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The Once-And-For-All Sacrifice

You Are Holy - Thanks To Jesus

In Exodus, we see the great lengths to which God will go to have a people set apart in holiness so that he can be among them in the most personal way. The sacrifice of animals became the intermediary of that holiness. But while that sacrificial system was meaningful to the Israelites, in the wider context of the Bible, it was just a foreshadow of a better reality that God had in mind: the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. You see, at just the right time in history, Jesus became our once-and-for-all sacrifice when he shed his blood on the cross. Our sins were laid on him in that exchange, and his righteousness was imputed to us. His blood became the perpetual intermediary in the exchange of holiness that is necessary for God to walk among us and for us to be his set apart people.

The Journey // Focus: Exodus 29:43-46

I will meet the people of Israel there, in the place made holy by my glorious presence. Yes, I will consecrate the Tabernacle and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. Then I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, and they will know that I am the Lord their God. I am the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am the Lord their God.

To the modern educated and sophisticated mind, this bloody chapter describing the ordination of Aaron as the high priest of Israel, and his sons as priests, is strange at best, and abhorrent at worst. It doesn’t make sense, it is hard to read and it is next to impossible to draw any uplifting devotional from.

Since we don’t live in an ancient, pastoral setting, the slaughtering of animals even for food is something we don’t want to think about. I travel regularly to rural Africa to train leaders and engage in humanitarian activities, and it is traditional that on our last night in a village, a lamb will be slaughtered for a celebratory meal. Sometimes the lamb is tied up the day of the event right in the area where we are coming and going. We pass the lamb throughout the day knowing that he will be our meal later that evening. It is the hardest meal for me to swallow, literally, and one that on so many levels, I really don’t enjoy. I don’t want to know my meal before I eat it. Give me a steak at Ruth’s Chris, but don’t tell me how it got to my table.

We just don’t get it. And we just don’t live in that kind of a setting anymore. When I was ordained as a pastor many years ago, there was meaningful ceremony surrounding the event, but thankfully, it did not involve the slaughtering of a bull.

So having acknowledged the difficulty of Old Testament passages like this, here is just one thought that I do believe we can pull from this chapter for devotional use—and when you think about it in this light, it is totally uplifting and definitely a cause for gratitude. Furthermore, this application is truly the point of the whole Bible:

In this portion of Exodus, what we are seeing is the great lengths to which God will go to have a people set apart in holiness so that he can live among them and be their God at the most personal level. And he needed priests as intermediaries of that holiness. Therefore, to be those priests, Aaron and his sons themselves had to be made holy, that is set apart for God’s purpose, by the sacrifice of a bull. That was an act, by the way, that was to be repeated in the generations of priests to come. But while that act was very meaningful to the Israelites, in the wider context of the entire Bible, it was just a foreshadowing of a better reality that God had in mind.

You see, at just the right time in history, Jesus became our once-and-for-all sacrifice when he shed his blood on the cross. Our sins were laid on him in that exchange, and his righteousness was imputed to us. His blood became the perpetual intermediary in the exchange of holiness that is necessary for God to walk among us and for us to be his set apart people. By the way, not only was Jesus our once-for-all-sacrifice, he also became our perfect, fully empathetic, High Priest forever.

I would encourage you, after you have read this chapter, to re-read Hebrews 10 with a grateful heart as it so beautifully contrasts the Old Testament system of sacrifice with Jesus’ once-and-for-all sacrifice. Hebrews 10:14 tells us,

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

While Aaron and his sons had to lay their hands on the bull as an act of transferring their sin to the animal, and while that animal’s blood was sprinkled on them, thank God he went to the greatest length to offer his very own Son, Jesus, who

Once for all time, has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. …For where there is forgiveness of these [through the sprinkling of Christ’s blood], there is no longer any offering for sin. (Hebrews 9:26, 10:18)

Thank God that he goes to such great lengths to make us holy.

Going Deeper: Read Exodus 27 and Hebrews 10 consecutively. Here is what I think will happen as you do: You will let out a shout of thanksgiving for Jesus!

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You Are On My Heart

Your Pastor Represents You Before God

What is your pastor’s job description? He or she is to represent you before God, and God to you.  Likewise, your pastor is tasked with making sure you know and lovingly follow the will of God for your life. And namely, God’s will for you is your sanctification—that you walk in holiness before the Lord

The Journey// Focus: Exodus 28:29-30

In this way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the sacred chestpiece over his heart when he goes into the Holy Place. This will be a continual reminder that he represents the people when he comes before the Lord. Insert the Urim and Thummim into the sacred chestpiece so they will be carried over Aaron’s heart when he goes into the Lord’s presence. In this way, Aaron will always carry over his heart the objects used to determine the Lord’s will for his people whenever he goes in before the Lord.

In the Old Testament, it was the priesthood; in the New Testament community, it was the pastorate. In both cases, God saw fit to call certain people out of the community of faith for the purpose of watching over the souls of the people—and that includes you. Not only does your pastor have the task of walking in personal holiness before the Lord, they have taken on responsibility for your spiritual well being.

Whether it was the priesthood or the pastorate, one of the high privileges and sacred responsibilities of the spiritual director was to represent his or her charges before the Lord. In this story, as the template for vocational ministry was laid out, Aaron, the proto-pastor/priest, was to keep the names of the people next to his heart as he entered the Lord’s presence as a reminder. This reminder was not in the sense of that either he or the God to whom he was bringing his people had forgotten them, but it was a reminder in the sense that his intercession for them was to be a high priority.

Likewise, Aaron was to keep the mysterious sacred objects, the Urim and the Thummim, used to determine God’s will, next to his heart as well, as a reminder that a high priority to God was that the people clearly know and willingly follow the Lord’s will. That was Aaron

That is your pastor’s role, too. He or she is to represent you before God, and God to you. The pastor is to serve in the same sense that your faithful high priest Jesus now serves: making intercession before the Father on your behalf:

Therefore Jesus is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. (Hebrews 7:25)

Likewise, your pastor is tasked with making sure you know and lovingly follow the will of God for your life. And namely, God’s will for you is your sanctification—that you walk in holiness before the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:3) And not only is that a task, that is your pastor’s passion for you. If their calling is authentic, and they are walking out that calling properly, their work concerns your spiritual well being—both in time and what will count for all eternity. Your pastor is not doing ministry just for the fun of it. No, the pastor’s passion is seeing Christ fully formed in you, seeing you fully mature in Jesus. (Galatians 4:19)

What your shepherd is doing in ministry touches the very core of your eternal being. So because of the important role the pastor plays on your behalf is so vital, make their job as easy for them as you can by joyfully entering into spiritual partnership. Make it a joint venture, where you fully cooperate with God and pastor in the process of your spiritual formation. God will be pleased—and so will your pastor.

As I was writing this devotional, I came across a prayer that I had written down some time back for the people of the church that I shepherd. Not that I want to promote my own worthiness or importance as a pastor, but I want to give you insight into what I, and whoever your pastor might be, daily carry on our heart:

Dear Father, you have called me to be both a priest to represent the people in your presence and a pastor, to shepherd them into your will. That high privilege and sacred duty is to be kept always at the front of my heart. Forgive me that I often make my relationship with you—my wants, my desires, my thoughts, my fears—my priority, and I neglect the needs of my people. Help me to change, to balance my needs with their needs. Help me to be a loving and effective spiritual director for the good people you have given me to shepherd. Lord, they are good people—and they need your blessings so much. I pray that you would prosper them and show them your favor. Bless them with health, with more than adequate finances, with strong marriages and loving homes, with respectful kids; transform their minds and enable them to see that lasting joy and real significance comes from putting your purposes first in their lives. Make them truly kingdom minded, purpose driven people. In our gatherings, release your presence and your power among us in ways that transform us. And Lord, enable me to be the earthly leader that brings heaven to their souls. They are your people, the sheep of your flock. Be gracious and merciful to them in practical ways this week, O Lord. Cause your will to be fulfilled among them—unify them, energize them, help them, feed them, reveal your glory to them, transform them into the people you have desired for them to become. In the name of the true and great Shepherd and Guardian of their souls, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

That is what someone is praying on your behalf today. I truly hope that encourages you!

Going Deeper: Since I have shared a prayer that I have offered for the sheep of my flock, may I suggest a simple prayer that you offer up to God for the pastors who have watched over your soul throughout the course of your life? Whether they are still serving, or have retired, or have gone on to their eternal reward, I’m sure the Lord would be pleased: “Dear Father, thank you for every spiritual leader who has contributed to my spiritual formation. Bless them abundantly. Let them know that their efforts have not been wasted. Allow them to experience the joy of knowing this sheep is well on the way to being presented perfect before Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen!”

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Practicing The Presence of God

Wherever You Are, You Are Never Far From God

God wants his people to see, feel and know his presence at all time. The truth is, whatever you are doing in this world, whether you are working with your mind or voice or hands; with your time or energy or money, whether you are sleeping, eating, thinking, working, you are in the presence of a watching, loving, caring, involved God. Practicing the presence of God will keep you aware of that.

The Journey // Focus: Exodus 27:20-21

Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually. The lampstand will stand in the Tabernacle, in front of the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant. Aaron and his sons must keep the lamps burning in the Lord’s presence all night. This is a permanent law for the people of Israel, and it must be observed from generation to generation.

The lamp of the Lord’s presence was to be kept burning so that the darkness never extinguished it—and this was to be done perpetually, from generation to generation. God wanted his people to see, feel and know his presence at all times. The perpetually burning lamp was one of the ways they would be reminded of this unparalleled truth that God was always with them. It would help them to practice the presence of God.

God wants that for you, too. Whatever you are doing in this world, whether you are working with your mind or voice or hands; with your time or energy or money, whether you are sleeping, eating, thinking, working, you are in the presence of a watching, loving, caring, involved God. Practicing the presence of God will keep you aware of that.

So learn to practice the presence of God, as Brother Lawrence did, a humble cook who communed with God in his ordinary, everyday tasks. He learned the art of living in the presence of God throughout the day.

His name was Nicholas Herman, born to peasant parents in Lorraine, France. Later, he entered the Discalced Carmelite monastery in Paris as Brother Lawrence. He was assigned to the monastery kitchen where, amidst the tedious chores of cooking and cleaning at the constant bidding of his superiors, he developed his rule of spirituality and work. In his Maxims, Lawrence writes, “Men invent means and methods of coming at God’s love, they learn rules and set up devices to remind them of that love, and it seems like a world of trouble to bring oneself into the consciousness of God’s presence. Yet it might be so simple. Is it not quicker and easier just to do our common business wholly for the love of him?”

For Brother Lawrence, “common business,” no matter how mundane or routine, was the medium of God’s love. The issue was not the sacredness or worldly status of the task but the motivation behind it. “Nor is it needful that we should have great things to do. . . We can do little things for God; I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for love of him, and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself in worship before him, who has given me grace to work; afterwards I rise happier than a king. It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God.”

Brother Lawrence retreated to a place in his heart where the love of God made every detail of his life of surpassing value. “I began to live as if there were no one save God and me in the world.” Together, God and Brother Lawrence cooked meals, ran errands, scrubbed pots, and endured the scorn of the world.” (Christianity Today: Christian History—Brother Lawrence.

And Brother Lawrence, this humble kitchen helper, became one of the most influential Christians to ever live. I love what Lawrence said:

I am doing now what I will do for all eternity. I am blessing God, praising Him, adoring him, and loving Him with all my heart [in what I am doing].

Lawrence kept the lampstand of the Lord’s presence burning in his life by practicing the presence of God at all times in everything he did. If a poor, uneducated, unskilled kitchen aide can do it, so can you!

Going Deeper: Whatever you are doing today, literally invite God into it. Keep the lampstand of his presence burning throughout the day…then do it again tomorrow.

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The Tabernacle Then—Your Worship Now

Worship on God's Terms

Why should you care today about the details of how a tabernacle was constructed thousands of years ago? You should care because God cares, that’s why. God provided exacting details of how he wanted his house to be built, what kind of furniture he wanted in it, and how his people were to approach him in worship because he wanted to live among them. He still does! Why? Because he desires to “tabernacle” with you, too!

The Journey// Focus: Exodus 26:1-2,30

Make the Tabernacle from ten curtains of finely woven linen. Decorate the curtains with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim. These ten curtains must all be exactly the same size—42 feet long and 6 feet wide. …Set up this Tabernacle according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain.

We live in a day when it seems that anything goes in terms of how we worship God. There is very little preparation on the part of the people as they come for corporate worship, what happens on the stage (in my opinion) is often more about the “performers” than the Audience of One about whom they are singing, and the end result of the “worship set” is that the audience claps their hands approvingly while the musicians exit the stage to the green room, and the order of service moves on to the next item on the agenda.

Now don’t get me wrong. Modern worship is not all bad. In fact, I would argue that there is much good in it—perhaps mostly good. No matter what church service I am in, no matter what style of worship is offered, no matter the quality of the musicians, I experience the presence of God. That is because, by and large, worship is a choice of the heart. I get to choose to worship the One who is worthy of my praise—and that is the choice I make.

So this is not a diatribe against worship in the modern American church. But it is a reminder against mindless, anything goes worship. God cares about how we worship, what we sing, even how we set the physical environment for the worship experience. If he didn’t, I doubt that we would have chapter after chapter in Exodus, sixteen of them, to be exact, in which he gave exacting details about the place and the process for his people meeting with him in the experience of worship.

There will be some, perhaps many, who will push back on what I have said so far. That’s fine—I think having a spirited, respectful discussion on a theology of worship is healthy and necessary to developing a proper practice for approaching a holy God who wants to be approached. But I would just say that whatever you believe about modern worship, you must consider what the tabernacle teaches us about what God wants, and demands, from the worshiping community. Consider the broad application of a New Testament exhortation regarding this Old Testament story:

All these things happened to [the Israelites of the Exodus] as examples—as object lessons to us—to warn us against doing the same things; they were written down so that we could read about them and learn from them in these last days as the world nears its end. (1 Corinthians 10:11)

What was it they did that brought down God’s wrath upon them? It had to do with their worship. They tried to worship their way; God showed them in no unmistakable terms that proper and pleasing worship must happen on his terms.

The bottom line to this, and the final sixteen chapters of Exodus that give us these boring, exacting details on how God expected worship to take place teaches us that he cares about our worship. Think of your worship this way: it is simply the pathway that God has established for you, a fallen, unworthy subject, to approach an unapproachable, holy Object who desires and is deserving of your best worship. It is thus important that you know how to approach him, and what “best” and “deserving” worship looks like.

That might sound a bit ominous and not encouraging of the free offering of worship to which you have become accustomed. Sorry about that. But you must keep the seriousness of worship in tension as you approach God. Yet this story also reminds us that God desires to live among his people—he wants to be close to you and for you to be close to him. That is the other side of these details. God has given a path for you to approach him, not because he wants to make it difficult, but because he wants you to experience his holiness without being consumed by it. That is why giving careful thought to your worship is so critical.

Exodus—God’s pathway to God-pleasing worship, and Numbers—the people’s pathway to humanistic worship, contrasts the right and the wrong ways to approach God. In the Old Testament story, God brought his heavy hand of judgment down upon the people for offering unholy worship. He doesn’t seem to do that today—thank God. But let the community of Israel be a constant reminder to us that worship done man’s way will always lead, sooner or later, to something that may look good on the outside but is anything but pleasing to the Audience of One.

On a positive note, be encouraged that Almighty God has gone out of his way to “tabernacle” with you; that is, to dwell in close, loving relationship with li’l ol’ you. Graham Truscott gives us something to think about in this regard:

When God’s people begin to praise and worship Him using the Biblical methods He gives, the Power of His presence comes among His people in an even greater measure

Going Deeper: As you read these passages on the details of the tabernacle and Old Testament worship, resist the urge to skip over them. Instead, read them thankfully, because what you are reading about is a God who, because he so desperately longs to tabernacle with you, has just laid down the way for that to happen.

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My Days Are Numbered

The Opera Ain’t Over … Till God Says It’s Over

God planned me, built me, watches over me, can steer me back on track when I wander, will keep me safe until the Divinely allotted numbers of days ordained for me are up, and then take me to the next life that he has prepared for me. My life will be over when he says it’s over!

Going Deeper // Psalm 139:16

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

How many days do I have left? I don’t know. No one does, except God. He knows the exact number of years, days, hours and seconds that I will occupy my address on Planet Earth; the exact moment that my death will occurs.

Now that may not seem like a cheery thought to you, and in fact, most people would find that sobering, at best, and frightening, at worst. Not me. I find great comfort and security in knowing that God has my life so ordered that I will neither die a day sooner nor live a day longer than what has already been recorded in his book. You see, life and death are far above my pay grade, so I will happily let Father God take care of that department, thank you very much.

So if I truly and correctly understand this profound truth, then I am freed from the fear of death to fully live the life that God has planned for me. I can enjoy an intimate walk with the One

  • Who was intimately involved in each minor detail of my day (Psalm 139:1-4)
  • Who never lets me out of his sight (Psalm 139:5-8)
  • Who guides my every move with his Fatherly hand (Psalm 139:9-10)
  • Who is not limited by my circumstances (Psalm 139:11-12).

In fact, God is so involved in my life that he was even there at the moment my mother and father conceived me in love, and he superintended even the most infinitesimal details my physiological and temperamental formation.

God knows me! He knows everything about me. He planned me, built me, watches over me, can steer me back on track when I wander from his purpose (Psalm 139:23-24), can be completely trusted to keep me safe until the Divinely allotted numbers of days ordained for me are up, and then take me to the next life that he has prepared for me.

“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand” (Psalm 139:6, NLT), but it won’t keep me from enjoying this day and praising the One who is in charge of it!

Go Deeper: Throughout the day, declare, “God is in charge of me!” Then live like it’s true—because it is!

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My Will or Thy Will?

God — On His Terms

There are two approaches to being in relationship with God. We can either say, “God, your will be done” or “God, my will be done”. One works, the other doesn’t. Get into the pattern of offering this prayer to your Heavenly Father: “Dear God, Your will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Amen.” When you think about it, why wouldn’t you pray that way? After all, who wants a God that can be bossed around, ordered here and there like an errand boy? What kind of deity would that be? That’s not the kind of God I want—or more accurately, the kind of God I need.

The Journey// Focus: Exodus 25:8-9,40

The Lord said, “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you. … Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”

There are two approaches to being in relationship with God—which by the way, most every human being deeply desires, whether they have acted upon it on or not, or care to admit it or not. The first approach is the way God has established for coming to him. It is represented by the words our Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Father, not my will, but your will be done.” The other approach is much more common among us fallen, self-centered human beings, and it is represented by the phrase, “God, my will be done.” That prayer, unfortunately, is prayed early and often each day on Planet Earth.

One approach works; the other doesn’t. And when it is put that way, you know which is the proper way to come before Almighty God.

If any right minded person were to stop and think about it, who would want to be in relationship with a God that could be bossed around; who could be ordered here and there like an errand boy; who could be reduced to a celestial sugar daddy, there to meet our every need and respond to our every whim? What kind of God would that be? That is not the kind of God I want—or more accurately, the kind of God I need.

And of course, that is not the God of the Bible—the one and only God! He demands that we approach him on his terms. And boy, does he have terms. That is why, in this text, he is instructing Moses in exacting detail to build a house for him where his people can come to meet him through worship and sacrifice. Twice, he insists that this house be constructed “according to the pattern I have shown.”

Not only in the construction of his house, but later, God gives the people exacting detail in the laws they are to follow for the orderliness of their daily lives, the health of their social interactions, the process for their sacrifices, and even the holidays—the holy days—they are to observe. God is in the details! And those details remind us that God cares how we come to him, that we follow the pattern he has established. Not only does he care, he demands that we follow them if we want to have a relationship with him, as God told Moses, “so I can live among them.” (Exodus 25:8)

Of course, we don’t live by Old Testament policy today, but the letter of God’s law lives on in the spirit of law. That is, the initial reasons these exacting details were provided are still in play, albeit reinterpreted to the context in which we live. We don’t need a tabernacle today, but we sure do need God to live among us. And God still cares about the details that make it possible for him to live among us, and those details remind us that he is holy, and if we expect to enjoy his presence and walk in his favor, we must recognize his holiness and, likewise, walk in holiness. That holiness doesn’t come just by outward observance of rules, although we may find those rules as helpful guidelines for living, but it is a holiness of the inner person that honors him and invites his presence in our hearts.

What holiness teaches us, arguably the most important thing it teaches us, is that God is God and we are not—that when we come to God, it is on his gracious terms, not on terms that we establish. As you think about your relationship with God, honestly assess how you are coming to him. Do you have the attitude of Jesus: “God, here is what I want, but nevertheless, not what I want, but what you want is my desire”? Or are you coming to a God you have created in your image, a God to whom you in effect say, “God, my will be done”?

Those are critical questions to reflect on if you want to enjoy the full benefits of the God who desires to live close to you. Follow the pattern that he has shown you!

Going Deeper: Think about the attitude you have toward God, which is best revealed in the kind of praying you do. If you have been demanding that God conform to your will, instead of you to his, then repent, first of all, and second, begin to say, “Lord, not my will, but yours be done.”

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If You Think Holiness Is Boring, You Don’t Understand Holiness

A Preview of the Beauty of Holiness

In human history, only a privileged few have seen a representation of the glory of God, yet even then, they only saw it as through a glass darkly—and it was beautiful beyond description. But one day it will not be beautiful beyond description, for when we are in the eternal presence of Almighty God, we will have the capacity that no human being during their time on earth ever possessed, for we will see the Lord in the pure beauty his unequaled holiness. As a child of God, all of God is yours—now by faith, but one day by sight. Congratulations, great things are in store for you!

Going Deep // Focus: Exodus 24:9-11

Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.

What a stunning passage: Moses and his management team climbed Mt. Sinai and have a full session, including a covenantal meal with God himself. And the description of the presence of God is beautiful beyond description: “They went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky.” (Exodus 24:10)

What in the world is lapis lazuli? The Expositor’s Commentary offers this description:

Under God’s feet was a “pavement made of sapphire,” a deep blue or, more accurately, lapis lazuli of Mesopotamia, an opaque blue precious stone speckled with a golden yellow-colored pyrite. True sapphire, the transparent crystalline of corundum…symbolizes the heavens.

That’s right: what we have here is a preview of heaven and a time, when we too, will have access to the glory of God. But unlike this group, which saw just a similitude of the Presence, we will have unfiltered, unimpeded, uninterrupted access to the full glory, beauty and holiness of almighty God.

In human history, only a chosen few have seen the glory of the Lord—Adam and Eve, Moses, Isaiah, Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, John on the Isle of Patmos—and even then, it was not the fullness of his glory, for no human can see God’s holiness and live to tell about it:

Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” (Exodus 33:18-23)

These privileged few saw a representation of the glory of God, but even then, they saw it as through a glass darkly. (1 Corinthians 13:12) And it was beautiful beyond description. But one day it will not be beautiful beyond description, for when we are in the eternal presence of Almighty God, we will have the capacity that no human being during their time on earth ever possessed, for we will see the Lord in the pure beauty his unequaled holiness:

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. … Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 Corinthians 2:8-12, 1 John 3:2)

As you read this description in Exodus—the glory of the Lord’s presence, the pure beauty of his holiness, the invitation to a covenantal meal—that is just a preview of what is yours, that is, if you have surrendered your life to him by grace through faith in the saving work of his Son, Jesus Christ. For when you do that, accept his free gift of salvation, his Word declares that you have been given the right to become the child of God. (John 1:12) And as a child of God, all of God is yours—now by faith, but one day by sight.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)

Congratulations, child of God, Great things are in store for you!

Going Deeper: Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven. So says Jesus in Matthew 5:12.