The Point

    I get that going through Exodus can be hard.  It starts with interesting stories and then it goes into a lot of rules.  Some of it probably doesn't make since.  A lot of it probably feels like it only applied back then.  Certain perimeters did.  The point is to put God first.  It teaches you how to make that possible.  A life without boundaries for yourself has no stability.  It even gives you recipes for anointing oil and fragrance.

    God wants your life to be complete.  That is why He gives so many details.  He described what He expected for His earthly home.  He wanted an Earthly home to be near the people that He loved.  His was nontraditional, but He doesn't need the things that we do.  He needed an altar, to give His people the opportunity for atonement.  When we sin, we are pushing away from Him.  We need a way back and we can't get there on our own.  

    Building His home gave the people purpose and occupation.  A life with no point is a hollow life.  God gives us all purpose and direction if we are willing to listen.

    God had Moses do a census, so they would know exactly how many people they were responsible for.  Every person who was 20 or older had to give an offering to contribute to God's house.  This is where all that Egyptian stuff began to have a point.

    God's house also had a wash basin for a specific purpose.  The priest had to wash in it before serving God or they would die.  

    God had Moses make the anointing oil and holy incense.  He used the oil to anoint God's house, the ark, and all of God's things.  This included the priest.  Everything that was anointed was sacred and should be treated as so.  Anyone who abused what was sacred would be cut off from the people.  They were disowned by the entire community.  It may seem harsh, but if you allow sin to continue, then it spreads.

   You can see that most of these things changed when Jesus came, but some still has value.  It is good to anoint a new home, a person going into ministry of any kind, or maybe your car.  Why not acknowledge that everything you have is a gift from God.  Giving offerings occasionally is a way to worship God.  This means giving money above your tithe.  It can be to the church, missionary, or something good in your community as long as it honors God.

Exodus 30