Exodus

Exodus 25:10-22
The Ark of the Covenant and the Seat of Mercy

Since Genesis 1:1, we have seen literally thousands of pictures of Christ and His work. The total number is literally astonishing. Surely His words to the leaders of His time about all of Scripture testifying of Him are true!

Today we have 13 verses which are literally filled with pictures of Him. So many so, that some had to be passed over in order to fit the verses into a single sermon. However, when we are done, I’m sure your head will be filled with delight at the absolutely marvelous display of the revealing of Him in each word or thought.

The Ark of the Covenant is probably the most notable aspect of all of Israel’s worship. People who don’t know a single thing about the rest of the Old Testament have still heard of the ark and have an idea of what it is supposed to look like. It is the center of attention in movies, documentaries, books, and so on. We are fascinated by it like no other piece of antiquity.

If it is real, then it means that the story of the Hebrews is true – and so everyone is looking for it. Some have even, untruthfully, claimed to have found it. But there is no need for an ark any longer. Why, because we have the true Ark which this one only pictures. We have Christ Jesus. Today, you will see why we can make the claim that He is the fulfillment of this marvelous piece of furniture where God met with man.

Text Verse: “‘Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days,’ says the Lord, ‘that they will say no more, “The ark of the covenant of the Lord.” It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.'” Jeremiah 3:16

Jeremiah foresaw a time when Israel would no longer direct their attention to an implement made of wood and gold. Instead, they would have their attention directed elsewhere. That time is beginning to occur, even before our eyes. Jewish people are coming to their Messiah in a magnificent way.

And someday, the nation as a whole will acknowledge Him for who He is – the place where God meets with man. Many pictures of this are found in today’s thirteen verses. So let’s get right into them. It’s all to be found in His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Details for the Ark (verses 10-16)

¹⁰ “And they shall make an ark

The word aron, or ark, has only been used one time so far in the Bible, and yet its use actually gives us an early insight into the purpose of the ark which Moses is now going to be instructed to make. In Genesis 50:26, we read this –

“So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.” Genesis 50:26

The aron simply describes a box or chest of some sort. In the case of a coffin, it is a type of chest with a specific purpose. The ark which will now be described is also a type of chest and it will have quite a few purposes, all of which picture Jesus Christ. Every detail about this marvelous piece of furniture looks forward to Him.

It has to be noted now that in these directions for the construction of the sanctuary and the implements in it, the ark is the first piece of furniture to be named and described for construction. And yet, we will find out later that its actual construction is detailed after the detailing of the construction of the tabernacle. This is seen in Exodus 36 and 37.

It is right and appropriate that the housing of the ark would be constructed and ready for the ark itself. However, everything about the tabernacle is centered on this ark and therefore, it is also right that the details for its construction should come first.

It should be noted here and now that what is being constructed is very similar to arks that have been found in ancient Egypt and elsewhere. For this reason, the Pulpit Commentary says –

“Arks were an ordinary part of the religious furniture of temples in Egypt, and were greatly venerated. They usually contained a figure or emblem, of some deity. Occasionally they were in the shape of boats; but the most ordinary form was that of a cupboard or chest. They were especially constructed for the purpose of being carried about in a procession, and had commonly rings at the side, through which poles were passed on such occasions. It must be freely admitted, that the general idea of the “Ark,” as well as certain points in its ornamentation, was adopted from the Egyptian religion.” Pulpit Commentary

Other scholars agree with this, but I think it is incorrect. What is being described is, according to the book of Hebrews, a “copy and shadow of the heavenly things.” Therefore, the similarity between the artifacts of other cultures should be attributed to their attempt to copy the true heavenly things, not the other way around.

^{10 (con’t)} of acacia wood;

This is the wood which was requested for the construction of the tabernacle and all its furniture in Exodus 25:5, and so this is the second time that shittah, or acacia wood, is named in the Bible. As I said last week, acacia is a very slow growing tree that would be readily available in the area where they are. Its heart wood is dark reddish-brown and is beautiful when sanded and polished.

It is like cypress in Florida which is resistant to decay because it deposits in its heartwood waste substances which turn into preservatives. This renders it unpalatable to insects. It is also dense and difficult to be penetrated by water and other decaying agents. It is considered an incorruptible wood, thus picturing the incorruptible nature of Christ’s humanity.

^{10 (con’t)} two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.

A cubit, or ammah, is a unit of measurement which is the length of the forearm below the elbow. It comes from em which means “mother” and thus it is the mother measurement. It is debated what the exact length of a cubit is, but it is about 16 inches.

The only other time that such precise measurements were given in Scripture so far was in the construction of Noah’s Ark in Genesis 6. The same words are used – length, width, and height. The dimensions of the ark mean that it will be 5.625 cubits in space.

The actual dimension in feet is debated, but scholars go from about 3′ 9″ long to 4′ 5″ long. Assuming the smaller measurement, it would be 3′ 9″ x 2′ 3″ x 2′ 3″. It is not an especially large box. Rather, it is humble in its size.

¹¹ And you shall overlay it

Moses is next instructed to “overlay” the ark. The word “overlay” is introduced into the Bible here. It is tsaphah – it will be used 48 times, the majority of them are in Exodus when detailing the construction of the tabernacle, or in Kings and Chronicles when detailing the construction of the temple.

This word means exactly as it is translated, to lay out or to “overlay.” Importantly, it is identical to another word, tsaphah, which means “to look out or about, spy, keep watch.” That was first used in Genesis 31:45-49 during this exchange –

“So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. ⁴⁶ Then Jacob said to his brethren, ‘Gather stones.’ And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap. ⁴⁷ Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. ⁴⁸ And Laban said, ‘This heap is a witness between you and me this day.’ Therefore its name was called Galeed, ⁴⁹ also Mizpah, because he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another.” Genesis 31:45-49

If you remember the details of that sermon, the heap that was constructed, and all of the surrounding details, pictured the formation of the Bible, the Word of God.

^{11 (con’t)} with pure gold,

The overlaying of the ark is to be with gold. As seen last week, zahav or gold is the finest of the biblical metals. It indicates purity and holiness, royalty, and divinity. It is one of the few metals that has a natural color which is not silver. Thus it is both a metal and a color, and not surprisingly, both are associated with kingship.

It is precious because of its rarity, and it is valuable. Throughout history it has been used as a basis for monetary systems, and it is the standard by which the value of other things is set. It is also considered an incorruptible metal.

But the gold to be used has an adjective to describe it, tahor, or “pure.” It means clean or pure and comes from the verb taher which means pure in a physical, chemical, ceremonial, or moral sense. In this we can see that the gold is to be wholly undefiled.

^{11 (con’t)} inside and out you shall overlay it,

The gold was not only to overlay the outside, but the inside as well. What was incorruptible in wood was to be completely covered in a layer of what is incorruptible in gold.

^{11 (con’t)} and shall make on it a molding of gold all around.

The molding or zer, is introduced into the Bible here. It will be used just 10 times and only in Exodus. It is a molding which spreads around the top as if a crown. It is comparable to an Aramaic word which means a wreath or a crown. This may have been used to keep the mercy seat in place.

¹² You shall cast four rings of gold for it,

Moses is next instructed to “cast four rings of gold.” The word for “ring” is tabbaath and it will take a moment to explain. The word means ring, but it comes from another word, taba. That is a verb which means “to sink.” This then gives the idea of a signet which is sunk into clay or wax in order to make a seal. From this comes the idea of any ring. This is seen in the first use of it in the Bible back Genesis 41-

“Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.” Genesis 41:42

^{12 (con’t)} and put them in its four corners;

Some versions say “four corners” and some “four feet.” The word is pa’amoth and it means times, or occurrences. Literally, it is “to strike.” One will strike an anvil. One’s foot strikes the ground as he walks, etc. This is why some translators choose the word “feet.”

If you look at different pictures of the ark, you will see some with the carrying poles along the sides anywhere from the bottom to the top at the molding. Others put the poles right at the feet so that the entire ark is elevated above the carriers. I would favor the idea of “feet.” This would keep the ark wholly elevated above the priests who carried it and it would keep them from having any part of their body touch it as they did so.

^{12 (con’t)} two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side.

The obvious question is “which sides? Almost all drawings show the poles along the long side of the ark, not the short side. However, that raises a problem which we will see in a moment…

¹³ And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.

The word for “poles” is bad. It means “alone.” It indicates a single piece of wood which stands alone. These were also to be made of shittah, or acacia wood, and they too were to be overlaid with gold.

¹⁴ You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them.

The poles were to be placed into the rings in order for it to be carried. This then brings in the problem of “which side” the rings were on. Was the ark carried like a funeral bier or what is carried like a throne? If the poles were in the long sides, then it would be as if carrying a funeral bier; if in the short sides, then like a throne. The reason why this becomes complicated is because we read this in 1 Kings 8 –

“Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. ⁷ For the cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. ⁸ The poles extended so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside.” 1 Kings 8:6-8

It is without a doubt that the ark rested length-wise in the temple with the cherubim on the ark on each side, to the left and right as one walked in. Thus the poles were along side the short side of the ark. The poles were extended, but not removed, from the ark so that they could be visible in the holy place. It was a symbol that the ark had reached its place of rest.

From this, we can know that unlike the pictures we commonly see, the ark was carried by the priests as a throne. The ark would face forward with the cherubim on each side as it was carried.

¹⁵ The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.

From even before its construction, the law was given that the poles should never be removed from the ark. They were to be as permanent as any other part of it. This was to ensure that the ark would never be touched. Should someone presume to do so, there would be an immediate penalty. 2 Samuel 6 shows us –

“And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. ⁷ Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. ⁸ And David became angry because of the Lord’s outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this day.” 2 Samuel 6:6-8

¹⁶ And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.

Once the ark was completed, the Lord directs that the Testimony, meaning the two tablets of stone which are the basis of the law, were to be put inside of the ark itself. As the basis of the law, they represented the entirety of the law. And what is the purpose of the law? It is explained in Deuteronomy 31 –

“Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you; Deuteronomy 31:26

The law was a witness against the sin and rebellion of the people. The substance of that law, based on the Ten Commandments, was contained within the ark itself.

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty
And glorious is the Lord in His place
To stand in His presence, a glorious sight to see
And to gaze upon the beauty of His face

But fallen man cannot so upon Him look
Lest we die from the stain of sin we bear
The words which testify against us are written in His book
In the law, only condemnation is found there

But at the throne of Christ, there is mercy and grace
At the place where God and man do meet
Once again through Christ, we can look upon God’s face
And for eternal ages, enjoy fellowship so sweet

Glory, glory, glory to the Lord, Christ Jesus
Who has made the way back to God for us

II. There I will Meet with You (verses 17-22)

¹⁷ “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold;

As important as the ark and what it pictures is to the theology of the Bible, the mercy seat is no less so. This mercy seat is known as the kapporeth. This word is introduced into the Bible here, it is used 27 times, and only when speaking of this mercy seat.

It is identical in meaning to kopher, which means “a cover” but in this case it indicates “a satisfaction.” This comes from the word kaphar, which in this situation means “to appease” or “to satisfy.” The theological implications of what this mercy seat, and its use, pictures are of the highest importance for fallen man.

This seat was to be made of pure gold, indicating no defilement. It was to be unstained in any way. John Lange describes its purpose –

“…the mercy-seat (kapporeth), as a symbol of God’s gracious willingness to accept expiation as such a fulfilment of His general will as covers and removes the demands imposed by the law, or the special will, on account of guilt.” John Lange

In 1 Chronicles 28, the Holy of Holies, where the ark and its mercy seat were contained, was called bayith ha’kapporeth, or “house of the mercy seat,” or “house of the expiation.” It is the place where sins were dealt with once a year on the Day of Atonement. As a squiggle for your brain, which you will need before we finish today, the Greek translation of the OT translates this word, kapporeth, as hilastérion.

^{17 (con’t)} two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width.

The mercy seat was to be made to the exact size of the top opening of the ark itself, thus it served as a lid to the ark while serving as the place of expiation for the sins of the people at the same time. The tablets inside were thus embodied within the ark.

¹⁸ And you shall make two cherubim of gold;

What a cherub looks like is debated over. Ezekiel gives a vivid description of them in his book. Among other things, he says –

“Each one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.” Ezekiel 10:14

Whether these cherubim above the ark looked like those in Ezekiel or not cannot be known for certain. From the Bible, we can deduce that cherubim were a special class of being. The first time they were mentioned was in Genesis 3 –

“So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24

They are a select class of angels which, among other things, are near to God, they have great power, and they act as guards. As they are guards of the tree of life, they are the ones who can point man to the way of accessing the right to that tree. Two of them are to be depicted on the mercy seat.

As a note of rectification, the KJV incorrectly uses the term “cherubims.” The “im” at the end of the word makes the word plural in Hebrew. Therefore, the plural is either “cherubs” for English or “cherubim” for Hebrew. “Cherubims” is incorrect.

^{18 (con’t)} of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.

The term “hammered work” or miqshah is used for the first of ten times, and its meaning is disputed. It comes from miqsheh which means “a fancy hairdo.” So, it could be a turning of metal, like the braids of hair, or it could be a hammering of metal for shaping.

The word “ends” is another new word – qatsah. It means “the extremity.” Here, the Hebrew reads “from the two ends,” and thus the term “hammered work” is probably correct. The cherubim are made to rise out of the mercy seat itself. The central thought of these cherubim is that they were there, beholding the mercy seat, and thus the ark, because their form comes out of the mercy seat itself. In other words, the two are inextricably linked together.

¹⁹ Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat.

The verse is explicit and well translated. One cherub was to be at one end, and the other at the other end. And each was to come from out of the mercy seat. They were not to be made separately and then soldered on (see Cambridge), but instead they were to be fashioned out of the same piece of gold that the mercy seat was made of. John Lange provides a thought on the symbolism –

“…the two cherubim as symbols of God’s righteous dominion in the world, proceeding out of God’s gracious will and the law, in order to the maintenance of the justice which is represented by the union of the ark and the cover [the mercy-seat].” John Lange

²⁰ And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings,

The word for “wings” here is kanaph. It means “an extremity.” It can be wings on a bird, the edges of a garment, the corners of the earth, etc. If these cherubim resembled men as some speculate, then the “wings” could be their garments spread out over the mercy seat. This would do no harm to the idea of “wings.” Or they could be literal wings as angelic figures are often represented as having.

^{20 (con’t)} and they shall face one another;

This means that they will positionally face each other. One cherub is facing the other on the opposite side. The word for “another” here is akh, which means “brother.” Thus in the larger sense it indicates “one like another.” One is facing the other of its kind.

^{20 (con’t)} the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.

Although the cherubim are positionally facing, their attention is directed not towards each other, but towards the mercy seat. It is true that they could see the reflection of one another in the gold, but the attention would be focused on the place itself. Everything else would merely be a reflection of what took place there.

²¹ You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you.

Although it hasn’t been said yet that the mercy seat would be placed atop the ark, it could be inferred by the dimensions of it which matched the dimension of the ark. Now what seemed implicit is made explicit. The mercy seat is the top of the ark and the covering for what is inside. And what is in there is repeated from verse 16 – the Testimony that I will give you.

What is implied is that what is under the mercy seat and within the Ark requires mercy. Were it not so, a mercy seat would not be needed. What seems cumbersome in this verse is that the lid is said to be put on the ark before the testimony is placed into it. This isn’t the case. The word “and” can be used to mean “after.” Therefore, it would say, “…after you have put in the Testimony.”

Again, the tablets are called the “Testimony” for a reason. They are a testimony to the people concerning their duty, and they were a testimony against them when they violated its standards. However, because they were inside the ark, they were sealed there, within the ark and under the mercy seat.

²² And there I will meet with you,

The word “meet” here is yaad. It doesn’t just mean to meet, but rather “to appoint” or “to designate.” In other words, this is the designated spot of meeting. It isn’t a random meeting place as if it could be there or somewhere else. Nor was it a random time of meeting, as if He may be in or He may not be in. Rather, it is the designated place of meeting. And the word “you” here is singular. It is a personal meeting place with the one who was allowed to come into it. It is not a general meeting place where anyone can come and meet with the Lord.

^{22 (con’t)} and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat,

If the cherubim are on each side, and their wings cover the mercy seat from above, then it must be that where the cherubim are looking is the spot where the Presence would be, not above them as if He sat atop them. If that were so, then it would have said that. Rather, it is between the cherubim and below their wings; above the mercy seat. The word for “speak” is the general word for speaking. It is therefore, from this spot that His word would go out.

^{22 (con’t)} from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony,

The cherubim would be on the right and on the left of Moses, or the designated High Priest. From the center of the mercy seat, between the cherubim is where the word would issue from. But it also notes “which are on the ark of the Testimony.” The mercy seat, and thus the cherubim, are on the ark itself.

*^22 (fin) about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

The ark is the focal point of Israel’s relationship with the Lord and the mercy seat above it would be the place where the commandments would issue forth from. Again as before, what is implied is that mercy is needed concerning the commandments of God. From that, it is implied that the commandments will, in fact, be broken.

One doesn’t need mercy if they are in compliance with the law. Mercy is not getting what you do deserve. Therefore, it is from this spot that propitiation of the people’s sins would come and mercy would be granted.

Into His presence I came, the Ruler of all
I came boldly because the mercy seat was there
On the name of Jesus, I did call
And covered by His blood, with God, fellowship I could share

I was going astray, and was as lost as I could be
Yes, one of the world’s many lost children
But in a mere moment, mercy found me
I was cleansed and purified right there and then

It was at the spot where my Lord did die
And where His blood soaked into the ground
There at the place of mercy, for Him I did cry
And there at that place… mercy was found

III. Wonderful Pictures

You’ve already been given all of the information you need to know for what the things we have seen picture. Let’s just think of Jesus – His Person and His work – and it will all fall into place. The shittim wood is the base material for the ark. Its heart wood is dark reddish-brown and is beautiful when sanded and polished.

This pictures Christ’s humanity. He, a Son of Adam from the Middle East would bear the same general color as the wood. Shittim is an incorruptible wood, thus picturing His incorruptible nature. Though a Man, He never sinned.

The ark was not of a very large size. In fact, it was humble in that regard. Rather than being some giant, ostentatious thing that people would flock to, it was rather lowly. This pictures Christ in His humbled and lowly human state. He didn’t come as a larger than life figure, but rather He came to a poor family and led a rather small existence by the world’s standards.

The ark was overlaid with gold, the most precious of the biblical metals. This represents His deity which overlays the wood, or His humanity – He being the God/Man. The word for “overlay” was tsaphah, which as I noted is identical to another word which means “to look out or about, spy, or keep watch.”

Thus His divine nature is what watches over His subjects, keeping an eye on them. The gold therefore not only pictures His divine nature, but it is also a picture of His royal, kingly status. One who has subjects is the ruler of those subjects. And finally, the gold is the standard by which the value of all other things is set. Therefore, He is the standard by which all others are compared to.

The gold of the ark is described by the adjective tahor, or pure. This comes from the verb taher which means pure “in a physical, chemical, ceremonial, or moral sense.” In this we can see that the gold is completely undefiled in any way, thus it pictures Christ’s perfect purity in all ways – physical, moral, etc.

The ark was covered inside and out with gold. This pictures his complete incorruptible human/divine nature. He is simultaneously fully Man and fully God. And He is completely incorruptible in both respects.

The molding of the ark is a continued picture of His kingly status. Though the word zer is never used in the Bible to indicate a king’s crown, in picture this is exactly what is seen. This crown was at the top of the ark, which pictures His body, and it is the place where the mercy seat would rest. Thus, it is a picture of the merciful king.

Next we saw the four rings. The number four in the Bible always speaks of the physical creation. The four corners of the earth are represented by the four rings. The four-fold division of mankind – the families, tongues, countries, and nations are represented by these four rings, and thus the four rings are represented by the message of the four gospels going out to all people and all places.

The ring is the symbol of authority, as a signet. Just as a signet sinks into wax as a sign of authority and as a testimony of the king’s rule, the four gospels sink into the hearts of man and are a testimony and authority of the rule of Christ the King.

These rings are attached to the four paam or “feet” of the ark. The word used indicates a strike as if the steps of a foot. These four feet then are the gospels themselves. They are the written record of the work of Christ from which the message of Him is derived. These gospels represent Christ the King, the Servant, the Son of Man, and the Son of God as depicted in those four gospels.

The poles of the ark, or bad, are that on which the ark rests as they carry the ark. The number two in the Bible indicates that there is a difference in things – they contrast, and yet they confirm. There is day and there is night. They contrast, and yet they confirm the duration of a day. There is salvation and there is condemnation. They contrast, and yet they confirm the end for all men.

The word bad means “alone.” There are two poles which together support the one ark. The ark pictures Christ and thus they are the two testaments which present the work of Christ. They are what makes Christ mobile to the world as their word carries Him, each contrasting – the law and grace, but each supporting the whole and confirming the message of Him.

And each is made of the same materials, shittim wood and gold. Together, they proclaim the dual nature of the coming Messiah, and of the Messiah who has come – He is the God/Man. As the four gospels are the transition from Old to New, it is the four rings, attached to the four feet, to which the two testaments are affixed. They are the tabbaath, or seal, of His rule.

As Christ is the King, the carrying of the ark on the poles pictures the palanquin which a king would have been carried around in. He is the King depicted in the four gospels which are tied to the two testaments of the Bible.

The Bible is explicit that the poles were not to be removed from the Ark. Should either or both testaments of the Bible be removed, we would not have a proper presentation of who Christ is. Without one or the other, we would have a faulty view of Him, and without either, we would have no knowledge of Him at all.

This is why Paul says in 2 Timothy, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” During a Bible study some weeks ago, our precious Mabel asked what the poles represent. This is the answer.

After the description of the ark, came that of the mercy seat. It was to be of pure gold. Again, it pictures Christ’s deity, His kingship, purity, and moral perfection. It was to be the same size as the ark because it was to be that which encloses it.

The mercy seat is the spot where the blood was to be applied and it is the spot where God would meet with man. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the mercy seat is called the hilastérion. The word means, “A sin offering.” It is that by which the wrath of God would be appeased, and thus it is a propitiation. And this is exactly how Isaiah describes the coming Christ –

“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,” Isaiah 53:10

Paul picked up on this in the New Testament and uses the same word, hilastérion, to describe the finished work of Christ –

“For there is no difference; ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, ²⁶ to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:22-26

As the mercy seat sat on the crown molding, the propitiation for the sins of the people at the cross of Calvary is considered to be the crowning achievement of the work of Christ.

The cherubim were first seen in Genesis 3:24 as the ones who guarded access to the tree of life. To guard something means that access is available. If it weren’t, then there would be no need for guards. Cherubim then had the means of access.

And though these two are not guards, they show that the way to the tree of life is realized in the propitiation of Christ’s death as a sin-offering. They are united with the mercy seat, being worked out of the same piece of solid gold. As there are two of them, then it implies that even though they come from the same metal, they differ. Two implies a difference. And yet, they confirm that they are one, having come from the same metal.

What the meaning of these cherubim are is debated. There are three prevalent views: 1) They represent actual angels as those guarding the tree of life. 2) They are symbolic representations of the Godhead. 3) They represent all of redeemed humanity.

Their positioning shows us what they represent. They are of the same gold as the mercy seat, thus they bear the same nature. However, there are two of them and they are facing one another bodily and yet looking down at the place of mercy. They thus represent the redeemed of all humanity, Jew and Gentile alike.

They come from the same metal and so they are one, and yet they are separately fashioned and so they are two. They contrast and yet they confirm the redeemed of man. This is why the term tahor, or “pure,” was used. This adjective wasn’t used to describe either the gold of the rings or of the poles. Why? Because the gospels and the written testimonies have been handled by man. They have our taint in them, even if they are the inspired word of God. In the ark and mercy is a picture that we have become like Christ, pure and undefiled because of His work.

Many verses in the New Testament confirm that we will be like Christ and that we will be one, even though two. In one example of our new, Christ-like nature, Paul gives us these words –

“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Romans 6:5, 6

In support of the fact that we are one in Christ and yet still two in distinction, Paul writes this to us in Galatians 3 –

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

We remain Jew and Gentile, and male and female, and yet we are one in Christ. The meaning of the cherubim looking towards the mercy seat then becomes obvious. All of the redeemed of humanity have but one place to look for mercy from God – to the finished work of Christ.

It is a marvelous set of pictures we have been given, but there is more. Twice it notes that the Testimony was to be placed in the ark. The ark then isn’t just a picture of Christ, but it is also a picture of Christ’s death. Despite being incorruptible and fully God, He still died, pictured by the ark itself.

Inside it was the tablets which represent the entire law. Those, being inside the ark, picture Christ embodying the law. He is the fulfillment and embodiment of it. However, without His death, the law could not be considered fulfilled.

In His death, the law was fulfilled and thus nullified. He is the end of the law. And in His death a new covenant came into place, seen in the mercy seat. Both the fulfilling of the law for us, and the granting of mercy from the law, come through His death. He is the place where propitiation with God is restored. John tell us it is so –

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (hilasmos) for our sins.” 1 John 4:10

It is Christ who fully answers each demand of the law; it is Christ who covers over our sins with His own shed blood; and it is Christ who has come between us and the curse of the law. Again, Paul shows us this truth in Galatians 3:13 –

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’).”

The testimony is sealed in the ark; the law is completed in the work of Christ. The blood covers the transgressions of the law in both – one in picture; one in Person. Christ’s blood has taken away the curse of the law from us, covering it for all time.

As a pictorial lesson for those who are looking to see if Jesus really is the One to come and fulfill these things, John shares with us a marvelous account which occurred just after the resurrection. It is so innocuous that most of us just read over it and never realize what he is trying to tell us –

But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. ¹² And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. ¹³ Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
¹⁴ Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” John 20:11-17

Mary looked into the tomb. And what did she see? “…two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.” A picture was being made of the true mercy seat where the blood of Christ left His body and sprinkled the earth below Him.

The two angels were there, fulfilling the picture of the ark which was given to Moses 1500 years earlier. These two angels, or “messengers” as the word implies, are Enoch and Elijah – one Gentile, one Jew who represent the redeemed of the ages. They were taken to attend to the Lord and His ministry as is seen in both testaments of the Bible.

It is in Christ where we are designated or appointed to meet with God. Christ is no random meeting place as if He could be there or somewhere else. Nor in Christ is there some random time of meeting, as if He may be in or He may not be in. Rather, He is the designated place of meeting.

In Him, God is always there, in both time and in place. If you are in Christ, you have personal access to the throne of grace, because in Christ you have been granted the mercy to again enter into God’s presence.

If you wonder why the cherubim had their “wings” raised, it is a picture of the redeemed, gazing at the sight of Christ’s work and raising their arms high in victory. In our white garments of purity it will be ten thousand times ten thousand wings as we hail the matchless King of Glory and shout “Hallelujah! Christ has prevailed!” If you have never called on Christ as Your Savior, why not! Do it today.

Closing Verse: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² And He Himself is the propitiation (hilasmos) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” 1 John 2:1, 2

Next Week: Revelation 21:5 It’s a lot nicer than the land of Sweden (Return to Eden) (Resurrection Day 2016)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

A Place Where Mercy is Found

And they shall make an ark of acacia wood
Two and a half cubits its length shall be
A cubit and a half its width, this is understood
And a cubit and a half its height, you see

And you shall overlay it with pure gold
Inside and out you shall it overlay
And shall make on it a molding of gold all around
So shall it be done, I do say

You shall cast for it four rings of gold
And in its four corners shall they be applied
Two rings shall be on one side, as I have told
And two rings on the other side

And you shall make poles of acacia wood
And overlay them with gold, let it be understood

You shall put the poles
Into the rings of the ark on each side
That the ark may be carried by them
In this you shall certainly abide

The poles shall be in the rings of the ark
They shall not be taken from it, it is true
And you shall put into the ark
The Testimony which I will give you

You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold
Two and a half cubits shall its length be
And a cubit and a half its width
Such are its dimensions you see

And you shall make two cherubim of gold
Of hammered work them you shall make
At the two ends of the mercy seat
Not a single detail shall you forsake

Make one cherub at one end
And the other cherub at the other end, to make it complete
You shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it
Of one piece with the mercy seat

And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above
Covering the mercy seat with their wings, you see
And they shall face one another
The faces of the cherubim toward the mercy seat shall be

You shall put the mercy seat
On top of the ark, this you shall do
And in the ark you shall put the Testimony
That I will give you

And there I will meet with you
And I will speak with you
From above the mercy seat, so I will do
From between the cherubim two

Which are on the ark of the Testimony
About everything which I will give you
In commandment to the children of Israel
All the things they are to do

O God, how marvelous are You in all ways
For giving the true Ark of the testimony to us
And so forever, yes even through eternal days
We can fellowship with You, through our Lord Jesus

All of these pictures from Israel’s past
Have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ our Lord
And through Him and His work we are reconciled at last
Yes, through Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word

Praises, yes praises we shall eternally sing to You, O God
And forever in Your marvelous light, golden streets we shall trod

Hallelujah and Amen…

Exodus 25:1-9
Preparations for the Tabernacle

The day I typed this sermon was the day after the tornado on Siesta Key, which was a Sunday. That Sunday I got home and nothing went right with the video work. It didn’t all get done until about 12:30 that night.

Monday morning I was tired and I was frustrated. So much so, that when I was at my morning job cleaning the mall, I could hardly get the mental strength to talk to the Lord about the upcoming sermon. I mumbled my prayer for guidance and help to get through it, and I think I may have mumbled a prayer for a car to run me over and save me from any more life.

When I got home, I thought, “How am I ever going to get through these nine verses with a sermon?” I figured there would be a lot of filler and not much detail. However, despite being hugely tired and saying out loud to the Lord, “I don’t think I can do this today” I began studying.

Where I had begged for relief from the task, I began to beg for relief from any distractions. Every word and every detail pointed to Christ and all I could wish for was more… give me more of You, O Lord. Thanking the Lord for once again surprising me with an overwhelming abundance of detail!

Text Verse: “Let us go into His tabernacle;
Let us worship at His footstool.” Psalm 132:7

Nine short verses that simply won’t wait another moment to be looked into. Let’s skip the fluff and dive right into them. Christ is there… It’s all to be found in His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. A Willingly Made Offering (verse 1-7)

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

v’dabber Yehovah el Moshe l’mor – “And spoke Yehovah to Moses saying.” The first verse of the chapter is offset as an anticipatory statement. Normally when it says something like, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying…” the same verse will contain at least a portion of what the Lord said. This however is not the case here. Instead, the words are given by themselves.

In this, it makes the chapter a verse longer than it would have otherwise been, and thus the book of Exodus is a verse longer, and so the Bible as a whole is also. Because the obvious patterns which run through Scripture based on the verse divisions, it is always interesting to highlight the offset verses.

In the case of this one, it is the only one to be found in the entire chapter. But even more, it is the main introduction for everything from now until Exodus 30:10. Everything that is recorded between those two verses is one running commentary of instruction from the Lord to Moses.

The record of the Bible is that no break at all is found in the instruction during that period. This then is 197 verses of detailed instructions which Moses was given at one time in order to show us Christ. It is an amazing amount of information, but because it was all given at one time, we will also evaluate it all at one time.

This means that this sermon will last for the next 37 hours without a break. I hope you ate breakfast… Seriously though, these verses through Exodus 30:10, are laid out precisely and with intent. As an overall brushstroke of what lies ahead there, these are the major sections of instructions which are given –

The Offerings of the People for the Tabernacle
The Details for the Construction and Care of the Tabernacle
The Ark of the Testimony and the Mercy SeatThe Table for the Showbread
The Gold Lampstand (meaning the Menorah)
The Tabernacle (the Dwelling place) and the Tent
The Altar of Burnt Offering
The Court of the Tabernacle
The Care of the Lampstand
Garments for the Priesthood
— The Ephod
— The Breastplate
— Other Priestly Garments
The Consecration of Aaron and His Sons
The Daily Offerings
The Altar of Incense

As verse 1 notes, it is the Lord who gives all of the instructions for this dwelling place and all of its associated care. The Book of the Covenant with its main civil, political, and social laws were imparted to Moses who then presented them to Israel. These laws were both moral and judicial in nature. They agreed to them and this was confirmed in the cutting of the covenant and the partaking of the covenant meal.

However, to this point no form of worship, or specified conduct for the necessary religious rites, has been given with the exception of the instructions for the earthen altar. This section begins that process. This will be the ceremonial aspect of the law.

In order to ensure that the people would remember and follow the Lord who had become their God, and to ensure that they would fix their eyes, heart, and attention on Him alone, the instructions that follow are necessary.

They will have a priest to minister, they will have the implements of that priesthood for him to properly do so, and they will have a place where he could effectively conduct the rituals. It should be noted that the design and materials for this ritual worship are all going to be instructed by God, specifically and precisely.

The reason for this is that if it were left to the people to construct the tabernacle and to design all of the associated implements, it wouldn’t properly reflect who He is. The design would be arbitrary and without any real connection to the holiness of the Lord.

Looking at the countless religions of the world, and the often tragic ways in which they worship their gods, it is not surprising that the Lord will give such minute detail for worshipping Him. And this is so important to proper worship that these instructions will be given first in chapters 25-31 as a divine command from the Lord.

Then they will be repeated after they are accomplished to show complete adherence to what was mandated. This will be a historical record of the fulfillment of the command and will comprise most of chapters 35-40.

In New Testament Christianity, there is no such specificity given for the worship of the Lord. There are big churches and little ones. There are ten thousand styles of them, and they meet at whatever time is acceptable to the congregation. The New Testament believer is to worship in Spirit and in truth with very little to instruct us in how to conduct ourselves during the times of worship with the noted exception that our conduct is to be centered on the study, explanation, and application of the Word of God.

Unlike us, however, the minute and precise instructions for tabernacle construction will be given beginning first with the making of the Ark of the Covenant. This is the place where the Lord will manifest Himself to the High Priest. The final instructions in chapter 30 will deal with the altar of incense.

This altar of incense was to stand immediately in front of the Ark. Therefore, the layout of the next 6 chapters is specific and purposeful. As Keil and Delitzsch note –

“The dwelling was erected round Jehovah’s seat, and round this the court. The priests first of all presented the sacrifices upon the altar of burnt-offering, and then proceeded into the holy place and drew near to Jehovah. The highest act in the daily service of the priests was evidently this standing before Jehovah at the altar of incense, which was only separated by the curtain from the most holy place.” Keil and Delitzsch

In Exodus 17, while at Massah and Meribah, the people contended with Moses and tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” The tabernacle would be a permanent reminder to them that He was, in fact, among them.

And even more, because they were in the wilderness and dwelling in tents, this royal and kingly edifice would likewise be a tent. When they broke down and moved, He would also move with them. This would continue all the way through the time of the judges, and even until the time when Solomon would build a permanent edifice to the Lord.

In the same way, Jesus came and pitched His tent among us. He dwelt as we dwell, He moved as we move, and His tent was not unlike our own. Israel was given instructions for the place where the Lord would dwell and it would only be a reflection of the more perfect tabernacle not made with hands.

Everything about what they would construct was given to testify to the people of Israel that the Lord had made His abode among them. Each aspect of it, from the materials used and the form of construction, to the rituals associated with them, picture the work of the Lord Jesus. In other words, everything that lies ahead testifies to the coming Messiah – the Incarnate Word of God.

This even includes the seemingly unrelated aspect of obtaining the materials for the construction. Though it is true that materials need to be collected in order to build the tabernacle, the fact that they are collected, and from where they have come, are in themselves pictures of Christ.

² “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering.

With Moses having ascended to the Lord, the first words recorded here are not “Welcome Moses. Sit down and let’s talk.” Rather they immediately begin with a command to him, “Speak to the children of Israel.” Whatever may have been said prior to this is not the concern of the account.

There are no superfluities recorded here, only precision and determined purpose. And what he is to speak to them concerns an offering. The word is terumah. This is its first of seventy-six uses in the Bible.

It is mostly found in Exodus, Numbers, and Ezekiel, but also in quite a few other books of the Old Testament. It means “a present” (as offered up), especially in sacrifice or as tribute. A terumah can be voluntary or it can be prescribed, but either way it is something that is presented upwards.

It comes from the word rum which means to be high, or exalted. Thus one can see the idea of something being offered up, like and oblation. In the case of this offering, the Lord is requiring it from the people for the purpose of building Him a tent.

From the external appearance of it, it will seem rather mundane. And yet, the interior will be grand, beautiful, and pure. The parallel to Israel should have then been evident. They were a group of people, like any other. And yet, they were to be a grand people, beautiful to God, and pure in their lives and conduct.

As the abode of their King was, so were they to be. And so, the offering is requested of them in the same manner as the offerings of any subjects appearing before their king would be made. They were to bring from their own stores that which would be lifted up as a special gift for this precious dwelling.

And yet, there was nothing compulsory about this particular offering. Unlike a large percentage of the other offerings which will be noted in Scripture, this one was to be wholly voluntary…

^2 (con’t) From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.

The Hebrew here reads kal ish asher yidevenu libbow, literally “…of every man whose heart impels him.” This is the first of eighteen times that the word nadav will be used. It means to incite or to impel. It is the kind of willingness that would impel a person to volunteer as a soldier after their country was attacked.

It would also be the type of offering someone would make when a great need arose in a community or a church. They would see the need and their heart would impel them forward to meet the need. This is exactly what the Lord is looking for.

It is the same sentiment that Paul uses in the New Testament concerning one’s giving in church for any reason. In his second letter to the Corinthians, he gives one of only two specific verses concerning giving in our dispensation of grace. There he wrote –

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7

There was to be nothing forced upon the people for this most sacred of habitations. Rather, the bestowal of the offerings was solely up to how their heart urged them on. On the giving of the gifts and in the use of them after they have been given, Matthew Henry writes the following –

“The best use we can make of our worldly wealth, is to honour God with it in works of piety and charity. We should ask, not only, What must we do? but, What may we do for God? … What is laid out in the service of God, we must reckon well bestowed; and whatsoever is done in God’s service, must be done by his direction.” Matthew Henry

³ And this is the offering which you shall take from them:

For the third time in just 2 verses, the word terumah, or “offering” is used. The things that are to be presented are an offering or an oblation to the Lord. They are to be willingly given, not demanded, and they are to come from the people.

All things are from the Lord and He could have demanded these things as a compulsory tax, but this was not how it was to be. There will be taxes and other compulsory gifts, but these were to be solely from the heart. And the list begins with three metals.

It is not at all unlikely that there would have been an immense amount of each of these at hand. First, the sheer number of the people meant that if every family had only a little of each metal, it would still add up to an immense amount. These metals would have been accumulated over the centuries, plundered from the Egyptians when they left, and even plundered from the Amelekites during that battle. The named metals are…

^3 (con’t) gold,

zahav – Gold is the finest of the biblical metals. In the Bible it spiritually indicates purity and holiness, royalty, and divinity. It is one of two metals that have a natural color which is not silver. Thus it is both a metal and a color, and not surprisingly, both are associated with kingship.

It is precious because of its rarity, and it is valuable. Throughout history it has been used as a basis for monetary systems, and it is the standard by which the value of other things is set. It is also considered an incorruptible metal.

^3 (con’t) silver,

v’keseph – “and silver.” Silver is another precious metal which is associated in particular with a major subject of the Bible – redemption. Kespeh comes from another word kasaph which means to “be eager” or to “long for.” Thus we have a hidden pun from Paul’s hand concerning redemption and our longing for it –

“Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”  Romans 8:23

The root from this state of eagerness means “to become pale.” Thus the color of silver, which is pale, finds its source. Our redemption is something we eagerly await, and in so waiting our countenance is pale, waiting to be filled with the resplendent glory of the Lord.

Throughout history, silver has been used as one of the major mediums of monetary exchange. This is especially evident in biblical history where it is almost synonymous with money. This is so much so that translators quite often translate the word keseph as “money” rather than as “silver.” And in a large portion of these instances, the silver or keseph, is noted in the purchase, or redemption, of people, materials, or objects.

^3 (con’t) and bronze;

u-nekhosheth – “and bronze.” The metal here is called bronze, but it refers to copper and its alloys. For example, in Deuteronomy 8:9 using this same word and speaking of the land of Canaan, it says “…a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper.”

However, the KJV incorrectly translated that verse as “brass” instead of “copper.” Brass is an alloy and is not dug out of the ground, and it was too early in history for brass to have been a part of the metal making process. Rather, copper is dug from the ground in an impure state and then it is refined to become pure copper, or it is mixed with other elements to become an alloy.

The metals, whether copper, bronze, or brass, get their color from the copper which is the other rare metal that possesses a natural color which is not silver. The nekhosheth, or bronze hasn’t been seen since Genesis 4:22, but it will become a common word from this point on. It mainly symbolizes judgment, but also endurance. Like the other two metals, the symbolism for this will be seen throughout the Bible and in both testaments.

This judgment can be negative, such as in the case of bronze fetters being worn by those who have been sentenced for a crime, or in a pictorial judgment such as that found in the curses of Deuteronomy 28:23 where the punishment for disobeying the Lord is described as “…your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze.” That picture is one of rainless skies, heat, and anguish.

However, the judgment can also be one of purification and justification. This is seen time and time again as well, but one fine example is that of the brazen serpent of Numbers 21. There the people sinned against the Lord and the Lord judged them for it. However, at the same time as bringing judgment upon them, He gave them grace and a chance to be justified by mere faith –

“Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. ⁵ And the people spoke against God and against Moses: ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.’ ⁶ So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.
⁷ Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people.
⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.’ ⁹ So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” Numbers 21:4-9

Following the literal, spiritual, and pictorial meanings of these metals throughout the Bible, you will find consistency and marvelous pictures of Christ. The same is true with colors…

⁴ blue,

u-tekeleth – literally, “and blue.” This is the first time that tekeleth or “blue” is mentioned in the Bible. It is believed to come from the word shekheleth, the cerulean mussel. In other words the color obtained from it or that is dyed with it. Blue in the Bible is associated with the law, especially the keeping of the law. This is seen explicitly in Numbers 15 –

“Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. ³⁹ And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, ⁴⁰ and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God.” Numbers 15:38-40

^4 (con’t) purple,

argaman – Again, this is the first use of this word in the Bible. It is purple or blue/red. The color in the Bible, like in many other cultures, is one of royalty or that which pertains to or belongs to a king. As it is a mixture of blue and red, in meaning it thus is a combination of what those two colors mean – the law for blue; and war, blood, and/or judgment for red, as we now see…

^4 (con’t) and scarlet thread,

v’towlaat shani – literally, “and from worms red.” Two words here are used to describe the color. The first is towla. This is actually a worm known as the crimson-grub. However, here it is used only in this manner concerning the color from it and cloths dyed with it. The second word is shani which means scarlet.

Taken together, they are translated as “scarlet,” but implying the scarlet which comes from the towla or crimson-grub worm. The double words “implies that to strike this color the wool or cloth was twice dipped” (Clarke). The scarlet, or red, in the Bible pictures and symbolizes war, blood, and/or judgment. All of these colors picture the future work of Christ.

^4 (con’t) fine linen,

v’shesh – literally, “and linen.” This is only the second time that shesh has been seen in the Bible. The first was when Joseph, who himself was a marvelous picture of Christ, was clothed in fine linen after interpreting Pharaoh’s prayers and being elevated to his high position in the land. The symbolism of the shesh, or fine linen, is explicitly explained in the book of Revelation –

“Let us be glad and rejoice and give glory to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his bride has made herself ready. ⁸ And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.” Revelation 19:7, 8 (Jubilee Bible)

Therefore, the linen symbolizes righteousness.

^4 (con’t) and goats’ hair;

v’izzim – literally, “and goats’.” It is the plural of the word ez, or female goat. But it is masculine in the plural here to indicate goats’ hair. Hair in the Bible gives us a picture of awareness. Esau was a hairy man and he pictured fallen Adam, aware of sin.

The goat is a picture of punishment of sin. The hairy goat offering was one of the sin offerings, but more so is that goats are only used in sin offerings. Other animals might be used for several offerings, but goats were always for judgment on sin. Therefore, the goat’s hair here pictures awareness of sin and that it will be punished.

⁵ ram skins dyed red,

v’orot elim me’addamim – literally, “and skins of rams dyed red.” The ram is the leader of the flock and its protector. The protection is seen in its power to butt with its horns which are also a symbol of strength in the Bible. The symbolism we are to see then is that of Christ, the protector of His people.

The verb for “dyed red” or adom, is found 10 times in the Bible. It comes from the idea of being made red, or to show blood in the face. The use of these ram skins dyed red will picture Christ’s covering of our sins. It is explained by the use of adom in Isaiah –

“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’
Says the Lord,
‘Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.'” Isaiah 1:18

After this, Paul explains how this points to Christ in his second letter to the Corinthians –

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

^5 (con’t) badger skins,

v’orot tekhashim – literally, “and skins of porpoise.” The word here is takhash and it is always governed by the word oroth, or skins. Therefore it is certainly the hide of an animal. The translation of the KJV and the NKJV of “badgers” is dubious at best.

The badger is rarely, if ever seen in Sinai and it lacks any cognate language support. Rather, this word is cognate to the Arabic word tukhas, or porpoise. Therefore, in modern translations it is normally called the porpoise, the dolphin, or the dugong, which is like a manatee. Thus it would be a light gray to sky-blue covering.

This is the first of 14 times it is used in the Bible and it is always used in connection with the covering for the tabernacle, with but one exception in Ezekiel 16 where it is used to describe figurative sandals worn by Jerusalem. As Bedouins still use the dugong for such sandals even in more modern times, such a sea animal is the most likely translation.

As this skin will be used as the outermost covering of the tabernacle, “the skin of a marine animal like the dolphin would have been eminently suitable, both for its toughness and for its waterproofing properties” (HAW).

As the sea is representative of the world of chaos and confusion and rebellion, this would then make a beautiful picture of Christ’s covering of us from that. This would fit well also with the one non-tabernacle use of this word in Ezekiel concerning the sandals made of this skin. Having such skin for shoes would then infer that the chaos of the sea was under-foot and subdued.

^5 (con’t) and acacia wood;

va’atse shittim – literally, “and wood acacias.” This is the first of 28 times that shittah, or acacia wood, is used. Acacia is a very slow growing tree that would be readily available in the area where they were. Its heart wood is dark reddish-brown and it is beautiful when sanded and polished.

It is like cypress in Florida which is resistant to decay because it deposits in its heartwood waste substances which turn into preservatives. This renders it unpalatable to insects. It is also dense and difficult to be penetrated by water and other decaying agents. Thus it is considered an incorruptible wood. Therefore, it pictures the incorruptible nature of Christ’s humanity. This will be seen as the implements for the tabernacle are constructed.

⁶ oil for the light,

shemen la’maor – the noun shemen, or oil, comes from the verb shamen, which means “to grow fat.” The oil will be used throughout the Bible as a picture of that of the presence of the Spirit. In this case, it would be for spiritual understanding, specifically that which provides illumination.

^6 (con’t) and spices for the anointing oil

b’samim l’shemen ha’miskhah – the word bosem, or spice, is introduced into the Bible here and will be used 30 times. It means “fragrance” and so by implication, spicery. It is also the balsam plant, which has a sweet odor. One can hear the similarity in sound – balsam and bosem. These spices would be used for anointing those designated for a particular task.

The spiritual picture is that of the anointing of the Holy Spirit first for Christ’s work and then that which is given to us through Christ’s work. A simple and yet direct verse which shows this is found in Luke 4 –

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed; Luke 4:18

^6 (con’t) and for the sweet incense;

v’liqtoreth ha’sammim – These two words, qetoreth, or “incense,” and sam, or “fragrant,” are both used for the first time in Scripture. The Bible explicitly explains what incense pictures and therefore we need go no further than what it says –

“Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” Revelation 5:8

This will be further explained as we travel through the instructions from the Lord to Moses.

⁷ onyx stones,

avne shoham – “stones onyx.” We already met this stone, shoham, once before in Genesis 2:12. We can’t be adamant about what it actually is, but it will be seen a total of 10 times in Scripture.

“Then you shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: ¹⁰ six of their names on one stone and six names on the other stone, in order of their birth. ¹¹ With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall set them in settings of gold. ¹² And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. So Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders as a memorial.” Exodus 28:9-12

These will be explained when we get to that passage.

^7 (con’t) and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate.

v’avne milluim la’ephod v’lakhoshen – And now we have a few new words once again. The first is millu, or “setting” which is used just 15 times. The stones are to be “set” into place. This word also means “ordination” where someone is “set” into a position. The next is ephod. It’s a word that will be used 49 times. In this case, it means a girdle; specifically the ephod or high-priest’s shoulder-piece, but it also generally means “an image.”

And the last word is khoshen. This is a word which comes from another unused root probably meaning to contain or sparkle, perhaps a pocket; or rich, as containing gems. It is used only of the breastplate of the high priest. It is only seen 23 times in Exodus and twice in Leviticus. These will be explained in detail in those passages.

Christ is there in every detail of the book
Waiting for us to study and show ourselves approved
What a marvel when we open it up and look
How our souls are stirred! How our hearts are moved

Christ is there, it all speaks of Him and His work
What He has done for us was all told in advance
Let us not fail to look for Him, let us not this obligation shirk
Each discovery is like joining in a heavenly dance

Thank You for this marvel, Your precious superior word
It is filled with wonder! It is beautiful and marvelous
Christ is there in every detail; it’s all about our Lord
Yes, every single verse tells us of our Lord Jesus

II. A Sanctuary to Dwell In (verses 8 & 9)

⁸ And let them make Me a sanctuary,

This is the purpose of everything that has thus far been told to Moses. All of the specifics requested by the Lord as a free-will offering were for the purpose of making a miqdash, or sanctuary.

The miqdash has only been named in a general sense in Exodus 15:17. This was in the Song of Moses and spoke of the sanctuary of the Lord, the place where He dwells, specifically the land of Canaan, but more especially the eternal dwelling place for the saints. Now a specific miqdash is named for construction, and it has a very specific purpose to it…

^8 (con’t) that I may dwell among them.

v’shakanti betowkam – “and I will dwell in their midst.”

I said while looking at verse 1 that though it is true that materials needed to be collected in order to build the tabernacle, the fact that they are collected, and from where they have come, are in themselves pictures of Christ.

What I meant is that the same materials which are being used to build this tabernacle found their source in the world, especially Egypt. This was seen at the time of the Exodus –

“So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. ²¹ And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. ²² But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.” Exodus 3:20-22

The Lord set it up so that Israel could plunder the Egyptians for a specific purpose; so that He could build a tabernacle that He might dwell in their midst. This is exactly what Christ did in His coming. The world of Egypt, as was clearly seen in those sermons, was a picture of the world of sin where fallen man dwells.

In Christ, God plundered from humanity in order to build His greater and eternal Temple where He would dwell, meaning the Person of Jesus Christ. He did it in that Christ came from the stream of humanity. He came through the sinful world of humanity to dwell among us – even though He was without sin. This was just as the tabernacle was built from the land of Egypt, and yet it would be a pure and undefiled place for Him to dwell.

This verse of Exodus 25 is perfectly realized in John 1:14 –

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

And just as incredible, He has now done it from His people who have become living stones in His temple. We were “plundered” as it were from the devil and yet we are being built into a holy temple in which Christ will eternally dwell “in our midst.” Every word we are seeing today is simply a picture of a greater spiritual truth.

*⁹ According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.

Two final new words are introduced into Scripture here. The first is tavnith. This is the first of 20 times it will be used. It comes from banah, to build. It indicates a structure; by implication, a model or resemblance. In these instructions, there will be a pattern or a model for Moses to work with.

The second and final new word of this passage is mishkan, or “tabernacle.” It is the place where the Lord will “dwell” or “tabernacle” among His people. As we continue to see the details for its construction, we will need to continuously remind ourselves that what we are seeing is a picture of our Lord in a physical representation.

If we can remember this, then we must be certain that every single detail will point to Him and His ministry. We need to treat the coming passages as carefully and meticulously as we have these nine verses today, understanding that we are being given pictures of the greatest glory we could ever imagine.

It goes unstated how Moses was shown what to make. Whether he was shown something as if an artist’s drawing, whether it was with a sculptured model, whether it was impressed upon his mind supernaturally, or even if he was given a glimpse at what these things actually picture, it is unknown.

What the Bible does tell us is that he saw a pattern. This is confirmed by Stephen’s words in Acts 7:44. And what the Bible tells us further is that there is a reason for the specificity. It is explained to us in Hebrews 8 –

“For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. ⁴ For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; ⁵ who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, ‘See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'” Hebrews 8:3-5

These minute details are given because the mishkan, or tabernacle, is a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things. The precision was needed because it deals with the very dwelling place of the Lord in heaven. Let’s close with a splendid thought concerning this detail from the pen of Joseph Benson –

“When Moses was to describe the creation of the world, though it be such a stately and curious fabric, yet he gave a very short and general account of it; but when he comes to describe the tabernacle, he doth it with the greatest niceness and accuracy imaginable; for God’s church and instituted religion are more precious to him than all the rest of the world. And all the Scriptures were written, not to describe to us the works of nature, (a general view of which is sufficient to lead us to a knowledge of the Creator,) but to acquaint us with the methods of grace, and those things which are purely matters of revelation.” Joseph Benson

It should go without saying that God really wants us to see His Son in every detail of what He has given to us in Scripture. As this is so, wouldn’t we be wise to search Him out while He can be found by us? We don’t know our last moment. It could be fifty years away or five minutes from now.

Let us use our time wisely and search out Christ who alone can reconcile us to our Creator. If you have never taken the simple step of receiving Him as Savior, I would pray that today would be the day. Let me tell you how you can be sure of a heavenly home with Him who is pictured by the many details we’ve seen here…

Closing Verse: “How lovely is Your tabernacle,
O Lord of hosts!
² My soul longs, yes, even faints
For the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” Psalm 84:1, 2

Next Week: Exodus 25:10-22 It’s made of wood and gold, not of stoney… (The Ark of the Testimony) (68th Exodus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

A Willingly Made Offering

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
These are the words to Moses he then was relaying

“Speak to the children of Israel
That they bring Me an offering
From everyone who gives it willingly, this I tell
From his heart he shall make My proffering

And this is the offering
Which you shall take from them, so I have said:
Gold, silver, and bronze
Blue, purple, and scarlet thread

Fine linen, and goats’ hair too
Ram skins dyed red, badger skins
And acacia wood; this you shall do

Oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil
And for the sweet incense; for the perfumer’s toil

Onyx stones, and stones to be set
In the ephod and in the breastplate
These you shall not forget

And let them a sanctuary make Me
That I may dwell among them, so shall it be

According to all that I show you
That is, the pattern of the tabernacle, one that is fit
And the pattern of all its furnishings
Just so you shall make it

The Lord gave instructions for the tabernacle
So that He could dwell among the children of Israel
And He requested from them the offering
So that of their hearts He could tell

Would they give the best of all that they had?
Would they bring for Him these things He noted
It would only be right for them to provide these
Because upon them His affection He had doted

And so it should be with us
Each of us should give of our very best
For God gave His Son, our Lord Jesus
And so let us not fall short in our test

Let us give of our time, our abilities, and our treasure
And let us be willing to do so, even without measure

For He is a great God, and so let us to Him our voices raise
And let us give to Him the best of our lives as an offering of praise

Hallelujah and Amen…

Exodus 24:9-18
Come Up to Me on the Mountain

A chiasm spans these verses. I found this one just a couple days ago as I figured there may be one here based on the 2 chiasms which spanned our last two sets of verses –

Exodus 24:9-18 Moses Went Up
Designation of Aaron and Hur to Lead During Moses’ Absence (3/2/2016)

a 9 Then Moses went up
b 10 (Description of the Lord’s glory)
c 12 T Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there;
d 13 Moses went up to the mountain of God.
x 14 (instructions to the elders/designation of Aaron and Hur as leaders
d 15 Then Moses went up into the mountain,
c 16 And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
b 17 (Description of the Lord’s glory)
a 18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud

There is something pretty special about climbing mountains. There is work involved in it, like a test of endurance, but when you get up to the top, it can be the most rewarding thing. This is why Christians often use the term “a mountaintop experience.” When you are up there, you can raise your arms and feel the victory of having defeated the granite foe which tired your legs and exhausted your lungs.

From the mountain top, you can look back down on the mountain in derision – “You couldn’t beat me, instead I overcame!” And you can look around at the world around you and feel victorious over all of it. You have ascended to a point where everything else looks small and insignificant.

For the Christian, a mountaintop experience is one which says, “I am alive! I have come to the place of God and to the throne of His grace. Nothing can defeat me because I am up here with Him. Everything else is overcome.”

In today’s verses, there will be a mountaintop experience for the nobles of Israel. They will rejoice and feast in the presence of the Lord. And yet, they hadn’t really overcome anything. They simply agreed to the covenant and so the covenant was cut between the Lord and them.

If they saw God, feasted in His presence, and rejoiced at the marvel they beheld while still bound under the law which was set against them, then how much more should we rejoice at being in the presence of God while having the law fulfilled in our place? I mean, Christ is the One who did the work. Christ is the one who overcame. And by calling on Christ, we too are seated with Him in the heavenly places, not below Him looking up.

Text Verse: O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Isaiah 40:9

Today is a great passage because it shows us that we can, in fact, draw near to God. Not too long after this account, Israel will really mess up and will violate the very law that they go up the mountain to celebrate in its establishment. Their mountaintop experience will end. But for those who are in Christ, the law is fulfilled. And so our mountaintop experience is just getting started. And it is one which will last for all eternity. Great stuff from our glorious Lord!

It’s all to be found in His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. They Saw the God of Israel (verses 9-11)

⁹ Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,

This must be a second ascension by these men after the ratification of the covenant. Some scholars see it as the same ascension mentioned in verse 1 and then verses 2-8 would be parenthetical. But as we saw last week this is not correct.

The first ascension was for the receiving of the Book of the Covenant. After that, it was brought to the people where agreement of it was made. After that it was ratified in blood through sacrifice. Now, a second ascension is made. This is for a different purpose which logically follows such a sacrifice.

The question of why each of these named people has ascended needs to be answered. Why are Aaron and his two eldest sons mentioned? Why didn’t one of the sons of Moses come? And why seventy elders? Moses is selected because he is God’s chosen prophet. There is no family line of succession in the Bible for prophets. Thus his sons are not included.

Aaron is to be the high priest. This line will include genealogical succession all the way until the time of Christ. Thus, his two eldest sons are recorded in anticipation of this. And the seventy elders are representative of their respective tribes. Seventy has already been seen numerous times as reflective of divine perfection. Thus these seventy leaders divinely represent all of Israel. Of this ascension, Keil notes –

“Through their consecration with the blood of the covenant, the Israelites were qualified to ascend the mountain.” Keil and Delitszch

In other words, Keil is saying that it is because of the sacrifice and the sprinkling of the blood that they may now ascend the mountain. This is not entirely correct as they had already ascended once. Rather, the consecration with the blood allows for what follows during this ascension, something marvelous for them to behold…

¹⁰ and they saw the God of Israel.

This verse is one which deniers of the Bible will use to challenge the inerrancy of it, and so it is good to evaluate it carefully. First, the words are clear – v’yiru eth elohe yisrael “…and they saw the God of Israel.” The first seeming contradiction arises from the words of Deuteronomy 4:12 where we read this –

“And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice.”

A moment later, the explanation for having seen no form is given –

“Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, ¹⁶ lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female, ¹⁷ the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, ¹⁸ the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth.” Deuteronomy 4:15-18

This is easily explained in that Moses was speaking to the entire congregation of people in Deuteronomy. The people as a whole were denied this privilege that the elders were granted. Secondly, in Exodus 33, Moses asked to see the Lord’s glory. In response, the Lord said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

Again, there is no contradiction here. Nothing is said of seeing the Lord’s face at this time with the elders on Sinai. It simply says they saw the God of Israel. After Moses was told he couldn’t see the face of Yehovah, he was still allowed to see his back. If He has a back, then He has a front.

We cannot see the future, but we can see the present, and in our mind we can still see what it past. Again, there is no contradiction. Third, twice in the New Testament, we are told that seeing God isn’t possible. Those verses are –

“No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” 1 John 4:12

“I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, ¹⁴ that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, ¹⁵ which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:13-16

These verses are speaking of God the Father and the Divine essence within the Godhead. No man can see Jesus’ deity, and yet we see His humanity. Someday we will see His glorified humanity in a splendor that we cannot even imagine, but it will still be the part of God that is revealed in the present. The vastness of God will never be fully seen by us, even to all eternity.

It is Jesus who reveals God to us. And this then explains what the people there on the mountain saw. The “God of Israel” is Yehovah, the Lord. This is stated explicitly in Exodus 5:1. He is called the “God of Israel” here “because He, the God of the fathers, had become in truth the God of Israel through the covenant just made.” (Keil)

And as the Bible will continue to reveal as we progress, Yehovah, the Lord is Jesus our Lord. Therefore, the vision that they see in no way contradicts another portion of Scripture. Jesus revealed Himself to the people as Yehovah, the God of Israel.

This same God of Israel, Yehovah, will continue to manifest Himself to select people in various ways. Among others, He will appear in bodily form to Joshua, to Gideon, and to the parents of Samson. He will appear in divine splendor to Isaiah and to Ezekiel. Each time He reveals Himself in Scripture, we will get a better understanding of His glorious nature, all of which is revealed in Jesus. The author of Hebrews explains this –

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; ³ who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person…” Hebrews 1:1-3

^{10 (con’t)} And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone,

The fact that the feet of the Lord are mentioned shows that they beheld the Lord. It would make no sense, as so many scholars say, to note what is under His feet if they didn’t see His feet. Instead, it would simply leave that out, but it doesn’t. And if there are feet, then there is a body connected to the feet.

The words here read, kemaaseh livnat ha’sappir – “a work of the clearness of sapphire.” Two words are introduced into Scripture here. The first is livnah. This is its only use in the Bible. The word means “brick,” and thus properly whiteness, and then by implication, transparency.

The second new word is sappir. This is the first of just 11 times it will be used. Sappir comes from the word saphar which means “to count.” And thus it is a gem, perhaps used for scratching other substances. It is debated whether this is actually a sapphire or a lapis lazuli, but it is probably the sapphire.

The reason why is because it is said in Isaiah 54:11 to be one of the foundation stones in the New Jerusalem. John then mentions the same concerning sapphire in Revelation 21:19. Thus, this clear sapphire pavement (if you will) is a part of the vision of God which is beheld by the elders of Israel.

^{10 (con’t)} and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.

u’ke-etsem ha’shemayim la-tohar – “and the bone of the heavens in clearness.” The word “essence” is etsem. This word means “bones,” and thus it is a comparative word which stems back to the creation of Eve for Adam. In Genesis 2:23, Adam proclaimed this –

“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.” Genesis 2:23

He was making a comparison based on the rib from which she was made. Thus “bone” is a word of comparison. The etsem or “bone” of the heavens means “like the heavens.” And so this is not the sky that they saw, but something like the sky.

The word for “clarity” here is tohar. This is the first of only two times it will be used in the Bible, here and Psalm 89:44. In that psalm, it will be used in a negative way when the Lord is said to have caused the glory, or the clarity, of the throne of David to cease. Tohar comes from taher which means “clean.” Thus it literally signifies brightness; ceremonially purification; and glory.

Of this remarkable vision which these men beheld, Matthew Henry gives the following advice –

“The sapphires are the pavement under his feet; let us put all the wealth of this world under our feet, and not in our hearts. Thus the believer sees in the face of Jesus Christ, far clearer discoveries of the glorious justice and holiness of God, than ever he saw under terrifying convictions; and through the Saviour, holds communion with a holy God.” Matthew Henry

What Matthew Henry is saying is that this most precious of gems is used as a mere place for the feet of the Lord. And so let us not fix our eyes on even something so precious as this. Instead, let us fix our eyes on Jesus who is the Source and Creator of even such magnificent things.

¹¹ But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand.

A curious word is introduced here which is translated as “nobles.” It is atsil, and it is only found twice in the Bible, here and in Isaiah 41:9. Instead of “elders,” they are called atsil. The word gives the sense of separation.

In other words, the verse explains the use of the word. If we paraphrased it to say, “But on the separated of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand” then we can grasp why the word is used. These men were granted the right to have close proximity with the Lord because of their separated status. From this, the translators have designated them as “nobles.”

And again, this verse shows us that these men actually saw the God of Israel. If they didn’t and if they only saw a glimpse of His glory in light or fire as so many scholars suggest, then there would have been no need to include the words that He did not lay His hand on them.

The entire congregation has seen glimpses of His glory in light and in smoke, and in fire in both the pillar and in the manifestation at the giving of the law. Instead, these men are being given a view of far more.

^{11 (con’t)} So they saw God, and they ate and drank.

Some translations give the idea of two separate occurrences – first they saw God, and then they ate and drank. This is incorrect. The two are simultaneous – they saw God while they ateand drank. This was a meal in the presence of the Lord as they dined on the peace offerings of the sacrifices of verse 5.

In this meal is a foreshadowing of the Lord’s Table which we participate in each week. It is a remembrance of the meal which was shared by Christ and His apostles at the giving of the New Covenant. We remember this by faith in the accuracy of the Bible and so, in Christ as revealed in Scripture we see, and fellowship, with God.

It needs to be noted that the word for “God” is used three times in our verses today. The first was calling him elohe yisrael, or “God of Israel.” The next two times it will say ha’elohim or “the God.”

This is the first such time. v’yekhezu et ha’elohim – “And they beheld the God.” The article is unfortunately left off once again by translators, but it is an important clue as to the nature of the Lord. This is evident because of the coming words of verse 12…

On the mountain of God His people will meet
There in His presence they will look upon His glory
The banquet will be delicious and the fellowship sweet
It will be the consummation of a marvelous story

There on the mountain of God the people will rejoice
For eternal days there will be gladness and delight
Never again will be heard the saddened voice
Never again will there be a dark fearful night

On the mountain of God where Christ will forever reign
The people will stream to Him, His glory they shall see
Never will there be troubles or trials, never again pain
Instead there will be only blessing and joy – for all eternity

II. The Mountain of the God (verses 12-15)

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there;

What can be assumed is that when the meal ended, all of the people descended the mountain and went back to the camp once again. This is to be inferred based on the events of Exodus 32. At some point after that, it says that “‘the Lord’ said to Moses.”

The God whom the elders saw is Yehovah. This name is mentioned 11 times in this chapter. The three times the word “God” is mentioned are only in this last section from verses 9-13.

They are given in relation to who the Lord is. He is the God of Israel. He is the God who can reveal Himself to the nobles, and He is the God who displays His power on the mountain. It is the God, Yehovah, who now petitions Moses to come up once again. It is for a very specific purpose that He does so…

^{12 (con’t)} and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”

The word “tablets” is luakh. This is the first of 43 times it will be used. It comes from a root which means “to glisten.” Thus it is a tablet (as polished), of stone, wood, or metal. This is now the third time that writing has been mentioned in the Bible, but this time the words are said to have been written by the Lord Himself.

There is great debate as to the meaning of the words found here. Is this speaking of only the Ten Commandments in a triple description? In other words, the tablets of stone are the law and the commandments. Or, will the Lord give him tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments and also the law and commandments which He has written? Deuteronomy 5:22 says this –

“These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.” Deuteronomy 5:22

This sounds like only the Ten Commandments were inscribed on stone. However, it could mean that only the Ten Commandments were spoken to the people and nothing more. This doesn’t preclude other words having been included on the tablets. In Exodus 31, after seven chapters of instruction to Moses, it will say this –

“And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.” Exodus 31:18

This seems to imply that all of what was said in those seven chapters is recorded on the tablets, but it also doesn’t preclude the assumption that the Lord simply waited to give the tablets, which contained only the Ten Commandments, to Moses just before he went back down the mountain. The answer to this seems to come from Exodus 34 where it says this –

“So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.” Exodus 34:28

In that chapter, Moses was told to write the words of the Lord, but the words of the Ten Commandments were written on the new set of Tablets by the Lord. So, what seems to be the case is that only the Ten Commandments were written by the Lord on tablets. The rest of the instructions which follow in the next seven chapters will be recorded by Moses as the Lord instructs.

The stone tablets are given as a picture of our spiritual state. They are durable, but capable of being broken. In this, God knew that man would break them. It was therefore a picture of the hardness of the human heart upon which no impression can be made except by God’s finger. Paul explains this in the New Testament with the coming of the New Covenant. In his second letter to the Corinthians, he says –

“…clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.” 2 Corinthians 3:3

Thus this entire giving of the law, with Moses’ breaking of the first tablets and then a second set being made, is a picture of Christ. God made the first tablets and recorded the law on them. But man was incapable of obeying them, pictured by Moses dashing them to pieces.

The second set of tablets was made by Moses and then the Lord wrote the commands on them. This pictures Christ, who came from man and yet who fulfilled God’s word without breaking it. The humanity/deity of Christ is the Stone of the tablets, unbroken and who is the Word of God.

Everything else that Moses will be told in the next seven chapters will also picture Christ. There will be instructions for religious life, a form of worship given, ceremonies, a tabernacle with associated furniture, garments, etc. All of these are given for the benefit of the people, but they will all picture the work of the Lord. These will be recorded by Moses at the Lord’s instruction.

¹³ So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.

As suddenly as he appeared in Exodus 17, Joshua now appears again. Together with Moses, they both ascend har ha’elohim or the “mountain of the God.” As always is the case, when the mountain is referred to in connection with God, there is an article in front of “God.” The One true God, Yehovah, dwells there.

Joshua is certainly being brought along because he was not only the general of the forces as we saw in the battle with Amalek, but he was also his close and trusted assistant. He was shown to be accepted by Moses as his designated representative and successor. In every way so far he forms a beautiful picture of Christ.

What is just as remarkable here as in the account in Exodus 17, is that the name yehoshua, or Joshua, is used, but his name was originally Hoshea. It won’t be until Numbers 13 that the change in his name is recorded. And yet Moses calls him Joshua now. Thus, in this we are to see a further picture of Christ.

The commentator Bishop Pearson explains this as “…without Jesus, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, there is no looking into the secrets of heaven, nor approaching the presence of God.”

¹⁴ And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you.

All that is said here is that they were to wait for the return of Moses and Joshua. No timeframe is given for their return, but verse 12 says that he would remain there. The time was, however, unspecified. What is implied though is that no matter how long they were gone, they were to wait there and not ascend the mountain where the presence of God was.

^{14 (con’t)} Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.”

As in the battle with Amalek, Aaron and Hur are given special attention. During that battle, which was led by Joshua, Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands to ensure the battle would end in Amalek’s defeat. Josephus says that Hur is the husband of Miriam and thus he would be the brother-in-law of Moses and Aaron.

¹⁵ Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain.

With his instructions for the affairs of the camp settled, it says that he went up into the mountain. The same words are used here as in verse 13 – v’yaal moshe el – “and went up Moses to.” When we get to verse 18, it says that Moses will go up again, using the same word v’yaal or “and went up.”

Because of this, scholars say that Moses went up the mountain with Joshua a part of the way and then when he is called again, he will go up the rest of the way alone. But it doesn’t say this. That is only speculation and it is unfounded. What appears to be happening is that verses 13, 15, and 18 are all the same ascent.

13 – So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.
15 – Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain.
18 – So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain.

Between the first two notes of ascent, is a parenthetical thought –

14 – And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.”

16, 17 – Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷ The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.

No scholar looks at the first mention of going up as him actually going up until he first instructed the elders about Aaron and Hur. So why should the second mention be any different? Rather, that thought is given while Moses is still with the people. He waited six days until he was called and then he went up with Joshua into the cloud which had descended on the mountain before they departed.

It’s important to note that in Hebrew it doesn’t say “a cloud” covered the mountain. It says “the cloud” covered it. Thus, it is the same cloud which guided the people through their wanderings, through the Red Sea, and which has brought them to where they are. It is the cloud which both conceals the glory of the Lord and in which the glory is revealed.

What makes this interesting is that only Moses is mentioned from now through verse 32:17 when Joshua will again be mentioned. Despite him being with Moses all of the time, he will not be mentioned through the entire account.

We have not been left alone in the wilderness
Though the Lord is not here, He has a Helper given to us
And His word is written so we don’t have to guess
Which path to take to lead us straight to Jesus

And if it be the word of God, then let us daily attend to it
For in its pages are all that we need as our guide
With our feet shod, to its words let us submit
And walk the path it reveals, never turning aside

And when we come to the end of our days
For our efforts, upon us the Lord will smile
Because we have been obedient to all of His ways
Applying His words to our lives all of the while

III. The Glory of the Lord (verses 16-18)

¹⁶ Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days.

Why is it important to determine if Moses went up part of the way and then waited six days to go up the rest of the way, or if he ascended the mountain on the seventh in one ascent? The reason is that Matthew uses the same terminology for the account of the transfiguration that is used here in Exodus. Here is what he wrote –

“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; ² and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. ³ And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.” Matthew 17:1-3

The specificity by Matthew is given for a reason. In the preceding verse, which is Matthew 16:28, Jesus said this to His disciples –

 “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Matthew 16:28

It was on the seventh day that Jesus, Peter, James, and John ascended the mountain and Jesus was transfigured, thus revealing the glory of the Lord. Matthew is tying the glory of the Lord seen at Sinai to the glory of Christ on the high mountain.

All three of the synoptic gospels tie in the glory of the Lord on the mountain with the promised taste of the kingdom. For the people of Israel, the law had been received and the elders had seen the glory of God. Now a repeat of this is seen in Christ.

In Matthew 16, Peter had made his proclamation that Jesus is the Christ. It was to be known and understood that He is the incarnate Word, Yehovah, just as Yehovah is understood to be “the God” by the elders of Israel. Unfortunately, in both occasions, the people failed to stand on the evident truth. In Exodus, they will fashion a false god, and in Matthew they will crucify Christ. But there is also another picture in both accounts which will be seen as we go on.

^{16 (con’t)} And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

It is certain to me that Moses and Joshua are still with the people in the camp. Six days had gone by since the cloud descended upon Sinai. Now, on the seventh day, the call is made for Moses from the midst of the cloud. It is time for him to ascend the mountain.

Many – even most – scholars see this as a Sabbath day. I don’t see any reason to assume this. Rather, as Moses has to ascend the mountain, that would mean that he would have to work to go up, thus it would certainly be a violation of the very law that has been given and which will be engraved on stone. That makes no sense.

What makes more sense, if we are to speculate, is that this is the first day of the week. The call would have been made after the Sabbath when Moses had rested, not on it. Further, it would then match the day which John received his vision of the future which is recorded in Revelation 1:10, which was on Sunday, Lord’s Day.

¹⁷ The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.

The six days equate to the first six thousand years of man on earth. The seventh day equates to the millennium. This is the same picture that Christ was giving the disciples. He said that some standing with him wouldn’t taste death till they saw the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.

The transfiguration anticipated the fulfillment of this. The glory of the Lord was seen to them on the mountain on the seventh day, just as the glory of the Lord will be seen in the coming millennium during the final thousand years of God’s 7000-year plan.

The people of Israel had a taste of this truth 1500 years earlier. To them, the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain. The author of Hebrews uses the same terminology to speak of Christ our God. He is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).

The outward appearance of God’s glory on the mountain in this fiery display was given to demonstrate the “unapproachable justice of God” (Lange), just as it was when the cherubim stood at the east of Eden with their flaming swords and as is seen throughout the rest of the Old Testament symbolism.

Only in the death of Jesus, where the veil of the temple was rent in two, could man once again find access to God. The law which was received, and which Moses will now continue to receive, is only another barrier to true fellowship with God. Only in its fulfillment can that be realized. And only Christ has fulfilled it.

The Pulpit Commentary notes concerning the six days of delay before calling Moses to Himself that “God thus taught Moses, and through him the world, that near approach to him requires long and careful preparation.” That careful preparation of six days is directly equated to the six thousand years of careful preparation that God has taught us through until the coming of Christ in His kingdom.

It is true, we already have access to God through Christ, but this is not yet realized in its fullness. The account today shows us though that it won’t be long before it is. We are at the cusp of a great day in redemptive history.

¹⁸ So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain.

Moses alone is recorded as going up, but we know that Joshua was with him. The picture we see in this is realized in the layout of the temple. The people remained outside while the high priest alone went behind the veil. Thus Sinai, or the Bush of the Thorn, is given as a picture of that which is unapproachable but to the high priest. The people of Israel waited while Moses and Joshua went up.

Jesus is that High Priest, pictured by Moses and the unnamed Joshua. He wore a crown of thorns pictured by the naming of Sinai in verse 16. It is the only time Sinai is mentioned in this chapter and the first time it has been named since chapter 19, thirteen sermons ago. It was He who bore the crown of thorns who also went behind the veil.

And like bookends, the names are calling out to us. Moses is the one to receive the Law, Jesus is the One to fulfill it. Thus even the names fit the picture. Moses, or “He who draws out,” is the one to draw out the law for the people. Joshua or “Yah is Salvation” is there to picture Jesus, the Lord who saves, who fulfilled it for us.

*^{18 (con’t)} And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

The chapter ends with these surprising words. If you had never read the account before, and if you had to stop here for a while, you would be left wondering about it. But as we know, Moses received an immense amount of information during those forty days. They will comprise the next seven chapters of Exodus.

But the number forty isn’t just an arbitrary amount of time that Moses happened to take to receive the instructions. The timeframe has been given for us to reflect on. Like all numbers in Scripture, there is a purpose for each. EW Bullinger defines the significance of the number forty –

“Forty has long been universally recognized as an important number, both on account of the frequency of its occurrence, and the uniformity of its association with a period of probation, trial, and chastisement—(not judgment, like the number 9, which stands in connection with the punishment of enemies, but the chastisement of sons, and of a covenant people). It is the product of 5 and 8, and points to the action of grace (5), leading to and ending in revival and renewal (8). This is certainly the case where forty relates to a period of evident probation.”

The forty days are rightly defined by Bullinger as a time of evident probation. The people had been given the law and now they were to be tested with that law without their leader there to supervise them. How would they fare during the period that he is gone?

There are eight such great forty day periods recorded in Scripture. One of them corresponds to this period in a marvelous way. Israel was given these forty days of testing and they will fail. Jesus was given forty days of testing and He prevailed.

And His forty day period also matches the other periods of forties found throughout the Bible; both periods of forty days and of forty years. In all ways, He was shown to be superior to those who came before Him. He never failed and He is consistently shown as our “Greater than…” In all ways and in all types and pictures, He is truly “Greater than.”

One thing is for sure about these many stories of the Old Testament. Time and time again, they are given to show us not just stories of things that really happened, but of something else, something that we cannot do without.

Each story points to our failings, but they are intended to lead us to Jesus’ victory. It may seem a curious way that God deals with us, but one thing is sure – nothing can be more rewarding than finding Christ on every page. The love of God for us is poured out in the ink which permeates the pages of the Bible.

All of this effort is to show us that God really cares enough to take the time through the ages of human history to weave together a most marvelous picture of Jesus. If you are seeing this, but are still on the outside of His grace, why don’t you settle that today? Call on Christ, receive His offer of grace, and be reconciled to God through that act. Let me tell you how you can do just that…

Closing Verse: “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, ²⁰ where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:19, 20

Next Week: Exodus 25:1-9 Many details for Moses to tackle… (Preparations for the Tabernacle) (67th Exodus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Meeting with God on the Mountain

Then Moses went up
Also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu
And seventy of the elders of Israel
Well, those seventy went up too

And they saw the God of Israel
Something marvelous that to their grandchildren they could tell

And there was under His feet
As it were a paved work of sapphire stone
And it was like the very heavens in its clarity
There below the feet of His awesome throne

But on the nobles of the children of Israel
He did not lay His hand
So they saw God, and they ate and drank
A marvelous feast, one ever so grand

Then the Lord said to Moses
“Come up to Me on the mountain and be there
And I will give you tablets of stone
And the law and commandments for you to share

Which I have written
That you may teach them

So Moses arose –
With his assistant Joshua together they did trod
And Moses went up to the mountain of God

And he said to the elders
“Wait here for us until we come back to you
Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you
If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them; this you shall do

Then Moses into the mountain, up he went
And a cloud covered the mountain for this event

Now the glory of the Lord rested
On Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days
And on the seventh day He called to Moses
Out of the midst of the cloud; such were His ways

The sight of the glory of the Lord
Was like a consuming fire, as the record does tell
On the top of the mountain
In the eyes of the children of Israel

So Moses went into the midst of the cloud
And into the mountain up he went
And Moses was on the mountain
Forty days and forty nights; the time that he there spent

So Moses went there to meet with the Lord
And to bring back instructions for Israel
All the instructions according to His word
Those words which the Bible does now tell

And all of this was a part of the story
To lead us to the coming of Jesus
Each step reveals a bit more of His glory
Each step is revealed in the word to us

Lord God, we thank You for this marvelous book
We thank you for all the wonder it does relate to us
Give us the burning desire each day to take a look
And to bring us ever closer to our Lord Jesus

Yes, through Him to You we shall eternally praise
Yes O God, so it shall be for eternal days!

Hallelujah and Amen…

Exodus 24:1-8
This is the Blood of the Covenant

Many times people have asked me, “Which book of the Bible should I start with.” Others have asked me, “Which book of the Bible should I read next.” Questions like that come up often. My friend Sergio asked me for advice in a Bible study he was doing with his friend in Israel.

He is a Jewish guy, living in the land, and Sergio was helping him through the book of Romans. After that he asked, “What next?” I told him “Galatians.” The reason for this is that the guy was a young Jewish Christian and he was also in Israel. I can’t think of a more difficult place to be in regards to encountering legalism and the reinsertion of the law. Galatians would see him through this.

Paul explains very clearly what reinserting the law, which has been fulfilled in Christ, means. One becomes a debtor to the whole law. It is setting aside the grace of Christ and saying, “I can do it better.” After doing the study, Sergio agreed that it was the perfect book to go through.

For those who know the law, especially Jews, and even more especially observant Jews, my answer would be either “Read Matthew” or “Read Hebrews.” Matthew shows Christ as the King of Israel and is written from a Jewish perspective.

Hebrews explains Christ as “Better Than.” He is better than the angels, He is better than Moses, He is better than Aaron, He is better than the law, He is better than anything and everything that the Old Testament put forward.

All of the Old only pointed to our Better Than; our Jesus. In today’s eight verses, we will see the cutting of the covenant between Lord and the people of Israel. It is a covenant which can only lead to failure. Not because the laws aren’t holy, but because they are holy.

Man can never be obedient to such marvelous laws. And so it was a good thing that the Lord later gave them the Day of Atonement to keep them from disaster. And it is a marvelous thing that He later stepped out of His eternal realm and took that same holy law upon Himself.

Text Verse: “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. ¹² Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. ¹³ For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, ¹⁴ how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? ¹⁵ And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” Hebrews 9:11-15

The words “the Lord” meaning the name Yehovah, are mentioned eight times in today’s eight verses. The word elohim, or God, is never mentioned. It is abundantly clear that Yehovah is God, but it is how He reveals Himself, meaning as Yehovah, that he deals with Israel concerning this covenant.

Many look at this covenant as one of works, or at best “grace plus works.” But there is no such thing as “grace plus works.” It is either grace or it is works. The two are mutually exclusive. We’ll see a picture of salvation by grace in today’s verses.

It is the same picture we saw with Abraham and it is the same thing we find in Christ. God doesn’t change how He saves. However, He does change how He deals with us through dispensations in order to show us our need for Christ in an incremental way.

On the trip to Chicago, I found this second chiasm which follows directly after the one we looked at in last week’s verses…

 

The law is a giant step in the dispensational model. We’ll see the dispensation of the law further realized and refined in our verses today. It’s all to be found in His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Who Shall Ascend the Hill of the Lord? (verses 1 & 2)

¹ Now He said to Moses,

Scholars are often perplexed at the sequence of what is going on and the seeming want of order in the surrounding verses. What we would normally expect at the beginning of a new passage are the words, “Now God said to Moses,” or “Now the Lord said to Moses…” This is excluded and it gives us a clue as to the order of where we are.

The words “Now He said to Moses…” put the emphasis on Moses in what is a continued stream of thought from an earlier part of the Exodus narrative. This emphasis on him also implies that the Lord had been speaking to more than just Moses just before this verse.

At no place, however, is anyone else addressed and so some scholars think that a part of the narrative has been lost. That would be a rather incompetently compiled word of God, wouldn’t it! Instead of taking such an easy-to-dismiss approach at the seeming confusion, we need to go back and look at what has just transpired.

The Book of the Covenant was just given to Moses. This included everything from verse 20:22 until 23:19 for the giving of the rules which regulate judicial conduct. Then from verse 23:20 until 23:33 came the promises associated with obedience to those rules. Thus all of Exodus 20:21 until 23:33 merely insert of the Book of the Covenant. The account now picks up where it left off in Exodus 20:21. Therefore, let’s read that verse –

“So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.” Exodus 20:21

From there, the words of Exodus 24:1 can be seamlessly added onto that verse – So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was. Now He said to Moses…”

In other words, and as I’ve already said, the account encompasses the giving of the Book of the Covenant. This is actually logical and orderly. One thing is given at a time and in a way which is intended to reveal to us the mind of God in written form. The importance of recording the Book of the Covenant in the middle of these verses is to show what is preeminently on His mind.

As we saw in those many verses, Christ was meticulously recorded time and time again in them. The earthen altar! The Hebrew slave! And so on. Each portion of the Book was revealing to us our need for Christ. That is why the order is as it is. We now return to just before the giving of the book. This will continue until verse 3.

^1 (con’t) “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,

It is implied that the Lord spoke these words to a group of people before Moses received the Book of the Covenant. It explains the emphasis on Moses in the first part of verse 1 which those thoughtless scholars ascribed to a missing portion of God’s word.

Instead of God sloppily and carelessly losing a portion of His word, or even laying that at the careless feet of Moses, it shows us that nothing is missing and that God’s word is complete. It may be confusing until you search out what is going on, but it is not a book of missing information or sloppy preparation.

In this clause, Moses is told to ascend to Yehovah and bring along with him Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu. Aaron is Moses’ older brother by three years, and Nadab and Abihu are Aaron’s two oldest sons. These three, along with Aaron’s two younger sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, will be set apart as priests to the Lord in Exodus 28.

Unfortunately for Nadab and Abihu, they will be destroyed by fire when they present unauthorized incense before the Lord in Leviticus 10:1. For now though, they are given the honor of ascending the mountain with Moses as well as some others…

^1 (con’t) and seventy of the elders of Israel,

The total number to ascend the mountain will be 74 – Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders. These 70 elders, along with Nadab and Abihu, would then make 72 people to represent the 12 tribes of Israel. This logically divides into six people from each tribe, but this is unstated and only speculation.

The seventy elders would be those who were first mentioned in Exodus 3 when Moses stood at the burning bush and heard this –

“Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; ¹⁷ and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.'” Exodus 3:16, 17

It is not stated why all of these people were to ascend with Moses, but it is probably for at least three reasons. The first is that they could then prove to the people that Moses actually received the words from the Lord and made nothing up on his own. In essence, they would be witnesses to the matter, just as the disciples were witnesses of the ministry of the Lord.

The second reason is tied into this. When the words were presented to the people, it would add in a greater weight to the ratification process. It would be much easier to dismiss the words if Moses stood there alone and told them what was expected. But with these witnesses, they would more readily accept what was received and honor it for what it was – the word of God revealed to them.

The third gives a picture for us. God is their King – it is a theocratic rule. Moses is the prophet, Aaron is to be the priest, and the 72 represent Israel; the kingdom. It is a picture of Christ and His church – the Prophet, Priest, and King among his people.

^1 (con’t) and worship from afar.

In Exodus 20, the people said to Moses “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” After that, it said, “So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.”

From this verse now, we can see that there are three different classifications and groupings. The first is the people of Israel who are at the base of the mountain, and in fact they are on their way back to their own tents.

Next, there are Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders who have ascended the mountain but remain somewhere on its declivity. They will maintain a middle position between the people below and Moses and the Lord who will be above them.

Finally, there is Moses the prophet who alone will ascend to where Yehovah is. He has been set apart as most holy in this awesome matter of receiving the Book of the Covenant. It should be a sufficient warning to the people, especially the elders, that they are not set apart in the same way as those the Lord chooses to designate for whatever reason.

But it quickly became, and continued to be, a constant problem among the people of Israel to blur these lines of distinction which were set by the Lord. In a short time from now, a man named Korah will rebel and assume that he and the whole congregation of the Lord are holy. The penalties for this rebellion will be memorable. First, for Korah we will see this –

“Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, ³² and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. ³³ So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.” Numbers 16:31-33

For the two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation who rebelled with him, we read of their demise –

“And a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.” Numbers 16:35

Even as late as the time of King Uzziah, the Lord still demanded a distinction between his people for set purposes. The priest’s job was not to be accomplished by the king. However, King Uzziah rejected this notion and went to offer incense to the Lord on his own. The penalty for his arrogance was swift –

“Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar. ²⁰ And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also hurried to get out, because the Lord had struck him.” 2 Chronicles 26:19, 20

Because of his disobedience, the Bible goes on to say that he remained a leper until the day of his death, that he lived in an isolated house, and that he remained cut off from the house of the Lord. The Lord hasn’t changed today.

Though we are brought near to God because of Christ, we still need to remember that He is God and we are His creatures. The judgment seat of Christ will reveal much about how we conducted ourselves in this life in regards to this matter.

² And Moses alone shall come near the Lord,

Some scholars go in the opposite direction with what they believe is going on and they insert these verses between 24:8 & 9. This is also incorrect as those verses carry us into new and uncharted waters. But on the surface they seem to fit there, unless you are looking at the natural progression of what is occurring.

As you can see, there is nothing really easy about discerning what is going on. Each section requires real consideration to grasp. Even some of the finest biblical scholars of all time get confused here. Because of this, there is no shame in any of us being confused.

However, to study them and then misrepresent the progression of what is going on can only lead to incorrect conclusions about later concepts which arise in the Bible. It is for this reason that instead of telling you about how good next week will be for you, I want to explain to you the details of this magnificent word.

It opens up treasures of wisdom and knowledge if you are willing to mentally challenge yourself to explore not just the surface, but the reasons behind the difficult finer points. It is so easy to simply read over them and say, “I’ll look at this more closely… next time.” Maybe next time won’t come.

For now, and still prior to the giving of the Book of the Covenant, Moses leaves behind the rest. He is told that he alone would come to the peak where the Lord was.

^2 (con’t) but they shall not come near;

This is speaking of Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy. They have been given a high honor in being allowed to come to the mountain and to partially ascend it, but their honor has a point of termination. The psalms speak of ascending to the Lord in several places. One of the notable passages is found in the 24th Psalm –

Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
⁵ He shall receive blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
⁶ This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face. Selah Psalm 24:3-6

In the case of receiving the Book of the Covenant, the question is, “Who may stand in His holy place?” The answer is “Moses alone may ascend. Even the elders of Israel may not.”

^2 (con’t) nor shall the people go up with him.”

Again we have words which confirm that this was spoken just before Exodus 20:21. This is referring to the rest of the people of Israel who had asked that the Lord not speak to them any longer. When the Lord called Moses up, he designated a certain group of people to come and no others. It is here that we can insert the words of Deuteronomy 5 where the Lord said this to Moses –

Go and say to them, “Return to your tents.” Deuteronomy 5:30

To ensure that the people would not attempt to follow Moses and the elders up the mountain, they were told to return to their tents.

Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?
Who may stand in His holy place?
The answer is slowly revealed in His precious word
Those who will someday gaze upon His face

It is those who have been cleansed by the blood
It is those who have called out to receive Jesus
Purified by Him, under the cleansing flood
This is what God has through Him done for us

Those who have from Him received such favor
Will surely receive an eternal blessing from the Lord
In His marvelous paradise each moment we shall savor
This is the promise found in His holy word

II. We will Obey, and We will Hear (verses 3-8)

³ So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments.

From this point on the narrative now starts anew. Moses and those with him had ascended the mountain. At a set point, Moses alone went up to the Lord the rest of the way. There he received the words of the Book of the Covenant. And now it will be presented to the people.

What is implied, but unstated, is that Moses heard the words, descended to those awaiting him on the mountainside, and then they together went down to present the words to the people. However, the word used to describe his transmitting the covenant to the people is saphar. It means “to recount.”

Although it is not an unusual word in and of itself, it is a word which is rather special. Instead of simply saying that “He told them what the Lord said,” or “He gave them the gist of what was spoken,” it says that he “recounted” the words of the Lord to them.

This word, saphar, is used just four times in Exodus and this is the last of those four times. In recounting, Moses is carefully speaking out the words to the people. It is as if he counted each word and carefully catalogued it in order to recount what he had counted.

In essence, “I heard these words and I am now recounting them to you as I heard them.” He is speaking the very words of God to them in a faithful manner. “These are all the words of the Lord and all the judgments as I received them.” Why is this important to understand?

The answer is that we cannot add something to the word of God, or fail to include something in the word of God, and still have the word of God. Either it is His word, or it is His word twisted with man’s word, or it is man’s word alone.

This is especially important for us because these words, which form the covenant made between God and the people, make a foreshadowing of the future covenant of grace which God made with us through the blood of Christ.

In Chapter 20, they said, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” Well, God is still speaking to them, just through a mediator. Proof that it is God’s word and not his is that Aaron, his sons, and the elders went with him. They can substantiate the truth of the matter. And so the words are recounted and an answer to them is expected…

^{3 (con’t)} And all the people answered with one voice and said,

v’yaan qal ha’am qol echad – “And answered all the people voice one.” The word echad, or one, is used because although there were many voices, there was one unified message in the voices. A cluster of grapes is one, but it is made of many grapes. Echad allows a plurality within the singular.

^{3 (con’t)} “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.”

This is now the third time that the people have voluntarily committed themselves to the words they are given. The first was in verse 19:8. They did it again in 20:19. Now they say, “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.”

They have faithfully confirmed what they had committed to. The words were spoken and the words were accepted. However, there is the truth that a crowd will often agree to something in an animated fashion which the individuals in the crowd may either later shun, or that they may disagree upon concerning what was said. And so Moses will now go one step further…

⁴ And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord.

Again, this clause confirms the order of sequence as I laid it out. The words were received from the Lord on Mount Sinai, but only now, after speaking them to the people, are they written down. Each step is logical and orderly. And all of it fits together harmoniously when looked at properly. This is all confirmed by the chiasm we looked at when we started. (chiasm importance)

Note the order: The glory of the Lord was seen coming down on Sinai in chapter 19. In Chapter 20, the Ten Commandments were given. After that, the people were so overwhelmed that they asked for Moses to speak to them and they would agree to hear.

Moses went up the mountain with a selected contingent of people. He left them and continued up to the Lord where he received the Book of the Covenant. After that, he came back down and recounted what he was told. The people agreed to do what they have heard. Only now are the words written down.

Concerning the writing down of the words, it again points to the importance of the word saphar, or “recount.” The words that are written are the words which were spoken. If they were just the substance of what the Lord said, then they weren’t what the Lord actually said. However, the importance of the words is entirely tied up in the coming covenant with the people.

Now that the words are written down, they cannot be contested any longer. Instead, they are the written word of God based on the spoken word of God. They are the continued recording of the Holy Bible which began in earnest in Exodus 17:14 when Moses was first told to write something as a record for future generations.

It is this set of words known as the Book of the Covenant, which will now be the basis of the most remarkable of dealings of God with man since time had begun.

^4 (con’t) And he rose early in the morning,

Nothing is without significance in the Bible, even a clause such as this. To rise early signifies diligence and preparedness. It signifies a willingness on the Lord’s behalf to impart His graces upon us. The Lord didn’t rise late on Resurrection Day, as if He needed the rest. Instead He rose early.

This then is a pictorial idiom as much as anything else. And it will be used exactly as an idiom later in Scripture. In fact, numerous times in Jeremiah alone, it is used to show the Lord’s diligence and willingness to instruct the people. One example is –

“And they have turned to Me the back, and not the face; though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction.” Jeremiah 32:33

^4 (con’t) and built an altar at the foot of the mountain,

This would have been the very first earthen altar ever constructed according to the Book of the Covenant. The instructions for it were given in verses 20:23-26. In verse 24, we read this –

“An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you.”

Thus this altar is where the Lord would come to bless His people. If you didn’t sleep through those verses, you know that this altar forms a picture of Christ. Thus, it signifies the first party in the covenant – God in Christ.

^4 (con’t) and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

These twelve matstsebah, or pillars, are explicitly stated to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. They would have been stone which was stood up in an erect manner. These would have been more than just memorial stones. Each would indicate the placement of the tribe in relation to the covenant. Thus they represent the second party in the covenant.

Moses would have walked between the altar and the stones as a mediator between the two. The standing up of the stones would be a picture of the permanence of these twelve tribes. For as long as the covenant remained, so each tribe of Israel would remain standing.

Eventually a New Covenant would be made and it would again be with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. The implication is that Israel will stand forever. God would forever remain faithful to them based on His covenants with them.

⁵ Then he sent young men of the children of Israel,

There is much speculation as to why young men are specifically mentioned here. It is not the elders, nor is it any other specific group who is selected. Instead, it only says that “he sent young men of the children of Israel.”

No priesthood had yet been established and thus the priestly duties fall on Moses alone for the ritual. These young men have been selected to be servants of Moses. It is possible, though unstated, that they were selected from each tribe to represent their tribe, but even this only speculation.

All that we are given is that young men were selected. The word to describe them is na’ar and in this context, it generally denotes a person from a very small child to one around the age of puberty. It has other significations, but in this context, it seems to imply children of a youthful age, not yet adults

The reason why this is important is that in just about a year from this point, the people will leave Sinai on their way to Canaan. On the way, spies will be sent to search out the land. When they return, a bad report will be spread throughout the community and the people will complain against the Lord. In their complaining, the judgment against them will be severe. Numbers 14 says this –

“The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.” Numbers 14:29

What this verse now seems to imply is that these young men will not be punished in the wilderness. The Lord, knowing what will occur, has selected youth from Israel for this task who will be young enough at that time to be exempt from the curse, and who will thus be allowed to enter the Land of Promise.

What is surprising in this is that even Moses himself will be barred from entering Canaan because of his own misdeeds. If these young men are allowed to pass over Jordan and into Canaan, it is for a good reason. They will be able to recount the day that they stood at the base of Sinai and participated in the reception and confirmation of this sacred covenant.

In this verse is a foreshadowing of Christ’s selection of the twelve apostles on another mountain 1500 years later.

^5 (con’t) who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord.

The burnt offering, or olah, is given in gratitude to the Lord, and as a means of seeking his favor and receiving propitiation from Him. Noah made an olah after coming out of the ark. He sought the favor of the Lord and he sought a restored relationship with mankind through it as well. These burnt offerings would normally be completely burned up on the altar as an offering to God.

The shelem, or “peace offerings” comes from the word shalam, which means “to make amends.” The peace offering then is one intended to satisfy the Lord and to bring about a sense of alliance or friendship. For this reason, some translations call them “fellowship offerings.”

Unlike the burnt offerings, these peace offerings would normally have a portion burnt up on the altar. At the same time, the portion which was not burnt up would be eaten by the participants. Thus the idea of a “fellowship” offering conveys the thought quite well.

The young men of Israel are those who were chosen for this task. In looking at their age based on what I mentioned concerning the punishment on those twenty and above, we can see that the Lord regards them as in more of a state of innocence than those who are older, and thus another possible reason for their selection.

⁶ And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins,

It is of singular note that Moses takes half of the blood and uses it for one purpose and the other half for another. It is all the same blood, but the division has purpose and intent. He takes one half of it and put it in basins.

This basin is a new and unusual word found in the Bible. It is aggan, and it is only seen three times – once here, once in the Song of Solomon, and finally once in Isaiah. It is not a priestly word that is later used for such things. Rather it is a common type of basin. It would have had handles as we see from this verse in Isaiah –

“They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the posterity, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the pitchers.” Isaiah 22:24

As Isaiah notes, they can be hung, thus implying handles. Surprisingly, the only other time this word is used, which is in the Song of Solomon, it is speaking of the navel of Solomon’s beautiful bride –

Your navel is a rounded goblet;
It lacks no blended beverage.
Your waist is a heap of wheat. Song of Solomon 7:2

Are we to learn from Isaiah’s explanation of this verse that Solomon’s beauty had love handles? All fun aside, one half of the blood is set aside for one purpose; the other half is now explained.

^6 (con’t) and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

The word here for “sprinkle” is zaraq. It means “to scatter.” The only other two times it was used was during the plague of boils when Moses scattered the dust of the furnace towards the sky. Now it is first used in connection with sacrifices. However, in this verse, it is more appropriately translated as “splashed.”

The amount of blood would be considerable and it would be poured out or splashed on the altar. According to the Bible, the life is in the blood. The blood being poured out signifies the death of the innocent animals in place of sinful man. They died in order to confirm the covenant.

The blood of the sacrificial animals, standing in place of the people, is symbolic of a complete surrender of the people to God. It is as if it is they have died and their life was being poured out in acceptance of what would then be read. And yes, the words have not yet been read to the people.

In this, John Lange most wisely notes, “…surrender in general, in accordance with the conditions of grace, must precede obedience in particular, according to the law.” In other words, yielding comes before obedience. It is a picture realized in Ephesians 2:8, 9 –

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Even the Old Testament shows that one comes to God with empty hands. It is not by deeds that one is saved. Rather, it is by grace and through faith. The people have done nothing yet to merit God’s grace except to assume that the blood of the covenant is sufficient to enact the covenant. Abraham discovered this –

“And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Genesis 15:6

It is the seal of his righteousness. It is also the evangelical seal of our righteousness. And guess what, it is also sealed upon the Law of Moses itself. Even the Ten Commandments are introduced with this language – “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Exodus 20:1

God redeems. We have no part in our salvation except to believe and receive. This is what Paul precisely states in Ephesians 1 –

“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Moses, acting as their mediator, splashes the blood of the animal on the earthen altar, thus signifying their yielding to God. All of it is picturing the future work of Christ for us – the altar, the blood, the grace through faith. Only after the blood is splashed on the altar are the words of the covenant read aloud…

⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people.

Only after yielding to God through the sacrifice does Moses now read the written word to the people. It says, v’yiqra b’azene ha’am – “And proclaimed in the ears of the people.” It is more graphic in the Hebrew than when translated. It is the very words that they had heard and agreed to, but now they are set in writing. He is repeating the Book to them now so that they know that it is what the Lord is also agreeing to with this covenant.

^7 (con’t) And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.”

These words qol asher dibber Yehovah na’aseh v’nishma, are almost exclusively translated in this way. “We will do and be obedient.” In fact, only one of the twenty Bibles I read, the Jubilee Bible, says, “All that the LORD has said we will do, and we will hear.” This.is.correct.

The word shema means to hear, but hearing is often associated with obedience, such as “I want you to hear me,” which means “I want you to do as I say.” However, one cannot be obedient unless they first hear. In the final portion of the Book of the Covenant, which is the section concerning the promises, it says –

“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. ²¹ Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. ²² But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.”

In other words, more words of instruction are coming from the Lord to which the people must be attentive. This is why they have added on to their statement of verse 3 the words, “…and we will hear.” They have committed to doing even before hearing.

Note: it doesn’t say that we will hear and then we will obey. It says that we will do, and we will hear. The Book of the Covenant is not the entire body of the Law. It is what the entire body of the law is based on. And so, only after this commitment does the Lord accept the people’s offerings through Moses’ mediation…

*⁸ And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”

If the splashing of the blood on the altar denoted the surrender of the people to the will of God, then the sprinkling of the people with the blood is the acceptance of the people by God who proposed the covenant to them. The same word zaraq, is used, but Keil notes that the form it is in indicates sprinkling rather than splashing.

The poured out blood symbolized their death; the sprinkled blood denotes the renewal of life and thus the people’s transposition into the kingdom of God. The sins of the people are symbolically carried away and they are sanctified as the people of God.

All of this only looks forward to the greater work of Christ. The half of the blood splashed on the altar looked forward to the satisfaction of God’s anger at our sin through the shed blood of Christ. The half sprinkled on the people looked forward to the purification of us through His blood (Hebrews 10:22) and the sanctification of the Spirit (1 Peter 1:2).

Today’s eight verses have been literally filled with information; certainly more than we will be able to remember. But remembering the details isn’t the point. Understanding the overall premises is. If you can remember that you are saved by grace through faith apart from works, then you have understood the overall message.

As we continue through the law, you’ll also learn that good works aren’t going to keep you saved. This is why God gave Israel a Day of Atonement. If you trust in your good works, then you’re probably not a saved person. What you need to do is to trust in God’s continued mercy, despite your many failings.

If you have good works for the Lord, that’s a good thing, but they can never replace your wholehearted dependence on Christ. As the Bible says, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” And if you have never trusted in the grace of Christ to save you from the pit of hell, today would be a good day to get that settled. Here’s what you need to know…

Closing Verse: “For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. ¹⁷ For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. ¹⁸ Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. ¹⁹ For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰ saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.'” Hebrews 9:17-20

Next Week: Exodus 24:9-18 What will Moses find there? A bubbling fountain? (Come up to Me on the Mountain) (65th Exodus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Blood of the Covenant

Now He said to Moses, He did tell
“Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu
And seventy of the elders of Israel
And worship from afar, as I am instructing you

And Moses alone shall come near the Lord
But they shall not come near
Nor shall the people go up with him, hear my word
Only Moses shall come up here

So Moses came and told the people
All the words of the Lord; the judgments through and through
And all the people answered with one voice and said
“All the words which the Lord has said we will do

And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord
And he rose early in the morning as well
And built an altar at the foot of the mountain
And twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel

Then he sent young men of the children of Israel
Who offered burnt offerings
And sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord
These were the people’s profferings

And Moses took half the blood
And put it in basins, for the covenant rite
And half the blood he sprinkled on the altar
The sacrificial blood, crimson and bright

Then he took the Book of the Covenant
And read in the hearing of the people too
And they said, “All that the Lord has said
We will do, and be obedient; this our word to you

And Moses took the blood
Sprinkled it on the people, and said to them too
“This is the blood of the covenant
Which the Lord has made according to all these words with you

The covenant was sealed in blood before the Lord
The people agreed to its words as one
And it came into effect that day
With the sprinkling of the blood the sealing was done

A New Covenant came many years later
Christ offered to the house of Israel and the house of Judah too
And it was sealed in His blood for them
But the Gentiles have been offered it too

All who come to Christ through faith
Will be received as children of God
It is a promise for all times, thus the Lord saith
That through Christ for eternity heavenly streets we will trod

What a marvelous thing to understand
To know what God has done for the world in Christ Jesus
Thank You, O God, for promises so grand
Thank You for all You have done for us

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

Exodus 23:20-33
Covenant Promises and Expectations

From simple logic of what God must be like, we learn that in Him there is no change. We don’t need the Bible to discern this, but the Bible bears it out. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. However, we cannot use that as a principle which then means that the law which He gave to Israel is eternally binding on us.

Some people follow that line of reasoning, but it is flawed. Rather, God has progressively revealed His intentions to the people of the world. When the law was fulfilled in Christ, He annulled it through the New Covenant in His blood. And yet, there are many precepts which are constant.

One of them is that when we are obedient to Him in the manner He has revealed to us, things will go well. When we aren’t, things won’t. Some of the precepts in today’s verses reflect that. Though the law is set aside in Christ, following some of its precepts will inevitably lead to a good end.

This doesn’t mean we’re obligated to them, but if we follow through with them, things will naturally go better than if we don’t. Further, there is the truth that whatever God has thus far revealed is to be adhered to. At this time, we are living in the Dispensation of Grace. We are expected to receive Jesus Christ by faith and trust in His works alone for our salvation.

When we fail to do this and instead trust in our own works, we will not be right with Him. And even though we are under grace, we are not given license to sin. Should we ignore the precepts of the New Testament, we will suffer. At all times, God is calling us to continually return to Him and to cling to Him.

Text Verse: “For I am the Lord, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
⁷ Yet from the days of your fathers
You have gone away from My ordinances
And have not kept them.
Return to Me, and I will return to you,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“But you said,
‘In what way shall we return?’” Malachi 3:6-7

The way we are to return to the Lord is by following the precepts that He lays down for us at any given time in redemptive history. Christ is our Savior and though we may receive Him, we may walk away from Him. In so doing, we will only injure ourselves.

However, if we remain obedient, our expectation is that of many rewards when we stand before Him. God does not force Himself upon us. Instead He grants us the free will to choose. Adam didn’t choose so wisely. Israel didn’t choose so wisely. The church has continuously divided because many fail to choose wisely.

In our sermon verses today is another chiasm for us to ponder. I needed something to do on my trip to Chicago last week and so I went through these verses with the intent of seeing if one was there. Sure enough, one is. The lesson for you… use your time wisely. If you have a few hours, pull our your Bible and study!

Following God’s laws has never been hard, but our human nature says, “I can do it better my own way.” God tells us time and time again that this is not true. He made us and He knows what is best for us. For Israel at the giving of the law, He told them what was best in order for things to go well. These truths are to be found in His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. My Angel will go Before You (verses 20-26)

The words of today’s verses close out the initial giving of the law to the people. These words are “the Book of the Covenant.” After this, Moses will go down the mountain and present them to Israel. They have already vowed to accept the words of the Lord and to be obedient to them on two separate occasions.

The first was in Chapter 19. After arriving at Sinai, Moses went up and was given an initial set of words to repeat to Israel. After receiving the word, he came back down and this was recorded –

“So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. ⁸ Then all the people answered together and said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do.'” Exodus 19:7, 8

After that, the Ten Commandments were thundered out in the hearing of the people. In their horror and dread, they told Moses –

“You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” Exodus 20:19

After that, Moses ascended the mountain once again and was given the words of Exodus 20:22 – 23:33. Each of these was carefully laid out in sets of tens and which harmoniously developed a theme of God’s expected standards for His people. These words now close out those decades of verses with the expected promises for adherence to them. The first promise is a great one indeed…

²⁰ “Behold, I send an Angel before you

hinneh anoki sholeakh malakh l’phanekha – “Behold, I send Angel before your face.” It is a wonderful promise to Moses. It is one of comfort and assurance that he will not be alone in leading the people of Israel to where they are to go.

It is highly debated who this Angel is. Scholars, both Jewish and Christian alike, have debated this and proposed numerous possibilities. Is it Moses? Is it Joshua? Is it an angel? Is it the Lord? It certainly isn’t Moses because the pronoun is in the singular. The address is to him alone.

Many translations capitalize the word to signify their trust that it is in fact the Lord. This is correct. One must let Scripture interpret Scripture. The pillar of cloud which was first seen in Exodus 13:21, and which was explicitly mentioned last in Exodus 14:24, has continued to be with Israel. It will continue to be noted later in Exodus 33, in Numbers 14, and as late as Deuteronomy 31:15.

In Exodus 33:3, there will be a time when the Lord tests Moses with these words –

“Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”

Also, Paul explicitly ties incidents of the wilderness wanderings to the Presence of Christ among them in 1 Corinthians 10. In verse 10:9, he says that in their conduct, they tempted Christ. Therefore, the Angel who is promised to go before them is, in fact, the Lord.

The pillar of cloud obscures His glory. Within that veil is Christ, “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3). This promise of the presence of the Angel will not be without cost to the people. We will see this in the verses, chapters, and books which lie ahead.

^{20 (con’t)} …to keep you in the way

lishmarekha ba’derek – These words certainly have a triple signification. The first is that Israel will be guided in the proper course to take as they travel towards Canaan. The Lord is directing them according to a set plan, and each stop is where He wants them physically to ensure that they arrive when He wants and where He wants. In this route, they will be safely conducted by Him.

The second reason is as an instruction for the people. To “keep you in the way” isn’t speaking of just a physical way, but it is also speaking on the lines of morality and obedience. The last time the word “way” or derek was used, it was in exactly this manner –

“And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do.” Exodus 18:20

And finally, each stop is recorded as a pictorial lesson for us today. It is to show us Christ. We have seen that numerous times already, and that will continue to be the case with each stop and each thing that occurs at each stop. Christ is being revealed to us!

^{20 (con’t)} and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

The place He is speaking of is obviously Canaan. The promise was made to the patriarchs that the land would be theirs. Abraham was told this and it was passed down to each generation since then –

“Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. ¹⁴ And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Genesis 15:13-16

In those words, we see the reason why the Lord delayed the promise. It was because “the iniquity of the Amorites” was not yet complete. The Lord was patient with the inhabitants of the land. Until their iniquity had reached its full measure, He granted them the right to continue in the land.

However, the time was drawing near for that to end. Their wickedness was so great that, like those before the flood, the only remedy was their destruction. Instead of a flood of water, they would be destroyed by the flood of the Lord’s army, Israel.

Despite this being the case, these words are given as a picture of the future granting of a place for the redeemed of the Lord, that of heaven. It is what the land of Canaan only anticipated –

“‘Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.’
⁵ Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’
⁶ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'” John 14:1-6

Just as the Lord had prepared Canaan for Israel, the same Lord who came to live among us has given us an even greater promise. We have a home reserved for us, eternal in the heavens.

²¹ Beware of Him and obey His voice;

When taken together with the rest of Scripture, in this verse we have a picture of the Trinity. First, Moses is told to “beware of Him and obey His voice.” This is speaking of the Angel who is being sent before them. The author of Hebrews ascribes the words to obey His voice at this time to the Holy Spirit –

“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
‘Today, if you will hear His voice,
⁸ Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
⁹ Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.'” Hebrews 3:7-9

In Exodus 20:1 the Ten Commandments began with the words, “Then God spoke…” Immediately after that in verse 2, came the words, “I am the Lord your God.” In Hebrews, the admonition to obey is said to have been spoken by the Holy Spirit. Thus, so far, both the Father and the Holy Spirit are specifically noted. At the end of this verse, the Son’s role will be noted as well.

^{21 (con’t)} do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions;

It is the Son to whom judgment has been granted. It is He who pardons and it is He who finds guilt. All authority is granted to Him on earth and in heaven. This is seen even in the Old Testament with the following words…

^{21 (con’t)} for My name is in Him.

We are being shown a picture of the Trinity here. As the Lord God, or Yehovah Elohim, says that His name is in Him, then as Adam Clarke notes, “…the Jehovah dwells in Him.” He is spoken of as a separate Person, and yet in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Charles Ellicott notes that –

“God and His Name are in Scripture almost convertible terms. He is never said to set His Name in a man.” Charles Ellicott

The word translated as “in Him” is b’qirbow. It means, “In His inward parts.” In other words, it is united to Him. If the essence of Yehovah dwells in Him, then this is speaking of the third member of the Trinity – the divine Logos – the word of God; Jesus the Christ. Therefore, these words return us, once again, to John 14 –

“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” John 14:11

²² But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

This is a fascinating verse to consider. In the first clause, there is a change from the third person to the first person. It says, “…if you obey His voice.” It then says, “…and do all that I speak.” This is known as a perikhoresis. It’s a Greek term which is derived from two separate words, peri, which means “around,” and khorein, which in this context means “to go forward.”

It is a tenet which is seen throughout Scripture, but which is often highlighted and magnified by the words of Jesus, particularly in the Gospel of John. It gives the idea of “indwelling” which then conveys and realizes fellowship between the members of the Godhead. This is seen, for example, in John 15:26 –

“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”

Even in the Old Testament, multiple clues as to the nature of the Godhead are given. This is a beautiful example of one of them.

Next, this is a conditional verse. It is based on obedience. In it there are four individual thoughts containing three repetitions. The first thought, which is also a repetition is an emphasis in the command – ki im shamoa tishma b’qolow – “but if listening you shall listen to His voice.”

The second thought is based on their listening. It is the application of it – v’asita kol asher a’dabber – “and do all that I speak.” One can’t do unless one first hears and heeds. If one hears, it doesn’t mean they will heed. But if they do, then they will apply what they heard and turn it into action. This then is the obedience of the law.

If these two conditions are met, then there will be rewards, both of which are repetitions based on contrast. The first is v’ayavti eth oyevekha – “then I will be an enemy to your enemies.” The second is v’sarti eth sorerekha – “and an adversary to your adversaries.”

In this, two very similar verbs are used. The first is tsuwr which is used for the first time in Scripture. It comes from a primitive root meaning to cramp. From it, one gets the sense of binding up an enemy or afflicting them by besieging them.

The second word is tsarar. It carries the same meaning as tsuwr and it was first used in Exodus 12:34 when it said that the Israelites had their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. Now it is being used for the first time in the sense of one’s enemies.

Third, the words can’t be only limited to the time before entering Canaan. We have already seen that heeding the voice of the Lord is used by the author of Hebrews to speak of our relationship with Christ. But he was quoting the 95th Psalm there in Hebrews. The psalmist spoke of “Today” just as the author of Hebrews did.

Therefore, this is speaking of how God deals with His covenant people. “Today if you hear His voice…” The promise began at Sinai and it continues to be recalled to God’s people since then. And finally, what is implied, but as yet unstated, is that if they don’t obey, there will be consequences. The opposite of what He promises here is explicitly noted in Leviticus 26 –

“And I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant; when you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.” Leviticus 26:25

Before we go on, I should ask, after considering the words of this verse, do you think the Lord works any differently today? It is to our benefit to follow the advice here – “Listening you shall listen to His voice and do all that He speaks.” We are under the New Covenant and in the Dispensation of Grace, but we still have many commands and admonitions which have been given to us to heed.

²³ For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off.

In verse 20 it said “I will send an Angel.” Now it says malaki or “My Angel.” There is nothing here to preclude it being Christ. Rather, Malachi 3:1 uses the same word, malak, to describe first John the Baptist and then Christ Jesus –

“‘Behold, I send My messenger,
And he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,’
Says the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:1

It is Christ who will go before Israel, taking them into the Land of Promise. And the Lord promises to “cut them off.” In this, it means as collective people groups. Not all were cut off. Some were eventually assimilated into Israel. One of David’s leading military men was Uriah the Hittite who was the husband of Bathsheba.

David was also noted as having bought the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite who dwelt among them. Even in Jesus’ time, a person is identified as being a woman of Canaan in Matthew.

²⁴ You shall not bow down to their gods,

lo tishtakhaveh l’elohehem – As most of us already know, bowing down to a god is considered a way of honoring them and paying reverence to them. In so doing, it is an implicit act of trust that they can meet one’s needs. It can also imply that one expects return benefits from them. This was utterly forbidden for them to do.

This is something that is not only common in the RCC today, it is the standard daily ritual, particularly statues of Mary and the saints, as well as supposed relics of dead folk.

^{24 (con’t)} nor serve them,

v’lo ta’abedem – To serve an idol is more than bowing down to them. It can be placing food before them, burning incense to them, singing to them, praying to them, or praising them. Again, this is SOP in the RCC. All of these are done daily at the Vatican and in most subordinate locations.

Within the RCC, they attempt to make a distinction between what is offered to idols: dulia, hyperdulia, and latria. Dulia is supposedly honor and recognition accorded to idols. Hyper-dulia is “lots and lots of dulia.” This is accorded to Mary. Then there is latria which is worship of God.

These distinctions are seen in word, not in practice, and they are exactly what comprise the closing words of John’s first epistle –

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” 1 John 5:21

^{24 (con’t)} nor do according to their works;

v’lo taaseh kemaasehem – This is speaking of the cultic practices of those who followed these false gods. Some were sexual in nature, some included human sacrifice, self flagellation, etc. These were utterly forbidden. They were to keep from the idols and they were to keep from practicing the rites involved with the idols. In 1 Kings 11, Solomon is noted for having completely blown it in these three ways –

“For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. ⁵ For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. ⁶ Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. ⁷ Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. ⁸ And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.”

^{24 (con’t)} but you shall utterly overthrow them

ki hares taharesem – “in overthrowing, you shall overthrow them.” This is speaking of the false gods. They were to be proven exactly that; false. Their altars were to be destroyed and their temples were to be torn down. There was to be nothing left of them. Even their foundations were to be destroyed.

^{24 (con’t)} and completely break down their sacred pillars.

v’shaber t’shaber matsevotehem – “…in breaking, you shall break their pillars.” The false gods are identified with the images which represent them. They were to be utterly broken down. They were to be crushed, burned, and left as nothing more than refuse.

It was the practice of conquering forces to take the idols of the vanquished nations and keep them as trophies of victory. However, this was not to be condoned in Israel. They were false, they couldn’t save their own people, and they could only entice Israel to eventually look to them for what they could never provide. Unfortunately, King Amaziah failed in all respects concerning this 24th verse of Exodus 23 –

“Now it was so, after Amaziah came from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them.” 2 Chronicles 25:14

How hopeless we are as a species! We reject what is good and right and honorable and give our allegiance to the passing wind.

²⁵ “So you shall serve the Lord your God,

In contrast to serving the false gods of Canaan, they are instructed to serve Yehovah Elohekem, or “Yehovah your God.” He alone is Israel’s God and He alone was to be served by them. In return for this, they could expect His divine favor…

^{25 (con’t)} and He will bless your bread and your water.

This doesn’t just mean that their food will be healthy, but that it will be abundant. They will not lack food or water when they are in a right relationship with the Lord. What is implicit here is that if they fail to serve Him, bread and water would be lacking in both quantity and quality.

^{25 (con’t)} And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.

Ellicott notes that, “Half the sicknesses from which men suffer are directly caused by sin, and would disappear if men led godly, righteous, and sober lives. Others, as plague and pestilence, are scourges sent by God to punish those who have offended Him.”

If they served the Lord, they would be blessed with health and vitality. This verse follows directly on the last use of the word translated as sickness, makhaleh, which was in Exodus 15:26 –

“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

Again, what is implied is that the opposite will certainly be true for a failure to adhere to the Book of the Covenant.

²⁶ No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land;

This is probably speaking of both people and animals. When people are well fed and live in clean conditions, which the law will later give instructions for, then those in the land would naturally not face these types of problems.

This probably is not intended as anything more than a general pronouncement. Godly women such as Hannah and Elizabeth were both barren for extended periods. However, the Lord eventually favored them both.

^{26 (con’t)} I will fulfill the number of your days.

Again, when one follows the guidelines given in the law, they can expect to live long, normal lives. The Bible gives us guidelines for right and healthy living because it is written by the One who fashioned us. He knows what is right and best for us. By following His words and seeking after Him, we will naturally be better off.

When we depart from His way, of course we can expect early death through disease because of things like sexual sins, or through trauma because of things like a bullet in our noggin. Look at the world today. The words of the Bible are normally borne out in how we conduct our lives. For the wicked, the psalms give a good general picture of life –

“But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction;
Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days;
But I will trust in You.” Psalm 55:3

I will send My Messenger before you, He will lead the way
He is the Head of the army of the Lord
He is the King of My People, and to you I say
He will go before you always, He – My spoken Word

Have no fear of your enemies, they are already defeated
I have sent My fear before you, to break open a way
Even the enemy of death has been unseated
Over him My Son prevailed at the dawning of the day

My Name is in Him and so have no fear
It is your enemies to whom my fear has gone out
So in the exalted name of Jesus, send out a hearty cheer
Yes, in His name shall you give a resounding shout

I. I Will Send My Fear Before You (verses 27-33

²⁷ “I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come,

These promises are conditional. The first two were literally fulfilled, using the same word. The “fear” or emah certainly came to the people of Canaan prior to Israel’s arrival. Rahab the harlot, using the same word emah, told this to the spies who visited her-

“I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. ¹⁰ For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.” Joshua 2:9, 10

The confusion or hamam was first seen in the Bible in Exodus 14 when the Lord confused the Egyptians as they pursued Israel through the Red Sea. In Joshua 10:10, the same word is used again to describe the Lord confusing Joshua’s enemies in battle.

^27 (cont) and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.

The opposite of the final promise is actually what is seen in Scripture. In Joshua 7, it is Israel, not their enemies who turned their oreph, or necks in battle. One of the congregation violated the law concerning the destruction of Jericho. Because of this, in their next battle, they were routed, turned their necks, and ran.

The conditional nature of these promises is highlighted through the use of the selected words as they are later used in the book of Joshua. The Lord is asking us to look at them and see how it is we who are either obedient to the Lord and flourish, or who turn from Him and falter. If so, we turn out to be our own worst enemies.

²⁸ And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you.

This verse introduces the tsirah, or hornet, into the Bible. It is the first of just three times that they are mentioned. The word comes from tsara which means to be leprous. Also, there is an article in front of “hornet.” It is “the hornet.” The language here is to be taken metaphorically.

First, similar terminology is used concerning bees in Deuteronomy 1:44 and Psalm 118:12. There, they are equated with one’s enemies. Secondly, Joshua says that this was fulfilled in the case of the Amorites in Joshua 24:12 –

“I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow.”

There it said it was the hornet that drove out the two kings of the Amorites. And yet, Moses, speaking of the same battle, shows that it was, in fact, Israel who defeated them –

“And at that time we took the land from the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were on this side of the Jordan, from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon…” Deuteronomy 3:8

This is repeated in Deuteronomy 4:47 and it is referring to the kings Sihon and Og. What I speculate this is referring to is that there is a connection between the hornet and its associated word meaning leprosy.

The Lord promised health and long life to Israel if they held to His laws. As they were going in to a land defiled by those things which are opposed to a healthy lifestyle, the enemy had been afflicted with disease to the point where they were incapable of standing up to Israel’s armies.

Thus, “the hornet” is a metaphor for God’s judgment of sickness upon them, preparing them for destruction by Israel. This is only speculation, but the Bible records that Israel actually faced these foes in battle. Thus it is a reasonable explanation for the term “the hornet” which is said to have gone before them.

²⁹ I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.

There is a bit tied up in this verse. First, it is a certainty that the inhabitants are to be driven out. However, there is an incremental process which is to take place. We look at the Lord’s plans as if He is slacking, but this is not the case. It is only from our short life spans that we decide things should move more quickly.

But the Lord is looking at the long-term. If all of the inhabitants were taken out at once, the land would become desolate. The word shemamah, or desolation is introduced into Scripture here. The land was inhabited, and there were fields, crops, fruit trees, wells, houses, etc. everywhere.

If all the people were taken out at once, there would have been an insufficient number of people to take them over. The productivity would have been lost. Further, these nations were collectively destroyed, but not all individuals were. Some of them came into the people of Israel and actually lead even to Christ Himself – Rahab and Bathsheba are but two known for sure.

Further, it is later stated that some of the inhabitants were left in order to test Israel and see if they would keep the way of the Lord or not. This is seen in Judges 2:21-23. And finally, it was because the beasts of the field would become too numerous. This actually occurred after the exile of the ten tribes. In 2 Kings, we read this –

“And it was so, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.” 2 Kings 17:25

It was noted after the Franco-German war that many districts in France had an explosion of wolves. These wouldn’t just be physically harmful to people, but they would be devastating to flocks and they would bring diseases with them as well. The Lord knew these things would occur and so he determined to methodically take care of the occupation of Canaan…

³⁰ Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.

meat meat agareshenu mippanekha – “little little I will drive them out from before your face.” The idea here is the completed explanation from the previous verse. It implies that Israel will be fruitful and multiply. They will increase in numbers and as they do they will be able to assume the responsibility for the land.

It is, in picture, somewhat like what Adam could have done in the Garden of Eden. If he was obedient, then he would have increased there, but in his disobedience, he was cast out to the east. In a similar way, Israel was given this wonderful land of Promise and they were told to increase there, being obedient to the Lord.

Instead of this, they were eventually driven out and sent east to Babylon. The pattern repeated itself. From abundance to want, from a land of delight to a land of captivity, and from the west to the east – both Adam and Israel failed to keep the good things they had been given. The Lord had done all the work; all they needed to do was exercise faith, trust, and obedience. Both failed.

³¹ And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the River.

The boundaries of the land are defined here and they cause those who deny predictive prophecy no end of stress. It wasn’t until the time of Solomon that this prophecy was actually realized, and yet the Lord told them that this would be the land they received.

The Red Sea is the southern extremity, the sea Philistia, or the Mediterranean was to be the western border. The desert, meaning where they are now in Sinai, was to be the land border on the south, and the River, meaning the Euphrates, was to be their border to the north and east.

The term for “the river,” which is ha’nahar, cannot be taken as meaning the Jordan. It is later explicitly described as the Euphrates twice in Deuteronomy and once in Joshua. This immense expanse of land is what was promised to Israel after it having first been promised to their forefather Abraham in Genesis 15:18.

^{31 (con’t)} For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.

This verse here clearly explains the previous conundrum concerning the term “the hornet.” The Lord says He will deliver the inhabitants of the land into the hands of Israel. When He does, they are to respond by driving the people out. Thus, the term “the hornet” must be taken metaphorically. The Lord prepared the people for being driven out and Israel accomplished the matter.

³² You shall make no covenant with them,

Interestingly, the Book of the Covenant, which begins in Exodus 20:22, began with a warning against idolatry. It now closes with the same theme. It is an exceptional warning to the people that they were to take heed and not participate in any idolatrous worship. They were admonished to keep far from it.

In these words, the people are warned to not cut any covenant with the people. This was violated almost immediately after they entered the Land of Promise. Joshua failed to check with the Lord concerning a covenant with the Gibeonites and he, in fact, made a covenant with them. This wasn’t the only such infraction either, in Judges 2:2, 3 we read –

“And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? ³ Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”

What is important to understand is that such a covenant was normally not only with the people. There was more to it than a simple treaty…

^{32 (con’t)} nor with their gods.

In making a covenant with a people group, it was the custom to acknowledge the god or gods of that people group. Sometimes it was implicit, at other times it was explicit. Sacrifices would be made and then acknowledgement of the god’s ability to protect and to keep secure the covenant was involved.

Thus, by cutting such a covenant, it was acknowledging the belief system of the other group. This is, unfortunately, now what has happened between many Christian sects and Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, etc. There is either an implicit or an explicit acknowledgment of the power of the false gods, or of the incorrect faith in the true God, of these other religions.

This shows the epitome of contempt for the One true God when it occurs. Like Israel of old, many will face the same sad end because of their failure to hold to the Lord alone.

³³ They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me.

Allowing pagans to remain in the land will inevitably result in turning from the Lord. This is seen time and time again in the Bible. If a person became a part of the covenant people, they had to give up on their religion and turn to the Lord.

Ruth, for example, was one who was famous for having clung to the Lord God of Israel. But for those who didn’t cling to Him, only trouble could result. This is the story of America today. Little by little, false religions have crept in and the collective heart of the people has turned from Him.

There is no longer a fear of the Lord, and the land has devolved into utter wickedness because of it. This was the final warning to Israel. Like them, we failed to take heed…

*^33 (fin) For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

Making alliances with those who worship other gods will inevitably result in a weakening of the true faith. It is as a snare by which one is caught. This is the first time that the word moqesh, or snare is used in this way concerning the true faith.

It is as if one is walking along, and without even seeing it lying there, they step in it and are set on a path to destruction. This is the end for all who mingle the true faith with that which is false. Unfortunately, Israel failed to heed, and unfortunately, we have failed to heed as well.

The gospel has gone out, it has been well received by the world, and now it is on a path of apostasy from which it will probably not recover. The Lord will take action and He will destroy Mystery Babylon from the face of the earth. All who are a part of her will be destroyed with her.

But before that day comes, there is still a chance to get right with the Lord. There is time to call on Christ and be saved from the inevitable. You see, the book is written and the judgments are already laid out. All we can do is endure until He calls us home to be with Him.

After that occurs, the world will be cast into a time of global destruction. It is all because we have failed to simply receive the word and stand fast on it. Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. Call on Jesus and be reconciled to God through Him. Let me tell you how to you can, even right now…

Closing Verse: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” 1 John 5:21

Next Week: Exodus 24:1-8 Israel agreed to the word He sent… (This is the Blood of the Covenant) (65th Exodus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Covenant Promises and Expectations

Behold, I send an Angel before you
To keep you in the way
And to bring you into the place
Which I have prepared; it is waiting you there today

Beware of Him and obey His voice
Him do not provoke
For He will not pardon your transgressions
For My name is in Him; do as I spoke

But if you indeed obey His voice
And do all that I speak: you my word with you do carry
Then I will be an enemy to your enemies
And to your adversaries an adversary

For My Angel will go before you
And bring you in to the Amorites
And the Hittites and the Perizzites too
And the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites
And I will cut them off, this I will do

You shall not bow down to their gods
Nor serve them, nor do according to the works they make
But you shall utterly overthrow them
And their sacred pillars down you shall completely break

So you shall serve the Lord your God
And He will bless your bread and your water too
And I will take sickness away
From the midst of you

No one shall suffer miscarriage
Or be barren in your land
I will fulfill the number of your days
Pay heed to this word; please understand

I will send My fear before you
I will cause confusion, it is true
Among all the people to whom you come
And will make all your enemies turn their backs to you

And I will send hornets before you
Which shall drive out the Hivite
The Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you too

I will not drive them out from before you in one year
Lest becomes desolate the land
And the beasts of the field that cause fear
Become too numerous for you, lest they get out of hand

Little by little I will drive them out
From before you until you have increased
And you inherit the land
And any terror from them will have ceased

And I will set your bounds
From the Red Sea to Philistia’s sea
And from the desert to the River
All this, your territory shall be

For I will deliver the inhabitants
Of the land into your hand
And you shall drive them out before you
This I proclaim for you to understand

You shall make no covenant with them
Nor with their gods, I tell you now plainly
They shall not dwell in your land
Lest they make you sin against Me

For if you serve their gods
It will surely be a snare to you
And so I admonish you now
This thing you shall not do

Help us Lord to follow in Your way
Help us to live rightly according to Your word
Let our lives be dedicated to you, renewed each day
And let our deeds be for the sake of our Lord

Great are You, O God, and worthy of our praise
Your word is perfect and Your ways are just and true
And so we shall follow You with obedient hearts always
Unto the ages of ages we will praise and glorify You

Hallelujah and Amen…