the watcher

1 John 1:9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. Leviticus 1:3-4 “If the animal you present as a burnt offering is from the herd, it must be a male with no defects. Bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle so you may be accepted by the lord. Lay your hand on the animal’s head, and the lord will accept its death in your place to purify you, making you right with him. Reading through the first three chapters of the book of Leviticus we see that sin is not taken for granted, for every wrong done must be paid for, thus the sacrifice - shedding of blood. The shedding of this blood was endless, again and again the blood had to be shed for each person and for the whole community. Did these sacrifices of animals or grain really bring peace between God and man, No, however it stood as a symbol, a reflection of what the heart carried. For while men look at the outward the Lord looks at the heart. Fo

Exodus 40:34-38 Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys. When one encounters the Lord it follows naturally that they would want the Lord to be the one leading the journey. However as times moves on it is eazy to forget who leads the journey, many take over captaincy of the ship. From our text, we see that the tabernacle had been completed, however that did not put man in charge but God in charge. We err if we t

Exodus 39:42-43 So the people of Israel followed all of the Lord’s instructions to Moses. Then Moses inspected all their work. When he found it had been done just as the Lord had commanded him, he blessed them. Obedience is the key when one walks with God. The joy children bring to their parents is walking in the statutes they have been taught to walk. Thus we bless them. The reason for chaos in our world is disobedience, we recall that that the first sin of man that led to His fall was disobedience. Many that the Lord rejected was due to disobedience. For if you cannot follow instructions you cannot walk with the Heavenly Father. What does obedience bring about?  - blessings. Exodus 19:5-6 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.” Deuteronomy 15:5-6

Exodus 36:3-6 Moses gave them the materials donated by the people of Israel as sacred offerings for the completion of the sanctuary. But the people continued to bring additional gifts each morning. Finally the craftsmen who were working on the sanctuary left their work. They went to Moses and reported, “The people have given more than enough materials to complete the job the Lord has commanded us to do!” So Moses gave the command, and this message was sent throughout the camp: “Men and women, don’t prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary. We have enough!” So the people stopped bringing their sacred offerings. The result of willingness is overflow, they had more than enough. This is the result of trusting in God. Compelling or seduction is not needed, once the Lord makes a willing heart He goes ahead to supply to them, they inturn supply for the project. Trust in God. Exodus 36:7 Their contributions were more than enough to complete the whole project. It seem difficult for s

Exodus 35:21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, [and] they brought the LORD'S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. It cannot be overemphasized that the Lord is interested in the willing, every spiritual leader needs to understand this, the truth is that He who calls will yet do it. Exodus 35:21-23 All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord. They brought all the materials needed for the Tabernacle, for the performance of its rituals, and for the sacred garments. Both men and women came, all whose hearts were willing. They brought to the Lord their offerings of gold—brooches, earrings, rings from their fingers, and necklaces. They presented gold objects of every kind as a special offering to the Lord. All those who owned the following items willingly brought them: blue, purp

Exodus 34:29,33-35 When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord. When Moses finished speaking with them, he covered his face with a veil. But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him, and the people of Israel would see the radiant glow of his face. So he would put the veil over his face until he returned to speak with the Lord. Moses spent time in God's presence on the mountain, where the Lord descended to seal His covenant with the children of Israel. God's display of power was to be shown to the whole world through this people, if only they had faith. Each time Moses went to see the Lord he returned with a glow so bright the people could not look into his face: Exodus 34:30 So

Exodus 33:3 Go up to this land that flows with milk and honey. But I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I did, I would surely destroy you along the way.” The revelation of Jesus the Christ brought a liberty that up till today many people including religious people cannot understand. I was talking to someone from a particular religion and he/she told me they were not ready to take the witness of the writers of the New Testament since it was written after Christ's death, they wanted to hear what Christ said Himself and what He had written. I answered by saying that Christ did not write, He did not come to write, even the one you said you believe did not write someone wrote for him/her. I further asked why one would not believe the same testimony from different people at different times, but would easily believe the testimony of one man, whose character was questionable, whose source of testimony could not be verified cause he/she had

Exodus 32:8-10 How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” Then the Lord said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.” The children of Israel at this time (Exodus 32) had experienced God,  from His glorious power he displayed in Egypt which led to their freedom from captivity, the parting of the red sea, manna and meat from heaven, victory at war and even God's presence at Mount Sinai. They also had twice signed a covenant of obedience to His laws: Exodus 19:7-8 So Moses returned from the mountain and called together the elders of the people and told them everything the Lord had commanded him. And all the pe

Exodus 31:14-17 You must keep the Sabbath day, for it is a holy day for you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death. The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day by observing it from generation to generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time. It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.’” The day of rest of the Lord, is the Sabbath and just as we see in Exodus 31, the Lord reminds the children of Israel that they must keep the sabbath day, the penalty for flouting it was death! Now we would understand why the teachers of the law observed Jesus on the sabbath day waiting fo

Exodus 31:2-3,6 “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. “And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make: Once again we see God's endowment on man to fulfil purpose. Exodus 31 records Bazalel given rare talent to be able  to work on different materials. It is one thing to be a woodworker, another to be a metalworker, another to be a blacksmith, tailor etc, these are all specific talents, however we see the Lord's endowment of these skills on one man. He did the same to Oholiab to be his assistant. Then to other gifted craftsmen he gave special skills. Now let us look closely, they were craftsmen, already with skills, yet the Lo

Exodus 30:7-8 “Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on the altar. And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense in the Lord's presence. This must be done from generation to generation. Christ took care of this: Ephesians 5:2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Exodus 30:12-16 “Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself to the Lord. Then no plague will strike the people as you count them. Each person who is counted must give a small piece of silver as a sacred offering to the Lord. (This payment is half a shekel, based on the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs.) All who have reached their twentieth birthday must give this sacred offering to the lord. When this offering is given to the Lord to purify your lives, making you right wit

Exodus 29:24-25,36,38-39,42 Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons to be lifted up as a special offering to the Lord. Afterward take the various breads from their hands, and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering. It is a pleasing aroma to the Lord, a special gift for him. Each day you must sacrifice a young bull as a sin offering to purify them, making them right with the lord. Afterward, cleanse the altar by purifying it; make it holy by anointing it with oil. “These are the sacrifices you are to offer regularly on the altar. Each day, offer two lambs that are a year old, one in the morning and the other in the evening. “These burnt offerings are to be made each day from generation to generation. Offer them in the Lord's presence at the Tabernacle entrance; there I will meet with you and speak with you. When you read through all the preparation, the very strenuous exercises, practices, sacrifices etc that should be done before the priests and the pe

Exodus 28:3 Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Have them make garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart for my service. The Heavenly Father is the author of all human life and as we see in the record of creation in Genesis, when He created He also blessed. Genesis 1:22,28 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” Thus everyone has been gifted by the Heavenly Father, of the measure and in what area, they defer. The gifting are to glorify the Heavenly Father and to be a blessing to humanity. Above all we remember that our reward after here is a function of how well we fulfil purpose here on earth. Thus the best gift any parent/m

Exodus 27:8 The altar must be hollow, made from planks. Build it just as you were shown on the mountain. The leader must be the one with direction, he receives the instructions, for he should be the one representing the people in the presence of the Lord. Remember, he leads because there are people to be led, thus it is not that those people do not have their individual relationship, but their coming together forms a sect and the sect must be driven by a leader. It is a great deal that the leader was the one or under whose ministry that soul was saved, however everyone is led one way or the other. Thus the leader must be led by the Heavenly Father, he must see. So one should not interprete the truth being revealed that salvation is personal between a person and the Heavenly Father to mean that we do not have spiritual leaders or authorities here on earth, NO, however many even from the old times have derailed from the leadership and teaching of Christ and His disciples. They have

Exodus 26:33 Hang the inner curtain from clasps, and put the Ark of the Covenant in the room behind it. This curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Exodus 26 is a continuation of instructions for the building of the tabernacle, when we get to verse 33, we see where the demarcation separates the Holy place from the Most Holy place. What was behind this place? Exodus 26:34 And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy [place]. *the Mercy Seat, the place of atonement* wow! What did Jesus do? Hebrews 10:20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. Yes, see the account in the gospels: Matthew 27:50-51 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, Mark 15:37-38 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his la

Exodus 25:2 "Tell the Israelites that they are to set aside offerings for me. Receive the offerings from everyone who is willing to give. This is key, I remember preaching a sermon at a Cathedral as a young man, with Clergymen seated I looked at them and the congregation and reminded them that the owner of His church will provide for its keep. We must not be afraid, for fear comes when we trust in man and numbers, our trust is in the Lord, He will always bring the helpers. Those who are willing. For the church is not about the physical building but a community of people, thus when God manifests His power, the reflectors will be the humans who make up the church. The people who are willing! The mistake we make is that we feel that we are helping the Lord when we chase after money, twist the word received because we do not want to displease the donors. The question we should ask is, who are we serving? Whose business are we running? If it is the Lord's business, then we sti

Exodus 24:3,7 Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.” Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey.” One of the major causes of failure is lack of knowledge. This is not about knowing the letters but understanding the texts. Thus we see so many who claim to know the scriptures but live like those who are powerless. The difference is "faith". For many may be gathered in one place listening, but it takes those who have faith to capture the power that comes from the spoken word: Romans 10:17 So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. This is key, for Moses read the instructions of the Lord to the people and they replied: “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.” Now the

Exodus 23:1-2,8 “You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand. “You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice. “Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth. The University of Wisconsin- Madison had this excerpt on its article on the Legal Studies Programme: The Bible does not focus primarily on matters of secular (i.e., non-religious) law, but what it does say about law had a great influence on later legal systems in many parts of the world Thus we see what Paul wrote: Romans 7:12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. 1 Timothy 1:7-10 They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently. We

Exodus 22:22-24 “You must not exploit a widow or an orphan. If you exploit them in any way and they cry out to me, then I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will blaze against you, and I will kill you with the sword. Then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless. Exodus 22:25-27 “If you lend money to any of my people who are in need, do not charge interest as a money lender would. If you take your neighbor’s cloak as security for a loan, you must return it before sunset. This coat may be the only blanket your neighbor has. How can a person sleep without it? If you do not return it and your neighbor cries out to me for help, then I will hear, for I am merciful. 1John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. When we look at the instructions Moses gave to the children of Israel we see that they have to do with their interaction with God then their interactions with men be they their own brethren or outs

Exodus 21:1 “These are the regulations you must present to Israel. Exodus 21:24-25 an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise. That seemed to be it, nothing goes unpunished, however Jesus said: Matthew 5:38-42 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. The laws as it looked of old seemed to imbibe fear and hate, with the nature of no mercy, however the new covenant had with it one major characteristic - LOVE. For the first is of flesh (to school the flesh to resist sin) the other is of the Spirit. Romans 3:19-20 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one c

Exodus 20:1 Then God gave the people all these instructions: No part of scriptures have been contemplated like the laws, starting from the first ten commandments to the following laws, from how the place of worship should be constructed to how to relate to one another. Many laws in secular states have their origin from these laws and the extract of it is still practiced up till today. Starting from the ten commandments (the decalogue)  to the laws and commandments which Moses wrote on scrolls as he received them from God. Many rabbis and scholars have written on the decalogue and the Torah, for if you look at Exodus 24: 12, it seems as if Moses received more than the ten words or ten commandments: Exodus 24:12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the tablets of stone on which I have inscribed the instructions and commands so you can teach the people.” Anyway we are looking at the law in general, then the ten commandmen

Exodus 19:16-20 On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply. The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain. The children of Israel had heard about the Lord but they had never experienced Him, yes they had seen the miracles, from the plagues in Egypt to the parting of the red sea. However they had not experienced God's presence or glory from heaven. Two months after the

Exodus 18:21 But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. One man that cannot be overlooked as we study the book of Exodus is Jethro, the priest of Midian, the father-in-law to Moses. He was a special kind of man, highly principled, full of kindness and wisdom. He was not of the fold of Israel, however he had a Godly character. He was referred to as the priest of Midian, however referring to how his daughters (seven of them) were treated when they went to get water, we can conclude that he or his message was not accepted by the people of Midian. Exodus 2:16-17 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters who came as usual to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father’s flocks. But some other shepherds came and chased them away. So Moses jumped up and rescued the girls from the shepherds. Then he drew water for their flocks. (Stories of Jethro