Giving, Humility, Money / Finances / Wealth, Purposeful / Intentional, Submitted / Servant

Give Willingly to What God Is Building (Exodus 25:1–9)

When God gives you an opportunity to participate in His work, do you see it primarily as something being taken from you—or as a privilege to contribute to what He is doing?

Key Verse

“Tell the sons of Israel to take a contribution for Me; from everyone whose heart moves him you shall take My contribution.” — Exodus 25:2 (NASB)

Background Context

In Exodus 19–23, YHWH brought Israel to Mount Sinai and taught His redeemed people how they were to live. In Exodus 24, Israel formally entered into covenant with Him, and Moses was called farther up the mountain, where he remained in God’s presence for forty days and forty nights.

Now in Exodus 25, YHWH begins revealing what Moses is to receive during that time on the mountain. Chapters 25–31 will contain detailed instructions concerning the tabernacle, its furnishings, the priesthood, and Israel’s worship.

But before God gives Moses the construction details, He explains the purpose: “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.” The God who delivered Israel from Egypt desires to dwell in the midst of the people He has redeemed.

(Continued and expanded after scripture.)

Exodus 25:1-9

Offerings for the Sanctuary

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution. 3“This is the contribution which you are to raise from them: gold, silver and bronze, 4blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, 5rams’ skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood, 6oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece. 8“Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. 9“According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.

Reflection on Exodus 25:1–9:

God begins the instructions for the tabernacle by asking Israel to contribute materials: gold, silver, bronze, fabrics, animal skins, wood, oil, spices, and precious stones. Yet notice whom Moses is instructed to receive these contributions from: “everyone whose heart moves him.” The tabernacle would be built from gifts willingly offered by God’s people.

That is significant because YHWH certainly did not need Israel’s wealth. Everything ultimately belonged to Him already. In fact, much of what Israel possessed had come from the Egyptians when God brought them out of slavery (Exodus 12:35–36). They were being invited to return a portion of what God had provided and use it for His purposes.

That principle reaches beyond money. God gives us time, abilities, possessions, experience, opportunities, and other resources, and then allows us the privilege of using those things in His work. David later expressed this beautifully when Israel gave toward the future temple: “For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You” (1 Chronicles 29:14).

Giving therefore reveals something about our hearts. If we believe everything we possess belongs entirely to us, giving can feel primarily like losing something. But when we recognize YHWH as our Provider, giving becomes an opportunity to participate in what He is doing.

Paul teaches a similar principle in 2 Corinthians 9:7: “God loves a cheerful giver.” He tells believers to give as they have purposed in their hearts, “not grudgingly or under compulsion.” That does not mean Scripture never commands God’s people to give or support His work. Rather, God is interested in more than the transfer of resources. He cares about the heart from which the gift comes.

But the greatest statement in Exodus 25 is the reason for the offering: “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.” The gold and silver were not the real treasure of the tabernacle. God’s presence was.

This continues the story we have been following throughout Exodus. YHWH heard Israel’s cries in Egypt, delivered them through the Passover, brought them through the sea, provided for them in the wilderness, and established covenant with them at Sinai. Now He announces His desire to dwell among them.

The tabernacle was therefore not simply a religious building project. It was part of God’s plan to live in the midst of His people while also teaching them how sinful people could approach a holy God. That is why God tells Moses to build everything “according to all that I am going to show you.” Israel could contribute willingly, but they could not decide for themselves how God’s dwelling place should be constructed. Their generosity still needed to operate within God’s instruction.

There is a helpful balance here for us. God invites us to participate willingly in His work, but we do not define His work according to our preferences. We bring Him what He has entrusted to us, with willing hearts, and seek to use it according to His purposes.

Ultimately, the question is not merely How much am I giving? A better question is: Am I willing to place what God has given me back into His hands for what He wants to build?

Application

  • Recognize your money, abilities, time, and opportunities as resources YHWH has entrusted to you rather than possessions that exist only for your benefit.
  • Give willingly to God’s purposes rather than allowing generosity to become merely an obligation performed reluctantly.
  • Ask God whether there is something He has already placed in your hands that could be used more intentionally for His work.
  • Remember that the greatest treasure is not what we give to God, but the privilege of knowing Him and living in His presence.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for everything You have placed in my hands. Help me remember that what I possess ultimately comes from You. Give me a willing heart that sees generosity not merely as losing something, but as an opportunity to participate in what You are doing. Show me how You want me to use my time, abilities, resources, and opportunities for Your purposes. Most of all, help me value Your presence above anything I could ever possess or give. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.

John Golda

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Fear / Reverence for God, Purposeful / Intentional, Revelation, Seeking God

Build Your Life Around What Will Last Forever (Revelation 21:9–27)

What are you investing your life in today—and how much of it will still matter in God’s eternal kingdom?

Key Verse

“I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” — Revelation 21:22 (NASB)

Background Context

John has just seen the first heaven and earth pass away and heard God declare, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Now one of the seven angels invites John to see “the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

John is carried to a great and high mountain, where he sees the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. The city radiates God’s glory and is described with extraordinary dimensions, precious stones, gates of pearl, and streets like transparent gold.

Yet the physical beauty points toward something greater. The defining characteristic of the New Jerusalem is not what the city possesses, but Who is there.

(Continued and expanded after scripture.)

Revelation 21:9–27

      9Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

The New Jerusalem

10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. 12It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. 13There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. 14And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

      15The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall. 16The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal. 17And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. 18The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; 20the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. 21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

      22I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; 26and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; 27and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Reflection on Revelation 21:9–27:

John is told that he will be shown “the bride, the wife of the Lamb,” but what he is shown is the holy city, New Jerusalem. The imagery brings together God’s people and the place where they dwell with Him. Earlier in Revelation, Babylon was pictured as a corrupt woman who represented a rebellious world system. Now the contrast is complete. Babylon has fallen, while the bride belongs faithfully to the Lamb and reflects the glory of God.

The city’s description emphasizes completeness and order. It has twelve gates bearing the names of Israel’s twelve tribes and twelve foundation stones bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The picture connects God’s work through Israel and through the apostles within the unfolding story of redemption. This is not a kingdom created by human achievement. It is the fulfillment of what God has been accomplishing throughout His redemptive plan.

John then describes extraordinary wealth: jasper, gold, pearls, and precious stones. Things people spend their lives pursuing and accumulating are portrayed almost as ordinary construction materials in God’s city. Gold is pavement. A pearl is a gate. What humanity treats as ultimate treasure becomes secondary when compared with the glory of God’s presence.

That should challenge the way we evaluate what is valuable now. Money, possessions, accomplishments, and recognition can all have legitimate places in our lives, but they make terrible foundations for our identity and purpose. If something we spend decades pursuing will one day be little more than pavement, perhaps we should be careful about allowing it to become the center of our lives.

Then John notices something surprising: there is no temple in the city. Throughout Scripture, the tabernacle and later the temple represented God’s dwelling among His people. Access to His presence was carefully regulated because sinful humanity could not casually approach a holy God. But in the New Jerusalem, John says, “the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” There is no separate place people must enter to encounter God because His presence fills everything.

This connects beautifully with what we have been studying in Exodus. YHWH is about to give Moses detailed instructions for building the tabernacle so that He may dwell among Israel. Revelation shows us where that story ultimately leads. The tabernacle and temple pointed toward something greater: God dwelling permanently and openly among His redeemed people.

The city does not even need the sun or moon for its light because “the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” The nations walk by that light, and the gates never need to close. Nothing unclean or deceptive enters, and there is no threat requiring the city to protect itself against another Babylon, beast, or enemy.

Yet the passage again ends with an important distinction. Those who enter are “only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” The magnificent city is ultimately the home of people who belong to the Lamb.

Revelation therefore invites us to reconsider what we are building our lives around. The kingdoms, possessions, recognition, and pleasures of this present world will pass away. YHWH’s kingdom will not.

If we know what will last forever, wisdom means investing our lives in what will still matter when everything temporary is gone.

Application

  • Examine what receives most of your time, energy, and attention, and ask whether those priorities reflect what God says will endure.
  • Enjoy material blessings without allowing possessions, wealth, or accomplishments to become the treasure around which you build your life.
  • Make knowing YHWH and following Yeshua your greatest pursuit, because God’s presence is the greatest treasure of the coming kingdom.
  • Live faithfully as someone who belongs to the Lamb rather than adopting the values of the temporary kingdom around you.

Closing Prayer

Father, help me see what is truly valuable from Your perspective. Keep me from building my life around possessions, accomplishments, recognition, or anything else that will eventually pass away. Thank You for the promise that You will dwell forever among Your people and that nothing sinful, painful, or threatening will remain. Help me live faithfully as someone who belongs to the Lamb and invest the life You have given me in things that will matter in Your eternal kingdom. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.

John Golda

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Holy / Set Apart, Purposeful / Intentional, Revelation

Live Today for the World God Is Making New (Revelation 21:1–8)

How differently would you live today if you truly believed that everything broken by sin will one day be gone?

Key Verse

“And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’” — Revelation 21:5 (NASB)

Background Context

Revelation 20 ended at the Great White Throne, where the dead were judged and death and Hades themselves were thrown into the lake of fire. Now John’s vision turns from final judgment to final restoration.

John sees a new heaven and a new earth. The holy city, new Jerusalem, comes down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride for her husband. Then a loud voice announces something at the heart of God’s plan: God will dwell among His people.

Revelation has shown us persecution, deception, suffering, Babylon’s corruption, the beast’s temporary authority, and Satan’s rebellion. None of those things gets the final word. God does.

(Continued and expanded after scripture.)

Revelation 21

The New Heaven and Earth

      1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And 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, 4and 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.”

      5And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7“He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. 8“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Reflection on Revelation 21:1–8:

John begins, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away.” The story Scripture has been telling from Genesis onward is moving toward restoration. Sin brought separation, suffering, and death into God’s creation, but Revelation does not end with God’s people simply escaping what has been ruined. John sees God making things new.

Perhaps the most important promise in this passage is not even the absence of suffering. John hears a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them.” The great hope of Revelation is ultimately God Himself. His people will belong to Him, and He will dwell among them.

That connects beautifully with what we have been seeing in Exodus. YHWH redeemed Israel from Egypt, brought them to Himself at Sinai, and soon will give Moses instructions for the tabernacle so that He can dwell among His people. Revelation shows us where that desire ultimately leads. What was represented through the tabernacle becomes a permanent reality: God dwelling with His redeemed people.

Because He is there, everything that separated humanity from the goodness of His original creation is removed. “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.” Notice how personal the picture is. God does not merely announce that suffering has ended. He is pictured wiping away the tears of His people.

For believers enduring suffering, persecution, grief, sickness, or loss, this is not a promise that present pain is insignificant. Revelation has taken suffering very seriously. Instead, it promises that suffering is temporary. Death feels permanent from our present perspective, but even death has already been thrown into the lake of fire in the previous chapter. What seems permanent to us will not survive God’s restoration.

Then the One seated on the throne declares, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He follows that promise with an assurance: “These words are faithful and true.” Our confidence in this future does not rest on our ability to imagine how God will accomplish it. It rests upon the character of the One who promised it.

Yet Revelation 21:1–8 does not allow this future hope to become merely comforting imagery. The passage ends with a serious contrast between those who inherit these promises and those who persist in rebellion against God. Verse 7 says, “The one who overcomes will inherit these things.” Verse 8 then warns about those characterized by unbelief, immorality, idolatry, deception, and other rebellion against God.

That warning fits what Revelation has emphasized throughout the book. God’s people are called to endure faithfully. They hold to the testimony of Yeshua and remain obedient to God even when the surrounding world pressures them toward compromise. We are not saved because we successfully accumulate enough good deeds to earn the kingdom. Our hope rests in the Lamb. But belonging to the Lamb should change the way we live while we wait for His kingdom.

The future God promises should therefore shape our choices today. If Babylon is passing away, we should not build our lives around its values. If death is temporary, we need not live controlled by its fear. If God will dwell forever among His people, knowing Him should matter more than everything this present world tells us to pursue.

God is making all things new. Our lives today should demonstrate that we belong to the kingdom that is coming.

Application

  • When suffering or loss feels permanent, remember that God has promised a future in which death, mourning, crying, and pain will be gone.
  • Build your life around what will endure rather than the temporary values and rewards of this present world.
  • Resist compromise and remain faithful to Yeshua while you wait for God’s promised restoration.
  • Make knowing and dwelling with God your greatest hope, rather than focusing only on what you hope heaven will provide.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for the promise that You are making all things new. When suffering, loss, or uncertainty overwhelms me, help me remember that these things will not have the final word. Teach me to build my life around Your coming kingdom rather than the temporary things of this world. Help me remain faithful to Yeshua, resist compromise, and live today as someone who belongs to You. Most of all, teach me to long not merely for a world without pain, but for the joy of dwelling forever in Your presence. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.

John Golda

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Unteachable / Foolish, Wise

Do Your Best, but Leave the Results to God (Ecclesiastes 9:11–18)

What happens to your faith when you do everything wisely and diligently—and still don’t get the outcome you expected?

Key Verse

“I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all.” — Ecclesiastes 9:11 (NASB)

Background Context

In Ecclesiastes 9:7–10, Solomon encouraged us to receive God’s everyday blessings gratefully and to do whatever work is before us with all our might. Now he guards against an incorrect conclusion: diligent effort does not give us control over the results.

The fastest runner does not always win. The strongest army does not always prevail. The wisest person is not always wealthy or recognized. Life “under the sun” includes unexpected circumstances that human ability cannot completely control.

Yet Solomon does not conclude that wisdom and diligence are worthless. In fact, he finishes the section by showing that wisdom can accomplish what great strength cannot.

(Continued and expanded after scripture.)

Ecclesiastes 9:11-18

    11I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all. 12Moreover, man does not know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them.

      13Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and it impressed me. 14There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siegeworks against it. 15But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man. 16So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded. 17The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

Reflection on Ecclesiastes 9:11–18:

Solomon observes something we have probably all experienced: the person who seems most qualified does not always receive the expected outcome. The swift can lose the race, warriors can lose battles, wise people can struggle financially, and talented people can go unnoticed. Skill and preparation certainly matter, but they do not guarantee success.

Solomon explains that “time and chance overtake them all.” He is describing life as we experience it “under the sun,” where circumstances often arrive unexpectedly and beyond our ability to control them. This does not mean YHWH has surrendered His sovereignty to random chance. Rather, from our limited perspective, we cannot predict or control everything that happens simply by making wise decisions.

That distinction can protect us from a dangerous assumption: If I do everything right, everything should work out the way I expect. Scripture never gives us that promise. We should work diligently, make wise decisions, prepare carefully, and obey God—but none of those things gives us control over tomorrow.

Solomon reinforces the point by saying that people do not know their time. Like fish caught unexpectedly in a net or birds in a trap, difficult circumstances can suddenly overtake us. We cannot eliminate every uncertainty from life, no matter how carefully we plan. That should produce humility rather than fear. Our security was never supposed to rest in our ability to predict and control every outcome.

Yet Solomon is not dismissing wisdom. He tells of a small city threatened by a powerful king. A poor wise man delivered the city through his wisdom, accomplishing what strength alone apparently could not. Solomon concludes, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Wisdom matters greatly, even when the person possessing it lacks status, wealth, or influence.

But then comes the painful part: afterward, no one remembered that poor man.

Sometimes you can do something valuable and receive little recognition for it. You can make the wise decision and watch someone else receive the credit. You can faithfully contribute and still be overlooked. Solomon does not pretend that life always rewards people according to their merit.

That gives us an important perspective on the previous section’s command to do our work with all our might. We should pursue excellence, but not because excellence guarantees the outcome we want. We work faithfully because faithfulness is right before God.

Our responsibility is to make wise choices and faithfully use what YHWH has entrusted to us. The results may be greater than we expected, smaller than we hoped, or completely different from what we planned. We may even do something valuable that few people recognize.

Faithfulness means doing our best with what God has placed in our hands while trusting Him with the results we cannot control.

Application

  • Work diligently and make wise decisions without assuming they guarantee the outcome you want.
  • When circumstances disrupt your plans, resist interpreting every unexpected result as evidence that you failed or God abandoned you.
  • Choose faithfulness even when your contribution may receive little recognition from others.
  • Entrust outcomes you cannot control to YHWH while remaining responsible for the choices and work He has placed before you.

Closing Prayer

Father, help me faithfully use the abilities, wisdom, and opportunities You have given me without believing that I can control every outcome. When my plans do not unfold as expected, keep me from becoming discouraged or assuming that faithful effort was wasted. Give me wisdom to make good decisions, diligence to do my work well, and humility to leave the results in Your hands. Help me remain faithful even when others do not notice or recognize what I have done, knowing that You see and know my heart. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.

John Golda

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Thankfulness

Give God the Credit for the Victory (Psalm 68:11–18)

When something goes well, are you quick to recognize what God has done—or do you quietly begin taking the credit for yourself?

Key Verse

“The Lord gives the command;
The women who proclaim good news are a great army.” — Psalm 68:11 (NASB)

Background Context

Psalm 68 celebrates YHWH as the victorious King who goes before His people. In the opening verses, David looked back toward Israel’s wilderness journey and described God as the One who scatters His enemies, leads His people, provides for them, and defends the vulnerable.

Verses 11–18 continue the picture of victory. Kings flee, spoils are divided, and God’s chosen mountain becomes the place of His dwelling. David’s emphasis is not on Israel’s military greatness but on YHWH as the One who acts, conquers, and dwells among His people.

(Continued and expanded after scripture.)

Psalm 68:11-18

      11The Lord gives the command;

The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host:

12“Kings of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home will divide the spoil!”

13When you lie down among the sheepfolds,
You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And its pinions with glistening gold.

14When the Almighty scattered the kings there,
It was snowing in Zalmon.

15A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;
A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.

16Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks,
At the mountain which God has desired for His abode?
Surely the LORD will dwell there forever.

17The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands;
The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.

18You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives;
You have received gifts among men,
Even among the rebellious also, that the LORD God may dwell there.

Reflection on Psalm 68:11–18:

David begins this section with an important order: “The Lord gives the command; the women who proclaim good news are a great army.” God acts, and His people announce what He has done. The following verses describe enemy kings fleeing and even those who remained at home sharing in the spoil. The picture emphasizes that victory was not something Israel could boast about as though it had been produced entirely by its own strength.

That distinction matters because we are often tempted to take God’s blessings and gradually rewrite the story so that we become the main character. We may thank God initially, but before long we begin thinking primarily about our wisdom, hard work, planning, talent, or courage. Those things may genuinely have played a part. Scripture does not teach us to be passive or careless. But God’s people should be able to work diligently while still recognizing that our abilities, opportunities, provision, and ultimately the outcome remain dependent upon Him.

David then turns toward the mountains. He describes the mountain of Bashan as majestic and many-peaked, yet asks why those impressive mountains look with envy at “the mountain God has desired as His dwelling.” The contrast is striking. God’s choice is not determined by what appears greatest from a human perspective. A mountain may look more impressive, but what makes God’s chosen place significant is that God chooses to dwell there.

We can easily make the same mistake when evaluating people. We naturally notice talent, influence, wealth, appearance, intelligence, or position. Yet throughout Scripture, YHWH repeatedly accomplishes His purposes through people the world might not consider particularly impressive. Our usefulness to God is not determined by whether we appear greater than everyone around us. What matters is belonging to Him, being available to Him, and faithfully doing what He calls us to do.

David then describes God’s overwhelming power: “The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands.” Israel’s enemies may have possessed armies and chariots that appeared intimidating, but they were never equal rivals to YHWH. The God who went before Israel in the wilderness remained present among His people.

Verse 18 then declares, “You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among people.” Paul draws upon this verse in Ephesians 4:8 when describing Messiah’s victory and His giving of gifts to His people. The original psalm celebrates YHWH’s victorious ascent, while Paul shows how this pattern finds a powerful fulfillment in Yeshua: the victorious Messiah ascends and equips His people for His purposes.

That brings the passage back to where it began. God wins the victory, and His people have the privilege of proclaiming and participating in what He has done. We do not need to make ourselves impressive enough to deserve the credit. In fact, when God works through ordinary people, it can make the true source of the victory even clearer.

Our calling is not to make ourselves the hero of the story. It is to faithfully participate in what God is doing and make sure He receives the glory for what He accomplishes.

Application

  • When God brings success or breakthrough, deliberately give Him credit rather than gradually making yourself the center of the story.
  • Use the abilities and opportunities God gives you diligently while remembering that they ultimately came from Him.
  • Do not measure your usefulness to God by how impressive you appear compared with others; focus on being faithful and available to Him.
  • Tell others what God has done, allowing His work in your life to point attention toward Him rather than yourself.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You that victory ultimately belongs to You. Help me work diligently with everything You have entrusted to me without forgetting where my abilities, opportunities, and provision come from. Guard me from taking credit for what You have accomplished, and keep me from measuring myself against people who seem more impressive. Make me faithful and available for whatever You call me to do, and help me proclaim Your goodness so that others see You rather than me. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.

John Golda

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Guide, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional

Wait for God Instead of Rushing Ahead (Exodus 24:12–18)

When God does not move as quickly as you want, will you continue to wait for Him—or start moving without Him?

Key Verse

“Then Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.” — Exodus 24:18 (NASB)

Background Context

Israel has formally entered into covenant with YHWH. Moses has read the Book of the Covenant to the people, they have committed themselves to obedience, and the covenant has been confirmed with blood.

Now YHWH calls Moses farther up Mount Sinai to receive the stone tablets containing His commandments and instruction.

Moses leaves Aaron and Hur with the elders and ascends with Joshua. The glory of YHWH settles upon Mount Sinai, the cloud covers it, and Moses waits six days before God calls to him on the seventh.

What follows prepares the way for God’s detailed instructions concerning the tabernacle, priesthood, and worship in the chapters ahead.

(Continued and expanded after scripture.)

Exodus 24:12-18

  12Now the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.” 13So Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14But to the elders he said, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal matter, let him approach them.” 15Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16The glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. 17And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. 18Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Reflection on Exodus 24:12–18:

God tells Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there.” Those final words are easy to overlook. Moses knew God had called him, and he knew where he was supposed to go, but knowing God’s direction did not mean everything happened immediately. Moses obeyed, ascended the mountain, and then the cloud covered it for six days. Only on the seventh day did YHWH call to him from the midst of the cloud.

That kind of waiting can be difficult for us. We are often more comfortable when obedience produces immediate movement or visible results. We want the answer, the opportunity, the resolution, or at least the next instruction. When nothing seems to happen, we can begin wondering whether we should do something ourselves to move things along. Yet Moses did not need to manufacture the next step. God had told him to come and stay, so remaining where God had placed him was itself an act of obedience.

There is also an important contrast developing in the story. Moses will remain on the mountain for forty days and forty nights, while Israel below eventually becomes impatient. Their unwillingness to wait contributes to the disastrous decision to make the golden calf in Exodus 32. Moses waited for YHWH to reveal the next step, while Israel decided that Moses—and perhaps God—was taking too long and created its own solution. Impatience can tempt us to do something similar. We may know what God has said, but when His way seems too slow, we begin looking for another path.

This does not mean that every delay in life is specifically God telling us to do nothing, nor should we use “waiting on God” as an excuse to avoid responsibilities He has already made clear. Moses could wait because he had obeyed the instruction he had received. Biblical waiting is not inactivity when God has told us to act; it is faithfulness to what He has already said while trusting Him for what He has not yet revealed.

From Israel’s perspective below, the mountain was covered by a cloud. Yet within that cloud, YHWH was preparing to give Moses detailed instructions that would shape Israel’s worship and reveal how a holy God would dwell among His people. They could not see what God was doing, but that did not mean nothing was happening. The same can be true in our lives. We should be careful not to interpret a lack of visible progress as evidence that God is absent or inactive.

The appearance of YHWH’s glory also reminds us whom Moses was waiting upon. To Israel, “the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top.” Moses was not casually waiting for advice from a distant God. He had been invited into the presence of the holy YHWH. As Exodus moves toward the tabernacle, this combination will become increasingly important: God is holy and must be approached as He directs, yet this same holy God desires to dwell among His people and provides the way for them to draw near.

There will be times when God clearly calls us to act, and we should act. But there will also be times when we have faithfully done what He has shown us and simply do not know the next step. In those moments, we do not need to create our own path merely because waiting has become uncomfortable. If God has not yet shown us the next step, faithfulness means continuing to obey what He has already shown us while trusting Him with what comes next.

Application

  • Continue faithfully doing what God has already made clear while you wait for direction about what comes next.
  • Resist the temptation to create your own solution simply because God’s timing seems slower than you would prefer.
  • Do not assume that a lack of visible progress means God is absent or inactive.
  • Ask whether you are truly waiting on God or avoiding something He has already told you to do.

Closing Prayer

Father, help me trust You when Your timing is different from mine. When I have obeyed what You have shown me but cannot yet see the next step, give me patience to remain faithful rather than rushing ahead. Guard me from creating my own solutions simply because waiting has become uncomfortable. At the same time, keep me from using waiting as an excuse when You have already made clear what I should do. Help me trust that You are at work even when I cannot yet see what You are doing, and give me wisdom to move when You call me forward. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, Obeying God, Submitted / Servant

Don’t Just Hear God’s Word—Commit to Live It (Exodus 24:1–11)

Is your response to God’s Word simply to agree that it is true, or are you committed to actually living according to what He says?

Key Verse

“Then he took the book of the covenant and read it as the people listened; and they said, ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!'” — Exodus 24:7 (NASB)

Background Context

Exodus 24 brings the covenant at Mount Sinai to a significant moment of confirmation. YHWH had already redeemed Israel from slavery before bringing them to Sinai. He then revealed the Ten Commandments and continued explaining how His people were to live.

Now Moses writes down “all the words of the LORD.” He reads the Book of the Covenant to the people, and Israel publicly agrees to obey what God has spoken.

The covenant is then confirmed with blood, followed by a remarkable meal in God’s presence. Redemption had brought Israel not merely out of Egypt, but into covenant relationship with YHWH.

(Continued and expanded after scripture.)

Exodus 24:1–11

People Affirm Their Covenant with God

      1Then He said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance. 2“Moses alone, however, shall come near to the LORD, but they shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him.”

      3Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!” 4Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. 5He sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD. 6Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” 8So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

      9Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. 11Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank.

Reflection on Exodus 24:1–11:

Twice in this passage Israel makes a strong declaration.

First they say, “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!” Later, after Moses reads the Book of the Covenant aloud, they respond again: “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!”

Notice the progression.

They heard God’s Word and then committed themselves to do what He said.

Scripture consistently challenges us not to separate those two things. James later writes, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves” (James 1:22).

It is possible to study Scripture, agree with Scripture, discuss Scripture, and even defend Scripture while resisting what it tells us to do. God’s Word was never intended merely to increase our knowledge. It should shape how we actually live.

But we should also remember the order of events in Exodus.

Israel did not obey God in order to persuade Him to rescue them from Egypt. He rescued them first. He delivered them from slavery, brought them to Himself, and then taught them how His redeemed people should live.

That pattern matters.

Obedience is not the price we pay to purchase redemption. It is the faithful response of people who have been redeemed.

Then Moses confirms the covenant with blood. Half is sprinkled on the altar, and the other half on the people as Moses declares, “Behold the blood of the covenant.”

The seriousness of covenant is unmistakable. Relationship with a holy God is not casual. Sin and reconciliation carry a cost. This imagery also points us forward to Yeshua, who at the Last Supper spoke of His own blood as “My blood of the covenant” (Matthew 26:28).

Then the passage ends with an extraordinary scene.

Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders ascend the mountain, and Scripture says, “they saw the God of Israel.” Under His feet was something like a pavement of sapphire, “as clear as the sky itself.”

Yet God did not destroy them.

Instead, “they saw God, and they ate and drank.”

The covenant culminates in fellowship.

That helps us see the larger purpose behind everything we have been reading. God did not deliver Israel merely to give them a collection of rules. He was forming a people who belonged to Him and could live in relationship with Him.

The commandments showed them how a redeemed people should walk with a holy God.

The same should shape how we approach God’s Word today. We should not ask merely, What does this passage say? We should also ask:

What has God shown me that I now need to live out?

Because hearing God’s Word is only the beginning. Faithfulness means allowing what He says to change how we live.

Application

  • When you read Scripture, ask not only what it means but what God is calling you to do differently because of it.
  • Remember that obedience is a response to God’s redemption and grace, not a way of earning them.
  • Take your commitment to God seriously rather than treating obedience as optional whenever His instruction becomes inconvenient.
  • Remember that God’s goal is not merely rule-keeping but a redeemed people living faithfully in relationship with Him.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for redeeming me and inviting me into relationship with You. Help me not to be satisfied merely with hearing, studying, or agreeing with Your Word. Show me where I need to put what You have taught me into practice. May my obedience flow from love and gratitude for what You have already done for me. Teach me to take Your Word seriously and to live faithfully as someone who belongs to You. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.
John Golda

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, Faithful, Guide, Obeying God

Follow Where God Leads Without Compromise (Exodus 23:20–33)

Are you asking God to lead you forward while still holding onto things He has told you to leave behind?

Key Verse

“But you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst.” — Exodus 23:25 (NASB)

Background Context

Beginning in Exodus 20, YHWH spoke the Ten Commandments and then continued with detailed instructions showing Israel how His standards applied to worship, justice, relationships, property, work, rest, and care for others.

Now, as this section draws to a close, God turns Israel’s attention toward what lies ahead.

He promises to send His messenger before them, protect them on their journey, and bring them to the place He has prepared. But God’s promises come with repeated instructions to listen, obey, worship Him alone, and reject the gods of the nations they will encounter.

Israel was being prepared not merely to enter the Promised Land, but to live there faithfully as YHWH’s people.

(Continued and expanded after scripture.)

Reflection on Exodus 23:20–33:

God begins with an extraordinary promise:

“Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.”

Israel did not know everything that waited ahead. There would be enemies, battles, uncertainty, and challenges they could not overcome by their own strength.

But God was already going before them.

That is an encouraging pattern throughout Scripture. God often calls His people forward without showing them every detail of the journey. Our confidence cannot come from knowing exactly what will happen. It comes from knowing who is leading us.

Yet immediately after promising His presence and protection, YHWH says, “Be attentive to him and obey his voice.”

God’s guidance was not an invitation for Israel to choose its own path while expecting Him to bless it. They were expected to listen and follow.

The same principle remains important for us. Sometimes we want God’s direction primarily because we want Him to lead us toward the outcome we have already chosen. Biblical faith asks something different: Where is God leading, and am I willing to follow?

YHWH then gives Israel a serious warning about the people they will encounter:

“You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds.”

Israel’s greatest danger in the land would not ultimately be military weakness. It would be spiritual compromise.

God even warns them not to make covenants with the nations or their gods because “it will be a snare to you.” What initially appeared harmless could gradually draw their allegiance away from YHWH.

Scripture repeatedly shows that this warning was justified. Israel would later struggle precisely because they failed to remove the influences God warned them about. Compromise that seemed manageable eventually became idolatry.

There is wisdom here for us as well.

We sometimes ask, How close can I get to something sinful without actually sinning? God teaches us to ask a better question: Will this draw me toward Him or become a snare that gradually pulls me away?

The passage also contains an interesting detail about how God would give Israel the land:

“I will not drive them out before you in a single year… Little by little I will drive them out from before you.”

God promised victory, but He did not promise instant results.

There was purpose in the delay. If the land became empty too quickly, it would become desolate and wild animals would multiply. God would enlarge Israel’s territory gradually as they became able to possess it.

Sometimes “little by little” is God’s wisdom, not God’s absence.

We may become discouraged when something God is doing takes longer than we expected. But we cannot see everything He sees. Immediate fulfillment is not always the best fulfillment.

Israel’s responsibility was to keep following, keep obeying, reject compromise, and trust YHWH with the pace.

That remains a powerful pattern for us:

Follow where God leads. Obey what He says. Refuse what pulls you away from Him. And don’t mistake gradual progress for God’s failure to act.

Application

  • Follow God’s direction rather than asking Him merely to bless the direction you have already chosen.
  • Identify compromises or influences in your life that could gradually become a spiritual snare, and be willing to remove them.
  • When God’s work seems to be happening “little by little,” trust that His timing may accomplish purposes you cannot yet see.
  • Remember that God’s promises never make obedience irrelevant; continue listening to Him as you move forward.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You that You go before Your people and know what lies ahead long before we do. Help me listen carefully to Your voice and follow where You lead rather than simply asking You to bless my own plans. Give me discernment to recognize compromises that could become snares and courage to remove anything that draws my heart away from You. When progress seems slower than I would choose, help me trust Your wisdom and continue faithfully following You, little by little, wherever You lead. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.
John Golda

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Purposeful / Intentional, Sabbath / Rest, Submitted / Servant, Thankfulness

Build Your Life Around God, Not God Around Your Life (Exodus 23:10–19)

Does your schedule reflect that God is central to your life, or do you try to fit Him into whatever time remains?

Key Verse

“Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me.” — Exodus 23:14 (NASB)

Background Context

YHWH has been teaching Israel how His people should live. Exodus 23:1–9 focused on truth and justice. Now the instructions turn toward the rhythms of Israel’s life.

God establishes a seventh-year rest for the land, reinforces the seventh-day Sabbath, and identifies three annual pilgrimage festivals: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering.

These weren’t merely breaks from work. God was teaching Israel to organize its work, rest, worship, and calendar around Him.

(Continued and expanded after scripture.)

Exodus 23:10–19

The Sabbath and Land

      10“You shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, 11but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

      12“Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as your stranger, may refresh themselves. 13“Now concerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth.

Three National Feasts

      14“Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. 15“You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. 16“Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

      18“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor is the fat of My feast to remain overnight until morning.

      19“You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God.
“You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother.

Reflection on Exodus 23:10-19

The passage begins with the land itself. Israel could sow and harvest for six years, but during the seventh year the land was to rest. What grew naturally was available particularly for the needy and even the animals.

Following that command required trust.

Leaving productive land uncultivated could easily feel wasteful. Israel had to believe that obedience to YHWH was more important than squeezing every possible bit of production from what He had given them.

Then God returns to the weekly Sabbath:

“Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor.”

The Sabbath had already been established clearly in Exodus 20 as the seventh day, rooted in God’s own pattern at creation. Here God highlights another benefit: rest was not only for the landowner. The ox and donkey rested, and servants and foreigners were refreshed.

God’s rhythm of life restrained the endless demand for more work and more production.

Then YHWH turns to Israel’s annual calendar. Three times each year the men of Israel were to appear before Him at His appointed festivals.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread reminded them of their deliverance from Egypt. The Feast of Harvest acknowledged God as the source of the firstfruits of their labor. The Feast of Ingathering celebrated His provision at the completion of the agricultural year.

Notice what God was doing.

Week after week, year after year, He was building reminders of Himself into the lives of His people.

Israel could not simply say, We believe in YHWH, while structuring life exactly like the nations around them. Their calendar itself testified that they belonged to Him.

That challenges us because our lives can easily become organized around everything except God. Work has its place. School has its place. Vacations, appointments, sports, entertainment, projects, and countless responsibilities all claim space on our calendars. Then we sometimes try to fit God into whatever remains.

God’s pattern points in the opposite direction.

We should build our lives around Him rather than trying to build Him into our lives.

That does not mean every moment is spent in a religious activity. Israel still worked six days. They planted fields, raised families, conducted business, and lived ordinary lives. But God established rhythms that repeatedly interrupted ordinary life and redirected their attention toward Him.

Those interruptions also reminded Israel that their prosperity ultimately came from YHWH. They could work diligently, but crops still depended upon God’s provision. They could harvest faithfully, but the firstfruits belonged to Him.

The same is true for us. We should work diligently and steward what God gives us well, but we should never become so consumed with the gifts that we forget the Giver.

A life centered on God doesn’t merely give Him leftover time. It allows Him to shape the rhythm of everything else.

Application

  • Examine your schedule and priorities honestly: does God receive deliberate priority, or mostly whatever time remains?
  • Honor God’s pattern of work and rest rather than allowing productivity to become your master.
  • Build regular reminders of God’s faithfulness into your life so that His past provision is not forgotten.
  • Receive your work, possessions, and provision gratefully while remembering that everything ultimately comes from YHWH.

Closing Prayer

Father, help me build my life around You rather than trying to fit You around everything else. Teach me to work faithfully, rest according to Your wisdom, and regularly remember all You have done for me. Guard me from becoming so consumed with responsibilities, productivity, or possessions that I forget the One who provides them. May the way I use my time demonstrate that You are not merely part of my life, but the One around whom my life is centered. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.

John Golda

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Help / Serve Others, Holy / Set Apart, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Kindness / Gentleness, Purposeful / Intentional

Do What Is Right, No Matter Who Benefits (Exodus 23:1–9)

Is it easier to stand for what is right when doing so benefits you—or when it benefits someone you dislike?

Key Verse

“You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to join together with a majority in order to pervert justice.” — Exodus 23:2 (NASB)

Background Context

YHWH continues giving Israel practical instruction for living as His people. These commands address false reports, dishonest testimony, favoritism, enemies, bribery, and the treatment of foreigners.

At the heart of them is a simple but demanding principle: God’s people are to pursue what is true and right regardless of pressure, personal advantage, or personal feelings.

(Continued and expanded after scripture.)

Exodus 23:1–9

Sundry Laws

      1“You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. 2“You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice; 3nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute.

      4“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him. 5“If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him.

      6“You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute. 7“Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty.

      8“You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.

      9“You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Reflection

The passage begins with words that remain remarkably relevant: “You shall not give a false report.”

God cares about truth not only when we are speaking formally before a judge, but whenever our words can influence how another person is viewed or treated. Passing along something false—or participating in accusations we have not established as true—can cause tremendous damage.

Then God warns Israel not to “follow the masses in doing evil.”

A crowd does not turn wrong into right.

There is tremendous pressure to agree with the people around us. When enough people repeat an accusation, embrace a behavior, or accept a particular standard, disagreeing can become uncomfortable. But God’s people are not called to determine truth by counting how many people agree with it.

Our standard must remain what God says is right.

Interestingly, God then warns against two different forms of partiality. Israel was not to favor a poor person merely because he was poor, but neither were they to deny justice to a poor person because he lacked influence.

Compassion matters deeply to God, but compassion must not become distortion of truth. Likewise, wealth, power, status, or personal connections must never purchase a different standard of justice.

Then God makes the principle even more personal.

If an Israelite found his enemy’s wandering ox or donkey, he was required to return it. If he saw the donkey of someone who hated him struggling beneath its load, he was to help.

That is striking.

God does not say, Since he is your enemy, his problems are no concern of yours. Instead, He commands His people to do what is right even when the person who benefits is someone they dislike.

Yeshua later teaches the same heart when He says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

Biblical justice therefore asks something difficult of us: Can we still want what is right when being right helps someone we would rather see lose?

The passage concludes by returning to bribery, justice for the poor, and treatment of foreigners. Israel is reminded again, “you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, because you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

God wanted His people to remember what it felt like to be vulnerable so that they would not use their own position to mistreat someone else.

Truth should not depend upon the crowd. Justice should not depend upon wealth. Compassion should not depend upon friendship.

If something is right before God, it remains right even when doing it costs us something.

Application

  • Refuse to spread accusations or reports simply because many people are repeating them; care about whether they are actually true.
  • Examine whether friendship, dislike, wealth, status, or popular opinion changes how you judge what is right.
  • When an enemy or difficult person genuinely needs help, choose obedience to God over the satisfaction of seeing that person struggle.
  • Be willing to stand apart from the crowd when God’s Word clearly points in another direction.

Closing Prayer

Father, teach me to love truth and justice as You do. Guard my words so that I do not participate in false reports or accusations. Give me courage to stand for what is right even when the crowd goes another direction. Show me where personal feelings or favoritism influence my judgment, and help me do what honors You even when it benefits someone I dislike. May my standard always be Your truth rather than my advantage. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.

John Golda

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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