EVERYTHING CHANGES
The one thing we can count on in life is that it changes. If you ever return to a place you once lived to visit, you will notice that there have been a lot of changes. Even you have changed, grown older, changed weight, dyed hair, whatever. The only thing that I know of that does not ever change is God and His Word to us. He says He never changes and He is correct. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
His Word is true and you can believe it and count on it. Years and years ago, someone told me that the entire Bible was about Jesus. Not just the New Testament, but the Old one as well. I would read it through every year and never saw Jesus in much of the Old Testament. Until someone taught me. It was a real chore reading Exodus after Moses got down from the mountain for the 40 days he spent with God to receive the 10 tablets of stone commandments. Do you think they just discussed the 10 commandments for 40 days and nights? I don’t. I think they talked about Jesus – God’s Son, Whom He loved so very, very much! When I read Exodus after someone showed me how to see Jesus in the tabernacle (reading that used to be really boring) it became exciting. I wanted to see more and more of Jesus in the Old as well as the new Testaments.
Remember how Jesus said that He only did what He saw His Father do? Well, Jesus spoke in parables and we are told that without parables He did not teach. That means that God spoke in parables, too. Signs, Shadows, Pictures – that was God’s language. Here is just a sample. When God told Moses how to build the tabernacle, He was predicting the coming of His Son. How? The tabernacle was to b e built of acacia wood. That is a wood that is very durable. Strong, not subject to rot or insect infestation. Wood refers to humanity. And over the wood, throughout the entire tabernacle, was poured pure gold. So there it stands, wood (human), covered with gold (divinity). 100% human and 100% God. That defines Jesus perfectly. He was perfect human and perfect God.
Inside the tabernacle was a box called the Ark of the Covenant. It, too, was wood covered with gold and the top had two angels on it all made of one entire sheet of beaten gold. That, too, represented Jesus. Inside the box were put 3 items of human rebellion: the 10 commandments which no human can keep, the manna which people rejected as not being good enough, and Aaron’s rod because people rejected God’s appointed leadership. Every year the priest had to put blood on top of the box so God could not see humanity’s rebellion. The box was never to be opened. It is called the ‘MERCY SEAT’. God doesn’t want to see your sin and my sin. Jesus paid for it anyway, on the cross, so we don’t have it any more. When we receive Jesus into our hearts, we are covered with His blood in God’s eyes.
We have been forgiven by the blood of Jesus. God paid the ultimate price for us to be free of sin. Do we still sin, YES, but does God see it, NO. Praise His name forever for His kindness to us.
Rev. Joyce Kaplan, M.Div. Retired United Church of Christ Pastor.
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