God Lives with His People (Exodus 35-40)

Does anyone in your neighborhood have a reputation–good or bad? How about you? Do you have a reputation? Friendly or reclusive? Generous or unkind? Reliable or gossipy? Hospitable or cold?

What if God moved into your neighborhood? What would His reputation become? As we finish our series in Exodus, this is what happens. God comes to live on this planet, so to speak, in Israel, and that is how His reputation is built among the nations of the world. That’s a ton of responsibility of course. What must Israel do to make that happen? As Israel trusts and obeys Yahweh, Yahweh’s reputation grows. As Israel forsakes and disobeys Yahweh, Yahweh’s reputation is destroyed.

Why does building God’s reputation matter to us? In the New Testament, Christians and local churches are the dwelling places of God in the world today. If you are a follower of Jesus, God has moved into your neighborhood in YOU. As a Church, God has moved into Fruitport and the greater Muskegon area through us! What kind of reputation does God have in our community through us? That’s going to depend on our faithfulness and obedience to Him.

We are concluding our series “Rescued for More” in the Old Testament book of Exodus, which tells the dramatic story of how God set His people “free from” their enemies and “free for” Himself, His glory, His way, His mission. He crushed Pharaoh, provided for them in the desert, gifted them the Law and the Tabernacle, but ultimately revealed Himself. The one thing we all really need is to know the one true God for ourselves. Last week, we took a look at Exodus 34:6-7, which is the heart of God’s self-revelation.

“The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished…” (Exodus 34:6-7a)

Remember, this revelation came on the heels of Israel’s great sin and betrayal when they worshiped the golden calf at the foot of God’s mountain. Remember how God truly wrestled with whether or not He should show grace to Israel. Remember how He almost destroyed them on the spot. Remember how He considered abandoning them. And remember how He ultimately decided to show grace and reaffirm His covenant with them because that’s just who He is. This God is ultimately revealed in Jesus Himself, who rescues His people from an enemy they could not defeat–sin and death–and called them to a life of obedience and mission for His glory.

Now for the final chapters of the story of Exodus…

The Story

#1 Moses prepares Israel for constructing the tabernacle. (35:1-29)

Israel is now going to build the tabernacle, the place where God’s special presence, that terrifying tornado that loves Israel like crazy, will live with them. First, Moses lays out the work schedule.

35:1 Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, “These are the things the LORD has commanded you to do: 2 For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death. 3 Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”

The Sabbath Day, the last day of the week dedicated to holy rest, is God’s gift to Israel. Israel had been enslaved in Egypt and never got a day off. We take weekends and holidays for granted, but we only have them because of God’s influence on our world to make a point to rest from our labors. Having a day off was brand new to Israel. Resting on the seventh day was a reminder that Israel’s God had created the whole world. Working for six days and resting for one was an acknowledgement and act of worship to God for His sovereignty over all things. This work-rest rhythm will even be in place as they set about building the LORD’s tabernacle.

Here’s the point: Israel is to give the LORD its time, both its work and its rest. Ever since being delivered from Egypt, Israel has struggled to obey God’s simplest commands, let alone His big ones. We should be on the edge of our seat right now, wondering if Israel will obey this time around and respect God’s Sabbath command while they build the tabernacle.

In addition to time, Israel is to give Yahweh their treasure…

4 Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the LORD has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering of gold, silver and bronze; 6 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 7 ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather; acacia wood; 8 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 9 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.”

Moses calls for Israel to supply the materials for the tabernacle out of their own freewill. Given Israel’s recent unfaithfulness to Yahweh in worshiping that golden calf, we should be wondering if Israel has any willingness at all to offer their treasure to Yahweh.

Next Moses calls on Israel to give their talent to God…

10 “All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the LORD has commanded: 11 the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; 12 the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain that shields it; 13 the table with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light; 15 the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle; 16 the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin with its stand; 17 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; 18 the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; 19 the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary—both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests.”

The last time Israel used their skill to make something they forged the golden calf. But now Yahweh, through Moses, calls on the people He has just forgiven, to use their skills to build the tabernacle.

There are three things Israel can give God in building the tabernacle: time, talent, and treasure. This call is not only on Israel but on us as well.These words may sound familiar to you because we have them posted at “Next Steps” in the lobby. Along with encouragement to take next steps in your walk with Christ, such as being baptized, reading the Bible, and joining a LIFEgroup, we also have “give your time, talent, and treasure.” The resources of this world, the resources which ultimately God gave us in the first place, are to be used ultimately to honor Him. We aren’t trying to build a tabernacle, in fact, as far as building goes, we are just trying to maintain and improve upon the building we have as a tool for ministry.

The bigger picture is the mission: to be a church for the community. So we give our time to serve one another in many different ways…greeting one another, praying with one another, teaching one another, caring for one another. We give our talents to be leaders in various forms of ministry…hospitality, teaching, service, prayer, music, technology, etc. We give our treasure to fund the mission and ministry of the church, and we use it to be a blessing in our family, friends, and neighbors.

#2 Israel gives more than enough for the tabernacle. (35:20-36:7)

Moses called for time, talent, and treasure, so–believe it or not–Israel will finally obey and give.

20 Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, 21 and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. 22 All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD. 23 Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or the other durable leather brought them. 24 Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the LORD, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it. 25 Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. 26 And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. 27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. 28 They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. 29 All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.

I like to visualize this beautiful scene, where everyone freely gives something to God, because He had so freely given to them. One after another, people keep bringing their gifts for the LORD–gold jewelry, fine linen and leather, special wood, precious stones, spices and oils, everything needed to build the tabernacle. Israel, how far you have come by the grace of God! In fact, they brought more than enough, they go above and beyond!

36:2 Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. 3 They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. 4 So all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing 5 and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done.” 6 Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, 7 because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.

Israel was so obedient from the heart that they brought MORE than was needed for God’s tabernacle. How amazing is that! The people of Israel have finally begun to understand who their great and good God is and respond to–worship–Him appropriately! This is worth celebrating.

Are you able to celebrate how God, in His grace, has grown you or someone you know? Is there some sin God has killed, an idol He has torn down? Is there a stronger affection, a deeper devotion to God than before? Of course, He still has more to do, but celebrate what He’s done in you and in others!

#3 Israel builds the tabernacle according to God’s instructions. (36:8-38:31)

The next three chapters are an almost word-for-word repeat of the tabernacle instructions from chapters 25-27, which included instructions on…

the tabernacle
the ark of the lampstand
the table of the bread of the Presence
the golden lampstand
the altar of incense
the holy incense
the holy anointing oil
the altar of burnt offering
the basin for washing
the courtyard

I’ve got to admit, the first time I read this, I wondered why it would repeat the instructions almost word-for-word. To be so repetitive seems like a waste of ink. But maybe that’s the point! In Exodus 25-27, God gives clear instructions, and in 36-38, Israel obeys them fully. That’s the point. Israel is finally obeying God’s Law. They are growing! They are learning! Have they totally arrived? No, but they are doing far better than they were when the mana started falling or when they worshiped that golden calf. They are becoming the kingdom of priests and holy nation by obeying God’s covenant.

Exodus 38 lists the total amounts of the materials used for the tabernacle. In modern-day equivalents, they gave about 1 ton of gold (about $65 million), almost 4 tons of silver (about $2 million), and about 44 lbs of bronze, which may not seem like a lot or be worth much. But realize that Israel is living in the middle of the Bronze Age, the era of history where people were just learning to make and use bronze, a brand-new, cutting-edge, state of the art material! Incredibly valuable stuff.

Where did this former nation of slaves get all of this wealth? The LORD had enabled Israel to “plunder” the Egyptians at the Exodus. Yahweh’s victory over Pharaoh in the plagues had been so decisive that Egypt begged Israel to leave and gave Israel their valuables as they went. So, Israel is giving back to God the very resources God had essentially given them at the Exodus. This is what we do to God. Everything we have ultimately comes from Him. Sure, you work for your paycheck and you develop your skills and you manage your time, but, ultimately, all of creation and our very lives are a gift from God. When we give ourselves and our resources to Him, we are really just giving them back to the original Owner.

#4 Israel makes the priestly garments according to God’s instructions. (39:1-31)

Again, Exodus 39 repeats God’s instructions on the priestly garments in Exodus 28 almost word-for-word.

39:1 From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary. They also made sacred garments for Aaron, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Exodus 39 goes on to explain how the Israelites made the priestly garments, the ephod which had two stones on the shoulders bearing the names of Israel’s tribes, and the breastpiece with 12 stones each bearing the names of Israel’s tribes, and the turban with the gold plate upon which was inscribed “Holy to the LORD.”

What’s the point of the repetition here from earlier in Exodus? Again, it’s Israel’s obedience! They are learning! They are growing! They are becoming God’s kingdom of priests and holy nation by obeying God’s covenant.

#5 Israel’s tabernacle passess Moses’s inspection. (39:32-43)

32 So all the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD commanded Moses. 33 Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses…

I like to imagine here that all Israel becomes silent as they watch Moses slowly inspect their work, wondering if he’ll approve. Imagine Moses, the holy man of God, walking around the tabernacle and its furnishing, then carefully inspecting each piece of the priestly garments. And then Moses gives his verdict:

42 The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 43 Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

Joy of joys! Israel has finally obeyed Yahweh like He deserves and even Moses, His servant, approves! They are learning! They are growing! They are becoming God’s kingdom of priests and holy nation by obeying God’s covenant.

#6 Moses sets up the tabernacle, and the LORD moves in. (40:1-38)

40:1 Then the LORD said to Moses: 2 “Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month.”

So Moses set up the ark of the covenant, the curtain around the Holy of Holies, the table of the bread of the presence, the golden lampstand, the altar of incense, the curtain around the Holy Place, the altar of burnt offering, the basin for washing, the courtyard and its curtain. Moses prepared the holy anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and its furnishings. He washed and dressed and anointed the priests.

16 Moses did everything just as the LORD commanded him… 33 And so Moses finished the work.

And once the tabernacle was complete…

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.

The glory of God drops on the tabernacle. Heaven came down. God with us. The gracious and mysterious partnership between the divine and the human has begun. Yahweh is choosing to live in Israel, to allow Israel to know His holy presence and mediate His Name to the rest of the world. The Old Testament will continue the story of God graciously living among His people, but for now, I’d like to draw a couple lessons from the closing chapters of Exodus.

The Lessons

#1 God is worth our whole-hearted, sacrificial obedience.

We don’t obey God in order to get God to love us; we obey because He already does. We don’t obey God to deserve God’s love; we obey because He deserves our obedience. The more Israel came to know the gracious God, the more they obeyed. So it is with us. The more you and I come to know the gracious God, the more we obey Him. The Apostle Paul writes about this logical response to the gracious God in his letter to the Roman church…

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

Not just time, talent, and treasure–our whole lives deserved to be sacrificed in worship to God. This begins with being called out from the sinful ways of this world and being made new in how we think and live in this world for God’s glory.

#2 Today, God lives in His Church as it obeys.

Just like Israel’s obedience allowed God to live in and through them, our obedience allows this too, but it’s not about constructing a building…it’s about love! It’s about using our time, talent, and treasure to honor God. The night before He gave Himself up to death in love, Jesus told His disciples:

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:34-35)

Jesus envisions His followers becoming like a new family where they are as deeply committed to one another as He is to them. Jesus says that this is how people will see God in them, this is how God’s reputation gets built in the neighborhood. Love between Christians, love within a church family marks the presence of God in that church. Today, churches are the tabernacle of God, the place where He lives in this world, as long as Christians are loving one another as Jesus loved them.

Given the pandemic and its effects on our community, I’m personally concerned about the church’s eagerness and capacity to love one another right now with the gift of time. From my perspective, I see quite a bit of financial generosity at Calvary. It’s amazing how God has provided for the church and its members through its members, especially during this pandemic. I also see many people using their talents to minister to one another, whether it’s through technology or compassion or hospitality or just helping with tasks around the building.

But I am concerned about relationally vulnerable church members at Calvary. Who are the relationally vulnerable? Those who are at risk of isolation if both they and others don’t take action. Relationally vulnerable church members are single, widowed, elderly, people with crazy work schedules, kids coming from unchurched homes, people with transportation issues, people with limited technology, or people who are deeply introverted. Relationally vulnerable people must open up and reach out to love others like Jesus envisions. But those who live relationally rich lives must create space in their lives for others and reach out in order to love them. Those whose lives feel full must always keep margin for a church member in need. I think God wants us to keep this in mind as the pandemic’s effects linger. Keep an eye out at our Sunday morning gatherings for others. Keep an eye on our Facebook group for people who need relationships. Connect with me or reach out at calvarymuskegon.com if you want to help loving your church family more deeply.

The two ways we can glorify God on earth: obedience and repentance. If we see growth in obedience, we can celebrate that and keep pressing on. But if we are confronted and convicted about something, that’s not the end…that’s a chance to repent, thank God for His forgiveness, and start walking in obedience, so that our neighbors get to know our Savior and King.

Questions for Reflection and/or Discussion

Did you give God what He deserved in 2020? Why/why not?
What does He deserve from you in 2021? Why?
What role must you play to ensure that God is seen in Calvary Church in 2021?

God Reveals Himself (Exodus 32-34)

If you had 10 seconds to share what God was like, what would you say? Let’s say you are faced with a seemingly impossible temptation or trial and you need to remind yourself of who God is in order to stay faithful. Let’s say you have the opportunity to share what God is like with someone who needs to know. What would you say in that brief moment?

Perhaps you know so much that you’d have a hard time boiling it down. Perhaps you’re brand new to faith and don’t know where to start. Perhaps you’re worried you’d get it wrong because He’s hard to understand. Within the story of Exodus 32-34, God reveals Himself to Moses in one brief yet epic statement. As we go through the story, my hope is that this statement will jump off the pages to you as something truly special.

In our teaching series “Rescued for More,” the God of the Exodus not only sets people “free from” enemies but also sets people “free for” His glory, His way, His mission. He has given them the Law, which will shape their character into godly virtue, and the Tabernacle, in which God will live among and rule His people, because what people really need is God Himself, and that is what He offers in today in Exodus 32-34.

Today’s story starts with a very dark moment in the history of God’s people…

The Story

#1 Israel breaks the first two commandments. (32:1-6)

When the LORD first gave manna to Israel, He gave two rules. #1 Only collect enough manna for each day. #2 Collect enough for two days on the sixth day because there won’t be any on the seventh day. Israelites broke both of those rules. Now they’ll break the two biggest rules of all.

In Exodus 24:7, Moses brought God’s Law down from the mountain and read it to Israel, including the first two commandments (“You shall have no other gods before me” (20:3); “You shall not make for yourself an image of anything…” (20:4a)). In response, Israel promised, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.” Moses then went back up the mountain to receive from God instructions on the tabernacle and the priesthood. But while Moses was away…

32:1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” 2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

Israel demands other gods and, in so doing, breaks the First Commandment, which says “You shall have no other gods before me.” Israel was to worship Yahweh and Yahweh alone, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who rescued and led them out of slavery in Egypt, but, with Moses gone indefinitely on the mountain, they demand other gods.

Aaron’s compromise is to make them an image, yet still call it “Yahweh.” Perhaps Aaron thought this was a good idea? “I’ll call the idol Yahweh, so we won’t be worshiping another god.” Bad idea, High Priest Aaron. No such compromise is possible, because the Second Commandment says, “You shall not make for yourself an image of anything…”

Now, not worshiping other gods is an understandable rule, but what’s the problem with an image…a little visual aid to help the people worship Yahweh? All the other nations used images to worship their gods; why can’t Israel? The problem is that images put the gods in a box. An image of a god allows the human who made it to shape it into whatever he wants and then manipulate the god by feeding it, clothing it, and housing it in temples. No joke. Idols or images were depictions of what humans wanted their gods to be like and then, like a divine vending machine, they could get out of it what they wanted…or so they thought. Yahweh is no such false god. He’s the one true Creator God. He will not be defined by or manipulated by anyone. He is who He is, and He does what He wants.

Specifically, what’s the problem with the image of the calf? Several ancient near eastern gods (the Canaanite god Baal and the Babylonian god Marduk) were often portrayed as or associated with a bull or a calf. These gods supposedly controlled the rain and agriculture and hence were gods of prosperity and success! Many cultures today still worship the bull god of prosperity. Hindus in India and around the world treat actual bulls and cows as sacred. Even in the U.S., when the economy is booming and our investments are soaring, we call it a “bull market.” You see, most of us most of the time worship the calf god of success too.

#2 The LORD shows Israel grace. (32:7-14)

Over the course of this story, we will see God be overly gracious with His people, but it’s progressive. God wrestles with how He can possibly forgive Israel and restore relationship, and Moses will have to talk God into it, in a sense. It’s almost like God is dragging out His grace, so we can truly feel just how good He is. We so take God’s grace for granted that we really need today’s story to help us feel what it’s like to be the infinitely great and good God to a sinful people like us.

7 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ 9 “I have seen these people,” the LORD said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

Does God’s response to Israel’s sin seem like an overreaction? Destroying all of Israel and starting over with Moses? You might think it’s overreacting unless you feel the gravity of what has happened. Israel’s sin breaks God’s heart and fills Him with just wrath.

Remember in the first half of Exodus when God heard their cries in slavery and came to heir rescue? Remember how God had graciously called them to be His special people? Remember how God had given them His Covenant Law and Israel had promised to obey everything? Each of these moments cement the bond between Yahweh and Israel, almost like a marriage. In Exodus 34:14-16, God will explain that He is a jealous God and that idolatry is like prostitution, idolatry is like spiritual adultery. Worshiping other gods is cheating on Yahweh.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been cheated on, but, even if you haven’t, you can imagine that it is an unbearable pain–a complex mix of deep sorrow and anger. Jealousy. And not the bad kind of jealousy. Perhaps you’ve cared for a friend, a family member, a brother or sister in Christ who had been cheated on, and you know it’s deep pain. Being cheated on is just a taste of what it feels like when we sin against the good God, the jealous God. He alone deserves all of our spiritual devotion and allegiance, and when we give that to another person, thing, or place, He is rightly jealous.

11 But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. “LORD,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’ ” 14 Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Moses intercedes on Israel’s behalf to God, but his case is not about Israel’s worth but God’s glory. Moses makes the case that God should withhold His wrath from Israel not because they deserve it but because God deserves it. What would the other nations think of Yahweh? And what becomes of Yahweh’s promise to Abraham? So, the LORD, in His infinite grace, refrains from destroying Israel on the spot, which is what they deserved, and instead allows them to live another day. Grace.

#3 Moses confronts and disciplines the Israelites. (32:15-29)

God will be overly gracious throughout this story, but there will still be consequences for Israel.

15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands… 19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.

Why drink it? We don’t know but it obviously has something to do with judgement on the people. It may also have something to do with judging the false god. The thing they had been worshiping has been pulverized, eaten, and will, in short time, be passed.

21 He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?” 22 “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”

Aaron blames Israel and lies about his role. This is the high priest of Yahweh we’re talking about! Moses, in this moment, becomes jealous for Yahweh’s name…

25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him. 27 Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’ ” 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.

Again, this may seem like overreaction, unless you take God’s holiness and our sin as seriously as you should. God’s holiness demands justice, demands for Israel to be purified. And this is perhaps the first step of repentance in these chapters: the Levites, of the tribe of Levi, to which Moses, Aaron, and the priests belong, begin to take their sin seriously. Repentance must begin with the priests, because in Aaron they supported Israel’s sin, instead of leading Israel rightly.

#4 The LORD considers leaving Israel. (32:30-33:6)

Hear me out here. We need to feel the significance of what is about to go on here. In a well-known, much-loved verse, God says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Deut 31:6, Heb 13:5) Sometimes I think we take this for granted because the fact of the matter is that God can leave and forsake people, and sometimes He does. Sometimes God leaves rebellious people to their own devices and they are destroyed. Jesus Himself compares eternal judgement after death is often compared to being kicked out of God’s presence into the darkness forever (Matt 22:13; 25:30).

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses went back to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” 33 The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.” 35 And the LORD struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

When a holy God goes with an unholy people, they die, so God must leave them for their own good…

33:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 2 I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”

Yahweh considers sending an angel, I suppose, whose less holy or at least won’t destroy them by his mere presence. But this won’t do for Moses either…

4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. 5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’ ”

Initially the Levites began to repent, but now all Israel demonstrates repentance by dressing down, taking off jewelry and fine clothes, visibly mourning over their sin, so…

#5 The LORD shows Israel grace a second time. (33:7-17)

7 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting”… 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. 11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.

Moses’ relationship with God fascinates me. As we are seeing in this story, Moses speaks frankly with God, even asking really hard things of God like sticking with Israel. The pushback Moses keeps giving God is respectful and God-centered. There is nothing proud or selfish in what Moses says to God, but he “argues” in a sense with God, which provides a great example to us as we lament and a great picture of Jesus, which we’ll see later. Moses again pleads with God…

12 Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” 14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” 17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

Not only did the LORD refrain from destroying Israel on the spot, the LORD refrains from abandoning Israel because God was pleased with Moses! Grace upon grace!

#6 The LORD reveals His goodness to Moses. (33:18-34:9)

18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” 19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” 21 Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

Remember, God’s holiness is dangerous to sinners, even Moses. But Yahweh does want to show at least His goodness to Moses…

34:5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

These verses are known as the “John 3:16” of the Old Testament. Do you know John 3:16 in the New Testament? It’s a much-loved, well-known verse about the infinite love of God. Exodus 34:6-7 may not be as well-known to us, but in the Old Testament it is a foundational statement about who God is, especially His love. It is so loved by Israel that it is quoted frequently by Old Testament authors (e.g. Neh. 9:17, 31; Ps. 86:15; 103:8; Jonah 4:2; Joel 2:13, to name a few).

People today, myself included, have layers and layers of misconceptions about God, and we need Scriptures like these to burn away the falsehoods and reveal the one true God.

Some think God is whoever they want Him to be, yet He is “the LORD, the LORD”–Yahweh. He is who He is. He will not be defined by us sinful humans. That’s who God is!
Some think God is uncaring at best or cruel at worst, yet He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” Did you know God’s default, His heart, is to love. He loves you like crazy, if we’re honest with ourselves, He loves us far more than we deserve. That’s who God is!
Some think God totally overlooks sin or let’s people live by their own standards, yet “he does not leave the guilty unpunished!” God does not let people get away with murder or any kind fo sin against Him or others.

How does God reveal Himself? He reveals Himself in His infinite mercy and justice, perfect love and righteousness, great grace and truth. Two sides of the same coin. God is not all lovey-dovey. God is not all judgemental. He is complete love and justice all at the same time.

How would explain God in 10 seconds? Memorize these verses and be ready to remind yourself of who He is when temptation or trials come. Memorize these verses and be ready to share them with others when opportunity arises.

8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.”

What else is Moses to do but worship and submit to Yahweh in this moment. This is what all worship, all of life really ought to look like. We increasingly understand who God is and submit to Him in everything.

#7 The LORD shows Israel grace a third time. (34:10-28)

10 Then the LORD said: “I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you. 11 Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 12 Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. 14 Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God… 28 Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.

Not only did the LORD refrain from destroying Israel and from abandoning Israel, the LORD reaffirms His covenant with Israel. Grace upon grace upon grace.

#8 The LORD’s glory is reflected off Moses. (34:29-35)

Now, Moses after His intense encounter with the glorious God is physically changed by it…

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the LORD’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.

Keep this amazing account of God’s glory visibly reflecting off of Moses’ face in mind as we dive into our lessons.

The Lessons

#1 Jesus perfectly reveals God’s grace and truth.

Exodus 32-34, the story of Israel’s unthinkable sin and God’s unthinkable grace is a great Christmas text because it touches on the wonder of what Christians have long celebrated at Christmas:

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth… 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. (John 1:14-15, 17-18)

The connection between Moses and Jesus is significant. Moses is a little picture of Jesus Christ, who is not only friends with God the Father and the Spirit but is God Himself. Moses was able to intercede and mediate between God and Israel, but how much more so is Christ able to secure reconciliation for all who believe? The Law graciously came from God through Moses to Israel, but how much more grace and truth came through Jesus who lived out God’s Law perfectly and graciously gave Himself up on the cross to forgive sin?

In fact, just like Moses was willing to be blotted out of God’s book for Israel’s sake, Jesus was. Just like Moses pushed back on God so that He might forgive Israel, Jesus pushed back on God the night before He was crucified so that God might not have Him suffer in that way. Except in Jesus’ case, He submitted to His Father’s will, and that will was to suffer the just wrath of God for the sin of those who would believe in Him. What amazing love. The perfect love and truth of God demonstrated in the Word made flesh, full of grace and truth. God will not leave the guilty unpunished, but in Christ, He punished the innocent one in the place of the guilty, sinners who believe in Him. Full of grace and truth.

#2 The Holy Spirit grows Christians to reflect God’s grace and truth.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul talks about Moses and how the people could look at the reflection of the glory of God in Moses’ face. Then he says metaphorically that even then people’s hearts were veiled to the glory of God so that they could not obey His Word. But then Paul says this:

16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18)

What Moses alone once saw–the glory of God, we all have been privileged to see now in Christ. And worshiping this Jesus transforms us into becoming a new kind of people.

I read an article this week about a couple, both Christians, had adopted two children with Down’s Syndrome. JD, the father, explained some of the difficulties. One child has had cancer twice, and the other has severe sensory issues. A simple breakfast, he says, can take an hour per child. It’s difficulties like these that lead many to the dark decision of abortion. According to the article, as many as 70% of children with a prenatal Down’s diagnoses are killed before they are born. I’m sure those decisions are complex, and I don’t want to assume too much, but I think the bottom line oftentimes is that the parents worship prosperity and success and that the parents are afraid the unborn child will hamper their pursuit of “happiness.” A terrible sin which God will punish yet wants to forgive, by the way.

Now honestly I don’t say this out of condemnation. I confess this out of conviction because I am afraid that, if I was in their situation, I may not press for an abortion but I might resent the child and even grow bitter at God. I so love my own convenience and comfort that I sometimes struggle to give even my own healthy children the attention God wants me to give. I shudder to think at how my sin nature–that old Keith–might respond to a child that would have such great need. God, forgive my pride and selfishness, and teach me the way of grace and truth, the way of Christ.

JD, the father of those two children with Down’s syndrome, writes of how God has been transforming him from one degree of glory to another. He says, “They require love. Love I do not possess naturally, virtue that exceeds my good will. To love them as a father, I turn to our Father in heaven, for grace, patience and good cheer. My children require of me a conversion.” (article by JD Flynn)

The Story

Israel breaks the first two commandments. (32:1-6)
The LORD shows Israel grace. (32:7-14)
Moses confronts and disciplines the Israelites. (32:15-29)
The LORD considers leaving Israel. (32:30-33:6)
The LORD shows Israel grace a second time. (33:7-17)
The LORD reveals His goodness to Moses. (33:18-34:9)
The LORD shows Israel grace a third time. (34:10-28)
The LORD’s glory is reflected off Moses. (34:29-35)

The Lessons

Jesus perfectly reveals God’s grace and truth.
The Holy Spirit grows Christians to reflect God’s grace and truth.

Questions for Reflection and/or Discussion

What difference might it make if you think of sin as spiritual adultery–“cheating on God”?
How might your idea of God be impacted if Exodus 34:6-7 was a starting point for knowing Him?

God’s Plan to Live with His People: Priests (Exodus 28-31)

In the church-wide Bible plan, we read about this vision from Isaiah 6. The prophet Isaiah, presumably a holy man of God, suddenly finds Himself in God’s temple. And the glory of the LORD sitting on His throne in the Holy of holies is overwhelming. All around Yahweh around these magnificent and powerful creatures bowing down so as to not even look at God and they are singing a worship song to Him: Holy, holy, hol is the LORD Almighty, the whole earth is full of His glory!” The song is so loud, so epic, it is shaking the temple. And Isaiah is overwhelmed with fear. He, even he, the prophet of God, cannot be in the presence of the LORD because he is a…sinner. God has to specially cleanse him and invite him before He can approach the throne.

You see, you cannot just traipse into the presence of God. Could you just demand access to the President, even our local city council? Of course not. You’d have to set up an appointment and get proper clearance and be prepared for such a meeting. Infinitely more so God. To approach God without great fear, preparation, and permission is disaster. To believe otherwise is to minimize the infinite gap between our holy Creator and us sinful creatures.

What does it take to meet with God face-to-face and live? Last week, we learned about God’s plan for the tabernacle, how the holy God could live in the middle of sinful Israel without destroying them all. However, which Israelites will actually work in the tabernacle and commune with God directly? That question gets answered in Exodus 28-31, an answer which ultimately finds its fulfillment in Christ and in His Church!

We’re nearing the end of our journey through Exodus in our series “Rescued for More.” We saw how God rescued Israel from serving Pharaoh so that they serve Him. But because Israel did not know how to serve God, He tells them how: He tells Israel hot to live in the Law, and He reveals plans for how God will live with His people in the Tabernacle. The God of Exodus not only sets people “free from” enemies but also sets people “free for” His glory, His way, His mission. As we’ll see next week, God also reveals Himself to His people because we don’t just need salvation–we need God. Exodus 34:6-7 is the heart of God’s self-revelation:

“The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished…” (Exodus 34:6-7a)

This God and only this God is the one who rescues, and this God is ultimately revealed in Jesus Himself, who rescues His people from an enemy they could not defeat–sin and death–and called them to a life of obedience and mission for His glory.

The Story

#1 The LORD appoints priests who represent God to the people and the people to God. (28:1)

Think of a priest like an ambassador. Ambassadors are sent from one country to represent that country in another. Except priests are not ambassadors between nations; they are ambassadors between God and people.

28:1 “Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests.”

Remember Israel was to be a kingdom of priests, representing God to the nations and vice versa, but Israel would have its own group of priests, the family of Aaron, Moses’ brother. Israel would learn how to be a kingdom of priests by watching its own priests do their job. What did Yahweh’s priests do?

Teach and model obedience to God’s Law. In fact, later in Leviticus 10, right after the priests had begun to serve Yahweh, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu will break some of God’s Law, so God made fire come out from the tabernacle to judge and kill them. The priests were to be the ones who knew and followed God’s Law the best. But even the priests were sinners, and God would have to deal with that in a special way as we’ll see in these chapters.
Lead worship including sacrifices. The priests were to oversee everything that went on in the tabernacle, tending the furnishings, offering the sacrifices, etc. We’ll see a bit more about that today in these chapters.
Make decisions for Israel by discerning God’s will. If Israel had decisions to make that God hadn’t already addressed clearly, it was the priests’ job to discern God’s will. God had clearly forbidden Israel from worshiping other gods for example, but God didn’t always give them instructions for everything, for example, whether someone in a difficult court case was guilty. We’ll see a bit more about this later too.

#2 The LORD teaches how to symbolically dress His priests. (28:2-43)

Uniforms are important. If you’re walking down the street, and someone yells, “Stop!”, it makes all the difference in the world if they are wearing a police uniform. Uniforms communicate meaning, and often that meaning is authority. The same is true for priests.

2 “Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor… 4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash… 5 Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.”

The priestly garments are like nothing any Israelite would wear. Beautiful. Ornate. And the colors will match the colors of the tabernacle curtains, illustrating the connection between tabernacle and priest. Here’s a description of the most important pieces of the priestly clothing:

6 “Make the ephod… 9 Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel 10 in the order of their birth—six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other… 12 and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the LORD.”

Let’s take a look at an illustration to get an idea of what the ephod might have looked like.

It’s worn underneath the breastpiece, which God will talk about in a moment. You can see the two onyx stones on the shoulders upon which were inscribed the names of each of the tribes of Israel.

On top of the ephod would go the breastpiece…

15 “Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions… 17 Then mount four rows of precious stones on it… 21 There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel… 29 Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the LORD.”

Let’s take a look at an illustration to get an idea of what the breastpiece might have looked like.

It’s attached over the ephod. You can see the 4 rows of 3 stones each. 12 stones in all to represent each of the tribes of Israel.

Aaron or whoever the high priest was at the time became a walking object lesson, a living metaphor of God and His people. This is really the point of the priesthood. Dressed in these clothes and bearing Israel’s tribes, the High Priest “reminds” God of the people and “reminds” the people of God. He symbolically represents God to the people and the people to God.

30 “Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the LORD. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD.”

The Urim and Thummim were two stones, probably a white one and a black one, used to make decisions. The priest would ask God to reveal His will and then draw one of the two stones out of his pocket. The white stone meant God answered one way, the black meant He answered the other way. It was essentially flipping a coin, but Israel was not trusting pure chance. No one who believes in God trusts in pure chance because, with God, there is no such thing as pure chance. If Israel had a tough decision to make and God hadn’t already clearly spoken to it, they would pray and fast and ask God to answer using the white stone and black stone.

This may sound crazy to us, but sometimes we’re faced with really tough choices, when there is no obvious right or wrong. If, after lots of prayer to God and seeking godly counsel from others, we’re stuck between choosing a college, job, house, etc, maybe try a holy coin flip. I don’t say this flippantly. 1 Samuel 14:41 shows that the Urim and Thummim were used to decide a very difficult case. I know of a great church in Grand Rapids that has so many men qualified to be elders that they have at times done this to select elders. All of the men bore the Christ-like marks of servant leadership and were affirmed by the church, but there were just too many to have a workable team, so they prayed, rolled some dice, and trusted God.

36 “Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: holy to the LORD. 37 Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. 38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the LORD.”

Let’s take a look at an illustration to get an idea of what the turban might have looked like.

It has that gold plate with the written seal on it: “Holy to the LORD.” Just like Israel is to be set apart for Yahweh among the nations, Aaron is to be set apart among Israel.

What’s striking here is that Aaron will take on himself the guilt of the people. Their sins will be on his head. Yikes! If Aaron is bearing Israel’s sin (plus his own), how can he possibly enter the presence of Yahweh? The next chapter will solve this problem.

#3 The LORD teaches Israel how to set His priests apart. (29:1-46)

From among a sinful people, who could stand in the gap and minister between God and the people? Putting on fancy clothes doesn’t actually make you holy, so what must be done to remove the sin from Aaron–both his sin and the sin of Israel? This chapter answers that question: how Aaron can be made fit for the presence of the holy God.

29:1 “This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect… 4 Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 5 Take the garments and dress Aaron… 7 Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head. 8 Bring his sons and dress them in tunics 9 and fasten caps on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons. The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance.”

Aaron will be set apart as the High Priest, the one wears the ephod and breastpiece, and Aaron’s sons will be priests too, and these roles will be passed on to their sons. The consecration process will revolve around Aaron, his sons, a young bull, and two perfect rams. First, the bull…

9b “Then you shall ordain Aaron and his sons. 10 Bring the bull to the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. 11 Slaughter it in the LORD’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 12 Take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest of it at the base of the altar. 13 Then take all the fat on the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But burn the bull’s flesh and its hide and its intestines outside the camp. It is a sin offering.”

Note that Aaron and his sons lay their hand on the bull’s head. You can read more about the kind of sacrifice known as the “sin offering” in Leviticus 4, but the idea is that your sin is transferred to the sacrificial animal and the animal dies in your place. Of course, the guilt of sin is not really transmitted through touch like a disease or something. It’s symbolic. In faith, they are performing these actions and, to God, that faith counts. Ultimately though, bulls and goats cannot take away sin. They will need, we will need, a better sacrifice. Hint: Jesus.

Then, the first ram…

15 “Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. 16 Slaughter it and take the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar. 17 Cut the ram into pieces and wash the internal organs and the legs, putting them with the head and the other pieces. 18 Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the LORD.”

Again, Aaron and his sons lay their hands on its head, and they offer it as a burnt offering to God. Burnt offerings, as you can read about in Leviticus 1, aren’t about our sin but about the glory and worth of God. A burnt offering was just that. It was a valuable resource totally destroyed by fire in a vivid attempt to show that today I value Yahweh way more than this resource, so I’m giving it to Him. Centuries later, Jesus gives His own life as a fragrant offering to God (Ephesians 5:2), and we are called to offer our bodies as living sacrifices as an act of worship to God (Romans 12:1).

Then, the second ram…

19 “Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. 20 Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then splash blood against the sides of the altar. 21 And take some blood from the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated…. 31 Take the ram for the ordination and cook the meat in a sacred place. 32 At the entrance to the tent of meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket.”

Second ram offered in part as a burnt offering and then eaten by the now-consecrated priests in the presence of God! Though it doesn’t use the word here, this appears to be a kind of “peace offering or fellowship offering,” which you can learn more about in Leviticus 3. The idea here is that God has been honored, sin has been dealt with, and now you can sit and eat with Yahweh in peace. Shouldn’t this be everyone’s end goal? At the end of all our work and labors, to have peace and rest and just eat and enjoy the presence of loved ones, especially the God who loves us. The priests experienced a glimpse of that on behalf of the people. After they had been consecrated, they could sit and eat with God.

In addition to these initial offerings, the priests continued making similar sacrifices every day and every night…

38 “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. 39 Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight. 40 With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering. 41 Sacrifice the other lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and its drink offering as in the morning—a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the LORD. 42 For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the tent of meeting, before the LORD. There I will meet you and speak to you; 43 there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.

Every day for the rest of Israel’s life as a nation, the priests would be sacrificing burnt offerings to God because they could never fully give Him what He deserves! What an amazing picture of perhaps life’s most important truth: Our glorious Creator, Savior, and King deserves all of us.

44 “So I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45 Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. 46 They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

God living among and ruling His people is the goal. But it will take an appointed priest to go between God and His people, a lot of sacrifices to demonstrate God’s worth, and a lot of blood to atone for His people’s sin.

#4 The LORD gives instruction for maintaining holiness. (30:1-38)

The initial consecration is one thing, but what must the priests do to keep the tabernacle consecrated to God? God gives a bunch of instructions about a tabernacle tax that will keep the system funded (30:11-16), regular washings by the priests who are constantly covered in blood (30:17-21), special anointing oil to only be used when consecrating priests (30:22-33), and special incense to be made and used only on the tabernacle altar (30:34-38), which is described here…

30:1 “Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense… 7 Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. 8 He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the LORD for the generations to come. 9 Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the LORD.” (30:1, 7-10)

This altar in the tabernacle is smaller than the altar in the tabernacle courtyard used for sacrifices, and this smaller one is to be used exclusively for incense. Why? The idea here might be to replicate how Israel first met Yahweh in the desert in the pillar of cloud and fire and on the mountain when it was covered in smoke. Remember the terrifying tornado of fire that loves Israel like crazy? God concealed Himself in that cloud so that the sinful people wouldn’t look at Him and die. But the cloud also served as a reminder of His presence. And only once a year, only the high priest would walk into the cloud to meet with God and atone for Israel’s sins. This was known as the Day of Atonement, which you can read about in Leviticus 16.

One final instruction brings to a close then all of God’s Covenant with Israel, His instructions regarding the Law, the Tabernacle, and the Priesthood. This final instruction is…

#5 The LORD concludes the giving of His Law. (31:1-18)

31:12 Then the LORD said to Moses, 13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy…’ ”

Why end with another instruction on Sabbath? Most theologians believe that this is to mirror the story of God’s creation of the world. Just like God is ordering and bringing life to His new people Israel, He ordered and brought life to the world. In Genesis, God fashioned a universe and put Adam and Eve in charge of His Garden as “priests” in a sense. In Exodus, God fashions a new nation and put Aaron and his sons in charge of His Tabernacle as priests. The holy day of rest in the LORD is a central symbol of the covenant and brings it to a close…

18 When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

This sentence concludes the past 13 chapters of Exodus. God gifted His Law and Tabernacle to Israel so that He might live among His people and so that they might represent Him to the world. Too bad it doesn’t end here. Moses will come back down the mountain with all of God’s instruction to a heartbreaking and infuriating sight, but that’s next week. Now for some lessons.

The Lessons

#1 Jesus is our Great High Priest.

It took a lot of sacrifice and ritual to consecrate the priests and to keep them consecrated. For Jesus, it just took His life and death.

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. 1 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 4:14-5:3)

Christ identifies with us in everything, even temptation, except for actual sin! Here are some of the ways Jesus was tempted…

During a fast dedicated to God, Satan tempted Jesus, “Turn these stones to bread.” Have you ever been tempted to treat your appetites for food, friendship, entertainment, sexual pleasure (all good things by the way) as ultimate things even over God? Jesus was tempted but never gave in.
Satan said he would make Jesus king of the world if He worship Satan. Think of how much good could be down if Jesus was made king of the world. But not if He compromised! It is sinful to do whatever it takes to be more influential or important. Have you ever been tempted to compromise the truth for a gain in power? Jesus was tempted but never gave in.
Satan took Jesus to the top of the Temple and told Jesus to jump down and force God to catch Him. This would have been sinfully putting God to the test. Have you ever been tempted to say, “God, if I do this for You, You do this for me”? Jesus was tempted but never gave in.

Jesus is fully able to relate to you. And He is not just relatable, as amazing as that is, He is able to stand in for us. You see, Aaron and the rest of the priests were tempted and also gave in. Jesus never did.

4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest… 7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:5-9)

Just like Aaron wore on the ephod and breastpiece the names of Israel’s tribes, Jesus wears our names on Him and gives up everything to represent us perfectly to God. He bears our names and our guilt so that when He makes His sacrifice–obeying God all the way to the cross–He is able to make holy all who follow Him!

#2 Jesus, through His sacrificial death, consecrates believers as priests.

The author of Hebrews later wrote…

10 We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 10:10-14)

Jesus’ blood is the pinnacle of His obedience and makes Himself holy. But He is also able to make ALL of His people holy too! If you are a Christian, a blood-bought follower of Jesus Christ, a member of His church, you should think of yourself as a priest!

Historically, Christians have not always thought of themselves as priests. For most of church history, in fact, there was a class of priests who most believed had special access to God. This sentiment still exists to some extent today, for example, in the Roman Catholic Church. But beginning with Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the 16th century Protestant Reformation, more and more Christians came to realize that they each are little priests too because of their Great High Priest Jesus! The theological term for this is “the priesthood of all believers.” You can see more evidence of this line of thinking in 1 Peter 2:9-10 and Revelation 5:9-10. The idea is that, only because of the blood of Jesus and His willingness and ability to make us hoy, we can each…

…have a relationship with Creator-God.
…know Him from Scripture.
…pray to Him with a humble confidence.
…make sacrifices to show how great and good God is.
…minister to others in His name.
…bring others to Him by telling and showing who He is.

Who are the priests at Calvary? Pastors? No. Elders? No. Who are the priests of Calvary Church? Well, Jesus first, and then all the rest of us! We are all servants of God, servants of one another. Do you take advantage of your priesthood? Many Christians think church leaders are like the priests. The rest of us just kind of sit and watch. All the while there is a ton of service to be given–to God, to fellow church members, and to our neighbors. Do you take advantage of your priesthood or do you waste it?

We bring God to others and we bring people to God. A church for the community. Learning from Jesus, we act like family and serve our neighbors. This doesn’t mean that we just do whatever the world around us wants. We’re not just trying to bless our neighbors. We’re trying to bless them in the ways God wants us to bless them. One Calvary priest invites a long-time unchurched friend to check out our services online and that friend’s walk with Christ is never the same. Another priest meets with a new attender every week for several months to help them understand the Gospel and respond appropriately. Another priest volunteers to be on the hospitality team and greet people on Sunday mornings in the middle of a pandemic. Another priest shovels and salts the sidewalk so you don’t. Another priest volunteers to serve as a leader of the church. All priests serving God and His people. All by grace. All by the blood of Christ.

Questions for Reflection and/or Discussion

How does thinking of Jesus as our Great High Priest increase your awe of and affection for Him?
Practically speaking, how can you bring God to others and others to God?