Week 44, Day 2: Keeping the Sabbath
Today’s Reading: Exodus 31:1-18
Some thoughts from the reading..
We are coming to the end of the 40 day period that Moses spent on mount Sinai (Exo 24:18). So the instructions given between chapters 25 & 31 are some of the instructions given to Moses during those 40 days. In this chapter we are told that God has filled given certain men to do the work of making the tent of meeting and the articles to go inside. It has been suggested that a nation of slaves would not have been used for skilled labor. Among the slaves you would of had brick making, construction and serving of some sorts but not necessarily the slaves being taught a skilled trade like metal working. So it is suggested that this is perhaps why God would give these men a spirit of wisdom in understanding , in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship. They needed God’s help to be able to complete His instructions to build the tent of meeting.
Moses is also warned about the importance of keeping the Sabbath. It is a sign between God and them that He has sanctified them. Any of Israel who didn’t keep this command were to be killed. This is how important it was for them to keep the Sabbath.
Question: Why do Christians not observe the Sabbath today?
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Week 43, Day 5: The priest are consecrated
Today’s Reading: Exodus 29:1-46
Some thoughts from the reading…
Now that the instructions for constructing the tent of meeting have been given, the next “step” is to consecrate the priest to serve before the Lord. Aaron and his sons are taken with their priestly garments and spend 7 days to go through this process. 7 is a number that we see repeated throughout the scriptures used in connection with holiness. This process would set them apart as holy and able to serve in the role of priests. At the same time they were to make atonement for the altar and consecrate the altar as well (vs. 37). This action introduces an interesting action that we will see from time to time. During certain occations the priests were to anoint the articles of the tent with blood. By doing this they were cleansing the items, purging them. We will talk more about this as we see this taking place.
Question: Why was their a need to go through a process to consecrate the priests and the altar?
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Week 43, Day 3: The altar
Today’s Reading: Exodus 27:1-21
Some thoughts from the reading…
The instructions for constructing the tent of meeting is finished in chapter 27. I am impressed with the dimensions of the bronze altar. It is 5 cubits square (7.5 feet x 7.5 feet). That is a huge altar. It is 4.5 feet tall. The altar was designd to handle the sacrifices of a nation. If Israel sacrificed to God as commanded they would need a BIG altar to complete the required sacrifices. When you read of some of the festivals or special occations you get an impression of how many animals could be sacrificed in one day on this altar.
The altar was to be made with horns on the corners. Horns are often a symbol of power. Later we will see people take hold of the horns of the altar when seeking mercy (1 Kings 1:50-51 & 1 Kings 2:28). We are not given a stated reason for why the horns were to be a part of the altar.
As we consider the articles of the tent of meeting, keep in mind that all of these things were “shown to you in the mountain”. Moses had been shown what all he was to build (26:30, 27:8). I think it is important for us to remember that as we try to invision how some of these things looked, whatever their final appearance was, Moses had been shown exactly what he needed to do in order to construct the place and items of worship to God.
Question: What do you think would have happened if Moses had decided not to follow all the instructions shown to him on the mountain? How do you think Moses would be remembered?
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Week 43, Day 2: Instructions for the Tabernacle (Cont.)
Today’s Reading: Exodus 26:1-37
Some thoughts from the reading…
We are given some indications in chapter 26 regarding the dimensions of the tabernacle. I find it a little challenging to follow exactly how the curtains all fit together. Notice that the curtains are to be made of “fine twisted linen”, mad with cherubim, and made by a skillful workman. The skillfulness of the workman would be aided by God (chapter 31:2-7) which we will talk about more later. For now I want to simply point to a few concepts that we are introduced to. First, we see mentioned in verse 1 & 31 cherubim. Images of these creatures were to be woven into the curtains of the tent. All around the tent would be images of these creatures. Golden cherubim were also mentioned in Exo 25:17-22 as being fashioned to be upon the ark of the covenant, with their wings overspreading the mercy seat. From between the two cherubim Jehovah would speak. These heavenly beings are often spoken of in reference to the throne of God. We are not given clear details regarding what all these creatures do but they appear to be some kind of servants of Jehovah. We see them depicted in other passages (Ezek 1:4-11 & 10:1-2 & Rev 4:5-8) but I do not know that we have any detailed description of what a cherubim looks like. Exodus 25:20 mentions that they have wings and that they face the mercy seat (seems to indicate that they have one face). Whatever they are in appearance, they are always depicted as in the presence of God. I do believe that cherubim are the same creatures as the seraphim in Isaiah 6:1-8 because of similarities between the two.
The other thing I wanted to point towards is that we are also introduced in this chapter to the concept of their being a separation within the tent, the holy place and the holy of holies (vs 33). This separation will become more important for our understanding as Bible students as we continue to study God’s interaction with His people.
Question: Why do you think the articles of the tent and the pillars, posts, etc were made out of gold or overlaid with gold?
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Week 43, Day 1: Instructions for the Tabernacle
Today’s Reading: Exodus 25:1-40
Some thoughts from the reading…
God gives Moses instructions about constructing the tabernacle. He gives instruction regarding the ark, table of showbread and the lampstand. What stood out to me is that there is a statement that is stated at the beginning of these instructions and then restated at the end. Follow the pattern shown to you (verse 9, 40). This stands out to me because I know it is repeated by the Hebrew writer in Heb 8:4-5. This warning was given to Moses to make sure that he followed all the instructions just as they were given. It was important for Moses to do just as he was told to do. There was no room for substitution or replacing something with another. This is key to keep in mind because we have similar instruction given to us in the NT. We must follow the pattern that has been given to us for the church. Make sure His church is doing and working as He has instructed. Don’t change it or add to it.
Question: What items were later placed inside the ark of the covenant?
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