EXODUS-LEVITICUS

Another great night last night at the Youth Explosion.  377 in all attended with 53 trusting Christ as their Savior.  That makes 128 saved so far!  Tonight is the last night, and we are hoping to go over 400 teenagers.  Wow!  God has been so very good to us.  I finished up Exodus and read into Leviticus, and here are a few highlights of what I read and marked in my Bible's margin.  1) GOD BREATHED AND WRITTEN- The Ten Commandments given to Moses were "two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God."  Exodus 31:18  God not only inspired these commandments, He wrote them down as well.  The rest of Scripture is God breathed and directed as holy men of old wrote what God led them to write.  Inspired and Preserved, we have God's Word today. 2) WHOSE PEOPLE?  AND WHO BROUGHT THEM OUT OF EGYPT? - In Exodus 32, God and Moses seem to go back and forth as to whose people these calf worshiping people really are.  Both of them were upset with the people for their sin and it seems that both of them do not want to acknowledge them as theirs.  Notice verses 7:  "And the LORD said unto Moses, God, get theee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:"  (Here God says, Moses... they are YOUR people) Now in verse 11:  "And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doeth thy wrath was hot against thy people, which thou has brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?"  (Here Moses is saying.... LORD, they are THY people.)   Thankfully, both of them claimed them in the end and dealt with their disobedience.  I'm so glad that today, even if we are disobedient, God claims us!  He may have to correct us and chasten us, but... HE claims us! 3) MARVELS- Exodus 34:10 says:  "I will do marvels"  God is a wonderful God and does marvelous things.  He does the marvels.... and we marvel at His handiwork! 4) REFLECTED GLORY- In Exodus 34:29, and 35, it says:  "...when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him."  and then in verse 35:  "And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone:  and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak to him."  Moses had spent 40 days in the presence of God on Mt. Sinai, and when he came down the mountain, his face shone from the reflected glory of God.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we spent so much time with the LORD that our lives and countenance reflected the very glory of God!  How great that would be.  Perhaps today, someone could see Jesus in us.  That is my prayer.  5) STIRRED HEART- In Exodus 35, and 36, we see laymen working on the tabernacle.  Giving to the work and working to make it a reality.  Here are some wonderful phrases:  (35:21) "And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing,..."  (35:26)  "And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair."  (35:29) "The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and women, whose heart made them willing..."  (36:2)  "...and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:"  Friend, is your heart stirred for the work of God?  I know my heart is stirred up and I am consumed with a desire to work for my God. 6) IDENTIFYING WITH THE OFFERING- In Leviticus 3 and 4, we see that the offering was identified with before it was killed.  Notice these verses:  (3:2) "And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it..."  (3:8) "And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it..."  (3:13)  "And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it..."  (4:4) "... and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill..."  (4:15)  And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD."  (4:24) "And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it..."  (4:29) "And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay ..."  (4:33)  "And he shalt lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it..."    Now, when they placed their hands upon the animal, they were identifying with it, saying that what this animal is about to get.... I deserve!  When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we are identifying with Him and saying in essence that what Jesus endured on the cross, and how Jesus suffered our Hell on the cross, is what we deserve!  We deserve what Jesus endured!  Faith in Christ... identifies us with His payment for our sins.  Praise God! LORD, please help me to walk so close to You today, that some of Your glory may be reflected off on me.  May others see You in me today.  Not to have them think more of me, but more of You.  Let me decrease, and let You increase.  I love you LORD, and I hope today that I so live each hour that You know I love You.  Let me keep a stirred up spirit, and a willing heart to do Your bidding.  I am Your vessel.... fill me dear Jesus!  .... fill me!  Use me!  No task is too small, or large..... I am Yours!  Amen. Hope you have a blessed day.... I could read and write, read and write all day if I could.  May God richly bless you.