Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 28:6-14.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2028&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“They shall also make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of the skillful workman. …  You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, according to their birth.  As a jeweler engraves a signet, you shall engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel;  you shall set them in filigree settings of gold.  You shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for a memorial.”  Exodus 28:6 and 9-12.    

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“3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
4 What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?” Psalm 8:3-4.

But, we see in today’s Scripture that God directed that the priests wear ephods with onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel as a memorial.

It is amazing that the Almighty God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, would care so much for His chosen people that He would want their names to be ever before Him.  

Later in Scripture, we also read:

“Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before Me.” Isaiah 49:16.

And, there is much more!

“O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O LORD, You know it all.
5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12 Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.

19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.
20 For they speak against You wickedly,
And Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm chapter 139.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 27:9-17.  Here is a link to this Scripture –  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2027&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses,

“You shall make the court of the tabernacle.  On the south side there shall be hangings for the court of fine twisted linen one hundred cubits long for one side;  and its pillars shall be twenty, with their twenty sockets of bronze;  the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver.  Likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, and its twenty pillars with their twenty sockets of bronze;  the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver.  For the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits with their ten pillars and their ten sockets.  The width of the court on the east side shall be fifty cubits.  …  The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, and the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits of fine twisted linen, and their sockets of bronze.  …”  Exodus 27:9-13 and 18.  

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Although we can think of churches when we think of God’s courts, we should not only think of churches as the following Scriptures talk more generally of God’s dwelling places which are not limited to churches.  

We may be able to be in a church for a total of 3 hours a week or so, but we can be blessed to “dwell” in God’s courts!  

Let us meditate on how we can dwell in God’s courts a/k/a dwelling places.

“How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You
To dwell in Your courts.
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple.” Psalm 65:4.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!” Psalm 91:1-2.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”  Ephesians 2:4-7.

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”  Luke 12:32.

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance;  and he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;  for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”  Hebrews 11:8-10. 

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”  Hebrew 12:22-24.

“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2.

“How lovely are Your dwelling places,
O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
My King and my God.
4 How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising You. Selah.”

5 How blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
In whose heart are the highways to Zion!
6 Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring;
The early rain also covers it with blessings.
7 They go from strength to strength,
Every one of them appears before God in Zion.

8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah.
9 Behold our shield, O God,
And look upon the face of Your anointed.
10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!” Psalm chapter 84.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus chapter 26.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2026&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material;  you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman.  …  

“Then you shall make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle;  you shall make eleven curtains in all.  …  

…  You shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red and a covering of porpoise skins above.

“Then you shall make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright.  …  

…  Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan which you have been shown in the mountain.”  Exodus 26:1, 7, 14-15, and 30.

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What does the tabernacle look like?

People with long blue robes and gray hair and red caps standing upright, huddled close, facing inward together, like a football huddle.  

And although heaven and earth cannot hold God, there is hope!

“Thus says the LORD,

“Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.
Where then is a house you could build for Me?
And where is a place that I may rest?
2 “For My hand made all these things,
Thus all these things came into being,” declares the LORD.
“But to this one I will look,
To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.” Isaiah 66:1-2.

In other words, God is pleased to dwell in His people who are humble and contrite of spirit, and who tremble at His word.

“Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”  1 Corinthians 3:16. 

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes;  and there will no longer be any death;  there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain;  the first things have passed away.”  Revelation 21:2-4.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 25:40.

“See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.”  Exodus 25:40.

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We remember God’s very precise instructions for the construction of the ark, mercy seat, table to hold the bread of the Presence, and lampstand under the first covenant.  

“Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.  For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread;  this is called the holy place.  Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant;  and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat;  but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.”  Hebrews 9:1-5.

This was done by God even though, these things were “only”  “… a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “See,” He says, “that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.”  Hebrews 8:5.

And, this was done by God even though “… the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.”  Hebrews 10:1.

And, this was done by God even though the first covenant was to be taken away to establish the second covenant.

“But now He (Christ) has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.

For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.”  Hebrews 8:6-7. 

“then He (Christ) said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.”  He takes away the first in order to establish the second.”  Hebrews 10:9.

“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,

“THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM
AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:
I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART,
AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,”

He then says,

“AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS
I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.” Hebrews 10:14-17.

In summary, consider all that was accomplished by Christ’s sacrifice and offering through His blood on the cross.

Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father; that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death;  should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing;  and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.  Canons of Dordt in the section titled SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby.

Therefore, considering everything above, if God gave such very precise instructions for the construction of the ark, mercy seat, table to hold the bread of the Presence, and lampstand under the first covenant, which were “only” “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things” to be taken away, then how much more should we hold in awe and reverence what was accomplished by Christ’s sacrifice and offering through His blood on the cross?!   

“For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.  Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know Him who said:  “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.”  And again, THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.”  It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  Hebrews 10:26-31.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 25:23-30.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2025&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“You shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long and one cubit wide and one and a half cubits high.  You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold border around it.  …  You shall make its dishes and its pans and its jars and its bowls with which to pour drink offerings;  you shall make them of pure gold.  You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.”  Exodus 25:23-24 and 29-30.  

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“So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You?  What work do You perform?  Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness;  as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’”  Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.  For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”  John 6:30-33.

“Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”  John 6:27.

“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;  he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”  John 6:35.

“I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.  This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down out of heaven;  if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;  and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”  So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.  For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.  This is the bread which came down out of heaven;  not as the fathers ate and died;  he who eats this bread will live forever.”  John 6:48-58.

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”  John 6:38-39. 

“and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”  Matthew 3:17.

“You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.”  Verse 30.