A sweet friend and I are currently doing a Bible study that goes from Genesis to Revelation.
We started meeting on Zoom a couple of months ago, and we’ve just made it into the book of Exodus.
It’s amazing to me how many people think the Old Testament is boring or irrelevant for the church today. That idea couldn’t be farther from the truth! After all, in 2 Timothy 3:15-17, Paul reminds us that the Holy Scriptures make us “wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
The Old Testament is a part of ALL scripture.
Keep in mind, Paul didn’t even have the New Testament as we know it when he wrote these words to Timothy. Now take a look at verse 15 again.
The Old Testament scriptures point to our salvation through faith in Jesus!
We can’t truly understand the New Testament, Calvary, worship, or Jesus Christ without the context of the Old Testament.
Those precious scriptures still speak to us and teach us today.
This is something I’m appreciating all over again as we work our way through this Bible study.
Last week we studied the building of the tabernacle. We were running short on time, so we decided to look at the instructions God gave for its construction and the pieces of furniture that filled it. We didn’t launch into the spiritual application, but something powerful still jumped out that evening.
My friend pointed out that God was very detailed when it came to the tabernacle, and she’s right!
There are so many thoughtful details that went into its design; like beautiful colors, fabrics, animal skins, gold … just read it all in chapters 25-30 in Exodus.
Her comment got me thinking about how this tabernacle was foreshadowing things to come and teaching us how to approach God. And while God’s presence once dwelt in the Holy of Holies, He now dwells in us because we are the temple of God. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
So just think, if God was so interested in the details of the tabernacle, He’s most definitely interested in the details of our lives.
The plans, the design, the materials, the sacrifices, the cleansing, what’s on the inside, who’s allowed to minister… all the details.
And as I was thinking about this, I thought about all the beautiful things that were on the inside of the tabernacle.
The inside is where the beauty was. It’s where the splendor of the tabernacle was on display.
And the outside was pretty mundane.
Surprising right?
You would think the outside would be a grand sight to behold.
But it was the inside, that very few people even saw, that was beautiful.
I think sometimes we get it backwards.
We spend a lot of time making sure everything on the outside looks just right.
We make sure we’re put together.
We have smiles on our faces.
We say and do all the right things.
But I would guess, most of the time, we haven’t taken near as much time on the inside.
Sure, not many people see the inside, but someone very important does. And He cares about all the details.
He’s more concerned with whether or not there’s beauty on the inside.
What shape is your heart in today?
Are you draping the walls with the Word of God?
Are you filling the temple with prayer and worship?
Is the Spirit of God burning bright?
Is there peace, joy, forgiveness, patience, faith, hope, and love?
Those are details He cares a great deal about.
So while we take care of the outside, let’s not forget, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.
