Glitter & Glow

The Beauty of Exodus

It is during this time of year, of winter, and twinkling lights, and sparkling disco balls - that we often seek out the things in our lives that shine. We give gifts to the extra important people, we desire to show out in our finals, and we coat our houses in every kind of light we can find.

I've personally done nothing but try on sparkly dresses and coat my nails in glitter.

But do we ever stop to ask if this is even the shimmer we should be seeking? Or, are these things simply fool's gold?

Exodus 34:29-33

"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD.

30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.

31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them.

32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.

33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face."

Exodus is often considered a bloody and brutal chapter, comprised mostly of suffering Egyptians and rigid rules, but as we've discussed before, there is so much beauty in this order.

The God we serve, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is an orderly God. He is a personal God. And He is a faithful God. And it was in this faithfulness that He formed covenants with His people to create a beauty and a purpose in what seemed like a bleak time. In reality, the formation of His covenant and the giving of the Ten Commandments happened right before the Israelites had blatantly disrespected Him by making a false god out of the gold calf!

How often do we do this in our own lives? Doubt the beauty of what our God is giving us because it may take time, and settle for things that "look like" Him instead?

The irony of this whole situation, was that the gold they melted down to make a false god was the same gold they were supposed to use to adorn the tabernacle God intended for them to build. Something in His design, not their own, that shone not because of a precious metal, but because of the God that took up residence in its space.

This residential beauty is not something that is limited to a tabernacle, but rather something that gets extended to us in our relationship with the Lord! Moses embodied this shining! He spent such time with the Lord, and had such an intimate relationship that when the Lord showed his glory upon Moses, Moses became radiant.

Radiance, by definition, is the "light emitted or reflected by something". It is an outward shining of an inside change, an extension of the beauty that is embodied within, something that indicates goodness, health, and wealth.

To "radiate", to become radiance itself, is to be so filled up by the glory of God that you can do nothing else but be an extension of His glory. A mere glimpse of the goodness that awaits us.

In my life, I have put plenty of sparkles on my body. I love it. Quite frankly, I think sequins are one of the best additions to a dress you can find. But despite all that glitter, and shimmer, and gold - I think it would be far better to be radiant.

This beauty in Exodus continues after Moses' radiance though: not only do we serve a intimate God who desires a relationship with us, that is so good and fulfilling that it makes us radiate, but He is also a personal God. The Creator who knows us inside and out, and has specially equipped us for the calling He places on our lives.

In this blog, we talk a lot about God having a unique and specific purpose for your life, but how often do we take the time to realise that He has already equipped us for these purposes? That we come into the world, as infant babies, already prepared to do and be everything He calls us to be for the Kingdom.

Exodus 35:10-19

"10 All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the LORD has commanded:

11 the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases;

12 the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain that shields it;

13 the table with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence;

14 the lampstand that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light;

15 the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle;

16 the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin with its stand;

17 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard;

18 the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes;

19 the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary—both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests.”

Exodus 35:30-34

"30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,

31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—

32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze,

33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.

34 And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others."

When God gave the Israelites instructions on how to build the temple, He didn't abandon them or leave them to their own devices - no, He called specific individuals who had a designated skill set! They were teachers, and craftsmen, and it was by no accident or weird twist of fate that they "just so happened to know how to craft" - the Lord equipped them with that skillset from the moment He knew them! He knew who they were, and what they could be, and what tools they would need to do that - and He gave them all those things the moment that they surrendered their hearts to Him!

See, that is the catch about finding the beauty of the Lord that allows us to make beautiful things: it necessitates being surrendered to the glow.

To find your purpose, to find your passions, you must first come to the creator of passions and joy and ask "show me your glory".

This cyclical glimmer, this exchange of radiance that can only happen in a relationship with the Lord is a wonderful thing: you seek His glory and begin to glow, and this produces the glitter of life - fulfilling your purpose. And the more you fulfil your purpose by living in alignment with the Lord, the more you will glow. It's an exchange back and forth that can do nothing but bring extra shimmer to your life - and it is a glimmer worth pursuing.

Now, get out there and sprinkle the world in the best kind of glitter there is,

Emma

"Be fearless in pursuit of what sets your soul on fire."