Week 6 - Exodus 14-31

Welcome to the end of week 6! I hope that you are all learning from God’s word and feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit as well as the love of God as we read through this together. The week we continue through the second half of Exodus. One of the things that I noticed in this section is that as we read more detailed instructions about what God expected of the Israelites, it is easy to skim through thinking that it doesn’t matter to us. However, every part of the word of God has a purpose even for us today. So, the question that we must ask ourselves is, what can we learn from God’s strict expectations of the Israelites to set them apart? What of all the details of building the tabernacle and the altar for worship? What is God reminding us of? He is reminding us that he gives us what we need and he tells us what we need to do day by day to honor him. All we need to do, is remain obedient.

Here are some of Norries thoughts:

Exodus 14-15

God takes Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground, and destroys the power

of Egypt by killing Pharaoh and his army in the sea. This whole story is a picture

of our salvation, where God sovereignly and miraculously rescues us from

slavery to sin and the world, and then forever destroys the power of the enemy

against ever re-enslaving us again. Israel going through the sea on dry ground is

also a picture of water baptism, with only a new beginning in front of them, and

an insurpassable barrier against going back behind them.

In spite of all the miracles that God had done, and His visible presence among

Israel, after only three days in the desert the people began to grumble and

complain against God. This is a warning for us to not forget all that He has done

for us, and become ungrateful when we don’t continue to see wondrous things

He is doing for us.

Exodus 16-18

God gives the people manna from heaven that would continue for 40 years.

In John 6:41 Jesus said that He was that bread that came down from heaven,

and in Matthew 6:11 Jesus tells us to pray each day for the bread that God will

give us that day, which is both physical and spiritual.

God also brings forth water from the Rock at Horeb (Sinai), which would run

like a river for 40 years in the desert, providing water for 1-2 million Israelites.

Jesus was that Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4), and He is the source of eternal water,

so that everyone who drinks of Him will never thirst again (John 4:14).

Exodus 19-21

All of Israel is called before God at Sinai, and there is great fire and

earthquakes on the mountain when the presence of God descends.

Beginning in chapter 20 God gives His laws to Moses, starting with the Ten

Commandments, and then continuing with many rules governing equity and

justice between people.

Exodus 22-24

In chapters 22-23 God continues in giving Moses the commandments of His

law. In chapter 24 Moses writes down, and recounts to the people all of God’s

laws, and they swear to obey them all. God appears in glory to Moses and the

70 elders, which would have been a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus (see also

Isaiah 6), and then Moses is called up to the top of the mountain to meet with

God for 40 days.

Exodus 25-27

In these chapters God gives Moses detailed instructions for the building of the

Tabernacle and each of its furnishings. There have been many very good

studies into the details of this portable temple, the Tabernacle of Moses,

demonstrating how each article, measurement, and furnishing points to Jesus.

A cubit was a length of measure approximately 16”-18” long, which was taken

from the distance between a man’s longest finger and his elbow.

Exodus 28-29

God then gives Moses instructions that will apply to his brother Aaron, who

had been chosen by God has the first High Priest in Israel, and his sons

thereafter. The High Priests in Israel would always be a direct descendent of

Aaron, as well as the priests who served God in the Tabernacle (and later in

Solomon’s Temple). All of the details described in these chapters point to Jesus,

our great High Priest.

Exodus 30-31

The Lord then provides Moses with instructions for the consecration and use

of the implements of worship in the Tabernacle, the alter of incense, the laver for

washing, the daily duties of the priests, etc…. God also names a few men for

Moses to assign responsibilities for building all these things.

At the end of 40 days God’s instructions to Moses are done, and the Lord

gives him 2 tablets of stone with His commandments inscribed on them by His

own finger.