Lev. 2:3 Holy and Honor

He will not take our sacrifices when there is no respect to him. God said that it is most holy. (Lev. 2:3). When God says something is holy, that means that he is expecting an attitude in us. He said to Moses that the place he stood is holy. Then what? He said that he got to remove his shoes. Angel said to Joshua that the place he was standing is holy. So what? Angel said that he got to remove his shoes. There are many Christians, experienced, knowledged like Moses and Joshua, yet they wait until someone to tell them that they need to have an attitude of humbleness.

You may be good person. When it comes to holy things, the question is how you dealing with it and its not about your good character. Bible tells us to take care of our behavior when we are going to his sanctuary.

"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God..." Ecc. 5:1

God said that he will not accept their sacrifices and offerings because they did not honor him.

"A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? ...neither will I accept an offering at your hand." Mal. 1:6-10)

Tax collector's attitude gave him righteousness better than the experienced, knowledged pharisee. It has been our unrighteousness that closed some doors in heaven. Now the doors that so long were closed got a time to be opened.

Josiah, cried before the Lord and the curses over him were closed. If God closes the doors no one can open and if he opens then no one can close it. 

Ex. 37:1-9 its all about God.

It's a wood. The trees on a hill are just stayed there like invalid. But God selected a bush to come down and talk to his servant Moses. There came Moses. The staff in Moses' hand thought, "this is a living wood. That is why God is using it". Then it heard that God was saying to Moses to throw down your staff. Moses did. The staff turned into serpent. God said to Moses again, "take it". The staff turned into normal. The staff is very happy. Moses lifted it in Egypt here came plagues. He lifted and they ceased. "Why are you praying Moses? Stretch your staff and divide the sea." God said to Moses. Moses obeyed and the sea divided. The staff understood that it's not about living or dead. It's all about God. He choses and it works.

One day God called Moses and told him to make an Ark with acasia wood. Now it's a wood again. 

After a long time a priest who is carrying the ark thought that the Jordan will give way to them like Red Sea gave way to them. He thought that Joshua will use the same principle of stretching the wood. So he hold the wood tight that is on his shoulders. He stood in the front row. When they reached Jordan, Joshua told them to touch the river with your feet. "Did I hear right?" the priest asked himself. Yes he heard right. He touched the river and it was stopped. The priests stayed there until the whole nation crossed the river. This priest wondered, he asked his friend who is carrying along with him "hey it seems our feet has some power". His friend is quiet. Joshua called 12 people. " bring 12 stones from the river and pile them here." Some one asked Joshua, " why sir?" Joshua replied, "the same question will be asked by your sons. Then tell them that how the Jordan was stopped"

They went to bring the stones. Joshua said "bring the stones from the place where the priests' feet are." The young priest thought "certainly something is there in our feet". When these priests carrying the ark came to the bank, the river turned to the previous state. "Yes, there is something in our feet" the priest told to himself again. Next day morning he went to the river alone. The river is flowing well. He looked around. He slowly touched the water with his feet. Nothing happened. He pushed a bit. Nothing seems to be happening. He pushed his feet into the water a little hard. Now he slipped and about to fall down. But someone hold his hand. It was Joshua. Joshua looked at him and said, "there is nothing in your feet. It was presence of God that makes the difference. The power of the presence of God is there in the ark. It can flow through your body. It's not living wood or dead staff. It's not the man or feet. It's all about God"

Ex.34:30

Ex. 34:30

When God was said to be a lion, people were excited. When Holy Spirit was compared to a dove people understood. When God was said to be the Father, people are slow to understand. People understood when you compare The Lord to animal and to a bird, but they do not understand when He was compared the to human being.

God sent Moses and he could not reveal the Father. God sent Elijah and he could not reveal the Father. Only Son can do this. So the Father when he was about to send the Son, he paused. It's because If there was a father and if he was cruel to his son, then if you go and tell that particular son that the God is like father then he would think that God is cruel. So the Father in heaven wanted the fathers to turn to their sons and sons to their fathers. Some one has to go ahead of Jesus and do this. This job was given to Elijah. 

Some people squeeze out their battery to the job, friends and to certain people and when they come home, they use the home as battery recharging socket. They do not come a bit of battery left in them. They supposed to keep some for the family because God can take it into his notice.

Salvation was given to us by Christ but carrying it to the end was a job given to us. You have to continue it with fear and trembling. It's an unavoidable battle. How am I standing, because I always have a fight. Body against the spirit and spirit against body. As long I have this battle this shows to my Lord that I am hungry and thirsty for the righteousness, and I will be satisfied. This battle may be heavy today and may be very light tomorrow but you can not get rid of it. This fear is not for punishment it's a passion to keep up the righteousness. This fear is ok. 

Covenant (your part before expecting God's part)

Exod 34:10 "Then the Lord said, “Now I’m going to make a covenant. Before all your people I’ll do miraculous deeds that haven’t been done in all the earth or in any nation. All the people among whom you live will see the work of the Lord, for it’s an awesome thing that I’ll do with you."

A covenant is made between two parties. After the covenant is made, until i am not committed to my part, other party is not committed to their part. In the next verse he said to Moses to do his part, that is to obey his command and then He will do his part that is to drive out the six nations that live in Canaan. 

(Exod 34:11 "Obey what I am commanding you today. I’ll drive out from before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.")

But all those nations are the puppets. The actual power that was behind them was the Satan. James said to resist the devil he will flee from us. Though you resist him, you resist him in the name of Jesus, thus this is God's part. What is your part in this before God does his part?. Before James said to resist the devil, he said, "Therefore, submit yourselves to God..." 4:7

Is there any thing that is not happening in your life, though you have been doing all spiritual things? May be what you have been expecting is connected to the covenant. So it may not happen until you do your part. What would be your part in this particular situation?

Ex 32:1 Leader' delay-a negative result

Being late brings some negative results. Either it is from God or from people, it brings negative results. If God is late he can give a compensation. But if we do late, some times the payment would be more than we can bear. The spirits under altar cried out to the Lord, "...How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Rev. 6:10. But it was God. He can wipe their tears off. 

For Abraham God might be late but in God's calendar he is on right time. In the mean time Abraham became father of Ishmael, which is a negative result. Some times God delays like he did in the case of Lazarus. 

One of the negative result is "eat & drink". There is nothing wrong in eating and drinking. But here in Exodus 32, people opened their mouth not because they are hungry but they became perverts. When a leader, Moses here, made late they started to eat and drink and dance before the golden calf.

Jesus said before his coming people would be like the people in the time of Noah. What were they doing? They were eating and drinking, marrying, building their houses etc. There is nothing wrong to eat. God said that he will satisfy you with best wheat. But eating and drinking is not the kingdom of God.

Jesus said to Peter that a servant would turn to be a pervert and start to eat and drink and then beat up his fellow servants. (Luke 12:45)

Another negative result is that delay produces delay. When delay is produced by you into your own life, you would be wondering why, with all your talents and gifts, not developing as much as other Christians do. Its not that you are without gifts but you are lazy. Whatever the reason for your delaying, you should know that your delay produces delay. 

Prophets and Administration

Prayer life with the Word of God makes us rulers.

Moses

Moses is a prophet. I know Moses did not become a king but he ruled. He had a prayer life. This is was the first time that he got his face shining (in original language he got horns). Horns is a symbolic for power and authority. Its because he got two tablets of the word of God in his hand. "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD." Ex. 34:19

Joseph

Joseph can tell you the meaning of a dream. He did not settled as a prophet. There is a need of Joseph to rule over Egypt. He became a king. "till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true." Ps. 105:19

Daniel

Daniel was a wise man in terms of Babylon and a prophet in Jewish language. Yet he became a ruler. He read Jeremiah who wrote about Babylon captivity and understood the curse. So he prayed confessing the sins of his forefathers. "in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes." Dan. 9:2
  
Read the word of God.

Prayer along with implementing God's word takes you above your situations and rule over them. Nations need you. Israel needs you, Egyptians need you and Babylon needs you. The word of God can be applied anywhere.

Matthew 19:3-8 A converted law

A man is declared righteous or unrighteous by the help of a law. Noah was declared righteous man when there was no law of Moses. How can it be? There should be some kind of law according to which a person can be judged as righteous or unrighteous. At the time of Noah, the law applied was the law of God.

The Law of God is bigger than the law of Moses or any other law. Law of Moses is a particle of biggest law of the Lord. Law of Moses is a converted law according to the people.

One day Pharisees came and asked the Lord,

"Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" 

"..Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Jesus replied.

"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" 

Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. Matt. 19:3-8

The Law of God is converted because of the hardness of the people. When Jesus came he gave real law. It is not about how bad it is that women preach in the church. It is not about how bad it is to eat pork. We need to see the heart of God. Israelites were asked to offer sacrifices but actual thing is that God doesn't want sacrifice but mercy (Matt. 9:13)

Walls

We need walls. Every human being need walls around him. They give us a secure feeling. That is where we sleep with no fear.

1. Walls are built by praises. Ps. 8:2
2. Walls are rebuilt by prayer. Nehemiah 1:4
3. Walls' gaps are filled by intercession. Ezekiel 22:30

God told Moses to make an altar of incense. Ex. 30:1. When Zechariah was giving incense people were praying outside.  Incense is symbolic for prayer. Luke 1:9-10. Incense is like a cloud. It was the cloud that stood like a wall between Egyptians and the Israelites when they were coming through the waters. 

Dad

God doesn't need any king, prophet or the priest. A father is every thing. If every father takes care of his family right way, the whole world will go in peace. A king partially resembles God, a prophet partially resembles God and a priest partially resembles God. But a father can resemble God to the final extent. That is why we needed Jesus who had king, prophet and priest in him to resemble God the Father.

The anointing of a king can cease, the anointing of a prophet can cease and the anointing of a priest can cease but the anointing of a father will never cease, and a father is a father always. When I offend my dad, it actually offends the Father in heaven.

God made fathers. He believed them. If they could take care of their houses well, the whole world can be fine. But they failed, so floods came. What was the job of a DAD?

1. Dominion
2. Assurance
3. Divinity

After the floods, since they failed, God divided their job and made this job as three offices and gave it to the kings, prophets and priests. When Moses felt it was difficult to rule, God distributed the spirit on Moses to the 70 leaders. Ruling is a father's nature.1Tim. 3:4-5. Speaking future is a father's nature. And paying for children's mistake is also a father's nature. Job 1:5. Ultimately king-prophet-priest is his nature.

Family needs to be restored before the kingdom is restored. Mal. 4:6. Christians look for business principles in the bible rather than family principles. It is because they are more concerned of their own kingdom than the kingdom of God.

When Abraham was in Ur, God told Abraham to leave his people but not his father. Act. 7:3. So he took his father Terah with him to Haran. After his father died God appeared to him again and told him to leave his father's house. Gen. 12:1.

A disciple came to Jesus and asked if he could go to his father and bury him and come back. I don't know if his father was actually dead or he does mean that he wants to go and stay with his dad until his death. Jesus didn't say no. Or may be Jesus does mean a no. Whatever it is a "disciple" is a disciple. He was not a first admission to ask like Elisha asked Elijah. A disciple has been there and now he cannot turn back after laying hand on a plow. Luke 9:62

I leave my parents to be a part of building the  kingdom of God. But if leaving parents is the kingdom of God, then I don't want such a kingdom, because I miss my God the Father there.

Miracles zone to Movement zone

It was raining. A man's car was struck in a pond. He tried a lot. He could not move. He said, "Lord help  me." Then he heard a sound. A crane, which can lift a fallen vehicle was going on the road. He praised God and shouted. The crane guy saw him and came to see the situation. He brought the crane and lifted the car gently and placed it back on the road. Then left. Man of the car is happy. He praised God who did this miracle.

After a while he heard a voice saying, "move, move to Hyderabad city." Then he started to look around. He put his face out side of the window  and looked back and forth. His face sounds like he did not find what he is looking for. Then Lord said again, "what are you looking for?" Then the man answered, "Lord, the crane you sent was able to lift my car and put it on the road again. And the crane you are going to send to lift my car and put  me in Hyderabad must be bigger than this. I could not find any sound of crane coming"

This man is still looking  for a miracle when he is actually  able to drive to Hyderabad.

There was an another man. Few days after the Israelites finally came into the promised land, he approached Moses and said, "I don't think you are praying enough Moses. I don't see any manna now. It seems you are getting lazy"

Moses replied, "Go and sow your seed in the ground. Take the outcome. Now we have moved from miracle zone to the movement zone." Who is lazy? Moses or this man?

I agree that we still need miracles in this movement zone. These miracles are not for those who find their comfort in desert, and lazy.

Ex. 28:1-4 Faithful God

"Aaron, Aaron!" 

Aaron heard the voice and got up from sleep. "who is this?" he asked.

"this is me, Mr. Satan"

"Oh, what is it?" Aaron asked.

"I got a doubt Aaron. Can i ask?" Satan asked.

"Yes, you can ask", Aaron replied.

Satan asked, "Did Moses had a call in his life? I mean did God call him to serve him?"

"ha ha ha" Aaron laughed. He said, "you don't know the story? He saw the Lord in a bush. God called him and sent him. He saw the Lord and he speaks with him face to face. Nobody can doubt it. We have lot of proofs."

"Oh ok, i dont know that. Now, i have an another question. Shall i ask?"

"Yes you can ask. I can easily answer your stupid questions" Aaron replied

"My question is, do you have a call?" Devil asked.

"Yes, I have a call. hmmm... yes i do have a call." Aaron replied

"Did God call you from a bush? Did you hear his voice in a dream or a vision calling you to serve him?"

Aaron said, "hmm... No... but Moses told me that God told him to be his mouth because I can speak good. I think its.. its my call..."

Devil replied, "So you THINK that it is your call. So you dont have any proofs that God called you. So... ok. I got to believe this. Ok i will do?"

"Actually... God's words are put in my mouth" Aaron replied but it seems that devil already left.

Aaron kept silent. Aaron could not sleep well that night. When he got up in the morning, Moses was ready to go. Moses said, "brother, Aaron. get ready we need to go"

Aaron replied, "yes i am getting ready. you just go on. I will meet you on the way."

Aaron looked through the doors and saw that Moses was walking through the tents and the people standing with respect and saluting him. Aaron got ready. He made some extra furnishing to his beard. He came out to walk through the tents. No one is standing. But he felt people are standing behind him after he passed over them. He wanted to tell them that its okay, no need to stand. He turned back to tell them. When he turned back, he found that Miriam was coming. People are standing to greet her. It was humiliating. These people are common people. They really dont know my talents  He said to a man standing next to him, "I am going out. You know i have to catch Moses. I have to speak for him. He cannot speak for himself you know."

Then the next person to Aaron replied, "yes. But you got to wait until he speaks. You cannot speak until he speaks. You really have great brothers and sisters. Miriam is a prophetess and Moses is a great leader."

Aaron smiled and said, "yes, yes i have a great family" Now Aaron thought, if Moses is a leader and Miriam is a prophetess, then what is me? What is my title? Do i really have a call?"

There came day. Someone knocked the door. Aaron opened the door. Moses was standing at the door. "Hi Moses, how are you?"

"I am fine. I came to tell you that God wants you to come up to the hill."

"Come up to the hill?"

"Yes, and you need to come along with your two sons, Nadab and Abihu. I will be waiting there. I got to go" Saying this Moses left.

Aaron was very happy. He said to himself, Its not just me. "Nadab! hey, Abihu! get ready, we need to go up the holy mountain."

Eleazar and Ithamar came to Aaron and said, "are we also coming dad?"

"No, only Nadab and Abihu."

He went up along with his two sons. He came down along with his two sons. He said to himself, "what is my call. Now what is the call of my sons?"

Few days later, someone knocked the door. Aaron opened the door. He saw someone. That someone said to Aaron, "Moses wants to see you. He said that you bring all your four sons."

"Why", Aaron said to himself. He took all his sons and went to Moses.

When he met Moses, Moses smiled and said, "Before God told me to tell you that you speak well and speak for me, he also said 'Who gave a mouth to man, or who makes a person mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?' He did not call you because you speak well but he created you like this because he called you. Call exists before it actually comes to you. The call he gave you is not for you alone. It is not going to cease. It will continue in your children's mouth. All these days you served him without a special garment and a title. Now you will have an ephod, special garment. Your title is "high priest" and your sons are the priests. This job will continue in your seed for generations and you will serve the Lord in his own house."

Tears rolling down his cheeks, Aaron embraced Moses tightly and looked up the mountain of God with the heart of gratitude. His mind started thinking all the things happened in his life in the past and how God trained him all these years for this purpose.

Isa 59:21 “As for me, this is my promise to them,” says the LORD. “My spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward,” says the LORD.

Ex. 26.31-33 My Saviour on a vail

Exodus 21

Exodus 21



 (Exod 21:1 [KJV])
 Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.

 Here God is addressing a single person. what happened to the all those millions of people? They said that they would die if they hear the voice of the Lord anymore. Ex 20:18

 Israelite elders said that they understood that they could live though heard the voice of the Lord. Basically what they are saying was, "We know the truth we cannot face it now." These people are leaders but i could not understand how they gonna lead people without hearing God's voice. i know many prayerful people in the bible but only those who could hear the voice of the Lord became good leaders.

 They are not 'now' people. when that "now" goes away from you then a virus called "postpone" enters your people. Moses prepared them ceremonially but did not prepare them mentally. He did not tell them how its gonna look like when the Lord comes and speaks. May be they are saying, "you should have told us ahead, we would have prepared." The "now" always comes when you are not prepared. some times it is not a performance to be prepared. you need to be ready for any thing that comes from the Lord.

 There are few things that postpone our development in different areas of our life. These are few of them:

1. Fear-Presence of God
 In India fear is named as godliness. Most of Indian gods have weapons in their hands. Some goddesses have their tongue out to scare. Fear is put in us to draw us near to God. These people are taking it an excuse to get away with God naming it falsely "godliness."

 God said to Noah after the flood,

 (Gen 9:2 [KJV])
 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
 This is it. They fear and delivered into your hand. If you fear to something, you are delivered to it. Be careful.

 Some people praise fear. They esteem it by telling their fear many times. When you praise some thing, it increases up. Anything that goes bigger than you are, blocks the sun. When sun is blocked, you end up in dark.

 It is God whom supposed to fear but not to people.

 (Isa 51:13 [KJV])
 And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?

 Oppressors are there in every generation. Before the flood there were Nephilites. Bible says that,
 (Gen 6:4 [KJV])
 "There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that"

 After that... means they are there even now. Oppressors are there. Do not fear them. Fear the Lord who made heaven and earth.

 Isaiah says, (Isa 8:12-13 [KJV])
Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.


 When you fear God, it becomes your treasure. Isa. 33:6