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Exodus 29: The Price of a Ticket to Paradise

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Unfortunately, circumstances prevent me from writing a regular Bible study on Exodus 29. Illness and busyness have conspired to empty my time tank to its dregs.

Providentially, I preached a sermon earlier this year on the very chapter of Exodus I was due to write about today. So I eagerly refer you to my church’s website for a recording. Scroll down to Exodus 29 for the sermon du jour. Or click here for a direct link.

For a taste:

A ticket to God’s paradise is costly. In particular, it requires:

  1. An Approved Man in Approved Garments – Ex 29:1-25
  2. Eating Approved Food – Ex 29:26-34
  3. In an Approved Place – Ex 29:35-44

These three categories summarize the entire Old Testament sacrificial system. So the New Testament uses the same three categories to describe our new position in Christ.

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-5)

Exodus 27:20-28:43: If Salvation Looked Like a Uniform

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Moses continues to receive instructions on Mount Sinai for Yahweh’s special tent for dwelling among his people. We’re still in the first of seven speeches, but the subject has shifted. While the first few chapters were about furniture and structures, the next few are about the people who will serve in the tent, along with some of their duties.

Observation of Exodus 27:20-28:43

Most repeated words: make (21 times), two (19x), Aaron (17), gold (15), ephod (12), sons (12), breastpiece (11), Israel (10), name (9)

  • This section has slightly less focus on materials (though “gold” abounds, and “blue” and “linen” will each come up 7 or 8 times) and more focus on the people who will use what is made: Aaron and his sons.

Last week, I initially intended to include 27:20-21 with the rest of chapter 27. But as I studied it, it increasingly seemed to go better with the chapters following it.

  • Ex 27:20 issues a command to bring olive oil for light—not just when the tent is built, but perpetually (“regularly”).
  • Ex 27:21 introduces “Aaron and his sons,” who shall tend the lamp placed inside the tent (Ex 26:35) by burning this olive oil “from evening to morning,” “forever,” and “throughout their generations.”
  • Aaron was a major player through the plagues on Egypt (Ex 7:2, 7:10, 7:19, etc.). He played an intermediary role between Moses and the people when God sent manna (Ex 16:9, 10, 33, 34). He has been singled out during the stay at Sinai (Ex 18:12, 19:24, 24:1, 24:14).
  • But this is the first time we’re told explicitly that Aaron and his sons will have a special, ongoing role among the Israelites. However, it was foreshadowed in the unusual genealogy of Ex 6:14-25, where it served to highlight the fact that even Moses needed a great high priest to overcome his disappointing failure.

Most of chapter 28 then describes the priest’s (Aaron’s) uniform.

  • Ex 28:4 functions almost as a table of contents, except the order will be changed slightly in the following verses.
  • Aaron (and his sons to a lesser degree) are to serve as priests (Ex 28:1).
  • The purpose of the uniform is “for glory and for beauty” (Ex 28:2). Glory has to do with importance. Beauty has to do with attractiveness.

Parts of the uniform:

  1. Ephod: the top piece that lays over the shoulders – Ex 28:6-14
  2. Breastpiece – Ex 28:15-30
  3. Robe – Ex 28:31-35
  4. Turban’s metal plate – Ex 28:36-38
  5. Coat, turban, sash – Ex 28:39
  6. Additional garments for Aaron’s sons: coats, sashes, and caps – Ex 28:40-41
  7. Boxer shorts – Ex 28:42-43

Instead of observing the details of this chapter in writing, let me refer you to this marvelous 7-minute video, which visualizes the full priestly uniform while a narrator reads the chapter.

Interpretation of Exodus 27:20-28:43

Some possible questions:

  1. Why does the priestly section of tabernacle instructions begin with the perpetual need to bring oil for the lamp?
  2. What does it mean for Aaron’s uniform to be “for glory and for beauty”?
  3. Why does the uniform have all these pieces? What do they each mean?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. The text of Ex 27:20-21 doesn’t give us much to go on, other than that the lamp must burn regularly. This short paragraph serves as a prologue to the set of priestly instructions, and it sets up the priest’s fundamental job as keeping the lamp of Israel burning. This perpetual light becomes an important metaphor later in the Bible (2 Sam 21:17, 2 Chr 29:6-8). The Apostle John sees the Lord Jesus, clothed as a priest and standing in the midst of the lampstands of his churches (Rev 1:12-13, 20). He threatens the removal of the lampstand for churches that do not repent (Rev 2:5).
  2. In wearing this uniform, Aaron is to be both important (glory) and attractive (beauty). He is to stand out. He is just like one of the other Israelites, but he will also not be like the other Israelites. He has to do a job (keeping those lamps lit), which not just anyone is authorized to do.
  3. As with the tabernacle structure, it is tempting to look for deep symbolism in each color and choice of thread. But the text gives enough explicit meaning without us having to look for extra. The ephod is for remembrance (Ex 28:12), so Yahweh will remember his people when the priest comes near. The breastpiece is for judgment (Ex 28:15), so Aaron can bear the judgment of his people on his heart when he goes before Yahweh (Ex 28:29). The robe is for the priest’s life, so he doesn’t die in the presence of Yahweh (Ex 28:35). The metal plate is for holiness (Ex 28:36), making Aaron someone special, who can bear the guilt for the holy things dedicated by the people (Ex 28:38)—in other words: nothing they offer will ever be good enough, but Aaron’s holiness will have it covered. The robes, sashes, and caps are for importance and attractiveness (Ex 28:40). The boxer shorts are to cover nakedness (Ex 28:42) so the priests won’t have to bear their own guilt and die (Ex 28:43).

Train of thought:

  • Bring perpetual supplies so the right people can keep the lamps of Israel burning.
  • Dress these special people in the right uniforms, so they can:
    • represent the people before God
    • represent God before the people
    • cover the unworthiness of both people and their gifts
    • not die themselves by bringing their own guilt too close to Yahweh

Main point: For God to dwell with his people, there must be an authorized person to perpetually represent these people before him.

Connection to Christ: Jesus is the only truly authorized representative of the people. He did not take this honor upon himself, but he was appointed to it by God (Heb 5:4-5). He need not cover his own weakness, but he remains a priest forever by his own obedience (Heb 5:9). Jesus keeps the lamps of our churches burning before his Father (Rev 1:12-13, 20), as long as we remain united to him as branches to a vine (John 15:1-9).

My Application of Exodus 27:20-28:43

Besides Jesus, I need no other high priest. I need no other source of life, no other avenue for judgment, and no extra payment for my sin. It is enough that I turn from sin and cling to Christ. And it is enough if I can influence others to do the same.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Exodus 27:1-19: Moving Mountains

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Moses has received his instructions for both three pieces of furniture and a tent-like structure to put them in. But that’s not everything that will go into the place where God can dwell with his people (Ex 25:8). We still need to go outside.

Observation of Exodus 27:1-19

Most repeated words: cubits (12 times), bronze (10x), make (9), pillars (9), bases (8), court (8), side (7), altar (6), hangings (6), all (5), four (5), three (5), twenty (5).

  • Even more than the prior two chapters, this chapter focuses on quantities and measurements.
  • And a striking shift takes place: For the first time in the instructions, there is no mention of gold. Everything here seems to be made instead of bronze.

The first paragraph is about “the altar.”

  • Looking from above, it will be a square, 5 cubits on a side. Looking from the side, it will be 3 cubits high, with horns on its top corners (Ex 27:1-2).
  • It has all kinds of paraphernalia, all made of bronze: pots, shovels, basins, forks, fire pans (Ex 27:3).
  • The inside is hollow, except for a bronze grating – possibly to hold the carcasses being burned and allow the ashes to drop through (Ex 27:4-5, 8).
  • It’s to be carried with poles, just like the inside furniture, except these are overlaid with bronze (Ex 27:6-7).
  • It shall be made just like the pattern shown on the mountain (Ex 27:8). This same statement was made about the lampstand in Ex 25:40.

    By Camocon – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

The second paragraph is about “the court.”

  • Clearly, this “court” functions like a fence defining the boundaries of the yard outside the tent structure.
  • The fence is made of linen cloth, 100 cubits along north and south borders, and 50 cubits on the west border.
  • The east border is also 50 cubits long, in three segments: Two 15-cubit segments of linen cloth, with a 20-cubit segment in between for the “gate.”
  • The gate is another curtain made of colorful yarns and cloth, just like the cloths that form the tent-structure laid over the wood frames in Ex 26.
  • All of these fencing curtains are hung on many bronze pillars, stuck into bronze bases, with decorative bronze bands, and functional bronze hooks.
  • There will also be many bronze pegs (Ex 27:19), presumably attached to ropes, to hold the court’s fence in place.

Note: Bible dictionaries help by explaining that an Old Testament “cubit” was measured as about 18 inches (a foot and a half). It was roughly measured by the distance along a forearm from a person’s elbow to the tip of the fingers.

  • This makes the altar 7.5 feet long by 7.5 feet wide by 4.5 feet high.
  • This makes the courtyard fence 150 feet long by 75 feet wide (and 7.5 feet high – Ex 27:18).

Structure:

  • Altar
  • Court

    Ruk7, Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 27:1-19

Some possible questions:

  1. Why did I stop at verse 19 and exclude verses 20-21?
  2. What is the purpose of this altar?
  3. What is the purpose of the courtyard?
  4. Why is everything outside the tent structure made of bronze?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. At first, I was planning to cover all 21 verses. But as I studied, I noticed a jarring shift in focus in verses 20-21. It no longer talks about things to construct, but about the ongoing duties of the Israelites and of Aaron and his sons. It seems to serve as an intro for the next section about the priestly garments (Ex 28) and ordination (Ex 29). So I’ll cover verses 20-21 with the next section.
  2. The only clue explicit in the text is in Ex 27:3: “You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes.” So clearly, something will be burned on this altar. This is why we can infer that the bronze grating (Ex 27:4-5) is the cooking surface, and the pots will go underneath. Also, these Israelites may already be familiar with the stories of their ancestors who regularly built altars (Gen 12:7, 12:8, 13:18, 26:25, etc.) and burned animals on them (Gen 8:20, 22:9-13). In addition, God has already told them altars are for burning animals (Ex 20:24-26). So though this passage doesn’t state it explicitly, we should already know that animals will be burned here as an act of worship to God to represent gifts, thanksgiving, and/or substitution.
  3. Again, no purpose is explicit in the text. But since the altar will contain open fire, we can suppose it will be placed outside in this yard, and not inside the tent structure. The other clear inference from the text is that the fence line hangings define a clear boundary. There should be no question about whether someone happens to be standing on God’s territory or his own or someone else’s. This sounds a lot like Mount Sinai in Ex 19:12-13, where there was a clear boundary between God’s side and the people’s side. And you can’t get here by accident. There’s only one way in or out (the east-side entrance, by pushing through the gate curtains). With the clear boundary and the three zones (outside yard, inside first room, inside back room—parallel to the three mountain zones in Ex 24:1-2, 9-14), we get the picture that not only is the tabernacle’s blueprint shown on the mountain (Ex 25:40, 27:8), but also the tabernacle’s blueprint is the mountain. The tabernacle complex is a portable Mount Sinai.
  4. Bronze demonstrates a decrease in value from the golden interior, yet with a similar shine and color. This is still God’s place, but this is the “lowest” region of it. This is parallel to the foot of the mountain where the people could make their covenant with God (Ex 24:2-8).

Train of thought:

  • Construct a place for sacrifice.
  • Establish a clear boundary and only one entrance to mark God’s property line, so we can take this mountain on the road with us.

Main point: The mountain where God meets his people—the place where heaven comes to earth—requires a place for sacrifice and has only one entrance.

Connection to Christ: Jesus is God become man. He is the heavenly one who came to earth. We honor the cross as the place where he offered himself once for all (Gal 6:14). And he remains the door, the gate (John 10:1, 7), the one through whom we must come if we are to meet God (John 14:6). God’s presence is no longer tied to a mountain, nor even to a tent or building. God’s presence goes in the hearts of God’s people (Luke 17:21), in the community of saints (1 Cor 3:16), until the end of the age (Matt 28:20).

My Application of Exodus 27:1-19

All praise be to Jesus. If I have him, I have everything, and my life is always before the presence of God. If I don’t have him, I lose everything (1 John 5:12).

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Exodus 26: A Paradise Better Than Eden

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Moses has already received blueprints for three key pieces of furniture—box, table, and lampstand—but he doesn’t yet know what to do with them. As God delivers the plans for his tabernacle, he now provides an architectural structure and directions for where to place each piece of furniture.

Observation of Exodus 26:1-37

Most repeated words: curtain (24 times) frame (23x), make (22), tabernacle (16), side (13), base (12), one (11), two (11)

  • The structure is made primarily of curtains and wood frames

Though I often call the entire structure the “tabernacle,” I notice that the word “tabernacle” is reserved here for only the first layer of curtains (Ex 26:1-6).

  • Ten curtains, made of linen and blue, purple, and red yarn.
  • Cherubim shapes are embroidered into it.
  • Sewn together into two sets of 5 curtains.
  • The two sets are connected by 50 golden clasps put through loops sewn into the edge of each set.
  • If laid flat, the whole “tabernacle” would be a rectangle, measuring 28 cubits by 40 cubits, with a 40-cubit line of gold clasps across the middle.

The “tabernacle” is covered by a “tent” made of goatskins (Ex 26:7-13).

  • The formation of this tent is similar to the tabernacle, in that it has a bunch of smaller pieces sewn or clasped together.
  • Except it has 11 starter pieces instead of 10.
  • This gives it an extra 2-cubit swath of cloth to tuck over in front (Ex 26:9), and an extra 2-cubit swath to trail off the back (Ex 26:13).
  • Also, the starter pieces are 2 cubits wider than the tabernacle starter pieces (30 cubits vs. 28 cubits), so they will have an extra cubit on each side to hang over the sides to cover it (Ex 26:13).

The “tent” is covered by two more layers of cloth made from hides (Ex 26:14).

The bones of the structure consist of 48 boards (“frames”), 10 cubits long, held upright by silver bases (Ex 26:15-30).

  • Each board is not merely a plank of lumber, but more like a ladder shape, such that it has two feet (called “tenons” in the ESV) to fit into its two bases.
    • Incidentally (and I didn’t realize this on my own, I saw it in the IVP New Bible Dictionary when I needed help visualizing everything), this open shape to the frames would enable someone inside the structure to see the beautiful embroidery of the tabernacle curtains.
  • The boards are overlaid with gold and placed side-by-side, with 5 gold-covered wooden bars running horizontally across them to hold them together.
  • There are 20 boards each on the north and south sides. At 1.5 cubits per board, that makes those sides 30 cubits long.
  • There are 6 boards to make the west side, with two extra boards at the corners for support. This back side will be ~9 cubits long, perhaps adding a little for the corner supports.
  • So the entrance will be on the east side.

When the “tabernacle” curtains are draped over the wooden frame, the line of golden clasps will go across the ceiling, exactly two-thirds of the way in (20 cubits from the entry way).

A veil is to be woven and embroidered just like the tabernacle curtains, hung on four pillars, and attached to the golden clasps in the ceiling (Ex 26:31-33).

  • This veil divides the structure into two rooms (Ex 26:33).
  • The mercy seat covers the box with the testimony in the inner room, the “Most Holy Place” (Ex 26:34)—a room that measures 10 cubits by 10 cubits by ~9+ cubits. It’s pretty much a cube.
  • In the outer room, the table goes on the north side, and the lampstand goes on the south side (Ex 26:35).

The entrance gets a screen, woven to look like the tabernacle curtains, and hung on 5 gold-covered wood pillars (Ex 26:36-37).

The chapter’s structure:

  • Curtains
    • Tabernacle
    • Tent
    • Outer two layers
  • Vertical frames and horizontal bars
  • Inside veil
  • Where to place the three furniture pieces
  • Entryway

Interpretation of Exodus 26

Some possible questions:

  1. Why is this here?
  2. How many of the details have symbolic meaning?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. The obvious answer may not be ultra-satisfying, but we must at least start there: This is here so these people can build a tent of meeting for Yahweh. Before considering any potential symbols or religious meaning, we need to acknowledge the historical character of this text. This was a real thing that real people built in real time, because God told them to. Why are there so many details? So they can actually build the thing. Why must they build the thing? So Yahweh their God can dwell in their midst (Ex 25:8).
  2. That said, we know these things were written to teach both them and us about the Lord who dwells with his people. So what do we learn? I’m not comfortable giving symbolic meaning to every detail—such as the colors of the yarns or the number or length of the boards—because the text itself does not do that. But what the text does do is give clear echoes of what’s gone before. With embroidered cherubim (something like sphinxes?), a tree-shaped lampstand, a place to eat, and a place to meet and speak with Yahweh God (Ex 25:22), they and we think of Eden (Genesis 2-3). And the whole thing is covered with animal skins, just as Yahweh covered his ashamed people in Gen 3:21. This structure provides a return to paradise, a place to meet with God and live with him. But it’s even better than Eden, in that the good gold of Havilah (Gen 2:11-12) has already been brought in to make it all shine.

Train of thought: Weave fabric to cover a frame, all so Eden can shine.

Main point: When God dwells with his people, it’s a paradise better than Eden.

Connection to Christ: The connection remains that Jesus is the full and final Immanuel, God with us. But the angle this chapter takes is that, when Jesus returns what we lost, he multiplies it and makes it even better (Rev 19:6-8, Rev 21:1-4, Mark 10:29-30). 

King Coyote (2004), CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

My Application of Exodus 26

Paradise is not sitting alone, sipping lemonade on a beach with a gripping book (this is what I imagine). It is not even for me to go back to the innocence of Eden. What Jesus has given me—the knowledge of God through him—is even better. I need to believe this.

And when I believe it, I won’t be so prone to waste as much time on pathetic attempts to re-create paradise in my image, through obsessions with simple pleasures like video games or movies or social media surfing.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Exodus 25: Immanuel’s Mercy, Bread, and Light

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The covenant between Yahweh and Israel has been written down (Exodus 20-23) and enacted with blood (Exodus 24). Moses went back up on the mountain (Ex 24:18) to receive the next phase of instructions from the Creator of heaven and earth. A series of seven speeches will outline plans for a sanctuary-tent in which Yahweh will dwell among his people. With last week’s guidelines, we’re ready to dive in.

Observation of Exodus 25:1-40

Most repeated words: make (20 times), gold (17x), one (11), two (9), ark (8), branches (8), cubit (8), pure (8), rings (8)

  • The clear focus of Yahweh’s speech is on what the people are to “make.”
  • This first chapter describes a few items made primarily of gold.

The first paragraph introduces the construction project:

  • Take a contribution from people with willing hearts – Ex 25:2
  • List of materials to be contributed – Ex 25:3-7
  • But what are all these materials for? A “sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst” (Ex 25:8)
  • Deep concern that they follow the blueprint for both tabernacle and furniture – Ex 25:9

James Tissot, Public Domain

The second and third paragraphs describe the first furniture piece, the ark:

  • The ark itself
    • Though we’re probably stuck forever with the unfortunate word “ark,” this thing is nothing more than a wood box covered with a layer of gold – Ex 25:10-11
    • The box has rings attached to its feet so they can carry it with poles – Ex 25:12-15
    • The purpose of the box is to hold “the testimony” – all the stuff written in Ex 20-23 about the treaty between Yahweh and Israel
  • The box’s lid
    • Another whole paragraph is dedicated to the lid that covers the box
    • The lid is called a “mercy seat” (ESV) or “atonement cover” (NIV), and its dimensions match the length and width of the box – Ex 25:17
    • Twin statues of cherubim face each other, attached to the lid, overshadowing the lid with their wings – Ex 25:18-20
    • Again, we’re told the purpose of the box: to hold the testimony – Ex 25:21
    • But there’s another purpose when the lid is in place: from above the mercy seat, God will meet with them and speak his commandments – Ex 25:22

Ori229, CC Attribution-ShareAlike

The last two paragraphs describe two more furniture pieces:

  • The table
    • Made of wood, covered in gold, slightly smaller than the box (but same height), with a rim and molding around it – Ex 25:23-25
    • The table has rings attached to its legs so they can carry it with poles – Ex 25:26-28
    • On the table go plates, dishes, flagons, bowls, and “regular” bread “of the Presence” – Ex 25:29-30
  • The lampstand
    • Pure gold (no wood), all of one piece – Ex 25:31
    • This lampstand is an artificial almond tree, with stem, branches, calyxes, and flowers – Ex 25:32-36
      • Note: This is not the traditional “menorah” we see in symbols and drawings, which won’t come along for a few more centuries. This lamp looks more like a tree.
    • The purpose of the lampstand is to cast light on the space in front of it – Ex 25:37
    • It has tongs, trays, and utensils, all made from pure gold according to the mountain-top blueprint – Ex 25:38-40

Dnalor_01, Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 3.0

It’s worth also observing what’s NOT in this chapter:

  • We know they’re building a tent (Ex 25:8-9), but we don’t yet know the floor plan. So we don’t know where these furniture pieces will go.
  • We don’t know what cherubim look like. The passage assumes they knew.
  • We don’t know who will use these things.
  • We don’t know how these things will be used, other than:
    • The box holds the treaty;
    • Yahweh meets with them above the mercy seat that covers the law treaty;
    • The table gets bread on it “regularly”; and
    • The lamp casts light onto the space in front of it

Interpretation of Exodus 25

I already did much interpretation (especially the “what” questions) above under observation. So I’ll keep this section short. Some possible questions:

  1. Why does the tabernacle section begin with the list of materials?
  2. Why these materials?
  3. Why are the box, table, and lampstand the first items in the instructions?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. Perhaps this is self-evident, but isn’t the first step in a building project (besides generating the plan itself) to collect the materials?
  2. Perhaps, on the surface, these are simply what they had available from their spoiling of Egypt (Ex 12:35-36). But the list of materials will be repeated (Ex 35:5-9), over (Ex 35:22-29), and over (Ex 35:30-35), and over again (Ex 38:24-31). If we are not familiar with this list of items (gold, silver, bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine twisted linen, onyx stones, etc.), we might miss the many allusions to them in the rest of Scripture. For example, the lovers in Solomon’s Song describe one another in tabernacle-material imagery (Song 4:1-16, 5:10-16). The merchants weep over the destruction of “Babylon” using tabernacle-material imagery (Rev 18:11-13).
  3. At this point, I don’t know. But I’ll keep in mind this question of structure as I work through the tabernacle instructions and eventually pull it all together.

Train of thought:

  • Gather the materials for a place where Yahweh can dwell with his people
  • Begin by building a box for the treaty, a place of mercy for God to meet with you, a surface for regular bread, and an implement to cast light on the operation.

Main point: For God to dwell with his people, mercy must cover the law, bread must be provided, and light must shine.

Connection to Christ: Jesus is Immanuel, God with us (as we keep the tabernacle’s big picture in mind, this idea will come up a lot, though with many facets). He provides atonement (mercy to cover the law). He is our daily bread of life. He is the light of the world.

My Application of Exodus 25

I don’t know if James had the box of the covenant in mind when he wrote “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13), but the application connects. God spoke all 10 commandments, not just one or two (James 2:10-11). The law judges and condemns us when we break it (James 2:12), especially by showing favoritism based on appearances (James 2:8-9). So “judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy,”, but “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).

All these ideas are pictured in that box, housing the law treaty, but covered with a mercy seat where the people can meet with God. It’s possible to meet with God only if his mercy trumps the judgment of the law.

And if this is so in my relationship with God, so also in my relationships with others. James goes in this direction when he commands mercy toward people who are different, lowly, etc. I’m especially struck by this principle in my parenting. I respond to my children’s failures (especially when they reflect negatively on me) too often with quick judgment. But when I trust in Jesus as Immanuel (God with us), I will be much more prone to extend mercy so we can dwell together without hostility.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

How to Read the Tabernacle Narratives in Exodus

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Exodus 37:1-9, the crafting of the ark of the covenant, was the text for one of the most unusual Bible studies I’ve ever participated in. This Bible study was unusual for two reasons. First, it was attended only by pastors. And second, we had no idea what to do with the text.

While this group discussed the ark of the covenant at length, we almost completely avoided discussing the text of Exodus. We went to 2 Samuel and discussed Uzzah touching the ark. We went to the Talmud and discussed rabbinic traditions for the high priest (tying a rope to his ankle, etc.). We went to the gospels and discussed the torn veil when Jesus died. I’m sure Indiana Jones even came up.

But when it came to having a Bible study on chapter 37 of Exodus, all the standard skills went out the window. We didn’t observe the grammar or structure. We didn’t consider repeated words, connector words, or the flow of thought. We never assaulted the text with our questions, nor did we wring it for answers. Instead of studying the passage, we theologized on the theme of “ark of the covenant” and what we thought that theme meant for Christians. And our theologizing had little to do with what Exodus actually said.

If Bible-believing pastors, committed to expositional preaching, are prone to read the Exodus tabernacle narratives this way, how much more the average Christian? So before I dive into the tabernacle instructions in my study of Exodus, let me begin with a few principles to guide our reading.

1. Don’t neglect your OIA skills

You’ve learned to observe, interpret, and apply the Scripture. Though the tabernacle narratives feel alien and overwhelming, don’t let those feelings drive you to neglect what you know how to do. Your skills are even more important when the text feels unfamiliar. Don’t jump too quickly to theological rationalization, or to sloppy cross-references. Work first to understand the passage in context for its original audience; then move forward to connect it with the rest of God’s revelation.

2. Guard the main idea

Yahweh says to Moses, right near the beginning of the instructions, “Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst” (Ex 25:8). Here is the driving motive behind the commission to build: Yahweh wants to dwell in the midst of his people. He rescued them and brought them to himself (Ex 19:4). He’s given them himself in the Book of the Covenant (Ex 23:20-22). Now he wants to live with them forever.

They are desert nomads, living in tents; so he will be a desert nomad, living in a tent. They will be moving around, so he will be moving around. Wherever he leads, they will follow. But he won’t lead them from afar. He wants to be right in the middle of their camp.

These tabernacle narratives give us one of the clearest pictures of Immanuel, God with us, in all the Scripture. As you read, don’t lose your wonder at the fact that a holy God would make it possible for himself to live among sinful people.

3. Visualize the details

The tabernacle was meant to be built and interacted with. It was the first “Please Touch Museum,” after a fashion—at least the outside parts of it. The original audience would have been intimately familiar with the tabernacle’s floor plan, fire escape route, and standard operating procedures. We are not, so we’re at a disadvantage.

But we have computers and study Bibles and graphic designers, which puts us at an advantage.

Don’t be afraid to look at pictures of the furniture, architecture, and garments while you read. The more you can visualize the detail while you read, the more sense it will make to you. And there’s no shame in having to look up terms like calyx, carbuncle, galbanum, or ephod.

Ruk7, Creative Commons

4. Notice the order of things

Here’s where your observation skills really come in handy. Most of the details in Exodus 25-31 (instruction) will be repeated in Exodus 35-39 (construction), but in a different order. That’s on purpose, and much of the fun is figuring out why. Why do the priest’s garments come at the center of the instruction, but the end of the construction? Why does the instruction begin with the ark, but the construction begins with the tent curtains? Why, in the instruction, is the golden altar of incense separate from the other inside furniture pieces, but in the construction they’re all together? All these observations give us clues to what the narrator wants to communicate.

5. Observe the narrative frame

I’ve seen readers and students so numbed by the voluminous detail of chapters 25-29 that they miss an obvious observation when they hit chapter 30. Right in Exodus 30:11: “Yahweh said to Moses.” And again in Exodus 30:17. And also Exodus 30:22, 30:34, 31:1, and 31:12. Combine that with Exodus 25:1, and you get seven speeches. This is a narrative about seven speeches from Yahweh to Moses.

And not only that, but the seventh speech is all about the sabbath. And the sixth speech is all about men filled with Spirit of God for the service of God. These things, in this order, should remind us of the creation of the world in Genesis 1. I’m not going to push this parallel (between specific speeches and their corresponding “days” in Genesis 1) any further now, but it’s at least a clue. And we’ll see many more clues in these chapters that connect the tabernacle with the creation of the world—suggesting that this tabernacle is a new creation. Here is God remaking the world in his image so he can live with his people in paradise.

6. Behold Immanuel

In point #1, I said that the main idea is for God to live with his people. Our reading will be incomplete if we don’t eventually get to the fulfillment of “God with us” in the person of Jesus Christ (Matt 1:22-23, 28:20, Rev 21:3, etc.).

So as we read, we want to see Jesus in the tabernacle. We won’t necessarily look for him in every socket, board, gemstone, or tent peg. But we should see him all throughout as God dwelling among his people.

The Gospel of John will be our best guide, as it begins with Jesus dwelling among us (John 1:14), it commandeers the tabernacle’s imagery to explain Jesus’ identity (light, bread, water, Lamb of God, door), it shows Jesus interceding for his people like a high priest (John 17), and it climaxes with a veritable mercy seat, the place where Jesus’ body had lain, with one angel at the head and another at the foot (John 20:12).

Armed with these guidelines, we’re ready to begin studying the tabernacle narratives.

Exodus 19-24: A Blood-Tinged Taste of Paradise

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Step Back

When our Bible study focuses intently on each passage, one after another, we may find it difficult to step back and see how they fit together. But we must remember the Bible is a work of literature. It was not written to be scrutinized in bites; it was written to be devoured in gobbles. We should remember to read the Bible as we’d read any other book: moving through it at a reasonable pace and recognizing ongoing themes, climax, resolution, and character development. When we hit milestones in the text, we should take the opportunity to survey where we’ve been and how it fits together.

So, now that we’ve seen God finally make his covenant with the people of Israel, it’s a good time to catch our breath. From this point in Exodus, we’ll see God working out the implications of that covenant and establishing a home with his people. But where have we been so far?

Review

Let me list the main points I’ve proposed for each passage in this section:

  • Exodus 19:1-25: The purpose of God’s deliverance is to make something special out of an utterly undeserving people.
  • Exodus 20:1-21: God makes a treaty with his redeemed people, inspiring them to fear and obey, so they might draw near to him.
  • The case laws
    • Exodus 20:22-21:32: God’s kingdom is different from the world’s kingdoms in that all its citizens have rights, and justice is the cost of living.
    • Exodus 21:33-22:15: It is good and God-like to pay restitution for damage done to others’ property.
    • Exodus 22:16-31: Social justice is rooted in God’s just character, and it flows from maintaining purity before him.
    • Exodus 23:1-19: God’s people diligently employ truth and rest to do good for others.
    • Exodus 23:20-33: How you trust God’s angel determines how God treats you.
  • Exodus 24:1-18: It costs both personal sacrifice and substitutionary death to draw near to God in covenant.

In addition, my overview of the whole book led me to this overall main point:

Who is Yahweh, and why should you obey him? He is the God who 1) demolishes the house of slavery (Ex 1-15), 2) prepares to rebuild (Ex 16-18), and 3) builds his house in the midst of his people (Ex 19-40).

The main idea of Act I (Ex 1:1-15:21) was that Yahweh demolishes the house of slavery. He does this in two parts:

  1. He trains up a qualified mediator to deliver (Ex 1:1-7:7).
  2. He delivers his people from their enemies into a frightful joy (Ex 7:8-15:21).

And the main idea of Act II (Ex 15:22-18:27) was that Yahweh prepares the house of his people by showing them they need his law to know him.

Pull It Together

Now what do these things show us about the flow of thought in chapters 19-24? We are in between the need for the law and the instructions for the tabernacle. In giving the law, how does God begin building his house?

  • Act I describes God’s deliverance of his people. Act II shows how God prepares them for a covenant relationship with him. Act III now constructs that covenant relationship.
  • Exodus 19:1-25 tantalizes them with assurance of becoming something special.
  • Exodus 20:1-21 causes them to have second thoughts.
  • Exodus 20:22-23:33 defines what it means to be special, unlike the other nations:
    • Every member of society has basic rights.
    • Property is respected.
    • Justice goes together with purity, just like it does in God.
    • Truth and rest are not for selfish ends but for the good of others.
    • Everything hinges on whether you trust God’s angel.
  • Exodus 24:1-18 closes the deal by offering them the blood of a substitute and a meal with God.

These chapters show the making of a special people. They’re brought close, but not too close lest they die. They’re informed of Yahweh’s impossible standards. They’re given a picture of a community that reflects God’s glorious, gracious, and generous character. They decide to move forward with this deal, but not without a reminder that something has to die to make it possible. And that those who “see God” can get only as close as the pavement under his majestic feet.

When we read these chapters as a unit, we can’t help but see that obeying the law will never make us righteous before God. Instead, obeying the law is like enjoying a bit of utopia, or biting into a juicy fruit of paradise—but only when covenant blood has been shed to bring us near. Without the blood, the law inspires only dread and defensiveness.

Wasif Malik (2012), Creative Commons

 

We can flesh out our outline of the book a little further:

Act I: Yahweh demolishes the house of slavery (Ex 1-15).

Introduction: Nobody can prevent Yahweh from keeping his promises, but we’re not sure how he’ll do it (Ex 1).

Part 1: Yahweh appoints a mediator and ensures he is fully qualified and trained for the task of deliverance (Ex 2:1-7:7).

Part 2: Yahweh delivers a deserved destruction to his enemies and a frightful joy to his people (Ex 7:8-15:21).

Act II: Yahweh prepares to rebuild by exposing how deeply his people need his law to know him (Ex 16-18).

Act III: Yahweh builds his house in the midst of his people (Ex 19-40).

Part 1: God architects a perfect paradise for the community of his people, so he can bring them near through the blood of a substitute (Ex 19-24).

Gaze Upon Jesus

Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matt 5:17). This is great news, because he then offered his blood of the covenant to cover us and cleanse us forever (Matt 26:28). Through him, we have full access to the Father (Heb 4:14-16). By giving us his Spirit, he’s now working out paradise in the community of his people (Gal 5:13-26).

Apply

Head: Do not expect law, education, wealth, or community service will ever bring paradise on earth. Nothing but the blood of Jesus can do that.

Heart: Do you love God’s law because it enables you to find Christ? Do you want to become more like him? Do you want your church or neighborhood to reflect his character? Or do you just want more stuff, or to be left alone?

Hands: Walk by the Spirit, and don’t gratify the desires of your flesh. Let the law show you how to keep in step with the Spirit, not being conceited, neither envying nor provoking (Gal 5:16-26). And keeping in step with the Spirit means most of all that your allegiance is to none but Christ, God’s true angel/messenger (1 John 5:11-12).

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Responses to Difficult Questions for Exodus

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I’ve really enjoyed letting you into my study as I work through Exodus. I’ve focused on the main ideas of each passage, and I’m always trying to keep the big picture in front of me.

But there’s also a time for digging into the details and asking all the hard questions. Such as:

  • Why does God harden Pharaoh’s heart?
  • Why can we trust Exodus as history?
  • Did God expect Israel to obey all those laws?
  • What was manna?
  • Can we recognize any symbolism in the tabernacle?

The guys at the Bible Project do more than make really great videos. They also have a podcast where they expand on the stuff in their videos. They have two podcast episodes (also available as YouTube videos), where they answer difficult questions about the book of Exodus. They’re great students of the Bible. They observe, interpret, and apply with much skill. If you’d like to understand Exodus further, you would do well to listen to their discussion of it.

Check it out!

Exodus 24: Drops of Blood, Drips of Wine

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Moses has now received the Ten Words (Ex 20:1-17) and the many rules to apply them (Ex 20:22-23:33). The goal of obeying these words and these rules is to make these rescued people into Yahweh’s treasured possession among all peoples, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex 19:5-6). To this end, Yahweh wishes to make a covenant (a binding agreement, a treaty) with them (Ex 19:5). When the people heard this plan, they quickly promised to do all Yahweh would say to them (Ex 19:7-8). Will they feel the same way now that they hear the full extent of the words and rules?

Observation of Exodus 24:1-18

Most repeated words: Moses (14 times), Lord (11x), mountain (8), people (8), all (7), Israel (7), up (7), said (6), come (5)

  • A glance at the repeated words show the focus landing back on the characters of the story: Moses, the Lord, and the people of Israel.
  • The mountain itself takes special prominence
  • I’ll watch for a broad scope (frequent use of “all”)

The genre shifts from instructional monologue back to narrative. Looking ahead, I see this is the last narrative until we get to chapter 32. Many more instructional monologues (seven, to be exact) are on the way in chapters 25-31.

  • With a shift back to narrative, we shouldn’t be surprised by a renewed focus on elements like characters, plot, setting, climax, and resolution.

The instructions of chapters 20-23 are called “The Book of the Covenant” (Ex 24:7), divided into two main sections: the “words” and the “rules” (Ex 24:3).

  • Apparently, this book represents the covenant between God and Israel.
  • This book defines the treaty between them.
  • As they did earlier (Ex 19:8), the people promise to obey (Ex 24:3)—apparently seeking to become God’s treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (Ex 19:5-6).

The chapter’s structure wraps around the mountain itself:

  • God delineates 3 zones for the mountain – Ex 24:1-2
    • The people must stay at the bottom (Ex 24:2).
    • The elders will “come up” with Moses (Ex 24:1).
    • Moses alone will “come near” (Ex 24:2).
  • At the mountain’s foot, Moses and the people establish the covenant with sacrificial blood – Ex 24:3-8
  • At the mountain’s mid-point, Moses and the elders experience the covenant with a meal – Ex 24:9-11
  • At the mountain’s peak, Moses enters the cloud of Yahweh’s glory – Ex 24:12-18

    Tony Heyward (2014), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 24:1-18

Some possible questions:

  1. Why is the covenant-making ceremony so gruesome?
  2. What do the elders experience on the mountain once the covenant is made?
  3. What does Moses experience on top of the mountain?
  4. Why is the mountain divided into three zones with differing degrees of access?
  5. So what ought we to understand about God’s covenant with us?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. The use of ritual sacrifices when making a covenant doesn’t begin here. We see it clearly in Genesis 15:7-21, where God makes a covenant with Abram after Abram cuts a few animals in half. Jer 34:18-20 provides historical background on the practice: symbolizing the curse pronounced on those who might violate the treaty. The practice also possibly goes back to Gen 3:21, though the word covenant isn’t used there. A substitute must shed blood to threaten the people of what happens if they violate their agreement. Therefore, the Israelites are covered with the blood of the covenant (Ex 24:8), being united with the sacrifice, along with with the altar, the place of sacrifice (Ex 24:6).
  2. The elders “saw” God (Ex 24:10) and “beheld” him (Ex 24:11). But who knows what he actually looked like? All they saw of him was but the pavement under his feet (Ex 24:10). That’s the closest they could get. But they also enjoyed a meal in his presence, and he did not lift his hand to destroy them (Ex 24:11). Great deal!
  3. The glory of Yahweh, appearing as a cloud (Ex 24:16). A devouring fire that all could see (Ex 24:17). Here is a more terrifying version of the burning bush from Ex 3:2, which burns but does not consume Moses.
  4. This mountain is now the place where heaven and earth meet; God and men are meeting together. The three zones may allude to the 3 zones of the created cosmos (heaven, earth, waters under the earth – Ex 20:4, 11), and to the three decks of Noah’s ark (Gen 6:16), which was a miniature cosmos, preserved for a new creation. Perhaps at Sinai, God is making another new creation, as he makes this nation into his people and sets them on a path to expand his rule on earth. We’ll see plenty more creation imagery in the next few chapters to confirm this connection.
  5. God’s covenant is not something to take for granted. It cannot be made without blood, but it draws us into God’s presence to eat and drink with him. God is all-glorious in himself; yet, astonishingly, he gets even more glory when he includes people in his purposes. God’s covenant is gracious; we do not deserve to enter into it with him. And yet he still expects something of us; he is not indifferent to our life choices. God’s presence is something to be terrified of without a proper bloody substitution.

Train of thought:

  • Yahweh’s man comes down to establish the covenant with the people.
  • Yahweh’s man comes up to experience the covenant with the elders.
  • Yahweh’s man come higher to enter into God’s glory alone.

Main point: It costs both personal sacrifice and substitutionary death to draw near to God in covenant.

Connection to Christ: Jesus’ blood of the covenant was shed once for all (Heb 9:17-26, and we proclaim this Lamb’s death every time we eat and drink with him (1 Cor 11:28). God’s covenant with us through Christ is only by his grace (Heb 13:20-21, 25). Yet it requires great personal sacrifice (Mark 1:15), and we must never take it for granted by going on sinning deliberately (Heb 10:26-30).

My Application of Exodus 24:1-18

Oh, how much I take for granted. Grace is so abundant and so free, and I forget all about it. I drift into self-sufficiency, which requires me to compare myself to others and do better than them. Then I get petty and demanding when I’m unable to keep up. And the bitterness sets in when I see others doing better than me. It doesn’t take long for me to start biting and devouring.

But the blood of the new covenant was shed for me, once for all. I need to “remember Jesus Christ” (2 Tim 2:8) daily—not just so I can teach others about him, but so I can see him more clearly, worship at his feet, and rely only on his righteousness and not my own.

The heavenly Mount Zion has no zones. We’re all granted equal access. I have nothing to be ashamed of, and I have nothing to hold over another person. Ever.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Your Turn to Study Exodus

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For many weeks, I’ve let you in on my study of Exodus. Last week, I got to the end of the specific case laws in Exodus 21-23; but there remains an epilogue, which gives the people a vision for entering the land of promise.

Since I’m on vacation this week and don’t have time to write, it’s your turn. Why don’t you try to study Exodus 23:20-33 on your own?

For help with your study, you can refer to the Basic Bible Study Skills booklet on the resources page.

  • Just observe the words, grammar, structure, genre, and mood.
  • Ask some interpretive questions, and answer them from the text.
  • Determine the author’s main point and connect it to Christ. See what you can come up with before you look at any study notes or commentaries.
  • Then apply it to yourself, your family, and your positions of influence with others.

I’d love to hear what you come up with. Comment below with your guess at the main point of Exodus 23:20-33, and I’d love to interact with you!