No-Whine Zone

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Numbers 11:4-6, 31-34

TO CHEW ON: "But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague." Numbers 11:33

The Israelites camped at Mount Sinai for a long time. Then one day the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle. Quickly the people packed up their tents and belongings while the Priests and Levites took down the tent church. It was time to move on.

The cloud led them from place to place. Though their feet got tired from walking, they were never hungry for long. Each morning they awoke to a new supply of manna on the ground.

Israelites gathering manna - A. F. Pearse

The manna kept them from getting hungry but after a while they got bored. “We’re so tired of this manna,” they whined. “We want the food we had in Egypt – the fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks onions and garlic.” As the wailing spread through the whole camp, Moses prayed for God’s help.

God was angry with the Israelites for their grumbling. Even so, He sent a great wind. It brought quail from the sea. Quickly news spread around the camp: “Birds have landed all around.” The people went out and caught the quail – dozens and dozens. At last they would have their feast of meat!

Israelites capture quail to eat - Artist unknown

But God wasn’t through with them. As the people were stuffing themselves with quail, they become ill. Many died that day. And God taught them that sometimes the things we want most are not the things that are good for us.

Do you ever grumble and complain about things like your clothes, the stuff you want but can’t afford, the food your Mom makes? Learn from the Israelites. Instead, choose to be thankful for all the good things you have.

PRAYER: Dear God, I’m sorry for whining, complaining and grumbling. Help me to be thankful. Amen.

MORE: Blessing surprise.
An old song goes: “Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

Give yourself a blessing surprise by making a list of things for which you’re thankful. Can you think of 20?

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Desert Hygiene

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Leviticus 13:1-8

TO CHEW ON:  “ ‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands,... I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you.' " Leviticus 26:3,9

What is hygiene?
1. Reading the same books over and over.
2. Things we do, such as washing, that keep us healthy.
3. The habit of eating too much.

If you chose 2, you’re right.

Though you may not use the word hygiene much, no doubt you do many of the things that are hygienic – like washing hands after going to the bathroom, brushing teeth regularly and sneezing into a tissue instead of into the air or your hand.

When the people of Israel were in the desert they didn’t have many of the things we have today to help with good hygiene. Running water, flush toilets and toilet paper didn’t exist. Also, they didn’t know many things about the human body. No one had discovered germs and the way they cause sickness.

Yet Someone – the One who had created them – knew all these things. In the book of Leviticus, along with rules about sacrifices and feasts, God gave the Israelites some rules of hygiene.

There were rules about many things like which foods were healthy to eat and what to do with clothes or houses when they had fungi (mold or mildew) growing on them. Today’s reading has the rules about skin sores.

The person with sores went to the priest. He examined the sore place. Sometimes he told the person to come back in a week to see if the sore had changed.

The Priest examining for leprosy

At other times when the sore looked contagious, he told the person to move out of the camp and live alone for a while so his disease wouldn’t spread to others. After the sore had healed the person had to wash his body and clothes with water before coming back home.

Even though the people didn’t know about cleanliness and germs and being contagious, God did. His treatment for infections included isolation and washing – treatments we still use today. When the people followed His advice, even if they didn’t understand it, they stayed healthy and strong.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for caring for the health of each part of us. Help us to follow Your ways, even when we don’t understand them. Amen.

MORE: Modern Hygiene
How many good hygiene habits can you think of? Make a list.

For some ideas go here.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

God's Parties

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Leviticus 23:1-8

TO CHEW ON: "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.' ” Leviticus 23:2

What do you do on special days? Match the holiday with an activity that may happen then:



God also gave the Israelites special days to celebrate. They were called feasts. In some ways they were a lot like our holidays. The Israelites were to take the day off work and they often ate special food.

But these feasts were also different. Most of our celebrations are only a day or a weekend long. Some of the Israelites' feasts lasted a whole week or longer. And while our celebrations are often all about us – what gifts we’ll get, what we’ll eat, how much fun we’ll have – the Israelites’ holidays helped them focus on God.

Some of them, like the Passover, helped them remember how God had helped in the past. Others, like the Feast of First fruits, were times they gave God the first things they harvested. This reminded them that they depended on God now. In fact, every one of their holidays had something to do with God and their friendship with Him.

"Songs of Joy" by James Tissot

The feasts and holidays God told the Israelites to celebrate show that God knows our need for a break. But how we use the free time is our choice - and an important one. Do we use days off, like Sunday, only for our own pleasure? Or do we think about God on such days, and spend time getting to know Him better?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the variety of holidays through the year. Help me to use these special days in a way that pleases You. Amen.


MORE: Feast List
Complete a list of the feasts or holidays God told the people to celebrate. (In the brackets is the month they would celebrate the feast on our calendar):

- Leviticus 23:3 [1.] __________________ (Once a week all year long)
- Leviticus 23:5 [2.] __________________ (March or April)
- Leviticus 23:5 [3.] __________________ (March or April)
- Leviticus 23:9-14 Feast of First Fruits (April)
- Leviticus 23:15 Feast of Weeks (or Pentecost) and the Harvest Festival (June)
- Leviticus 23:23 Feast of Trumpets (September/October)
- Leviticus 23:27 [4.] _________________ (September/October)
- Leviticus 23:34 [5.] _________________ (September/October)

Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

God's Fiery Smile

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Leviticus 9:1-5, 22-24

TO CHEW ON: "Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people." Leviticus 9:23

On the first day that the priests sacrificed animals to take the place of sinful people who deserved to die, Moses explained what God had said to him on the mountain. His brother Aaron was to be the person in charge of making these sacrifices. Helpers for Aaron were to be from his family or tribe - the tribe of Levi. They were called ‘Levites.’ They had to wear the special priest costumes we talked about on this day.

On the first sacrifice day, Aaron brought animals to pay for his sin. Moses told him how to make each type of sacrifice – the sin offering, the burnt offering, the peace or fellowship offering and the grain offering. Different animals were needed for each one. These animals had to be perfect male animals (goats, lambs, calves or oxen) from the peoples’ own flocks.

Choosing animals for sacrifice (Graphic courtesy CC-Art.com)

As Aaron and his sons brought and slaughtered the animals, the crowd watched. The sight of innocent animals dying reminded them how serious it was to disobey God.

At the end of the day, Moses and Aaron spoke a blessing on the people. Then God blessed them too – not in a peaceful way but with an awesome, fearful sign. As the people watched, God’s glory came down as fire. Bright hot flames simply appeared and consumed the animal parts still on the altar.

When the people saw it, they were happy. The fire showed that God had accepted the sacrifice. But they were also afraid. What kind of a God could send fire like this? The people fell on their faces in worship.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for showing us Your awesome power. Help us to know Your power too, and to respect and fear You. Amen.

MORE: God’s ‘Yes!’
After this first day of sacrifices, God said “Yes!” by sending fire. Of course God doesn’t always respond in such spectacular ways. Here are some other ways God showed the people in the Bible that He was there, right with them. Match the incident to the person who lived it (listed below). How has God sad "yes" to you?

1. God’s sent a rainbow to show He would keep a promise. (Genesis 9:11-13)
2. God sent helpers (angels) to get a family out of an evil city (Genesis 19:15)
3. God answered a prayer (Genesis 24:12-16)
4. God spoke in a dream (Genesis 28:10-17)
5. God gave a prisoner favor with the king (Genesis 41:39,40)

A. Abraham’s servant
B. Lot
C. Jacob
D. Noah
E. Joseph.

Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Blood Sacrifice

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Leviticus 17:11

TO CHEW ON: "For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life." Leviticus 17:11

Moses had been up on the mountain with God for a long time and God had told him many things. One of the things God gold Moses was a way to deal with sin.

What is sin? It is missing the target. If we think of doing everything God has said we should do, and not doing anything God has said we shouldn't do as the target, sin is missing that target.



For example, when God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the special tree in the garden and they did – that was sin. And when God told the people they were not to worship any other God but Him and they made a calf idol and worshiped it – that was sin. God gave the people a list of rules (we call them the Ten Commandments) which told them what was sin for each area of life, from how they treated parents and neighbors to how they treated God. The trouble was, no one could keep all these rules.

The punishment for breaking these rules – even one of them – was death. Period.

But on the mountain, God told Moses that He would make a way for the people to come back into His good favor – make atonement. It was a way they didn’t have to take the punishment of death themselves. They could substitute the blood of an animal. The blood would show that the animal had died (for no living thing, human or animal, can live without blood going through its body). The blood showed that the death penalty had been paid – for now. God accepted as a temporary punishment for sin, the death of an animal instead of the death of the sinful person.

Bringing the lamb as an offering - Picture from CC-Art.com

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for making a way for people to be right with You – through animal sacrifices, and then through Jesus. Amen.


MORE:  Sin’s Wages
God’s punishment for sin hasn’t changed. Paul, in the New Testament book of Romans calls this punishment ‘wages.’ Those wages are still death. Every one of us earns these wages every time we sin. But Someone – not an animal – took the punishment of death for the sins each one of us has committed.
1. Who was that Someone? (I Corinthians 15:3) ____________
2. What penalty did He pay? _____________

Here is a verse to memorize. It will remind you of sin’s wages and God’s gift to us through Jesus:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Romans 6:23

Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

A Job Well Done

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 40: 1-16, 34, 35

TO CHEW ON: "Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." Exodus 40:34,35

After Moses had cleaned up the golden calf, God rewrote the smashed tablets of stone. Then Moses asked the people to collect things for building the tabernacle. People brought gold jewelry, beautiful cloth, colorful thread, dyed animal hides, gem stones, spices, incense and oil. Soon there was enough.

Israelites bring treasures for the Tabernacle - Artist unknown

Next God told Moses which talented artists and builders to put in charge of building the tabernacle. They organized and taught volunteers who made all the parts of the tabernacle and its furniture and tools.

Finally the tent church and all its furniture was built. On the first day of the first month God told Moses to put up the tabernacle. He also told him exactly where to put each piece of furniture along with each utensil and tool.

God told Moses to dress Aaron and his sons in the special priest clothes. As they stood before him, Moses poured oil on their heads (anointed them) as a way of setting them apart to be priests who would always serve God.

Anointing Aaron as High Priest - Treasures of the Bible (Moses)

How exciting that day must have been for Moses. After months of only imagining how the tabernacle would look, it was all coming together. I wonder if Moses ever worried, during those months of building and making. Perhaps he asked himself, did I really hear God right? Did the workmen follow all the instructions? Will God be pleased with His tent church?

He didn’t have long to find out. No sooner was the last piece in place than God’s presence came down! His glory cloud filled the tabernacle. It was so awesome and wonderful and terrifying that Moses couldn’t go inside.


Do you ever get instructions from God and yet while you’re doing them you wonder, did God really tell me this? Is He pleased with what I’m doing? Will He bless my work?

If you are doing what God has told you to do, be like Moses and stick with the job until it’s done. Then watch how God fills what you did with His power and glory. You will be amazed!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You that You use people to accomplish what You want to do. Please use me today. Amen.

 MORE: When you don’t quit
God doesn’t often show that He is pleased with a glory cloud. Some ways that we sense God is happy with us may be:
1. He answers ‘yes’ to our prayers.
2. We get encouragement from unexpected places.
3. We read, in the Bible or a different book, words that give us courage and keep us from quitting.
4. A friend accepts Jesus.

Can you think of more?

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Gold Frappuccino

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 32:7,8, 15-26

TO CHEW ON: "They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt'.... And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made." Exodus 32:8, 35

While the people were worshiping and celebrating around the idol, God told Moses, “It’s time for you to go down. The people are doing something bad.”

So Moses went down the mountain, carrying the tablets of stone on which God had written. But even God’s warning hadn’t prepared him for the sight that met his eyes when he got back to camp. There, in the middle of everything, was the gold calf idol. Around it the people were dancing, singing and celebrating.

Moses stormed into camp. He threw down the stone pieces he was carrying and they shattered.

"Moses Breaks the Tablets of Stone" from Treasures of the Bible (Moses)

Then he tore the calf idol off its stand and heaved it into a fire. When it had melted, he ground it up to fine powder, mixed the powder with water and forced the people to drink it (YUCK!)

Then he called for Aaron. “What happened?”

“Uh... the people told me to make them a god,” Aaron said. “So I collected their jewelry, put it in the fire, and out came this calf.”

Moses scolded Aaron for letting the people get out of control. Later, God sent a plague (sickness) that destroyed many of the rebellious Israelites.

God had commanded the people to worship only Him. They had disobeyed Him by making an idol and worshiping it. Now they had to suffer the consequences of disobedience.

Sin still has consequences. Sometimes consequences are natural – like getting suspended from school for stealing. Sometimes God Himself causes them – like the sickness from which these people died.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me remember that each thing I do (each action) has a consequence. Amen.

MORE: I told you so!

Consequences word search

Below the word search are five statements about consequences. Find each bold word in the word search.

Created with Puzzlemaker on DiscoveryEducation.com

1. You don't clean your room so you can't find your ipod.
2. You tell secrets you promised to keep so your friends don't trust you.
3. You keep up with your homework so you make good marks even on surprise tests.
4. You always defend your friends so your friends are loyal to you.
5. You don't read your Bible much so you're not sure how God feels about most things.

Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Gold God

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 32:1-6

TO CHEW ON: "He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.' ” Exodus 32:4

Moses was on Mount Sinai for a long time. When he didn’t come back, and didn’t come back, the Israelites camping at the bottom of the mountain wondered what was taking so long. Maybe God had destroyed Moses in the fire that rested on the top of the mountain. Maybe a wild animal had killed him. Who could help them if Moses never came back? They remembered Egypt. There the people had prayed to statues or idols.

The people went to Aaron. “Make us a god idol!” they demanded.

“Give me your jewelry,” he said. Then Aaron melted the gold he collected and cast it into the shape of a calf.

“This is our god,” the people shouted to each other. “This is the god who brought us out of Egypt.” They offered sacrifices to the idol and then they began to party.

Israel celebrating around the calf idol - Artist unknown

Which statement, below, tells why this happened?
- The people were impatient.
- It’s easier to believe in a God you can see than one who is invisible.
- The people were really trusting in Moses, not God. When Moses didn’t come back, they thought they were on their own.

Did you choose them all? Like the Israelites we too can get impatient when we think God isn’t working quickly enough. We can find it hard to believe in a God who is invisible. We can put our trust in people instead of God. Ask God to show you if you are trusting anyone or anything else besides Him.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to trust in You totally and completely. Amen.


MORE: Modern Idols
In some places people still worship idols as God. We may not do that in our culture. But could we still be in danger of putting things in the place of God? Circle the things that may be modern idols. Can you name more?

- Money

- Being the most popular, best athlete, smartest in the class

- Having the latest and best stuff and fashions

- Wanting to be famous like a movie or rock star

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Priestly Fashion

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 28:1-5

TO CHEW ON: "Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor." Exodus 28:2

What clothes would you choose?

Match the activity on the left to the clothes you would choose to wear for it on the right:




We dress differently for different activities and seasons. Though there are no right or wrong answers to the quiz above, if you answered honestly you probably didn’t say you would wear a swim suit to play in the snow or your formal dress clothes to go swimming.

What we wear may also depend on what we think of the people we’re with. If you were picked to meet a king or president, would you choose to wear dirty, ripped play clothes? Probably not. Because what you wear says something about you and how you feel toward the person you’re meeting. Your respect for an important person would stop you from dressing in a sloppy way.

God used this rule of personal appearance when He told Moses what the workers in the tabernacle – the priests – should wear. Again God gave detailed instructions.

Aaron's priestly clothes

The priests were to wear special things – a breast piece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. These things were to be made of the best linen, using gold, blue, purple and scarlet yarn. The priests were to dress that way so that the people would give them 1.____________ (ynidigt) and 2. _______________ (ronho).

If you go to this page, you will see a picture of the priest in his robe. Click on parts of the priest’s clothes to find out more about each part.

Does your minister or pastor wear special clothes? If he or she does, we see here that it was God’s idea to set apart people who served Him in special ways even by the clothes they wear. In that way, we are reminded to treat them with dignity and give them honor. Of course that is something we should do anyway, whether our pastor wears a robe, a suit or jeans!

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to always respect my pastor. Amen.

MORE: Church Wear

What I choose to wear to church says something about how I feel toward God.

Do you agree or disagree with that statement? Tell why.

Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Only the Best

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 25:23-40

TO CHEW ON: "A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories." Exodus 25:39

Next God gave Moses instructions to make more things for the tent church. He was to make a table and carrying poles out of the same special wood as the ark (acacia wood). He was to cover these things with pure gold.

Then he was to make plates, dishes, pitchers and bowls as well as a decorated lamp stand and all the tools for tending the lamps. These things were also to be made of pure gold. God told Moses to use a whole talent (75 pounds or 34 kilograms) of gold for these things.

Models of the ark accessories - Graphics from CC-Art.com

Why do you suppose God chose gold?

Some reasons might be:
1. Gold was the easiest metal to shape into designs.
2. Gold was long-lasting. It was unaffected by air, heat, moisture, and was hard to dissolve.
3. Gold was beautiful, with its bright yellow color and shine.
4. Gold decorations and jewelry showed royal power and honor.
5. God was rare, much wanted, and expensive.

In other words, gold was the best!

Still today God asks for our best – not gold furniture or dishes, not even our best or most beautiful possessions. Even the poorest of us has this and can give it to Him. It is our lives.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to give You my life, and to live for You today. Amen.

MORE: Modern Gold
1. Gold is still a rare and valuable material, used in many ways:

Electronics. There is gold in washing machines, computers, televisions, even space craft.

Dentistry. Gold is mixed with other metals to make fillings for teeth.

Jewelry and watchmaking. ‘Plating’ is a way to cover jewelry and many other things like pens, frames for glasses and bathroom fixtures, with gold.

Gold leaf. Gold is hammered very thin and spread onto domes and roofs of public buildings. It lasts longer than paint!

2. Can you calculate how much a talent of gold (75 pounds or 34 kilograms) would be worth at today’s gold price?

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.



Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Just a Box?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 25:10-22

TO CHEW ON: "There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites." Exodus 25:22

The first piece of furniture God told Moses to make for the inside of the portable church (Tabernacle) was just a box. But what a box! God told Moses how to make the box (or ark) to the last detail. Using today’s reading, choose the right answers below:

God told Moses to use 1. (pine, mahogany, acacia) wood.

He told Moses exactly how big to make this box. It was to be 2½ cubits long(3¾ feet or 1.1 meters), by 1½ cubits wide (2¼ feet or .7 meters), by 1½ cubits high (2¼ feet or .7 meters). This would make it a 2. (square, rectangle, pyramid) shape.

Moses was to cover the wood with 3. (gold, tin, silver).

God told Moses how to make the ark easy to carry – with rings on each side. Gold-covered poles would fit through these rings. Priests were to carry the ark on their shoulders.

The cover for the box was to be decorated with gold 4. (palm trees, cherubim, apples).

Finally, God told Moses that inside the box he should put 5. (the Testimony*, a jug of water, a pair of sandals).

*The Testimony was the Ten Commandments written on stone tablets.

Here is one artist's idea of what the ark looked like.

The Ark - Artist unknown

Why do you think God was so particular that this ark be made right?

One reason could be that it was going to be the special and holy place where God Himself would speak with Moses. There He would tell him how to lead the Israelites. The ark was a place where Moses would come close to God.

At the same time the special things about it – the gold, the beautiful decorations, the things that were inside it – reminded the people to respect God and think about how God had helped them in the past.

PRAYER: Dear God, You are a holy God Who loves me. Help me to understand what that means. Amen.

MORE: How well can you follow instructions?
Suppose you were Moses and had to make the ark. Draw your own picture of the ark or make a model with play clay using the instructions God gave Moses in Exodus 25.

Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Covenant Close-up

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 24:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, 'We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.' " Exodus 24:7

Have you ever seen movies where the camera zooms in on a scene and a tiny far-off thing gradually gets closer? As it gets bigger, you see more and more details that you couldn’t make out when the scene was far away. That’s a lot like how God shows us His plans in the Bible. The special promise that God made with Abraham ( see January 19) was like that.

Hundreds of years back God had made a promise to the Israelite’s great-great-great- (and a whole lot more ‘greats’) grandfather Abraham. He said He would bless him, make a nation of his family, and give that nation a land of their own.

Now over 400 years had passed. The family of Abraham had become a nation – these Israelites. But in the years they were slaves, God was silent. During that time God’s blessing seemed far away and they certainly didn’t have their own land.

One day God called Moses to bring the leaders of the people with him up the mountain. As the leaders waited some distance away, God talked to Moses.

Moses on the mountain - Artist unknown

He talked about the Covenant again. This time He told Moses that there were two sides to it. God told Moses what He would do for the Israelites, but also what He expected them to do for Him. Moses wrote everything God said.

After God finished talking to Moses, they all went down the mountain. The next day Moses read God’s words to the people. Would they do what God asked? What was their reply? (Exodus 24:7)

God still tells us what He expects of us. We may not understand completely what that will mean. But when we say ‘Yes, I’ll do what I understand; I’ll obey,’ in time He’ll show us what the next thing will be.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for showing us Your plan in small bits. Help me to obey what I know, Amen.


MORE: Sealing a Covenant
God and people show how serious they are about keeping a covenant by sealing it. A covenant can be sealed in many ways. Fill in the correct answer from the words below.

1. God sealed his first covenant (the promise to never again destroy the earth in a flood) with a _______________ (Genesis 9:16).
2. In this story Moses sprinkled ____________ on the people to seal their covenant with God (Exodus 24:8)
3. Another Bible-time custom was to seal a deal by giving the other person your ______ (Ruth 4:7)
4. In our time we show we mean to keep our promise by putting our ______ on documents.
5. When people get married they show how serious they are about their promise by exchanging _________.

rings, blood, rainbow, signature, shoe

Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

God's Mobile Home

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 25:1-9

TO CHEW ON: “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.” Exodus 25:8,9

Do you go to church on Sunday? What is your church like?

Churches can be big or small, fancy or simple, a special set-apart building or a building that is used for other things the rest of the week.





Again God told Moses to come up to Him on the mountain. So Moses put Aaron and Hur in charge of the people. Then he took his assistant Joshua and again climbed Mount Sinai. God’s presence covered the top of the mountain with a glory cloud while God talked to Moses about many things.

In today’s Bible reading, we read how God told Moses to build Him a church or sanctuary. But this building wouldn’t be like the churches most of us know. This church would be a tent called a ‘tabernacle.’ It would be light and movable, like tents are.

1. Why was it a good idea for this church to be movable and not a solid building?

2. What materials would be used for this tabernacle and for the worship? (Exodus 25:5-7)

3. Where would Moses get these things? (Exodus 25:2)

4. How would Moses know how to make the tabernacle? (Exodus 25:9)

In the next few days we’ll see how particular and detailed God’s plan was. He thought of everything! The picture below is one artist's idea of how the tabernacle looked.

. Model of the Tabernacle - Graphics from CC-Art.com

The tabernacle God told Moses to make was very special. It was the place where He would live on earth.

Does God still live on earth today? Where? Though He is present everywhere, He especially lives in the hearts and bodies of people who love and obey Him. Does He live in you?

PRAYER: Dear God, please live in me. This is the best home I can give You. Amen

MORE: God’s Modern Mobile Home
God’s modern mobile home is you! If you have asked Jesus to forgive your sins, God the Holy Spirit lives in your body. Here are Bible verses to remind you about that. You might want to memorize them.

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19,20


Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's.  

Afraid

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 23:20-33

TO CHEW ON: " Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span." Exodus 23:25,26

What things scare you:
- Walking alone in the dark?
- Changing schools?
- Trying something for the first time (diving, horseback riding, snowboarding)?
- _____________________________

It’s easy to be frightened when we don’t feel safe, or when we don’t know anyone, or when we’re trying something for the first time, or a lot of other reasons.

The Israelites had every reason to be afraid. They had gone from living in one spot to moving nearly every day. They went from being safe in Egypt to being easy prey to fierce desert tribes. They went from always knowing where they would find their next drink and meal to having to trust God for all these things.

A. God saw the fear inside them. He answered it with a whole lot of promises. Cross out the one thing, below, that He didn’t promise in TODAY'S SPECIAL reading.
God said he would:
1. send His angel to show them the way to go.
2. bless their food and water so they wouldn’t get sick.
3. give them a full life span.
4. make their enemies afraid of them.
5. give them a home in a new land.
6. drive enemies out in one day.

"The Giving of Manna" - Artist unknown

B. But in order for God to keep this promise, the Israelites needed to do something. What was it? (Exodus 23:24, 25)

God can take care of us just like He did the Israelites. But we also need to worship Him. That means respect Him, pray to Him, trust Him, and live the way He tells us to.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You that You care for me in every situation. Amen.


MORE: When Fear is at the Door
Next time fear thoughts come to call, answer them with these words:

"When I am afraid I will trust in you. " (Psalm 56:3)

Remind yourself of these words often by memorizing them, writing them on a poster, banner or note to yourself. Put it up on the bulletin board, mirror or other place in your room where you’re sure to see it often.

Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.