The Bible Study Companion
Reflections, questions, and observations on God’s Holy Word
February
More than a Bible reading plan, the Bible Study Companion goes beyond a mere reading of the Word. The Bible Study Companion asks difficult questions about the text. It searches for a deeper meaning behind the stories and events in the Bible. And it helps bring clarity to some confusing passages in the Bible. The Bible Study Companion is a series of 365 daily readings that walks you through the Bible in Chronological order. How to use the Bible Study Companion: Using the translation of your choice, read the scripture for each day. For insight, observations, and questions about each day’s passages, refer to the study notes in this guide. Make your own notes and ask your own questions as you study through the Bible as well.
Presented by Gregory L. Jones, Pastor West York Church of the Brethren http://www.westyorkcob.org
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February February 1: Exodus 1-3 We now return back to the Nation of Israel. When we left them at the end of Genesis they were a favored people who were given the land of Goshen in which to live. The Pharaoh thought highly of Joseph and his family. At the end of Genesis it seems they would be treated well. Exodus is written with a theological mindset, not historical. So it's tough to say when it was written, but according to 1 Kings 6:1 the Exodus occurred 480 years before the fourth year of Solomon's reign. That would put the Exodus around 1446 BC. Exodus can also be divided into two sections. Chapters 1-18 deal with the plight and deliverance from the Egyptians, and the second section (chapters 19-40) deal with the worship of a redeemed nation. The years Israel was in the land, Egypt became an international power. According to Unger's Archaeology and the Old Testament, “Thutmose III would have been the Pharaoh of the oppression and Amenhotep II would have been the Pharaoh of the Exodus. Exodus 1 •
Exodus 1:1-6 This section ties in with the end of Genesis.
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Exodus 1:7 This is a transitional verse probably spanning at least 100 years. The adult males in the Exodus totaled 600,000 (Exodus 12:37), not counting the women and children. So the population of Israel at that time might have been about 2 million. No wonder the land was filled with them.
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Exodus 1:8 Egypt's history is divided into dynasties. And at about this time the Hyksos dynasty was overthrown when a warring people from the land of Thebes rebelled. They, of course, would have no idea of who Joseph was. It's interesting that their superior weapons were Asiatic bows and iron-clad chariots. Being a military government they would have ruled with force.
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Exodus 1:11-22 This bit of history would have been quite familiar to the Hebrew people who read these words. It was given to remind them of what life was like back in Egypt. If God gave these words to Moses while he was up on Mt. Sinai, three months into their journey (Exodus 19:1-2), perhaps God felt it necessary to remind these grumbling people what life was like back in Egypt.
Exodus 2 •
Exodus 2:5 Pharaoh's daughter may have been Hatshepsut who, according to Egyptian history, became ruler until her birth son Thutmose III was old enough to reign.
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Exodus 2:11-14 These events occurred when Moses was 40 years old. According to Acts 7:22 Moses was highly educated and spoke Egyptian and Hebrew fluently. Really? Moses was powerful in speech and action? That's not what he will tell God later on.
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Exodus 2:14 According to Acts 7:25 Moses assumed he was their deliverer. But God would be the one to deliver through Moses. And this deliverance would happen according to God's plan and God's timing. Moses tried to rush things along.
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Exodus 2:15 Midian was located in southeastern Sinai and northwestern Arabia. The Midianites were descendants of Abraham through his wife Keturah (Genesis 25:1-6).
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Exodus 2:18 Reuel is called Jethro later on in Exodus. Different name; same guy. Don't know why.
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Exodus 2:23 Moses spent 40 years living in this land as a shepherd. Through all of these events, God was preparing Moses to lead His nation through the wilderness by a man who knew the wilderness.
Exodus 3
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Exodus 3:5 I bet people in church would have a fit if I came to church and took off my shoes. Wait. I actually did that once. It was part of a sermon illustration at a church that, strangely enough, I no longer serve.
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Exodus 3:7-22 This is the first portion of God's dialog with Moses. And where God gives direction, Moses gives objection. The bottom line is this; Moses was looking at the task and wondering how he could accomplish it. But Moses missed what God was trying to say here. God is the one who would accomplish this, not Moses. Moses was simply to be the messenger. Look how often God says "I have" or "I will", not "you will". How often do we miss this when God gives us a task?
February 2: Exodus 4-6 Exodus 4 •
Exodus 4:1-17 Moses continues to object until the Lord loses His patience. And before we start to criticize this man, you know that you've already done the same things; making every excuse imaginable why you can't do something for God.
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Exodus 4:10 Funny that Moses says this about himself. That's not what is said in Acts 7!
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Exodus 4:24-26 This seems strange. In his years in Midian, Moses had neglected to circumcise his son, as commanded by God (Genesis 17:10). One has to wonder if Moses even knew of this teaching since he grew up in Pharaoh's household. Either way Zipporah performs this deed, then touches the foreskin to Moses’ feet. The interpretation of her statement is difficult. It was either derogatory (saying she did not favor this practice) or that it was a symbol of redemption. At this time Zipporah and the sons may have returned to Jethro.
We now move into a rather lengthy section where Moses not only attempts to gain the release of God’s people from the Pharaoh, but also has to deal with the dissatisfaction 5
and distrust of his own people. The section has two parts: (a) the confrontations of Moses with Pharaoh along with a description of the actions of the Israelites (5:1-7:13) and (b) God’s judgments on Egypt, commonly called the plagues (7:14-12:36). Exodus 5 •
Exodus 5:2 Don't you just wish God would reach out and smite people like this? Sometimes I wish He would do this to people like Richard Dawkins or Bill Maher. See http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1345866/posts and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMqTEfeqvmM.
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Exodus 5:3 Did God really say this? Did He really say that He would send Israel pestilence and the sword?
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Exodus 5:4 Did the Pharaoh expect Moses and Aaron to work as well?
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Exodus 5:18 I wonder what all the bricks were for? Some have speculated that they were building the great pyramids. According to Egyptian history the Pyramids were constructed during dynasties 3-6 (from 2686 to 2181 BC). Keep in mind that Moses was in born around 1526 BC, so I doubt it was the Pyramids they were building. Whatever they were building certainly required a lot of bricks.
Exodus 6 •
Exodus 6:1-13 When Moses set out to do the Lord's work, like most of us, he expected immediate results. The Lord gives us a command, we do it, and then we expect immediate results. But God does not work according to our timing or our expectations. Truthfully, had the Pharaoh complied after only one visit, the mighty deeds of God would not have been seen. And then the People of Israel would not have had that faith building experience. Diligence in the Lord's work is necessary for all who have been called. We wait expectantly. We labor in faith.
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Exodus 6:20 Moses' parents are mentioned here. Amram and Jochebed.
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Exodus 6:30 How many times will Moses use this excuse?
February 3: Exodus 7-9 Exodus 7 •
Exodus 7:7 People today say they are no longer any service to God when they reach these ages. But the greatest work of their lives began at the age of 80 and 83.
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Exodus 7:11 What secret arts did these magicians possess? These were probably miracles empowered by Satan, not merely some sleight-of-hand trickery. Satan can perform all sorts of counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 and Matthew 24:24). Perhaps these men were Jammes and Jambres (2 Timothy 3:8)
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Exodus 7:22 Again these magicians perform the same sign, turning the Nile into blood.
Exodus 8 •
Exodus 8:3 Frog legs for supper! Seriously though, the Egyptians had a god named Heqet, the goddess of birth, who had the body of a woman but a frog head.
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Exodus 8:7 Like the bloody water, the Egyptian magicians could duplicate this plague as well. So by showing off, they made the plague worse, right?
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Exodus 8:16 Notice that this plague came without warning. Payback to the Pharaoh for not keeping his word. The Hebrew word Kinnim is most often translated Gnats, but it could mean mosquitoes.
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Exodus 8:19 This time the Egyptian magicians can't duplicate the plague.
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Exodus 8:22 Here is where the power of God is displayed. God sent the flies to the Egyptians, but drew a line before the land of Goshen. I think that is like way
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cool! Gabriel's standing there looking at the flies and saying "You shall not pass!" •
Exodus 8:26 Moses did not want to sacrifice a bull in front of the Egyptians because the bull was sacred. It represented the god Apis (or Re), and the cow represented the goddess Hathor.
Exodus 9 •
Exodus 9:6-7 "Hey Pharaoh, this is what's going to happen", says Moses and Aaron. And guess what happens? Exactly as they said. So why in the world would this Egyptian leader not believe? Probably because he suffers from the same fright most modern atheists have. If there is a god, and God is god, then things in their life will have to change. That's why some people refuse to change even when facing the truth. They don't want to change.
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Exodus 9:10 I suspect Moses and Aaron did not get these boils, although it is not directly stated. This plague is a slap in the face of the goddess Isis who brought healing. Looks like she was busy somewhere else that day (see Exodus 9:11).
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Exodus 9:19-21 I like that God offered mercy here. Heed My words and you will be spared. Some Egyptians actually listened and brought everyone and every animal inside. If I were an Egyptian I'd be like, "Moses, can I go with you".
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Exodus 9:26 Hail was going to cover the land of Egypt but not the land of Goshen. That still amazes me how God is so in control of things that He allows hail one place but not another. Okay, okay, be the meteorologist, but to SAY that this is how a thing will happen and then it happen just as you say, well, that's pretty amazing. Again the angels drew a line and told the hail just how far it could come.
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Exodus 9:29 How did Moses get out of town without getting knocked on the head with the hail? Wouldn't it have been cool that wherever he walked there was no hail?
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Exodus 9:35 Idiot!
February 4: Exodus 10-12 Exodus 10 •
Exodus 10:1 Did God MAKE Pharaoh's heart hard or was it simply hard to begin with and God refused to soften it?
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Exodus 10:2 Another reason for these plagues was to convince the Hebrew people that God is the great I AM.
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Exodus 10:5 Anything left standing after the hail storm would be eaten by the Locust. Egypt was entering poverty and destruction. What a great legacy this Pharaoh was passing down to the next generation. This probably explains why there is no historical record of the plagues outside of the Bible. The Pharaoh did a big cover-up so his name would not be held in shame.
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Exodus 10:15 In Pennsylvania we have the Cicada that comes out of the ground every 17 years. 27 years ago they were so bad here in the mountains that their sound was a deafening roar. Trees were stripped bare of all their leaves. You could hear them crunch underfoot (yuck). That would have been mild compared to this plague. Oh, and Osiris, the crop god, was completely impotent here.
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Exodus 10:21 "Darkness that can be felt" perhaps refers to a sandstorm. It was not an eclipse since the land of Goshen was spared. Here the Egyptian god Re is dethroned, and Pharaoh was this god's representative.
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Exodus 10:29 This verse seems confusing, in light of Exodus 12:31. Some biblical scholars claim that this means Moses will not come offering mercy from God ever again. If Moses saw the Pharaoh again it would be to announce God's judgment.
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With all these plagues I can't help but wonder if God was trying to teach Israel a lesson of who He is and who is just a figment of a person's wild imagination. None of Egypt's gods could stand against Yahweh. The Hebrew people needed to know this.
Exodus 11 •
Exodus 11:5 The firstborn son of the Pharaoh was consider to be a god. And who is to blame for all this suffering? Was it God? Or was it the way this Egyptian Pharaoh treated the Hebrew people? The great debate here is if God knew this is what it would take to get His people out of Egypt, was there not a way less brutal? Somehow I can't help but wonder if God needed to shame the Egyptian gods in front of Israel so that Israel would let go of their idolatry. We'll see this trend a little later; their continued tendency to neglect God and embrace the false gods of humanity. Perhaps it was a combination of Pharaoh's stubborn heart and Israel's idolatry that caused such suffering in Egypt.
Exodus 12 •
Exodus 12:2 This is the month Abib. After Israel was taken into Babylonian captivity, 4 of the 12 months were given Babylonian names. Abib (April) was changed to Nisan.
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Exodus 12:7 I've often wondered why this blood was sprinkled on the outside of the door, not inside. Was this so that the Lord might see it and pass over that house? Somehow I figure that regardless of where the blood was sprinkled or even if it was, God would be able to tell who was who. Is it possible that this is one last way to testify to the Egyptian people that Israel is set apart and holy? While in one house there was weeping and mourning, the homes with the blood were spared. Think about how the Egyptian people would have viewed this. Not even death can reach these Hebrews!
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Exodus 12:12 Min, the Egyptian god of reproduction, and Isis, the goddess of love who attended women at childbirth, were judged as impotent by this last plague. But, again I wonder, judged for whose benefit? Egypt, Israel, or both?
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Exodus 12:14 If Israel was to celebrate the Passover as a permanent ordinance, should you and I celebrate the day blood was shed so that death would pass over us? And is that day Good Friday, or is it the day we called on the name of Jesus to be our Lord and Savior? I think Good Friday is an important celebration for the Church, but I also believe a Christian should do something to remember the day they were Born Again. It's just a thought. I'm not getting all legalistic here.
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Exodus 12:29 You know, with all the signs and wonders happening here, I can't help but wonder if some Egyptians didn't wander into the land of Goshen and ask to be spared. Perhaps they did (See Exodus 12:38)
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Exodus 12:35 Long ago God said they would become a great nation in that place (see Genesis 46:3). God even promised back in Exodus 3:22 that they would leave with great wealth. "Here, take my truck. Just get outta here before I die!"
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Exodus 12:38 It’s not known just who this mixed multitude was. But they become a cancer later on (Numbers 11:4)
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Exodus 12:40 Israel was in Egypt 430 years. God told Abram that they would be there 400 years (Genesis 15:13). Actually it says they would be in slavery 400 years. Perhaps for a few years they did not live as slaves.
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Exodus 12:43-49 In light of the "Rabble" that traveled with Israel, God sets down a couple of guidelines here. A person is not part of the covenant through association only. To be a part of God's covenant, a person must follow God's commands.
February 5: Exodus 13-15 11
Exodus 13 •
Exodus 13:7 So what's wrong with yeast? In ancient times people would add yesterday’s dough to today's mixture. That's how the yeast (or leaven) would be passed along. You couldn't go down and buy a pack at the Piggly Wiggly. Anyway, they took yesterday's yeast and mixed it with today's dough. I know it sounds a bit silly, but leavened bread has a past. It is from yesterday. Unleavened bread has no past. Perhaps it was to symbolize that Israel has left their past behind them and are now something new.
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Exodus 13:8-9 Some orthodox Jews today interpret this passage literally and bind passages of the Law on their arms and foreheads in small pouches, so-called phylacteries, though this was probably not God’s intention.
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Exodus 13:11-16 Firstborn of all animals (except the donkey which was unclean) were to be dedicated to the Lord (sacrificed). With the firstborn human male, a lamb would be offered as redemption (buy back for a price).
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Exodus 13:18-22 God chose a route southeastward from Egypt. This was possibly to avoid military confrontation. And it's clear that God was the one directing them with the Pillar of Fire and the Pillar of Cloud.
Exodus 14 •
Exodus 14:1-12 It's interesting that God had Israel turn back to this place.
Now, the route they traveled at first seems pretty clear, at least according to the Bible. We are given town names and locations, but none of those towns exist today. So scholars disagree on any particular route. Some of the hang up is because the mention of the Red Sea, or the Sea of Reeds. The Gulf of Suez has no reeds. It's difficult to say exactly where this event took place, but the point is, God led Israel here. He led them to a point where their backs were to the sea 12
and Pharaoh before them. And they were not at all happy with Moses. Do you see how quickly they forgot all their troubles back in Egypt? Do you see how quickly they forgot what God had done for them? This is how they will be known for over 40 years.
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Exodus 14:14 This is one of my favorite verses. We so often feel that we must defend ourselves when people lie and slander us. But if we remain faithful to God, living a life of righteousness, God will take care of those who would destroy us. And I'm not talking about those who might do us physical harm. I mean those who spread rumors or make false accusations against us. I believe our life of humble faith will win out in the end.
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Exodus 14:20 The angel of God shifts from guide to guardian.
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Exodus 14:21-22 This story divides so many people. If we try to rationalize this based upon human wisdom or understanding, it just doesn't seem to make sense. And so some try to suggest that the water wasn't really that deep; that it was more like a marsh. But that's not what the text says, nor does it imply that it could be anything less than what is stated. I've read all the insights from the "Enlightened". But I choose to believe just what the Bible says. Hey, any God that can say "Oak Tree", and there appear not just one but enough to cover the earth, is not going to have much difficulty parting the waters.
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Exodus 14:30-31 Okay, they feared and believed today. Just wait until tomorrow.
Exodus 15 •
Exodus 15:1-21 I wonder if Casting Crowns might record this song some day? Nah, sounds more like Reliant K.
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Exodus 15:22-27 From their deliverance, Israel begins the 3 month journey to Mt. Sinai (or Mt. Horeb). But this will be a journey through the wilderness. However, their vocal commitment to God will be tested while they travel. It's the same with you and me today. We confess with our mouth that Jesus is our Lord, but when we are out in the world (the wilderness), believing in our heart is not always easy.
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Exodus 15:24 See how quickly these people forget. God had just parted the waters. He had just rescued them from Egypt. Yet here they are wailing "What shall I drink" (see Matthew 6:31-34)
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Exodus 15:27 Do you think Moses knew of this place all along? Who knows?
February 6: Exodus 16-19 Exodus 16 •
Exodus 16:2 Should we call them Pastor Moses, and Associate Pastor Aaron?
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Exodus 16:4-5 Simple instructions here. For 5 days the people were to gather only enough Manna for that day. On the sixth day, they were supposed to gather a two day supply (interesting that they used a 7 day week here). What was Manna? The word literally means "What is it?” It was thin flakes, looked like resin (Numbers 11:7), and it tasted like a honey wafer. It also tasted like something made with olive oil (Numbers 11:8). So why did in spoil on days 1-6 but not on day 7? Try using your worldly wisdom to explain that one!
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Exodus 16:20 Spew. Looking at spoiled "What is it" filled with worms would make me think twice about eating it the next morning.
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Exodus 16:22-30 Sabbath instructions here. Interesting that even the "What is it" observed the Sabbath. How did it know?
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Exodus 16:27 "Surprise, surprise, surprise. Golly Sergeant Carter, there aint no Manna today”. This is just another sign that these people had spent too much time in Egypt. And another clear indication that Moses was a Pastor. He preached, but some were not listening. It just went in one ear and out the other.
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Exodus 16:33-34 I wonder why the Manna in the jar did not spoil? Again, try to explain that using worldly wisdom. And although it might seem that Aaron put the jar before the Testimony (which was the two Tablets of the Law) at this moment, it seems that this portion of Exodus was written after the Tabernacle was built sometime later. That’s when the Jar was placed before the Ark.
Exodus 17
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Exodus 17:1-4 See how fickle these people were. One moment they worship God, but as soon as they are asked to have faith, they whine and cry. Here, they grumble against Moses, and he felt that they would soon stone him. Not much has changed. Some Christians do the exact same thing today; whining and crying the moment they are asked to put their faith into action.
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Exodus 17:6 Israel was not yet at Mt. Horeb. Notice the text says the rock at Horeb. They were in the region of the mountain; perhaps they saw it in the distance.
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Exodus 17:8 I wonder what ticked off the Amelekites?
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Exodus 17:9-13 This is the familiar story where Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses while Joshua led the army to victory. This is the first time Joshua is mentioned.
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Exodus 17:14 Two things here. This is the first mention in the Bible that official records were being kept, although it seems that Moses did keep some kind of diary. Also, in keeping with God’s promise, Amalek is finally destroyed by King David (1 Samuel 30).
Exodus 18 •
Exodus 18:1-5 Jethro must have been following the affairs of his son in
law. Earlier, Moses sent his wife and sons back home, perhaps to spare them the horrors of Egyptian bondage. Now the family is reunited. •
Exodus 18:6-12 Jethro confessed with his mouth that God was above all
gods. But was he a convert, or did he still consider himself a Priest for the idolatrous Midianites. It seems that he did convert, in light of Exodus 18:19, 21, and 23. •
Exodus 18:13-23 This is brilliant. It is a model of leadership that is still in
place today. Our Government works this way, to a certain degree. And for those people who want to keep religion out of the government, they would have to
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dismantle most of our judicial system and laws. Somehow people have forgotten where the sense of right and wrong came from in the first place. Exodus 19 •
Exodus 19:1-2 Israel finally came to the mountain of God. There they
stayed for 11 months and 6 days. They do not move again until we get to Numbers 10. •
Exodus 19:5-6 Here God was attempting to take Israel and make them
holy. They were to be a nation different than all the rest. There would be habits and practices that they would have to stop. They no longer could live just any way they wanted. This is what it means to be holy. God was attempting to circumcise the way they live; cut off the things in their lives that God deemed detestable. This will not be an easy task. •
Exodus 19:15 I don't understand why Moses said this to the people. God
merely instructed them to purify themselves and to not go up the mountain. Maybe the purification thing had to do with abstinence as well. I just don't know. •
Exodus 19:20 Unlike pagan deities who supposedly dwelt on the
mountain, God descends from heaven upon the mountain. The people stood at the foot of the mountain while Moses went up. •
Exodus 19:25 Think about poor Moses. 80 some years old and climbing
up the mountain just to be told to go back down, grab Aaron, and come back up again.
February 7: Exodus 20-22 Exodus 20 •
Exodus 20:1 We assume that Aaron was here with Moses when the 10
Commandments were given. • 17
Exodus 20:2-17 The Ten Commandments were not given as a way to
obtain righteousness, but to show Israel its sinfulness (see Romans 3:20). And actually, God did not just give these 10 commandments, but He also gave the Book of the Covenant (Exodus 20:22-24:11), and He gave laws regarding ceremonial regulations (Exodus 24:12-31:18). These regulations were just as important as the Ten Commandments. So if a person comes along and tells you that you must obey every letter of the Law (like Tithing, or worship on the Sabbath), ask them if they are obeying every letter of the Law; the entire Mosaic Law, which includes things like food, and clothing as well. •
Exodus 20:2-11 These 4 commandments speak about Israel's relationship
with God. •
Exodus 20:12-17 These 6 commandments speak about Israel's
relationship with one another. See Matthew 22:34-40 for Jesus' interpretation of these Commandments. •
Exodus 20:13 The correct wording here is You shall not murder. Some
have miss-translated this verse to say "Thou shall not kill". If that translation were true, then the list of crimes punishable by death would be null and void. How could justice be dispensed when we were not allowed to kill? The Command speaks of planning to take someone's life. We will read later on that there are provisions in place for accidents like involuntary man-slaughter. Nine of the Ten Commandment are repeated in the New Testament with added stipulations that are even higher than those mentioned here. The only one not mentioned is the command to keep the Sabbath. •
Exodus 20:19 Although there was a healthy fear of the Lord in all of Israel here, it wouldn't take too long for that fear so subside (Exodus 32).
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Exodus 20:22-26 Here is the first part of the Book of the Covenant; specific instructions for worship. Take, for instance, clear instructions on making an altar. Apparently God felt the earth He created was sufficient. He didn't need some design Diva from Extreme Makeover to come and fix things up a bit.
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Exodus 20:26 TMI Apparently these people didn't wear underwear. That's about all I have to say about that.
Exodus 21 •
Exodus 21:1-11 These are regulations concerning the rights of male and female Hebrew slaves. I hate to use the word "Slave" here because the modern day meaning is much different than what is implied here. These were people who sold themselves due to poverty or debt. It was more like indentured service. A person was not to be captured and forced into slavery against their will.
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Exodus 21:12-14 This is the stipulation I was talking about when someone is accidentally killed. However, to murder invokes the death penalty.
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Exodus 21:15-36 Several other Laws are mentioned here, some deserving the Death Penalty. And I don't think it would take too many smart-mouthed children being put to death to get the point across. What's interesting here is that laws and a moral code of conduct were given to the Hebrew People. Remember that God was attempting to make these people holy. They were not to be like the nations around them. So it makes me wonder if these Laws stood in stark contrast to the conduct of these other nations. If so, then these other nations were far more wicked then we may realize.
Exodus 22 •
Exodus 22:1-15 Laws concerning property are mentioned here. Israel is to have regard for the property of others. It's wrong to harm it and it's wrong to steal it. Again I wonder if this was acceptable practice in the other nations of the world. By these Laws I believe God is raising the bar of what is good and acceptable behavior. And so enduring are these commands that in principal, many can be found within our own laws today.
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Exodus 22:16-31 Several things here demonstrate just how extensive this holiness was to be. A Sorceress would have been a female who either told the future or tried to control others through demonic power. Bestiality was part of
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Canaanite Baal worship. I love the command in Exodus 22:21. It teaches humility.
February 8: Exodus 23-24 Exodus 23 •
Exodus 23:4 "Enemy" here probably refers to a "legal adversary"; a fellow Hebrew who you had a disagreement with.
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Exodus 23:10-13 gives instruction for the sabbatical year and the Sabbath day. I think it's important for us to realize just how important social justice is to God; to care for the widow, the orphan, the hungry, and the needy.
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Exodus 23:14-17 Three major feasts, or celebrations are mentioned here. 1) The Feast of Unleavened Bread in the month of Abib (March-April), about the time of the barley harvest; 2) the Feast of Harvest in the spring at the beginning of the wheat harvest (see Exodus 34:22) when the first-fruits of the crops were to be given to the Lord, and 3) the Feast of Ingathering in early autumn (SeptemberOctober). The first of these great agricultural feasts was a memorial to the hasty Exodus
from Egypt (see Exodus 12:15-20). The second feast, in which two loaves made of new grain were presented to the Lord (Leviticus 23:15-21), was also called the Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22) because it was celebrated seven weeks (50 days) after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In the New Testament (Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1 Corinthians 16:8) it is called the day of Pentecost. The third festival, the Feast of Ingathering—at the end of the agricultural or civil year - was also called the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths (Leviticus 23:33-36; Deuteronomy 16:13-15; 31:10). These were constant reminders to Israel of God’s provisions for His people. So three times a year all adult males in Israel were supposed to worship at the tabernacle (or later, at the temple) with grain and animal offerings. What I find interesting is that two major events in the life of the Church occurred 20
on the first two feasts; Crucifixion of Christ on Passover, and the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. I wonder if God intends another significant event for the Church during the third feast. Could the Rapture happen some year in September or October? I'm just wondering here. I'm not trying to get all prophetic. But if it happened that way, I think it would be cool. •
Exodus 23:19 The Canaanites cooked goats in their mother's milk in a fertility rite. Naturally, Israel was not to mimic the religious practices of the wicked nations around them (Exodus 23:24). What's interesting is that a present day Jewish custom is to not mix milk products with meat. Does that stem from this command?
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Exodus 23:23 Just who was this Angel that would go before Israel? Perhaps it was the pre-incarnate Christ because of His ability to forgive.
Exodus 24 •
Exodus 24:1-4 Moses, Aaron, his two sons Nadab and Abihu, plus 70 elders went up the mountain. Moses went to the top, the 73 were on the mountain, and the rest of the people were below at the foot of the mountain.
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Exodus 24:8 This is the only time in the Old Testament where people were sprinkled with blood.
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Exodus 24:12-18 With the Covenant confirmed, Israel becomes a Theocracy, a government or commonwealth under God. To give them further instruction, Moses spends 40 days and 40 nights with God (did Moses eat or sleep). What all did God tell Moses? Perhaps part of the Genesis account. For sure he received instructions on how to worship and how to build the Tabernacle. He is given instruction on the priestly ministry, and some more instruction on how to uphold the Covenant.
February 9: Exodus 25-28 21
Exodus 25 •
Exodus 25:1-9 Offerings for the sanctuary are given to Moses. Of important note is verse two where it says to collect these from every man whose heart is moved to give. This was not mandatory. In verse 5 the NASB says "Porpoise skins", the KJV says "Badger skins", and the NLT skips this altogether. It seems that it was some sort of sea cow, perhaps a Manatee or maybe even a Porpoise. Today a cousin of the Manatee, the Dugong, lives in the Gulf of Aquba and the Red Sea.
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Exodus 25:10-22 "Yes, the actual Ten Commandments. The original stone
tablets that Moses brought down out of Mount Horeb and smashed, if you believe in that sort of thing. Didn't you guys ever go to Sunday School ?" Thanks for the reminder Dr. Jones. The Ark probably looked like this.
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Often I'm asked what a Cherubim was (actually it should be what "They" are). “Cherubim” is the plural for "Cherub". Apparently they are similar to angels but perform a different function. Cherubim were placed outside the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24). We meet them again in Ezekiel 1:5 and again in Revelation 4:6-9. Unlike Angels, who seem to be messengers, the Cherubim almost always reflect God's holiness. •
Exodus 25:23-30 12 loaves of bread were to be placed in two piles of six
on this table, and replaced on each Sabbath (Leviticus 24:5-9). This table, with its bread and drink, pictured the fellowship and communion of God with His people. In most churches today there is a similar table called The Communion Table, and engraved with the words "This do in remembrance of Me". Actually, there a many similarities from the design of the Tabernacle that you will find in today's churches. Even down to the shape of our sanctuaries. We talk about coming to the altar, which is similar to standing before the Holy of Holies. Anyway, we can talk about all that some other time. •
Exodus 25:31-40 This was the most ornate piece in the Tabernacle, using
about 75 pounds of Gold. It was to burn continually and was serviced by the priests in the morning and at sunset. Exodus 26 •
Exodus 26:1-6 From inside the Tabernacle one could see all the colored fabric. On the outside it would look ordinary, nothing more than a black goat-haired tent.
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Exodus 26:15-30 Apparently the walls of the Tabernacle were not solid, but consisted of wooded frames forming a trellis. The curtains would have been draped and hung on this. With the weight of all that fabric, the wood had to be quite sturdy.
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Exodus 26:31-35 This curtain divided the Tabernacle into two sections. In the inner court, the Most Holy Place, was the Ark and its cover. In the outer section,
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the Holy Place, was the table, the lampstand, and the altar of incense (Exodus 30:1-10). Exodus 27 •
Exodus 27:1-8 This is the altar for animal sacrifices. It's been suggested that this was outside the Tabernacle to symbolize that a person cannot approach God without a sacrifice. Okay, I'll agree. I just thought it had to do with fire safety.
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Exodus 27:9-19 This elaborate structure just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Here it explodes to 75 feet by 150 feet, with the addition of the enclosed outer courtyard.
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Exodus 27 •
The design of the Ephod and the Chest piece for Aaron are given here. Quick trivia question: what stones were on the third row of the Chest piece? Really though, I heard this question asked. The answer can be found in Exodus 28:19. Now you know.
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Exodus 28:30 The Urim (Lights) and Thummim (Perfection) were apparently two stones. How they were used to determine God's will is unknown. Some have suggested that by asking simple yes or no answers the Urim represented the negative answer and the Thummim
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a positive answer. Urim begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and Thummim the last. Others have said that it means the Priest, in humble service to God, would receive enlightenment and perfect knowledge from God. •
Exodus 28:35 Some have suggested that God needed to be warned that the Priest was coming into the Holy of Holies, that's why there were bells jingling at the hem of the robe. Really? Someone could sneak up on God; scare Him, then in His surprise kill the culprit. I know that's how I react when someone startles me, well, except for the killing part. Not that I don't feel like it sometimes, you know what I mean? Seriously though, the sound affirmed to Israel that God received the Priest, and accepted his ministry on behalf of the nation. Death would come not because he startled God, but because they did not follow the Lord's commands.
February 10: Exodus 29-31 Exodus 29 •
Exodus 29:1-36 Very lengthy and very precise instructions are given here to set Aaron and his sons apart as Priests. Three animals are sacrificed on the first day, a bull and two rams. The bull is a sin offering, sacrificed because of the sin of the priests. The first ram is a burnt offering, entirely consumed on the fire. The second ram was a peace offering, one that was waved back and forth toward the altar then back toward the priest, not waved from left to right. That's just the instructions for the first day. The next six (we presume) a young bull was to be sacrificed as a sin offering. This was the consecration service for the priests.
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Exodus 29:37 This verse amazes me. I find it to be the absolute opposite of what should happen. I wipe my hands with antibacterial wipes, they become clean (holy). But the moment I touch the bathroom door, my hand becomes defiled, not the other way around. This is the same with Jesus. He sacrificed and purified Himself upon the cross so that all who lay hold of Him become holy. And what is so amazingly significant about this is that He is not defiled because of my sin, I
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become holy because of His righteousness. In other words, no sin is too great that the blood of Jesus cannot overcome it. •
Exodus 29:38-46 These are instructions for the Daily sacrifice. Each day these were to take place. A lamb, a grain offering (flour and oil), and a drink offering (wine). And this was repeated in the evening as well. It's interesting that the early church, who accepted the sacrifice of Jesus (Lamb of God) still met each day to share the bread (grain offering) and the cup (drink offering). Do you think we should be doing this every day as well?
Exodus 30 •
Exodus 30:1-10 Here are the instruction for building the Incense altar. The ingredients for the correct incense are described in Exodus 30:34-38
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Exodus 30:11-16 Paying a ransom here changed into the Temple Tax later on (Nehemiah 10:32). It's implied here that this was a one-time payment. By the time of Christ is became a yearly tax (Matthew 17:24). The coin weighed about .2 ounces (6 grams).
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Exodus 30:17-21 Please don't show these verses to your friends who are a germaphobe. They feed off of this kind of language!
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Exodus 30:22-33 There is a place you can buy this oil today at www.biblicaloils.net. They sell Exodus 30 Anointing Oil. On their web site they list verses 24 and 25. I wonder if they ever looked at Exodus 30:33. A 4 oz. bottle will set you back $59.00. And if you use it, perhaps a whole lot more.
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Exodus 30:34-38 Yep. $35.00 on line at www.bonanza.com (Dang Cartwrights are at it again).
Exodus 31 •
Exodus 31:1-11 Imagine how thankful Moses must have been to hear this news. I'd be looking at this long list of instructions going "Whoa, hold on there God. You want me to do what?" Don't you just love a God who thinks of everything? I also wonder how long these men had their special abilities. Did they ever sit around
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wishing there was something they could make? Did they ever have this itch in their heart that plowing a field or making bricks just couldn't scratch? You know what I mean? I wonder if these men already had these talents or if they were given by God at this moment for this purpose. If they were given at that moment, then the gift is given AFTER the calling. Interesting. So, do you have this nagging feeling inside that there is something you should be doing, but don't know what it is? Be patient. The Lord just might have a job for you. And the gifting might come after you are called to serve. •
Exodus 31:12-17 In all their excitement to work on this massive project, God reminds the people to take a day off and rest. Don't fall into the trap that says God will be pleased if I do one more thing or accomplish just one more task. He is more pleased when you remember His commands.
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Exodus 31:18 I wonder if the writing appeared as handwriting or if it just suddenly appeared. And what do you suppose these two stone tablets looked like? And can you image poor Moses. 80 years old and he had to carry these heavy stone tablets back down the mountain.
February 11: Exodus 32-34 Exodus 32 •
Exodus 32:1-4 This Golden Calf may not have been a substitute to God (although it seems this is what the people wanted), but a visible representation of God. With Moses, they at least had someone who stood before them to represent God. Now with him missing, they became uneasy about being alone. I'm not sure, just speculating here. But it just seems unlikely that Aaron was trying to lead them astray, not after what he had seen (the Exodus miracles), not after the leadership position God would give him, and especially considering the way God works through him later on.
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Exodus 32:5-6 Note here that Aaron says that it will be a festival to the Lord, not
to a god. So the people get up the next morning and do as they have seen Moses do; offering sacrifices to God. However, things got a bit out of hand. Without any instruction on what is acceptable worship, and without any instruction on what is righteous behavior, the nation falls into immorality. I wonder where they picked up this pagan form of worship (Egypt, duh!)? •
Exodus 32:7-10 Up on the mountain, God saw what was happening. He said to Moses that the people he (Moses) brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. Interesting statement, especially considering that God said it. God was the one who brought them out, not Moses. And they were God's people (Exodus 6:6-8). The people didn't even have the Law in their hands yet. You know what I think? I think this was a test. God was looking to test Moses' heart here.
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Exodus 32:11-14 Listen to what Moses says. He reminds God that they are His people, and that He brought them out of Egypt. And I can almost hear God saying, "I know this Moses, I just wanted to make sure you knew this". So for those who say Moses changed God's mind, I suggest they read the entire dialog, not just verse 14. God's mind was not changed. I think Moses’ heart needed to be tenderized. I think Moses needed to see these people through God's eyes, especially in light of what he would see when he came down off the mountain.
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Exodus 32:19-20 Moses was the first person to break all Ten Commandments. Actually, this shows that the people had broken the covenant already. And I can't imagine what powdered gold must taste like. I wonder if it had a rich taste. Anyway, this would symbolize the consequences of sin. And I have no idea what this must have done to their digestive track.
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Exodus 32:21-24 The words of Aaron here pass the blame to the people. He did not bear any of the responsibility. He even blamed chance for the golden calf (it just came out of the fire). Aaron was to be the High Priest. He was the spiritual leader of these people. Reading this section as a Pastor, I can't help but feel a sense of responsibility toward the people God has called me to lead. Christ becomes my Moses; the One who stands before God. What account might I give
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to my Lord when the congregation I serve acts in an ungodly way? What excuse might I make for the spiritual immaturity of my flock? Do I blame them? Do I point the finger? Or will I shoulder the responsibility to lead these people to holiness and righteousness. The calling of a pastor is not just to care for the sick or lead the people in worship. It is also to teach them how to follow Christ, teach them the commands of God, and guide them away from unrighteousness. As a pastor, we must be willing to call something a sin. We must identify behaviors and attitudes that are unholy. We must, because that is the burden we bear as a leader of God's people. Like Moses, one day Jesus will return. And we in leadership will have to give an account to Him for the conduct of our people. •
Exodus 32:25-29 Wow, that's some tough church discipline. But keeping this in perspective, 3000 men fell out of a group of over 600,000. It's not like the entire nation fell into this pagan worship. Perhaps there were more involved in this sin, but when confronted by Moses, they turned back; they repented. Now, if this seems cruel, think about what Jesus says in John 15:2.
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Exodus 32:32-33 Moses pleads to God that He would forgive the sins of the people. And Moses was willing to be cut off from them (not give up his salvation). In other words, "find me some other people to lead Lord. I don't want to lead such a group of sinners". God's answer indicates that the sinful rabble would be removed from the group. And those that remain would be faithful for a while.
Exodus 33 •
Exodus 33:1-11 Although God did not travel in the midst of the people, he did visit Moses on a routine basis. Moses would go out of the camp to the Tent of Meeting. There he would meet with God. It's interesting that the people worshiped God because of this. It became a clear sign to them that their leader (Moses) was himself being led. In Exodus 33:11 we find that Joshua was an orphan. He was the son of Nun (sorry). Oh, and "Face to Face" here does not mean Moses saw God's face (see Exodus 33:20). It suggests openness and friendship.
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Exodus 34 •
Exodus 34:6-7 Yahweh, the name of the Lord, means that He is a God of compassion, grace, loyalty, and forgiveness. This is what Moses wanted to know. He wanted to know God's character (see Exodus 33:13). People still want to know the character of God. Some claim that "God is Love". True, but that is not all God is. He is also a God of justice and righteousness. Because of this, He punishes any person who violates His righteousness. Sometimes that punishment comes in this life (as we just saw in Exodus 32:35). Sometimes He defers judgment for the day we stand before His throne (see Exodus 32:34). If God is going to be your god, then you must accept all of who God is. He forgives those who repent. He is slow to anger. He is full of compassion and grace. But He also will not tolerate unrighteousness. He will judge our actions and our behaviors. He does have a set standard of right and wrong.
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Exodus 34:7 This is a verse that gets confused by some. There are those that teach something called Generational Sin; that I may have problems in my life because of my father's sin. And the teaching is that I must come before God and ask Him to release me from the consequences of sin committed by my father, or my grandfather, or maybe even my great grandfather. They say that the reason I have not received a blessing from God is because of this generational sin thing. I must free myself from this by praying "Lord, release me from the sins my ancestors committed. And bless my life as you have promised". This is an example of taking a passage way out of context; of trying to get scripture to say something it is not. Searching for a reason why someone may not have abundant blessings from God, they point to this text and say that a person's "Thorn in the Flesh" has been caused by some sin committed by a family member in the past. Does any of this remind you of Job's friends? Look at the Second Commandment in Exodus 20:4-6. In this context the guilty are those who worship false gods; those who hate God. And those who are influenced to hate God will pass that hatred down from one generation to the next. Like chapter 20, the key word here in chapter 34 is Guilt. And what makes a person guilty of God's wrath? Not the
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believer who sometimes sins, but the person who has rejected God. If you want to understand this even further, read Jeremiah 31:29-34. Or Ezekiel 18. Consider what God told the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9. God actually wanted Paul to have that thorn in the flesh, so that His power might be shown in weakness. Sorry if I keep going on about this. It just irks me that someone would come along and tell me that God is ticked off at me for something my great grandfather had done. I wish the people who make this claim would sit down and read the whole Bible, then present the whole truth; not just little snippets here and there that support their claim. •
Exodus 34:12-17 Repeating the terms of the Covenant found in chapters 21-23, this summary is a bit more harsh, especially considering Israel's recent sin.
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Exodus 34:28 This second tablet of the Covenant was given to Moses up on Mt. Horeb. Again he spent 40 days up there. This time it says he did not eat or drink.
February 12: Exodus 35-36 Exodus 35 •
Exodus 35:1-3 Moses begins with the Sabbath Laws possibly because the people might have been so eager to complete the work on the Tabernacle that they would work straight through. But one of the best ways we can worship God is by obedience to His commands. Check out 1 Samuel 15:22. God had already instructed them about food (Exodus 16:23), so this command about kindling a fire probably focused more on food preparation than warmth.
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Exodus 35:5-10 Two Spiritual gifts are mentioned here, the gift of giving, and the gift of creativity. Actually, when you think of the whole Tabernacle project, God gets the entire nation involved, spiritually speaking. Some could give resources. Some could craft the Tabernacle. Some could lead worship in the Tabernacle. Some could pray. Like the life of a Church, each person in Israel used their special talents and skills to make sure God was worshiped.
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Exodus 35:30-35 For those of you who are creative, did you ever stop to
consider that the skill or talent you have has not only comes from God, but that God perfects and guides that skill? Exodus 36 •
Exodus 36:1-7 I am impressed with both these men (Bezalel and Oholiab). Lesser men would have been tempted to keep the wealthy excess for themselves. Here, they say that they have too much. I like their honesty!
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Exodus 36:8-38 This section details that Bezalel did exactly as the Lord commanded. I know it is a bit repetitive of what we had already read, but it was important to demonstrate strict obedience to the Lord's instruction.
February 13: Exodus 37-39 Exodus 37 •
Exodus 37:1-9 Here's a strange question. Later on anyone who touched this Ark who had not purified themselves first would be killed. So what kept Bezalel safe while he built it? Was he ceremonially clean? Or did the holiness of the Ark happen at a later time? I suspect that once the Tabernacle and its furniture was dedicated to God, then these objects became holy. Okay, next strange question. When King Shishak of Egypt invaded Jerusalem in 926 BC, it is suspected that he carried the Ark with him back to Egypt. If that is true, then why were the Egyptians not killed when they laid hands on the Ark? Is it because God's presence had left Jerusalem in preparation of their punishment?
Exodus 38 •
Exodus 38:8 The bronze mirrors donated by these women were polished so finely that they reflected an image. They were not made of glass. And they came from the Tent that Moses had set up outside of camp (Exodus 33:7-11). This was not the Tabernacle. Later on, once the Tabernacle was complete, it was called the Tent of Meeting.
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Exodus 38:21-31 When you think about all the wealth that went in to creating this Tabernacle, does it make you wonder if this is what God still desires today? Does God expect a richly adorned elaborate structure for the church to meet and worship? If He doesn't then why did He command such an elaborate structure here? I suspect it was because this was a way to turn a collection of 12 tribes into one nation. They all combined their wealth to make the Tabernacle, and it united this nation. They all took some sort of pride and ownership in its construction.
Exodus 39 •
Exodus 39:3 This was not gold colored thread but thread actually made from gold! Can you imagine the great care necessary to weave these fine strands together into something that would not break? Gold, although very precious, is a very soft metal. Much like lead.
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Exodus 39:8 Did Bezalel make all this stuff, or was he merely the supervisor?
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Exodus 39:25 Because these bells were made of pure gold, they would not ring (or jingle) like today's bells made from copper, tin, and zinc.
February 14: Exodus 40, Numbers 9 Exodus 40 •
Exodus 40:1 The Tabernacle was erected about a year after the exodus from Egypt. This means that the people were in Sinai about 8 and a half months. For 80 days Moses was up on the Mountain. So perhaps for 6 and a half months (mid-September to late March) they gathered the materials and built the Tabernacle.
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Exodus 40:34-35 The items had been made and the Tabernacle assembled. As Moses and the people stood back to admire their work, the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. And note that now even Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle. Yes Moses, who had stood before God on the mountain not too long
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ago; who met with God in the meeting tent outside of the camp. What does that tell you? That God's glory in this place was greater than even Moses had experienced before. •
Exodus 40:36-38 It says that Israel moved when the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle. I wonder if they had to try and keep up. Can you imagine how long it would take to disassemble this thing? And just wait until we get to the special instructions for tearing this thing down. This cloud would go before them, leading them in their entire journey. When it stopped, they set up camp and set up the Tabernacle. God waited patiently until it was finished, then would descend upon the Tabernacle once again. Can you imagine being some visitor from another nation, walking into the camp, and seeing this cloud and pillar of fire? "Dude, what's that?" "Oh, that's our God". "Totally Righteous dude!" "Yea, He is".
Numbers 9 •
Numbers 9:6-7 I appreciate these people's honesty. Looking at the time
frame here, perhaps this happened after they saw what God did to Aaron's sons who disobeyed. And out of fear, they didn't want to invoke God's wrath.
February 15: Numbers 7 Numbers 7 •
Numbers 7:3 The oxen and the wagons were used to transport the Tabernacle but not the sacred items. These items (the Ark, the Lampstand, the Incense Altar, and the Bread Table) were supposed to be carried by the Kohathites (Numbers 7:9). Failure to follow this instruction resulted in the death of Uzzah, when David was bringing the Ark up to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:3-7).
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Numbers 7:84-88 Notice that each tribe brought an equal portion for the dedication of the Temple.
In case you're wondering why the three parallel accounts of the Temple Dedication seem different, each represents the leading emphasis of its book. For example, Exodus 36
40:34-35 describes the cloud covering the tent, reflecting its theme of God's presence with His people. Leviticus 9:23-24 tells how fire came out and consumed the sacrifice, reflecting its theme of a Holy Priesthood. Numbers 7:89 tells of the Lord speaking to Moses, reflecting its theme of the Word of God.
February 16: Numbers 8, Leviticus 1-3 Numbers 8 •
Numbers 8:7 Some Bibles read that the Levites had to shave their entire body. But the Hebrew word here seems to imply merely trimming the hair, not removing all hair. The word for shave is Galah. The word used here is Abar taar al, "Bring a razor on".
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Numbers 8:16 Once again we are reminded that the reason the Levite men have been called to this service is because they are the substitutes for all the first-born sons of Israel. God had redeemed them from death in Egypt during the 10th plague. In a New Testament corollary, I wonder who the Levites represent? I can see how the Priests (Aaron and his sons) represent the 12 Apostles. Both were ordained; set apart for a special purpose (Numbers 3:3). And as Jesus walked through the crowd, He called 12 to be His Apostles, setting them aside from the other followers to do a special work. But who might the Levites represent? Do you think it might be the Deacons (Acts 6:2-6).
Leviticus The Book of Leviticus was the first book studied by a Jewish child; yet is often among the last books of the Bible to be studied by a Christian. Truthfully, if a person does not understand Leviticus, many of the key concepts of New Testament books cannot be clearly understood, such as Hebrews, for example. Leviticus was written by Moses shortly after Exodus, in the second half of the 37
15th century BC. Leviticus can be a tough read, especially considering that is written from a legal viewpoint. But beneath all the laws and regulations you will find God seeking to make Israel holy; to set them apart and above the rest of the world. The commands are not a means to holiness, but a way to identify holiness. In other words, if a person was holy, this was the way they should conduct themselves. And when they did not act holy (when they defiled their holiness) sacrifices were instituted to restore that holiness. The best way to make sense of this book is to break it down into sections. Chapters 1-7 describe sacrificial regulations for worship; burnt offering, grain offering, fellowship offering, sin offering, and guilt offering. The Burnt, Grain, and Fellowship offerings were voluntary; a person gave them (most of the time) simply to honor the Lord (however, see the command for the dedication of first-born, Exodus 13:2) The Sin and Guilt Offerings were demanded because of sin or unholiness. These offering restored the broken relationship with the Lord. Leviticus 1 •
Here we find instructions for the Burnt Offerings. Although this offering was probably preceded with a Sin offering, this offering expressed dedication to the Lord. Although it was prescribed for the nation on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, it could also be brought voluntarily by an individual. If it were given by an individual, they played a part in the sacrifice (Leviticus 1:4-7, 9). "From the Herd" spoke of a bull. "From the Flock" spoke of a sheep or a goat. Leviticus 1:14 speaks of a bird.
Leviticus 2 •
The Grain Offering was normally a coarsely ground cereal, mixed with olive oil, and topped with frankincense. No yeast or honey was to be a part of this offering (Leviticus 2:11). Sometimes it was uncooked and other times it was baked. Most of the time this offering accompanied the Fellowship Offerings. Notice here that only a handful is burnt, the rest belonged to Aaron and his sons (Leviticus 2:3). The Grain Offering symbolized God's provision for everyday needs.
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Leviticus 3 •
The Fellowship Offering can also be translated as a Peace Offering. Although an animal is sacrificed, it is not totally consumed on the fire. This offering cannot be made until a Sin or Guilt Offering had been made. Fellowship with God comes only after guilt has been removed. At the climax of this Offering, the worshiper, his family, a Levite from their community, and sometimes the poor (Deuteronomy 16:11) would share this meal. Typically, Pentecost was the only time this offering was prescribed. I keep getting an image in my mind of a Bar Mitzvah or, in a Christian setting, a fellowship meal after a baptism. It becomes a celebration that someone has made peace with God, or has restored their broken relationship with God.
February 17: Leviticus 4-6 Leviticus 4 •
The Sin Offering and the Guilt Offering (which we will discuss tomorrow) had some similarities, but were clearly distinguishable. The Sin Offering was intended for someone who unintentionally violates one of the Lord's commands, (Leviticus 4:2). In Leviticus 4:13, 22, 27 we find people are still guilty even if they don't realize they have sinned. Remember that this is a legal document, and that there is a real difference between being found guilty of a sin and the punishment for that sin. The procedure here addresses the steps necessary to atone for that sin once it is known. God put this in place so that a person would not be punished once the sin became known. In the same way today a person is still guilty of sin whether they know the Gospel or not. And when they do learn of their sin, Jesus becomes the sacrifice for that sin.
Leviticus 5 • 39
Leviticus 5:1-13 Listed here are just a few examples of what causes guilt. The
obvious ones are listed, but I find it interesting that it begins with one that most people would not consider a sin; refusal to testify. It's easy to say the problem is the others persons fault, and that you don't want to get involved. "That's between Bill and Frank. Let them work it out", you might say. But if you know something that might help solve the problem, yet refuse to testify, you are just as guilty as the person who committed the crime. Why is this command listed? Because you are your brother's keeper. This is no different that the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:37). This command doesn't just speak of prosecution, but of defense as well. To hold the life of someone in your hand yet deny them mercy is a sin. •
Leviticus 5:14-19 Here the Law addresses the Guilt Offering. These Guilt Offerings were required when someone unintentionally misused the Lord's property. For example, improper uses of meat eaten after a Fellowship Offering, misuse of the holy portions of grain, eating a portion of the Sin Offering that was reserved for the priests, not giving a tithe, or forgetting to dedicate to God your fist born son and the first born of your flock (Exodus 13:2). So here God gives clear instructions on how to make restitution.
Leviticus 6 •
Leviticus 6:1-7 The Guilt Offering was also required when you did not treat your fellow Israelite in a godly way. I find it interesting that here God demonstrates that He is just as concerned about the way you treat Him as He is in the way you treat others. A person cannot claim to love God, yet deal unjustly with his neighbor.
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Leviticus 6:8-13 More detailed instructions are given for the Burnt Offering. And I got to thinking, if the fire was to never go out, what did the Priest do when they tore down the Tabernacle and moved?
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Leviticus 6:14-123 More detailed instructions concerning the Grain Offering are given. I wonder how the bread tasted after it was baked? The flour mixed with olive oil wouldn't have been too bad, but adding frankincense? By the way, it
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does not say frankincense oil, so perhaps it was merely the resin taken from the Boswella tree. Frankincense is harvested from this scraggly tree by slashing the bark and allowing what seeps out to harden. This resin is edible and often used to alleviate digestion problems or give healthy skin. To eat Frankincense it must be pure, meaning it should be translucent, with no black or brown impurities. It is often light yellow with a slight greenish tint. It is often chewed like gum, but it is stickier because it is a resin. •
Leviticus 6:24-30 More detailed instructions here concerning the Sin Offering.
February 18: Leviticus 7-8 Leviticus 7 •
Leviticus 7:1-21 More detailed instruction concerning the Guilt Offering and the Peace Offering are given. Doesn't this whole section remind you of some legal document (see article 5, section 12, and sub-paragraph 3). These Laws were given so the Israelites would remain holy. But for a Christian today, do these same laws apply? If our holiness has been granted to us by Christ, then must we obey all these Laws just to maintain our holiness? Perhaps not, but I suggest to you that a Christian desires to act in a way that honors Christ and glorifies God not to obtain holiness, but to demonstrate our commitment and love. And just as Israel did not earn their salvation by adhering to these Laws, neither can a Christian. But like someone living back then, a Christian living today does need to seek God's forgiveness for the times they defile that holiness with sin.
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Leviticus 7:22-27 God prescribes a low fat, low cholesterol diet here. Just out of curiosity, what other purpose might someone find for the fat of an animal that has been torn to pieces? Oil for a lamp? Perhaps furniture polish (yuck)?
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Leviticus 7:28-38 I can find nothing significant in giving the priest the right thigh, other than it is a reminder to the people that this portion belongs to the officiating priest.
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Leviticus 8 •
Aaron and his son's get a bath (See Leviticus 8:6). Moses obeys God's commands in getting the priests ready to serve. Moses says, "Here Aaron, put this on, carry this, and then go walk into that Pillar of smoke and fire". And Aaron is like, "You want me to go where?" Really though, think about it for a second. Seeing all that God had done and knowing what He would do to those who were unholy, that first trip into the Presence of God would be a bit unnerving. How did Aaron know he was dressed properly? How did Aaron know the Sin Offering was sufficient? I mean, God said that if they follow these instructions, Aaron would be holy, but to actually put God's word to the test took a lot of faith. By faith, these men trusted God's word. Well, not much has changed, has it? God's Word says that if we confess our sins and believe in our heart that Jesus is our Savior, then we will be saved. How do we know this to be true? By faith.
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Leviticus 8:33-36 Um, I wonder where they went to the bathroom. I'm just saying cause going to the bathroom IN FRONT OF THE TABERNACLE just doesn't seem too clean. What I find funny is that no Bible Scholar mentions this. Apparently they've never been preaching while needing to go to the bathroom.
February 19: Leviticus 9-11 Leviticus 9 •
Leviticus 9:4 On the 8th day, Aaron began to minister on behalf of the nation. This was the day the Lord would appear to Aaron. Think he was nervous? According to Jewish tradition the ordination week began on the 23rd day of the 12th month. So a priest began his ministry on the 1st day of the first month (see Exodus 40:2).
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Leviticus 9:8-21 The image here is kinda gruesome. It resembles a slaughter house. So much cutting and bleeding and burning; so much blood being
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splattered. If this is what it took to make a people holy before God, I am thankful that Jesus put an end to the sacrificial system (see Hebrews 10:11-14). •
Leviticus 9:23-24 Here faith is rewarded with God revealing His glory to the people. I wonder what the corollary might be for today. Is it the giving of the Holy Spirit to those who have embraced the sacrifice of Christ?
Leviticus 10 •
Leviticus 10:1-2 At the height of this magnificent ceremony, tragedy strikes Aaron's two sons. It is not specifically said what made this "unauthorized". But it was obviously contrary to the instructions. Perhaps the coals came from the wrong place, or they may have been offering them at the wrong time. Maybe they tried to go into the Holy of Holies. Maybe they were drunk, considering what the Lord says in Leviticus 10:9. We had not heard this command about wine or alcohol before. The moral of the story, as summarized by Moses, is that those who have the privilege of being nearest to God must bear special responsibility to exemplify His holiness and glory.
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Leviticus 10:8-11 This is the only place it is mentioned that the Lord spoke to Aaron directly. The call to distinguish between what is sacred and what is common is a call for the Priests to model this in their living and in their conduct. I'd like to point out that God directly mentions wine and alcohol here. I'm not calling for prohibition, but the church seems to have slacked a bit on calling people away from alcohol.
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Leviticus 10:19-20 Either because of fear or from confusion, Aaron seems to have mishandled a portion of the sacrificial procedure. And since this was his first time (hey it was the first time for everyone here), he apologized for getting things messed up. I would too! These were lengthy and complicated instructions. Blood at the Holy Place, don't eat. No blood at the Holy Place, go ahead and eat. But it must be eaten in a specific place during a specific time, and a portion of it must be burnt, and the rest cooked. AND, what wasn't eaten had to be burned, but not on the altar. Wow. Thank You Jesus for making righteousness so simple!!!
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Leviticus 11 •
Some animals are okay for food, others are not. Why these restrictions were given is anyone’s guess. For an interesting read on this, visit http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm
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I'll be quite frank, some of the animals listed here that are unclean, I wouldn't want to eat in the first place. Maybe I'm just being persnickety, but I have no desire to eat rat, or centipede.
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My favorite restriction is Leviticus 11:9-12. Here God says that Lobster, Shrimp, Crab, Clams, etc, are detestable (yes they are!), not just unclean. Anything that has BOTH fins and scales can be eaten. Yes, the local Lobster Shack is in violation of the Levitical Dietary Laws. But then again, so is Bob's Bacon Palace, which doesn't make me too happy. In light of this, please remember what Jesus says in Mark 7:19).
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The best explanation for these dietary restrictions can be seen in Leviticus 11:4445. It seems that these restrictions were more theological than hygienic. The nations around Israel may have eaten these animals for food, but God was trying to teach Israel to be holy (separate) than all the rest. And when a family sat down to eat; even the food before them was a reminder of that holiness.
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Lastly, I'd like to point out that violation of these Laws did not require punishment. A person was merely unclean for a while. So the restrictions were not nearly as harsh as those for moral behavior and conduct (See Exodus 19).
February 20: Leviticus 12-14 Leviticus 12 •
The text here does not imply that the child is unclean or that to have a baby was a sin. The sacrifice was to symbolize that the mother had waited the prescribed
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number of days before she came back to the Tabernacle. It was simply a purification ritual. Notice that this was a Burnt Offering, not a Sin or Guilt offering. And why the waiting period for girls was longer than boys is not clear. Maybe it's because the boy was to be brought in on the 8th day, and the rules reflected this command. Leviticus 13 •
Leviticus 13:1-39 Throughout this passage some Bible translations will use the word Leprosy. But it should be rendered Serious Skin Disease. Modern medical opinion seems to agree that leprosy (Hansen’s disease) is not the skin disease dealt with in these chapters. Some interpret archeological evidence to discount the possibility of widespread leprosy in the ancient Near East. One scholar has identified the following skin diseases in chapter 13 - Psoriasis (Leviticus 13:2-28), Favus, a fungal growth (Leviticus 13:29-37), and Vitiligo, de-pigmentation of skin (Leviticus 13:38-39). However, Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) should be on that list, just not the only disease on the list.
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Although I do not suffer from this, many men that I know should appreciate Leviticus 13:40-41.
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In Leviticus 13:45-46 we learn why the lepers mentioned in the New Testament lived outside of town. And we understand now why Jesus told the cured lepers to go and present themselves to the priest (Luke 17:14).
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After reading Leviticus 13:47-59 all I can say is thank you Lord for Clorox.
Leviticus 14 •
Leviticus 14:1-32 In light of these instructions concerning skin disease, I imagine both the person and the priest probably hoped this never happened. Can you imagine trying to keep all this straight? At least it encouraged a person to take a bath!
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In Leviticus 14:12-18 a Sin offering is prescribed. I know this doesn't make sense since this skin disease was probably not the person's fault. But since these
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instructions came from God, perhaps not all skin diseases were accidental like they are today. Either way, the 20% compensation was not required here (Leviticus 5:16-19), which shows some leniency. •
Leviticus 14:40 That place outside of town that is ceremonially unclean. That was the town dump. Here, God says that it is the priest’s responsibility to take out the trash. Great. I guess I need to add one more thing to my job description.
February 21: Leviticus 15-16 Leviticus 15 •
This chapter deals with four cases of Bodily Discharges. A Chronic case and a Periodic case for the men, and a Chronic case and a Periodic case for the women. It seems that all four probably refer to discharges from the sexual organs.
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Leviticus 15:2-12 probably refers to gonorrhea.
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Leviticus 15:16-24 Bet you never thought that was in the Bible! But it makes sense. It's good hygiene. Please note that no guilt offering was necessary for this. So any discharge requiring a Sin Offering must have been something else.
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Leviticus 15:25-27 The description of this discharge is so broad that it would include a number of causes. In light of these instructions, it's no wonder the woman in Luke 8:43-48 was disturbed when Jesus revealed her presence to those in the crowd who were touching her.
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Leviticus 15:31-33 Something to think about here. If the normal emissions of human sexuality defile the Tabernacle, which represents the presence of God, is it possible that Human Sexuality, as we know it, is a result of the Fall? In other words, was human reproduction different at first, when God instructed "Be Fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28)? And did it change after the Fall, which is reflected in Genesis 3:16?
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Leviticus 16 •
Here you will find the clearest explanation of The Day of Atonement. Here you find where the term Scapegoat came from. The ritual focuses mostly on Aaron. But what is interesting is that by his work the sins of the nation are removed. Now think about that for a moment. This is staggering. You would expect certain sins to be excluded, either those already forgiven because of personal sacrifices, or those sins that had no means of forgiveness (sins that caused a person to be "Cut Off" from the community). But we don't read of any limitations here. Actually, the only requirement was the proper attitude of faith and a humble heart.
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Leviticus 16:11 Aaron first prepares himself just to be in the presence of the Lord (see Leviticus 16:2). He had to be cleansed from sin so that he could mediate for the people.
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Leviticus 16:13 Aaron takes burning incense and, waving it before him, walks into the Holy of Holies; the place behind the inner curtain. Perhaps the smoke prevented him from gazing at the Shekiniah glory of God. The High Priest did this only once a year - on the Day of Atonement.
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Leviticus 16:15 If the High Priest survives the first trip behind the curtain, he then takes the blood of the goat and sprinkles it just as he did with the bull.
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Leviticus 16:29 On the 10th day of October or November (Tishri), the people were to stop work and fast; to deny themselves. It became a Sabbath Day. This Day of Atonement happened each year. And each year this sacrificial ritual was repeated. But, as the writer of Hebrews points out, the blood of bulls and goats did not take away sin (Hebrews 9:11-12). That's why it had to be repeated. Now if the amount of sin atoned for by this ritual is staggering, the death of Christ is even more so. For His death didn't take away a year’s worth of sin for a nation, but a lifetime of sin for the whole human race. Now that is inconceivable (and yes, I know what that word means).
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February 22: Leviticus 17-19 Leviticus 17 •
Leviticus 17:3-6 This instruction is pretty clear. Don't offer a goat or bull sacrifice anywhere other than the Tabernacle. At first glance it would appear that King David was in violation of this command when he offered a sacrifice to end a plague (2 Samuel 24:25). Considering that they would be wandering in the wilderness for some time, there needed to be some restrictions on simply killing animals for food. Another point to consider is that in Deuteronomy 12:20-28 God speaks of a future time when this command would be modified.
Leviticus 18 •
Leviticus 18:3 It seems the sexual regulations listed here were given to contrast that which was practiced both in Egypt and in Canaan. God was attempting to make Israel holy; to be distinct in a world that followed the passion and desires of the flesh. Throughout this section you'll notice that God doesn't say these practices are acceptable if the two parties love one another and commit themselves to one another. Love and commitment toward another person means nothing unless you are first committed to love the Lord.
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Leviticus 18:6-20 These commands are pretty straightforward, and not too difficult to understand. Of note is verse 18. This command makes sense in light of what Jacob experienced with Leah and Rachel.
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Leviticus 18:21 Molech was the national god of the Ammonites (these were the descendants of Ben Ammi, Lot's son - Genesis 19:30-38. They lived in what is now modern day Jordan). To offer a child as a sacrifice to Molech was to make them pass through the fire (Deuteronomy 18:10); using a child as a Burnt Offering. A parent could also offer their child to Molech by dedicating the child as a cult prostitute.
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Leviticus 18:22 Well, here it is; one of the more controversial passages in the Bible. Some claim these Hebrew people didn't have the modern day understanding of sexuality that we do today, and so it no longer has authority over our lives. That's why the Church is becoming divided on homosexuality. Some hold this to still be Law while others see it as the cultural peculiarities of some ancient time. If you would like to read the progressive interpretation of this text, visit http://www.soulforce.org/article/homosexuality-bible-walter-wink . Many Christian groups have embraced Walter Wink's biblical interpretation of Homosexuality. I have a hard time with his exegesis of this text. First of all, Man did not create these Laws, God did. As a matter of fact, this was already happening in the world, and God said He didn't like it. It was detestable. It seems to me that since God placed this command in the middle of a lengthy passage that condemns a multitude of sexual sins, why should we take this one out, set it aside, and give it some other interpretation. And if, as some claim, God created some people with a natural attraction to the same sex, then why does He not make some kind of stipulation that speaks of this, like "Homosexuality is wrong, unless that is the way I created you". This IS God we're talking about here. I think He would know about people who struggle with this tendency. The bottom line is this; regardless of your sexual desire (be it man, woman, or beast), there is only one way that a person can be sexually holy, and that is to live within His commands.
Leviticus 19 reflects the basic principles found in the Ten Commandments, although not in the same order and not always with the same emphasis. •
I wonder if Leviticus 19:16 means that when the people of one nation are being attacked by another nation, that we have the responsibility to come to their aid; not to attack, but to defend.
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Leviticus 19:18 Does any of this remind you of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)?
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Leviticus 19:27 Cutting your hair or trimming your beard. This is a reference to
being in a state of mourning, not as a daily exercise. A man would let his beard and hair grow long to let those around him know he was mourning. Nor are we to cut our bodies or put tattoo marks on ourselves to let people know we are mourning. Apparently these are the practices of the pagans living around the Hebrew people, and God does not want their behavior associated with the rituals of pagans. This whole section (Leviticus 19:26-36) addresses holiness. This might be the way everyone else acts, but not the nation of God. In our society today the Christian has a duty and a responsibility to conduct themselves in this world as if they are not a part of this world. We must honor the Lord whose name we bear; Christian.
February 23: Leviticus 20-22 Leviticus 20 •
Leviticus 20:2 If we read the sixth commandment as "You Shall Not Kill" the commands here would be contrary to what God commanded in Exodus 20:13. The correct wording actually is "You Shall Not Murder". The truth is, God decreed that there were certain crimes that deserved the death penalty. In Leviticus God commanded Capital Punishment. Do you think this command has changed today? Did Christ's Command in Matthew 5:44 negate God's commands in this chapter? Does the presence of the Holy Spirit, who both convicts and changes a person, mean that even those guilty of the worst crimes against humanity should be spared in hopes that one day they repent of their sins?
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Leviticus 20:5-6 God uses the image of spiritual prostitution in these verses. He paints a picture of someone selling themselves to another. People are still guilty of this today. Consider what Jesus says in Matthew 6:24.
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Leviticus 20:10 This is possibly what Jesus wrote in the dust in John 8:6. Maybe. But reading the encounter in John makes you wonder where the man was.
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Leviticus 20:13 How can we possibly interpret this verse any other way?
Homosexuality IS detestable (so are all the crimes listed here). But why would some think that this act has been removed from this list of detestable sins; as if all the other ones are bad, but not this one? •
Leviticus 20:22-23 A quick read through these severe punishments might make Israel seem quite brutal. But actually when you consider the law codes found in other ancient societies, these are quite humane.
Leviticus 21 •
If the people were to be holy, think about how holy the priests needed to be. This is why I believe the morality of a pastor needs to be exemplary. How can a pastor expect the church to be holy if he is not?
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Leviticus 21:5-6 Again this is not a command to never cut their hair or shave. This is a command that addresses pagan customs for mourning. (see The Bible
Knowledge Commentary by J.F. Walvoord, R.B. Zuck, & Dallas Theological Seminary). •
Leviticus 21:12 The High Priest was not to attend funerals. Wow. I would have expected the High Priest to officiate at all funerals.
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Leviticus 21:14 The restriction to not marry a widow was to assure that her first child, the next potential High Priest, was really his own, and of priestly lineage.
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Leviticus 21:16-21 When I first read this section years ago, it didn't make sense to me. Why disqualify someone for physical problems that are not their fault. Birth defects are just that. It's not the kid's fault. But then it occurred to me that perhaps a birth defect is a symbol or a reminder of mankind's sinful nature; that birth defects are a result of the fall. Back then, the blood of bulls or goats could not remove the sinful nature, just pay the penalty for that nature. But, the blood of Jesus not only pays for the sins we commit, it pays for our sinfulness; the fallen human nature that affected all of humanity when Adam first sinned. So because of the total redemption found in Christ, perhaps the restrictions mentioned here no longer apply to those who minister in the Church.
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Leviticus 22 •
Leviticus 22:12 Sorry son-in-law. Marry a priest's daughter and both of you forfeit the right to the Holy Offering of food.
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Leviticus 22:17-25 Can you imagine the work involved to check over an animal to make sure it is worthy of the sacrifice? The animal would have to be examined head to tail. And that could take quite some time.
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What I find interesting is that just as a priest who was deformed could not serve; neither could an animal that was deformed be used. Throughout this section there is a pattern that separated clean and unclean; those who could approach the altar and those who could not. On a broader scale the separation even reached from one people to the next; Jew and Gentile. God was drawing a distinction between all these. However, because of Jesus there is now no distinction between people who are clean, people who can approach God, and even between animals (See Galatians 3:28).
February 24: Leviticus 23-25 Leviticus 23 •
Here are the national holidays of Israel. At best, we can discern six from this list. However, three of them (Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles) speak of a Pilgrim Feast; giving the impression that once they reached the Promised Land, men were required to travel to the central sanctuary (wherever the Tabernacle was located) in order to worship and celebrate. Leviticus 23:5-8 The Passover celebration begins on Good Friday, as compared to the Christian Calendar. And if you've ever wondered why Easter falls on different days or months from year to year, it's because it follows the Passover Celebration. And since the Jewish calendar is different than the calendar we use (introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XII), the day varies from year to year. The Hebrew calendar follows a lunar cycle (the moon), and the Gregorian calendar follows a solar cycle (the sun). There is about an 11 day difference between the two, hence the variation in
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the day Passover falls on our calendar. Now you know. Go and impress your friends. Oh, and by the way, the first Passover was celebrated one year after the exodus (Numbers 9:1-5) but they would not celebrate it again until they camped at Gilgal across the Jordan in the Promised Land (Joshua 5:10-12). Leviticus 24 •
When leading the nation in worship, the priests enjoy celebrating the presence of God among His people. But here we see the priests being reminded that God is with them all the time, not just during special times of worship.
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Leviticus 24:4 These lamps provided the only light in the Holy Place.
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Leviticus 24:9 Read this verse, then read what David did in 1 Samuel 21:6. Who was at fault here, David or the Priest? Well, before we start trying to find a loophole, consider the possibility that David did something wrong in eating this bread, and the Priest was wrong for offering it. Not everything we read in the Old Testament is the account of someone doing something right. But that's what makes the Bible so authentic. It tells of the good, but also of the bad.
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Leviticus 24:10-23 It is not mentioned what this fellow said, but it is an example of how justice was administered. And even if I did know what he said, I couldn't tell you, that would make me a blasphemer, and a pastor should never be stoned. :-)
Leviticus 25 •
Year of Jubilee is every 50 years. The Sabbatical Year takes place every 7 years. Sabbatical Year is for crops & animals. Jubilee talks about inheritance being restored, slaves set free, and property offered to be returned or restored. Often repeated here is the phrase “don’t take advantage of one another”. Agronomist will agree on the Sabbatical law. It helps the soil recover. But no economist would ever agree on the Year of Jubilee. Could you image what would happen to bank accounts if every 50 years property was offered back to the original family?
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Leviticus 25:1-7 For the Sabbatical Year, the fields were to be allowed to grow naturally. And just in case someone began to think, what will we eat, God speaks of this in Leviticus 25:20-22. What grew could be harvested, but harvested by anyone, not just the owner. And no organized harvesting or selling should take place. Another purpose of this special year can be found in Deuteronomy 15:111. "There should be no poor among you" it says. So the Sabbath Year becomes a time when the Nation lived not for themselves, but for one another and for God. It speaks against the selfish family who might harvest as much as they wanted from other fields, and so deny others food. The people needed to remember that God is concerned about the way we love others.
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Leviticus 25:8-55 The Land of Israel was God's property. The people were merely the stewards. Land could be leased to another person for however many years remained until the next Jubilee Year. And a person could sell himself to another until the next Jubilee Year. But no land was to be deeded away to another family. See Leviticus 25:28. We picture wealth in land and homes owned, but here God is trying to teach a different perspective. What we claim to be wealth, God claims as His own. We've forgotten that we are merely His stewards, and that all we have He has provided in the first place.
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Leviticus 25:25-28 Here we see why Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem looking for a redeemer; someone to buy them back and buy back Naomi's land (Ruth 3:12-4:6).
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Leviticus 25:44 We must not think of 19th century slavery here, or even debtors prison. Even a Gentile slave had certain rights protecting them. Even they were not allowed to work on the Sabbath.
February 25: Leviticus 26 Leviticus 26 •
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Leviticus 26:8 This verse reminds me of the conquests we see through Joshua
and some of the Judges (Gideon, for example in Judges 7:7). •
Leviticus 26:18-26 Disobedience to God's commands brings not just death, but harsh living as well. Here God speaks to National Disobedience. Although National Disobedience does not result in death, it will result in the absence of the Lord's care. Life will not be very pleasant.
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Leviticus 26:33-34 It sounds like God already knew what the Nation would do in later years. God speaks of the land missing its Sabbath Rest, which is exactly why the Exile happened. See Jeremiah 25:8-11.
February 26: Leviticus 27, Numbers 1 Leviticus 27 •
Leviticus 27:1-8 People may have been tempted to make a rash vow or commitment to God. But this is not required (apart from commands like The Tithe or Firstborn Sons, etc.). So to promise God that you will do this if He does that, becomes a vow, or dedication. A person needed to be aware of the cost of making such a vow. Oh, they could buy themselves out of the vow, but it was very costly. 50 Shekels of silver equaled about 50 month’s wages. So with this system in place, it tended to discourage rash vows.
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Leviticus 27:29 Just in case a family member thought they could buy back those headed for Capital Punishment, God puts this stipulation in place. He thought of everything, didn't He?
Numbers Numbers begins and ends with a census. The breakdown is kind of simple. Preparation to go to the Promised Land (Chapters 1-10), Journeying to the Promised Land (Chapters 11-25), and the New Preparation to Inherit the Promised Land (Chapters 2636). There is a gap of about 38 years between Numbers 19 and Numbers 20. Although 55
Numbers is a narrative, in it you will find portions of the Law reemphasized, such as Korah's rebellion against Aaron (Numbers 16-17) followed by a section reminding Israel of the Priestly Laws (Numbers 18-19). The Laws were not given a second time, just reemphasized. Also, the Numbers Narrative is not perfectly chronological. This can be seen in the very first section. From a chronological perspective, Numbers would read this way: Tabernacle set up (9:15-23), tribes bring their offerings (7:1-8:26), Passover observed on the 14th day (9:1-14), census taken two weeks later (1:1-6:27), and setting out for Canaan on the twentieth day (10:1-36). Numbers 1 •
603,550 men over the age of 20, excluding the Tribe of Levi. That means that the total number could have been nearly 2 million. How in the world this many people could march out across the wilderness with any kind of cohesion is beyond the ability of Man. But for God, this would have been simple. It's obvious that God traveled with this nation. But think about this; God was ready to abandon these people because of the whole Golden Calf incident (Exodus 32:10). Without Him they probably would have divided and wandered aimlessly in the desert.
February 27: Numbers 2-3 Numbers 2
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Descriptions for the camp site. Fascinating that God had guidelines for this. I wonder if we could get God to draw up some blueprints for a church building. What do you think it would look like?
Numbers 3 •
As instructions for the Levites are given here, a distinction is drawn between a worker for God and one of God's Priests. All Priests would be from the tribe of Levi, but not all Levites were priests. Here we are given the distinct duties of the Levites. They are broken down into three clans; the sons of Levi. And each clan is given a specific duty or responsibility.
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Numbers 3:27 Amram was the father of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam (Exodus 6:1620)
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Numbers 3:40-51 In compensation for His having spared the firstborn males of Israel at the time of the Exodus, the Lord declared that all the firstborn of men and animals should belong to Him. This would not involve their deaths, but their lifetime service.
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Now if you've been doing the math here (as some of you have), you're probably wondering why the discrepancy. If you add up the Levite numbers in verse 22, 28, and 34 you get 22,300. But in verse 39 we are given the number 22,000. The
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most satisfying solution is to suppose that the 300 extra were themselves the firstborn of the Levites, who obviously could not serve to redeem Israel.
February 28: Numbers 4-5 Numbers 4 •
Since Moses and Aaron were descendants of the Kohathite clan, it seems natural that this clan was responsible for the most sacred parts of the Tabernacle. But just because one was a Kohathite didn't mean they were equal to a priest. Notice that first Aaron and his sons had to enter the Holy Place and cover all the sacred objects. This was to protect the people, not just the Ark.
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Numbers 4:15, 20 says that even a Kohathite cannot touch a Sacred Object or look at one. If they do, they will die. I see this as evidence of God's Righteousness. Without atonement, no one, not even the High Priest, could approach God. Even Moses was not allowed to look upon the face of God (Exodus 33:22). Why? Because of humanity's sinful nature. However, some see this as evidence of UFO's and Aliens. Some claim the Ark was actually some sort of ancient Radio Transmitter given to Moses by an alien race. It was their means at communicating with mere earthlings. That’s Hogwash.
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Numbers 4:30 I guess my age disqualifies me from service. Does this mean I can retire? Seriously though, why did God place this age limit on these people, but not the High Priest?
Numbers 5 •
Numbers 5:1-4 These people were moved to a place outside of camp, not simply cast aside. Until they became ceremonially clean, that was where they camped. I still can't help but feel sorry for these people, especially considering that I suffer from Psoriasis, which was no fault of my own. I would be one of those people outside of camp. But, it would not keep me from doing what I could for the Lord. It would not affect my love and devotion for the Lord.
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Numbers 5:11-31 In these laws concerning adultery, it seems a bit harsh that the husband could demand this just based upon suspicion. I don't like this command any more than you do, but it was given by God for a reason. Perhaps if a man continually brought his wife for this test, and each time she was proved innocent, he might suffer some sort of reprimand by God or by the people. Anyway, there was no magic taking place here. And there certainly was no special chemical formula by mixing these compounds. If she was guilty, God could have passed judgment straight away. It was simply a ceremony allowing the people to see God judge the truth.
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