Exodus 40 - The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle

40:1-19

So we now reach the end of Exodus. The chapter started with the people in slavery in Egypt, it ends with the people on the way to the Promised Land with the Presence of God leading them. All the work on the various items described in the previous chapters had been completed, and so the articles were to be placed in the tent of meeting. Detailed instructions had been given on how the articles were to be made, now instructions are given on how they are to be placed within the tent. All the items were to be anointed.

40:20-33

At the heart of the tent were the tablets of the covenant law, with the atonement cover over it. At the heart of worship of the Lord are His commandments, and the atonement for our sin. People lazily think that commandments are an Old Testament thing, this is nonsense. If we read the gospels we find that Jesus was very keen on commandments. See, for example, John 14:15, “If you love me you will obey my commandments”, and the Great Commission involves us teaching people to obey all that Jesus has commanded. Commandments are at the heart of the gospel. But we cannot come close to God without our sins being atoned for.

40:34-38

The glory of the Lord filled the tent and even Moses could not enter. Earlier on Moses had said he would not go unless the presence of the Lord was with them. Now we have the presence of the Lord. They only moved on when the presence of the Lord moved on, and the presence was with them on all their travels. We have the presence of the Lord with us through the Holy Spirit, we too should stay in situations until He moves on.

Exodus 38 & 39 - So Moses blessed them

38:1-31

We continue with the parallel passages, or rather the enactment of the commands given in earlier passages. In chapter 38 we have:

38:1-7 27:1-8

38:9-20 27:9-19

There are two additions here, Ex 38:8. The mirrors of the time were made of highly polished bronze. 38:21-31 gives details of the amount of various materials that were used.

39:1-43

39:2-7 28:6-14

39:8-21 28:15-28

39:22-31 28:31-43

39:32-41 35:10-19

The chapter, and this long section, finishes with Moses inspecting the work. Moses finds that all the work had been carried out according to the Lord’s instructions. So Moses blesses them. There is a parallel here to the creation account (Gen 1:31).

Exodus 37:1-29 - Bezalel made the ark

37:1-29

Once again in this chapter we have a number of parallels with earlier passages, with the difference that before instructions were given, and now the instructions are being carried out. The parallels are:

37:1-9 25:10-20

37:10-16 25:23-29

37:17-24 25:31-39

37:25-28 30:1-5

Apart from that I really don’t have a great deal to say on this chapter. One thing that does puzzle me is that they made images of cherubim. Now these were just models and were in themselves useless, and God had strictly commanded the Israelites not to make any graven images. So why were they told to make these models (images?) of cherubim?

Exodus 36:1-38 - The Lord had given skill and ability

36:1-7

The work of Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person is mentioned again, with emphasis on the fact that the Lord had given them the skills. 36:2 says “and who was willing”. God gives abilities to all sorts of people, but not all are willing to use them for the glory of God. In this case the people as a whole were very willing, bringing so many contributions along that the craftsmen asked Moses to stop them, they didn’t need any more. So Moses gave the command to the people, “and so the people were restrained from giving more” because they already had all they needed to do the work. Cole in his commentary talks about those who delayed giving and says they must have felt left out and regretted not giving sooner. However, there is nothing in the text to indicate this. The picture presented is one of everyone giving freely. There is often a sad state of affairs in churches that people are unwilling to give sufficiently. When the grace of God is poured out it produces a generosity of spirit within the people.

36:8-38

This is a virtual repetition of Ex 26, except for a change in tense. In Ex 26 it is about what God told the people to do. Here we have the people carrying out these instructions. So the people were carefully following the commands of the Lord. In the history of Israel there are times, such as these, when they do obey the Lord, but these times are relatively rare, and it is much more common for them to be in rebellion against the Lord.

Exodus 35:20-35 - He has filled him with the Spirit of God

35:20-29

The people then withdrew from Moses and those who were willing brought their offerings to the Lord. Note the importance of being willing. All the giving was directed towards the building of the tabernacle. The skilled women are also mentioned. The offerings were freewill offerings.

35:30-35

Bezalel and Oholiab were mentioned at the beginning of chapter 31. The wording is very similar here. Bezalel has been given various types of skills and wisdom by the Lord, and these were given in order for him to do the work of the Lord. Oholiab is named alongside him. As well as being given skills and wisdom, they were given the ability to teach others. So we learn two important aspects related to the gifts we have. They are given in order to enable us to serve the Lord, and so that we can teach others. 

Exodus 35:4-19 - Whoever is of a generous heart

35:4-9

We now have instructions on offerings. As before, and as in 2 Cor 9:7 there is an emphasis on willingness. Now if our hearts are sinful we can take this as meaning we don’t have to give. In the same way, some people say that tithing is just for the Old Testament and doesn’t apply anymore. This is actually a legalistic approach. If our hearts are right then we should delight in giving to God, it should be a joy. Equally, some teaching on tithing which encourages it is legalistic and misses the point. Gifts of all sorts are listed here, a common factor is that they are all high quality.

35:10-19

Giving is not restricted to material giving, but also giving of our time and skills. God is the one who gives us abilities, and His plans require the using of those gifts and abilities, as the parable of the talents demonstrates. It is very important to the Lord that we use our abilities well.

Exodus 35:1-3 - Sabbath regulations

35:1

Chapters 35 to 39 are a near repeat of chapters 25 to 31. However, they are not an exact repeat and there are some key differences. Even so, we are led to ask why is there a virtual repetition of earlier material? Repetition can be used as a means of emphasis, seeking to make sure people get the message and appreciate its importance. It also stresses Moses’ faithfulness in carrying out God’s instructions. It is perhaps significant that the first telling was before the golden calf incident, so maybe this is stressing that the “rules” remain the same. Just as the ten commandments have not changed, neither have the rest of the commands.

35:2,3

The first instruction regards the Sabbath. The Sabbath receives a lot of attention in both the Law and the Prophets, and while I don’t think going all legalistic about it is fruitful (see Jesus and the Pharisees in the gospels, where so many disputes centred around the Sabbath), we do need to have a greater appreciation of the Sabbath principle. They were about to receive commands on building the tent, even during this building period the Sabbath was to be observed. The prohibition on lighting a fire could be related to cooking, or possibly (but less likely) to metalwork.

Exodus 34:31-35 - Whenever he entered the Lord's presence

34:31,32

Moses called to Aaron and the others and they came back to him, having run away in fear beforehand. Eventually all the people came to Moses and He gave them all the commands of the Lord. It is the duty of a Christian minister to give the word of the Lord, not just to give our own opinions. In the Great Commission Jesus said we are to teach people to obey all that He has commanded us.

34:33-35

After speaking to them Moses put a veil on his face. He removed the veil whenever he went to meet with the Lord. When we meet with the Lord we should be completely open. After meeting with the Lord he would communicate the words of God to the people. If we want to have anything worthwhile to say we need to spend time with God and His word. It seems that Moses only left his face uncovered when he was teaching the people, at other times his face was veiled.

Exodus 34:27-30 - His face was radiant

34:27,28

Moses was to “write down these words”. It isn’t clear whether these are the words of the ten commandments, or just the extra instructions, though 34:28 would seem to imply that it was the ten commandments.. It actually isn’t very important. What is important is that God has made a covenant with Moses and with Israel. We should note that it is God who sets the terms of the covenant. Too often men think that they can set the terms of any relationship with the Lord. Moses was up there for forty days and nights. This is an idiomatic term and just indicates a reasonable and significant amount of time. Jesus spent forty days and nights in the wilderness during His temptation.

34:29,30

As a consequence of his encounter with the Lord, Moses’ face was radiant, though Moses was initially unaware of this. Paul makes play of this fact in 2 Cor 3:13ff. Aaron and others were afraid of Moses because of his radiance. While our faces may not physically glow, we should be affected by the time we spend with the Lord. And the fact that we spend time with the Lord should be noticeable to others.

Exodus 34:22-26 - Bring best of the firstfruits

 34:22-24

Having trusted the Lord by observing the Sabbath, the people were to celebrate the harvest. Even if we start off trusting the Lord, it is very easy for us to start claiming credit for ourselves. There were three festivals that the people were to observe every year. The Lord would “drive out the nations before you”. The people might fear that “the nations” would cease the opportunity afforded by the festivals to come and take back the land. God assures them that this will not be the case. “No-one will covet your land.” 

34:25,26

The sacrifices were not to be contaminated with yeast. The sacrifices were to be consumed by the end of the day. Their offerings were to be from the best of the flock, not an afterthought. Remember Cain and Abel. The instruction about not cooking a young goat in its mother’s milk may have had something to do with pagan practices of the surrounding nations.

Exodus 34:18-21 - Six days you shall labour

34:18

On a more positive note, having been warned about things they must not do, we now get some things they must do. First they had to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, they were to remember the time they were set free from captivity in Egypt. Today we should celebrate the Lord’s Supper, doing this in remembrance of Christ’s work on the cross. It is also useful to remember the time when we first came to know the Lord.

34:19-21

The firstborn of every womb belongs to the Lord. This applied to both sons and livestock. “No-one is to appear before me empty-handed”. Our salvation is entirely the work of the Lord, but we must still give to the Lord. It is a sign of our allegiance to Him, and our trust in Him. Observing the Sabbath is also a sign of our allegiance and trust in the Lord. This was to be observed even during the ploughing season, i.e. even during the busiest time of the year, and when the pressure to get things done would have been greatest. Even when the pressure is on us, we must maintain our devotion to the Lord.

Exodus 34:12-17 - Do not make any idols

34:12-14

The people were to be careful not to make a treaty with any of the peoples. The reason was that they absolutely had to avoid adopting any of their practices, for these practices would involve the worship of idols and would drag the people away from the Lord. Instead they were to completely destroy all vestiges of the people’s religious practice. Now this no doubt offends the sensibilities of some people, but that is tough. All religions are not the same, all practices are not of equal value. The Israelites were not to worship any other god, for God is a jealous God. God is not one god among many, rather He is the only true God.

34:15-17

The command not to make a treaty with them is repeated, with the reasons made more explicit. Note the use of the term “when they prostitute themselves to their gods”. Israel was not meant to worship any other gods, but neither were any other peoples. In worshipping false gods they were not doing what they were created for. If Israel did make a treaty it would not end with Israel being invited to take part if pagan worship, but their sons would take pagan daughters for wives and this would lead to them prostituting themselves to false gods. These injunctions on being careful who we marry exist throughout the Bible, Old and New Testament. “Do not make any idols.” Making idols is a very dangerous thing to do, it means we will start to put our trust in the idol, and this does not need to be a physical idol. John finishes his first letter with the words “Keep yourselves from idols.”

Exodus 34:8-11 - I am making a covenant with you

34:8,9

Moses bows down and worships, this is the right response to the revelation of the Lord. Moses is still very concerned about whether or not the Lord would travel with them. He makes the basis for his prayer his having found favour in the eyes of the Lord. This plea is not made on the basis of any rose-tinted view of what the Israelites were like. He knows full well that they were a “stiff-necked people”, and seems to include himself in that “forgive our wickedness and our sin.

34:10,11

The Lord then declares that He is making a covenant with the people. God does not enter into casual relationships, but only serious ones. The Lord does not expect blind faith. They have already seen many miracles, but He declares that He will “do wonders never before done”. “The people you live among”, this could refer to the Israelites, or to the surrounding peoples. The various peoples would be driven out from the Promised Land. However, the covenant was not one sided, the people had to obey what God commanded them.

Exodus 34:4-7 - Slow to anger

34:4,5

So Moses did as he had been commanded, chiselling out the tablets, and going up the mountain. The Lord came down in the cloud and proclaimed His name, the LORD. Moses had seen the sin of the people and was appalled by it. He needed to know that God was the same, yesterday, today and forever. We too may well be dismayed at many of things we see going on around us, but the Lord is the same, He has not changed.

34:6,7

The Lord passed before Moses and proclaimed who He was (and is). He is “compassionate and gracious”, “slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness”. So we have the compassion of the Lord. Then God says “He does not leave the guilty unpunished”. Justice and mercy go together. If we focus on just one of these aspects we do not have the truth. They go together. We see this supremely on the cross, which was a judgement on our sin, but the greatest act of mercy, for Christ took the judgement upon Himself. “Third and fourth generation” is an idiomatic statement, meaning the long term effects of sin. We can see the truth of this at the individual and national level. The sins of one person can affect their family for several generations, the sins of one generation can affect a nation for many years.

Exodus 34:1-3 - Chisel out two stone tablets

34:1

Having broken the tablets of stone when he saw what was going on in the camp, Moses now gets a replacement set. Moses has to chisel out the stones, and God makes the pointed remark “which you broke”. God here says He will write the words on them, as on the first set. There could be a conflict with 34:27,28 where it says that God tells Moses to write the words on the tablets. However, one can look at it as the words are God’s and so God is actually writing the words, even if Moses was the instrument. In many of the New Testament letters the words were, for the most part, written by a “secretary” dictated by Paul, it was still Paul who wrote them. So any conflict is really non-existent.

34:2,3

Moses was to be ready early in the morning. He was to meet God on Mount Sinai. So despite man’s rebellion, God’s ways and His plans had not changed. This does not mean the sin of Israelites did not matter, it most certainly did matter, but man’s sin does not change God’s plans. No one, not even flocks and herds were to be allowed on the mountain. 

Exodus 33:18-23 - Now show me your glory

33:18-20

Moses now asks for God to show him His glory. God declares that Moses cannot see His full glory, cannot see His face, for then he would die. However, the Lord will give him something. All his goodness would pass in front of Moses, and He would declare His name in the presence of Moses. I.e. He would reveal more of His character to Moses. Then it says “I will have mercy ....”, this was quoted by Paul in Rom 9:15. God having mercy on people whom we are sure don’t deserve it is what often causes problems for people! Especially religious people, possibly even including you and me. Yet the gospel is all about mercy, about God’s favour to those who in no way deserve it.

33:21-23

God then prepares the way for Moses to see something of the glory of God, but not in all its fullness. So God will put Moses in the cleft of a rock so that he will only see the back of God, not His face. Anthropomorphic language is, of course, being used here. However, what Moses would see is part of the whole of God, it was not something that was separated off.

Exodus 33:16,17 - I know you by name

33:16

“How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?” “What will distinguish ....” This is so fundamental. Large parts of the church want to be like the world, to follow the world’s wisdom. Parts of the church that do actually want to be true to the Bible will use “methods” in order to attract people. Now we do need to be organised, following the Holy Spirit does not mean living in chaos, but methods are secondary. It is the presence of God that distinguishes us. Our focus, both as individuals and as churches, should be on God.

33:17

God reaffirms His commitment to doing what Moses has asked, and also says that it is because He is pleased with Moses, and knows him by name. It is absolutely true that we are sinners, as was Moses, but it is also possible for God to be pleased with us. Jesus was pleased with people who showed faith in Him. God knows us by name, which means He knows our character. It is pleasing to God if the orientation of our character is towards God.

Exodus 33:14,15 - My Presence will go with you

33:14

Look at the Lord’s answer “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” The presence of the Lord with us is the greatest thing that we can have. If He is with us then we can cope with anything, it transforms any situation, largely because it transforms us. “And I will give you rest.” Moses hadn’t explicitly asked for this, but God knew what Moses was going through. We do need natural rest (hence the Sabbath!), but there is a deeper rest that only the presence of the Lord can give us, and will give us.

33:15

It seems rather strange for Moses to be stressing the importance of God’s presence to be with them, for God has just promised that His Presence would go with them. Still, it is worth dwelling on the importance of the Presence. So often we want God to bless what we are doing, rather than focusing on what God is doing. And with much of the mainstream churches one wonders if they have any interest in the presence of God.

Exodus 33:12,13 - If you are pleased with me

33:12

We now get insight into one of Moses’ meetings with the Lord, and Moses complains to the Lord. Moses has been told to lead the people, but God has not told him whom He will send with him. It seems that Moses recognised that the task was too much for him on his own. God had also told Moses that He knows him by name, and that he has found favour with God. We should have an attitude of reverence and a proper fear of God, we should have an awareness of our sinfulness, but we should also know that God knows us by name. He knows who we are, and we have found favour in His sight. We need a proper balance.

33:13

Moses now continues his plea to the Lord. Pay special attention to what Moses asks for. First he wants God to teach him His ways. We find a similar thing in a number of the Psalms, with David asking God to teach him His ways. Moses’ requests are geared towards knowing God. Often all a person wants is the immediate material benefit: being healed, a financial crisis averted etc. There is a fundamental difference between those who want God only for what He can give them, and those who want God Himself. Moreover, when we are in a fix, or just a generally difficult situation, the thing we need most is to know the Lord’s ways. Our natural response to situations can so often be part of the problem, we need to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. Moses also reminds God that this people, sinful though they are, are His people. Moses’ prayer is utterly God focused.

Exodus 33:4-11 - The Lord would speak face-to-face with Moses

33:4-6

Having been caught out and then receiving the due penalty from the Lord the people are now all of a sudden very repentant. This is a very human reaction. Our “repentance” is often a reaction to being found out or penalised, rather than genuine sorrow for our actions. They took off their ornaments as a sign of their mourning.

33:7,8

We now come to the “tent of meeting”. This was pitched outside the camp, and was where Moses met the Lord. When Jesus was on earth He often sought a lonely place in order to pray to the Father. There is value in our being away from our normal surroundings in order to pray. This tent was not the same as the Tabernacle, described earlier in Exodus. It seems that Moses going to meet with the Lord was an event met with excitement and fear by the people. How do we look at our leaders? Do we consider their meeting with the Lord to be the most important aspect of their leadership? And, of course, we can now all meet with the Lord. 

33:9-11

God made it obvious that Moses was indeed meeting with Him, as a pillar of cloud stood at the entrance to the tent. So the people would know that something special was happening. The people all stood and worshipped at the entrance to their tents. “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend”. In John 15:15 Jesus refers to the disciples as friends. The Lord desires a close relationship with His people. We should be aware that we are friends of God, but not “buddies”. Joshua stayed at the tent while Moses returned to the camp.