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EXODUS The following comments are from Navigator's and Quiet Time Diary journals. One verse will be entered, then the comment, then the date. 1:11 So they [Egyptian leaders] appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses. After a few hundred years, the Egyptians
forgot why the Israelites were there (v. 8) and thought they could threaten the
governmental power (v. 9-10), so they created what we would call a work program.
As this book will show, God had different plans - but it took time to implement.
1:22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive." This seems like early population control. The Pharaoh kept thinking of ways to reduce the growth of the Israeli nation, bud it still kept growing. The movie "The Ten Commandments" seems to indicate only Moses was put in the Nile, but the Bible, in this verse, shows that all were supposed to follow this command. (DRM 5/12/08) 2:7 Then his [Moses] sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?" This is another part not in the movie. As
shown here, Moses sister talked to Pharaoh's daughter and obtained their mother
to raise her brother. That's why he was raised by his own family but still was
in the royal family. 2:10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water." Back to a familiar Bible story! I knew that
Moses was put in the water when he was a baby, but forgot that the Pharaoh's
daughter has Moses natural mother raise him for years before returning him to
Pharaoh's daughter again! 2:24 So God heard their [the sons of Israel] groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As a Christ follower, I believe that God
hears my prayers to Him. He has left me on earth for a purpose, and He chooses
how and when He wants to tell me His will. I have to discern His will each day -
which is the hard part. 3:11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" Knowing the life of Moses, it makes sense
that He would choose Moses for the assignment of bringing the sons of Israel out
of Egypt - as he had been chosen since being pulled out of the Nile. 3:15 God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. . . " I have seen posters listing probably 75 names
for God, and the Bible refers to Him in many ways. This verse seems to me to be
God's official name, as He stated it to Moses. 4:1 Then Moses said, "What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, 'The LORD has not appeared to you.' " While I am not Moses, I have had very similar
experiences, but never asked/tested God the way Moses did. Now I wonder if I
should have. 4:11,12 The Lord said to him (Moses), "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12Now, go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." Moses and I were similar. Afraid to talk! It
seems easy to talk about earthly pursuits, but to talk to an unbeliever about
the Lord is a real problem. 4:15 [God said] You [Moses] are to speak to him [Aaron] and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. Moses didn't feel that he was adequate to the job of leader (v. 13). God was upset with that statement (v. 14), but provided a way out that was acceptable to Moses. As time went on, Moses' confidence grew and, I believe, he did most of the speaking. My confidence over years has also grown, but God has yet to send people who will listen. . . (DRM 5/17/08) 4:27 Now the LORD said to Aaron, "Go to meet Moses in the wilderness," so he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. This seems to be a forgotten part of the
story. Not only did God speak to Moses at the burning bush, but He also spoke to
Aaron and directed him as to where to meet Moses for instruction. (v. 28) 5:2 But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and besides, I will not let Israel go." The word "Lord" could refer to any leader. As
an example, I believe there are "Lord's" in England. Pharaoh did not know that
Moses or the Israelites referred to God - yet, but he would find out soon
enough. 5:8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don't reduce the quota. Moses had asked the Pharaoh to let the
Hebrews go, but Pharaoh was a hard ruler and would not give in easily. Pharaoh
had the Hebrews make bricks without straw as shown in this verse. 5:15, 16 Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you deal this way with your servants? 16There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, 'Make bricks!' And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people." It was almost like a "vicious circle," where Moses asked for time off to take Israel to pray to God, and Pharaoh said they were lazy for asking for time off; so increased their work. I think God really wanted this to happen to increase Pharaoh's dislike of the Jews, thus being more willing - later - to let them leave. (DRM 5/20/08) 5:23 ". . . Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all." Moses was talking to the Lord God in this
verse. Moses had done what the Lord directed him to do and the Israelites
suffered more because of it. Moses was running out of patience and also wanted
to fulfill God's will. Whenever we set out to do something good, even when we're certain that God wants us to do it, we shouldn't be surprised when the situation gets worse before it gets better. This doesn't prove that we're doing the wrong thing; it just reminds us that we need God to accomplish everything. - Julie Ackerman Link (Our Daily Bread, Radio Bible Class) 6:9 So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage. What would I do if someone said to me, after slaving all day at work, that the Lord said that he (Moses) would be delivering me from the land? I think I would also be skeptical, then go on with my work. I would want to see what was being done to free me from my conditions. Truly, they had to see that the Lord was working through Moses before they would follow. (DRM 5/21/08) 6:10 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country." I know I will be reading this quote many
times in the next few chapters of Exodus. . . "Let my people go. . . "
It will take many plagues and hardships to convince the king of Egypt to let the
Israelites go. . . 7:2 ". . . You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. . . " As I slowly try to become more and more like
Jesus Christ, I can only pray that my ears will listen to His desires for my
life. 7:4 When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments. The prophecy of God! If there is any prophecy that we KNOW will come true, it will be the ones that God spoke. Since Jesus is a part of God, then all the prophecies that He spoke will also come true — no doubt about it. (DRM 5/22/08) 7:20 So Moses and Aaron did even as the LORD had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood. Moses didn't say "this won't work," or "Pharaoh won't pay attention," but did what he was told by the Lord God. God had a plan to do several things to change Pharaoh's heart, and this was only one. We (I) don't know what God is doing "behind the scenes," so must continue to do as He directs - even if it seems "it won't work" today. (DRM 5/23/08) 8:8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Entreat the LORD that He remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD." In v. 15, "Pharaoh saw that there was relief,
he hardened his heart" . . . and didn't let them go. 8:18 But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. The the gnats were on men and animals. All previous plagues that the Lord God had
produced, the magicians could also do, but in this case the magicians said
(v.19) "This is the finger of God." and they could not do this. 8:30, 31, 32 Moses went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the LORD. 31The LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of insects from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people; not one remained, 32But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go. The Pharaoh was a stubborn man. Perhaps he
thought that his country would perish without the Israelite slaves to do all the
work, thus he wouldn't want their freedom. 9:10 So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on man and beast. Here was another plague that no one could reproduce. The Egyptian magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils (v. 11), but that still didn't change Pharaoh's heart. Sometimes I know I'm missing God's voice when He speaks, but I think I'd be convinced with all of the plagues a lot quicker than Pharaoh was. (DRM 5/26/08) 9:16 But I (God) have raised you (Pharaoh) up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. This section of Exodus still continues the
plagues that the Lord put against Egypt. 9:20, 21 The one among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses; 21but he who paid no regard to the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field. The Egyptians had a 24 hour notice that the big hailstorm was coming (v. 18) and they could choose to heed or ignore the warning. Apparently some of the citizens of Egypt heeded the warning from these two verses. To me, that was a sign that , while not Pharaoh, the citizens were believing that their country was being judged by God. Our country (USA) needs a similar awakening. (DRM 5/27/08) 9:34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. What are we (I) to learn from the continuous hardening of Pharaoh's heart? God is still speaking in one form or another. He could be speaking through the words in the Bible, or the small voice of the Holy Spirit, or through others. He wants me (us) to hear Him and do His will, rather than going our own way. (DRM 5/28/08) 10:7 Pharaoh's officials said to him, "How long will this man (Moses) be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the Lord their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?" After all the plagues that had come from the
Lord, even Egypt's officials had had enough. But the Pharaoh was not ready to
let the Israelites go yet. The time was approaching when even the Pharaoh would
let go. 10:11 ". . . Not so! Go now, the men among you, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desire." So they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence. This almost sounded like Pharaoh was giving
in, but the words in this verse really say, "The men among you," and not all the
people - so the plagues continued, this time with locusts. 10:24 Then Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, "Go, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be detained. Even your little ones may go with you." This was a slow negotiation process. Moses
and God wanted all to leave, but Pharaoh wanted the slave labor to stay. Each
plague seemed to add more to God's position. 11:4, 5a Moses said, "Thus says the LORD, 'About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, 5and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, . . .' " This was the declaration of the last plague.
I'm sure there will be more details in the next few readings. Certainly this
plague would effect the Egyptians like no other. All families would lose a
member, thus causing the 'great cry' (v. 6) in the whole country. 12:8 They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The tenth and final plague had not yet
occurred in Egypt,. This plague required a lot of preparation, and was also a
test of faith for the Israelites, as they all would have to participate. 12:19 Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses, for whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land. Unaware of this law, and being a Christian, I never thought it could apply to me - until now. I stayed at a Jewish home once during Passover and had to fix my own breakfast - I found (leavened) bread in the freezer an had some toast. . . As a Christian, my trust in in Jesus to fulfill the Law, but now I feel I shouldn't have used the bread while in that house. (Should it have been available?) (DRM 6/2/08) 12:25 When you enter the land which the LORD will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite. {Passover] I have gotten to know a few "nominal" Jews
from my workplace. Generally all of the Jewish feast in the Old Testament are
ignored, but the Passover meal is highly observed by these people. They choose
to observe this one more than any other. 12:39 They baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into cakes of unleavened bread. For it had not become leavened, since they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves. When the Israelites left Egypt, they had to leave quickly. The Pharaoh had finally decided they could leave immediately. My experience with bread is that leavened bread spoils quickly - even more so in hot weather - but unleavened bread - matzo - lasts a very long time. God was already making provision for their food by causing the use of unleavened bread! (DRM 6/4/08) 12:46 "It must be eaten inside one house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones." This chapter dealt with the first Passover
and how the Lord asked the Israelites to kill sheep or goats and put the blood
over their doorways so He would spare their first-born children. They were also
instructed what to do with the meat in this verse. 13:1, 2 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me." This makes more sense to me today. To leave Egypt, the final plague eliminated all the first born (Exod. 11:5) of Egypt, but the Israelite first born were saved due to Passover. Now that the Israelite first born were still alive, God wanted them to be dedicated to Him. They would have died without Passover - shouldn't they be set aside for something special in appreciation for their lives? (DRM 6/5/08) 13:17 Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, "The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt." God knows everything - including the future. If the Israelites encountered fighting while near Egypt, they would probably have returned - as humans were given free will. God was "determined" that they would get to the promised land - even if it took 40 years! God has a plan that we (I) must follow. (DRM 6/6/08) 13:21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. What an awesome experience it must have been
to follow the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. The Israelites certainly
knew that God was watching over them, by watching these His shows of
strength. 14:10 As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD. It's easy to visualize the scene, as it is depicted well on the movie "The Ten Commandments." The Israelites felt trapped next to the Red Sea and the Egyptians were approaching. Not thinking of the all powerful God (lack of faith) it looked like certain death to them all. God provided a way out for the Israelites - like He will do for us (me) so long as I trust Him to do it. (DRM 6/7/08) 14:11 Then they said to Moses, "Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? This was a new experience for the Israelites
to be freed from slavery and follow Moses' direction. They probably were
thinking they were following the man Moses, rather than trusting in the Lord
God. This was their first major test and they were already ready to return to
Egypt. 14:16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. The power of God can not be imagined. One of
the greatest verses in the Bible is this one in which God tells Moses to part
the sea. 14:25 He caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from Israel, for the LORD is fighting for them against the Egyptians." This wasn't too clear in the movie. The Egyptians followed the Israelites into the Red Sea, then the horses and riders got confused. I can understand that with walls of water on both sides! This is what slowed down the Egyptians when they were in pursuit, so the final Israelites could get across - before the water went back to normal. (DRM 6/8/08) 15:3, 4 "The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name." 4"Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea. In verse 3 Moses describes the Lord as a warrior. Again in Rev. 19:11, our Lord will be a warrior in the future. Certainly He defends us against the enemy - even if we don't realize it. As He did for Pharaoh's chariots, so He also is working for our benefit "behind the scenes." (DRM 6/9/08) 15:25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. Certainly by this time, when Moses spoke,
everyone - including God - listened! 15:26 And He said, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer." This is a good summary verse on how to live a life for the Lord our God. This is directed to the Israelites, but since Christians could be considered their descendants, I believe it should also apply to us - and I certainly don't want the diseases that were put on the Egyptians! (DRM 6/10/08) 15:27 Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters. Moses and the Israelites were traveling and
had been without water for three days (v. 22). God provided a temporary solution
at Marah where the water was bitter - then they came to Elim, as stated here.
16:4 Then to LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction. The Israelites complained that they didn't
have enough food in the desert. God heard their voice and provided what they
asked for. 16:12 "I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, [quail] and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God. ' " God takes care of His people, and I'm sure that He would have done it even if they didn't complain. If God cared so much for the Israelites who didn't obey Him, then I'm sure He will take care of us (me) who are putting our trust totally in Him. He is our provider - in ALL ways. (DRM 6/11/08) 16:19, 20 Moses said to them, "Let no man leave any of it [manna] until morning." 20But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. What would I do in the same situation in the desert, and had no other food supply? Probably the same thing! "Human tendency" is to want to store up for "a rainy day," rather than going each day at a time. This is another lesson to depend on the Lord - day by day - and know that He will make provision as the new day comes. (DRM 6/12/08) 16:26 Six days you are to gather it (manna), but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any. As the Israelites were out of Egypt, they
already had doubts about where their food would be coming from. The Lord
provided manna and would supply it only six days a week. 16:29 ". . . See, the LORD has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day." When God spoke these words to Moses, He was referring to the gathering of the manna during the exodus. The 4th Commandment makes the instruction more clear. As time has progressed, keeping this commandment has gotten harder - in traveling to church and other activities that are done on Sunday. What does God want you (and me) to do each Sunday? (DRM 6/13/08) 17:6 "I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. In Exodus 16 the Israelites
"requested" food, and now in Exodus 17 they want water. 17:12, 13 But Moses' hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. 13So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. I would consider this to be an example of keeping a "one-track" mind. When Moses' arms got tired, the battle was being lost, when upright, the battle was being won. When we (I) are distracted, the spiritual battle is being lost. To me, the point is to stay on track in our (my) service to the Lord - NOT easy! (DRM 6/14/08) 18:20 Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. This seems to me to be a intermediate chapter
between the exodus from Egypt and the Ten Commandments - sort of a
preview. 18:21 Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens. Jethro was Moses' father-in-law. He saw that
Moses was judging ALL the people, so suggested the system above. This could be
called 'layered authority', and has been in use ever since - certainly in our
government. 19:8 All the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do!" And Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD. What happened? People have short memories. I would think the people who experienced so many of God's miracles, wouldn't keep wavering in their devotion. Am I (we) doing much better? I think the "excuse" today is not knowing when it's His voice of leading - that wasn't the case for the Israelites. (DRM 6/15/08) 19:11 ". . . and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. . ." A preparation for the Ten Commandments that
were written in Exodus 20. But is there more to this verse? 19:19 When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. When I hear thunder, I don't hear a voice. I believe that this means that God's voice is so loud, that it's like thunder. Jesus' voice is like a whisper. On different days in the future, I hope to hear all three. First, I have to listen for the still small voice. In the future it will be easier. (DRM 6/16/08) 20:7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave Him unpunished who takes His name in vain. In a way, the Ten Commandments is the
ultimate sins list. No one can meet the requirements that God has in this list.
That's why we need a Savior - who is the substitute, and took the punishment for
my sins. 20:11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. These seventeen verses (20:1-17) are the first proclamation of the Ten Commandments. This verse refers to the 3rd or 4th Commandment depending on your version. One question is "which day is the sabbath?" Saturday or Sunday? I think that God wants us to rest one day a week - and to worship Him that day - but really to worship Him every day - as He is our Creator and Sustainer. (DRM 6/17/08) 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. The Ten Commandments are contained in this chapter, but the one I seem to break is shown above. After long "discussions" with my father, we never seem to agree. I must learn to listen more and be more willing to do some of the things that he asks me to do. (DRM 2/26/87) Things got better over time. (DRM 1/13/2004) 21:17 Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death. In the past, I felt that
criticisms of both of my parents were not in God's interests. This
"law" for the Jews in Moses time, must have been hard to enforce! 22:28 Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.
Sins . . . I always wanted a list of what to avoid as sins, and here are two
more. 23:25 Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you. Never doubt God! So many times when I'm sick,
or others that I know are sick, I wonder why. (Especially if they are
believers.) 24:7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!" Like the Israelites, we desire to be obedient, but as time progresses, I think we make wrong decisions and slowly move towards sin. How can this be avoided? Keeping in the Word every day and leaning totally on the Lord Jesus for direction EVERY day. (DRM 6/18/08) 24: 8, 9 Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. 9According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it. Somehow the way this is written, it seems like God wanted a "home" built that would be sanctified just for Him. He would dwell with the Israelites. Like Moses was asked to prepare, we (I) should also have a special place in our heart for His residence and direction. (DRM 6/19/08) 25:11 You shall overlay it [Ark of the Covenant] with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it. Most of the sentences in this section begin with "you shall," which clearly indicate God's exact specifications and direction in making the ark. I also realized that the use of gold could represent the highest value that we should give to the word = direction of the Lord God. (DRM 6/20/08) 25:32 (The lampstand) Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand - three on one side and three on the other. What a great learning experience! This is the
first mention of this lampstand that I have read. 30:33 Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from his people. When I first read this verse, I thought of
the woman pouring oil on Jesus' feet just before His death. 31:3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,
Everything we have and receive is a gift from God. As Creator, He put us
together before we were born. He knew in advance what our likes and desires
would be. He know if we would be followers of Him or ignore His calls. The Master Craftsman is the Holy Spirit, who chips away at flaws in our character to make each of us like Jesus (Romans 8:28, 29). From Our Daily Bread, Dennis Fisher (11/21/11) 32:1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down form the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, "Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. This is Exodus 32:1, the Ten Commandments are in Exodus 20 - specifically 20:4-6 about making idols. This is another example of "short term memory loss" for the Israelites. Am I (we) doing much better? Praise the Lord that He sent Jesus to cover our sins, or we would be eternally lost in our sins. 32:10 Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them, and I will make of you a great nation." When the Israelites created and worshipped the golden calf, the Lord (as stated here) wanted to destroy the whole nation and start over. Moses talked God out of it - but did he? Before the nation got to Israel, the whole nation died and the next generation entered Israel. The plan changed somewhat, but none of the sinners at this event ever saw Israel. God is truly in control of all. (DRM 6/22/08) 32:14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened. While Moses was on the mountain, his people
made a golden calf to worship and this greatly displeased God. 33:20 "But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." This quote is by God. God keeps His promises.
From what I have read and heard, to this day, no one has seen God's face, except
Jesus Christ, who IS God in a different form. 33:22, 23 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen." My earthly body has a hard time comprehending meeting with Someone and not seeing His face. Like Moses, I (we) would like to see Who we are talking to. Now I feel that when I get a response from the Holy Spirit that I am getting a message from God Himself - and I'm happy with that. The important part is that He listens and cares about my (our) condition. (DRM 6/23/08) 34:12 Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will be a snare in your midst. Considering the Old Testament history of the
Israelite people, this is what led to their downfall. At times they worshipped
other gods and some intermarried -as they were told NOT to do. 34:32 Afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he [Moses] commanded them to do everything that the LORD had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. Moses was 80+ years old when he met the Lord God on Mt. Sinai. From what has been written, a lot was said during those 40 days (v. 28) and only the Ten Commandments were written down. Moses must have had a good memory to remember all that the Lord said. It should be a motivation for me (us) to remember more of God's words through the Bible. (DRM 6/25/08) 38:24 The total amount of the gold from the wave offering used for all the work on the sanctuary was 29 talents and 730 shekels (about 2,000#), according to the sanctuary shekel. 2,000 pounds of Gold was used in Moses
Tabernacle! The thought of that much Gold amazes me. How did they refine
it? 39:14 There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes. The twelve tribes of Israel are mentioned
from the beginning of the Bible to the end. . . They are mentioned in great
detail in Revelation. 40:16 Thus Moses did; according to all that the LORD had commanded him, so he did. In the first 15 verses of this chapter, I
underlined "you shall" 16 times. God was instructing or commanding Moses how to
set up the tent of meeting - tabernacle. 40:26, 27 Then he placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the veil; 27and he [Moses] burned fragrant incense on it, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. This is very similar to yesterday's verse, but yesterday's verse was referring to how God told him to do something. In these verses, Moses did what he was told. We have the free will to do or not to do what we are told. There is no doubt what is the better choice. (DRM 6/27/08) 40:34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Truly God was with the Israelites, and they could physically see the cloud by day and fire at night (v. 38). How I would like to see a physical representation that God is with me. Thankfully the Holy Spirit is in me, and I know I can call on Him as needed. I need His love and assurance as I go through the trials of daily life! (DRM 6/28/08) 40:38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels. The last verse of Exodus tells us about the
glory of the Lord. Generally this phenomenon occurred only until Jesus Christ's
birth.
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