Real Hope: The God ConnectionЗразок

## No Other Way God sure spent a lot of time on how the Israelites were to worship Him. The final chapters of Exodus are almost weighed down with detail about the tabernacle, altar, priestly garments, and duties. Chapter 29 is a procession of exact instructions for how the first generation of priests were to be consecrated for their service to God. Was God simply testing the priests to make sure they obeyed Him? Was He being a stickler for the rules to highlight the seriousness of His law? The last few verses of Exodus 29 jumped out to me about why God called for so much when setting apart the priests to serve Him. If God was to dwell among His people, His people had to know He could not dwell with sin. The perfect God is so opposed to what is opposite to Him that purifications and atonements were required. Unholiness had to be purged before the Holy One could come closer. What did Aaron and the nation of Israel think? Whatever they thought, it didn’t take them long to ditch ‘the Lord their God’ for a fake cow (Exodus 32). Cough. Such sinful rejection of God, in the immediate wake of His demonstrated holiness, exhibits why God always planned to send the ultimate atonement. For God to dwell with us, sin must be dealt with. Can’t be any other way. #### Written by BEN MCEACHEN