However, sin is something that cannot be ignored. It has to be dealt with. Today’s passage is very clear that the Israelites needed to deal with their sin when their sin became known. Likewise, there are verses in the New Testament which clearly tell us Christians to deal with the sin in our lives. We are not permitted to ignore it.

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The first several chapters of Leviticus spell out the requirements for offering different types of sacrifices. Chapter one was about burnt offerings. Chapter two was about grain offerings. The third chapter describes peace offerings.

Lev. 4:1 ¶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Lev. 4:2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and he does any one of them,

Look at the words “sins unintentionally”. This section is about dealing with sin. Also, this is restricted to unintentional sin. The following verses did not tell the Israelites how to deal with deliberate sin and willful rebellion against Yahweh.

Lev. 4:3 if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him bring near to Yahweh a bull from the herd without blemish as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.

This verse is specifically about how a priest was to deal with his unintentional sin. Notice the bull had to be without blemish. The sinning priest had to bring one of his best animals, not one that was going to be killed anyway.

Lev. 4:4 Then he shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before Yahweh, and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and slaughter the bull before Yahweh.

Lev. 4:5 Then the anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting,

Lev. 4:6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before Yahweh in front of the veil of the sanctuary.

In this verse we see the role of blood in dealing with sin. The bull needed to be slaughtered, and then the priest needed to sprinkle some of the blood.

Likewise, Ephesians 1:7 tells us we have redemption through the blood of Jesus.

Furthermore, 1Corinthians 15:3 tells us Jesus died for our sins. 1Peter 3:18 declares that Jesus suffered for sins. The fact that the New Testament has multiple verses equating the death of Jesus with the necessity of dealing with sin gives an indication that sin is not something that can be ignored.

Lev. 4:7 The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which is before Yahweh in the tent of meeting; and all the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

Lev. 4:8 Then he shall raise up from it all the fat of the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat which is on the entrails,

Lev. 4:9 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys

Lev. 4:10 (just as it is raised up from the ox of the sacrifice of peace offerings), and the priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering.

Verses 8-10 list the parts of the bull that were to be burned on the altar in the tabernacle.

Lev. 4:11 But the hide of the bull and all its flesh with its head and its legs and its entrails and its refuse,

Lev. 4:12 that is, all the rest of the bull, he shall bring out to a clean place outside the camp where the ashes are poured out, and he shall burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

Notice the words “all the rest of the bull”. After a portion of the bull was burned in the tabernacle, the rest of the bull was burned outside the camp.

This is a picture of the crucifixion of Jesus. Just as the bull was burned outside the camp, so too Jesus, as the sacrifice for the sins of mankind, was taken outside the city when He was crucified (see Hebrews 13:11-12).

The author of Hebrews tells us to go to Him outside the camp, bearing our reproach. The reason we need to bear reproach is because we are sinners.

Lev. 4:13 ¶ ‘Now if the whole congregation of Israel commits error, and the matter is hidden from the sight of the assembly, and they commit any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and they become guilty;

The words “whole congregation” tell us the following verses explained the procedures for dealing with congregational sin.

Lev. 4:14 when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall bring near a bull from the herd for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting.

Lev. 4:15 Then the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before Yahweh, and the bull shall be slaughtered before Yahweh.

Lev. 4:16 Then the anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull to the tent of meeting;

Lev. 4:17 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before Yahweh in front of the veil.

Once again we see the necessity of sprinkling blood.

Lev. 4:18 And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before Yahweh in the tent of meeting; and all the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

Lev. 4:19 He shall then raise up all its fat from it and offer it up in smoke on the altar.

Lev. 4:20 He shall also do with the bull just as he did with the bull of the sin offering; thus he shall do with it. So the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.

Lev. 4:21 Then he shall bring out the bull to a place outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly.

Take note we see again the words “outside the camp”.

Modern churches are hesitant to talk about sin. They believe the topic of sin turns people away from church; therefore, they avoid the subject lest they turn away people who can fill pews and donate money.

However, the New Testament has multiple verses that speak to the necessity of dealing with sin. When John the Baptist did his ministry, he baptized people in conjunction with confession of sin (see Matthew 3:6). When Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, he spoke about the forgiveness of sins (see Acts 2:38). Paul wrote that all have sinned (see Romans 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death (see Romans 6:23). Paul commanded the Corinthians to stop sinning (see 1Corinthians 15:34). He informed the Galatians that Jesus gave Himself for our sins (Galatians 1:4). When he wrote to the Ephesians he used the term dead to describe the status of non-Christians due to sin (see Ephesians 2:1). James 5:16 commands us to confess our sins to one another.

Sin is something that cannot be ignored. It has to be dealt with. Today’s passage is very clear that the Israelites needed to deal with their sin when their sin became known. Likewise, there are verses in the New Testament which clearly tell us to deal with the sin in our lives. We cannot ignore it. Therefore, churches should not ignore the topic of sin.

Does your church talk about sin and the necessity of dealing with it and removing it from our lives?

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Many people spend a lot of time exploring how to have peace in the political realm and the interpersonal realm. Today’s passage prompts us to consider how we can be at peace with God.

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The opening chapters of Leviticus explain how the Israelites were to use the tabernacle. Chapter one lists the rules that regulated burnt offerings. The second chapter defines the requirements and procedures for bringing grain offerings. Today, we will read about a third type of sacrifice.

Lev. 3:1 ¶ ‘Now if his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings, if he is going to bring near one from the herd, whether male or female, he shall bring it near without blemish before Yahweh.

The words “male or female” indicate the Israelites had some freedom to decide what to bring as a sacrifice, but it still had to be a perfect animal.

Notice the word “peace”. Chapter three describes peace offerings, which were distinct and different from burnt offerings.

Life is full of conflict and discord with other people. Throughout the world, there is constant warfare between nations and people groups. Many people wish we would have peace instead.

Likewise, the Old Testament often mentions the existence of strife and discord between God and humans. Yahweh brought vengeance on many nations who rejected Him.

On the other hand, Israel was God’s chosen people. Thus, there was peace between Yahweh and Israel, or at least there was supposed to be peace. The peace offering symbolized the peace that existed when Israel obeyed Yahweh’s commands.

Today, many people are opposed to God. They refuse to obey the commands of our Creator. Thus, they are in conflict with God.

However, we can be at peace with God. Romans 5:1 tells us we can have peace with God through Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:20 explains that we can make peace through the blood of the cross and no longer be alienated from God. There are many verses throughout the New Testament that mention the peace that comes from God.

Lev. 3:2 Then he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall splash the blood around on the altar.

Lev. 3:3 From the sacrifice of the peace offerings he shall bring an offering by fire near to Yahweh, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,

Look at the words “from” and “an offering”. Unlike the burnt offering in which the entire animal was burned on the altar, when bringing a peace offering, only part of the animal was burned. Verses 3-4 specify the parts of the animal that were to be burned.

Lev. 3:4 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys.

Lev. 3:5 Then Aaron’s sons shall offer it up in smoke on the altar on the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire; it is an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.

Take note of the word “soothing”. The aroma of the sacrifice was soothing to Yahweh.

Lev. 3:6 But if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh is from the flock, he shall bring it near, male or female, without blemish.

Lev. 3:7 If he is going to bring near a lamb for his offering, then he shall bring it near before Yahweh,

Lev. 3:8 and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it before the tent of meeting, and Aaron’s sons shall splash its blood around on the altar.

Lev. 3:9 And from the sacrifice of peace offerings he shall bring near as an offering by fire to Yahweh its fat, the entire fat tail which he shall remove close to the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,

Once again we see the words “from” and “an offering” repeating the requirement that only part of the animal was burned.

Lev. 3:10 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys.

Lev. 3:11 Then the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar as food, an offering by fire to Yahweh.

Lev. 3:12 ¶ ‘Moreover, if his offering is a goat, then he shall bring it near before Yahweh,

Lev. 3:13 and he shall lay his hand on its head and slaughter it before the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aaron shall splash its blood around on the altar.

Lev. 3:14 And from it he shall bring near his offering as an offering by fire to Yahweh the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,

Lev. 3:15 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys.

Lev. 3:16 And the priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar as food, an offering by fire for a soothing aroma; all fat is Yahweh’s.

Lev. 3:17 It is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your places of habitation: you shall not eat any fat or any blood.’”

Notice the words “you shall not eat any fat or any blood”. The instructions in today’s passage specified that all the fat was to be burned. That was in line with a broader requirement in the Mosaic Law. The Israelites were never permitted to eat fat or blood, even when eating an animal that was not offered as a sacrifice.

There is much conflict around the world. People are at odds with other people. Nations are at war with other nations. Most humans stand opposed to Jesus, our Creator.

Many people spend a lot of time exploring how to have peace in the political realm and the interpersonal realm. We also need to ponder how we can be at peace with God.

The Israelites had peace with Yahweh because they were God’s chosen people. They offered peace offerings which symbolized that peace.

Christians have peace with God through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Are you at peace with God, our Creator?

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The book of Exodus describes the construction of the tabernacle. The opening chapters of Leviticus list the rules and regulations for using the tabernacle. The first chapter dealt with burnt offerings. Today, we will read about grain offerings.

Lev. 2:1 ¶ ‘Now when anyone brings near a grain offering as an offering to Yahweh, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it.

Notice the word “grain”. We often associate only animals with the Old Testament sacrificial system, but grain was also an acceptable offering.

This has ramifications on the story of Cain and Abel. Some people mistakenly believe the reason Abel’s offering was accepted by God, while Cain’s was not, was because Abel brought an animal sacrifice, but Cain brought fruit of the ground. This belief is based on the false assumption that only animal sacrifices were acceptable.

That assumption is not correct. Grain was an acceptable sacrifice. The real problem with Cain’s offering was he did not bring his first nor his best.

Look at the words “fine flour” in verse 1. Grain can exist in multiple forms: raw grain, flour, or cooked. This instruction was for bringing flour.

Lev. 2:2 He shall then bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests; and he shall take from it his handful of its fine flour and of its oil with all of its frankincense. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke as its memorial portion on the altar, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.

Take note of the word “handful”. Only a handful of the flour was burned on the altar.

Lev. 2:3 And the remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy of the offerings to Yahweh by fire.

The bulk of the grain offering went to Aaron and his sons. Aaron and his sons earned a living by working in the tabernacle. Giving Aaron and his sons a share of the sacrifices was how Aaron and his sons were paid.

Lev. 2:4 ¶ ‘Now when you bring near an offering of a grain offering baked in an oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers spread with oil.

The words “baked in an oven” tell us this instruction pertains to cooked grain, not raw grain nor flour. The word “unleavened” tells us the bread had to be a certain type of bread. It could not have yeast in it.

Lev. 2:5 And if your offering is a grain offering made on the griddle, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened, mixed with oil;

The word “griddle” indicates this is a third form in which a grain offering could be brought to Yahweh.

Once again we see the word “unleavened”.

Lev. 2:6 you shall break it into bits and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.

Lev. 2:7 Now if your offering is a grain offering made in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.

The word “griddle” denotes a fourth form for bringing a grain offering before Yahweh.

Lev. 2:8 And you will bring in the grain offering which is made of these things to Yahweh, and it shall be brought near to the priest, and he shall bring it to the altar.

Lev. 2:9 The priest then shall raise up from the grain offering its memorial portion, and he shall offer it up in smoke on the altar as an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.

Lev. 2:10 And the remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy of the offerings to Yahweh by fire.

This verse also specifies that part of the grain offering was given to Aaron and his sons as their income.

Lev. 2:11 ¶ ‘No grain offering, which you bring near to Yahweh, shall be made with leaven, for you shall not offer up in smoke any leaven or any honey as an offering by fire to Yahweh.

Take note of the prohibition against leaven and honey. They were not allowed to be part of the sacrifice.

This imagery is used in the New Testament. Paul commanded Christians to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, and instead put on the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (see 1Cor. 5:7-8).

Most bread is leavened bread. Likewise, the natural state of people is to be full of malice and wickedness. Just as the Israelites had to be intentional about bringing grain offerings that did not include leaven, so too, it takes intentional effort on the part of Christians to remove malice and wickedness in order to live lives marked by sincerity and truth.

Lev. 2:12 As an offering of first fruits you shall bring them near to Yahweh, but they shall not ascend for a soothing aroma on the altar.

Lev. 2:13 Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall bring salt near.

Notice the word “salt”. A grain offering required salt. Likewise, Jesus characterized His followers as being the salt of the earth.

Lev. 2:14 ¶ ‘Also if you bring near a grain offering of early ripened things to Yahweh, you shall bring near fresh heads of grain roasted in the fire, grits of new growth, for the grain offering of your early ripened things.

Lev. 2:15 You shall then put oil on it and place frankincense on it; it is a grain offering.

Lev. 2:16 And the priest shall offer up in smoke its memorial portion, part of its grits and its oil with all its frankincense as an offering by fire to Yahweh.

The natural state of humans is to be full of malice, deceit, and wickedness. However, Jesus expects us Christians to be characterized instead by truth and righteousness. Just as the Israelites had to be intentional about bringing grain offerings that did not include leaven, so too Christians need to deliberately remove malice and wickedness from our lives in order to live lives marked by sincerity and truth.

What is some malice and wickedness that you need to remove from your life?

What can you do to be known as a person of sincerity and truth?

Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. If you have already joined my email list, thank you and please tell others about Bible Mountain. If you have not joined my email list yet, please do so now. In order to join, go to Bible Mountain dotcom, click on subscribe, and that will take you to a page where you can sign up. Your email address will not be sold nor given away. Once again, thanks for visiting Bible Mountain.

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”

Today’s passage teaches us that the Israelites had to follow very specific rules when they went to the tabernacle. Failure to do so meant their time in the tabernacle was not accepted by Yahweh. If Yahweh rejected Old Testament sacrifices if His rules were not followed, perhaps He also rejects our church services if His rules are not followed.

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Over the last two months, we read through the book of Exodus which tells us about the Israelites escaping from their slavery in Egypt and going to Mount Sinai to receive the Law from Yahweh. The middle part of Exodus includes a description of the construction of the tabernacle. At the end of the book, the tabernacle was assembled by Moses and then Yahweh filled it with His glory.

Today, we start reading through the book of Leviticus. Leviticus opens by explaining the rules for using the tabernacle.

Lev. 1:1 ¶ Then Yahweh called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying,

Lev. 1:2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man from among you brings an offering near to Yahweh, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock.

Look at the word “offering”. An offering was a gift. The first thing the author of Leviticus did was document the rules and regulations for giving gifts to Yahweh.

Lev. 1:3 If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall bring it near, a male without blemish; he shall bring it near to the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before Yahweh.

Notice the word “burnt”. Verse 3 begins a section that describes burnt offerings. The word burnt means the offering was burned up.

Look at the words “without blemish”. A burnt offering had to be perfect. It had to be the best you had to offer.

Ponder the phrase “that he may be accepted before Yahweh”. In order for the offering to be accepted, it had to be offered according to God’s rules.

Most Christians acknowledge that Christians should serve Jesus in some fashion. Going to church is one of the methods employed to demonstrate our devotion to God. There is a mentality within Christianity that it doesn’t matter much what we do in church, or who does it, because God is a God of love and grace; therefore, He will accept anything. There is very little fear that God won’t accept our so-called worship services.

However, we see in this verse that in order to be accepted, an offering had to be offered according to God’s rules. This should prompt us to ponder whether our time spent in church is actually being accepted by God. Do we do church according to God’s rules?

For example, the New Testament tells us women should be silent in church. Very few churches in the 21st century obey that command. We should consider the possibility that Jesus does not believe or accept the praise and adulation offered in any church service where women are not silent.

Lev. 1:4 And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.

Take note of the words “lay his hand” and “accepted”. One of the requirements for having a burnt offering be accepted was to lay hands on the offering.

Lev. 1:5 Then he shall slaughter the young bull before Yahweh; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring near the blood and splash the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

Lev. 1:6 And he shall then skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces.

Lev. 1:7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.

Lev. 1:8 Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the suet over the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar.

Lev. 1:9 Its entrails, however, and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.

Look at the words “all of it”. This offering was called a burnt offering because the entirety of the offering was burned. None of the offering was eaten by either the priests or the person bringing the offering.

Lev. 1:10 ¶ ‘But if his offering is from the flock, of the sheep or of the goats, for a burnt offering, he shall bring near a male without blemish.

Once again we see the words “without blemish”. An offering had to be perfect. This aligns with the requirement that the method of bringing the offering had to be perfect.

Lev. 1:11 And he shall slaughter it on the side of the altar northward before Yahweh, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall splash its blood around on the altar.

Lev. 1:12 He shall then cut it into its pieces with its head and its suet, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar.

Lev. 1:13 The entrails, however, and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall bring all of it near and offer it up in smoke on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.

Once again we see the words “all of it”, meaning the entirety of the offering was burned.

Lev. 1:14 ¶ ‘But if his offering to Yahweh is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring near his offering from the turtledoves or from young pigeons.

Lev. 1:15 And the priest shall bring it near to the altar and wring off its head and offer it up in smoke on the altar; and its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar.

Lev. 1:16 He shall also take away its crop with its feathers and cast it beside the altar eastward, to the place of the ashes.

Lev. 1:17 Then he shall tear it by its wings, but he shall not separate it. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar on the wood which is on the fire; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.

Going to church is one of the main methods we employ in serving Jesus. There is a mentality within Christianity that it doesn’t matter much what we do in church, or who does it, because God is a God of love and grace; therefore, He will accept anything. There is very little fear that God doesn’t accept our so-called worship services.

We see in the opening verses of Leviticus that an offering had to be offered according to God’s rules in order for Yahweh to accept it. This should prompt us to ponder whether our time spent in church is actually being accepted by God if we do not diligently obey all of His rules regarding how to do church.

Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. If you have already joined my email list, thank you and please tell others about Bible Mountain. If you have not joined my email list yet, please do so now. In order to join, go to Bible Mountain dotcom, click on subscribe, and that will take you to a page where you can sign up. Your email address will not be sold nor given away. Once again, thanks for visiting Bible Mountain.

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Today, we will finish reading the book of Exodus. We are going to see that washing with water was a vital practice in the tabernacle. The concept of washing also appears in the New Testament and describes salvation. Just as the priests in the tabernacle had to wash their bodies so they were physically clean, so too people today need to be spiritually clean in order to go to heaven. If we don’t talk about sin, we cannot adequately tell people what they need to have washed away in order to go to heaven.

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The book of Exodus contains many instructions given to Moses and the Israelites regarding how to build and construct the tabernacle. After they faithfully collected the materials and fashioned them into the various parts needed to form the tabernacle, it was time to put all the pieces together into one unit. The 40th chapter of Exodus describes that process.

First, Yahweh instructed Moses on how to assemble the tabernacle. Then He specified the process for ordaining Aaron and his sons as the priests.

Ex. 40:12 Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.

Notice the word “wash”. The Israelites were out in the wilderness, so it would have been dusty. The first step for ordaining Aaron and his sons was to wash them so that they would be clean.

Ex. 40:13 You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and set him apart as holy, that he may minister as a priest to Me.

The anointing was a tangible act, viewed by many people, that set apart Aaron as the high priest and gave him authority.

Ex. 40:14 You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them;

Ex. 40:15 and you shall anoint them even as you have anointed their father, that they may minister as priests to Me; and their anointing will be for them for a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”

Look at the word “perpetual”. The anointing of Aaron and his sons was not just an anointing of them, it was also an anointing of their descendants.

Ex. 40:16 Thus Moses did; according to all that Yahweh had commanded him, so he did.

Take note of the fact that Moses obeyed and did exactly what Yahweh told him to do.

Ex. 40:17 ¶ Now it happened, in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected.

Take note of the words “first month” and “second year”. According to Exodus 12 the Israelites left Egypt in the first month. Then Exodus 19 tells us the Israelites entered the wilderness of Sinai in the third month. The assembly of the tabernacle took place in the first month of the second year, meaning it took them less than a year to receive the law, assemble materials, and craft all the items that made up the tabernacle.

Ex. 40:18 Moses erected the tabernacle and laid its bases and set up its boards and inserted its bars and erected its pillars.

Ex. 40:19 He spread the tent over the tabernacle and placed the covering of the tent on top of it, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Notice the phrase “just as Yahweh had commanded”. This phrase will occur multiple times in the following verses.

Ex. 40:20 Then he took the testimony and put it into the ark and attached the poles to the ark and put the mercy seat on top of the ark.

Ex. 40:21 He brought the ark into the tabernacle and placed the veil of the screen and screened off the ark of the testimony, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Ex. 40:22 Then he put the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil.

Ex. 40:23 He set the arrangement of bread in order on it before Yahweh, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Ex. 40:24 Then he placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle.

Ex. 40:25 He lighted the lamps before Yahweh, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Ex. 40:26 Then he placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the veil;

Ex. 40:27 and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Ex. 40:28 Then he placed the screen at the doorway of the tabernacle.

Ex. 40:29 He placed the altar of burnt offering before the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and he offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Ex. 40:30 He placed the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing.

Take note of the words “water” and “washing”.

Ex. 40:31 From it Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet.

In this verse we see the word “washed”. Moses and the priests were required to wash their hands and feet. They had to be physically clean when they were in the tabernacle.

Ex. 40:32 When they entered the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Notice the phrase “just as Yahweh had commanded”. Eight times this passage informs us Moses did just as Yahweh had commanded him.

Once again, take note of the word “washed”. This verse tells us being clean was required when the priests were in the tent of meeting and when they approached the altar.

The necessity of washing is a picture of salvation. When Saul was converted, he was told to wash away his sins (see Acts 22:16). 1Cor 6:11 tells us salvation washes people from being idolaters, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers. Ephesians 5 describes how Christ washes the church and makes her holy and blameless.

There is a trend in Christianity to avoid the topic of sin because some Christians are afraid talking about sin will turn people away from Christianity. The problem is being cleansed from sin is a central tenet of what it means to become a Christian. If we don’t talk about sin and the fact that sin makes us “unclean”, then we won’t adequately communicate to people why they need to be saved.

Ex. 40:33 He erected the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and he put up the screen for the gateway of the court. Thus Moses finished the work.

Ex. 40:34 ¶ Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle.

Ex. 40:35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had dwelt on it, and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle.

Ex. 40:36 Now throughout all their journeys whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out;

Ex. 40:37 but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up.

Ex. 40:38 For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of Yahweh was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.

In recent decades, many churches have stopped talking about sin. They believe the topic of sin turns people away; therefore, they speak about salvation only in positive terms.

However, just as the priests needed to wash dirt off their bodies before they performed their priestly duties, so too people need to have their sins washed away in order to go to heaven. If Christians never talk about sin, we cannot sufficiently inform people what they need to do in order to be saved.

Does your church adequately proclaim the fact that people need to wash away their sins in order to be saved?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”

The reality is emotion is not a good change agent. It is easy to obey God for a short time while we are on an emotional high; however, being God’s servant is hard, and emotional highs do not last. When the emotion wears off, we often return to ungodly behavior.

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Humanity has always been this way. There is an example of this in the book of Exodus. Today’s passage recounts a time when Israel fully obeyed Yahweh and did exactly as He commanded them. However, the rest of the Old Testament proves that Israel’s obedience was inconsistent. They disobeyed more often than they obeyed. This warns us that we should avoid that pattern.

Multiple chapters in Exodus describe the requirements for building the tabernacle and the collection of the necessary materials. After they built all the components, it was time to present them to Moses.

Ex. 39:32 ¶ Thus all the service of constructing the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was completed; and the sons of Israel did according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses; so they did.

Look at the phrase “according to all that Yahweh had commanded”. The book of Exodus records long instructions Yahweh gave regarding how to build the tabernacle, including dimensions, materials to be used, and the people who were to lead the work. When building the tabernacle, the Israelites obeyed and did exactly what God told them to do.

Ex. 39:33 They brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings: its clasps, its boards, its bars, and its pillars and its bases;

Ex. 39:34 and the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of porpoise skins, and the screening veil;

Ex. 39:35 the ark of the testimony and its poles and the mercy seat;

Ex. 39:36 the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;

Ex. 39:37 the pure gold lampstand, with its arrangement of lamps and all its utensils, and the oil for the light;

Ex. 39:38 and the gold altar, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the veil for the doorway of the tent;

Ex. 39:39 the bronze altar and its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils, the laver and its stand;

Ex. 39:40 the hangings for the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords and its pegs, and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting;

Ex. 39:41 the woven garments for ministering in the holy place and the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests.

Ex. 39:42 Thus, according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did in all their service.

Pay attention to the message of this verse. The sons of Israel did exactly what Yahweh commanded them to do.

Ex. 39:43 And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; just as Yahweh had commanded, so they had done. Then Moses blessed them.

Once again, notice the phrase “just as Yahweh had commanded”.

When they built the tabernacle, the Israelites obeyed Yahweh and followed His instructions very faithfully. They probably did that because they were at Mount Sinai and they were seeing God display His glory on the mountain. They were on an emotional high.

Unfortunately, the Israelites’ obedience was inconsistent. They had started worshipping a golden calf before they built the tabernacle. Later, after they left Mount Sinai, the Israelites repeatedly disobeyed God’s law that had been given to them at Mount Sinai.

Their inconsistency mirrors our inconsistency. It is easy to completely obey Yahweh for a short time. Being obedient over the long haul is a different matter.

Shortly after a person becomes a believer, he is on an emotional high and finds it easy to obey all of God’s commands and live a very different life from the life he lived before he was a Christian. However, over time, the initial enthusiasm wears off, and it is easy to fall back into bad behavior.

When people go on spiritual retreats or mission trips, they often come back highly enthusiastic about serving God. For a short time, it is easy to be fully committed to serving God completely. However, over time the exuberance wears off, and eventually, it becomes hard to make the sacrifice required to obey all of God’s commands.

When I was growing up, our church had annual revival events where we brought in a guest speaker who encouraged us to repent and raise the standards by which we live our lives. During the revival, the congregation was on an emotional high and vowed to change their lives. However, one week after the revival was over, the emotion wore off, and everyone resumed living just as they had before the week-long revival.

Ex. 40:1 ¶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Ex. 40:2 “On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

Ex. 40:3 You shall place the ark of the testimony there, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.

Ex. 40:4 You shall bring in the table and arrange what belongs on it; and you shall bring in the lampstand and mount its lamps.

Ex. 40:5 Moreover, you shall set the gold altar of incense before the ark of the testimony and set up the veil for the doorway to the tabernacle.

Ex. 40:6 You shall set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

Ex. 40:7 You shall set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it.

Ex. 40:8 You shall set up the court all around and hang up the screen for the gateway of the court.

Ex. 40:9 Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it and set it apart as holy and all its furnishings; and it shall be holy.

Ex. 40:10 You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and set the altar apart as holy, and the altar shall be most holy.

Ex. 40:11 You shall anoint the laver and its stand, and set it apart as holy.

There were times in Israel’s history when they fully and completely obeyed Yahweh. Unfortunately, they were not able to obey consistently over the long term.

Likewise, it is easy for us to be fully devoted to God for a short period of time. However, God wants us to obey every day for years. Instead of relying on emotion for short-term enthusiasm, we should focus on developing the self-discipline necessary to obey God every day for the rest of our lives.

To what extent do you rely on emotional highs to try and grow spiritually?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”

The Bible is very clear that Christians need to be different from the world. We should not seek the approval of the masses. Instead, we should seek God’s approval. When non-Christians look at us, they should know that we are different.

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Under the Mosaic Law, the high priest was the ultimate example of being holy and set apart. He was the highest religious authority. He wore garments that were designed to visually set him apart as different and unique. When the Israelites went to the tabernacle, they knew precisely which man was the high priest because his clothing was unique and identified him as the high priest.

The distinctiveness of the high priestly garments is a picture of how we are to live our lives in a way that differentiates us from the world in which we live.

The 39th chapter of Exodus describes the clothing of the high priest. The first item was an ephod. It had shoulder pieces and onyx stones were attached to the shoulder pieces.

Ex. 39:8 ¶ He made the breastpiece, the work of a skillful designer, like the workmanship of the ephod: of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen.

Notice the words “blue and purple and scarlet material”. The breastpiece was multi-colored. Multiple colors added to the complexity of creating it; thus, increasing the value and uniqueness of the breastpiece.

Ex. 39:9 It was square; they made the breastpiece, having been folded double, a span long and a span wide when folded double.

Ex. 39:10 And they mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald;

Very few people have garments with four rows of stones. A breastpiece with gemstones was unique; thus indicating the uniqueness and stature of the priest who wore the breastpiece.

Ex. 39:11 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;

Ex. 39:12 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

Ex. 39:13 and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were set in their filigree settings with gold filigree.

Look at the words “gold filigree”. Gold is expensive and soft. It is not a material typically used to create clothing. The inclusion of gold in the garments of the priest contributed to the exclusivity of the garments.

Ex. 39:14 The stones were corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel; they were twelve, corresponding to their names, engraved with the engravings of a signet, each with its name for the twelve tribes.

Ex. 39:15 They made on the breastpiece chains of a twisted work of cords in pure gold.

Wearing gold chains communicates wealth and prestige.

Ex. 39:16 They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece.

Ex. 39:17 Then they put the two gold cords in the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece.

Ex. 39:18 They put the other two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it.

Ex. 39:19 They made two gold rings and placed them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inner edge which was next to the ephod.

Ex. 39:20 Furthermore, they made two gold rings and placed them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it, close to the place where it joined, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.

Ex. 39:21 They bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it would be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece would not come loose from the ephod, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Notice the words “would not come loose”. The garments were to be secure.

Ex. 39:22 ¶ Then he made the robe of the ephod of woven work entirely of blue;

Ex. 39:23 and the opening of the robe was at the top in the center, as the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding all around its opening, so that it would not be torn.

Torn clothing communicates sloppiness and poverty. Care was taken to make sure the robe would not tear so as to proclaim wealth, prestige, and attentiveness.

Ex. 39:24 They made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material and twisted linen on the hem of the robe.

Ex. 39:25 They also made bells of pure gold and put the bells between the pomegranates all around on the hem of the robe,

Ex. 39:26 alternating a bell and a pomegranate all around on the hem of the robe for the ministry, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Everyday clothing does not have bells and pomegranates hanging on the hem. Thus, the inclusion of these items created a distinctive aura around the high priest.

Ex. 39:27 ¶ They made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aaron and his sons,

Ex. 39:28 and the turban of fine linen, and the headdresses of the caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twisted linen,

In addition to the multiple layers of clothing, the priest wore a turban.

Ex. 39:29 and the sash of fine twisted linen, and blue and purple and scarlet material, the work of the weaver, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

In addition to layers of clothing and a turban, the priest had a sash. The multiple layers and items of clothing created an outfit that stood out and was one of a kind, befitting the status of the high priest as one of a kind.

Ex. 39:30 ¶ They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold and wrote upon it with engraved writing as found on a signet, “Holy to Yahweh.”

Consider the words “Holy to Yahweh”. The word “holy” means set apart. The high priest was set apart to serve in the tabernacle. He did not need to have a job outside the priesthood to support himself. His livelihood came from serving in the tabernacle.

The clothing he wore as high priest was designed to set him apart by making him look unique, dignified, and important. Any Israelite who went to the tabernacle could identify the high priest because his clothing set him apart from everyone else.

As Christians, we are commanded to be different from the world. Furthermore, there is a specific command that tells us how to be recognized as Christians. It is found in John 13:34-35 where we are told to love one another. We are promised that if we have love for one another, then all people will know that we are disciples of Jesus.

Ex. 39:31 They fastened a blue cord to it, to fasten it on the turban above, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

It is human nature to want to fit in, be like everyone else, and enjoy the approval of the masses. However, the Bible is very clear that Christians need to be different from the world. We should not seek the approval of the masses. Instead, we should seek God’s approval.

The high priest was identified by the clothing he wore. Anyone entering the tabernacle could pick out the high priest because his clothing identified him as the priest.

As Christians, we are not commanded to stand out as Christians by what we wear. Instead, we are commanded to identify ourselves as disciples of Jesus by loving one another.

When non-Christians look at you, do they see a loving person and know that you are a Christian?

Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. If you have already joined my email list, thank you and please tell others about Bible Mountain. If you have not joined my email list yet, please do so now. In order to join, go to Bible Mountain dotcom, click on subscribe, and that will take you to a page where you can sign up. Your email address will not be sold nor given away. Once again, thanks for visiting Bible Mountain.

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”

Many Christians have the mentality that congregations should spend as little money as possible when building a church. This is particularly true in evangelicalism. Some Christians think it is wrong to build expensive churches. After all, any dollar spent on a building is one less dollar that could feed the poor or support overseas missionaries. This prevalent mentality means church buildings often end up being simple, small, and constructed of cheap materials.

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The 38th chapter of Exodus gives us some insight into what it would cost to build the wilderness tabernacle in today’s dollars. This chapter specifies how much gold, silver, and bronze were consumed while building the tabernacle. By doing some conversions, we can estimate the value of the materials used to build the tabernacle. It is not a small sum. This means, at a bare minimum, we need to consider the possibility that there is nothing wrong with a congregation building a fabulous, expensive structure in which to gather as a congregation.

The 36th through 38th chapters of Exodus list the items that were crafted for the tabernacle. There were walls, curtains, coverings, furniture, clasps, and bases. The end of chapter 38 summarizes the amount of materials used.

Ex. 38:21 ¶ These are the things numbered for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were numbered according to the command of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

Ex. 38:22 Now Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Ex. 38:23 With him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, a craftsman and a skillful designer and a weaver in blue and in purple and in scarlet material and fine linen.

Ex. 38:24 ¶ All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the wave offering, was 29 talents and 730 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.

A talent was roughly 75 pounds, 34 kg or 1,200 troy ounces. A shekel was about .4 ounces or 11.5 grams. This year, the price of gold is around $4,750 per troy ounce, so one talent of gold is worth $5.7 million in today’s dollars, meaning 29 talents of gold would be worth about $165 million today.

Ex. 38:25 The silver of those of the congregation who were numbered was 100 talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary;

Ex. 38:26 a beka a head (that is, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary), for each one who passed over to those who were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men.

Ex. 38:27 One hundred talents of silver were for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; one hundred bases for one hundred talents, a talent for a base.

Again, a talent was roughly 75 pounds, 34 kg, or 1,200 troy ounces. The price of silver this year is around $75 per troy ounce. This means 1 talent of silver is worth around $90,000, so 100 talents of silver would be worth around $9 million today.

Ex. 38:28 Of the 1,775 shekels, he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their tops and made bands for them.

Ex. 38:29 The bronze of the wave offering was 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.

A talent of bronze is roughly 75 pounds, a pound of bronze costs roughly $3; therefore, a talent of bronze is worth $225, meaning 70 talents of bronze is worth approximately $15,000.

The value of the gold, silver, and bronze used to create the tabernacle is roughly $165 million dollars in today’s currency.

For comparison, St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is estimated to have cost around $7 billion to build. The estimate spent to build Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France is around $2 billion. The People’s Salvation Cathedral in Bucharest, Romania was completed in the last 10 years at a cost of approximately $313 million. The Tabernacle of Glory in North Miami, Florida opened a couple years ago and cost around $60 million.

Ex. 38:30 With it he made the bases to the doorway of the tent of meeting, and the bronze altar and its bronze grating, and all the utensils of the altar,

Ex. 38:31 and the bases of the court all around and the bases of the gate of the court, and all the pegs of the tabernacle and all the pegs of the court all around.

Ex. 39:1 ¶ Moreover, from the blue and purple and scarlet material, they made finely woven garments for ministering in the holy place as well as the holy garments which were for Aaron, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Ex. 39:2 ¶ He made the ephod of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen.

Ex. 39:3 Then they hammered out gold sheets and cut them into threads to be woven in with the blue and the purple and the scarlet material and the fine linen, the work of a skillful designer.

Ex. 39:4 They made joining shoulder pieces for the ephod; it was joined at its two upper ends.

Ex. 39:5 The skillfully woven band which was on it was like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

The Bible does not specify the amount of fabric used to make the priestly garments so a value is hard to calculate, but the value was probably at least $5,000 and perhaps as high as $25,000.

Ex. 39:6 ¶ They made the onyx stones, set all around in filigree settings of gold; they were engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.

Ex. 39:7 And he placed them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Many Christians have the mentality that congregations should spend as little money as possible when building a church, with some people thinking it is wrong to build expensive churches. However, the tabernacle in the wilderness was not created with cheap materials. Today, it would require at least $150 million to build the tabernacle, not including the cost of the labor necessary to create the tabernacle.

That is not a small sum. This means, at a bare minimum, we need to consider the possibility that there is nothing wrong with a congregation building a fabulous, expensive structure in which to gather as a congregation.

Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. If you have already joined my email list, thank you and please tell others about Bible Mountain. If you have not joined my email list yet, please do so now. In order to join, go to Bible Mountain dotcom, click on subscribe, and that will take you to a page where you can sign up. Your email address will not be sold nor given away. Once again, thanks for visiting Bible Mountain.

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”

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In recent centuries, there has been an effort within the art world to move away from symmetry toward art that is asymmetrical and not balanced. There has been a deliberate attempt to create and celebrate art that is somewhat jarring and disjointed. Pleasing the eye is not the goal. In fact, oftentimes the goal seems to be to disturb the person viewing the art.

When Yahweh gave the Israelites instructions regarding how to build the tabernacle, He gave them the specific dimensions, including the exact number of pillars that were to be used to support the curtains. These dimensions show clearly whether or not the tabernacle had symmetry. At some point we need to consider whether the lesson about symmetry that can be derived from the tabernacle should be applied to buildings and art that are created in the 21st century.

The 37th chapter of Exodus describes the construction of the tabernacle. It starts by detailing how Bezalel made the ark, mercy seat, table, and lampstand. In the following verses, the pronoun “he” refers to Bezalel.

Ex. 37:25 ¶ Then he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit long and a cubit wide, square, and two cubits high; its horns were of one piece with it.

A cubit was around 18 inches. Note the incense altar was square, about 18 inches by 18 inches, and it was twice as tall as it was wide. It was symmetrical.

Ex. 37:26 He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and he made a gold molding for it all around.

Look at the words “all around” which appear twice. The gold overlay was applied to all sides. The molding was added to all sides. This added to the symmetry of the altar.

Ex. 37:27 He made two golden rings for it under its molding, on its two sides—on opposite sides—as holders for poles with which to carry it.

Notice the word “opposite”. There were two rings, and the rings were on opposite sides, which maintained the symmetry of the altar.

Ex. 37:28 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

Ex. 37:29 And he made the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense of spices, the work of a perfumer.

Ex. 38:1 ¶ Then he made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits wide, square, and three cubits high.

Take note of the word “square”. The altar of burnt offering was symmetrical.

A cubit was around 18 inches, so the burnt offering altar was about 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) square. At three cubits in height, the altar would have been around 4.5 feet (1.5 meters) tall.

Ex. 38:2 He made its horns on its four corners, its horns being of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze.

Look at the words “four corners”. There was a horn on each of the four corners, which added to and maintained the symmetry.

Ex. 38:3 He made all the utensils of the altar, the pots and the shovels and the bowls, the flesh hooks and the firepans; he made all its utensils of bronze.

Ex. 38:4 He made for the altar a grating of a network of bronze beneath, under its ledge, reaching halfway down.

Ex. 38:5 He cast four rings on the four ends of the bronze grating as holders for the poles.

Ex. 38:6 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze.

Ex. 38:7 He inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made it hollow with planks.

Ex. 38:8 ¶ Moreover, he made the laver of bronze with its base of bronze, from the mirrors of the serving women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

Ex. 38:9 ¶ Then he made the court: for the south side the hangings of the court were of fine twisted linen, one hundred cubits;

The hangings that formed the south side of the courtyard were one hundred cubits long.

Ex. 38:10 their twenty pillars, and their twenty bases, made of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver.

There were twenty pillars on the south side.

Ex. 38:11 For the north side there were one hundred cubits; their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver.

The north side also had twenty pillars stretching over one hundred cubits, meaning the north and south sides were identical.

Ex. 38:12 For the west side there were hangings of fifty cubits with their ten pillars and their ten bases; the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver.

The west side was exactly half the dimensions of the north and south sides. There were only ten pillars stretching over fifty cubits.

Ex. 38:13 For the east side toward the sunrise fifty cubits.

The length of the east side of the courtyard was fifty cubits, matching the length of the west side.

Ex. 38:14 The hangings for the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases,

Ex. 38:15 and so for the other side. On both sides of the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases.

There was a centered opening on the east side. There was an equal length of curtain on both sides of the opening hanging on an equal number of pillars. It was a very symmetrical design.

Ex. 38:16 All the hangings of the court all around were of fine twisted linen.

Ex. 38:17 The bases for the pillars were of bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver; and the overlaying of their tops were of silver, and all the pillars of the court were furnished with silver bands.

Ex. 38:18 The screen of the gate of the court was the work of the weaver, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. And the length was twenty cubits and the height was five cubits, corresponding to the hangings of the court.

Ex. 38:19 Their four pillars and their four bases were of bronze; their hooks were of silver, and the overlaying of their tops and their bands were of silver.

Ex. 38:20 All the pegs of the tabernacle and of the court all around were of bronze.

Many ancient buildings that still survive today were symmetrical, or built to appear symmetrical. The goal of architecture and art was to create something that was pleasing and soothing to the eye.

In recent centuries, there has been an effort within the art world to move away from symmetry toward art that is asymmetrical and not balanced. There has been a deliberate attempt to create and celebrate art that is somewhat jarring and disjointed.

When Yahweh gave the Israelites instructions regarding how to build the tabernacle, He gave them the specific dimensions, including the exact number of pillars that were to be used to support the curtains. Those dimensions created a symmetrical tabernacle. Furthermore, the tabernacle was to have cardinal alignment. The opening had to always face east.

Since the tabernacle was symmetrical, perhaps we should conclude that symmetry is better. Perhaps we should desire to create art and architecture that is pleasing to the eye instead of art that is jarring and disturbing.

Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. If you have already joined my email list, thank you and please tell others about Bible Mountain. If you have not joined my email list yet, please do so now. In order to join, go to Bible Mountain dotcom, click on subscribe, and that will take you to a page where you can sign up. Your email address will not be sold nor given away. Once again, thanks for visiting Bible Mountain.

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”

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Today’s passage tells us about the construction of the items that furnished the inside of the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. They did not settle for mediocrity. They pursued excellence. Perhaps we would honor God more if we pursued excellence in all things rather than being satisfied with mediocrity.

Ex. 37:1 ¶ And Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was two and a half cubits, and its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits;

A cubit was about 18 inches. The ark was around 4 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet high.

Ex. 37:2 and he overlaid it with pure gold inside and out, and made a gold molding for it all around.

Notice the words “pure gold”. This was the ark, so the most expensive metal in its purest form was used to overlay the ark.

Look at the words “inside and out”. The ark was a box, so it had an outside and an inside.

Ex. 37:3 He cast four rings of gold for it on its four feet; even two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it.

Ex. 37:4 He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

Ex. 37:5 He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it.

Look at the word “carry”. The ark was special, so it was not transported on a cart or donkey. Instead, it was carried.

Ex. 37:6 He made a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.

The mercy seat was the lid of the ark. While the ark itself was made of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold, the lid was simply made of pure gold.

Ex. 37:7 He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat;

Ex. 37:8 one cherub at the one end and one cherub at the other end; from one piece he made the mercy seat with the cherubim at its two ends.

Notice the words “from one piece”. He did not make three pieces and then join them together, which would have been easier. Instead, he started with one piece of gold and hammered it into a mercy seat that had cherubs on each end. He used the harder method to make the mercy seat, indicating the stature of the mercy seat, and the stature of the God it honors.

As we humans live our lives, it is easy to fall into the mentality of thinking that mediocrity is good enough. Whether it is how we perform at work, how we maintain our houses, or how we do ministry, sometimes we think mediocrity is sufficient.

When the Israelites made the tabernacle, mediocrity was not good enough. They used pure gold for the most sacred items. They used the more difficult crafting techniques to make the most sacred items. This reminds us that Yahweh deserves the best.

When we do ministry, perhaps mediocrity should never be good enough. Perhaps we should use the absolute best music that humans can create and gather in the absolute best buildings that humans can build. Maybe our home maintenance, decorating, and housekeeping should demonstrate excellence, not mediocrity, reflecting the fact that we are servants of the Creator of the Universe, the One and Only God.

Ex. 37:9 The cherubim had their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.

Ex. 37:10 ¶ Then he made the table of acacia wood, two cubits long and a cubit wide and one and a half cubits high.

Ex. 37:11 He overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold molding for it all around.

Notice again the words “pure gold”. This table was to be placed in the Holy Place; therefore it was overlaid with pure gold.

Ex. 37:12 He made a rim for it of a handbreadth all around and made a gold molding for its rim all around.

Ex. 37:13 He cast four gold rings for it and put the rings on the four corners that were on its four feet.

Ex. 37:14 Close to the rim were the rings, the holders for the poles to carry the table.

Take note of the word “carry”. The table was also carried by humans, not transported on a cart or animal.

Ex. 37:15 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table.

Ex. 37:16 He made the utensils which were on the table, its dishes and its pans and its offering bowls and its jars, with which to pour out drink offerings, of pure gold.

Take note again of the words “pure gold”.

Ex. 37:17 ¶ Then he made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work, its base and its shaft; its cups, its bulbs, and its flowers were of the same piece.

Notice the words “pure gold”, “hammered work”, and “of the same piece”. Pure gold was the most valuable material available to them to make the lampstand. The hammering method of constructing it was higher quality and more time consuming than casting it via a mold. The words “same piece” indicate again that they did not make multiple parts and then join them together, which would have been easier. Instead, they started with a solid piece of gold and fashioned the entire lampstand out of that one piece of gold.

Ex. 37:18 There were six branches going out of its sides; three branches of the lampstand from the one side of it and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it;

Ex. 37:19 three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a bulb and a flower in one branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a bulb and a flower in the other branch—so for the six branches coming out of the lampstand.

The words “almond blossoms” indicate the amount of time that went into creating the lampstand. It was not merely a functional item. It was a work of art. Creating a work of art takes much more time and skill than simply creating a functional item.

Ex. 37:20 In the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers;

Ex. 37:21 and a bulb was under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand.

Ex. 37:22 Their bulbs and their branches were of one piece with it; the whole of it was a single hammered work of pure gold.

Once again the text informs us that the lampstand was one piece.

Ex. 37:23 He made its seven lamps with its tongs and its trays of pure gold.

Ex. 37:24 He made it and all its utensils from a talent of pure gold.

It is easy to fall into the mentality of thinking that mediocrity is good enough. However, when the Israelites made the tabernacle, they used pure gold and the most difficult crafting techniques to make the most sacred items. This reminds us that Yahweh deserves the best.

When we gather as a church, perhaps we should use the absolute best music that humans can create and gather in the absolute best buildings that humans can build. Maybe our home maintenance, decorating, and housekeeping should demonstrate excellence, not mediocrity, since we are servants of the Creator of the Universe, the One and Only God.

Do you strive for excellence in all things, or are you content with being mediocre?

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In the 36th chapter of Exodus, the author began describing the work of building the tabernacle. God called Bezalel and Oholiab to lead the effort. They were joined by many others who had wisdom and skill. First they made ten curtains of fine twisted linen which were joined together to make one unit.

Ex. 36:14 ¶ Then he made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains in all.

The word “curtains” is plural, but the word “tent” is singular. The number eleven tells us there were eleven curtains. Bezalel made eleven curtains to form one tent.

Ex. 36:15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits and four cubits the width of each curtain; the eleven curtains had the same measurements.

Ex. 36:16 He joined five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves.

Notice the word “joined”. Multiple parts were joined together to make one item.

Ex. 36:17 Moreover, he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the first set, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second set.

Ex. 36:18 He made fifty clasps of bronze to join the tent together so that it would be a unit.

Take note there were fifty clasps. Fifty clasps and eleven curtains is 61 pieces.

Look at the word “unit”.

The purpose of the multiple clasps was to join multiple pieces together so that they formed one unit.

This illustrates a principle we see in various aspects of life. A man and woman are two separate people, but when they come together in matrimony they become one. They form a unit.

When a man and his wife have children, all the people in the family are separate individuals, but they are joined together in one family.

All the people who believe in Jesus are separate people with their own unique backgrounds, philosophies, cultures, and skillsets. However, all believers are joined together by Christ to form one church.

It is easy for humans to focus on differences and be individualistic. American culture celebrates individualism. Being an individual is appropriate at certain times, but at the same time, sometimes we need to look at ourselves as being part of a bigger unit. In some areas of life, each person is one part of a bigger unit, just as each piece of the tabernacle was joined together to form one tabernacle.

Ex. 36:19 He made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red and a covering of porpoise skins above.

These two coverings added to the 61 pieces listed earlier brings us to 63 pieces.

Ex. 36:20 ¶ Then he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright.

Take note that the word “boards” is plural.

Ex. 36:21 Ten cubits was the length of each board and one and a half cubits the width of each board.

Ex. 36:22 There were two tenons for each board, fitted to one another; thus he did for all the boards of the tabernacle.

Ex. 36:23 And he made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side;

Ex. 36:24 and he made forty bases of silver under the twenty boards; two bases under one board for its two tenons and two bases under another board for its two tenons.

Add twenty boards and forty bases to 63 and we are now up to 123 pieces.

Ex. 36:25 Then for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards,

Ex. 36:26 and their forty bases of silver; two bases under one board and two bases under another board.

The current count of pieces is 183.

Ex. 36:27 For the rear of the tabernacle, to the west, he made six boards.

Ex. 36:28 And he made two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the rear.

Ex. 36:29 And they were separated beneath, but were together at their completion at the top, at the first ring; thus he did with both of them for the two corners.

Look at the words “separated” and “together”. The boards were separate, and yet joined together into one tabernacle.

Ex. 36:30 And there were eight boards with their bases of silver, sixteen bases, two bases under every board.

Eight plus sixteen plus 183 brings us to 207 pieces.

Ex. 36:31 ¶ Then he made bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle,

Ex. 36:32 and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the rear side to the west.

Ex. 36:33 And he made the middle bar to pass through in the center of the boards from end to end.

Once again we see the concept that there were multiple boards and bars which were joined together into one unit.

Fifteen bars added to all the other pieces brings us to 222 pieces.

Ex. 36:34 He also overlaid the boards with gold and made their rings of gold as holders for the bars and overlaid the bars with gold.

Ex. 36:35 ¶ Moreover, he made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen; he made it with cherubim, the work of a skillful designer.

Ex. 36:36 And he made four pillars of acacia for it and overlaid them with gold, with their hooks of gold; and he cast four bases of silver for them.

Ex. 36:37 And he made a screen for the doorway of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver;

Ex. 36:38 and he made its five pillars with their hooks, and he overlaid their tops and their bands with gold; but their five bases were of bronze.

Two screens plus nine pillars plus nine bases added to the 222 pieces mentioned earlier brings us to 242 separate pieces listed in today’s passage which were joined together to form one tabernacle.

It is easy for humans to look at the differences between people and separate ourselves from one another. Sometimes it is appropriate to think of ourselves as individuals. On the other hand, there is a concept throughout scripture that involves looking at multiple pieces as one unit, just as the tabernacle was hundreds of pieces that formed one unit.

A man and woman are two separate people, but when they come together in matrimony they become one. There were many Israelites during the Old Testament time period, but collectively, they were known as Israel. All the people who believe in Jesus are separate people with their own unique backgrounds, philosophies, cultures, and skillsets. However, all believers are joined together by Christ to form one church.

There is a time and place to be an individual, but sometimes we have to look at ourselves as being part of a larger whole.

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When Yahweh was ready to have the Israelites build the tabernacle, He first gave them an opportunity to donate the materials necessary to build the tabernacle. The Israelites responded willingly, and brought gold, silver, bronze, fabric, and gemstones.

Ex. 35:30 ¶ Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, “See, Yahweh has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.

Look at the phrase “Yahweh has called”. Yahweh is the One who specified who would lead the task of building the tabernacle.

Now look at the phrase “by name”. Yahweh did not make suggestions as to who should lead the effort. Yahweh identified the exact individual who was to take the lead.

Ex. 35:31 And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in discernment, and in knowledge, and in all craftsmanship;

Take note of the phrase “filled him with the Spirit of God”. The first trait of Bezalel that was mentioned was being filled with the Spirit.

The second trait listed is wisdom. It was important that the person heading up the construction project be a wise person. Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge, skill, and experience.

The third trait given to Bezalel was discernment. Discernment is the ability to perceive truth.

The fourth word used in the description of Bezalel is “craftsmanship”. In addition to wisdom and discernment, Bezalel also had the skill necessary to do the task.

When Yahweh appointed a leader for the task of building the tabernacle, He did not merely appoint someone with the skill to do the task. He appointed a man filled with the Spirit who also had wisdom and discernment.

When employers hire employees, or when homeowners hire home repair professionals, it is easy to focus only on education, skill, ability, and price. However, it is wise to hire people who also have wisdom and discernment so that they conduct themselves with integrity.

Ex. 35:32 to devise designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze,

Ex. 35:33 and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to do well in every work of thoughtful design.

Ex. 35:34 He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.

Notice the phrase “put in his heart to teach”. Not only was Bezalel wise, discerning, and talented, but he also had the ability to teach others how to create. The tabernacle was a huge construction project. Bezalel and Oholiab could not do it alone. Therefore, they had to be able to communicate their vision to others who could help them in the task.

This foreshadows a New Testament teaching regarding the qualifications to be an elder. An elder must be apt to teach. A main task of a church is to pass our faith down to succeeding generations. In order to do that, elders must teach those who will come after them.

Ex. 35:35 He has filled them with wisdom in their heart to do every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as those who do every work and make designs.

Ex. 36:1 ¶ “Now Bezalel and Oholiab and every person wise at heart, to whom Yahweh has given wisdom and discernment to know how to do all the work of the service of constructing the sanctuary, shall do in accordance with all that Yahweh has commanded.”

Look at the phrase “every person wise at heart” and then notice the words “wisdom” and “discernment”. The men who were destined to help Bezalel and Oholiab in the construction project also needed to have wisdom and discernment, not just skill.

Ex. 36:2 ¶ Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every person wise at heart to whom Yahweh had given wisdom, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to do it.

This verse repeats the requirement that the volunteers be wise.

Ex. 36:3 And they received from Moses the entire contribution which the sons of Israel had brought to do the work in the service of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning.

Ex. 36:4 And all the wise men who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was doing,

Ex. 36:5 and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the service of the work which Yahweh commanded us to do.”

Ex. 36:6 So Moses commanded and a proclamation was passed throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman any longer do the work for the contributions of the sanctuary.” Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more.

Ex. 36:7 Indeed, the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to do it.

Ex. 36:8 ¶ And all those wise at heart among those who were doing the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material, with cherubim, the work of a skillful designer, Bezalel made them.

Notice once again the words “wise at heart”. The workers building the tabernacle had to have wisdom.

Ex. 36:9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains had the same measurements.

Ex. 36:10 He joined five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he joined to one another.

Ex. 36:11 He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set; he did likewise on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second set.

Ex. 36:12 He made fifty loops in the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set; the loops were opposite each other.

Ex. 36:13 He made fifty clasps of gold and joined the curtains to one another with the clasps, so the tabernacle was one unit.

When employers hire employees, it is easy to focus merely on whether or not a person has the talent to do the job. When homeowners hire contractors to do repair jobs in their house, it is tempting to always give the job to the person with the lowest price.

When Yahweh appointed a leader for the task of building the tabernacle, He did not merely appoint someone with the skill to do the task, He appointed a man filled with the Spirit who also had wisdom, discernment, and the ability to teach others. A man without wisdom and discernment will make bad decisions. Talent cannot overcome bad decisions.

When you make hiring decisions, do you consider wisdom and character, or do you focus only on talent and ability?

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The Mosaic Law is not a good basis for determining how much Christians should contribute because the Mosaic law applied to Israel, not the church. Furthermore, the Mosaic Law also contained freewill offerings. The freewill offerings are better illustrations of the New Testament teaching on giving material resources to the work of the church.

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In the early verses of Exodus 35, Yahweh commanded Moses to provide the Israelites an opportunity to contribute materials for the construction of the tabernacle. The contributions were to be voluntary, from those who were willing to donate metals, fabric, or gemstones.

Ex. 35:10 ¶ ‘And let everyone wise at heart among you come and make all that Yahweh has commanded:

Notice the word “wise”. Moses did not ask for skilled people to make the tabernacle. He asked for wise people to make it.

The modern mindset when seeking people to do a task is to find those with the greatest skill. Wisdom is often not considered.

Skill is certainly important, but if you have a worker who is skilled, but foolish, you may not end up with a good result. It takes wisdom to make good use of skill. A skilled person without wisdom may use his skill to create something bad or ugly.

The following verses list all the items that needed to be created for the tabernacle.

Ex. 35:11 the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its clasps and its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;

Ex. 35:12 the ark and its poles, the mercy seat, and the curtain of the screen;

Ex. 35:13 the table and its poles, and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;

Ex. 35:14 the lampstand also for the light and its utensils and its lamps and the oil for the light;

Ex. 35:15 and the altar of incense and its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the doorway at the entrance of the tabernacle;

Ex. 35:16 the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils, the laver and its stand;

Ex. 35:17 the hangings of the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court;

Ex. 35:18 the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court and their cords;

Ex. 35:19 the woven garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests.’”

Ex. 35:20 ¶ Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel went out from Moses’ presence.

Ex. 35:21 And everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit was willing came and brought the contribution to Yahweh for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments.

Look at the words “stirred” and “willing”. Most Christians think the financial support for the Old Testament sacrificial system was all based on the requirement to give ten percent. The tithe did exist, but the Israelites were also given opportunities to make freewill donations. At the very beginning of the tabernacle, the materials for the tabernacle were gathered through a freewill offering, not by requiring each person to make a donation.

Ex. 35:22 Then all whose hearts were willing, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who waved it as a wave offering of gold to Yahweh.

Once again we see the word “willing”.

Ex. 35:23 And every man, who had in his possession blue and purple and scarlet material and fine linen and goats’ hair and rams’ skins dyed red and porpoise skins, brought them.

Ex. 35:24 Everyone who could raise up a contribution of silver and bronze brought the contribution to Yahweh; and every man who had in his possession acacia wood for any work of the service brought it.

Ex. 35:25 All the women wise at heart spun with their hands and brought what they had spun, in blue and purple and scarlet material and in fine linen.

Take note of the words “wise at heart”. Wisdom was valued more than skill.

Ex. 35:26 And all the women whose heart stirred with wisdom spun the goats’ hair.

In this verse we also see the word “wisdom”.

When we seek people to do a task, skill is important. However, wisdom may be more important. A foolish person with skill may not be reliable. They may be difficult to work with. Foolish people might use their skills to create something ugly, or something that does not satisfy your requirements.

Ex. 35:27 And the rulers brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting for the ephod and for the breastpiece;

Ex. 35:28 and the spice and the oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense.

Ex. 35:29 The sons of Israel—all the men and women whose heart was willing to bring material for all the work, which Yahweh had commanded through the hand of Moses to do—brought a freewill offering to Yahweh.

Take note of the word “willing”. Notice also the words “freewill offering”.

Many churches teach that Christians should give ten percent of their income to the church. However, just as the Israelites were not required to donate materials for the tabernacle, and instead were given an opportunity to make a freewill donation, so too the pattern in the New Testament is to provide flexibility in how much Christians donate to the church and the poor.

Paul wrote that Christians should give what they have decided, not under compulsion (2Cor 9:7). Even when Paul commanded believers to support other believers, he did not specify an amount (see Romans 12:13 or 1Cor 16:2). The New Testament teaching on giving can be summed up in the statements “God loves a cheerful giver” (2Cor 9:7) and “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly” (2Cor. 9:6).

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”

Some people believe faith is a blind hope. One of the Mirriam-Webster definitions of faith is “firm belief in something for which there is no proof”. Believing in something without proof would be somewhat of an irrational belief.

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We often associate faith with the New Testament, but some tenets of the Mosaic Law also required faith. We will read one today which helps illustrate the Biblical concept of faith and debunks the myth that faith is irrational or a blind hope.

When Israel escaped slavery in Egypt, they were driven out of Egypt because Yahweh had killed all the first born of the land of Egypt. The first born of Israel were protected from death because the Israelites had blood on their door posts and lintels. Furthermore, the Israelites ate unleavened bread that night because they left Egypt in haste and did not have time to allow the bread to rise. Before they even left Egypt, Yahweh commanded the Israelites to observe the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread every year as a way of remembering their escape from Egypt.

When they arrived at Mount Sinai, Yahweh dictated the Mosaic Law. He added more feasts that they were required to observe.

Ex. 34:22 And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.

Ex. 34:23 Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord Yahweh, the God of Israel.

Notice the number “three”. The three times were the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Ingathering. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is before planting time. The Feast of Weeks is at the beginning of harvest season. The Feast of Ingathering is after harvest is finished.

Notice the phrase “all your males”. Every male was to go to the tabernacle during those three feasts.

Ex. 34:24 For I will dispossess nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before Yahweh your God.

Yahweh was giving these instructions at Mount Sinai, but the expectation was they were soon going to the Promised Land where they would observe all these instructions. If all the males went to the tabernacle three times per year, then the Promised Land would be vulnerable to invasion. However, Yahweh promised He would miraculously protect them by preventing any enemy from coveting their land during the three feasts.

It would have taken faith for the Israelite men to go to the tabernacle and leave their homes, cities, families, and borders unprotected. Their faith would not have been an irrational hope that their enemy would not attack during their absence. Instead, their faith would have been based on the fact that Yahweh promised to protect them. Fatih essentially meant they believed God’s promise.

Some Christians today believe faith is blind hope that is not based on any evidence. However, the faith the New Testament exhorts us to have is not mere hope. Faith is a belief that certain things will happen, a belief we hold because God promised that certain things will happen.

Ex. 34:25 ¶ “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, and the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover shall not be left over until morning.

Ex. 34:26 ¶ “You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your ground into the house of Yahweh your God. ¶ “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

Because of this last command, observant Jews do not mix meat and dairy products. That means they do not eat cheeseburgers or lasagna.

Ex. 34:27 ¶ Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have cut a covenant with you and with Israel.”

Take note of the command to “write down these words”. The Mosaic Law was not an oral tradition that changed over time. It was a written document.

Many Christians believe Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. This is one of the verses they cite as proof that Moses was the author. However, this verse only says Moses wrote down the law that Yahweh gave Israel. The book of Exodus contains many historical facts in addition to the rules and regulations that were given at Mount Sinai. This verse only tells us Moses wrote down the rules and regulations. That does not mean Moses recorded all the historical events that surrounded the receipt of the law.

Ex. 34:28 So he was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Ex. 34:29 ¶ Now it happened when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.

Look at the word “shone”. The glory of God was so great, that the face of Moses began to shine.

Ex. 34:30 Then Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

Ex. 34:31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them.

Ex. 34:32 And afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them everything that Yahweh had spoken to him on Mount Sinai.

Ex. 34:33 Then Moses finished speaking with them and put a veil over his face.

Ex. 34:34 But whenever Moses went in before Yahweh to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and then he would come out and speak to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded,

Ex. 34:35 and the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone. So Moses would return the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.

The glory of God was so great and had such an effect on the face of Moses that Moses had to veil his face in order to protect the Israelites. This reinforces the truth that man cannot see the face of God and live.

Ex. 35:1 ¶ Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that Yahweh has commanded you to do:

Ex. 35:2 ¶ “Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a sabbath of complete rest to Yahweh; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.

Ex. 35:3 You shall not kindle a fire in any of your places of habitation on the sabbath day.”

Due to this command, observant Jews will not flip light switches on the Sabbath because, when a switch is flipped, there is a brief spark, which they view as kindling a fire.

Ex. 35:4 ¶ And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded, saying,

Ex. 35:5 ‘Take from among you a contribution to Yahweh; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as a contribution to Yahweh: gold, silver, and bronze,

Ex. 35:6 and blue, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen, goats’ hair,

Ex. 35:7 and rams’ skins dyed red, and porpoise skins, and acacia wood,

Ex. 35:8 and oil for lighting, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense,

Ex. 35:9 and onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

The Israelite men were commanded to appear before Yahweh three times a year; thus leaving their houses, families, and land unprotected. Yahweh promised to prohibit their enemy from taking advantage of them during those feasts. When the Israelite men obeyed this command, they demonstrated faith. It was not a blind, irrational faith. It was a faith based on a promise of God.

Likewise, the New Testament commands us to have faith, the conviction of things not seen. Our convictions are not based on irrational hope. Instead, our faith is based on God’s statements and promises.

Do you believe all of God’s promises?

Are you willing to live in a way that proves you believe all of God’s promises?

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When Moses was on Mount Sinai, he wanted to see God’s face. Yahweh denied that request because no man can see God and live. However, Yahweh promised to let Moses see His back. In the process of fulfilling that promise, Yahweh made a statement about His character which guides us regarding how we should think about God’s grace versus His justice.

Ex. 34:5 Then Yahweh descended in the cloud and stood there with him, and He called upon the name of Yahweh.

The pronoun “him” refers to Moses.

Ex. 34:6 Then Yahweh passed by in front of him and called out, “Yahweh, Yahweh God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;

Ex. 34:7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

Verses 6-7 are a declaration made by Yahweh about Himself.

Think about the contrast within Yahweh’s character. On the one hand, He is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, loving, and forgiving. On the other hand, He punishes the guilty, even to the third and fourth generation. In fact, the phrasing is “He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished”. The punishment of those who are guilty is certain.

Yahweh never changes (see Malachi 3:6 or Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, this statement about Yahweh is still true today.

It is common for Christians to emphasize one or the other side of God. There have been times when God has been portrayed as all fire and brimstone and no grace. Today, the trend is to emphasize God’s love and grace and ignore His justice and punishment. We should not emphasize one at the expense of the other. He is both.

Verse 7 says Yahweh visits the iniquity of fathers to the third and fourth generation. Many people balk at the idea that grandchildren would pay the price for the sins of their grandfather. The Amorites are an example of what this looks like.

Genesis 15 tells us Yahweh promised the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants. Yahweh also predicted that Abraham’s descendants would live in Egypt for four hundred years before they took possession of the land. Then Yahweh said the delay was because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet complete. In other words, the Amorites in the days of Abraham were sinning, but their sin was not yet complete, so the Amorites would continue sinning for four hundred years, and then the Amorites would be punished for their sin. That is an example of Yahweh visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the third and fourth generation. The third and fourth generations also sinned.

Ex. 34:8 And Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship.

Notice the words “bow low toward the earth”. Ponder what Moses was communicating when he bowed low to the earth. He was communicating humility and submission. He was acknowledging Yahweh’s superiority and sovereignty.

Ex. 34:9 And he said, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though they are a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own inheritance.”

Moses asked Yahweh to exercise grace and forgiveness.

Ex. 34:10 ¶ Then God said, “Behold, I am going to cut a covenant. Before all your people I will do wondrous deeds which have not been created in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of Yahweh, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to do with you.

Ex. 34:11 ¶ “Be sure to keep what I am commanding you this day: behold, I am going to drive out the Amorite before you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

Yahweh originally promised to drive out the Canaanites 400 years previously. Yahweh still intended to fulfill His promise.

Ex. 34:12 Beware lest you cut a covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, lest it become a snare in your midst.

Ex. 34:13 But rather, you are to tear down their altars and shatter their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim

Ex. 34:14 —for you shall not worship any other god, for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God—

Ex. 34:15 lest you cut a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invite you to eat of his sacrifice,

Ex. 34:16 and you take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods.

Yahweh warned the Israelites to be separate from the Canaanites, otherwise, the Canaanites would corrupt the Israelites. The New Testament contains similar warnings for the church. The New Testament tells us a little leaven leavens the whole lump (Galatians 5:9). We are commanded to not be conformed to the world (Romans 12:2), nor to be unequally yoked (2Corinthians 6:14).

Ex. 34:17 You shall make for yourself no molten gods.

Ex. 34:18 ¶ “You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, which I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.

Ex. 34:19 ¶ “The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me, even of all your male livestock, the first offspring from cattle and sheep.

Ex. 34:20 And you shall redeem with a lamb the first offspring from a donkey; and if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem all the firstborn of your sons. None shall appear before Me empty-handed.

Ex. 34:21 ¶ “You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.

Yahweh declared that He is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, loving, and forgiving. He also proclaimed that He punishes the guilty, even to the third and fourth generation. It is common for Christians to emphasize one or the other side of God. There have been times when God has been portrayed as all fire and brimstone and no grace. Today, the trend is to emphasize God’s love and grace and ignore His justice and punishment. We should not emphasize one at the expense of the other. He is both.

Does your church emphasize one side of God at the expense of the other?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”

When we are in those predicaments, we often wish God would give us explicit, verbal instructions regarding what we should do. We wish He would enlighten us about the unknowns that make our decisions difficult.

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While it is normal for us to desire clear, verbal guidance from God, perhaps it is good God doesn’t speak to us face to face. We will read some verses today that warn us that if we would receive precise guidance from Yahweh, we may not live to tell about it.

Ex. 33:7 ¶ Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought Yahweh would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp.

Ex. 33:8 And it happened whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent.

Ex. 33:9 And it happened whenever Moses entered the tent, that the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and Yahweh would speak with Moses.

Ex. 33:10 And all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent. And all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent.

Ex. 33:11 Thus Yahweh used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, and his attendant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Look at the phrase “face to face”. Yahweh spoke with Moses as a man speaks to his friend.

Many Christians are often frustrated because God does not speak to us face to face. He does not give us explicit instructions when we face decisions and are not sure the best course of action. We wish God would give us clear verbal direction, just as He did for Moses.

Ex. 33:12 ¶ Then Moses said to Yahweh, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’

Ex. 33:13 So now, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. See also, that this nation is Your people.”

Moses essentially wanted clarity. He wanted to know what would happen before it would happen. He did not want to set out for the Promised Land without knowing who would go with them. He wanted all the information about the journey before the journey started.

This is a normal desire of all humans, including Christians. Walking by faith means moving ahead without having all the answers regarding how needs will be provided. Humans generally do not like to do that. We want all the unknowns eliminated before we start a journey.

Ex. 33:14 And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Ex. 33:15 Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.

Ex. 33:16 Indeed, how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?”

Ponder the word “distinguished”. Israel was different than every other nation because their God was a living God. When Israel moved through the wilderness, their God had power and could act to benefit them.

Ex. 33:17 ¶ Then Yahweh said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight, and I have known you by name.”

The phrase “you have found favor in My sight” explains the high regard Yahweh had for Moses and why Yahweh was willing to meet with Moses face to face. Keep in mind, Moses had murdered an Egyptian many years before, so a person does not have to be perfect to earn God’s favor.

Ex. 33:18 Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!”

Even though Yahweh was speaking with Moses face to face in the tent, apparently, Moses was not seeing Yahweh’s full glory.

Ex. 33:19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”

This verse is an important statement about Yahweh’s sovereignty. He alone chooses who will receive grace and compassion. His decisions cannot be appealed and overturned by a high authority because Yahweh is the highest authority.

Ex. 33:20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”

Even though Moses found favor in the sight of Yahweh, even Moses could not see Yahweh’s face and live.

Christians are often frustrated because God does not speak to us face to face. However, we should consider the possibility that if God would speak to us face to face, we would not survive the experience. Getting that close to God may kill us.

Ex. 33:21 Then Yahweh said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock;

Ex. 33:22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.

Ex. 33:23 Then I will remove My hand, and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

Even Moses, a man who spoke with God face to face and found favor in God’s sight, could not see God’s face. God’s glory was too much for Moses. The most he could tolerate was seeing God’s back.

Ex. 34:1 ¶ Now Yahweh said to Moses, “Carve out for yourself two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered.

Ex. 34:2 So be prepared by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain.

Ex. 34:3 And no man is to come up with you, nor let any man be seen anywhere on the mountain; even the flocks and the herds may not graze in front of that mountain.”

Pay attention to the exclusion zone. Yahweh is holy. He is not to be treated cavalierly.

Ex. 34:4 So he carved out two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses rose up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand.

It is normal that we Christians get frustrated when we have a decision to make, but we don’t have all the information we need to make a good decision. Sometimes our frustration is driven by the fact we know that God has all the details we want, and yet He doesn’t speak to us face to face and give us clear, specific guidance. We read stories in the Bible about God giving audible direction to people, and we wish He would do the same for us.

On the other hand, the Bible is also clear that God is a holy God. He is to be respected, revered, and feared. The reality is no human can see God in all His glory and live to tell about it. That means perhaps God does not give us audible guidance in order to protect us. If He did get close enough to us to give us audible instructions, we may end up deceased.

What is a time in your life when you wished God would give you audible instructions about what to do?

How is the lack of audible guidance from God an opportunity to demonstrate faith in God?

Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. If you have already joined my email list, thank you and please tell others about Bible Mountain. If you have not joined my email list yet, please do so now. In order to join, go to Bible Mountain dotcom, click on subscribe, and that will take you to a page where you can sign up. Your email address will not be sold nor given away. Once again, thanks for visiting Bible Mountain.

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”

The passage we will read today is part of a section that illustrates the severity and consequences of sin. We will learn that Yahweh cannot allow and tolerate sin. Therefore, we have to ask what obstacles a church creates between itself and God if it does not talk about sin and ends up allowing sin to persist and perhaps flourish in its midst.

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The 32nd chapter of Exodus records a failure. Moses was up on the mountain, and after he was there a long time the Israelites gave up hope he would come back down. They asked Aaron to create gods for them. Aaron gathered a collection of gold jewelry and fashioned it into a golden calf. The Israelites began worshipping the calf.

Yahweh sent Moses down from the mountain to deal with the idolatry. When Moses came within sight of the camp and saw the idol worship, he threw down the stone tablets which recorded the law of Yahweh. The stones shattered. Moses destroyed the golden calf, put the gold powder in the water, and made the Israelites drink it.

Ex. 32:25 ¶ Now Moses saw that the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies—

Notice the word “enemies”. The Israelites were out in the middle of the wilderness, and yet their enemies knew what was happening.

Humans have a tendency to think the only people who know what we are doing are people we can see. However, news travels by word of mouth. If we do something sinful, people will find out about it.

Ex. 32:26 so Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Whoever is for Yahweh, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him.

Take note it was men of the tribe of Levi who came to Moses. The Levites were the priestly tribe.

Ex. 32:27 And he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Every man among you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother and every man his friend and every man his neighbor.’”

Look at the word “kill”. We don’t usually associate the priestly tribe with killing people.

Ex. 32:28 So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day.

Ex. 32:29 Then Moses said, “Be ordained today to Yahweh—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.”

Notice the word “blessing”. Even though the Levites killed many Israelites, Yahweh bestowed a blessing upon them.

Ex. 32:30 ¶ Now it happened on the next day, that Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; but now I am going up to Yahweh, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

Ex. 32:31 Then Moses returned to Yahweh and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made gods of gold for themselves.

Ex. 32:32 But now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!”

Ex. 32:33 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.

Ex. 32:34 But now go, guide the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

Ex. 32:35 Then Yahweh smote the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

Look at the word “smote”. Sin has consequences.

Ex. 33:1 ¶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go! Go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘To your seed I will give it.’

Take note of the phrase “to the land of which I swore to Abraham”. The land had been promised to Abraham over 400 years before Israel left Egypt and took possession of the land. This illustrates for us that Yahweh looks at time quite differently than we do. Just because Yahweh had not fulfilled a promise for hundreds of years does not mean He has forgotten about it.

Ex. 33:2 And I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

Ex. 33:3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst because you are a stiff-necked people, lest I consume you on the way.”

The word “consume” speaks of the gravity of sin. The Israelites were stubborn; thus, they sinned frequently. Their sin demanded punishment. If Yahweh was among them, they would be in danger of being consumed.

Many churches today do not talk about sin. They do not want to confront sin because they do not want to give people a reason to leave church. That means they end up tolerating sin and allowing it to flourish.

What they don’t think about is the danger they may be creating by allowing sin in the church. There are consequences for sin. If a church tolerates sin, they are creating a barrier between themselves and God, and perhaps drawing punishment upon themselves.

Ex. 33:4 ¶ Then the people heard this sad word and went into mourning; and none of them put on his ornaments.

Ex. 33:5 So Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; should I go up in your midst for one moment, I would consume you. So now, put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what I shall do with you.’”

Ex. 33:6 So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.

Many churches only preach happy sermons. They don’t want to say anything that may give people a reason to avoid church. However, in doing that, they condone sin. Sin has serious consequences.

Does your church preach about sin?

If not, what sins are they allowing to fester in the church?

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Moses was on Mount Sinai so long that the Israelites concluded he was not coming back. They coerced Aaron into created a molten calf, which they began to worship.

Ex. 32:7 ¶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go! Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.

Notice the pronouns “your” and “you”. At first glance it appears Yahweh was being childish and denying any responsibility for the Israelites, making them Moses’ problem. However, Moses was an Israelite and he had brought these people out of Egypt. Yahweh was emphasizing that the idolaters were not foreigners or some random group of people who joined Israel at Mount Sinai. Instead, the Israelites, the relatives of Moses, the people Moses led out of Egypt had corrupted themselves.

Ex. 32:8 They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’”

Ex. 32:9 And Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people.

Ponder the term “stiff-necked”. Yahweh had delivered the Israelites out of slavery, brought them safely through the Red Sea, and provided food and water in the wilderness, and yet the Israelites wanted to create their own gods.

A core fundamental fact about humanity is that we do not want there to be a god because we do not want to obey God. Humans want to make our own rules.

Ex. 32:10 Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may consume them; and I will make you a great nation.”

Notice the word “anger”. Yahweh had a right to be angry. After everything He did for Israel, they should have been loyal to Yahweh.

Take note of the word “consume”. Yahweh was done. He wanted to destroy Israel and start over.

I assume the idea of being made a great nation would have been very tempting to Moses.

Ex. 32:11 ¶ Then Moses entreated the favor of Yahweh his God and said, “O Yahweh, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand?

Ex. 32:12 Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and relent concerning doing harm to Your people.

Moses’ first priority was to think about what was best for Yahweh’s reputation. If Yahweh destroyed Israel, then the Egyptians would conclude Yahweh had evil intentions when He brought Israel out of Egypt. Moses implored Yahweh not to give the Egyptians a reason to come to that conclusion.

Humans are naturally selfish; therefore, we Christians do not find it easy to always put Christ first in everything. However, just as Moses thought immediately about what was good for Yahweh’ reputation, so too as we go through life, we need to always be mindful of how our actions affect the reputation of Jesus. Jesus always comes first.

Ex. 32:13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and You said to them, ‘I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

Moses argued that Yahweh could not destroy Israel because He made a promise to Israel and could not fulfill that promise if He destroyed them.

Ex. 32:14 So Yahweh relented concerning the harm which He said He would do to His people.

Look at the word “relented”. This verse proves prayer works. Prayer is asking God to act in certain ways. Moses asked Yahweh to allow Israel to live, and Yahweh agreed to do that, even though He wanted to destroy Israel.

Ex. 32:15 ¶ Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain. And the two tablets of the testimony were in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides; they were written on one side and the other.

Ex. 32:16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.

Ex. 32:17 Then Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted. And he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.”

Ex. 32:18 But he said,

“It is not the sound of the cry of triumph,

Nor is it the sound of the cry of defeat;

But the sound of singing I hear.”

Ex. 32:19 Now it happened, as soon as Moses came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.

Take note of the words “burned”, “threw”, and “shattered”. Moses was angry and deliberately destroyed the tablets. These tablets contained the law given to Moses, including the ten commandments. The ten commandments prohibited idolatry, but Israel had just committed a blatant act of idolatry. If Israel was not going to obey, then it was somewhat pointless to have the tablets, so Moses destroyed them.

Ex. 32:20 Then he took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it.

Ex. 32:21 ¶ Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?”

Ex. 32:22 And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil.

This was true. The Israelites were prone to evil.

Ex. 32:23 Indeed they said to me, ‘Make gods for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’

Ex. 32:24 And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

Look at the words “out came this calf”. Aaron was not quite honest. Aaron intentionally fashioned the calf (see Ex. 32:4).

When Yahweh was so angry with Israel He wanted to destroy them, Moses immediately considered what was best for Yahweh’s reputation. Moses understood that the Egyptians would make the wrong conclusion about Yahweh if Yahweh meted out the punishment Israel deserved. Therefore, Moses implored Yahweh to protect His reputation.

We Christians are human; therefore, we naturally think first about ourselves. However, we are servants of Jesus. Thus, we must always think first and foremost about how any of our words and deeds affect Jesus.

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”

Today, we will read the punishment for working on the sabbath. It was quite severe and warns us that perhaps we should not rank God’s commands. Perhaps every single one of God’s commands is vital and needs to be taken very seriously.

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The book of Exodus contains many instructions about how to build the tabernacle and everything in it. Chapter 31 gives direction on who was to build it. Yahweh called a man named Bezalel, who was filled with the Spirit of God and had the skill and wisdom necessary to perform the work.

Ex. 31:6 And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are wise at heart I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you:

Notice the name “Oholiab”. He was appointed alongside Bezalel.

Look at the pronoun “they”. In addition to Bezalel and Oholiab, there were multiple people who had wisdom and skill to create the parts that made up the tabernacle.

Ex. 31:7 the tent of meeting, and the ark of testimony, and the mercy seat upon it, and all the furniture of the tent,

Ex. 31:8 the table also and its utensils, and the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense,

Ex. 31:9 the altar of burnt offering also with all its utensils, and the laver and its stand,

Ex. 31:10 the woven garments as well, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, with which to minister as priests;

Ex. 31:11 the anointing oil also, and the fragrant incense for the holy place, they shall make them according to all that I have commanded you.”

Ex. 31:12 ¶ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Ex. 31:13 “But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall surely keep My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am Yahweh who makes you holy.

Don’t miss the phrase “speak to the sons of Israel”. The command in this verse was addressed to the Israelites and no one else.

Take note of the word “sign”. Keeping the Sabbath was a sign between Yahweh and the Israelites. It is not a sign between God and Christians.

Ex. 31:14 Therefore you shall keep the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.

Ponder the penalty for breaking the sabbath. The penalty was death. That is a harsh penalty for an offense which feels minor.

Christians tend to rank God’s commands on a scale from not a serious offense to a grave offense. We think murder, adultery, idolatry, and stealing are grave offenses which need to be dealt with. Meanwhile, other commands are treated flippantly as if it doesn’t matter whether we obey them or not.

It seems that the command to rest on the sabbath would be a command that is not as critical as the command against murder and adultery. However, the consequence for violating the sabbath was death. Therefore, perhaps we should not assume some of God’s commands are less vital than others. Every sin, no matter how slight, is an offense against God.

Ex. 31:15 Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to Yahweh; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death.

Ex. 31:16 So the sons of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant.’

Ex. 31:17 It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.”

Look at the word “forever”. The sabbath is an eternal sign between God and Israel. That means it is still a sign between Yahweh and Israel today.

Ex. 31:18 ¶ When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.

Artistic renderings of this event often depict the tablets as being several inches thick, ten inches wide, and around 14 inches tall. Two tablets that size would have been extremely heavy. It may be more accurate to picture them as being the dimensions of a paperback book, less than an inch thick.

Ex. 32:1 ¶ Then the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain. So the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Arise, make us gods who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

This is an astounding event. This was less than a year after Yahweh had performed all the signs and miracles that freed the Israelites from slavery, brought them safely through the Red Sea, and provided food and water in the wilderness. And yet the Israelites wanted Aaron to make gods for them.

Ex. 32:2 And Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

Ex. 32:3 Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.

Ex. 32:4 And he took this from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”

The calf was something the Israelites could see. They could also control it.

Humans have difficulty believing in a God they cannot see. Furthermore, humans want to be their own boss. We don’t want to obey God, we want to do what we want to do. This is reflected in the actions of the Israelites. They created a god they could see and one that could not give them any commands.

Ex. 32:5 And Aaron looked and built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh.”

Notice the name “Yahweh”. Aaron was certainly culpable in this idolatry, but we need to give him a little credit for at least trying to move the focus back onto Yahweh.

Ex. 32:6 So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink and rose up to play.

Christians tend to rank God’s commands on a scale from not a serious offense to a grave offense. We think murder, adultery, idolatry, and stealing are grave offenses which need to be dealt with. Meanwhile, other commands are treated flippantly as if it doesn’t matter whether we obey them or not.

It seems that the command to rest on the sabbath would be a command that is not as critical as the command against murder and adultery. However, the consequence for violating the sabbath was death. Therefore, perhaps we should not assume some of God’s commands are less vital than others. Every sin, no matter how slight, is an offense against God.

What are some of God’s commands that modern Christianity treats flippantly?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”

Yahweh has always desired His followers to be separate from evil. This desire was reflected in the instructions for the tabernacle, and foreshadows the separation we should pursue as servants of Jesus Christ.

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The instructions given to Moses at Mount Sinai included specifications for how to build the tabernacle. Today’s passage reveals procedures for anointing and dedicating the tabernacle.

Ex. 30:17 ¶ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Ex. 30:18 “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.

Ex. 30:19 And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it;

Ex. 30:20 when they come into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to Yahweh.

Ex. 30:21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his seed throughout their generations.”

These instructions were fairly straightforward. The priests were required to wash before they served so that they did not die.

This was the beginning of a long series of events which eventually led to the Christian practice of baptism. As we see in this passage, the Mosaic Law had requirements in regards to washing with water. By the time of Christ, the Jews had developed an elaborate set of rules about using water to maintain ritual purity (see Mark 7:3-5), including the practice of completely immersing oneself in water.

1st century Jews built numerous mikvaot, which were ritual baths, to facilitate their desire to be ritually pure. When John the Baptist began baptizing people, he was not practicing something new. Baptism was very common within 1st century Judaism. What made Christian baptism distinct was being baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Ex. 30:22 ¶ Moreover, Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Ex. 30:23 “But as for you, take for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh 500 shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, 250, and of fragrant cane 250,

Ex. 30:24 and of cassia 500, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin.

Ex. 30:25 And you shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.

Ex. 30:26 And with it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony,

Ex. 30:27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,

Ex. 30:28 and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand.

Ex. 30:29 You shall also set them apart as holy, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy.

Notice the words “set them apart as holy”. The tent, ark, table, utensils, lampstand, altars, and laver were to be set apart. That means they were dedicated to the single purpose of being used to carry out the requirements of the Mosaic Law. They could not be taken to anyone’s tent to prepare an ordinary meal. They could not be used to burn anything other than the sacrifices and specific incense.

This is a picture of New Testament teachings about Christians. Christians live among non-Christians. We are tempted to be like those we live among. However, the New Testament tells us to be different. We are servants of Jesus. Our lives should be dedicated to serving Him. Our behavior should be different from the non-Christians who surround us. We see this commanded in Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Ex. 30:30 And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and you shall set them apart as holy, that they may minister as priests to Me.

Aaron and his sons were also set apart, meaning their only job in life was to serve as priests.

Ex. 30:31 And you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations.

Ex. 30:32 It shall not be poured on anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in the same specifications; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you.

Ex. 30:33 Whoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people.’”

Since the tabernacle and everything in it was dedicated to the single purpose of carrying out the requirements of the Mosaic Law, the oil used to anoint the tabernacle needed to be a mixture that was only used to anoint the tabernacle.

Ex. 30:34 ¶ Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Take for yourself fragrances, stacte and onycha and galbanum, fragrances with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each.

Ex. 30:35 With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.

Ex. 30:36 You shall beat some of it very fine, and you shall put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you.

Ex. 30:37 The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same specifications for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for Yahweh.

Likewise, the incense that was made for the tabernacle service needed to be a mixture that was only used in the tabernacle. The particular scent found in the tabernacle was not to be experienced anywhere except in the tabernacle.

Ex. 30:38 Whoever shall make any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people.”

The consequence of misusing the holy incense was to be cut off from the people. Likewise, church discipline for misbehavior, the failure to be different from the world, may result in someone being cut off from the church.

Ex. 31:1 ¶ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Ex. 31:2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.

Ex. 31:3 And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in discernment, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,

Ex. 31:4 to devise artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,

Ex. 31:5 and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, in order for him to work in all kinds of craftsmanship.

One of the biggest problems we have in modern Christianity is that when non-Christians look at Christians, they don’t see people who are any different from them. Our priorities, choices, speech, and actions do not differentiate us from all the evil in the world.

Yahweh has always desired His followers to be separate from evil. This desire was reflected in the instructions for the tabernacle. The poles, curtains, and furniture created for the tabernacle were only to be used to perform the ceremonial requirements of the Mosaic Law. The oil and incense created for the tabernacle service had to be unique to the tabernacle.

Likewise, the New Testament instructs Christians to be different from the world. When non-Christians view our lives, they should recognize that we live according to different standards and values.

What do non-Christians see when they view your life?

Do they see a person who is different from the secular world in which we live?

Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. If you have already joined my email list, thank you and please tell others about Bible Mountain. If you have not joined my email list yet, please do so now. In order to join, go to Bible Mountain dotcom, click on subscribe, and that will take you to a page where you can sign up. Your email address will not be sold nor given away. Once again, thanks for visiting Bible Mountain.

Subscribe now

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”