EXODUS

Exodus 12:21-23

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you." (Exodus 12:21-23 KJV)

 

 

Exodus 12:24-27

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped." (Exodus 12:24-27 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Passover was to be observed in a Promised Land to be possessed, because God’s salvation is only proven to our posterity by our possession of God’s promises.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Our children have no desire to profess what we clearly do not possess.

 

Exodus 12:33-36

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men. And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians." (Exodus 12:33-36 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Far from fleeing the world and plundering it, the people of God today are falling in with the world and being plundered by it.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The people of God today neither scare the world nor are spoilers of it, but are scared of the world and being spoiled by it.

 

Exodus 12:36

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians." (Exodus 12:36 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: By the time God was through with the Egyptians, they were no longer reluctant to permit Israel to leave Egypt, but more than happy to pay them to do so. The Egyptians no longer wanted to retain Israel for all time, but to be rid of Israel once and for all. (Exodus 12:39)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: You may refuse to obey God‘s Word, but the time will come when you will wish you had!

 

Exodus 12:38

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle." (Exodus 12:36 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The people of God’s march to the promised land is always made up of a “mixed multitude,” for whosoever will may come! (Revelation 22:17)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The only blindness in Heaven is color-blindness.

 

Exodus 12:39

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual." (Exodus 12:39 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: By the time God was through with the Egyptians, they were no longer reluctant to permit Israel to leave Egypt, but more than happy to pay them to do so. The Egyptians no longer wanted to retain Israel for all time, but to be rid of Israel once and for all. (Exodus 12:36)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: You may refuse to obey God‘s Word, but the time will come when you will wish you had!

 

Exodus 13:3-5

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lordbrought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day came ye out in the month Abib. And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month." (Exodus 13:3-5 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Passover was a day to be remembered in a Promised Land to be possessed. It was not to be celebrated in the wilderness, where Israel wandered for forty years, but in Canaan, once Israel had possessed all that God had promised.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: How underwhelming and unimpressive are celebrations in the wilderness, where we wander around in the middle of nowhere, wanting the faith to procure the promises of God.

 

How many sinners are impeded from inheriting God’s promises by the spiritual want and wandering of God’s saints?

 

Exodus 13:8-9

 

BIBLE TEXT: "On that day explain to your son, ‘This is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ Let it serve as a sign for you on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead, so that the Lord’s instruction may be in your mouth; for the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a strong hand." (Exodus 13:8-9 HCSB)

 

BIBLE TWEET: As the heads, hands, and mouths of the Israelites were to show others, especially their children, God's salvation of them from slavery, so also out thoughts, deeds, and words, should show others, especially our children, God's salvation of us from sin.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Our failure as Christian parents to exemplify the Christian faith is chiefly responsible for the mass exodus of our children from the contemporary church.

 

HCSB - Holman Christian Standard Bible

 

Exodus 13:17-18

 

BIBLE TEXT: "When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearby; for God said, “The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war.” So He led the people around toward the Red Sea along the road of the wilderness. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt in battle formation." (Exodus 13:17-18 HCSB)

 

BIBLE TWEET: How many enlist in the army of God and march out in battle formation, only to go AWOL at the first sight of a spiritual skirmish?

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: "A church should be a camp of soldiers, not a hospital of invalids." (Charles Spurgeon)

 

HCSB - Holman Christian Standard Bible

 

Exodus 13:19

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you." (Exodus 13:19 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Joseph’s great faith was greatly testified to by his dying instructions for his bones to be carried from Egypt by God’s people to be buried in Canaan, God’s Promised Land. (Hebrews 11:22)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Like Joseph, we too should posthumously testify to others of our undying faith in God and God’s unfailing promises to us.

 

Exodus 13:21-22

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people." (Exodus 13:21-22 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Holy Spirit is our pillar of cloud and fire who leads us day and night through the wilderness of this world.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: We are to be still when the Spirit is still and to move when the Spirit moves, going only where He leads us to go and doing only what He leads us to do. We must not get ahead of Him, lest we find ourselves without His presence and in the wrong places doing the wrong things.

 

Exodus 14:1-13

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did so. And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever." (Exodus 14:1-13 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: To see the salvation of the Lord often necessitates the proverbial and precarious predicament of God positioning us between the devil and the deep blue sea.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: To see the salvation of the Lord we must see a crisis in the light of God, never God in the shadow of a crisis. In other words, our problems should never get us down, but always cause us to look up.

 

It’s often when we’re persuaded that we’re done in that God providentially steps in and faith permanently cashes in.

 

Exodus 14:14

 

BIBLE TEXT: "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." (Exodus 14:14 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Silence in the ranks is a prerequisite to God fighting for His people.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: God will not secure our triumph until we silence our tongues; that is, stop our whining and whimpering.

 

Whining and whimpering that it's all too much is an affront to the Almighty—El Shaddai—who is more than enough!

 

Exodus 14:15-16

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea." (Exodus 14:15-16 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Although Red Sea crossings appear to be curtains to us, they are actually God’s way of conquest for us. We must trust God for safe passage through them if we are to triumphantly emerge from them.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: When God leads us to a Red Sea—something that looks like the end of us—overcoming faith does not come from praying on the shore, but from stepping out into the drink and summoning the courage to dare to walk through it.

 

Overcoming faith grows best on the dry ground through life’s Red Seas. Our faith is strengthened with each step we take through them.

 

Exodus 14:17-18, 23-28, 31

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen…And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them…Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore." (Exodus 14:17-18, 23-28, 31 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: God is honored by the broken-down chariots and washed up corpses of the hardhearted pursuers and persecutors of His holy people.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: A disconcerting, but nonetheless indisputable truth of Scripture is that God will be honored by the destruction of all who live in hostile defiance of Him rather than in wholehearted devotion to Him.

 

“The most tremendous judgment of God in this world is the hardening of the hearts of men.” (John Owen)

 

Exodus 14:19-20

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night." (Exodus 14:19-20 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: God has His people’s back, nothing can get to them without coming through Him.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: God’s presence, which serves as a protective partition between His people and their persecutors, is a shining light to the former and a shroud of darkness to the latter.

 

Exodus 14:21-22, 29-30

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left…But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore." (Exodus 14:21-22, 29-30 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Though it appeared to be a place of death, Israel went down into the Red Sea, only to find it a place of deliverance. They were not submerged under it and drowned, but emerged from it delivered.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Not only did Israel emerge from the Red Sea with those who enslaved them destroyed behind them, but they emerged from the Red Sea with all that God had promised them lying before them.

 

The Apostle Paul teaches us in the New Testament that Israel’s following of Moses into the place of death, the Red Sea, was an Old Testament type of the New Testament’s teaching on baptism (1 Corinthians 10:1-4). First, Israel followed Moses into the Red Sea so that their old life of slavery could be buried behind them. Likewise, the Christian follows Christ in baptism to symbolize, by his immersion beneath the baptismal waters, that he has died with Christ and that his old life of slavery to sin has been buried behind him. Second, Israel followed Moses into the Red Sea so that they could emerge from it with Moses into newness of life. Likewise, the Christian follows Christ in baptism to symbolize, by being raised from the baptismal waters, that he has risen with Christ into newness of life.

 

For an in-depth study of what the Bible teaches about baptism, read our book on this important biblical doctrine and church ordinance.

 

Exodus 15:1-18

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.  Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. The Lord shall reign for ever and ever." (Exodus 15:1-18 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Moses did not lead the people to sing a song about him, to one another, and for their entertainment, but to sing a song about God, to God alone, and for God’s glory.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Of the nearly 200 songs found in the Bible, the Song of Moses is the oldest of the Bible’s golden oldies.

 

Exodus 15:22-25

 

BIBLE TEXT: "So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them." (Exodus 15:22-25 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Just as God showed Moses a tree, which made the bitter waters of Marah sweet, when Moses cried out to Him, God will show you a tree, the cross of Calvary, which will make your bitter life sweet, if you will cry out to Him!

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: I think that I shall never see anything as beautiful as a tree!

 

Exodus 15:26

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee." (Exodus 15:26 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: There is no better immunity from disease nor remedy for disease than JEHOVAH—RAPHA, “the Lord our Healer.”

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: “God heals, and the doctor takes the fees.” (Benjamin Franklin)

 

Exodus 15:27

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters." (Exodus 15:27 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Divine Providence prepares desert rest stops on life’s wilderness highways for God's weary pilgrims.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: No galloping gallivanters have ever needed divine rest stops more than today’s nonstop surfers of the information highway.

 

Exodus 16:1-36

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt: And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord; for that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord: and what are we, that ye murmur against us? And Moses said, This shall be, when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord. And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the Lord: for he hath heard your murmurings. And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day. And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations. As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah." (Exodus 16:1-36 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The people of God can always trust God to sufficiently meet their daily needs, not greeds, as was proven by the manna in the wilderness. There may be no surplus, but there won’t be any shortage.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: When it rains manna from Heaven, some people reach for an umbrella and others for eating utensils.

 

Exodus 17:1-7

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?" (Exodus 17:1-7 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The miracle of life-giving water from the rock of Meribah for thirsty souls in a sun-parched wilderness, was a signpost pointing to the coming miracle of living water for thirsty souls from the Rock of Ages in a sin-parched wold. (1 Corinthians 10:4)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The center of God’s will is not detected by the want of any crisis. Instead, trials come to test whether we will remain true to God and resolved to trust Him, regardless of our troubles.

 

Exodus 17:8-16

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." (Exodus 17:8-16 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: As Amalek continuously warred with God's people in the past to keep them from possessing God's promises in Canaan, the flesh continuously wars with God's people in the present to keep us from possessing God's promises in Christ. (Galatians 5:16-17)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The defeating of Amalek (the flesh) not only requires our hands being always uplifted to God, but at times, us also being upheld by the uplifted hands of others.

 

Exodus 17:15

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi." (Exodus 17:15 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: When the enemy thinks we’re most vulnerable, finding us in a spiritually arid place, he rushes in like a flood, only to discover JEHOVAH-NISSI, the Lord our Banner, rising up over us in His protection of us. (Isaiah 58:19)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Like Moses, we should pray for JEHOVAH-NISSI, the Lord our Banner, to rise up over us, so that His enemies will not only be scattered and flee before Him, but before us as well! (Numbers 10:35)

 

It’s the Lord’s perfect love for us that unfurls Him as a protective banner over us. (Song of Solomon 2:4)

 

Exodus 18:1-12

 

BIBLE TEXT: "When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt; Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh: And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God: And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her. And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. And Moses told his father in law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God." (Exodus 18:1-12 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: We should pray that God's kindness to us results in our kin coming to acknowledge and worship Him.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Like Moses, who bowed to his father-in-law, we too should respect our elders; after all, they are to us an invaluable and irreplaceable resource?

 

Exodus 18:13-27

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even? And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace. So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land." (Exodus 18:13-27 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Ministry to others is best propagated when it is better delegated.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: A pastor who keep his congregation under his thumb will never have anything but a thumbnail ministry to his congregation.

 

Exodus 19:1-2

 

BIBLE TEXT: "In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount." (Exodus 19:1-2 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: God’s promised sign was given to Moses after, not before, Moses had answered God’s call and accomplished his God-given commission. (Exodus 3:12)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Heaven is unlike Missouri, in that you have to believe it to ever see it rather than see it to ever believe it.

 

Exodus 19:3

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel." (Exodus 19:3 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: It’s a steep climb up the Mount of God to the Most High and few there be who ever aspire to ascend it.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: There is, as there has always been, but a remnant of the redeemed, who aspire to live high where the air is rare. Most contemporary Christians are spiritual lowlanders, content to live out their Christian lives in gullies and gorges. Unlike the hymn writer, they have no desire to “scale the utmost height,” in order to “catch a gleam of glory bright.”

 

Exodus 19:4

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself." (Exodus 19:4 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Those the Most High brings unto Himself must be miraculously borne “on eagles’ wings” to so lofty, high and holy a place. (Isaiah 57:15)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: To come to God men must be brought by God, for only He can lift men from the depths of the degradation of sin to the heights of reconciliation with Him.

 

Exodus 19:5-6

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." (Exodus 19:5-6 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Although all of the people of the earth are God’s possession, His peculiar people and treasured possession are those who listen to and live out His Word.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The fact that America ignores and is insubordinate to God’s Word has both defiled our country and defrocked our citizenry. We have ceased to be a Christian—holy and set apart—nation populated by God’s priests—those sanctified for His service.

 

Exodus 19:9

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord." (Exodus 19:9 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Until the people know that he has heard from God, no prophet will ever be known as a true prophet of God.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Present-day pulpits are filled with many who passionately speak God’s Word, but with few to whom the Word of God has been personally spoken.

 

Exodus 19:10-25

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount. And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish. And let the priests also, which come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them. And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. And the Lord said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Lord, lest he break forth upon them. So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them." (Exodus 19:10-25 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: While a Moses, who seeks intimacy with God, is invited up the mountain, the multitudes, who are intimidated by God, are inhibited from even coming close to it.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: God’s intimates, who want to gaze upon God, are beckoned to come closer to God, but those intimidated by God, who want nothing but a glimpse of God, are bound from coming any closer to God.

 

Exodus 20:1-17

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s." (Exodus 20:1-17 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Ten Commandments were not given to show us what God is like and how we can save ourselves, but to show us what we are like and how we need God to save us.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: God’s law did three things for us. First, it left us guilty before God. God said don’t and we did, and God said do and we didn’t. Second, it left us without excuse. Third, it brought to us the knowledge of sin; that is, the knowledge that something is horribly wrong with us, because no matter how hard we try to do right, we habitually do wrong. (Romans 3:19-20)

 

God’s law, which brought us condemnation, was given as a schoolmaster to prepare us for the coming of God’s Son, who alone brought us salvation. The law did so by teaching us two tremendous truths. First, it taught us—imperfect sinners—the impossibility of saving ourselves by living up to God’s standard of sinless perfection. Second, it taught us our desperate need of a Savior—God’s Son—who alone could do for us what we could never do for ourselves; namely, save us from our sins by His sinless life and substitutionary death! (Galatians 3:24-25; Romans 3:19-20; 5:8-21)

 

Exodus 20:3

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: We are to live for nothing besides God nor to love anything or anyone before God, lest we have another god apart from God.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: “If loving God with all of our heart, soul, and might is the greatest commandment, then it follows that not loving Him that way is the greatest sin.” (R. A. Torrey)

 

Exodus 20:4-6

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:4-6 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Anything that comes first before God or that is feared besides God is an idol.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: To deify anything man-made is idolatry and to depict the sacred with man-made things is to profane the sacred and to commit sacrilege.

 

An individual’s indivisible allegiance to God is important to the preservation of his or her posterity, but an idolater’s posterity is imperiled when his or her affection for God is alienated by an idol.

 

Christianity is only one generation away from extinction!

 

Exodus 20:7

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." (Exodus 20:7 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: God’s excellent name should be handled with extreme care. (Psalm 8:9)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: All who are irreverent toward God will be required to answer to God.

 

Exodus 20:8-11

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Exodus 20:8-11 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Fourth Commandment is broken today by all who fail to believe in Christ, who is the substance of what the Sabbath was but a shadow. (Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 4:1-13)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: For Christians, who are at rest in Christ, who have stopped trying to save themselves through their own labors and started trusting their Lord to save them through His finished work, everyday is a Sabbath day.

 

READ THE BOOKLET: THE SABBATH

 

Exodus 20:12

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." (Exodus 20:12 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: It’s as important for parents to be honorable, as it is for their children to honor them. After all, no child can honor an abusive or neglectful parent.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: No society can long endure if its parents are dishonored by their children.

 

Exodus 20:13

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Thou shalt not kill." (Exodus 20:13 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Sixth Commandment prohibits murder, not war—the defense of one's country—police action—the protection of orderly society—capital punishment—the protection of innocent lives—or self-defense—the protection of one's person and property.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The Sixth Commandment is neither a prooftext for pacifism nor vegetarianism.

 

Exodus 20:14

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Thou shalt not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Although infidelity is not unforgivable, it is unalterable, for the consequence of violating one’s marriage vow is the lifelong stigma that all of one’s other vows are suspect.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: A person who is usually faithful to their spouse is utterly unfaithful, as is a person who is usually faithful to their country or to Christ. The first is an adulterer, the second a traitor, and the third a hypocrite.

 

Exodus 20:15

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Thou shalt not steal." (Exodus 20:15 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Eighth Commandment—Thou shalt not steal—confirms the property rights of capitalism, by prohibiting thieves from stealing and the state from taking one’s personal property.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: “Property must be secured or liberty cannot exists.” (John Adams)

 

Exodus 20:16

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." (Exodus 20:16 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: False witnesses are character assassins, whose sin is both abhorrent and abominable to God. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The greatest threat to law and order is lack of confidence in the law, and the greatest way to undermine public confidence in the law is for the courts to allow rather than hold accountable false witnesses and to circumvent rather than champion truth and justice.

 

Exodus 20:17

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." (Exodus 20:17 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: A covetous person is an idolater, since what they covet is to them an idol, an obsession that’s possession takes precedence over obedience to God. (Ephesians 5:5)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Covetousness impoverishes our soul by robbing us of the great gain of godly contentment and swathing us in the human rags of insatiable desires. (1 Timothy 6:6)

 

Exodus 20:18-19

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die." (Exodus 20:18-19 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Many of God’s people today, like in Moses’ day, want secondhand religion. They don’t want God‘s Word firsthand, but secondhand. They don’t want God speaking personally and directly to them, but only impersonally and indirectly to them through others.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The popularity of secondhand religion and the shortage of those who speak with God face to face, as Moses did, explains the scarcity of shining faces in our world today. (Exodus 34:29-35; Deuteronomy 34:10)

 

Exodus 20:20-21

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was." (Exodus 20:20-21 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: While a Moses approaches God, the masses always remain at a distance.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: You’re as close to God as you want to be!

 

Exodus 20:22-23

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold." (Exodus 20:22-23 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Silver and gold are rivals to God that often replace Him in men’s lives.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Money is the only thing Jesus ever spoke about as being a direct rival to God. (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13)

 

Exodus 20:24-26

 

BIBLE TEXT: "An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon." (Exodus 20:24-26 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Altars were to be plain, not ornate or exalted, lest they fail to be aids to worship and become objects of worship.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Many contemporary Christians are more caught up in their church than they are in Christ. They talk more about their church than they do about Christ and spend more time attending church services than attending to the service of Christ.

 

Exodus 21:5-6

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever." (Exodus 21:5-6 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: A pierced ear was the sign of perpetual slavery for a servant whose love for his master led him to voluntarily surrender to lifetime servitude.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: All loving servants of Christ voluntarily lend Him their ear and surrender themselves to lifetime servitude.

 

The ears of Christians must ring with the voice of Christ if Christians are to live out their lives as Christ’s requires.

 

Exodus 21:12-14

 

BIBLE TEXT: "He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee. But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die." (Exodus 21:12-14 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Premeditated murder is a capital offense. The perpetrator must be put to death, not only to prevent a repeat performance, but also to protect any potential future fatalities.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The Bible clearly teaches capital punishment, in order to protect innocent lives by preventing murderers from becoming repeat offenders.

 

We ignore this divine command at our own peril, as is made painfully plain in America today, where the vast majority of violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, who make up a very small percentage of our overall population.

 

Exodus 21:22-23

 

BIBLE TEXT: "If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life." (Exodus 21:22-23 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Although causing a baby to be born prematurely is criminalized in Scripture, even if the baby survives, causing the death of an unborn child is condemned by Scripture as a capital offense.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: “The fetus, though enclosed in the womb of its mother, is already a human being and it is a monstrous crime to rob it of the life which it has not yet begun to enjoy. If it seems more horrible to kill a man in his own house than in a field, because a man’s house is his place of most secure refuge, it ought surely to be deemed more atrocious to destroy a fetus in the womb before it has come to light.” (John Calvin)

 

If the unborn is not a human person, no justification for abortion is necessary. However, if the unborn is a human person, no justification for abortion is adequate.” (Greg Koukl)

 

Exodus 21:24-25

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." (Exodus 21:24-25 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Scriptural law of an eye for an eye, known as “lex talionis,” which is Latin for “law of retaliation,” simply teaches us that the punishment must fit the crime.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Unless criminal perpetrators face punishments that fit their crimes there is no way crime can be prevented nor civilization protected.

 

Exodus 22:18

 

BIBLE TEXT: "You must not allow a sorceress to live." (Exodus 22:18 HCSB)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Sorcerers deny Divine Sovereignty by claiming to steer people's destiny by the performance of divination and the power of incantation.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Sorcery is no small sin, but a serious one, since divining sorcerers are specious superseders of Divine Sovereignty.

 

HCSB - Holman Christian Standard Bible

 

Exodus 22:21

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." (Exodus 22:21 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The strangers Scripture admonishes us to treat as fellow citizens are those willing to be assimilated into our culture, not those antagonistic to it and adamant to supplant it with their own. (Exodus 23:9, 31-33; Leviticus 17:8-9; 24:16; Deuteronomy 5:14; Ezekiel 44:9)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The Bible warns us that our nation will be devoured by fire if “the gates of [our] land shall be set wide open unto [our] enemies.” (Nahum 3:13)

 

Exodus 22:22-24

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless." (Exodus 22:22-24 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: God can make the wives and children of men who mistreat widows and orphans widows and fatherless themselves.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: To mistreat the less fortunate is to infuriate the Most High and to assure your punishment in response to their prayers.

 

Exodus 22:25

 

BIBLE TEXT: "If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury." (Exodus 22:25 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The prosperous should lend to the poor among God's people charitably, not for usury.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Lenders among God’s people should lend to their debtors generously and graciously, not greedily. Debtors among God’s people should repay their lenders gladly and gratefully, not grudgingly.

 

Exodus 23:1

 

BIBLE TEXT: "You shall not give a false report; you shall not join hands with the wicked to be a malicious witness [promoting wrong and violence]." (Exodus 23:1 AMP)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The people of God are prohibited from partnering with unscrupulous people, such as perfidious politicians, in the propagation of false narratives for ignoble ends.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The prejudices and divisiveness of present-day demagoguery is not a scripturally sanctioned means to sought-after political ends, but a scripturally condemned sin that should be eschewed by all Bible-believing Christians.

 

“A society whose citizens refuse to see and investigate the facts, who refuse to believe that their government and their media will routinely lie to them and fabricate a reality contrary to verifiable facts, is a society that chooses and deserves the police state dictatorship it is going to get.” (Ian Williams Goodard)

 

AMP - Amplified Bible

 

Exodus 23:2

 

BIBLE TEXT: "You shall not follow a crowd to do [something] evil, nor shall you testify at a trial or in a dispute so as to side with a crowd in order to pervert justice." (Exodus 23:2 AMP)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The people of God are prohibited from following the crowd in the perpetration of wrongdoing or in the perverting of justice.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Neither right and wrong nor truth and error are determined by public opinion. Whereas public opinion is ever-changing, truth is immutable and never susceptible to either mob rule or groupthink.

 

What is right and true is defined in the Bible, not decided in the ballot box. Right is not made wrong nor wrong right by majority vote.

 

AMP - Amplified Bible

 

Exodus 23:3, 6

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Nor shall you favor or be partial to a poor man in his dispute [simply because he is poor]…You shall not pervert (bend) the justice due to your poor in his dispute." (Exodus 23:3, 6 AMP)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Justice should neither be perverted to the advantage of the poor nor prejudiced against the poor.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: For justice to triumph in our courts, class warfare must be thrown out of our courts. Right must prevail over wrong, regardless of whether it’s clothed in silk or in sackcloth.

 

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (Martin Luther King)

 

AMP - Amplified Bible

 

Exodus 23:7

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked." (Exodus 23:3, 6 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: False charges and convictions are condemned by God, to whom those guilty of them are guaranteed to answer for them.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: You should keep yourself far away from a false accusation, lest you find yourself forced to give an account to a furious God.

 

A clear conscience is the finest armor against a false accusation.

 

Exodus 23:8

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous." (Exodus 23:8 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Bribes blind judges and betray justice.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: “Though the bribe be small, yet the fault is great.” (Edward Coke)

 

Exodus 23:9

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." (Exodus 23:9 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The strangers Scripture admonishes us to treat as fellow citizens are those willing to be assimilated into our culture, not those antagonistic to it and adamant to supplant it with their own. (Exodus 22:21; 23:31-33; Leviticus 17:8-9; 24:16; Deuteronomy 5:14; Ezekiel 44:9)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The Bible warns us that our nation will be devoured by fire if “the gates of [our] land shall be set wide open unto [our] enemies.” (Nahum 3:13)

 

Exodus 23:13

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth." (Exodus 23:13 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: God's Word must be carefully heeded in our lives and the names of false gods never heard from our lips.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Divided loyalty to the Lord is disloyalty and partial obedience is disobedience.

 

Exodus 23:14-17

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God." (Exodus 23:14-17 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Three times a year, at the Feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, every male in Israel was ordered to appear before the Lord, as well as outlawed from doing so empty-handedly.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: How can we come empty-handed to the nail-scarred handed Christ, who is the substance of what the Feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles merely symbolized?

 

Exodus 23:20-23

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off." (Exodus 23:20-23 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The angel sent before Israel was a Theophany or Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ in Scripture, which is proven by His ability to either forgive or not to forgive sin. (Mark 2:7-12)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Our faithfulness to Christ makes Christ a foe of our foes!

 

Exodus 23:24-30

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land." (Exodus 23:24-30 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The people of God should breakdown rather than bow down to what the world bows before.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: We prohibit God from blessing us when we prostrate ourselves to the fetishes of this fallen world—position, power, possessions, and pleasure.

 

Exodus 24:1-18

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off. And Moses alone shall come near the Lord: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him. And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words. Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink. And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights." (Exodus 24:1-18 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: This chapter has been called the climax of the Mosaic Covenant, because it may be seen as the signing of the covenant, but not in ink, but in blood.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: To enter into covenant with God, you must commit to, not just consider, obeying all, not just some, of God’s commandments.

 

Exodus 25:1-8

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." (Exodus 25:1-8 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: God’s holy habitation among His people is constructed with and comprised of their wholehearted contributions to Him.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: We have as much of God as we want to have. The only thing keeping us from having more of Him is our failure to give Him more of us.

 

Regardless of our profession, Jesus, who knows the depth and degree of our devotion, is as committed to us as we are to Him. (John 2:23-25)

 

Exodus 25:9

 

BIBLE TEXT: "According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it." (Exodus 25:9 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The intricate design and construction of the Tabernacle was necessitated by the fact that everything in it symbolized Christ, the substance and fulfillment of everything it symbolically and figuratively depicted and portrayed.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The Tabernacle was a type of Christ. It pointed to the promised coming of Emmanuel—”God with us." As God was once with His people in His sanctuary, where He resided among them, He is now with His people in His Son, through whose Spirit He dwells within them! (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23)

 

“The Scriptures devote more room to the description of the Tabernacle and its appurtenances than to any other subject.” (J. Sidlow Baxter)

 

Exodus 25:10-16

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee." (Exodus 25:10-16 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Ark of the Covenant symbolized the sinless Christ. God’s law, which was broken by man, had to be kept safely in the Ark and sinlessly by Christ; otherwise, neither the tablets of the law nor the transgressors of the law could possibly be saved.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: If Christ had not lived a sinless life, He would have died for His own sin rather than for our sins. It was imperative, therefore, that He sinlessly preserved God’s law in Hs life, so that He could die on the cross as the propitiation for our sin.

 

READ THE BOOKLET: THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

 

Exodus 25:17-22

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel." (Exodus 25:17-22 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Old Testament’s “Mercy Seat” is the New Testament’s “Throne of Grace,” both symbolize our salvation in Christ, since Christ mercifully saves us from what we do deserve—Hell—and graciously saves us for what we don’t deserve—Heaven. (Hebrews 4:16 KJV)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The Mercy Seat, where Israel’s high priest sprinkled the blood of bulls and goats on the annual Day of Atonement, was the only “seat” in the tabernacle, since Israel’s high priest could never set down, because his atoning work for Israel’s sins was temporary and never finished (Leviticus 16:1-34; 23:26-32; Numbers 29:7-11). On the other hand, Jesus, our High Priest, has not only sprinkled His blood on the heavenly Mercy Seat in the heavenly Holy of Holies, of which the Tabernacle’s Holy of Holies was a mere earthly shadow and pattern (Hebrews 8:1-6), but has also set down afterward, since His atoning work for our sins is eternally finished (Hebrews 9:1-28; 12:2). 

 

The Ark’s cover was called a “seat,” because God was believed to be enthroned between the cherubim (1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; Psalm 80:1; 99:1). This belief stemmed from the fact that God’s Shekinah glory came down to rest above the Mercy Seat whenever God met with Moses and spoke to him from between the cherubim (Exodus 25:22; Numbers 7:89). The Ark’s cover was called a “Mercy Seat,” because God, who was believed to be enthroned there, delights to show mercy to all who come to Him in contrition (Micah 7:18).

 

Our salvation in Christ is so stupendous that even the angels “long to look into these things” (1 Peter 1:12). This explains why the cherubim on the Mercy Seat atop the Ark of the Covenant were peering down into it, because it symbolized the salvation God wrought for fallen man that He did not work for fallen angels.

 

READ THE BOOKLET: THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

 

Exodus 25:23-30

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table. And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them. And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them. And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway." (Exodus 25:23-30 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Tabernacle’s Table of Shewbread symbolized Christ as the Bread of Life, who came down from Heaven to forever satisfy the hungry souls of men. (Leviticus 24:5-9; John 6:32-35, 48-58)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The bread that was always on the table of the Tabernacle, which stood before the Ark, which represented the presence of God, was called the Bread of the Presence. Here we see illustrated the illuminating truth that our spiritual sustenance is secured by staying perpetually in God’s presence and forever in fellowship with Him. 

 

It should be observed that on the table in the Tabernacle were not only plates for the shewbread, which symbolized Christ as the Bread of Life, who men may eat of and hunger no more, but also cups and pitchers for drink offerings, which symbolized Christ as the Living Water, who men may drink of and thirst no more. (John 4:10, 13-14; 6:35; 7:37-38)

 

Exodus 25:31

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same." (Exodus 25:31 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: God’s chosen vessels, such as the Tabernacle’s Golden Candlestick, are always made of beaten gold, not moulded gold. They are fit for God's holy use by a skilled artist in a prolonged painstaking process, not easily made from a mold without thought, toil, or time.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The next time God goes to hammering on you, just remember it’s so that He can make better use of you.

 

Exodus 25:31-40

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick. And in the candlesticks shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers. And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick. Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold. And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it. And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold. Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels. And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount." (Exodus 25:31-40 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Tabernacle’s Golden Lampstand, which served as its only light, symbolized Christ as the Light of the world, who serves as this dark world’s only true light. (Numbers 8:1-4; John 1:9; 8:12; 9:5; 12:46)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: In the Scripture, the Lampstand also symbolizes Christ’s churches, who, as His reflection and representative, also serve as the light of the world. (Matthew 5:13-16; Revelation 1:12-13, 20) 

 

In the Scripture, the Lampstand also symbolizes the Holy Spirit, the oil that keeps the lamp of the church burning perpetually, just as the lamp of the Tabernacle was to burn perpetually (Exodus 27:20-21; Zechariah 4:1-6; Revelation 4:5). As the light of the lamp of the Tabernacle was to never be quenched by a lack of holy oil, so also the light or lamp of the church is to never be quenched by a lack of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19; 2 Timothy 1:6-7).

 

Exodus 26:1-30

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them. The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure. The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another. And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another. And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle. And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make. The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure. And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle. And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second. And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the tabernacle. And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it. And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins. And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up. Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board. Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle. And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward. And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons. And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards: And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards. And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners. And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward. And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end. And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold. And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount." (Exodus 26:1-30 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The beautiful curtains and internal beauty of the Tabernacle could only been seen by the priests, those whom God permitted to enter, not by the people, whom God excluded and prohibited from entering.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The beauty of the Lord cannot be seen by those on the outside looking in, but only by those whose sole desire is to dwell in the house of the Lord and to behold His beauty for forever. (Psalm 27:4)

 

Exodus 26:31-33

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy." (Exodus 26:31-33 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The colors of the Veil in the Tabernacle represented the incarnate Christ, who by His torn flesh on the cross would tear the veil in two, making God once again accessible to man.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Blue is the color of the heavens, pointing us to God. Scarlet is the color of the red clay of the earth, from which God made man. Purple, the combination of blue and scarlet, represents Christ, the God-man, whose torn flesh on the cross tore the Veil in two and once again re-opened to man the way to God! (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45)

 

The cherubim on the Veil of the Tabernacle, which separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy or the priests from the presence of God, like the cherubim guarding the Garden of Eden, were meant to show God’s inaccessibility to man. However, thanks to Christ, who tore the Veil in two, paradise can now be regained and God’s presence re-entered! (Exodus 26:31; Genesis 3:24; Mark 15:38)

 

Exodus 27:1-8

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass. And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof. And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass. And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it." (Exodus 27:1-8 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Brazen Altar of the Tabernacle, where substitutionary animal sacrifices were repeatedly made to temporarily cover sin, represented Christ as the Lamb of God, who would once and for all sacrifice Himself to forever take away the sin of the world. (John 1:29; Hebrews 10:10)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: In the Bible, bronze often represents judgment. Since bronze is harder than gold or silver, it is better able to withstand heat and fire. Here, we see a glorious picture in the Tabernacle’s Bronze Altar of Christ on the cross, where He withstood for us the fiery judgment of God upon all the sins of all time!

 

Exodus 27:9-19

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side: And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four. All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass. The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass. All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass." (Exodus 27:9-19 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: God knows that only a few will ever dare to draw near, a fact proven by the small size of the court of the Tabernacle. While there were hundreds of thousands of potential worshippers, the place of worship was only the size of half a football field.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: If worship is the chief activity of all of Heaven, as the Bible clearly teaches, then, why is there not only so little worship, but also so few worshippers, here on earth?

 

Exodus 27:20-21

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel." (Exodus 27:9-19 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: It is only by being filled with the pure power of the Holy Spirit, which is symbolized in Scripture by the holy anointing oil, that Christians, who are the light of the world, can be kept perpetually burning. 

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: When asked why people came to hear him preach, John Wesley replied that people didn’t come to hear him preach, but to watch him burn!

 

Exodus 28:1-5

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen." (Exodus 28:1-5 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Israel’s priests were chosen by birth and made conspicuous by their clothing. Likewise, God's priest today are chosen by being born again and made conspicuous by being clad in a robe of righteousness. (1 Peter 2:5, 9; Isaiah 61:10)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: God’s priest are always made conspicuous by God, by being chosen and clothed by Him, never by their own choosing and adorning.

 

Exodus 28:6-14

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial. And thou shalt make ouches of gold; And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches." (Exodus 28:6-14 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The High Priest of Israel, who interceded with God for his people, was to always bear the burden of his people on his shoulders in God’s service.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Intercessory prayer is not just prayed with a burden for another, but is the actual partaking of another’s burden for whom we pray. 

 

READ INTERCESSORY PRAYER

 

Exodus 28:15-30

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it. Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes. And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold. And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate. And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it. And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward. And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually. And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually." (Exodus 28:15-30 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The High Priest of Israel, who interceded for his people with God, was to always have his people on his heart in his service of God, for there is no such thing as unheartfelt intercession.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: “In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” (John Bunyan)

 

“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; words without thought never to heaven go.” (William Shakespeare) 

 

READ INTERCESSORY PRAYER

 

Exodus 28:30

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually." (Exodus 28:30 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Urim and Thummim were two mysterious articles kept in the High Priest’s breastplate of judgment or decision. They were used to determine the will of God, which is always a prerequisite to rendering right judgments or to making right decisions.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The Holy Scriptures and the Holy Spirit are the Urim and Thummim of today’s priesthood of believers. It is by them that God’s will is made manifest to us, and it is in accordance with them that our judgments and decisions should be made, as well as all of our prayers prayed.

 

Exodus 28:31-35

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent. And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out, that he die not." (Exodus 28:31-35 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Like Israel’s High Priest, Aaron, our High Priest, Jesus, also wore a seamless robe. (John 19:23)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The seamless robe of Christ symbolizes His sinless righteousness, which we must be clothed in to commune with God.

 

The bells on the hem of the High Priest’s robe served a dual purpose. First, they rang everyday to prove to the people on the outside that their High Priest was ministering on their behalf on the inside. Remember, the people were not only forbidden from entering the tabernacle, but also from even looking into it. Second, on the Day of Atonement, they rang to prove to the priests in the Holy Place that the High Priest was still alive in the Most Holy Place. Remember, on this single and sacred day of the year, the High Priest was allowed beyond the veil into the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sins of the people by sprinkling blood on the Mercy Seat. However, he entered the Most Holy Place with one end of a rope tied around his waste. The other end was held by priests in the Holy Place. If the bells on the hem of the High Priest’s robe stopped ringing, the other priests would know that he had been struck dead by God for some mistake he had made. Therefore, they could safely retrieve his body by pulling it out from behind the veil rather than risking their lives by forbiddingly going through it.

 

Exodus 28:36-38

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, Holiness To The Lord. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord." (Exodus 28:36-38 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The turban of the High Priest testifies to the tremendous truth that to serve God one must be set apart by God and for God, for the Hebrew word "holiness" literally means "to be both separated from the world" and "set apart for God."

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: God’s eternal servants will be forever set apart by God and for God by the name of Christ on their foreheads, since Christ Himself is their holiness. (Revelation 22:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30 NIV)

 

NIV - New International Version

 

READ THE PURSUIT OF HOLINESS

 

Exodus 28:41

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office." (Exodus 28:41 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: To serve the Lord one must be properly adorned, powerfully anointed, providentially ordained, and perfectly consecrated.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Many a contemporary clergyman, who sees ministry as a career rather than a calling, is running on adrenaline rather than anointing, which explains, in no small part, the contemporary church’s impotence to impact today’s profane world.

 

Exodus 29:20

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about." (Exodus 29:20 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The blood of anointing was to be put on the tips of the priests' right ears, the thumbs of their right hands, and the big toes of their right feet.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Since our ears, hands, and feet are blood bought, the blood should never be bypassed by any word we hear, by any work we do, or by anywhere we go.

 

Exodus 29:31-34

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place. And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy. And if ought of the flesh of the consecrations, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy." (Exodus 29:31-34 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Here is an Old Testament illustration of the New Testament truth that only the priesthood of believers can partake of the sacred elements of the Lord’s Supper, which symbolize the atonement Christ made to consecrate and sanctify His present-day priests.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: To participate in the Lord’s Supper without having partaken of the Lord’s sacrifice is to perform sacrilege against the Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:26-29)

 

Exodus 30:1-10

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it. A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about. And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal. And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the Lord." (Exodus 30:1-10 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Tabernacle’s Altar of Incense represented Christ as our High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the Father where He ever lives to make intercession for the saints. (Romans 8:27, 34; Hebrews 7:25)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The Tabernacle’s Altar of Incense also represented the prayers of God’s people (Luke 1:10; Revelation 5:8; 8:3), which are not only to be perpetually offered to God (Luke 18:1; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:17), but also before God (Luke 1:8-9; Acts 10:4; 1 Thessalonians 3:9; Hebrews 4:16; Revelation 8:4) as a sweet smelling aroma to God (Psalm 141:2).

 

Exodus 30:17-21

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the Lord: So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations." (Exodus 30:17-21 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Tabernacle’s Laver represented Christ as the Living Word of God. (John 1:1, 14; Revelation 19:13)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Prior to their service at the Tabernacle, the priests were not only to look into the Laver to see themselves, but also to wash themselves with water from the Laver. Likewise, Christians, prior to their service, are not only to look into the Word of God to see themselves in Christ, but also to wash themselves with the water of the Word; that is, to apply and implement God’s Word to their lives wherever they’re out of kilter with it. (Ephesians 5:25-27; James 1:22-25).

 

The Word of God is a mirror we look into to see ourselves in Christ. Afterward, we’re not to forget who we are, but to live like it, lest we fail to show others what a Christian looks like. (James 1:22-25)

 

Exodus 30:33

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people." (Exodus 30:33 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The holy anointing oil could neither be a mixture of one's own concoction nor misapplied according to one's own choosing.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: You can neither work up the Spirit’s anointing nor bring it down whenever, wherever, and on whatever or whoever you will.

 

Exodus 30:37-38

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the Lord. Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people." (Exodus 30:37-38 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Like the holy anointing oil, which represented the power of the Spirit, the holy incense, which represented the prayers of the saints, could not be manufactured at will for one's own pleasure and purposes.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: True prayer is never prayed in our flesh, but always in God’s Spirit. It is never an attempt to persuade God to do our will, but always an appeal to God to do His will.

 

Exodus 31:1-11

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee; The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle, And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense, And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot, And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office, And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do." (Exodus 31:1-11 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Special talents, like spiritual gifts, are God-given by God’s grace for God’s glory. They are to be used for the purpose God gave them, so that God, not us, His giftees, will be glorified by them.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: We should pass off all praise of us to God, our benevolent benefactor, who alone is praiseworthy.

 

Exodus 31:12-17

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." (Exodus 31:12-17 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Sabbath was an Old Testament type of a New Testament truth. It was a shadow to be observed by Israel, the church in the wilderness, until the substance was obtained by the new Israel of God, the church of Jesus Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17; Acts 7:38; Galatians 6:16)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: For Christians, who are at rest in Christ, who have stopped trying to save themselves through their own works and started trusting Christ to save them through His finished work, everyday is a Sabbath day.

 

Exodus 31:18

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." (Exodus 31:18 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: God, who once wrote His law for His people on stone tablets with His finger, now writes His law on the hearts of His people with His Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:3)

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: God’s law written by His Spirit on the Christian's heart is to be worked out in God's Spirit with the Christian's hands and walked out in God's Spirit with the Christian's feet.

 

Exodus 32:1

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him." (Exodus 32:1 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Israel wanted an undemanding god of their own making rather than the commandment-giving God Moses had climbed Sinai to enter into covenant with.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Many make for themselves a god that they can conform to their own liking, a god that does not command them, but that they can command.

 

Exodus 32:2-6

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play." (Exodus 32:2-6 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Men often make their gold into their god, devoting themselves to it and living their lives for it, believing that their reverence of it will result in a lifetime of reveling in it.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Ironically, America, which trust money as its god, has “In God We Trust” printed on its money!

 

Exodus 32:7-8

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." (Exodus 32:7-8 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Before Moses brought God's commandments to Israel from the top of Sinai, Israel had already managed to break God's commandments at the bottom of Sinai.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: God’s law was not so much a deterrent to sin, as it was a definer of sin. More than preventing us from sinning, God’s law proved to us that we are sinners. (Romans 3:19-20)

 

Without the net up, the lines down, and the rules enforced, anyone can claim to be a perfect tennis player, but the minute the net goes up, the lines go down, and the rules are applied, we will immediately know that we’re anything but perfect. Likewise, without God’s law we can claim to be a good or even perfect person, but God’s law proves to us that we’re anything but good or perfect.

 

Exodus 32:8-14

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand. Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people." (Exodus 32:8-14 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Here we're presented with an excellent example of intercessory prayer. Moses appeals to God to turn from His furious wrath, in order to fulfill His Word, lest His enemies fault God for failing to do so. Effectual intercession always has God's glory for its end.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: God brought Israel out—out of slavery in Egypt—to bring Israel in—into all of His promises in Canaan. Likewise, God has brought us out—out of slavery to sin—to bring us in—into all of His promises in Christ. Until the world sees God’s people possessing God’s promises it will be unimpressed with the people of God and unpersuaded to praise God.

 

Exodus 32:15-16

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables." (Exodus 32:15-16 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Word of God is both written by God and the work of God. It is therefore to be firmly held in our hands, as it was in Moses' hands, as well as fixed in our hearts and faithfully kept in our lives.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: There will be no end to the headaches in your life if you fail to take God’s two tablets!

 

Exodus 32:17-19a

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear. And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing…" (Exodus 32:17-19a KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Unfortunately, the sound coming out of the church, the camp of God today, is the same as the sound that came out of the camp of Israel yesterday. It is not the sound of fighting, but of fun and frivolity.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The church should be a military camp, not a club for merrymakers.

 

Exodus 32:19b-20

 

BIBLE TEXT: "…and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it." (Exodus 32:19b-20 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Moses threw down the tablets and broke them, to symbolize the people's breaking of God's law, he then burned the golden calf and ground it to powder, strew its gold dust in the stream coming down Mount Sinai, and made the people drink from it.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Moses, the ancient alchemist, at the laboratory of Sinai, turned the stream coming down Mount Sinai blood-red by strewing it with gold dust from the burnt and ground golden calf. Here, is one of the Old Testament’s best physical illustrations of the New Testament's spiritual truth that there is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood. (Hebrews 10:22)

 

As Israel had to drink of the blood-red stream running down Sinai to be forgiven of their breaking of God’s law, we must drink of another blood-red stream coming down another mountain, one called Calvary, to be forgiven of our breaking of God’s law. (John 6:53-55)

 

Exodus 32:21-24

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf." (Exodus 32:21-24 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: In response to Moses' question—“What have you done?”—Aaron answered—“I've done nothing at all." According to Aaron, he just threw gold earrings into the fire, and the golden calf just jumped out.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Many a sinner, like Aaron, claims their sin is unintentional and they are unaccountable, because sin is the mere product of sheer happenstance. In other words, they can’t be held accountable for what just automatically or accidentally happens.

 

Exodus 32:25-29

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day." (Exodus 32:25-29 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Levites were blessed, because they were so consecrated to the Lord that they would contend for the faith, even against their own children.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Unlike the Levites, the contemporary church is neither blessed nor consecrated, because it compromises the faith, in order to coddle its children, rather than contends for the faith, as it has been commissioned to do. (Jude 1:3)

 

“There is a fine line between healthy parental love and child worship. We know the latter has happened when we begin compromising God’s will for the sake of our children’s activities…Compromise always points to idolatry. It displeases God. He does not like competitors, especially when they are our children.” (William Farley)

 

Exodus 32:30-33

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book." (Exodus 32:30-33 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Successful intercessors must be wiling to not only substitute themselves for, but to also share the fate of, all for whom they intercede.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Moses and Esther are great examples of great intercessors, because they were willing to perish with those for whom they interceded (Esther 4:16). The Apostle Paul, however, took intercession to a whole new level, by being willing to perish in the place of those for whom he interceded, so that they could be saved (Romans 9:1-5). Still, the perfect example for us to follow, when it comes to intercession, as well as when it comes to everything else (1 Peter 2:21), is Jesus Christ, who did perish in our place so that we can be saved (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25).

 

READ INTERCESSORY PRAYER

 

Exodus 32:34-35

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them. And the Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made." (Exodus 32:34-35 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Sin has inevitable consequences, which may not be suffered straightaway, but will be surely suffered nonetheless.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: The people of God are often plagued by golden calves.

 

Exodus 33:7-11

 

BIBLE TEXT: "Now Moses took a tent and set it up outside the camp, far away from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone who wanted to consult the Lord would go to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would stand up, each one at the door of his tent, and they would watch Moses until he entered the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance to the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. As all the people saw the pillar of cloud remaining at the entrance to the tent, they would stand up, then bow in worship, each one at the door of his tent. The Lord spoke with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his assistant, the young man Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the inside of the tent." (Exodus 33:7-11 HCSB)

 

BIBLE TWEET: The Tent of Meeting, unlike the Tabernacle, was outside the camp, not in the midst of it. It was pitched by Moses for those, like himself, who wanted to separate themselves from the iniquity of God’s wayward people and to seek intimacy with their wonderful God.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: Notice, the Tent of Meeting was not erected because “everyone sought the Lord,” but only for “everyone [who] sought the Lord,” for it was, as it always has been, only a few who did so.

 

Notice, the Tent of Meeting was set up “far away from the camp,” for to meet up with God one must first move far away from the gang. No one can commune with Christ who is going along with the crowd.

 

When Moses, the man of God, went out to meet with God, the glory of God descended on the Tent of Meeting, the people of God rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, and God spoke to Moses face to face, as one speaks to an intimate friend. No wonder the Scripture says, “There never was a prophet like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." (Deuteronomy 34:10)

 

As we learn from Joshua, Moses’s successor, remaining in God’s presence is a prerequisite to leading Gods people.

 

HOLMAN CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE

 

Exodus 33:14

 

BIBLE TEXT: "And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." (Exodus 33:14 KJV)

 

BIBLE TWEET: Peace is not found in the absence of problems from our lives, but in the accompanying presence of God in our lives.

 

BIBLE TAKEAWAY: To know God is with us is all it takes to keep all worry from us!