Day 6 - Friday - Connect the Testaments: A 365-Daily Devotional with Bible Reading Plan - Logos

 February 11: God’s Will: It’s Confusing

Exodus 26–27; John 5:1–15; Song of Solomon 3:6–11

It’s sometimes difficult to understand why God does what He does or why He asks us to do certain things. God goes so far as to list precise materials and calculations in Exod 26 for the tabernacle—the portable temple the Hebrew people built for God in the wilderness.

Nadab says, “Aaron, is it okay if I use leather for this curtain?” You can imagine the conversation:

Aaron responds, “No, you know the rules. If God commands it, you have to do it. I don’t want another golden calf incident. I made that mistake once; I won’t make it twice.”

“But there is more leather,” says Nadab.

“I’m not having this discussion any longer,” Aaron says sternly. (“For an elder, you think he would know better,” Aaron says under his breath.) “Let’s just get the job done.”

In this fictional scene, Aaron is rightfully frustrated because God does know better. Before we ask God, most of us know the answer, “Why?” But we ask Him anyway. God’s will can be confusing, and it’s for this reason that discerning it requires excellent prayer and a dedication to an ongoing relationship with Him. Trying to understand God’s will without that close relationship can be detrimental to us and others. We see this in the golden calf incident later in the exodus narrative (Exod 32).

And isn’t this often the case? God knows what we need before we do; we just don’t always realize that He has already given instructions.

Has God already given instructions for your current situation that you may not have realized yet?

John D. Barry

 Barry, John D., and Rebecca Kruyswijk. Connect the Testaments: A One-Year Daily Devotional with Bible Reading Plan. Print. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012.