Exodus 25 - 33
The Children of Israel
Exodus 25
The LORD Gives Moses Instructions for the
Tabernacle
Offerings for
the Tabernacle (1 – 9)
Plans for the
Ark of the Covenant (10 - 22)
Plans for the
Table (22 – 30)
Plans for the
Pure Gold Candlestick and Stand (31 – 39)
The LORD
instructed Moses to make sure to make everything according to the pattern He
had shown him on the mountain.
For Christians, Christ Is Our High Priest (see
Hebrews 8)
Exodus 26
Plans for the
Tabernacle
Exodus 27
Plans for the
Altar of Burnt Offerings (1 – 8)
Plans for the Courtyard
(9 – 19)
Light for the
Tabernacle (20 – 21)
Exodus 28
Clothing for
the Priests (1 – 5)
Design of the
Ephod (6 – 14)
Design of the
Breastplate of Judgment (15 – 30)
Additional
Clothing for the Priests (31 – 43)
Exodus 29
Dedication of
the Priests
Exodus 30
Plans
for the Incense Altar (1 – 10)
Money
for the Tabernacle (11 – 16)
Plans
for the Washbasin (17 – 21)
The
Anointing Oil (22 – 33)
The
Incense (34 – 38)
These Were Old Rules About Worship (see
Hebrews 9 and 10)
Exodus 31
The Craftsmen
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Look,
I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of
Judah. I have filled
him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, understanding, and
knowledge in all manner of workmanship, to devise special talent in working
with gold, silver, and brass. He
is skilled in the cutting and setting of stones, in carving wood, and all
manner of workmanship.
“And with him I have given Aholiab
son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. And I have put in
the heart of the wise hearted wisdom so they can make all the things I have
commanded you to make:
§ The
Tabernacle
§ The
Ark of the Covenant
§ The
Mercy Seat
§ All
the furnishings of the Tabernacle
§ The
table and its furniture
§ The
pure gold candlestick with all its furniture
§ The
altar of incense
§ The
altar of burnt offering with all its furniture
§ The
washbasin with its stand
§ The
cloths of service, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for
his sons to wear as they minister as priests
§ The
anointing oil;
§ The
sweet incense for the Holy Place.
The craftsmen must make
everything as I have commanded you.”
God instructed Moses to make all things according to the pattern
he showed him in the mountain. The Tabernacle was built to follow the pattern
of the temple in heaven. (See Hebrews 8:5)
Hebrews 8:5, “ Who serve unto the example and shadow of
heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the
tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the
pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
These things were a shadow of things to come (see Hebrews 10).
Instructions for the Sabbath
The LORD spoke to Moses and said,
“Tell the children of Israel: ‘Surely, you shall keep my Sabbaths for it is a
sign between me and you from generation to generation. That you may know that I
am the LORD, who makes you holy.”
“You shall keep the Sabbath, for
it is holy to you. Anyone who defiles it must be put to death; anyone who works
on that day will be cut off from among his people.”
“You have six days to work, but the
seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Anyone who works on the
Sabbath must be put to death.”
“Therefore the children of Israel
shall keep the Sabbath by observing it from generation to generation, for an
everlasting covenant.”
“It is a sign between Me and the
children of Israel for ever. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth,
but on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.’”
When the LORD finished speaking
with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the
terms of the covenant, written with the finger of God.
Promised Rest for Christians (see Hebrews 4)
Exodus
32
The Gold Calf
When the people saw how long it
was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron.
“Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what
happened to Moses, the man who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”
So Aaron said, “Take the gold
rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to
me.” All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to
Aaron. Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape
of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the
gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
Aaron saw how excited the people
were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow
is a feast to the LORD!”
The people got up early the next
morning to offer burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. After this, they
celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they rose up to play (to laugh,
mock, or jest).
About that time in the mountain,
the LORD told Moses, “Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you
brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have
turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold
and made a calf, and have worshiped it, and sacrificed to it. They are saying,
‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
Then the LORD said, “I have seen
that this is a stiff-necked people (rebellious and stubborn). Now leave me
alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then
I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.”
But Moses pleaded with the LORD
his God. “O Lord!” he said. “Why are you so angry with your own people
whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong
hand? Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil
intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face
of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this
evil you have threatened against your people!”
“Remember your servants Abraham,
Isaac, and Israel. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will
make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them
all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will
possess it forever.’”
So the LORD changed his mind
about the evil he had threatened to bring on his people.
Then Moses turned and went down
the mountain. He held in his hands the two stone tablets of the testimony (The
Ten Commandments). They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. These
tablets were God’s work. God himself wrote the words.
When Joshua heard the boisterous
noise of the people shouting below them, he exclaimed to Moses, “It sounds like
war in the camp!”
But Moses replied, “No, it is not
a shout of victory nor the wailing of defeat. I hear the sound of a
celebration.”
When they came near the camp,
Moses saw the calf and the dancing, and he burned with anger. He threw the
stone tablets to the ground, smashing them at the foot of the mountain. He
took the calf they had made and burned it. Then he ground it into powder, threw
it into the water, and forced the people to drink it.
Finally, he turned to Aaron and
demanded, “What did these people do to you to make you bring such terrible sin
upon them?”
“Don’t get so upset, my lord,”
Aaron replied. “You yourself know these people are full of mischief. They said
to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this man
Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ So
I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to
me, I simply threw it into the fire and out came this calf!”
Moses saw that Aaron had let the
people get completely out of control; they had shamed themselves before their
enemies. So he stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, “Who is on the
LORD’S side? Let them come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around
him.
Moses told them, “Thus saith the
LORD God of Israel: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from
one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone, even your brothers, your friends,
and your neighbors.” And the children of Levi obeyed Moses’ command, and about
3,000 people died that day.
Then Moses said, “Dedicate
yourselves today to the LORD, even though it has cost you a son or brother, so
that he might bestow upon you a blessing this day.”
Why
did the people and Aaron do this? Scripture doesn’t give us the full answer,
but we can put certain clues together and get a fairly good picture.
First,
the people’s long familiarity with idol worship would incline them to follow
that method in the absence of clear direction. They were fearful that Moses was
dead or had left them and they wanted a god they could see.
Second,
they were already in the habit of merging their beliefs with those of the
people around them, a practice that would continue to plague them throughout the
years, even up to this day. The idol Aaron crafted for them was a calf, but he
maintained the name of the LORD in connection with it. He was merging the pagan
practices they were familiar with and the worship of the God in heaven.
Third,
Aaron was faced with an unruly crowd that placed a demand upon him. The
solution of making an idol and calling it by God’s name seemed fairly
reasonable. His lame excuse to Moses – “it just came out of the fire like
this!” – was just a feeble attempt to dodge blame.
God
was so angry that He wanted to destroy them, but Moses interceded for the
people.
We
can clearly learn a lesson from this experience. The people are told in
Deuteronomy 12:30-32, “Take heed that
thou be not snared by following them,… and enquire not after their gods,
saying, How did these nations serve their gods? Even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God:
for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their
gods… What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add
thereto, nor diminish from it.”
The
same is still going on today. People are following after the traditional pagan
rituals of today and mixing them in with the worship of the LORD, and just as
Aaron did, they are maintaining the name of the LORD in connection with them.
We need to be very careful and keep ourselves from these pagan holidays or else
we can bring God’s wrath upon us.
(For
more information on pagan holidays see bottom of page)
Moses Intercedes for Israel
The next day Moses said to the
people, “You have committed a terrible sin, but I will go back up to the LORD
on the mountain. Perhaps I will be able to obtain forgiveness for your sin.”
So Moses returned to the LORD and
said, “Oh, what a terrible sin these people have committed. They have made gods
of gold for themselves. But now, if you will only forgive their sin, but if not,
erase my name from the book you have written!”
But the LORD replied to Moses,
“No, I will erase the name of everyone who has sinned against me. Now
go, lead the people to the place I told you about. Behold, my angel will lead
the way before you. And when I come to call the people to account, I will
certainly hold them responsible for their sins.”
Then the LORD
sent a great plague upon the people because they made the calf that Aaron made.
Exodus 33
The Tabernacle of the Congregation
The Lord said
to Moses, “Get going, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt.
Go up to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I told them, ‘I
will give this land to your descendants.’
And I will
send an angel to travel before you and I will drive out the Canaanites,
Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, to a land flowing with
milk and honey. But I will not travel among you, for you are a stiffnecked (stubborn
and rebellious) people. If I traveled with you, I would surely destroy you
along the way.”
When the people heard these stern
words, they went into mourning and stopped wearing their ornaments. For the
Lord had told Moses to tell them, “You are a stiffnecked people. If I were to
travel with you for even a moment, I would destroy you. Remove your ornaments
while I decide what to do with you.” So the children of Israel stripped
themselves of their ornaments by the mountain of Horeb.
Moses took the tabernacle, and
pitched it a distance from outside the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of
the congregation. And it came to pass, that everyone who sought the Lord would
go to the Tabernacle of the congregation outside the camp.
And it came to pass, when Moses
would go out to the Tabernacle that all the people would get up and stand in
the entrances of their own tents. They would all watch Moses until he
disappeared inside.
And as he went into the
Tabernacle, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at its entrance while
the LORD talked with Moses. And when
all the people saw the cloud standing at the entrance of the Tabernacle, they
would stand and worship in the door of their tents.
And the LORD would speak to Moses
face to face, as a man that speaks to his friend. Afterward Moses would return
to the camp, but his young servant, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in
the Tabernacle.
Moses Sees the LORD’S Glory
One day Moses said to the LORD,
“Look, you tell me, bring up this people, but you haven’t told me whom you will
send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have found grace in
my sight.’ If it is true that I have found grace in your sight, let me know
your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor.
And remember that this nation is your very own people.”
The LORD replied, “I will
personally go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Then Moses said, “If you don’t
personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. How will anyone know
that you look favorably on me and on your people if you don’t go with us? For
your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on
the earth.”
And the LORD replied to Moses, “I
will indeed do what you have asked, for you have found grace in my sight, and I
know you by name.”
Moses responded, “Then I request
that you show me your glory.”
The LORD replied, “I will make
all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out the name of the LORD
before you. For I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show
mercy to whom I will show mercy (see also Romans
9:15).
Romans 9:15, “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
And He said, “You cannot see my
face, for no one may see me and live.” Then He said, “Look, stand near me on
this rock. As my glory passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock
and will cover you with my hand while I pass by. Then I will remove my hand and
let you see me from behind. But my face you will not see.”
Christmas
Truth or Tradition?
The real meaning of Christmas is important to every
Christian. Some celebrate what is
supposed to be Jesus’ birthday with parties where immorality abounds while
others sincerely try to focus on the Bethlehem story. Though sincere, is it suitable for Christians to use pagan
customs to celebrate Christ’s birthday?
We often accept traditions and beliefs that we never
question. People celebrate
Christmas without recognizing that the origins of the customs are almost
entirely pagan!
Consider the date, December 25th. It would have been illogical for the
Roman authorities to declare late December as a time of taxing requiring men,
women, and children to travel long distances in such harsh weather. If this date was accurate, Mary, nine
months with child, would have traveled 70 miles on a donkey in the dead of
winter.
Jesus could not have been born at this time! From Compton’s Encyclopedia, “We know
that this could hardly have happened in December…Sheppard’s would not keep
their flocks out in the hills at night in such weather. Sheep were normally brought into barns
and stables no later than the end of October because of the piercing winter
nights in that land.
From Compton’s again, “Why, then, do we celebrate
Christmas in December? It is
because December was the season of pagan festivals that had been celebrated for
thousands of years before the Christian era. The early churches took over many of the festivals and gave
them Christian names and associations.
And so it is that our
Christmas customs preserve features of the great winter solstice festival of
pagan peoples…”
“December 25th…on this day the Romans
celebrated the Mithraic feast of the sun-god.” The winter solstice was considered the birthday of the
sun-god because it was the time when the days stopped getting shorter and began
to lengthen: It was the “rebirth”
of the sun. Since Rome already had
this pagan celebration, “In order to conciliate the heathen, …the same festival
was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it the name of Christ.” This occurred in the 4th
century during Pope Julius 1’s term.
The Christmas tree or its forerunner also predates
Christianity. “The idea of using
evergreens at Christmas time also came to England from pre-Christian
beliefs.” Evergreens were honored
“at their winter solstice festival as symbolic of eternal life, …holly was
worshipped as a promise of the sun’s return.” Everywhere in most every Christmas custom, paganism rears
its ugly head.
“But that isn’t the reason I do it!”
Then why?
What does a Christmas tree, or a pagan sun-god’s December 25th
birthday, or holly, or mistletoe, or a Yule log have to do with Christ’s
birthday? You do it because of
tradition handed down that’s never been questioned!
Whatever your reason for using pagan customs, Jesus
said a little leaven leaveneth the whole loaf. Accordingly, if you mix a little paganism in with
Christianity, what you really have is just plain paganism. Contaminated Christianity is no longer
Christianity.
When Israel went to conquer the Caanan land, God
told them, “enquire not after their gods,
saying, How did these nations serve their gods? Even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God, what thing soever
I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from
it.” Deuteronomy 12:29-32
God is saying don’t worship me like those pagans
worship their gods. Don’t use
pagan customs to worship me! Jeremiah 10:2-4, “Thus saith the LORD, learn
not the way of the heathen. For
the customs of the people are vain; for one cutteth a tree out of the forest,
the work of the hands of the workman, with an ax. They deck it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails
that it move not.”
Does that sound like a Christmas tree to you? Did God say not to do it?
What if you were a missionary to a foreign country
and you found those people celebrating Christ’s birth with a decorated
Buddha? You would try to get them
to stop! Isn’t that an indictment
on the present day Christmas?
Christmas holds such a place in people’s hearts today. Dare to speak against it, and they get
mad, but remember Jesus’ words, “…that which is highly esteemed among men is
abomination in the sight of God.”
Colossians 2:8 Beware
lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition
of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
The
Christmas Tree
Rooted In Idolatry
There is a wealth of literature that can be obtained
on the subject of pagan tree worship.
As popular as the Christmas tree is, tree worship was equally as popular
in pagan Rome and Egypt. In Egypt
it was the palm tree. In Rome it
was the fir tree. This tree represented
the first dictator Nimrod, the founder of Babel alter know as Babylon. In later times Nimrod was deified as
the Sun-god.
Nimrod was an ungodly ruler. It is said of him in the Jewish
encyclopedia that Nimrod was he “who made all the people rebellious against
God.” Nimrod was slain in ambush. Afterwards his wife, Semiramis, found
with child after his death, claimed her son was supernaturally conceived by
Nimrod’s spirit. Nimrod was
proclaimed to be the Sun-god. The
son, Tammuz, was proclaimed to be the reincarnation of Nimrod.
Semiramis claimed a tree sprang up overnight from a
dead stump. She said the tree
represented Nimrod, the slain god come alive as Tammuz. Balls were hung on the tree to
represent the sun. It was even
called a “Tammuz” tree. The
parallels are obvious. The Devil
in his subtlety always desires to dilute truth with idolatry.
There are at least 10 references to the “green tree”
in the Bible associated with idolatry and false worship. See Jeremiah 10:2-4.
We do not say people are worshipping the tree
today. We only find it absolutely
amazing that millions and millions of people joyfully gather around their
Christmas trees each year without the slightest knowledge of the utterly pagan
and Babylonish origin of this custom!
Nor do they regard the scripture and God’s concern about the practice!
Deuteronomy 7:26 Neither shalt thou
bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but
thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a
cursed thing.
I Corinthians 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from
idolatry.
I John 5:22
Little children, keep yourselves
from idols.
The
Gifts
Supposedly our modern custom of exchanging gifts
comes from the fact that the Magi arrived at Jesus’ birthplace bearing
gifts. Though modern Christmas
carols speak of “the three wise men,” there could have been 10, 20, or as many
as 100. It is supposed there were
three because of three categories of gifts that were mentioned.
Notice, however, the wise men gave their gifts
directly to Christ. They
worshipped Jesus as a King by presenting Him, not each other, with gifts! It was customary to give gifts to kings
when one came into their presence.
One Bible example is Queen Sheba when she came to see Solomon.
Suppose at your birthday you were ignored and folks
began noisily celebrating one another and exchanging gifts among
themselves! Yet, this is exactly
what the world does today to Jesus.
Matthew 2:11
And when they were come into the
house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and
worshipped him; and when they had opened their treasures, they presented him
gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Does Christmas Honor Christ?
If so then why
is Santa Claus so popular?
Instead of being told about the soon coming of Jesus
Christ, children are led to believe that the kindest, most generous, and most
amazing character in the universe is “Santa Claus.” He allegedly dwells at the North Pole making toys all year
round; then on the eve of Christmas—in just a few hours, transported in his
sleigh by flying reindeer with the famous Rudolph and his red nose leading the
way—he visits countless homes.
Gifts are placed under the tree proclaiming Santa
brought them while people teach their children to reverently sing, “He knows
when you’ve been good or bad… .”
The Santa myth does not honor Christ. What would ever cause the children of
God to assign attributes to Santa Claus that only belong to Jesus Christ?
· He sees
everything…
Zechariah 4:10 For… they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through
the whole earth. (Jesus Christ—not
Santa Claus—knows if we’ve been good or bad.)
· He lives in
the north…
Psalm 48:2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion,
on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
· He flies
through the air…
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds;…
· His gifts are
with him…
Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give
every man according as his work shall be.
· He is the
epitome of good…
Matthew 19:17 …there is none good but one, that is, God.
· He is the
white haired ancient one… Daniel 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient
of Days did sit…, and the hair of his head like the pure wool.
Hear the Conclusion
Proverbs 18:13, “He
that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.”
Far too many people, when approached with the truth,
do not want to take time to consider it.
Their mind is already made up in what they believe, but according to the
Bible it is a noble thing to search the scripture to see if things be so (Acts
17:11).
The articles written in this publication are not
with the intent of being controversial or with the thought of condemning. Yet, those who do not believe and obey
truth are condemned already (John 3:18).
We have one desire—to see everyone liberated into
the fullness of God’s truth (John 8:32).
We ask that without prejudice and with open heart, readers hear the conclusion
of the whole matter. Even if you
do not agree, it is interesting reading.
If you desire, you may request more information; if you disagree, your
comments are welcome.
Be the judge for your own life as every man must
give account for himself. It the
things in this publication are true and the historical facts correct, then the
observance of many modern Christian holidays are no less than relics of
antiquated heathen idol worship.
This is the very thing God not only said He did not want to be
worshipped with (Deuteronomy 12:30-32), but He did not want His people to even
learn (Jeremiah 10:2)
With all the commercialism, covetousness, carnality,
and lewd ungodliness that go along with Christmas, we are not trying to put
Christ back into it; rather, we are declaring that God has never been a part of
it. The scripture plainly asks,
“And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?” The answer is clear, “NONE.”
Not all worship is true worship even when
sincere. True worship is that
which contains both Spirit and Truth (John 4:24). There are four kinds of worship:
1.
Ignorant worship (John 4:22; Acts 17:23)
2. Vain
worship (Mark 7:7)
3. Lip
worship (Mark 7:6)
4. True
worship (John 4:23)
There are those who will say they are not deeply
involved in Christmas, trying to justify their indulgence, yet the Bible says a
little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
The scripture admonishes us to flee from idolatry.
I humbly ask you to prayerfully consider these
things that have been written with burden, conviction, and prayer.
Ecclesiastes
12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, and keep his commandments;
for this is the whole duty of man.
Written by a great man of God!
Elder M. R. Couch
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