Exodus 40 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Exodus 40.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/exo/40/1/s_90001

Meditate on verse 9.

 

Then you shall take the anointing oil and

 anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it,

and shall consecrate it and all its

 furnishings; and it shall be holy.

 

The tabernacle was a long rectangle.  A single door led inside the courtyard to the altar of burnt offering, the place of sacrifice.  Next there was a laver (large bowl) for washing.  The priests offered sacrifices for their sins and washed before entering the tent of meeting.  Inside the tent of meeting was a table with bread, a lampstand, an altar of incense, and then a veil.  Behind the veil was the ark of the testimony; on its lid was the mercy seat.  The LORD’s glory came and rested on the ark and filled the tabernacle.

Through Jesus Christ, you get to tabernacle with God.  Consider how Jesus fulfills every aspect of the tabernacle.

·      The door:  Jesus is the door (John 10:7).

·      The altar of burnt offering:  Jesus is the sacrifice for sin (John 1:29).

·      The laver:  Jesus washes you clean (John 13:8).

·      The table of bread: Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35).

·      The lampstand: Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12).

·      The altar of incense: Jesus is the fragrant aroma (Ephesians 5:2).

·      The veil: Jesus entered through the veil, that is, His flesh (Hebrews 10:19-20).

·      The ark of the testimony:  Jesus is the glory of God (John 1:14).

·      The mercy seat: Jesus saves according to His mercy (Titus 3:5).

 

Through Jesus you become the temple where His Spirit dwells (1 Corinthians 3:16). 

 

Pray Exodus 40:35b over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7). 

 

“LORD, as Your tabernacle, let

Your glory fill _________ and me.

Because of You, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

 

 

Exodus 39 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Exodus 39.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/exo/39/1/s_89001

As you read, keep in mind that you are not only the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16); you are also a priest to God (1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 1:6; 5:10; 20:6).

Meditate on verse 30.

 

They made the plate of the holy crown of

 pure gold, and inscribed it like the engravings

 of a signet, “Holy to the LORD.”

 

In order for Aaron and his sons to minister as priests of God, they had to wear special clothing.  Exodus 39 describes these holy garments beautifully designed by the LORD.  The ephod, breastpiece, robe, and turban set the priests apart as belonging to the LORD for the purpose of ministering in His tabernacle on behalf of His people.

When you became a Christian, Jesus took your sins, described as a filthy garment (Isaiah 64:6), and clothed you with garments of salvation (Isaiah 61:10).  Jesus, your high priest (Hebrews 9:11), wraps you in His robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10), making you “holy to the LORD” (v. 30).

Meditate on these truths and let them affect the way you live for Christ.

The phrases “just as the LORD had commanded” and “all that the LORD had commanded” are repeated ten times in Exodus 39. As a priest holy to the LORD, use those phrases to pray for yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, help ___________ and me to do

all that You have commanded

 just as You have commanded.

Because we are holy to You, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

 

 

Exodus 38 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Exodus 38.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/exo/38/1/s_88001

Meditate on this phrase from verse 21.

 

The tabernacle of the testimony

 

The LORD expected His tabernacle, His residence or dwelling place, to be made exactly the way He desired.  God gave detailed instructions for how the construction was to be done, and it was costly in materials and time.  Amazingly, these 3,500-year-old plans were preserved for you to read.  Ponder how important they must be for God to save these blueprints for us—they are much more than a history lesson.

The tabernacle described in Exodus no longer exists; however, God is not homeless.

Do you not know that your body is a temple

of the Holy Spirit who is in you,

 whom you have from God, and

that you are not your own?

  For you have been bought with a price;

therefore, glorify God in your body.

—1 Corinthians 6:19-20

 

You are now the tabernacle of the testimony; you are the temple of God.  Your life gives testimony to the fact that God exists; He is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).  And, in the same way God was intricately involved in the planning and building of the tabernacle 3,500 years ago, He is intricately and intimately involved in every detail of your life.  Live to glorify the One who lives in you.

Pray Exodus 38:22 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, may _________ and I be like Bezalel,

 doing everything You command us to do.

As a testimony of You, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

 

 

Exodus 37 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Exodus 37.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/exo/37/1/s_87001

Meditate on verse 2.

 

And he overlaid it with pure

 gold inside and out

and made a gold molding

 for it all around.

 

The LORD must really like gold.  Eighty-eight verses in Exodus contain the word “gold.”  When the children of Israel left Egypt, God caused the Egyptians to give them their gold (Exodus 12:35-36).  This plundered gold was purified and used to overlay the LORD’s tabernacle and its furnishings because this was the place where God dwelled among His people.  He surrounded Himself with pure gold.

Interestingly, there are two things more precious to God than pure gold: the proof of your faith and the blood of His Son.

The proof of your faith, being more

precious than gold …

may be found to result in praise

and glory and honor at the revelation

of Jesus Christ. You were not redeemed with

perishable things like silver and gold

 from your futile way of life…but with

 precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished

and spotless, the blood of Christ.

—1Peter 1:7, 18-19

 

As a Christian, you are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, the place where God dwells.  You were bought with a price worth more than all the pure gold in the world, the blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Use the words from Exodus 37:29 to dedicate yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman to the LORD (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, do the work of a perfumer

 in ______________ and me.

Pour Your holy anointing oil on us.

May our lives be a pure, fragrant

 incense of Your work in us.

Because of You, Jesus~”

 

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

 

Exodus 36 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Exodus 36.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/exo/36/1/s_86001

Meditate on verse 7.

 

For the material they had was sufficient

and more than enough for all the work to perform it.

 

“ The work” is repeated twelve times in Exodus 36. It is the Hebrew word melakah meaning “work, service, and ministry.”¹ It was first used in Genesis 2:2-3 when God completed His work and rested from all the work He had created and made.

The work in Exodus 36 was building God’s tabernacle.  Just reading the description of the work can be overwhelming.  But notice God did not expect the people to make 915 feet of curtains, 1,050 loops and clasps, 1,920 board feet of wood overlaid with gold, 96 silver sockets, etc. in their own strength.  The LORD put the skill and understanding into the people constructing the tabernacle, He strengthened them, and they had more than enough material to accomplish His work.

What ministry has the LORD asked you to perform?  Do you feel overwhelmed?  Ask God to give you the skill, understanding, and materials you need.

Pray Exodus 36:1-3 and 7 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, put the skill and understanding into ____________ and

me that we may know how to perform all the

work You have commanded.  Stir our hearts and give us

the ability to come to Your work to perform it well.


Bring all the resources needed to perform the work;

let them be sufficient and more than enough


for all Your work to complete it.


For the glory of Your name, Jesus~”

 

1.      Retreived from www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H4399&t=NASB.

The WATCHMAN on the WALL – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

 

 

 

 

Exodus 35 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Exodus 35.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/exo/35/1/s_85001

Meditate on verse 5.

 

Take from among you a contribution

to the LORD; whoever is of a willing

 heart, let him bring

 it as the LORD’s contribution:

gold, silver, bronze, …

 

The word heart is used six times in Exodus 35.  It is used in the context of God looking for people with willing hearts to contribute the materials and talents needed to build His tabernacle.  The LORD’s contribution came from people with hearts moved and stirred by Him to give freely.

The Hebrew word translated as willing in Exodus 35:5 also means “generous, magnanimous, and noble.”¹ Examine your heart.  How would God describe it?  Is it generous and willing, or selfish and begrudging?

Ask the LORD to make your heart more and more like His.  Pray Exodus 35:29-30 and 34-35 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, move __________ and my heart to do all You

 command and to bring You a freewill offering. 

Call us by name, LORD, and fill us with Your Spirit

 in wisdom, in understanding and in

knowledge, and in all craftsmanship. 

Also put in our hearts to teach.  Fill us with

skill to perform every work as You desire.

In Your name, Jesus~”

 

1.      Retrieved from www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H5081&t=NASB.

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

 

Exodus 34 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Exodus 34.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/exo/34/1/s_84001

Meditate on verse 8.

 

Moses made haste to bow low

 toward the earth and worship.

 

Carefully observe the LORD in Exodus 34.

1.     He stood with Moses as he called on the name of the LORD (v. 5).

2.     He is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and truth (v. 6).

3.     He keeps lovingkindness for thousands and forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin (v. 7).

4.     He does not leave the guilty unpunished, and He visits the iniquity of fathers on children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations (v. 7).

5.     He performs miracles that have never been done before (v. 10).

6.     His name is Jealous; He is a jealous God (v. 14).

 

Apply that knowledge to your life:

1.     Call on the LORD by name; He will stand with you.

2.     Know the LORD’s actions and attributes, and bow and worship Him.

3.     Live pleasing to the LORD for the sake of future generations.

4.     Ask the LORD to let you see His miraculous works.

5.     Worship no other gods because the LORD is jealous for you.

 

Pray Exodus 34:6 and 9 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD God, You are compassionate, gracious, slow to anger,

abounding in lovingkindness and truth.

 O LORD, may __________ and I find favor in Your

sight; go along in our midst.

 Help us stop being obstinate, and pardon

 our iniquity and our sin.

 Take us as Your own possession.

For the sake of Your name, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

 

 

Exodus 33 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Exodus 33.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/exo/33/1/s_83001

Meditate on verse 18.

 

Then Moses said, “I pray

 You, show me Your glory!”

 

The people committed heinous idolatry in Exodus 32, and the LORD told Moses to take them to the Promised Land without Him.  He would provide an angel to guide them on their way, but He would not be in their midst because He might destroy them for being obstinate.  The people grieved at the thought of God not with them, and Moses refused to go without Him.

Observe carefully the intimate, honest, face-to-face conversation between Moses and God in Exodus 33:11-23.  Moses knew God and His ways.  He knew the words God had spoken, and he boldly reminded God of His promises.  The LORD granted Moses’ requests, promising to go with him and give him rest.

As a follower of the LORD Jesus Christ, you also have access to an intimate relationship with God.  You have His spoken Word written in the Bible.  You have the Holy Spirit inside you to teach and remind you of the Words of Christ (John 14:26).  Get to know God and His Word better this year.  Use His Words as you engage in intimate conversation with Him throughout the day.

Pray Exodus 33:13-14 and 18 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, let _________ and me

know Your ways that we

 may know You, so that we

may find favor in Your sight. 

Let Your presence go

with us and give us Your rest. 

Show us Your glory!

In Your name, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

 

 

Exodus 32 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Exodus 32.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/exo/32/1/s_82001

Meditate on verses 7-8a.

 

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go

down at once, for your people,

whom you brought up from the land

of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 

They have quickly turned aside from

 the way which I commanded them.

 

Exodus 32 is the continuation of the story that began in Exodus 24.  The last thing the people said to Moses before he went up the mountain to receive God’s law was, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” (Exodus 24:7). Well, the people quickly got out of control, corrupting themselves in idol worship.

God was furious, and if His compassion for these obstinate people had not overcome His wrath, He would have totally destroyed them.

Do you ever feel like an Israelite, saying you will obey the LORD but quickly turning aside from the way He tells you to go?  Exodus 32:25, 29, and 32 tells you how to stop sinful behavior:

1.     Recognize when you are out of control.

2.     Dedicate yourself, today to the LORD.

3.     Ask the LORD to forgive you.

 

Pray Exodus 32:7-8, 25-26, 29, and 32 as a prayer of confession for yourself and a prayer of intercession for those whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, ___________ and I have corrupted ourselves.

 We have quickly turned aside from the way

which You have commanded us.

  Help us recognize when we are out

of control and come to You. 

We dedicate ourselves today to You, LORD. 

Please forgive our sins. 

Because of Your mercy, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

 

 

 

 

Exodus 31 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Exodus 31.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/exo/31/1/s_81001

Meditate on verse 18.

 

When He had finished speaking

with him upon Mount Sinai,

He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony,

tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.

 

It is fascinating to observe the finger of God throughout Scripture.  Exodus 31:18 and Deuteronomy 9:10 both record God writing His Words with His finger on tablets of stone.  Daniel 5 tells about a prideful king whose imminent death and the death of his kingdom were foretold by fingers writing on a wall.  Jesus declared that He “cast out demons by the finger of God” (Luke 11:20).  And when Jesus wrote on the ground with His finger, accusers eager to stone a woman caught in adultery, quickly dropped their rocks and left the scene realizing they, too, had committed sins worthy of death (John 8:3-11).  The same finger of God that wrote “You shall not commit adultery” on tablets of stone, touched men with hearts of stone and the heart of a sinful woman with mercy, grace, and the command to “sin no more” (Exodus 20:14; John 8:11).

Has the finger of God touched your life?  Ask the LORD to search your heart and use His finger to cut out anything that displeases Him.

Pray Exodus 31:2-3 and 6 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, call __________ and me by name.

Fill us with Your Spirit, God,

in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge,

and in all kinds of craftsmanship.

 Appoint us, LORD, and put in our hearts

 the skill to do all that You have commanded us.

Because Your finger has touched our lives, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

 

 

Exodus 30 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Exodus 30.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/exo/30/1/s_80001

Meditate on verse 8b.

 

There shall be perpetual

 incense before the LORD

throughout your generations.

 

Inside the tabernacle, the altar of incense was placed in front of the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.  The fragrance of incense went over the veil into the room containing the Ark of the Covenant, the place where God’s presence dwelled.  For the priests to be in God’s presence, they had to smell good.

For you to be in God’s presence, you have to smell good.  Sin makes you stink, and God cannot be in the same room with stinky sin.  If you are a Christian, then you have put on Jesus Christ; you not only look like Him; you also smell like Him. Amazing!

For we are a fragrance of Christ

 to God among those who

 are being saved and among

 those who are perishing.

—2 Corinthians 2:15

 

You probably try to talk and act like Jesus throughout the day.  Add the sense of smell to your journey into Christlikeness.  Do you smell like Jesus?  Ask the LORD to show you areas of your life that need to be permeated with the sweet aroma of Him.

Pray Exodus 30:6b, 8, and 10b over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, __________ and I want to meet with You.

May we be perpetual incense before You. 

Make the generations that come after us

 perpetual incense, too.

Make us most holy to You, LORD.

Because we smell like You, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

 

 

Exodus 29 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Exodus 29.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/exo/29/1/s_79001

Meditate on verse 44.

 

I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar;

I will also consecrate Aaron and his

sons to minister as priests to Me.

 

Consecrate is used ten times in Exodus 29. It means to set apart as holy and dedicated to the LORD.¹ It is used in the context of great sacrifice: bulls, rams, and lambs killed and much blood applied in order to be consecrated as God’s priest. About 28 sacrificial steps are listed in this chapter.

Yesterday, you learned that in Christ you are God’s priest.  It is in the context of great sacrifice that you have this privilege.

By this will, we have been sanctified

 through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ

 once for all.  For by one offering He perfected

 for all time those who are sanctified.

—Hebrews 10:10, 14

 

Jesus’ death met all of the sacrificial requirements of the Old Testament Law.  Your acceptance of this perfect sacrifice sets you apart as God’s dwelling place and His priest (1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Peter 2:5, 9).  Live your life dedicated to the One who accomplished everything for you!

Pray Exodus 29:43-46 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, meet with __________ and me.

Consecrate us by Your glory.

Consecrate us to minister as priests to You.

Dwell among us and be our God.

We know You are the LORD our God

 who brought us out of the land of our sin,

that You might dwell among us. 

Because You are the LORD our God, Jesus~”

 

1.     Retrieved from www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H6942&t=NASB

The WATCHMAN on the WALL – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell