holy, perfect God of the universe says, “I will meet you there.”
The Amazing Invitation
“42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. 43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.” (Exodus 29:42-43)
“45 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. 46 And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.” (Exodus 29:45–46)
Did you notice the phrase, “where I will meet you,” in Exodus 29:42, and then also “there I will meet with the children of Israel,” in v. 43. God had a specific place that He chose to meet with His people. My first thought this morning is that it is amazing that a holy God wants to meet with people like us at all. Why would God desire to commune with creatures like us who are laden with sin? Isn’t it amazing that God can choose to love us and want to be with us at all? I know that there are certain people that I don’t like to be around, but God desires fellowship with each of His children.
The Place God Chose
My second thought concerns the place where God meets with us. During the time of the Wilderness wandering, God carefully designed the place and set the conditions Israel to enter His presence, and it was quite an elaborate process for the people to go through in order for them to commune with God. By the way, we know that God is now and has always been omnipresent, so there is never a time when we are not in His presence, but still God set up special conditions for corporate worship.
A New Way to Meet with God
Today, God has changed some things. The veil that once separated most men (except the High Priest – once per year) from entering into God’s immediate presence has been removed through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. That means that all men and women who are saved can enter directly into His presence:
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
God encourages us to come into His presence, and to also recognize that there is never a time that He is not with us:
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)
“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:20)
Still, today there are also special places and times that God wants to meet with us. God wants us to meet with Him as we set aside a specific time and place to read the Bible, where He can feed our souls with nourishment and strength, and give us the wisdom that we need in order for us to serve as His ambassadors. He also invites us to come meet with Him in the prayer closet, where we can confess our sins to Him, petition Him for our needs, and praise and worship Him. Of course, He still has a special place for corporate worship, the local church. This is the place where all believers can enter together into His presence for preaching, prayer, and praise. He promises to be “in the midst” of us when two or more are gathered in His name.
Don’t Miss the Invitation
God wants to meet with you and me. Don’t forsake any of God’s invitations.
“22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:22–25)
Questions for Reflection
- Where and when will you intentionally meet with God today?
- Are you regularly accepting His invitation to corporate worship, or have you been “forsaking the assembling”?
Share how God met with you today! I would love to hear your thoughts.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Exodus and tagged Assembling, Bible Study, Corporate Worship, Exodus, Exodus 29, Fellowship with God, God's Presence, Grace, Hebrews 10, Meeting with God, prayer, Tabernacle, Worship by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
A Friend’s Prayer for a Friend: The Power of Intercession
Today’s Passage – Listen to Genesis 17 – 19 (Audio link).
Read along at Blue Letter Bible – Genesis 17
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 11 – 12; Proverbs 6; Psalms 26 – 30)
Listen to today’s Scripture Song – Psalm 25
Read the “0106 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.“ (Jas 2:23)
“And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:” (Gen 18:3)
In our text today, we read about Abraham, the friend of God, interceding on behalf of his own friend and nephew, Lot.
Sweet Fellowship with the Lord
Genesis 18 is a wonderful account which tells of the communion that Abraham had with his God. In the passage, three “men” appear at the tent of Abraham. We are not sure who all of these “men” are. Some have concluded that one of them was the Lord, and the other two were angels, which is certainly a good possibility because the very next chapter begins with two angels going to rescue Lot from the destruction of Sodom. Others believe, however, that these three men were physical manifestations of the three members of the Trinity. I tend to agree with the former opinion but it is interesting that though there were three men, Abraham always only addresses them in the singular form as one. Nevertheless, the Lord and Abraham enjoy a sweet time of fellowship during this time. You get the feeling from the passage that they were not rushing to conclude their time together. A meal was prepared while the Lord waited.
Speaking of Waiting – God Reaffirms His Promise to Abraham
During this time, God, no doubt, spoke to Abraham about many things; but one thing that he told Abraham was that he would, in fact, have a son that would be born to Sarah. The miraculous thing about all of this is that Sarah and Abraham both are well beyond the childbearing years. Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years from the time that God first promised them a child to the time when their son, Isaac, was finally born (see Gen 12:4 & 21:5). God is faithful to do all that He says that He will do in His time. During this afternoon of fellowship with Abraham, God reassures him again of the promise.
Abraham’s Concern for Lot
God reveals something else to Abraham during their time together. As Abraham was walking with the Lord as He was leaving, God shares with Abraham his planned destruction of the city of Sodom. God didn’t have to tell him, but He did. Of course, this got Abraham’s attention because he had a nephew in Sodom that he cared for. Abraham interceded for the city of Sodom, particularly for Lot and his family. He is begging God to spare the city, but his concern is really about Lot. The Bible tells us that Abraham was the friend of God, but here we see that he was also a good friend to Lot. God never promises to spare the city and interestingly, He never promises to spare Lot; but He did say that He would spare the city if He found ten righteous people there, which he did not find. However, God does spare Lot and the family members that were willing to listen to Lot’s warning of the coming destruction.
God Remembered Abraham
I want you to notice something very important, however:
“And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.” (Gen 19:29)
Did you catch it? It does not say that God spared Lot because he was righteous, though we know that the New Testament speaks of him as being “just” (justified – 2 Pe 2:7). It also does not say that God remembered Lot. It does say that God remembered Abraham. What did God remember about Abraham? He remembered Abraham’s intercession on behalf of his nephew, Lot. God spared Lot and his family because of the prayer of Abraham.
The Power of Intercessory Prayer
What a wonderful picture we have here of prayer. God communing in sweet fellowship with his child. God revealing something to that child that would be of concern to him. God giving that child an opportunity to intercede, to pray for that very concern. And then the best part: God answering the request of the child: not exactly the way he wanted it; but a wonderful answer none the less. Kind of causes you to want to spend a little time in prayer yourself, doesn’t it?
Questions for Reflection
- Have you ever experienced that kind of sweet, unhurried fellowship with God—like Abraham lingering with the Lord?
- What promises from God are you still waiting on, and how does Abraham’s 25-year journey encourage you today?
- Who in your life is a “Lot”—someone you care about who needs God’s mercy—and how is the Lord prompting you to intercede for them?
- When has God answered your prayers in a way you didn’t exactly expect, yet it was even better?
- If God “remembers” the prayers of His friends, what concern will you bring to Him in prayer right now?
Take a moment to pray for a friend today.
Read related previous posts from this passage – “Don’t Look Back,” “Abraham Did a Little Walking With God, Too,” “Walk Thou Before Me and Be Thou Perfect” and “God Knows You.”
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Genesis and tagged Abraham, Bible Study, Devotional, Friend of God, friendship, Genesis 18, intercession, intercession for a friend, intercessory prayer, Lot, prayer by Phil Erickson with 8 comments.