Exodus 33 - 35
A lot of people had died as a result of worshiping the golden calf. Not only did the Levites slay about 3,000 people as ordered by God through Moses, but the Lord sent a great plague upon the people because they worshiped this calf.
We don’t know how long a period of time passes before the Lord tells Moses to go up to the land He swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but the last few chapters of Exodus deal with Moses going back on Mt Sinai for forty more days and nights and the preparation of the Tabernacle and what it contained.
The Lord told Moses He would not travel amount the people because of their stubbornness and rebellion. If He did, He “would surely destroy you along the way.”
Upon hearing about this (“these stern words”), the people go into mourning to the point where they stop wearing their jewelry and fine clothes. In fact, God tells them not to wear their fine clothing and jewelry until He decides what to do with them.
The people were really affected by what happened when Moses came down from the mountain: when Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, they would stand in the entrance of their own tents and watch until Moses went inside. Once the pillar of cloud stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the people would stand and bow down in front of their tents. This very visible evidence of the Lord’s presence must have been terrifying for them.
Moses seeks assurance from God that He will go personally with them. Moses recognizes that it is God’s presence among them that sets the people and himself apart from the other people on the earth. Moses longs to see God’s face, but God hides him in the rock and lets him see Him from behind.
The Lord has Moses chisel out two more stone tablets and take them up on Mt Sinai again. No one is to go up on the mountain except Moses, who carries those tablets up. Moses worships God and begs for Him to travel with them, to forgive their iniquity and sins and to claim them as His own special possession.
God admonishes Moses never to make a treaty with the people that live in the land where they are going. He recognized the influence such people could have on the Israelites; they would follow their evil ways and be trapped. Instead, they were to break down pagan altars, smash sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles (poles used to honor a false goddess called Asherah or AAstarte). God was jealous about His relationship with the people. Even today, parents admonish their children to be careful of the friends they keep. Friends can be a powerful influence.
During this forty-day period that Moses was on the mountain, the people did not create or worship a golden calf. It must have been a bit frightening for them when Moses came down after forty days and forty nights with his face radiant from being in the presence of God. Moses had to cover his face with a veil when speaking to them because of what is known as the Shekinah glory – a manifestation that Moses had been with God.
Chapter 35 covers Moses reiterating God’s instructions on the Sabbath, requesting gifts for the Lord, and describing the talents of Bezalel and Oholiab. The people opened their hearts and freely brought their best stuff to be used.
Only two more days in Exodus and we will be studying Leviticus.
Tomorrow, it’s Exodus 36 - 38.
Journey 2 the Mysterious Island
Tpday, I went to see Journey 2 The Mysterious Island starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Michael Caine. It was a extremely funny and exciting movie. Someone certainly has a vivid imagination.
After I got hime, I discovered my Grow Bags had arrived so I went to Walmart to pick up potting soil, a yellow bell pepper plant, and a Jalapeno pepper plant. Tomorrow, I’ll set up the bags and plant my peppers. I’ve missed growing stuff.
Until next time…
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