Exodus chapter 29

45 Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.

46 They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

I just think this chapter is so amazing. Yes, ok, it can be somewhat tedious reading through all the rituals, with all the do this, do that, put blood here and there, and so on, but the rituals were designed to standardise the worship, to ensure that everything was carried out the same way and it was all designed to honour God, not man. It made the Israelites stand out amongst the nations, because when they followed God's laws, obeyed His commands, did things His way, they were less likely to follow the pagan rituals of their neighbours.

If you have a set of rules to obey, and things have to be done in a certain order, a certain way, then there is no room for bringing in your own ideas, your own ways, or the ways of others. God has laid down the rules, and they should be followed. The ritual is designed to make the priests, the people a holy nation, acceptable to God. Adding to or taking away from these rituals would prevent them approaching God, because they would be seen as unclean. God is so pure, so holy, they would not be able to approach His throne of grace without these ceremonies. Of course, now we have Jesus, the sacrificial lamb, so there is no need for all this ritual, but that doesn't mean we can just disregard it. We need to have the right frame of mind before approaching God. It's no good turning up for church on Sunday morning if you are in a bad mood because you have had to rush everyone, including yourself, to get there, if you are worried and can't concentrate on anything because of your cares, if you are just turning up because it is expected. We need to remember that God is the Creator of the Universe, He could destroy every one of us with just a thought. He is so powerful, so awesome, so amazing, yet so full of love and grace and mercy. We need to approach worship with a sense of reverence, of respect, not one of keeping an eye on the children so they don't misbehave, watching the clock because we have to be somewhere else after church, or thinking of anything and everything except God and how we are there to worship, to give him the praise.

But the best thing about this chapter is the closing verses:

Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

God was telling the Moses that He would live amongst the people and would be their God. Isn't that just amazing? The Creator of the Universe and all that is in it was going to live amongst the Israelites, so that they would know that He was their God, the one who brought them safely out of Egypt. I just think this is so amazing. After all, God can do anything He wants to, be with anyone He wants to, and yet He chose the Israelites to be His people, His nation. Just as He has chosen each one of us believers to be His church, his people.