Overview of Exodus 21 to 40

Recap

Genesis 12:1–3 “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.””

Because of a severe famine in the land and the reconciliation with Joseph, Jacob moves to Goshen in Egypt.

Genesis 46:27 “... all the persons of the house of Jacob, who came to Egypt, were seventy.”

Exodus 2:24 “So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Exodus 12:41 “And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.”

Exodus 19:1 “In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.”

Exodus 19:3–6 “Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.””

The LORD gives the Ten Commandments and that brings us to Chapter 21.

Law Given At Sinai (21 to 24)

Laws In Detail (21 to 23:19)

The treatment of Hebrew slaves.

Exodus 21:2 ““If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment.”

Consequences for strinking another person.

Exodus 21:12 ““He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.”

Exodus 21:16 ““He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death.”

Exodus 21:22 ““If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide.”

The handling of one’s ox

Exodus 21:29 ““If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of goring and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.”

Theft and property disputes.

Exodus 22:5 ““If a man lets a field or vineyard be grazed bare and lets his animal loose so that it grazes in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.”

Protection for women in unapproved marriages

Exodus 22:16 ““If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged, and lies with her, he must pay a dowry for her to be his wife.”

Verses 18 through 20, if the anyone in Israel did these three things the penalty was death.

Exodus 22:18 ““You shall not allow a sorceress to live.”

Exodus 22:19 ““Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.”

Exodus 22:20 ““He who sacrifices to any god, other than to the Lord alone, shall be utterly destroyed.”

Laws for handling legal disputes

Exodus 23:8 ““You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.”

Be on your guard! Take the word of the LORD serious.

Exodus 23:13 ““Now concerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth.”

The Promises (23:20 - 33)

Exodus 23:21 ““Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him.”

Exodus 23:24 ““You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces.”

A series of promises by the LORD concerning taking of the Promised Land. I will… I will...

Exodus 23:32–33 ““You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. “They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.””

The Response (24:1-18)

Exodus 24:3 “Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!””

Exodus 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!””

Exodus 24:8 “So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.””

Exodus 24:9–11 “Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank.”

Then Moses puts Aaron in charge and then Moses entered the midst of the cloud...

Exodus 24:17–18 “And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”

Tabernacle Pattern /Specifications (25 to 31)

Structure, Furniture, and Court (25 -27)

Exodus 25:1–3 “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution. “This is the contribution which you are to raise from them: gold, silver and bronze,”

Exodus 25:8–9 ““Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. “According 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.”

tabernacle - “dwelling place”, the dwelling place of God! Foreshadows the God the Son dwelling with humanity. John 1:14

Exodus 25:10 ““They shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high.”

The most holy object of the tabernacle is the ark of the covenant. Later contains the 10 Commandments, Aaron’s staff, and the pot of manna.

Exodus 25:22 ““There (the ark) I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.”

mercy seat - lit. “atonement covering.” Atonement is the “wiping away” or “covering” the guilt of sin from God’s eyes.

The mercy seat becomes the focal point for God’s meeting with his people, Israel.

Table of Showbread, Golden Lampstand - just mention these.

Exodus 26:1 ““Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman.”

Exodus 26:7 ““Then you shall make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains in all.”

Remember, go fast through these!! Mark that in your Bible somehow.

Boards and sockets

Veil and screen

Exodus 26:33 ““You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall serve for you as a partition between the holy place and the holy of holies.”

Exodus 27:1 ““And you shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits.”

Exodus 27:9 ““You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side there shall be hangings for the court of fine twisted linen one hundred cubits long for one side;”

Exodus 27:21 ““In the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the Lord; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout their generations for the sons of Israel.”

Priestly Garments and Ministry (28 - 29)

Exodus 28:1–2 ““Then bring near to yourself Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, to minister as priest to Me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. “You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.”

Exodus 28:35–36 ““It (golden bell and pomegranate) shall be on Aaron when he ministers; and its tinkling shall be heard when he enters and leaves the holy place before the Lord, so that he will not die. “You shall also make a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on it, like the engravings of a seal, ‘Holy to the Lord.’”

Exodus 29:1 ““Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate (or “make them hoy”) them to minister as priests to Me: take one young bull and two rams without blemish,”

Exodus 29:9 ““You shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and bind caps on them, and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute. So you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.”

Exodus 29:38 ““Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously.”

Hebrews 10:11-14 contrasts this being continuously with the one time sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Also, since they are each day, they are insufficient.

Exodus 29:45–46 ““I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God. “They shall know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the Lord their God.”

Other Items (30)

Altar of incense

Exodus 30:12 ““When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you number them.”

This ransom shows Israel’s dependence on the LORD’s mercy. Their lives are forfeit because of sin and must be redeemed.

Laver of bronze, anointing oil, incense cover quickly!

Craftsmen, Sabbath, and Tables of Stone (31)

Exodus 31:1–3 “Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel (“in God’s shadow”), the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. “I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,”

Exodus 31:6 ““And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab(“the father is my tent”), the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you:”

Exodus 31:12–14 “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. ‘Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.”

Sabbath is the sign of the Mosaic Covenant. It is a sign of the special relationship between God and Israel.

Exodus 31:17–18 ““It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.” When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.”

Tablets are placed in the ark. “Testimony” refers to the written record of the terms of the covenant.

Idolatry At Sinai (32 to 34)

Idolatry And Corruption (32:1-6)

Exodus 32:1 “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from 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.””

Exodus 32:4 “He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.””

God’s Judgement (32:7-10)

Exodus 32:7 “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.”

Exodus 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.””

Moses’ Intercession (32:11 - 33:23)

Exodus 32:13 ““Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ””

God relents and withholds total judgement.

Exodus 32:16 “The tablets were God’s work, and the writing was God’s writing engraved on the tablets.”

v.19 - Mosese breaks the tablets in two.

Aaron’s reply when confronted by Moses:

Exodus 32:24 ““I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.””

v.25 - “Aaron had let them get out of control, a derision among their enemies.”

Exodus 32:27 “He said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.’ ””

Exodus 32:35 “Then the Lord smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.”

Exodus 33:3–4 ““Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way.” When the people heard this sad word, they went into mourning, and none of them put on his ornaments.”

Exodus 33:16 ““For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?””

Exodus 33:18–19 “Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.””

Repentance And Renewal (34:1 - 35)

Exodus 34:1 “Now the Lord said to Moses, “Cut out for yourself two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered.”

Exodus 34:27 “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.””

Moses is in his central role as mediator and since the LORD is pleased with the mediator, He does not cast off the people of Israel.

Tabernacle Construction (35 to 40)

Preparations (35:1 - 36:7)

Exodus 35:1–2 “Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do: “For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a sabbath of complete rest to the Lord; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.”

Exodus 35:5 “‘Take from among you a contribution to the Lord; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the Lord’s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze,”

Exodus 35:22 “Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who presented an offering of gold to the Lord.”

Exodus 36:3 “They( the skilled craftsmen) received from Moses all the contributions which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning.”

Exodus 36:7 “For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it.”

Items Made (36:8 - 39:42)

Exodus 36:8 “All the skillful men among those who were performing the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material, with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman, Bezalel made them.”

Exodus 37:1 “Now Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was two and a half cubits, and its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits;”

Exodus 37:17 “Then he made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work, its base and its shaft; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers were of one piece with it.”

Exodus 37:25 “Then he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit long and a cubit wide, square, and two cubits high; its horns were of one piece with it.”

Exodus 38:1 “Then he made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits wide, square, and three cubits high.”

Exodus 38:8–9 “Moreover, he made the laver of bronze with its base of bronze, from the mirrors of the serving women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting. Then he made the court: for the south side the hangings of the court were of fine twisted linen, one hundred cubits;”

Exodus 38:21 “This is the number of the things for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were numbered according to the command of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”

Exodus 38:26 “a beka a head (that is, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary), for each one who passed over to those who were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men.”

Exodus 39:1 “Moreover, from the blue and purple and scarlet material, they made finely woven garments for ministering in the holy place as well as the holy garments which were for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.”

Exodus 39:42–43 “So the sons of Israel did all the work according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. And Moses examined all the work and behold, they had done it; just as the Lord had commanded, this they had done. So Moses blessed them.”

Tabernacle Erected (40:1 - 33)

Exodus 40:17 “Now in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected.”

Nine months after the arrival at Mt. Sinai, the tabernacle is erected.

Exodus 40:33 “He erected the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the veil for the gateway of the court. Thus Moses finished the work.”

Glory of the LORD (40:34 - 38)

Exodus 40:34 “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

Exodus 40:38 “For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.”

The reestablishment of God’s dwelling with man.

Special Issues

Tabernacle Pictures

Get pictures from Logos Media and existing ppt.

The Law

These laws are for the people of Israel.

There is no authority where there is no law. A nation needs laws.

Civil and penal case law (21:1-22:20)

Protection for Hebrew slaves

Pentalty is death if you steal a man (v.16)

Restitution

v.24 - “eye for an eye”. Punishment should fit the crime.

v.32 - the price of a slave: 30 shekels of silver.

Moral imperative (22:21 - 29)

Protection for women and children

Exodus 22:22–24 ““You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. “If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.”

Instructions for Sabbath and celebration of festivals (23:10 - 19)

The laws spell out how the LORD’s people should worship Him publicly, privately, and in everyday life.

Bring in the NT summation of the Law.

The Tabernacle

What it points to, etc, from Hebrews

tabernacle - “dwelling place”

The amount of text it takes up in these chapters and in Exodus.

Once erected by Moses, then the LORD dwells with His people. Mention of the word glory!

EX 24:16 state the glory of the LORD rested on Mt. Sinai. EX 40:34, the glory of the LORD fills the tabernacle. The LORD now dwells with his people.

The Golden Calf

The LORD’s commands against idolatry

Breaking the tablet signified the breaking of the covenant by the people.

Aaron

His behavior hints that the Levitical priesthood is destined for failure.

Not an example of confessing to your sin

LORD was still merciful with Aaron.

Wickedness of our hearts; how fast we can fall.

Moses

“Show me your glory!” Got to say something about this.

His anger mirrors the LORD’s anger. EX 32:10 and EX 32:19.

Central role here is as mediator. Pleads twice with the LORD. One to not wipe these people out.

Does so by reminding the LORD of His promises to Abraham. Pleads another time to be with His people.