Today in the One Year Bible, we read from Exodus 39:1-40:38. God gives instructions and they build a big, beautiful tabernacle. And beautiful vestments for the priests to wear. And some pieces of gold that are supposed to tell you the will of God.
This SOUNDS a whole lot like the idolatry that the Ten Commandments just forbade. And the idolatry that the Hebrews practiced while Moses was on the mountain GETTING those commandments.
But it's not. And the reason it's not is the same reason why people who revere the Bible today are not worshiping it. Why people who worship the Eucharist are not worshiping bread in idolatry. Why people who go to big beautiful churches to hear mass spoken by a priest in beautiful vestments today are not performing idolatry.
Intention.
When we bow down before the Eucharist, we are INTENDING to worship God. We do not intend to worship bread. When we revere the Bible and consider it sacred, we aren't worshiping it because we do not INTEND to worship it, but to reach out and know God and worship Him through it.
When the Hebrews used the Urim and the Thummim to figure out God's will, they weren't practicing magic or witchcraft... because they INTENDED to hear the voice of God and to know His will in the matter.
What we intend greatly affects the meaning of what we do.
So let's intend to do God's will and honor Him in everything we do in our lives.
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