Exodus 1:12 - "The more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied..." Just like persecuting the church only makes it grow more.
Exodus 2:1 - The Bible is so specific at the point of lineage. A Levite man marries a Levite woman. Why is this important? Both Moses and Aaron were full-bred Levites. Their father and their mother came from Levite stock. So the sons of Aaron were also Levites and priests. This will become significant as we look at Leviticus.
Exodus 2:9 - "I shall give you your wages." Moses' mother (not even named) gave the child up into God's hands. The Lord put the child back into her hands with wages! She received back even more than she gave up, for she received wages for what she would have done in the first place, i.e., nurse her child. That is just how the Lord works sometimes. Other times, we have to wait for heaven to receive our reward.
Exodus 2:11-12 - Making application of these verses: This should teach us that private acts should be kept in private. "Moses looked this way and that" (NASB). But in the end someone saw him. If you don't want someone to see something, don't count on just looking around. It is best not to take the chance at all. In fact, if you look around before you do something; take that as a cue not to do the thing.
Stephen retells this story just before his martyrdom. He said, "And [Moses] supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him..." (Acts 7:25, NASB). This is important because it shows God's sovereignty. It wasn't until 2:23-25 that God "remembers His covenant", but He had already risen up a deliverer with Moses. He had been preparing Moses all his life.
Exodus 2:15ff - The Midianites were descendants of Abraham by his second wife, Keturah, whom he married after Sarah died (Gen 25:1-2). Thus, Zipporah was technically a part of Abraham's family. But, Moses still "sent her away" (i.e., divorced her) later in the wilderness wandering (Ex 18:2), presumably because she while she was out of the loins of Abraham, she was still not an Israelite. On account of the fact that she was not born from Israel, i.e., Jacob before his name was changed by the Lord to Israel.
Exodus 2:23 - Many think that the Hebrews cried out to the Lord, but they did not. Read the text for what is actually written, "They sighed because of the bondage" and "their cry for help...rose up to God." Where is it written that they cried out to God? Nowhere. It is as if they hit their thumb with a hammer, cried out, "OUCH!" And the Lord heard their cry. (See also vs. 24.)
Exodus 3:8 - "I have come down to deliver them..." If I was Moses, and I had no prior knowledge of the Lord, I might ask the question, "Can this 'god' (For he did not know all we know. He thought the Lord was just another 'god') defeat the Egyptian gods?" The burning bush that was not consumed was a small display of the Lord's power to Moses. This may answer the question, "Why did the Lord use the burning bush in the first place? Couldn't He have just spoken to Moses with the same effect?"
Exodus 3:11 - This question Moses asks I do not think has to be one of humility, as in "I am just a shepherd. Why would you choose me to do this great work?" I think this was a question of ability. Moses clearly saw himself as powerless to come against Pharaoh. Thus in the next verse, the Lord assures Moses that He will be with him lending power to Moses, as that phrase came to mean later in the Scriptures (see Judges 6:16 and Isaiah 43:2). Later in the chapter, the Lord tells Moses that He will do wonders and miracles to bring them out, once again assuring Moses of His intentions.
Exodus 3:15 - What an awesome moment that must have been when the Lord said His name for the first time. In the English text, the force is diminished because we render the divine name as "LORD." But to see the Hebrew letters forming the divine name is striking.
One other point: In the Hebrew text, there is not a heavy accent on the divine name, which would be there if the Lord wanted to draw extra attention to His name and separate it from the rest of the sentence. It is a very light disjunctive accent, which means after the Lord said His divine name, He was still not finished describing Himself. It should all be read together, "The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob..." This defines the Lord more completely and thoroughly so there is no mistaking His identity. He is the LORD!
Exodus 4 - GENERAL REMARKS - Before this chapter, there was never displays of God's power through a human agent. Until now, they were all accomplished through angelic or divine agency. It is significant that the roots of Jewish religion should have their beginning in the human agency of the miraculous. From now on, it is not so uncommon. In fact, when Jesus came, people demanded a miraculous sign to prove He was from God. Signs became expected of the servants of God. Those who say there are no miraculous signs anymore (they died with the Apostles) are not considering the continuity of God. We can now understand Moses' reluctance to accept the mission. When the Lord showed him all the miracles He would do through him, realize that this was all new to Moses and the people of God. It was not new, however, to the powers of darkness. Pharaoh's magicians had no trouble replicating some of the miracles that Moses performed, which shows the dark arts in force before the Lord gave such power to His own people.
Exodus 4:1ff - Moses, in effect, asks the question, "What if they don't believe that I have really seen you?" Then the Lord proceeds to give him miraculous power. This is a characteristic of those who have seen the Lord. It is repeated literally with the original Apostles (Peter, James, John, etc.). It is repeated meta-physically with Paul (Saul), who saw not a physical manifestation of the Lord but a spiritual one. This power is passed on today thru seeing spiritual manifestations of the Lord.
Exodus 4:3 - This transformation was real. Moses was scared of it and ran away!
Exodus 4:6 - According to Levitical law (Leviticus 13:13), if a person was completely covered by leprosy and it was completely white (implying that there was no raw flesh), that person was actually considered clean. Here Moses' hand is completely white, so even with this miraculous sign, the Lord would not make him unclean just to prove a point.
Exodus 4:10 - Moses starts getting scared of the task the Lord is putting before him. All the signs and wonders are too much for him. What if he gets something wrong and he turns all the Nile into blood? What if his hand doesn't get restored from leprosy?
Exodus 4:13 - Though the English rendering is ambiguous, Moses is clearly asking the Lord to send someone else, which explains why the Lord became angry in vs. 14.
Exodus 4:14 - GENERAL REMARKS - Aaron was not originally a part of God's plan. When you get to the book of Leviticus, Aaron has a major part to play in the priestly duties. Did the Lord intend that Moses should be both Prophet and Priest; while the Lord was King (Israel was a theocratic society at this time)? Ultimately Jesus is Prophet, Priest and King. Moses, whose name is very similar to Messiah, was perhaps to be Prophet and Priest. The Lord became angry with Moses not so much because he didn't "believe in himself", but because he threatened God's intended order. Moses could not be King, as God was. But he could be prophet and priest. The roles would not join again until after the exile. The blending of the role of King and priest (note that prophet is left out) is seen in the book of Zechariah in the person of Joshua. He was the high priest of Israel, and the Lord was calling for him to be made King as well (6:11). When Jesus was on earth, He was "Prophet." He was not of a priestly line, so in the natural realm, He could not be. He was nearly forced to become king, but it was not His time yet (John 6:15). He became priest when He became the mediator of the new covenant in His blood. He will be installed as King at His second coming.
Note on Hebrew Grammar - This has an interesting case of an adjectival intensifier for the Hebrew, "Davar." The rendering, instead of the normal "greatly", is to "speak fluently."
Exodus 4:18 - In this verse, Moses asks his father-in-law to let him go back to Egypt. In the Hebrew, Moses uses a particle of entreaty ("Let me go please..."). In the first verse of chapter 5, Moses asks the same question to Pharaoh, "Let my people go...", but the answer was not the same. Pharaoh did not agree. The wording was different between the two. In the first case, Moses is speaking to Jethro asking permission to leave and using language of entreaty. In the second case, it is actually God that is speaking through Moses, but the language is more of a command. In the first case, Jethro granted Moses' wish. In the second, Pharaoh refused to obey the Lord's command.
Exodus 4:20 - There is something about a staff (the limb of a tree to walk with) in the human psyche. It is here in this passage, but all throughout modern folk-lore you see the presence of a staff: Wizards often carried staffs that were endued with power, wizard wands are a version of the staff, and travelers carried staffs for a functional purpose. I think that there is a sense of comfort and power that comes from holding a staff. I wonder if Moses didn't feel some reassurance having one in his hand.
Exodus 4:24-26 - This is a very interesting passage, and I have not read a satisfactory explanation of why the Lord wanted to put Moses to death. I have two questions:
1. Why didn't the Lord say something to him during one of the times of their fellowship that he needed to circumcise his son?
2. Why would the Lord all of a sudden (seemingly) want to kill the very man that He was sending to Egypt and was apparently happy with all along?
I think the answer to this lies in a principle of how God works. We tend to assume that the Lord is quite indulgent of us, and that He does not mind our slowness to comply with His requirements (law). Moses knew the law of circumcision, because even Zipporah (his wife) knew about it. But Moses was slow about being obedient. I'm sure he intended to do so, but procrastinated.
But, Moses misjudged the Lord's character in two ways:
1. God requires obedience of all known laws. He is not required to warn us or reiterate the law's importance before executing punishment for breaking His law. In Genesis 17:14, the Lord says that anyone who is not circumcised has broken His covenant - not just the law, which is given as covenant stipulations, but they have broken His covenant, which is much more serious.
2. We are not an indispensible commodity. The Lord can get rid of us and raise up someone else as easily as He raised us up. We may be special, but not irreplaceable. Moses was on the way to Egypt to do the Lord's work, but his time for compliance was up. God called him to account.
Another principle, the Lord must have complete and thorough obedience before sending you into the battlefield. In every particular, you must be compliant and prayed up before going to represent the Lord and engage in the battle for souls.
Exodus 5:1-9 - This did not go so well for Moses and Aaron. It goes to show that sometimes things get worse before they get better. Technically, however, they did not say exactly what the Lord had told them to say. This sometimes happens in the prophetic passages where the prophet is given some liberty to convey the same message in their own words. But in this case, I don't think they did convey the full meaning. In 4:23 the Lord says, "Let My son go, that he may serve Me." This sounds like the Lord is saying to permanently release the Hebrews. What Moses and Aaron asked for was (5:1), "Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness" (NASB). That word, "celebrate a feast" means literally "to make a pilgrimage." In Exodus 23:14 this same word is used of going to celebrate a feast. The core meaning of the word is a temporary feast that one goes to and then returns. Thus, it sounds like Moses is asking that they be free to go and then return from the feast.
Exodus 5:3 - The Lord did not instruct them to say this. In verse 1, He did. Their first attempt foiled, they are trying other measures as well. The language is different here, however. The first attempt was authoritative. They were speaking for the Lord. Pharaoh laughed in their face. Now they try entreaty: "Please let us go..." (In the original Hebrew, Moses uses the particle of entreaty not found in the first verse.) We will easily try things God's way at first, but if it doesn't work like we think it should, then we will resort to our own devices, which (if we are lucky) will not work either. Sometimes failure is a part of God's plan, only to bring success later.
Exodus 5:22-23 - This was just Moses' first attempt at freeing the people. It was disastrous, and he was ready to quit. There were many more hardships ahead of him, however. Moses was in a place that many of us are in today. We've been so disheartened and discouraged that we have withdrawn from our Gospel labor. Moses only reluctantly went back to the Lord's work of freeing the people. What forced him to go into exile 40 years ago was the same thing he was trying now. Only 40 years ago, he was trying to accomplish it in his own power. After spending all that time in the desert, the Lord humbled him. Now was the time to act. Yet, Moses still had to grow past that discouragement of previous failures. To accomplish the work of the Lord requires great perseverance in the face of mighty obstacles. But with the power of God on our side, there is nothing to be discouraged about. As time progressed, Moses becomes more comfortable with his role, and he sees the Lord work through him. Thus he is more at peace with the trials he faces and less apt to give up.
Exodus 6:5 - This is a good life principle to remember: For many years Israel was in slavery to Egypt. (Probably more than 100 yrs.) They had most likely long forgotten the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Look at where they were! They were slaves; property. After all those years of hopelessness, finally something was about to happen. The Scripture says, "I have remembered My covenant." Sometimes we think the Lord has forgotten us. By the measure of time, it would seem that way. But also notice that when it was time for the Lord to act, He promised every power in heaven to deliver them from bondage. That should cause rejoicing!
Exodus 7:3 - Things were only going to get harder for Moses, as the Lord had purposed to harden Pharaoh's heart. God's plan was: "That I may multiply My signs in the land of Egypt." And why would the Lord want to multiply His signs? 1. Egypt was a land of many gods. The Lord wanted to show how their gods were powerless and that He was omnipotent. 2. This was an evangelistic endeavor of the Lord. He wanted them to see the futility of their faith in their own gods and to see that they needed to trust in Him. 3. It is also an opportunity to execute judgment on Egypt. Sometimes God must punish to open our eyes and change our behavior. He was displeased, no doubt, with their idolatry and enslaving of Israel. This was a chance to punish their sin and at least give them the opportunity for repentance.
Exodus 7:11 - This goes to show that there are other powers in the world other than the Lord's power. It is my opinion that there is an ethereal force that is neutral. Some people have the natural ability to use that force. The Lord operates within that force and so does the devil. Human abilities such as déjà -vu, telepathy, which have always been viewed with skepticism, are natural abilities that some humans posses and others do not.
Exodus 7:22 - We also see that there are varying degrees of difficulty in manipulating this neutral force for one's own purposes. In this case, it was a harder task, but the magicians of Egypt were still able to accomplish it. Later, we will see that they no longer can work the same miracles as the Lord.
Exodus 8:7 - (NOTE: The verse numbering in the English varies from the Hebrew. I am following the English numbering here.) There are two possibilities here: (1) Pharaoh’s magicians could call the frogs up but could not make them go away. (2) Pharaoh wanted to test the power of the Lord to see if He could make the frogs go away. (It was a lot of frogs.)
Exodus 8:18 - Here we see the limit of the magician's power. They could command frogs, but not gnats. Perhaps it is because the cognitive power of a gnat is so much lower than a frog by virtue of their place in the food chain. They tell Pharaoh that it must be God (vs. 19, NASB).
Exodus 8:21 - Progression of Plagues: Notice that the plague of frogs and of gnats is relatively harmless. Frogs or gnats will not hurt you. They are more of a nuisance. But Pharaoh bowed under the plague of frogs to ask Moses to remove them. In an effort to retain some dignity, he said, "Tomorrow [ask them to be removed]" (vs. 10). From here on, the plagues become more serious. The insects lay waste to the land (vs. 24). It seems that the Lord is being gracious even in this. He is giving them the chance to repent using minor plagues of irritation first. If they don't respond to those, the plagues will get more serious, until the last plague brings death - the most utterly serious thing that can happen - the death of a child. I have seen and heard of this very same progression in those who resist the Lord. A man will kick against the Lord until he is miserable inside. Then his business will fail. His wife will leave him. His child will die. Then he will die an untimely death himself. It is the progression of plagues.
Exodus 8:22 - The Lord said, "...that you may know that I, the Lord, am in the midst of the land." There is great significance to this declaration. In those days, people thought their gods were regionally bound. The gods of Egypt would not have the same power in Mesopotamia, for example, because their territory was Egypt. For the Lord to say, "I am in the midst of the land..." and He is exerting such great power was significant. This proves Him (1) More powerful than the Egyptian gods, (2) Not bound by territory or region, (3) Supremely powerful. The Lord God of the Hebrews had invaded the land of Egypt, and He is not happy with Pharaoh.
Exodus 9:29 - Moses is not having any trouble being before Pharaoh anymore. I think there is a principle that emerges from the plague narratives: The naive of the Lord's power are timid. Those who have never seen the great works of God cannot imagine what He will do for those who trust in Him. To the degree that we trust is the degree to which He will perform His works. In Bethlehem, Jesus did few miracles because of their little faith. Yet to the Roman centurion who had a soldier sick, his miracle was performed from afar on account of his great faith. Once we begin to see what the Lord can do, our faith increases. And as our faith increases His signs and wonders increase. It is a good idea to read books and listen to stories of how God's power has been displayed in other people's lives. This helps the Christian to see how God can work in the modern world. At some point, however, the believer must see God work in his/her own life and not rely on proxy experience.
Exodus 10:8 - It is amazing that the terms were still not clear. Pharaoh had to ask, "Who is it that will go?" It still sounds like Moses is suggesting a temporary departure to Pharaoh with the hidden intention not to return. Pharaoh suspects the same, which is why in vs. 10 he pledges that they will never leave with their children. If they don't take their children, they will have to return.
Exodus 10:12-13 - Notice that the final decision about the plague was made right after the conversation with Pharaoh when he did not comply. The locusts did not appear, however, until the morning as the Lord had said. There are times that our punishment is sealed immediately after our disobedience, but it takes a season before it comes to roost.
Exodus 10:22-23 - The miraculous thing about this plague was that not even candles gave off light. "They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings." Do you suppose that as Moses came to visit Pharaoh (vs. 24) that the Lord allowed him to carry a torch into Egypt proper? Then all the people would know that this was the Lord's servant. They would look with astonishment. Besides, how else would Moses be able to get to Pharaoh if people who had lived in the city all their lives couldn't even find their way around in the dark? Moses must have had the only light in Egypt. Indeed he did and in more ways than one. He carried the light of our Lord into a dark pagan city.
Exodus 11:5 - If the Passover was a foreshadowing of Christ's death and redemption of humanity, what is the symbol of the Lord killing the first born? For those who have the blood of the lamb over them, their first born was spared. This is redemption. For those without the blood of the lamb, there was death in that home. But why kill the first born? What does it represent? I thought at first that it was because the first born was due the inheritance. Thus, to kill the first born was to cut off the inheritance, a remote symbol of hell. But, that would be first born males. The Scripture says that even first born females will die (vs. 5). I do not know the answer.
Exodus 12:22 - "none of you shall go outside the door of his house" (NASB). Once the blood was applied to the door, it signified the blood of Christ was applied to that house. As long as they were inside the house, they were taking shelter, as it were, in Christ from the judgment about to take place on the wicked. As long as we take our shelter completely (leaving no part of us exposed or outside His redemption), we too will be saved from the judgment to come on the ungodly.
Exodus 14:10 - This is the first time Israel is recorded as crying out to the Lord. Every other time, they have been crying out like someone hits his finger with a hammer (Exodus 2:23). They cried out to Pharaoh when he increased their labor (Ex 5:15). It does not appear that this cry to the Lord was a cry of faith, however. The next verse records that they turned to Moses and chided him with faithless talk.
Exodus 14:13 - The instructions Moses gives to the people are noteworthy. He tells them to "stand." That word means literally "to take your stand" or "station yourself." It is as if a person were preparing to present himself to a person or for battle. There is another word for the passive connotation of stand (AMAD). This word has an active connotation for stand. In context, he is telling them to ready themselves to see the deliverance of the Lord. He is calling them to faith in the Lord. They know the Lord by name now, but they are not yet fully trusting in Him.
Exodus 16 - General Remarks: When we begin to know the Lord, He requires more faith of us. At first, they had to trust that though the Egyptians increased their labors, the Lord would deliver them. Then at the Red Sea, they had to trust the Lord's power to deliver them again. Now, wandering in the wilderness, they have to trust the Lord for their supply of food and water. This was a severe test for them. Living hand-to-mouth is not natural. But as we step out in faith, the Lord will begin to show us His glorious power to provide.
Exodus 15:22-25 & 16:3 - The Lord often allows us to feel our need before He will provide for it. We rarely notice when the Lord provides before we feel the need, because we assume it should be that way. The Lord allow us to feel the need so that (1) we will not take His good gifts for granted, (2) He can test our faith, (3) He can receive more praise and glory when He does provide.
Exodus 16:4 - The Lord giving manna from heaven was not so much about the Lord meeting their needs miraculously. It was about teaching the Israelites to trust the Lord for their daily needs. Jesus prayed, "Give us this day our daily bread." Here is the source of that prayer. The Hebrew emphasizes the fact that they are to take their day's portion "in its day." God was trying to teach them that they did not have to have a week's supply in the storehouses to be content. They could only have enough for the day and still be content and trust God for tomorrow when tomorrow comes. It was like a baby-step. Later, (vs. 19-20) Moses instructed them not to store up any overnight; that each day they should collect their portion and gather none for tomorrow. This is a beautiful picture of the Lord training them to trust Him and be concerned only for today, "for you do not know what a day may bring."
Exodus 16:26-28 - The Lord commanded that no one should gather (or even attempt to) manna on the Sabbath day. But some people (vs. 27) decided to check things out. Can you hear it? "Honey, I think there will not be enough for today left over from yesterday. Can you go and just check to see if any at all came down?" "Yes dear." It was an innocent action, right? After all, there wasn't anything on the ground, so technically, they didn't gather anything. Thus, they didn't technically break the Sabbath. Wrong. The Lord judges the intentions of the heart. It all started with a breach of faith. Did not the Lord prove (vs. 18) that even if a family gathered too little, they would not lack? Secondly, it was a violation of God's Law (innocently intended or not). You don't have to actually break the commandment in deed to be guilty. You merely have to conspire to kill the president of the U.S.A., and you will spend a long time in prison. You merely have to look at a woman with lust in your heart to be guilty of adultery.
Exodus 16:31 - The name "Manna" has no meaning. In the Hebrew, it is two consonants "MaN". In 16:15, the Israelites say, "What is it?" That question is made up of two Hebrew words, "MaN Hoo". Based on this observation, the Israelites actually named the substance from Heaven "What?" This draws attention to something Moses says later, "[God] fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know" (Deut 8:3, ESV). God's provision is miraculous. Those coming out of Egypt had never seen manna. Their ancestors had never seen it either. It was the power of God to supply their needs bringing manna and even quail (vs. 13) to provide for His people. Many do not see God's power, because they never put themselves in a position where God must exert Himself. In the same way, you will never see your own strength until you try to lift something heavier than normal. No place is it more felt in humans than in our finances. God says, "Test me now in this." That is, be a generous person. Give to the work of the Lord. Help other people. Sacrifice. "[And see] if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows" (Malachi 3:10, NASB). You don't know where the money will come from to make up the difference? Neither does anyone who walks by faith. That is precisely the meaning of "walking by faith." It means you do not see, hear, foresee, feel or know of provision coming. But faith is "the assurance of things [expected]..." That is, you know God said He would provide, so you can expect that He will. His Word gives you the assurance of what you can expect. "...the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1, NASB) That is, you are certain of God's provision even though you cannot touch, see, or even though you may not feel like God will provide. Despite even your feelings, you can be certain that God will "never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5, NASB).
Exodus 17:1-7 - It looks like the Lord did not provide the water at first because the people were thirsty enough to consider mutiny. That makes us question if we may trust the Lord at all times with our provision, if in this case He allowed such suffering by thirst. But notice that all Moses had to do was ask, and the Lord provided. God's provision for real needs is just a prayer away. Don't hesitate. Don't delay.
A few things could be the source of our lack of provision: (1) Too proud to ask, (2) Assume it will/should be there so don't bother to ask, (3) Don't really believe the Lord will provide supernaturally if there doesn't seem to be a natural means of provision (e.g., They didn't believe the Lord's provision because they couldn't see a well for water.), (4) Not walking closely enough with the Lord to (a) discern between needs and wants or (b) feel comfortable asking Him for anything.
Exodus 18:18 - The English rendering of Jethro's counsel in this verse does not convey the force in the original language. Notice that Moses did not make a reply. Why not? Because Jethro was giving Moses a stern lecture (as only father-in-laws can do with such an impact). In the original Hebrew, there is an adjectival intensifier, which also serves to intensify the meaning. The NASB renders it, "You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people..." It could be rendered with more force as such, "You will utterly exhaust both yourself and the people..." This was not something Moses even should have responded to.
Exodus 18:27 - Did Moses keep Zipporah (his wife whom he had sent away earlier, see verse 2) after he bid farewell to his father-in-law? The Bible does not mention Zipporah again after 18:2. It is possible (though speculative) that Jethro came with the hidden motivation of restoring his daughter (Zipporah) to Moses. It is speculation to say that Moses renewed his affection toward Zipporah after not seeing her for some time and she stayed. The Scripture says Moses sent his father-in-law back. A literal reading of the text does not include Zipporah, or a reference to family (Moses' two sons). Perhaps Moses' heart was touched seeing his children and wife again. With all the hardship he endured, he would have needed the comfort of a wife and family. The Lord never asked him to send away his wife, as the Scripture records. Zipporah was a descendant of Abraham. Those descendants were a product of a later marriage of Abraham after Sarah died (Gen 25:1-2).
Exodus 19:6 - "You shall be to me a Kingdom of priests..." That is not how you build a kingdom in the natural world. Not everyone can be a priest. But the Lord is changing the model, so to speak. As a priest, you do the will of the god you serve. For Israel, the fact that everyone is a priest means that everyone must do what pleases the Lord. Therefore, the whole nation of Israel is on divine commission. In a normal society, the priestly guild is concerned for appeasing the god. The rest of the people are concerned for pleasing themselves. Not so in Israel. Everyone must work to please the Lord. If the Lord says, "I want you to be a cobbler." You say, "Yes Lord, anything else that will please You?" This fact in this light makes the modern arrangements in most churches laughable. The Church today is not a Kingdom of priests. It is just like the world. You hire a minister (priest) to appease your god. Then the people come in to do their duty then leave to please themselves. Where's the divine commission?
Exodus 19:18-20 - What a scene! The Lord descends on a mountain in fire. The mountain is covered in smoke. It quakes and trembles. There is the sound of a trumpet, but no human is blowing it, and no one knows where it is coming from except the cloud of smoke. The trumpet continually gets louder and louder until finally Moses calls out to God. "We are here, Oh God." Then the voice of God calls back, "Moses, come up here. I want to talk to you." Moses climbs the mountain in the sight of all, disappearing into the cloud while the trumpet begins to fade in the background. I think the people got the message. Moses is God's man. Listen to him (see vs. 9). Even until this day, the Jewish people have the highest respect for Moses.
Exodus 19:23-24 - Moses was not correcting God or questioning Him. Sometimes in prayer, the Lord will tell us to do something that is contrary to our present beliefs or course of action. We simply tell the Lord that we do not understand His command based upon our prior understanding of His will. In this case, Moses says, "They aren't going to come up because You already warned them." But the Lord must have had something else in mind. There may have been a group of people that had it in their hearts to ignore the previous command to stay away. They perhaps said in their hearts, "If we are going to serve this God, then I want to see Him." Thus, the Lord compassionately sends Moses down to remind them not to try anything.
Exodus 20:8-9 - This is a very balanced commandment. "Six days you shall labor and do ALL your work" (vs. 9, NASB, emphasis added). In other words, work hard for six days. Do seven days of labor in six days or leave nothing undone for the week. The children of God should not be slack or lazy, but work hard for six days. Then on the seventh day, they should rest completely. Work hard, rest completely.
The Sabbath day has been blessed by God and set apart or made holy. This was done before the Law was given. It was blessed as a part of creation order.
I will attempt to propose a balanced view of the Sabbath and Christianity: Clearly the Scripture says that God blessed the seventh day of the week. He did not bless the first day (Sunday), but the seventh (Saturday). Nothing changed in that creation order blessing with Jesus' resurrection. His resurrection on Sunday was a matter of timing and not intended to change anything. He could not be resurrected on Saturday for two main reasons: (1) It was foretold that He would remain in the ground for three days by His own words (Mt 16:21), (2) He would not be raised on the Sabbath, as it was a day of rest and no work should be done. The observance of Sunday in the early church was a commemoration. They met many times during the week. Sunday was just a more special day because it commemorated the resurrection. In addition, many of the Christians were Jews who still kept the Sabbath themselves. They had rites and duties to perform on the Sabbath day, thus they could not and would not meet together with the sect of Christians on that day.
Paul has clearly said that Christians are free to esteem any day they want as holy (Romans 14:5). But that still does not change the fact that God blessed the Sabbath. It is our decision if we wish to participate in that blessing or not.
Jewish observance of the Sabbath actually begins Friday a few minutes before sun-down and lasts until sun-down on Saturday. In that 24 hr period, no work should be done. The advantage to a 24 hr period is that you get a night of sleep in the midst of your "day off life." By treating Sunday as the day of rest, you are only getting 12 hours rest, at most. For many people, Sunday is the hardest day of the week: get the kids ready and out the door. Get to church on time. Put on a happy face to hide the lack of sleep and frustrations. Come home, make lunch. Take a nap, if you are lucky. Then many go back to church again. You call that rest?
For a proper day of rest, meals should be prepared before hand as much as possible (left-over’s are great) and rest/relaxation/recreation should be the primary focus of that period. The enjoyment of family and friends can be a source of recreation. For the Christian, Sunday we should still go to Christian church, but treat Sunday as a work day. That is when you can do your shopping, cut the grass, wash the car or dog(s). Prudence should be used, however, because the watching world thinks Sunday is holy. Therefore, if your neighbor will think you are sinning by cutting the grass on Sunday, for example, then you should refrain from causing him/her to stumble or bring disrepute on Christ.
How you might "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy" (Ex 20:8, NASB): Prepare dinner before sun-down on Friday. Then commit the night to rest and relaxation. In the morning, have a simple breakfast such as cereal and/or toast. Keep the eggs, pancakes, etc. for Sunday morning. Lunch can be pre-prepared on Friday or something simple and easy to put together. That night, if the Lord permits you financially, go out to eat with the family and/or friends. Keep your conversations off contentious topics or off work. Focus on enjoyment and relaxation. In short, take a day off normal life. You can pick it back up on Sunday. This is how you can participate in God's blessing of the Sabbath. It is not a requirement but an opportunity.
Exodus 21:13 - This verse means if the death was by accident, then the offender may flee. When the Bible says, "but God let him fall into his hand..." (NASB), it means that the Lord caused what should not have been a fatal blow to be a fatal blow as the execution of some punishment against the deceased. Thus, the offender was merely an unwitting instrument of God's justice, and by sending the person away was actually not a punishment but a protection of his life from the vengeance of the deceased family (Numbers 35:25).
Exodus 21:22 - Many who are for the abortion of un-born children cite this verse in the Bible as a proof-text saying, "The killing of a child was not viewed by God as a capital offense. Thus, the aborting of a baby in the womb is not the same as killing another human-being." This argument only shows their ignorance of the Scriptures. In context, the Bible does not give capital punishment for accidental death, only deliberate murder (see vs. 13). Clearly, this verse shows the miscarriage to be accidental, thus not warranting a death penalty. Notice further that it still required a form of punishment and recompense, which acknowledges the seriousness of the offense even if accidental. The next verse addresses another situation of miscarriage.
Exodus 21:23 - "If there is any further injury..." (NASB). This is a rather ambiguous statement. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the meaning is much more apparent: "If there is any mischief [or evil]..." The situation described is if there was some plan to cause a miscarriage by a mock fight, or something of the sort. Support for my view comes from the second part of the verse, "You shall appoint as a penalty life for life" (NASB). The death penalty is only given when murder is intended. Thus, the NASB rendering of the first part of this verse ("If there is any further injury...") does not agree with the last part of the sentence. Thus, returning the matter of modern-day abortion, the woman who premeditatedly aborts her unborn child is guilty of murder in the first degree and thus should receive the penalty of death, according to the biblical standard given in Exodus and elsewhere in the OT. Some ask the question, "What about mercy?" What about it? If the woman acknowledges her guilt, repents, and seeks the forgiveness of the Lord, then the court system will have to decide if she should die or get life imprisonment. A word of caution: If mercy is given in every instance, then the effective law is not death but mercy. Thus, the penal system is adulterated. Mercy should be given carefully and only to those most deserving, lest others be encouraged to evil by the breakdown of penal code. The deserving will be evidenced by true sorrow, repentance, and confession. The truly penitent will be willing to die for their sins. Those unwilling to die for their sins betray their faulty motivation for repentance: The fear of death. Judas had this same remorse (cf. Matthew 27:3 "when Judas...saw that he [Jesus] had been condemned, he felt remorse..."), but remorse is not repentance or a change of heart.
Exodus 21:24-25 - In modern society, we use the phrase, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" as a license for retribution. If you hit me, then I'm going to hit you. But in its original context, the meaning is quite different. It is intended to cap punishment for crimes. It is called equitable justice. A person cannot be punished greater than the crime committed. If you steal a piece of bread or meat, you are not put to death under the Mosaic Law. You are to repay what you owe plus a fine.
Exodus 21:29 - "...and its owner has been warned..." It seems to me that we often forget this part of the verse. If someone causes offense in some way and then does it again, we tend to seek retribution. However, the Bible is teaching that we must give the person fair warning on the first offense, if we wish to carry out justice should there be a second. When fair warning has been given, and death is caused as a result of negligence, then the Bible says the man and the beast must die. The man dies because he is accessory to murder.
Exodus 22:16 - The Hebrew word for "seduce" (NASB) is related to the word for "open." Derivatives of this word can mean "open minded," "simple" (or we might say "gullible"). Idiomatically, it can mean someone who is foolish with regard to his speech (lit. "open wide his lips," Brown, Driver, Briggs Lexicon). These observations give us insight into the Hebrew mind as it relates to seduction. The one seduced was seen as too "open minded" or "gullible." In our times, society parrots the phrase, "be open minded." This can obviously be taken too far. When it leads to ungodliness, it is no longer open minded but gullible.
Exodus 22:17 - Why, if the father is the one who refuses to give his daughter in marriage, does the man still have to pay the bride price? Because a woman who had lost her virginity before marriage was a disgrace (Matthew 1:19), and it was extremely unlikely that she would ever be married. The Lord did not want the family of the daughter to suffer for her mistakes and the sins of the man, so the seducer was still required to pay the bride price so the family wouldn't be cheated of that money. Let us take note of how equitable the Lord is in justice.
Exodus 22:23 - This verse employs two instances of adjectival intensification. It is a way for Hebrew writers to intensify the meaning of the verb. In English, it is rendered here as "If you afflict him at all..." (NASB). The intensifier is demonstrated as "at all." Then later in the same verse, "I will surely hear..." (NASB). The intensifier in this case is "surely." The significance of the Hebrew grammar employing two intensifiers in a parallel fashion is as follows: The author is saying, "As surely as you afflict him, I will just as surely hear his cry against you." It is a warning of immanent and certain danger to all those who would attempt to afflict widows or orphans. The seriousness of the offense (as I have proposed based on the grammar of this verse) is echoed and expounded in the next verse (vs. 24). The Lord will become angry and kill you, so as to make your wife a widow and your children fatherless.
Exodus 23:20 - The phraseology of the first part of this verse ("Behold, I am going to send an angel before you...", NASB) is very similar (but not exactly the same) as in Malachi 3:1, "Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me ..." (NASB).
Exodus 23:21 - This is most likely the pre-incarnate Jesus because (1) They should be careful to obey Him; (2) He will not pardon transgressions. We do not usually think of angels as pardoning or executing judgment, (3) He has ADONI's name in Him. Though he does not necessarily have the name of Jesus in him. For when Gabriel visited Zechariah, he punished Zechariah with speechlessness for disbelief. If it is an angel, properly speaking, then think of the power God gave to him to punish disobedience.
Exodus 23:25-26 - Some will say, "These promises are for gentile believers now." Others will say, "They are only for the people of Israel that actually heard Moses repeat these words." But I say, "This is what it looks like to be the people of God!" (1) God will bless your nourishment, (2) He will remove sickness, (3) No miscarriages, (4) No barrenness, (5) People will live long lives. Question: Why would the Lord give provision for what to do when an accidental miscarriage occurs (21:22), if He is now telling them that there will be no miscarriages? I don't think the Lord was saying that there would never be a miscarriage ever or at all. Clearly, He was making provision for that to occur. Same thing with the other five blessings; they are not wholesale declarations with no variation. So what is He saying? The provision is made for you to have an abundant and fruitful life. Your enjoyment of this life is dependent on your willingness to keep His commands and follow in His paths. So long as we do that, sickness will not prevail, nor barrenness, nor miscarriages. Food will be plenty, and people will live long, prosperous (in the sense of blessings not money or wealth) lives.
Exodus 23:29-30 - The Lord is not just looking at accomplishing the task, but He looks at how it is done as well. He says He will not drive the people out all at once. Why? Because He doesn't want the land to go to waste. It will take time for Israel to inhabit and cultivate the land. If the Lord drives out the current residents at once, then there will be waste. Israel is not ready to handle it. They have to grow into the land little by little. We can often complain to the Lord that things aren't happening quickly enough. But the Lord's timing is perfect. He knows that we are not ready to handle all that we desire at this time, and if He lets us have it now, there will just be waste. So He gives it to us little by little; when we are ready for it.
I have often looked at evangelists and ministers who had come into their own very early and very quickly as an exception to this rule. From an historical perspective, they did not last long as the pressures brought them down (James Robison and Billy Sunday for example). But I wonder if it was no exception at all. I wonder if ministers like them were impatient and asked the Lord for the full ministry now instead of waiting until due time (like verse 30 speaks of). So the Lord answered their prayers, but the men came to ruin because they circumvented the process of maturation and preparation (the hidden years) to go right into ministry. Billy Graham said in a plenary session for the International Conference for Itinerant Evangelists 1986 that it took him 10 years of ministry before he saw a crowd over 1000 people. We tend to think that he shot like a star to the top, but I don't believe he did. It took time to build. He worked very hard and sacrificed much.
Exodus 23:31 - The Lord, up until now, has said how He will drive out the inhabitants and cause them to inherit the land (vs. 20, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30). But here He says, "You will drive them out...." This shows our cooperation with the Lord in achieving His will. Yes, the Lord will do it, but we must act and do our part as well. We must take Him at His word and step out to claim the victory.
Exodus 23:10-11 - This image of the throne room of God coincides perfectly with that depicted in Revelations 4:3 & 22:1-2. It is interesting to note that the Lord made exception to the rule that "no man can see Me and live" (Exodus 33:20, NASB). Another exception is found in Isaiah chapter six.
Exodus 24:16 - Moses waited for the Lord to speak for six days. Finally, on the seventh day, the Lord spoke. We are far too hasty when we expect the Lord to speak into our lives. Sometimes we have to be patient and wait. It is a test. How badly do we want to hear from the Lord? Or are we content to do our own thing once we have satisfied our sense of duty in seeking the Lord? The Lord will not honor that. We must seek Him diligently and not do anything until we know that we know we have heard from Him. I am guilty of moving too quickly.
Exodus 24:17 - "The glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top" (NASB). The glory of the Lord was evidenced to the people of Israel by the appearance of a flame of fire on the "head of the mountain" (Lit. Hebrew). Flip over to Acts 2:3, "And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them" (NASB). Here at Pentecost, the glory of the Lord was visiting in the third person of the Trinity: The Holy Spirit. It was another manifestation of the Lord's presence. He met with Moses, and it appeared like fire on the head of the mountain. He met with the disciples, and it appeared like fire on their own heads! The Lord was giving a symbolic confirmation that this was His doing. Certainly the people of Israel would remember the last time a consuming fire appeared on the head of something. I do not think we should draw a contrast between God sending fire on the mountain back then and fire on the individual now. Some might say that the Lord is showing how His glory is moving from the Law given on Sinai to the Spirit in the individual. The place is not what is important. The symbolism is a sign that God's hand is with them.
Exodus 25:2 - A principle the Lord has set in place is this: "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7, NASB). In this passage of Exodus, we see this universal principle at work. The Lord did not require gifts from everyone. Only those who’s "heart moves him" (NASB) are asked to give. It is not a tax to be imposed on the people. It is to be an offering. The Lord would not build a place for Himself with gifts given under compulsion. Those kinds of gifts are unholy. (cf. Proverbs 23:6-8, "Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, or desire his delicacies; for as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, "Eat and drink!" But his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, and waste your compliments." NASB) That is no way to build a holy sanctuary, and it is no way to build a ministry.
Faith-based ministry should operate the same way. People should not feel under compulsion to give. That would violate the 2 Corinthians 9:7 passage. The Lord controls the heart, so we should not press, manipulate, or engineer circumstances whereby people might give with anything but a cheerful heart having been inclined from inside the heart to do so.
Exodus 25:8 - After everything the Lord has dealt with from the people and knowing everything they will do, it is shocking that He would associate Himself with them. What condescension for Him, in His holiness, purity, and majesty, to say, "I [will] dwell in your midst." In the natural realm, most people of high standing would never dwell with the impoverished, nor even associate with them. How the Lord has made Himself less to make us more ("You stoop down to make us great" Ps 18:35, NIV). What a compromise He must have made to include humans among those who would enjoy His presence. Before this time, it was only angels and the heavenly host. He chose to live among us in all the filth, unbelief, sin, and sheer uncleanness of human life. No wonder the Lord said, "You must be holy as I am holy" (cf. Leviticus 19:2). He is trying to make the place where His name would dwell holy, so He would not be provoked to wrath. How much His patience must have been tried by dwelling among them. They just didn't understand God's holiness. No wonder it would seem like He was quick to wrath and retribution: "Let Me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they" (Deuteronomy 9:14, NASB).
In His holiness, He dwelt among them, but He cannot long endure unholiness. One of two things will happen: (1) He will withdraw His presence; (2) He will execute justice immediately. To withdraw His presence is actually a demonstration of mercy. It gives humans a chance to repent before He executes justice. Sadly, the vast majority of our churches today are without the presence of the Lord for just this reason.
Exodus 25:17ff - "And you shall make a mercy seat..." (NASB). The word for "mercy seat" in the original language is actually the word for propitiation or to cover over. There is little justification, from a lexical stand point, for the translation of this word as mercy seat. Apart from tradition (Each translation I examined followed the KJV translation "mercy seat."), there is no good reason for this word choice. The main problem I have with "mercy seat" is that it tends to connote passivity. For example, if a child does something wrong that deserves punishment, and the father is said to have had mercy, it means that the father did not do anything to the child. There was no quantifiable transaction that occurred between father and son. That is most emphatically not the lexical meaning of the Hebrew word used here. To propitiate something is to conduct a transaction by which sins are forgiven and a relationship is restored. Jesus was said to have made "propitiation" for our sins (Romans 3:25, Hebrews 2:17, 1 John 2:2 & 4:10). The word does not have a passive connotation but rather active. Consider what takes place on the so-called mercy seat: "Moreover, he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; also in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times" (Leviticus 16:14, NASB). Here the high priest is instructed to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat as an act of gaining forgiveness of sins for the people. By sprinkling the blood on that particular place, atonement is made. Thus, it is the place where a transaction occurs; sins are forgiven. In my opinion it would be more consistent with the intended meaning, as well as more consistent with themes throughout the cannon of Scripture, to use the phrase "place of propitiation" instead of mercy seat. Grace may be free, but it is not cheap.
Exodus 25:18 - What are the Cherubim doing there? They are witnesses. In the biblical world, everything needed two or more witnesses to confirm the truthfulness of the thing. "On the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed" (Deuteronomy 19:15b, NASB). And again, "if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 18:19, NASB). In this last verse, the two people agreeing in prayer are acting as witnesses of the thing prayed for.
Exodus 25:20 - Why are the Cherubim's wings spread up and over the place of propitiation? I do not know. It could be to guard the place where the sacred transaction occurs and to create a holy hollow, so to speak.
Exodus 25:32ff - While the Scripture speaks throughout the remaining verses of six branches to the lamp stand, there was still the center lamp, which makes a total of seven lamps (vs. 37).
The symbolism of a lamp stand is significant throughout the Scriptures. The Greek translation of the Hebrew OT (called the Septuagint or LXX for short) uses the Greek word "Luxnios" for the Hebrew "Menorah" (Engl. "Lamp stand"). That same Greek word can be found throughout the Greek NT and especially in Revelations. Revelations (and Zechariah) ascribe a symbolic meaning to the lamp stand, but they vary slightly. In Revelations 1:20 the seven lamp stands are said to represent the churches. In Revelations 11:3ff (note especially vs. 4) the two witnesses are said to be two olive trees and two lamp stands. This is mirrored in Zechariah 4:14 where the olive trees are next to a lamp stand, and the olive trees are said to be the two witnesses standing next to the Lord of all the earth. What is the underlying symbolism for the lamp stand that can incorporate so many derivative meanings in particular? I do not know.
Exodus 26:11 - There are some interesting linguistic parallels in this verse to Genesis 2:24. The original Hebrew of the last part of vs. 11 reads, (literally) "And it will be one." That is, when the workers join the two sections together with the loops and clasps, the two will be one. Now, if we look over at the first marital bond, which the Lord made between Adam and Eve, similar words are used, but the grammar is different. In the context of both of these passages, there are two separate and distinct things being joined together to make one "unit" (vs. 11, NASB). With the temple, the language seems to imply that once the workers join the two, they are one. In the Genesis passage with Adam and Eve, there is a particle on the front of flesh that grammatically means "become." So that passage reads, "And they shall become one flesh." When the Lord put them together, as a skilled worker, they did not immediately become one flesh like the curtains became one unit. Marital oneness is a process. They must "become", that is, over time and with great effort. The potential is there. There Lord has proclaimed it so. But it is not a reality until it is worked out in real life.
Exodus 26:15ff - It is a subtle observation that there are no boards placed on the east side of the tabernacle. Over that area, the veil should be hung (vs. 31-37). Why are there no boards over the east side? It is true that they need an entrance, but why the east? Because the Lord Jesus, on His return, will come from the east and enter the temple from that direction (Zechariah 14:4, Matthew 24:27). In nature, the Lord has given us a daily reminder of His return. Notice that the sun rises in the east. A new day comes when the Lord will rise upon the earth of His creation. There will be no need for the sun in those days because of the glory of the Lord will shine so brightly.
Exodus 27:20 - The Lord did not require the Israelites to give anything in the construction of the temple. It was all supposed to be a free-will offering, so it would not be build upon compulsion (25:2). However, with the oil for the lamps, He did require it of the people. Why? Perhaps because it is everyone's responsibility to keep the lamp of God burning. Some people have been given certain gifts by the Lord to use. Not everyone can do the same things. But everyone must contribute to keep the flame alive before the Lord. In the same way, everyone must work to keep the flames of revival alive and well in their own hearts first, and then in the hearts of others as well.
A couple of points about this olive oil (according to Jewish sources): The oil was to be "clean" (NASB) or "pure" (lit.). That is, without sediment. It should be strained to take out any pulp. This oil was most often used for cooking rather than lighting. Then the less pure oil would be used for lighting. The problem with the less pure oil was that it would produce smoke. This smoke would eventually discolor the fabrics of the chamber, which is undesirable. With regard to the fact that the oil is beaten, Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov (1745 - 1807, a Hassidic Rabbi, was a student of Shmuel Shmelke Horowitz, Dov Baer the Maggid of Mezhirech, and Elimelekh of Lyzhansk. He was known for his love of all Jews, and for his great acts of charity.) wrote, "'Beaten for light' When a person crushes his evil inclination he becomes a fitting receptacle for light; He holds within himself the pure light of the divine presence."
Exodus 28:30 - Urim and Thummim were early ways to inquire of the Lord. Power to inquire of the Lord was given through Moses to the high priest. There is much debate over exactly how the Urim and Thummim operated. Some say it was two stones with similar markings on both sides representing yes and no. When the stones were cast, if both were yes, that was the Lord's answer. If both were no, then it was no. If it was mixed, no answer was considered as given. There are other theories as well. However, the interesting point is that there was indeed three main ways for people to hear from the Lord: Dreams, prophets, and Urim-Thummim (see 1 Samuel 28:6). The Urim (for short) could be the basis of, what later came into use, the lot. The disciples used the lot to choose the replacement for Judas. However, scholars believe that the lot had failed as a mode of divine communication at that point, because the one they chose by lot was never heard of again in the Scriptures. Most scholars believe that Paul was God's chosen replacement for Judas. Indeed, when the twelve are seen in heaven, it would be hard to imagine Paul not being among their numbers. I do not believe we can trust the lot anymore. There is certainly no Urim to consult either. The Lord has not left us without guidance. Acceptable means of determining the Lord's will are: Dreams, visions, prophetic words (through other people, acknowledged as such or not), and the Holy Spirit speaking into your spirit either in prayer or by applying something in the Scriptures or other sources to your situation.
Exodus 28:33 - Pomegranates are a fruit not native to the land of Israel, but rather imported from the east. There is no clear teaching on why the Lord would include embroidered images of these on the hem of the high priest's robes. Many ancient near-eastern religions make use of the symbol, and it was widely depicted for fertility and vitality. When the shell is breached, there are little seed packets that contain a sweet juice. This juice is used in a variety of dishes and drinks.
It is unlikely that the Lord was making the pomegranate a "sacred" symbol because Solomon used it (in the Song of Songs) as a romantic and sexual imagery of the temples (on the forehead, 4:3 and 6:7). To use a sacred symbol in such a romantic/sexual way would be desecration. Instead, it is more likely that the Lord meant it as a symbol of life. He was not injecting more meaning into the symbol, but rather making use of the meaning already inherent to it.
Exodus 28:35 - Many say that the bells the priest wore were to signal if he was killed by the Lord while ministering. They would hear the ring when he fell to the ground dead, and would then pull him out by a rope tied around his foot. I can find no support for this view in the text or in the Jewish commentary on the subject. The Israelites have believed no more than what the text indicates: "it’s [the bells] thinking may be heard when he enters and leaves the holy place before the Lord that he may not die." The Scripture points to the purpose of these bells not to indicate that he is dead, but to keep him from becoming that way. This is an example of how error is perpetuated. We must guard our scholarship and not take for granted the things we are told. Well-meaning people can lead us astray by a faulty memory, misunderstanding of the text, or hunches that are misguided or un-informed.
Exodus 31:2&6 - The Lord had given Moses an incredible task of making a sanctuary for Himself. Could Moses have done it all himself? Perhaps in 30 years. But when the Lord wants something done, He works to accomplish it. In these two verses, the Lord has called by name the workers to do the craftsmanship. He gave them the skill; then He called them to the work. Some may feel like Moses - that the Lord has given you a task to do that is impossible to do alone. The only problem is: He has not sent Bezalel or Oholiab to help. There are only two possible reasons and both are difficult: (1) The Lord really did not give you the task to do. Rather, it was a fabrication of your mind mingled with desires of your heart. (2) The more difficult alternative is that the Lord wants you to wait and be patient until His timing is right. I was reading recently about an evangelist whom was being equated with Billy Graham. This evangelist said he never presumed to fill Graham's shoes. "It would take 100 people to do the things that Billy Graham has done." This evangelist is correct. Graham could never have accomplished those things unless he had 100 plus committed and skilled co-laborers. This evangelist was wrong too. He presumed that Graham did it all himself, which is emphatically not true. The Lord sent him skilled workers to carry out the vision God had given him. In that way, Graham was a Moses-like figure: Receiving the visions, receiving the workers, and seeing it through to completion.
Exodus 32:5 - Aaron made a golden calf and called it YHWH (the LORD). It is one thing if he made the calf and called it some other name. But it was significant that he did this. It shows the ignorance of the human mind to conceive of God properly. Calvin said “When we are in a manner forced to the contemplation of God, and thus led to form some impressions of Deity, we immediately fly off to carnal dreams and depraved fictions”, which is why we must rely on Scripture to guide us (Institutes of Christian Religion, Book 1, Ch. 5). This is a classic example of creating a god to suite one’s sin. He takes the basic idea of the Lord; twist and contort it until a god is fashioned that will suit one’s sinful desires. For the Israelites, they did not want the invisible God. They wanted a god like the Egyptians.
Furthermore, they were so frightened of the Lord earlier in the narrative, is it any wonder that they fashioned a harmless calf when they created a god? This is insightful to man's r tendencies to create a god that would never harm anyone - especially oneself!
Notice too how quickly they were ready to forsake the covenant they had made with the Lord to go back to their former sins. At the first sign of trouble in the covenant, they abandon the Lord's regulations. This shows the un-circumcision of their hearts. They were never truly converted, though some were and turned their swords on their countrymen. So too, if we had made a presumptuous commitment to the Lord, at first sign of trouble, we will abandon our allegiance to Him and go back to our sinful bondage to sin in Egypt. What was the consequence? 3000 men died that day (32:28).
Exodus 32:10 - Was this a test of Moses' motives? If Moses had not interceded, he could have been the new progenitor of Israel and thus increased his stature for the nation to come. If he were self-serving, he might have done that. But at the same time, he would have allowed the Lord's name to be defamed while at the same time allowing his own name to be more highly honored. This would have been a double sin.
Exodus 32:11-13 - Why did Moses ask the Lord why He was angry? Is it not obvious? Verse 8 tells everything they have done. It is possible that Moses was thinking more compassionately and did not understand the gravity of the offense against the Lord. Moses misunderstood the situation. That would explain his behavior in verses 19-20. Now it is Moses whose anger flared. He lost his temper and behaved rashly. Often, we can see some sort of sin and think that because it is normal, it is not so grievous. It would be normal for the Israelites to fashion a god and worship it. It is a standard practice of ancient near eastern religion. Promiscuity, rebellion, stealing, homosexuality, these are all normal features of life in the 21st Century. Nevertheless, these are grievous sins in the eyes of the Lord. We should never lose our appallment at these sins, even if we are less disturbed by them. We should never think that because a sin is normal that it deserves any less punishment. Thus, we should be thankful for the mercy we enjoy and seek to unite others with Christ that they may not feel the full wrath of God.
(Note: Read Matthew Henry's comments on this chapter in the complete edition.)
Exodus 32:20 - This verse is an allegorical warning that you will drink the results of your sin.
Exodus 32:21 - Moses asks Aaron "What did this people do to you...?" I.e., did they hurt or offend you that you would hate them so much as to lead them into this great sin? As a leader, we show sheer hatred for those in our charge when we let them go against God's commands. We think we are giving them what they want. We think we are doing a good thing, but the Lord says, "You hate them." Furthermore, the Scripture says, "Cursed is the man who does the work of the Lord negligently" (Jeremiah 48:10). This is a grave warning to presumptuous Christian leaders.
Exodus 32:22 - It is hilarious that now Aaron is saying the same thing to Moses that Moses said to the Lord. The places are exactly switched.
Exodus 32:25 - This verse contains the means of another commonly taught factoid that is biblically unsupportable. Some say that when Moses came down the mountain, the people were having a drunken orgy. I do not know what gave rise to this notion. The Scripture does not even hint to this fact. The KJV translates the Hebrew word for "let go" as "naked." But in King James English, "naked" did not have as its primary meaning "unclothed." It meant "open, discovered, stripped." There is no other verse that remotely hints to a drunken orgy taking place. They were celebrating a feast with singing and dancing. Matthew Henry, who was closer in time to the writing of the KJV, also did not see this as an unclothed state, but rather a state of exposure to shame.
Exodus 32:32 - I do not believe this "book" is the Lamb's book of life, i.e., the record of the saved. This book is a book of physical life and death. Moses did not want the people to be killed (vs. 10). He commanded the execution of 3,000 men, and he asked the Lord that this should be enough. The Lord says, "The soul that sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). Thus, in verse 34, the Lord says "I will punish them for their sin with death."
Exodus 32:35 - This one verse should strike the fear of God and the fear of sin into our hearts. In verse 34, the Lord promises to punish the people. Then in this verse, Moses records that He did strike the people. There are no details on how it was done, who was killed, or how many. This is actually quite mysterious. Moses does not expand at all. He goes right on with the story beginning in chapter 33. Notice that Aaron himself was not struck, even though it was he who made the golden calf and officiated at the festivities. Rather, the people were struck.
Exodus 33:18 - "I pray Thee, show me Thy glory" (NASB). It is important to recognize that in the Hebrew, there is a particle of entreaty, which is translated in English as "I pray Thee." We should never make demands of the Lord. We must take the position of a servant to a master or a child to a father. We may make requests; not demands.
Exodus 33:19 - "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious..." The Lord here is retaining His divine prerogative. He's saying that His graciousness and compassion are not rights but privileges. They cannot be demanded, but rather He bestows them according to His own will.
Exodus 34:1 - The Lord is so patient with our failings. Moses shattered the first two tablets, and the Lord says He will re-write them with His finger. But, Moses was required to cut out his own stone tablets to be written on, which the Lord had done at first. We should never take for granted the work of the Lord. God gave Moses those tablets all completed, and Moses unthinkingly destroyed them. One must wonder if Moses would have destroyed them had he made them himself. I think not. Moses would have recognized their value. So the Lord here teaches Moses to appreciate His work by requiring him to cut out his own tablets. How would one cut tablets from stone? It is only with the utmost difficulty. After that, he was very careful not to destroy the work of God's own hands again.
Exodus 34:9 - Why does Moses ask this again? He already obtained the affirmative answer in 33:14. He was awestruck by the Lord's presence. He was seeing the Lord afresh. This was no little idol that he served. He saw more of the Lord. His conception of the Lord changed as his vision of the Lord expanded. This made him uncertain that the favorable response he had already obtained was still valid. (Seeing the Lord changes everything!) But though our conceptions of the Lord change, the Lord does not change. The Lord reaffirms His decision to Moses.
Exodus 34:27 - The covenant the Lord made was not just with Israel but with Moses. We tend to see Moses as the officiator or agent of the covenant, but the Lord says plainly in this verse, "With these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel" (NASB). This represents a shift from a previous covenant ratification ceremony. In Ex. 24:8 Moses says, "Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words" (NASB). Notice the object of the covenant is the people of Israel. He is not in the picture except because he too is an Israelite. What happened? The people broke this covenant and Moses had to intercede to keep the Lord from wiping them out (ch. 32). As a result of Moses' intercession, the Lord relents of the destruction He planned for Israel. The Lord would have risen up a new Israel out of Moses (32:10). For Moses sake, He did not. This, I believe, put Moses into the picture for the covenant. Since Moses interposed himself for the people, and the Lord relented on account of him, thus the covenant was with Moses and the people of Israel.