Tuesday - Exodus 36 - Too Much Generosity

The people were excited.  In fact, they were so pumped up about the building program that they were in at the time that they kept coming every day to give more and more and more gifts. They gave so much stuff that Moses had to restrain the people by commandment to stop them from giving.  While I have seen some similar cases of generosity myself, I'm guessing that not many of God's leaders have had this problem.

So, once they had stopped the flow of freewill offerings, they focused on the making of the items that God had commanded. A talented team of workmen made the parts for the structure of the tabernacle under the direction of Bezaleel and Aholiab. The people did precisely what God had said for them to do (back in Exodus 26).  Here is what they made: 10 linen curtains, 11goat's hair curtains, 2 coverings for the tabernacle, one of red ram's skins and another of badger's skin, 48 wooden boards, 16 bars, 1 veil, 2 cherubim, 5 pillars and all of the various connectors that were to hold all of those pieces together and in place.

If you have ever been a part of a building program then you can imagine just how exhilarating it was for the people to see this thing come together. They had a common goal and purpose. They knew that God was in favor of it. They were unified.

Monday - Exodus 35 - The First Building Program Offering

We'll get to the building program in a moment, but the first thing to take note of in this chapter is yet another repetition of the 4th commandment. By my count this is the sixth time it has been covered specifically in Exodus (Exodus 116:26-30, 20: 8-11, 23:12, 31:15-17, 34:21 & 35:2).  Obviously it was intended to be the core outward expression of godly faith in that era. After all, the penalty for breaking it was death.

The emphasis on the willing hearts of the people is unmistakable in this passage. Exodus 35:5, 21, 22, 26 & 29 all speak conspicuously of the role of the willing heart in the donations which were to be made for the Tabernacle. If all you see in this chapter is a grocery list of the items which were given in order to construct the sanctuary, well, then you have missed the highlight of the text. We need to go further than the offering total. We need to see why the people gave (II Corinthians 9:7).

Not to imply that God didn't affect the hearts of all of these people... quite the contrary is true. Exodus 35:34-35 indicate plainly that God put abilities in these people; that HE filled them with wisdom and desire. No surprise of course...this section features the great mystery of God's wonderful sovereignty and the genuine prerogatives of men (Proverbs 16:9, Genesis 24:27, Jeremiah 10:23 & Psalm 37:23). Obviously these people's hearts couldn't have been so noble without God's influence (Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:11 & Psalm 51:10). We are always ill equipped, yet liable... and, He is always fully equipped and able ... hence the necessity of our reliance upon Him.

Saturday - Exodus 34 – Deep Symbolism

After God had exposed a little of His beauty for Moses to see, He commanded him to come up onto Mt. Sinai again. This time, however, God required him to chisel out blank stone tablets himself (like the first ones which God had given). This was Moses' third major trip up the mountain to receive the very same law.  The first time he only received spoken words.  The second time he got the words and the Decalogue written on tablets which God had made. This time he received the words and God wrote on tablets which Moses had prepared.

There are many intriguing parallels between the two versions of the tablets with the two testaments. God made the first tablets completely alone... and He made the first covenant alone (with Abraham in Genesis 15:12-13). God wrote on the second set of tablets after Moses had made them... and, God made the second covenant with the faith-filled followers of Abraham through a "manmade" (well, woman-made) vessel - namely, Jesus (Galatians 4:4).

The first tablets were broken as soon as Moses got to the bottom of the mountain. And, the first covenant was broken just about as soon as it came forth (Genesis 16:2). The second set of tablets rested safely in the Ark of the Covenant and were never broken...just as the second covenant rests safely in Christ and cannot be broken (Ephesians 4:30).

And, finally, the face of Moses glowed after his second spell of forty days on the mount, which it had not done after the first forty days. This too signifies the glorious efficacy of the second covenant, a glory which the first one did not possess (Hebrews 11:13 & II Corinthians 4:4).

Friday - Exodus 33 - Face to Face

After the episode with the golden calf, God "decided" not to walk among His people anymore. He told Moses that He would go before them, but not among them. It was basically a merciful decision. He was repulsed by their stubbornness and intended to keep His distance from them so as to be less apt to lash out against them in an instant "if" they rebelled again.

Now, this news did not please anyone. When the people heard that God was not going to be with them anymore, they mourned. And, apparently God was immediately affected by that wholesome response. He commanded them to prepare themselves for His presence right away. He indicated that He would reconsider His proposition (Exodus 33:5).

The tabernacle which Moses pitched in this account was not the Tabernacle of God. THE Tabernacle had not yet been constructed (Exodus 36). But it was a tent set up for sacred intercourse. Seekers went there seeking after God. Moses went their too, and when he did, THE cloudy pillar descended to him.

God's presence was there. It was a good distance from the camp, so God was not yet in their midst, but He was close by... and the people saw the cloud. He was in the cloud speaking with Moses... face to face; Friend to friend.

In the conversation that Moses had with Jehovah on that day, he waxed exceedingly bold. And, why not? God had heeded his supplications for the nation, why not press on to higher planes? Notice the gloriously elevated requests of Moses: "Show me Your way, You, Your presence, Your glory."

Thursday - Exodus 32 - A VERY Close Call

The storyline of this chapter is simple. Moses had been gone for a long time and the people got restless. They didn't have a strong leader to point them in the right direction, so they went the wrong way... and quickly. They turned aside from the one true religion to some strange amalgamation of truth and error; sacrifice and sin; invisible God and golden gods. In God's sight it was spiritual infidelity. In Moses' and Joshua's sight it was a sensuous riot. And, strangely, in Aaron's sight...perhaps it was just inevitable.

There is an interesting theme of justice vs. mercy here. At first God was angry and even threatened to annihilate the whole lot of them. Moses pled for Him to be merciful... and, at least for a while, He was. Yet, when Moses saw the decadent display of iniquity for himself... he got mad too. He threw the tables of stone down and broke them, he reduced the idol to powder and forced the nation to drink water polluted with the gold dust, and then he sent the Levites out to execute the guilty (they killed 3000). But, the story is not over. Moses returned to the mount for the very purpose of making atonement for the remaining Israelites.  He even staked his own life in their defense. And, evidently as a result of Moses' intercession, God limited His reaction. He did not destroy them altogether, He only plagued them (Exodus 32:35).

Tuesday - Exodus 31 - The End of the Law

The great monologue was winding down. Moses had been on the mountain for almost 6 weeks. Here we find God's final instructions to him. The principles of the law and the blueprints for tabernacle worship were nearly complete.

With wisdom and kindness God did not send Moses down to do the job alone. God pointed out a couple of very special men who would lead in the construction of the Tabernacle. By God's Spirit, Bezaleel was an expert metallurgist, jeweler and carpenter. Along with Bezaleel God picked Aholiab to help lead in the production of all of the items that were necessary for the construction of the tabernacle and of all of the priestly implements.

Then God reminded Moses of the 4th commandment again. So far there are 2 commandments out of the big 10 that God has reiterated the most: no idols and respect the holy Sabbath. Here, in Exodus 31:14-15, God states plainly that any violation of His Sabbath was a capital crime. Work Sunday to Friday; rest Saturday - period. That was God's requirement for the Jews. And, in this passage He listed three reasons why it mattered so much. 1. It was a permanent sign of the covenant (Exodus 31:13 & 16), 2. It was proof that God was their deliverer (Exodus 31:13) & 3. It was a reminder of God's example (Exodus 31:17).

Truly it takes faith to stop what you're doing when there is still much to be done...just because God said stop.  We can get more done in 6 days with God's help than we can in 7 days without it. In the institution of the Sabbath, God was providing a time of rejuvenation for His children... each week (Mark 2:27). And, He was giving them an evident test of their faith.

Probably the most amazing part of this whole chapter is found in verse 17, "In 6 days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the 7th day He rested, and was refreshed." God was refreshed? What can mean for our omnipotent God to catch His breath?

Finally, God handed Moses the rigid stone tablets upon which the second version of His law was written. They were as fragile as the moral code which they bore. There were 4 laws governing man's interactions with God... and, 6 rules controlling man's interactions with each other. Frankly, it was an impossible proposition.

Monday - Exodus 30 – More Furniture & More Details

In this chapter there are five different sections in which we find plans for the following: 1. The construction of the altar of incense (verses 1-10), 2. The census offering (verses 11-16), 3. The construction of the brazen Iaver (or basin; verses 17-21), 4. The composition and purpose of the holy anointing oil (verses 22 - 33) & 5. The composition of the incense (verses 34-38).

There are some evident representations within this text from which we can glean spiritual applications. First, the ascension of the smoke of the burnt incense would represent the prayers and praises of God's people as they worshipped (Luke 1:10 & Revelation 8:3-4). Just as prayer and praise is a constant obligation in this dispensation, the incense offerings were a daily responsibility too.

Second, the absolute equality of the census offering (regardless of age or wealth) illustrates the uniformity of the plan of redemption. The ransom for each soul was to be the same whether the individual was affluent or destitute (Exodus 30:15). Likewise, there is only one way into the kingdom of heaven. No matter whom you are, what you are, where you are or what you have done... the entrance is the same for everyone. The value of every soul is the same. The price of eternal life is the same. Pious devotees or calloused reprobates... the cost is always the same (John 14:6 & Mark 10:15).

Third, the progressive nature of salvation is seen in the placing of the basin between the brazen altar and the entrance to the holy place (John 13:10, Philippians 1:6 & I John 3:2). While it is true that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross covers the guilt of our sinful nature and our sinning soul, and despite the fact that the journey to the perfect place of spiritual worship is relatively short... we do still need to be cleansed along the way (I John 1:8-9 & Philippians 3:12).

Finally, the holy oil for anointing was representative of the Spirit of God. Everything that is to be used in the worship of our God must be under the blessing and power of the Holy Spirit (including us). And, that which is possessed by the anointing Spirit of Christ should never be degraded by being wasted on any unholy objective.  By His consecrating presence, the Holy Ghost changes everything (Galatians 5:22).