MM Meditation - Outside the Camp

Today's devotional was written by my favorite preacher, my husband Scott.  This is a thought that has blessing his heart this past week, and I wanted to share the blessing.

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Exodus 33:7

Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp,

and called it the tabernacle of meeting.

And it came to pass that everyone who sought the LORD

went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp.

God' presence was moved outside the camp because of sin as shown in Exodus 33:1-6. While Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments, the impatient, unbelieving people were dancing naked before a golden calf in a man-made religion. As a result of God's judgment to the people, we read in Exodus 33:7 that if the people wanted the LORD, they had to leave the comforts of the town, the people and the world's ways to find Him.

God moved His presence.

Now, let's go to the New Testament for an intrepretation and application for us today.

Hebrews 13

11 For the bodies of those animals,

whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin,

are burned outside the camp.

12 Therefore Jesus also,

that He might sanctify the people with His own blood,

suffered outside the gate.

13 Therefore let us go forth to Him,

outside the camp,

 bearing His reproach.

The verse above in Hebrews teaches us that the Lord Jesus was crucified "outside the camp", or outside the city.  Verse 13 teaches us that if we are to have real fellowship and communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, we too must go outside the camp bearing His reproach.


This gives us a beautiful picture of our Lord Jesus, who was crucified outside the camp and we are to go outside the worlds’ religion to seek the Lord Jesus for salvation,  bearing His reproach.

2 Timothy 3:12

 “And all that will live Godly, will suffer persecution."

What a beautiful interpretation we have in Hebrews 13:13 of Exodus 33:7. God, in His wisdom, has made every aspect of the Scriptures harmonize together beautifully.
Application:  Let's you and I go outside the camp, outside "the world's ways" to commune with the Lord Jesus, and suffer His reproach, that we might be like Him.  It's lonely at times to leave the comforts of the world, stand alone and rejected from family, and suffer persecution for being different than the world and professing Christendom.  But, let us stand strong in the Lord Jesus Christ, for He will help us and comfort in our times of need. 

A song that comes to mind:  "It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus . . . "