Day 24

Obedience and Worship

Read: Exodus 23-25

In these chapters, God concludes the giving of commandments that are to regulate daily life and begins to give instructions for constructing the tabernacle, Israel’s portable place of worship. So also in the Christian life, there are two aspects: living godly lives day by day and offering our worship to God. The two must go hand in hand. Neither one ought to be neglected. What we do on Sunday should affect what we do on Monday through Saturday.

Among the commandments for daily living are those that tell how we are to treat the poor. We must not have just a personal piety; we must also have a concern for social justice. Because God cares how the poor are treated, so must we. We must not only say we care; we must do what we can to correct situations.

Connected to the call for obedience are promises of what God will do as a result of such obedience. God said to his people of old, “If you carefully obey” what I say, then I will bless you (23:22). God treats us, his New Testament people, according to the same principles he used in treating Israel.

In chapter 25, we also find descriptions of some of the furniture that is to be built for the tabernacle. The ark is to symbolize the very presence of God in their midst. God dwells in our midst in a far more immediate way—the Holy Spirit is in our hearts.

PRAYER
Father, may our Sunday worship affect how we treat people the rest of the week. In Jesus’ name. Amen.