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Previous Story - INDEX - Next Story The Exodus 1. Israel Leaves Egypt 2. The Lord Explains Who May Eat The Passover 3. More Information About The First Born And Passover 4. The Lord Did Not Lead Israel Directly To Caanan 5. The Lord Further Demonstrates His Power 6. The Song Of The Lord's Triumph 7. The People Grumble At Moses 8. The People Grumble About Food 9. They Were Not To Gather Manna On The Seventh Day 10. Moses Strikes The Rock 11. Amalek Fights Against Israel 12. Jethro Visits Moses 13. Jethro Gives Moses Some Advice 14. The Lord Speaks To The People From Sinai 15. God Speaks The Ten Commandments 16. The Lord Invites Moses, Aaron, And Elders, To Come Up To Worship Him 17. Moses Reads The Book Of The Covenant To The People 18. Moses, Aaron, And Elders To Go Up To Worship The Lord 19. God Invites Moses To Come Up And Receive The Tables Of Stone 20. Moses Is To Raise A Contribution For A Sanctuary 21. Final Words Before Moses Comes Down From The Mountain 22. The People Weary Of Waiting For Moses 23. Moses Comes Down With The Tablets 24. Moses Asks Aaron For An Explanation 25. Moses Calls For An Accounting 26. God Promises To Drive Out The Inhabitants Of Canaan 27. The Lord Spoke With Moses Face To Face 28. Moses Brings Two More Tables Of Stone For God To Write On 29. Moses' Face Shines 30. The Tabernacle Is Set Up 1. Israel Leaves Egypt - Back to Page Index Exodus 12:37-42 So the children of Israel journeyed on foot from Rameses to Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand adults besides children. In addition to these, a mixed multitude went with them along with a very large number of livestock in their flocks and herds. They baked the dough they carried out of Egypt into cakes of unleavened bread. It did not leaven because they had been driven out of Egypt and had not had time to prepare any provisions. The children of Israel had lived in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years. At the end of the four hundred and thirty years, to the day, all the hosts of the LORD went out of the land of Egypt. In memory of the LORD bringing them out of Egypt, the previous night was to be observed by all the children of Israel throughout their generations.
2. The Lord Explains Who May Eat The Passover - Back to Page Index Exodus 12:43-51 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "No foreigner is to eat of the ordinance of the Passover. But a man's slave who has been purchased with money may participate after he has been circumcised. A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat of it. It shall be eaten in the house and none of may be carried outside. Also, no bone of it shall be broken. All of the congregation of Israel shall keep it. When a stranger sojourns with you, and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males first be circumcised, and then let him come near and eat it. Then he will be as one born in the land. No uncircumcised person shall eat of it. The same law shall apply to the native and the stranger who sojourns among you." Thus all the children of Israel did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron. So the LORD brought the children of Israel out of Egypt on that same day. 3. More Information About The First Born And Passover - Back to Page Index Exodus 13:1-10 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Sanctify unto me all the firstborn of Israel, both man and beast. They are mine." And Moses said to the people, "Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt and its slavery. The LORD brought you out by His powerful hand. And nothing with leaven shall be eaten. This is the month of Abib, and you are about to go forth. And it shall be that when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, a land flowing with milk and honey which the LORD swore to your fathers to give to you, that you shall observe this service in this month. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. Unleavened bread shall be eaten on all seven days. Nothing leavened shall be seen anywhere within your borders. You are to explain it to your sons on that day, saying, 'We do this because the LORD instituted this feast on the day He brought us out of Egypt.' It is to be a sign to you and always remembered, so that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth as you consider His powerful hand by which He brought you out of Egypt. This is why you must keep this ordinance at its appointed time each year." 4. The Lord Did Not Lead Israel Directly To Caanan - Back to Page Index Exodus 13:17-22 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them directly to the land of the Philistines, which would have been a much shorter route, for God said, "The people may change their minds when they see war and decide to return to Egypt." So God led them through the wilderness to the Red Sea. The children of Israel went out of Egypt in martial array. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, as Joseph had made his kinsmen promise to do when they should return to the land of their fathers. They traveled from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness. The LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud by day, leading them on their way. At night He was a pillar of fire giving them light. And there were also those times when they needed to travel at night. He was always with the people in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 5. The Lord Further Demonstrates His Power - Back to Page Index Exodus 14:1-31 And the LORD said to Moses, "tell the children of Israel to camp before Pihahiroth between Migdol and the sea in front of Baalzephon. Pharaoh will think you are lost and wandering aimlessly in the wilderness. I will harden Pharaoh's heart once more and he will come after the children of Israel. I will be honored through Pharaoh and his army, and all of them will know that I am God." When the king of Egypt was told the people had gone from Egypt, his heart and the heart of his servants turned against the Hebrews. They said, "Why have we let Israel go so that they no longer serve us?" Preparing his chariot he took his army with him. He had six hundred special chariots along with all the regular chariots of Egypt with officers over them. In anger Pharaoh pursued the children of Israel because they had left Egypt. His chariots and horsemen and all his army chased after Israel and found them camped by the sea beside Pihahiroth in front of Baalzephon. As Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel became afraid and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, "Is it because there was not enough room to bury us in Egypt that you have brought us out here to die? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Didn't we ask you to leave us alone in Egypt to serve them? It would have been better to serve Pharaoh in Egypt than to die in the wilderness." But Moses said to them, "Do not be afraid. Watch and see the salvation of the LORD today in your behalf. After this you will never see these Egyptians again. The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent." Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why cry to me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward through the sea. Lift your staff toward the sea. It will divide and the children of Israel shall go across through its midst on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will follow after. And I will be honored by what happens to them. Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD." Then the angel of the LORD, who had gone before Israel, moved behind them, and stood between the camp of the children of Israel and the Egyptian camp. The camp of the Egyptians was dark but the camp of Israel had light for it was night. Neither camp saw the other all night. When Moses stretched his hand over the sea, the LORD swept back the sea with a strong east wind that blew all night. And the sea bed became dry land where the waters were parted. The children of Israel went through the sea on the dry sea bed while the water on either side of them stood up like walls. Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit as Pharaoh and all his army, his horses and chariots, went after them through the midst of the sea. When morning came the LORD looked upon the host of the Egyptians and brought confusion on them. He caused their chariot wheels to come off and their chariots moved with great difficulty. They did not understand that the LORD was fighting against them and they decided to flee. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch your hand out over the waters so that they come back over the Egyptians, their chariots and horsemen." So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and the water returned to its normal state covering the Egyptians as they fled. Thus the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Pharaoh's entire army had gone into the sea and not one of them escaped. The children of Israel had walked on dry ground through the midst of the sea with a wall of water on either side of them. So the LORD saved Israel from the Egyptians that day, and they saw the Egyptians dead bodies wash up on the sea shore. When Israel saw the great work the LORD had done against the Egyptians, they feared Him and believed in Him, and His servant Moses. 6. The Song Of The Lord's Triumph - Back to Page Index Exodus 15:1-21 Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD." I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously. "The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil. "You blew with Your wind and the sea covered them. Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took the timbrel in her hand the women followed her with timbrels and dancing. Miriam called out to them, saying,
7. The People Grumble At Moses - Back to Page Index Exodus 15:22-27 Moses lead Israel from the Red Sea into the wilderness of Shur. And they went three days without finding water. When they came to Marah they could not drink the water, for it was bitter. That is how it came to be called Marah. The people began to grumble against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" Then Moses cried to the LORD and the LORD showed him a tree. When he had thrown this tree into the waters, they became sweet. In this place God made a statute for them because He had tested them. He said to them, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, doing what is right in His sight, giving ear to His commandments and keeping His statutes, then I will put none of the diseases on you that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the LORD that heals you." Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms. And they camped there. 8. The People Grumble About Food - Back to Page Index Exodus 16:1-21 And the children of Israel journeyed from Elim to the wilderness of Sin. This is between Elim and Sinai. It was the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt. The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, saying to them, "We would rather have died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt. At least there we had pots of meat and could eat our fill of bread. You have brought us out into this wilderness to starve us to death." Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for everyone. The people are to go out and gather enough for each day's need. I will test them to see whether or not they will do as I say. On the sixth day of the week they shall gather twice as much as they gather on other days." So Moses and Aaron told the children of Israel, "This evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt. In the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, for He has heard your murmurings against Him. Who are we that you murmur against us?" Moses added, "The LORD will give you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning. When you murmur against us you are really murmuring against the LORD." Then Moses told Aaron to say to the congregation of the children of Israel, "Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your grumbling." As Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness and the glory of the LORD appeared in a cloud. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "I have heard the murmuring of the children of Israel, when they say that they want to eat flesh in the evening and their fill of bread in the morning. They shall know that I am God." So it came about that evening that quail came over the camp and covered the ground, and in the morning the dew lay on the ground everywhere. When the dew had evaporated, the ground was covered with a small round thing that was as small as frost on the ground. The children of Israel asked each other, "What is it?" Moses told them, "It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded, 'Every man shall gather an omer for each person in his tent.'" And the children of Israel gathered it, some more and some less. When they measured it with an omer, the one who gathered much had no excess and the one who gathered little had no lack. Every man gathered as much as he could eat. Moses said to them, "No one is to save any of it for the next day." But they did not listen to him. Some left some of it until the morning and it became wormy and smelled bad. Then Moses became angry with those who did this. They gathered it morning by morning and when the sun became hot, what was still on the ground melted in its heat.
9. They Were Not To Gather Manna On The Seventh Day - Back to Page Index Exodus 16:22-36 Now on the sixth day of the week they had been told to gather two omers for each person. The leaders of the congregation reported to Moses that this was being done. And he said to them, "This is what the LORD has instructed. Tomorrow is the holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake or boil the extra and set it aside for tomorrow." So the people put some aside for use the next day just as Moses had ordered, and it did not spoil or become wormy. The next day Moses told them to eat what was saved from the previous day, for none would fall on the ground on the Sabbath day of the LORD. "Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none on the ground." On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather manna, but found none. Then the LORD said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and laws? See how the LORD gives you the Sabbath and enough bread for two days on the sixth day. Every man is to remain in his place and not go out on the seventh day." So the people rested on the seventh day. The children of Israel called it manna. It was like coriander seed, white and sweet like wafers made with honey. Then Moses said, "The LORD has commanded that an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, that you may see the bread He fed you in the wilderness when He brought you out of Egypt." Moses said to Aaron, "Take a pot and place an omer of manna in it and lay it up before the LORD to be kept for all generations." So Aaron did as God had instructed Moses and laid it up before the Testimony. And the children of Israel ate manna for forty years until they came to the land of Canaan. An omer is a tenth of an ephah, or just over a half gallon. 10. Moses Strikes The Rock - Back to Page Index Exodus 17:1-7 The children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin day by day as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim and once again the people had no water to drink. Because of this the people got after Moses, saying, "Give us water that we may drink." Moses said, "Why do you chide me? And why are you tempting the LORD?" But the people were thirsty and continued grumbling against Moses, saying, "Why have you brought us out of Egypt to kill us, our children and our livestock?" So Moses cried to the LORD, saying, "What shall I do with these people. They are ready to stone me." The LORD said to Moses, "Take the elders of Israel and pass before the people. Take the staff with which you struck the Nile River. I will stand before you on the rock at Horeb. You shall strike the rock and water will come out of it so that the people may drink." And Moses did this while the elders of Israel watched. He named the place Massah and Meribah, because the children of Israel tested the LORD by asking if He was among them.
11. Amalek Fights Against Israel - Back to Page Index Exodus 17:8-16 Then Amalek came against Israel in Rephidim. So Moses told Joshua to choose men to fight against Amalek. He said, "Tomorrow I will station myself on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek. Moses went with Aaron and Hur to the top of the hill. It came about that when Moses held his hand up, Israel prevailed, but when he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. Moses hands became heavy so they brought a stone for him to sit on. And while he sat there, Aaron and Hur stayed on either side of him and held his hands steady until the sun went down. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this in a book to be remembered and recited to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." Moses built an altar and named it, "The LORD is My Banner." And he said, "The LORD has sworn that He will war against Amalek from generation to generation." 12. Jethro Visits Moses - Back to Page Index Exodus 18:1-12 When Jethro, who was the priest of Midian and the father-in-law to Moses, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for His people Israel in bringing them out of Egypt, he brought Moses' wife Zipporah to him, for Moses had sent her home. He also brought their two sons. The first was named Gershom, for Moses said, "I have been an alien in a foreign land." The other was named Eliezer, for he said, "The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from Pharaoh's sword." So Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came bringing his wife and sons to the wilderness where Israel was camped at the mount of God. He sent word to Moses, saying, "I, Jethro, your father-in-law, am coming to you with your wife and two sons." Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed down and kissed him. They inquired of each other's welfare and went into the tent. Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake. He also told of all the hardships since leaving Egypt and of how the LORD had delivered them. Jethro rejoiced at all the goodness of the LORD in delivering them from the Egyptians. And Jethro said, "Blessed be the LORD who delivered you out of the hand of Pharaoh and from the Egyptians. Now I know the LORD is greater than all the gods." Then Jethro made burnt offering and sacrifices to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel, and they ate bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.
13. Jethro Gives Moses Some Advice - Back to Page Index Exodus 18:13-27 The next day Moses sat to judge the people from morning until evening. When Jethro saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "Why do you alone judge the people. You are doing this all day long." Moses said, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a dispute I judge between a man and his neighbor and explain the statutes of God and His laws." Jethro said to him, "What you are doing is not good. You will surely wear yourself out for the task is too heavy for you to do alone. Now consider what I say, and God shall be with you. As the representative of the people, you bring their disputes to God. In this way you teach the people the statutes and laws so they may know what is right. You should select able men who love truth and hate dishonest gain and place these men as leaders of thousands, hundred, fifties and tens. Let them judge the people's minor disagreements and bring only the major disputes to you. Let others bear this burden with you. If you do this with God's blessing, then you will be able to endure the work of helping this people to live in peace." So Moses listened to his father-in-law and followed his advice. He chose able men out of Israel, putting them over the people as rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. These men judged the people in the majority of cases. The more difficult disputes were brought to Moses but they handled the minor disputes themselves. After this Moses bade his father-in-law farewell as he departed for his own land. 14. The Lord Speaks To The People From Sinai - Back to Page Index Exodus 19:1-25 In the third month to the day after the children of Israel had come out of Egypt they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai. Having come from Rephidim, they camped in the wilderness of Sinai in front of the mountain. Moses went up to God on the mountain and the LORD said to him, "Here is what you shall say to the house of Jacob: you have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagle's wings to bring you out to Myself. Now then, if you will obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine. You shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. This is what you shall tell the children of Israel." Moses came down from the mountain and called all the elders of the people together, and he told them everything the LORD had said. All the people answered together, saying, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." Then Moses brought their words back to the LORD. The LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and believe in you forever." So Moses told the words of the people to the LORD. The LORD also said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Tell them to wash their garments. They must be ready by the third day for Me to come down on Mount Sinai in their sight. Set boundaries for all the people. Tell them to be sure that they do not go up into the mountain, or even touch its border. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. Whether it be beast or man, the one who touches the mountain shall be stoned or shot through. When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall approach the mountain." So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and the people were consecrated and washed their clothes. He told them, "Be ready on the third day. Consecrate yourselves and do not be intimate with your wives." So on the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning and a thick cloud covered the mountain. A very loud trumpet sounded and the people trembled. Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the LORD had descended upon it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace and the mountain quaked violently. As the trumpet sounded louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him. The LORD came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses up to the top of the mountain. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they pass the barrier hoping to see the LORD and many of them perish. And let the priests which come near to the LORD sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break out against them." Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up the mountain, for You warned us, telling us to set bounds around the mountain and to sanctify it." Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and get Aaron and bring him back up with you. But do not let the priests or any of the other people come up to the LORD lest He break forth upon them." So Moses went down to the people and told them what the LORD had said. 15. God Speaks The Ten Commandments - Back to Page Index Exodus 20:1-26 Then the LORD spoke these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves." "You shall have no other gods before Me." "You shall not make for yourselves any carved image, or any likeness of what is in heaven above, or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth, for the purpose of worshiping them, or serving them. For I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me. And showing mercy to thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments." "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will consider you guilty when you take His name in vain." "Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy. Six days you shall do all your work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. On this day you shall not work. It is to be the same for your son and your daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, for your cattle and even the stranger staying with you. For the LORD made the heavens, the earth and the seas, and everything in them in six days, and rested on the seventh day. So the LORD blessed the Sabbath day making it holy." "Honor your father and mother so that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives to you." "You shall not murder." "You shall not commit adultery." "You shall not steal." "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor." When all the people saw the thundering and lightning, the noise of the trumpet, and the smoking mountain, they moved back and trembled from a distance. They said to Moses, "We will die if the LORD continues to speak to us. Let Him tell you and then you tell us what He says." Moses said to them, "Do not be afraid, for God has been testing you that the fear of Him may remain with you so that you will not sin." So the people stood at a distance while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to the children of Israel, 'You have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven.' You shall not make other gods of gold or silver. You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings of your sheep and oxen on it. And I will come and bless you in every place where I cause My name to be remembered." "When you make an altar for Me, you shall not use hewn stones shaped with tools. This will profane it. And do not make steps up to the altar, lest your nakedness be exposed as you are presenting your sacrifice." 16. The Lord Invites Moses, Aaron, And Elders, To Come Up To Worship Him - Back to Page Index Exodus 24:1-4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Come up to Me. Bring Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, along with the seventy elders of Israel. And they shall worship at a distance. Only Moses shall come near to the LORD. No one else shall come with him." Then Moses recounted to the people everything the LORD had said. All the people answered with one voice, saying, "All that the LORD has commanded, we will do." Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Then he got up early the next morning and built an altar at the bottom of the mountain. He also built twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 17. Moses Reads The Book Of The Covenant To The People - Back to Page Index Exodus 24:7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. When they had heard it they said, "All that the LORD has said, we will do. We will obey." 18. Moses, Aaron, And Elders To Go Up To Worship The Lord - Back to Page Index Exodus 24:9-11 Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and the seventy elders of Israel, and they all saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there appeared a pavement of sapphire as clear as the sky above. The LORD did not stretch out His hand against any of those who saw Him. And they ate and drank in His presence.
19. God Invites Moses To Come Up And Receive The Tables Of Stone - Back to Page Index Exodus 24:12-18 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and I will give you tables of stone with the law written on them for the instruction of Israel." So Moses took Joshua his servant and went up on the mountain of God. And to the elders he said, "Wait here until we return. Behold, you have Aaron and Hur. You can ask them any questions that come up." Then Moses went up into the mountain and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the LORD called Moses from the midst of the cloud. To the children of Israel watching from below the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. And Moses remained in the midst of the cloud forty days and forty nights. 20. Moses Is To Raise A Contribution For A Sanctuary - Back to Page Index Exodus 25:1-9 Then the LORD spoke to Moses saying, "Tell the children of Israel to bring Me an offering. Everyone is to give willingly from his heart. Ask them for gold, silver and brass, blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen and goats hair, ram skins dyed red, badger skins and acacia wood, oil for lamps, spices for anointing oil and fragrant incense, onyx stones and special stones for the ephod and the breastplate. Let them make Me a Sanctuary so that I may dwell among them. You shall construct the Sanctuary and its furniture according to the pattern I will show you."
21. Final Words Before Moses Comes Down From The Mountain - Back to Page Index Exodus 31:12-18 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'You shall surely observe My Sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.' For this reason you are to observe the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death. Whoever does any work on it shall be cut off from among his people. For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is to be a Sabbath of complete rest. Anyone doing work on Sabbath shall surely be put to death. So the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed." When the LORD had finished speaking with Moses upon Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tables of testimony. These tables of stone were written with God's finger. 22. The People Weary Of Waiting For Moses - Back to Page Index Exodus 32:1-14 When the people had tired of waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, "Come, make us a god to lead us. We do not know what has become of Moses who brought us out of Egypt." Aaron told them to give him their wive's gold earrings and those in the ears of their sons and daughters. So the people did this. He took the gold and using a sculpting tool fashioned a golden calf. Then the people said, "This is our god who brought us up out of Egypt." Aaron then built an altar before the calf, and proclaimed, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD." The next day they got up early and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then they sat down to eat and drink after which they rose up to play. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Go down at once, for your people whom you brought out of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned aside from what I have commanded them. They have made a molten calf. They are worshiping and sacrificing to it. They are saying, 'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of Egypt.'" The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen that these people are obstinate. So let My anger burn against them and destroy them and I will make of you a great nation." Then Moses pleaded with the LORD, and said, "O LORD, why are you angry with Your people whom You brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why give the Egyptians any reason to say that You brought them out to kill them in the mountains and remove them from the face of the earth? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing them harm. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Your own name, saying, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and all the land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants forever.'" So the LORD changed His mind about the harm He said He would do to His people. 23. Moses Comes Down With The Tablets - Back to Page Index Exodus 32:15-20 Then Moses went down from the mountain with the two tables of stone in his hand which God had written on both sides. The tables were the work of God and the writing was His writing engraved on the tables of stone. Now when Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "It sounds like war in the camp." Then he added, "It is not the sound of the cry of triumph or defeat. But I do hear singing." As soon as Moses came near the camp and saw the golden calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tables of stone down so that they shattered at the foot of the mountain. He took the calf they had made and burned it with fire. Then grinding it to powder, he scattered it on the surface of the water and made the people drink it. 24. Moses Asks Aaron For An Explanation - Back to Page Index Exodus 32:21-24 Then Moses asked Aaron, "What did these people do to you so that you brought this great sin upon them?" Aaron said, "Do not be angry with me. You know the people are prone to evil. For they said to me, 'Make for us a god who will go before us, for we do not know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.' So I asked them to take their gold off. When they had given it to me, I threw it into the fire and out came this calf." 25. Moses Calls For An Accounting - Back to Page Index Exodus 32:25-35 Now when Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get out of control so as to become a derision among their enemies, he stood at the gates of the camp and called out, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me!" And all the sons of Levi gathered to him. He then said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Every man among you put on his sword and go from gate to gate throughout the camp, killing brother, friend and neighbor.'" So the sons of Levi did as Moses had said and about three thousand men of the people died that day. Then Moses said, "Dedicate yourselves to the LORD, for you have acted against your son, and your brother. May the LORD give you a blessing today." The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a great sin. I will go up to the LORD. Perhaps I can make atonement for your sin." Then Moses returned to the LORD and said to Him, "O LORD, this people has committed a great sin by making for themselves a god of gold. Please forgive their sin. But if you will not forgive them, then please blot me out of Your book!" The LORD said, "The one that has sinned against Me is the one I will blot out of My book. But go now and lead the people to the place I have told you of, and My angel shall go before you. But when the day of punishment comes, I will punish them." Then the LORD sent a plague on the people because of the calf Aaron had made. 26. God Promises To Drive Out The Inhabitants Of Canaan - Back to Page Index Exodus 33:1-6 Then the LORD said to Moses, "You and the people shall leave this place and go up to the land which I promised to give to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go up in the midst of you for you are an obstinate people and I might destroy you on the way." When the people heard these sad words, they mourned and none of them put on his ornaments, because the LORD had said they were stiff necked and that He would not be in their midst lest He destroy them. He told them to take off their ornaments until He decided what to do with them. So the children of Israel did not wear their ornaments anymore after being at Mount Horeb.
27. The Lord Spoke With Moses Face To Face - Back to Page Index Exodus 33:7-23 Moses used to set up the tabernacle outside and away from the camp, calling it the Tabernacle of the Congregation. And whenever someone sought the LORD they went out to the tabernacle of the congregation which was outside the camp. When Moses would go out to the tent the people would stand by the doors of their tents and watch him enter the Tabernacle. When he entered the tent the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. When the people saw the pillar of the cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they would each worship at the entrance of their own tent. And the LORD used to speak with Moses face to face, as one speaks with a friend. When Moses returned to the camp, Joshua, his servant would remain at the Tabernacle. Moses said to the LORD, "See, you have said to bring this people up. But You have not told me who You will send with me. You said that You know me by name and that I have found favor in Your sight. So if I have found favor in your sight, show me Your plan that I may find favor. Please consider that this nation is Your people." And the LORD said, "My presence shall go with you and I will give you rest." Then Moses said, "Unless Your presence goes with us, do not send us up from here. For how can it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your sight? Is it not by You going with us so that we may be distinguished from all other peoples on the face of the earth?" Then the LORD said, "I will do as you ask, for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name." Then Moses said, "Please show me your glory!" And the LORD said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, proclaiming My name. I will be gracious to whomever I will be gracious, and show mercy on whomever I choose. But you cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me where you shall stand on the rock. And when My glory is passing by you. I will place you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face you cannot see." 28. Moses Brings Two More Tables Of Stone For God To Write On - Back to Page Index Exodus 34:1-9 And the LORD said to Moses, "Cut out two tables of stone and I will write on them the words I wrote on the first tables which you broke. Be ready by morning to come up to Mount Sinai and present yourself to Me. No one is to come up with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain. Even the flocks and herds may not graze in front of the mountain." So Moses cut out two tables of stone like the first set. Then he rose early the following morning and went up to Mount Sinai with the two tablets as the LORD had commanded him. The LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as He proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful, gracious, long suffering and abounding in goodness and truth. Who keeps loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin. Yet He will by no means clear the guilty. He visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children unto the third and fourth generation." Moses quickly bowed his head to the earth and worshipped. He said, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, O LORD, please continue to go along in our midst, and pardon the sin of an obstinate people, but keep us as Your own possession." 29. Moses' Face Shines - Back to Page Index Exodus 34:28-35 So Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He did not eat bread or drink water. And the LORD wrote the words of the covenant, which were the Ten Commandments, on the tables of stone. As Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai with the tables of the testimony in his hand, he did not know that the skin of his face shone from having been in the LORD's presence. When Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, and saw how his face shone, they were afraid to come near him. Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation came and Moses spoke to them. After all the children of Israel came near, Moses gave them an account of all that the LORD had said to him on Mount Sinai. After Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. But when Moses would go in before the LORD to speak with Him he would take the veil off until he came back out to tell the children of Israel what he had been commanded. And the children of Israel would see the face of Moses and how it shone from being in God's presence. Then Moses would place the veil over his face until he went in again to speak with the LORD. 30. The Tabernacle Is Set Up - Back to Page Index Exodus 40:1-38 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. You shall place the ark of the testimony in it behind the veil. Place the table and its utensils inside and bring in the candlestick and light its lamps. Place the golden altar of incense before the ark of testimony and hang the veil at the door of the tabernacle. Set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the congregation. Set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar of burnt offering and put water in it. Set up the court all around the tabernacle and hang the veil at the gateway of the court. Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, consecrating it and all its furnishings, and then it shall be holy. You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the altar shall be most holy. You shall anoint the laver and its stand consecrate it. Then bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of the congregation and wash them with water. You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint and consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me. You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them. And you shall anoint them as you have anointed their father, that they may minister as priests to Me. Their anointing shall be for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations." So Moses did all of this just as the LORD had commanded. The tabernacle was erected on the first day of the first month of the second year. Moses erected it, setting up its pillars its sockets, its boards and bars. And he spread the tent over the tabernacle just as the LORD had commanded. Then he put the testimony in the ark and placed the mercy seat above the ark. He brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil in the entrance to where the ark was. All of this was done just as the LORD had commanded. He put the table in the tent of the congregation on the north side outside the veil before the ark. He set the bread in order upon the table, as the LORD had commanded Moses. Then he placed the candlestick in the tent of the congregation on the south side of the tabernacle. He lit the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He placed the golden altar of incense in the tent of the congregation in front of the veil, and burned fragrant incense on it, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. He then set up the hanging veil in the door of the tabernacle. He set the altar of burnt offering before the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered a burnt offering and a meat offering as the LORD had commanded Moses. He placed the laver between the tent of the congregation and the alter and put water in it for washing. Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and feet with this water. Whenever they went into the tent of the congregation, or came near the altar, they washed, as the LORD had commanded Moses. And he erected the court all around the tabernacle and hung the veil for the gate to the court. So Moses finished setting up the tabernacle. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of the congregation because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Whenever this cloud lifted up from the tabernacle, the children of Israel continued their journey, but they did not proceed until the cloud had lifted up. And throughout their journeys the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day and appeared as a fire in the sight of all the house of Israel by night. 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