Week 4: Exodus 15-37

 

Reflection:

We are going to be spending a lot of time in the next several weeks with the people of Israel at the Mountain of the Lord. From Exodus 19 through Numbers 10, the events will take place at Mt. Sinai. And with regards to what we will be reading this week, we will witness the Law being given (Ex 19-24), the instructions and guidelines for building the tabernacle (25-31), the covenant being broken (32-34), and the construction of the tabernacle going into chapter 40. All that we read is meant to remind them of who God is, "the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (20:12).

Exodus 15-18: Worship -> Complaint. How patient and wonderful is the Lord. God provides them with food and water during their wilderness journey, despite all of their complaining. This is a wonderful picture of Christ, who is the bread of life (John 6:22-40) and provider of living water (John 4:1-15).

Exodus 19-22: Commands of God. The Israelites had been living in Egypt for 430 years (Ex 12:40), with a good amount of that time in bondage. When God delivers, he does not deliver a person from bondage in order to live any way that they would like. He provides them with His law in order that they might maintain communion with Him. This law was, however, a gift of grace. Without it, they would not have known how to live. It was not given in order to merit or earn favor with God, it could not. But one would come who would keep all of the law and, by and through him, we would have the blessing of everlasting communion with God.

Exodus 23-25: Sabbaths, Covenant, and Tabernacle. Rest could be an umbrella heading for these chapters. The Sabbath was a day of rest instituted from creation. in 23:12, they are to work for six days but rest on the 7th day so that they "may be refreshed". We have physical limits and a recognition of that and a resting reminds us of our inability to live and work and be on our own strength. I think it is fitting to have chapters on the covenant and tabernacle following the Sabbath. As God's people, they were not their own but were to seek a Sabbath rest described in Hebrews. It is one of blessed communion with God where we will worship and dwell with him.

Exodus 26-29: Cloth...lots of cloth. Here we see the instructions for how they are to build some of the elements of the tabernacle along with the priestly garments. All of these are for the express purpose of making a sanctuary "that [God] may dwell in their midst" (25:8). This house that they were building communicated to the people what sort of God he was. He was holy and abounding in steadfast love and mercy. When the people of God saw the tabernacle and the priests, they would be reminded of that fact. God continues to be in unapproachable holiness and full of steadfast love and mercy to forgive sins. And though we do not have the tabernacle or Temple, he provided His son, Jesus, so that He would dwell with His children by making us a living temple, a living house of the Lord.

Exodus 30-33: Gifts and Failure. God has given many gifts to His people. In 1 Corinthians 12, we read how God, through the Spirit, has given many gifts to the church. This same God also gave gifts to His people under the Old Covenant and, in chapter 31, we read of Oholiab and Bezalel being gifted the gift of craftsmanship. And just as the gifts given to the New Testament Church were to equip and build up the saints (Eph 4:12), so too were they meant to be used as a blessing for God's people in the Old. However, when men abandon or fail to utilize their giftings, we see the impact it has on the people. the golden calf incident is a clear example of the failings of the people and those who were called to lead and serve God on behalf of the people (Ex 298:30, 29:44-46, 32:25). In whatever manner that God has gifted you, use it for His glory and for the building up of His church. You never know what impact it may have on the body should you neglect, abuse, or misuse it.

Exodus 34-37: New Tablets and Hard Work. One of the most significant passages in all of the Old testament is found in chapter 34, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty" (34:6-7). This is the God that they were to serve and to honor and to worship. This increasing knowledge of who God is surely inspired them to bring "the LORD's contribution" for the building of the tabernacle. It led the craftsmen to "work in accordance with all that the Lord [had] commanded" (36:1). As we sit under the instruction of the word and read, meditate, and memorize it daily, what sort of impact has that knowledge had on us? My prayer is that it causes us to give joyfully and to work diligently unto the Lord.

Family Discussion Questions

• The people are at the mountain and can see the power of God at the top. Why do you think they so quickly went to idolatry? What can we do to keep from falling into the same manner of thinking and behavior?
• Why was it so important for God to describe how he wanted His house to be built? Does that matter to us today?