EXODUS 21
LAWS FOR SERVANTS + PERSONAL INJURIES
God provides specific laws for how to handle situations involving servants, harm to others, and responsibility for damage. These laws reflect a very different cultural and historical context from our own. While the Bible regulated slavery in ancient Israel, it does not endorse slavery as we understand it today. These instructions were meant to provide structure and limit harm in a broken world, not to promote injustice.
The principle of “an eye for an eye” appears here, not to encourage revenge, but to establish fair and limited justice. It was meant to ensure the punishment fit the offense rather than exceed it.
EXODUS 22
LAWS FOR PROTECTION OF PROPERTY
God provides specific laws for how to handle situations involving theft, social justice, and sorcery. In cases of theft or damage, restitution was required, often meaning that more had to be returned than was taken.
The chapter ends with a command to consecrate, or set apart, the firstborn sons and animals to God, affirming that all life ultimately belongs to Him.
EXODUS 23
LAWS OF JUSTICE + MERCY
God provides specific laws for how to handle situations regarding bribery, Sabbath, and festivals.
God promises to send an angel to help the Israelites as they take over Canaan, and He warns them not to be distracted or tempted by the gods and idols the Canaanites worship. He tells the Israelites that their takeover of the land of Canaan will happen gradually, little by little, not all at once.
EXODUS 24
THE COVENANT CONFIRMED ON MOUNT SINAI
Aaron, his sons, and seventy elders of Israel go up the mountain and witness God’s glory from a distance, but only Moses is allowed to enter God’s presence. Moses climbs up Mount Sinai and God gives him the Ten Commandments written on stone tablets. The glory of the Lord dwells on Mount Sinai, and Moses remains on the mountain with God for forty days and forty nights.
EXODUS 25
OFFERINGS FOR THE TABERNACLE
God gives a list of valuable materials for the Israelites to bring as offerings for the construction of the tabernacle. These include gold, silver, precious stones, fine linens, and other luxury items.
God gives specific instructions for building the ark of the covenant, which would house the stone tablets. The ark is overlaid with gold and features two cherubim with outstretched wings covering the mercy seat. Cherubim are angelic beings later described as having multiple faces and wings covered in eyes (Ezekiel 1, Revelation 4), making them fitting guardians of God’s presence.
The Israelites are to carry the ark using gold-covered poles, never touching it directly. This reflects the holiness of God’s presence, similar to how they were not allowed to touch Mount Sinai.
God also gives instructions for making a table and a lampstand for use in the tabernacle.
Although the Israelites were former slaves, they had the materials needed for these sacred objects because, in Exodus 12, God provided for them by allowing them to plunder the Egyptians. From start to finish, God is involved in every detail and uses it all for His glory.
EXODUS 26
GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE TABERNACLE
God gives Moses detailed, intricate instructions for building the tabernacle.
The tabernacle is God’s way of drawing near to His people and continuing the restoration of what was broken in the Garden of Eden. God does not need us, but He desires nearness with His creation, and the tabernacle serves as a place for Him to dwell on Earth.
The tabernacle is made of gold, silver, and bronze, with the most valuable materials being the closest to the innermost part where God’s presence would dwell.
EXODUS 27
DETAILS OF THE TABERNACLE ALTAR + COURTYARD
God gives specific instructions for the altar, the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle, and the oil for the lamp that would burn continually. These details show that God cares about everything, from the big picture to the smallest intricacies.
EXODUS 28
DETAILS OF THE PRIESTLY GARMENTS
God gives detailed instructions for holy garments to be worn by the priests, Aaron and his sons.
They are to be gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, the same colors as the tabernacle. The names of the twelve sons of Jacob are represented, engraved on two onyx stones, six on each shoulder of the ephod, in birth order. Twelve different gemstones are set on the breastplate of judgment, each representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
The robe is decorated with pomegranates and bells along the hem. The sound of the bells signaled the priest’s movement within the holy space and possibly served as a sign to others that he remained alive in God’s presence.
The purpose of this clothing is for both glory and beauty. They are to be made by people whom God has given skills of craftsmanship. When it pertains to His tabernacle, God cares about beauty, craftsmanship, and quality.
EXODUS 29
GOD WILL DWELL AMONG THE ISRAELITES IN THE TABERNACLE
More detailed instructions are given for what, when, and where to offer sacrifices on the altar of the tabernacle. God promises to dwell among the Israelites and wants them to be prepared.
Exodus 29:45-46 - I will dwell among the Israelites, and I will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them; I am the Lord their God.
EXODUS 30
DETAILS OF THE ALTAR OF INCENSE
God gives detailed instructions on how to build an altar for burning incense.
He explains that a census must be taken, and each person is to give half a shekel as an offering to the Lord.
God also gives instructions for a bronze basin where the priests are to wash their hands and feet so they can be clean before entering His presence. He provides guidance for the use of anointing oil and incense. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are all elements of the tabernacle and are also the gifts the wise men bring to the birth of Jesus.
EXODUS 31
THE BUILDERS OF THE TABERNACLE
Oholiab and Bezalel are named as the primary builders and craftsmen for the tabernacle. God fills them with His Spirit, giving them skill, craftsmanship, and knowledge for the work.
God reminds the Israelites to keep the Sabbath, commanding them to rest on the seventh day as a sign of their covenant with Him.
God gives Moses the Ten Commandments on stone tablets, written by the finger of God.
EXODUS 32
THE ISRAELITES CREATE + WORSHIP A GOLDEN CALF
While Moses is on the mountain, the Israelites melt down their jewelry to create a golden calf. Because Moses is delayed, they turn to something else to worship. Aaron, Moses’ brother, is deeply involved. He collects the gold, fashions the idol, builds an altar, and leads the people in offering sacrifices.
God is ready to destroy the Israelites for their sin, but Moses pleads with Him to show mercy. God tells Moses He will make a great nation out of him, echoing the promise He made to Abraham.
Moses comes down from the mountain, sees the idolatry, and breaks the stone tablets in anger. He burns the golden calf, grinds it to powder, scatters it on the water, and makes the Israelites drink it. He rebukes Aaron for leading the people into such blatant disobedience.
As a result of their sin, God sends a plague, and thousands of Israelites are killed.
EXODUS 33
MOSES + THE ISRAELITES CONTINUE TOWARDS THE PROMISED LAND
God tells Moses that it is time for him and the Israelites to leave Mount Sinai and that the land of Canaan will start to be cleared out for the Israelites.
Moses meets with God again, but this time in the tent of meeting. God previously met with Moses face to face, but does not this time. Moses boldly requests to see God’s face but is given only a glimpse of God's presence and majesty. God does not fully reveal Himself to Moses, but His evident nearness reinforces the importance of God's presence and favor in his life and the lives of the Israelites.
God comforts Moses, telling him that he knows him by name and that he has found favor in God’s sight. Moses does not want to continue without God’s presence, knowing His nearness sets the Israelites apart as God’s chosen people.
Exodus 33:14 - My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.
EXODUS 34
MOSES MEETS GOD ON MOUNT SINAI
Moses makes new tablets for the commandments and meets God on the mountain alone.
God reminds Moses of His character, declaring that He is both merciful and just. He renews the covenant with Moses and tells him that the Israelites will see and experience awesome marvels never seen before.
God warns Moses that the Israelites are not to sleep with the Canaanites or worship their gods. He also reminds Moses of the importance of the Sabbath and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Moses is on the mountain for forty days and forty nights and does not eat or drink. Right before Jesus began His earthly ministry, He went into the wilderness and fasted for forty days and nights. God used fasting to prepare both Moses and Jesus for their mission to deliver His people.
When Moses comes down from the mountain, his face is shining because he spoke with God directly. God’s presence is that powerful! Moses puts a veil over his face, but removes it when he is speaking with God.
Exodus 34:6-7 - 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, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.
EXODUS 35
SABBATH REGULATIONS FOR THE ISRAELITES
God reminds the Israelites to observe the Sabbath as a day of rest and holiness. He also tells them what kinds of items they may contribute to the construction of the tabernacle. The Israelites are able to give generously because of what they received when they plundered the Egyptians in Exodus 12.
EXODUS 36
CONSTRUCTION OF THE TABERNACLE BEGINS
Moses summons Bezalel, Oholiab, and other skilled workers to start constructing the tabernacle. The Israelites bring gold, silver, and bronze to the builders as a contribution to the tabernacle, and there is an abundance of supplies.
Bezalel and Oholiab build the tapestry and the framing for the tabernacle, just as God instructed.
EXODUS 38
MATERIALS USED FOR THE TABERNACLE
Bezalel and Oholiab build the altar of burnt offering, the bronze basin, and the courtyard for the tabernacle, just as God instructed.
The amount of gold brought was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels. The amount of silver brought was one hundred talents and 1,775 shekels. The amount of bronze brought was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels.
EXODUS 40
THE TABERNACLE COMPLETED
Moses blesses the tabernacle once it is finished and anoints it with oil to consecrate it.
Aaron and his sons are also anointed with oil to serve as priests.
Moses is not able to enter the tabernacle because God’s presence fills it in the form of a cloud and fire, the same signs that led the Israelites in Exodus 14.
Exodus 40:38 - For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.