Today’s Scripture Reading (July 31,
2015): Exodus 26
Canada and
the United States are at war. Okay, we haven’t actually broken out the guns
against each other in anger since the War of 1812, before Canada was even a
country, but the reality is that conflict remains between the two countries.
And the conflict isn’t about the insane way that the media in both countries
seem to twist the news about the other. And it isn’t even about the fact that
some Presidents (George W.) couldn’t locate Canada on a map (I will guarantee
that every Canadian Prime Minister know exactly where the United States is. For
those Americans who struggle with knowing where Canada is, if you walk north from
any of the forty-eight mainland states you will eventually find us. If you are
in Alaska, then walk east. If you are in Hawaii, who cares, enjoy your eighty
degree day in the sun.)
The current
war between the U.S. and Canada centers around two small islands on the East
Coast of the two nations. The Islands themselves (North Rock and Machias Seal) are
worthless. There are no natural resources or strategic advantage to the
possession of the Islands. But the water that surrounds the Island is a
different matter. For in these waters you will find lobster, and with the price
of lobster on the rise, these islands have become highly contested.
Sometime I
have to admit that I wish there was an obvious way out of these agreements. The
lighthouse on Machias Seal is manned by Canadians, so does that mean that it is
Canadian. In fact, 100% of the inhabitants of the Islands are Canadian,
although admittedly the two coast guard workers at the lighthouse are the only
inhabitants of these Islands. But if only there was some way to see inside the
argument.
Most
disputes would be easier if we work from the inside out. If we could really see
the heart of the person on trial, if we could know for certain whether they
were at risk for repeating. If we could know that what happened was an accident
or done on purpose made to look like an accident, it would be easier to find
the verdict. Was this incident a one-time aberration or a hidden practice that
has only now have come to the surface? If only we could see inside.
With regard
to the temple, that is exactly what God does. The Bible contains detailed
descriptions of the things that would never be seen by the average citizen of
Israel. The Tabernacle was basically a series of curtains hung up on a
supporting structure, and what is described here is the first set of curtains,
the ones that would only be seen if you were standing inside the tabernacle.
From there you would see the finely woven curtains, and the embroidered
cherubim (angels) would fly around you, maybe giving you the feeling that you
had arrived in heaven.
But
sometimes we forget that the only ones allowed inside the Tabernacle were the
Levites. The rest of Israel would never see this scene. They would have to rely
on the stories told by others of what existed inside the tent. They would have
no idea of what this really looked like except that they had read the words
written down by Moses, describing this holy place from the inside out. Some
have argued that this also means that angels should never be used as
decorations in the meeting hall of the church. God placed the angels, even in
the tabernacle, in a place where the people knew they existed but would never
see them – inside the tabernacle. And there was absolutely no doubt of who was
in possession of the Tabernacle. That would be God. And he owned it from the
inside out.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus
27
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