DBG - January 31 - Exodus 33-35

In this chapter we see Moses intercede for the people following the incident with the golden calf.

vs. 1-3 – In the fallout from the golden calf incident, God commands the Israelites to go, to leave Sinai and take possession of the Promised Land.  God would keep His word made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give the land to their descendants.  The catch is that because of their sin and rebellion, God would not go with them.

vs. 4-6 – The people repent and humble themselves before God.  The outward sign of this is their laying aside of their jewelry and finery they had spoiled from Egypt.

vs. 7 – This verse has led to much unnecessary confusion.  The tent or tabernacle here is not the same as the one God had been given Moses instructions to build to house he Ark of the Covenant.  The “tabernacle of the congregation” mentioned here already existed for practical use.  It was the center of worship and government for the nation at this time and had been placed in the center of the camp.  Moses adds a vivid illustration of the fact that God had threatened to remove His presence from Israel by moving this tent outside the camp.  Here it remained until replaced by the Tabernacle.

vs. 8-11 – The people dare not approach God or the tabernacle of the congregation.  Like Adam and Eve, they are guilty and ashamed, so they stay in their tents and watch these events unfold.  As Moses goes out to tabernacle of the congregation, God’s presence descends as a pillar of cloud (shekinah glory?).  Here God speaks with Moses as we will read in the next verses.  Joshua is left in charge of the affairs of this tabernacle, not the priesthood of Aaron.

vs. 12-17 – Moses intercedes for the children of Israel and begs God to show them mercy.  In vs. 14 God offers to go with Moses but not the people.  Moses will not accept this and says that God will not be honored by the nations if He did not go with them.  In vs. 17, God agrees to go with them based on Moses’s intercession.

vs. 18-23 – Moses asks God to see Him in His glory.  God gives three responses (Trinity?).  First, His glory will be seen in the unfolding of His sovereign plan.  Second, that Moses could not see His actual being.  The holiness of God would not allow this as it would require enforcement of the death penalty against sin.  Third,  God would allow Moses to catch a glimpse of His majesty.

In this chapter we see Moses’s encounter with God and the reestablishing of the covenant with the children of Israel.

vs. 1-4 – Moses is commanded to ascend Sinai again on the next morning.  He is to bring two stone tables with him which will replace the ones he broke in 32:19.

vs. 5-9 – Moses encounters the presence of God as was promised in the final verses of the previous chapter.  God descends in a cloud (shekinah glory?).  HIs divine names are proclaimed followed by a message of mercy, grace, and justice.  Moses responds by again interceding for Israel.

vs. 10-11 – God promises to go with the people and give them the land of Canaan.  He will drive out the inhabitants before them.

vs. 12-17 – God gives many commands here for the Israelites to separate themselves from the Canaanites and their false religions.  They were not to make pacts with them or intermarry with them. They were to completely obliterate the false idols and their worship. 

vs. 18 – Here begins a litany of regulations that God commands the Israelites to follow.  First is that they observe the feast of unleavened bread to remember how He brought them out of Egypt.

vs. 19-20 – God again stakes His claim to the first-born male offspring, off both men and beast.

vs. 21 – The Sabbath rest.

vs. 22-24 – God reiterates the command for the three pilgrimage feasts where the able men were to gather at the central place of worship.  The feast of unleavened bread (which started at Passover) was already mentioned in vs. 18.  In vs. 22 we find the second (the feast of Pentecost with its first fruits offering from the wheat harvest) and third (feast of Tabernacles).

vs. 25-26 – Regulations about offerings.

vs. 27-28 – Moses again stays on Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights.  He is commanded to write the Law and Covenant on the tablets of stone.

vs. 29-35 – A curious side effect was caused by Moses’s encounter with God.  To but it plainly: a little bit of God’s glory rubbed off on him!  After he presented the covenants and commandments again to the people he is made to wear a vail.  This he continues to do unless he is speaking with God.  How long this effect lasts we do not know.  There is a strange tradition that Moses face did not shine but rather he grew horns.  This grew out of a bad translation of the these verses in the Latin Vulgate by Jerome.  The Hebrew word for “shine” is related to the word for “horn”, as both may be described as projections.  There are many depictions in art through the centuries of Moses having horns, most famous being Michelangelo’s statue of Moses.

In this chapter we see the work begin on the Tabernacle, beginning with a generous offering of the necessary materials.

vs. 1-3 – As preparation begin to be made for the construction of the Tabernacle, Moses begins by reiterating the Sabbath regulation.

vs. 4-19 – Moses explains the needs for materials in constructing the Tabernacle and all that pertains to it.  The materials were to be gathered through a free will offering from the people.

vs. 20-29 – The people whose hearts were moved to do so give in abundance for everything needed for the Tabernacle projects. 

vs. 30-35 – Bezaleel and Aholiab are appointed to oversee the work as God had said in chapter 31.

Moses’s greatest role was not as a lawgiver or a leader.  It was not even the miracles he performed.  It was as an intercessor that he had his greatest impact.  We saw in Abraham in Genesis 18 a man who could stand before God and move the Divine heart to offer mercy.  But Moses far surpasses Abraham in this role.  We are in dire need today of men and women who can pray with such power!

Our hymn today, “He Waiteth to Be Gracious”, was written by Charles Wesley.  It picks up the great themes from today’s reading: the grace and mercy of our God toward man. 

Thy ceaseless, unexhausted love,
Unmerited and free,
Delights our evil to remove,
And help our misery.

Thou waitest to be gracious still;
Thou dost with sinners bear,
That, sav'd, we may thy goodness feel,
And all thy grace declare.

Thy goodness and thy truth to me,
To ev'ry soul, abound;
A vast, unfathomable sea,
Where all our thoughts are drown'd.

Its streams the whole creation reach,
So plent'ous is the store;
Enough for all, enough for each,
Enough for evermore!

Faithful, O Lord, thy mercies are!
A rock that cannot move;
A thousand promises declare
Thy constancy of love!

Throughout the universe it reigns,
Unalterably sure;
And while the truth of God remains,
This goodness must endure.