Day 31 Leviticus Chapter 5-7 Supplemental Notes

Leviticus Chapter 5
The Levitical-era laws were not merely rituals. They were also about behaving honestly and responsibly. Examples:

"If any one sins in that he hears a public adjuration to testify and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he shall bear his iniquity." (Leviticus 5:1 RSV) "Or if any one utters with his lips a rash oath to do evil or to do good, any sort of rash oath that men swear, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it he shall in any of these be guilty." (Leviticus 5:4 RSV)

They were also about caring for one's health. Examples:

"Or if any one touches an unclean thing, whether the carcass of an unclean beast or a carcass of unclean cattle or a carcass of unclean swarming things, and it is hidden from him, and he has become unclean, he shall be guilty. Or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort the uncleanness may be with which one becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it he shall be guilty." (Leviticus 5:2-3 RSV)

The sacrifices for violations almost certainly helped the people to strive to obey; watching an innocent lamb or dove being killed for the guilt of one's self was surely an incentive to not do wrong (keeping in mind that all humans are responsible for the killing of a far more perfect and innocent "lamb" as payment for our sins - see Why Blood?).

"When a man is guilty in any of these, he shall confess the sin he has committed, and he shall bring his guilt offering to The Lord for the sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin. But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring, as his guilt offering to The Lord for the sin which he has committed, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first the one for the sin offering; he shall wring its head from its neck, but shall not sever it, and he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering." (Leviticus 5:5-9 RSV)

Leviticus Chapter 6
All of the laws were and are based upon The Ten Commandments (see The First Commandment, The Second Commandment, The Third Commandment, The Fourth Commandment, The Fifth Commandment, The Sixth Commandment, The Seventh Commandment, The Eighth Commandment, The Ninth Commandment and The Tenth Commandment. Notice below how violators "shall bring to the priest his guilt offering to The Lord" i.e. the high priest was merely a symbol of the High Priest that actually has the power to forgive and make atonement (see What Is Jesus Christ Doing Right Now?).

"The Lord said to Moses [see The Education Of Moses], "If any one sins and commits a breach of faith against The Lord by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor or has found what was lost and lied about it, swearing falsely - in any of all the things which men do and sin therein, when one has sinned and become guilty, he shall restore what he took by robbery, or what he got by oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing which he found, or anything about which he has sworn falsely; he shall restore it in full, and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs, on the day of his guilt offering. And he shall bring to the priest his guilt offering to The Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued by you at the price for a guilt offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him before The Lord, and he shall be forgiven for any of the things which one may do and thereby become guilty." (Leviticus 6:1-7 RSV)

Leviticus Chapter 7
Only "clean" animals (see the Fact Finder question below) were acceptable for sacrifice. This principle was used in both a physical and spiritual sense.

"Flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burned with fire. All who are clean may eat flesh, but the person who eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of The Lord's peace offerings while an uncleanness is on him, that person shall be cut off from his people. And if any one touches an unclean thing, whether the uncleanness of man or an unclean beast or any unclean abomination, and then eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of The Lord's peace offerings, that person shall be cut off from his people." The Lord said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, You shall eat no fat, of ox, or sheep, or goat. The fat of an animal that dies of itself, and the fat of one that is torn by beasts, may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it. For every person who eats of the fat of an animal of which an offering by fire is made to The Lord shall be cut off from his people. Moreover you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwellings. Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people." (Leviticus 7:19-27 RSV)

Day 30 Leviticus Chapter 2-4 Supplemental Notes

Leviticus Chapter 2 The Levitical offerings and sacrifices were all prophetic of Christianity (see the Fact Finder question below). The grain offerings included unleavened and firstfruits principles found in specific Holy Days. Example:

"When you bring a cereal offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil [see Christ's Feast of Unleavened Bread for the symbolic meaning of unleavened bread]. And if your offering is a cereal offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil; you shall break it in pieces, and pour oil on it; it is a cereal offering. And if your offering is a cereal offering cooked in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. And you shall bring the cereal offering that is made of these things to The Lord; and when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar. And the priest shall take from the cereal offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to The Lord. And what is left of the cereal offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings by fire to The Lord. No cereal offering which you bring to The Lord shall be made with leaven; for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as an offering by fire to The Lord. As an offering of first fruits [see Christ's Pentecost for the symbolic meaning of firstfruits] you may bring them to The Lord, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing odor. You shall season all your cereal offerings with salt; you shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be lacking from your cereal offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt." (Leviticus 2:4-13 RSV)

Leviticus Chapter 3
The same principle was found in the peace (also translated as "fellowship") offering. The original Hebrew word, pronounced sheh-lem means peace; the sheh-lem is also found in the city name Jerusalem.

"If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to The Lord [see also YHVH, Adonai, Jehovah, LORD] is an animal from the flock, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before The Lord, laying his hand upon the head of his offering and killing it before the tent of meeting; and Aaron's sons shall throw its blood against the altar round about. Then from the sacrifice of the peace offering as an offering by fire to The Lord he shall offer its fat, the fat tail entire, taking it away close by the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat that is on the entrails, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver which he shall take away with the kidneys. And the priest shall burn it on the altar as food offered by fire to The Lord. If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before The Lord [see also Christ The Creator], and lay his hand upon its head, and kill it before the tent of meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall throw its blood against the altar round about. Then he shall offer from it, as his offering for an offering by fire to The Lord, the fat covering the entrails, and all the fat that is on the entrails, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver which he shall take away with the kidneys. And the priest shall burn them on the altar as food offered by fire for a pleasing odor. All fat is The Lord's." (Leviticus 3:6-16 RSV)

Leviticus Chapter 4
The sin offering was more obvious and direct in symbolic purpose (see the Fact Finder question below). Various animals were used for specific people i.e. a young bull for "the anointed priest" or "the whole congregation of Israel," a male goat for a "ruler," a female goat for "one of the common people."

"if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer for the sin which he has committed a young bull without blemish to The Lord for a sin offering." (Leviticus 4:3 RSV) "If the whole congregation of Israel commits a sin unwittingly and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things which The Lord has commanded not to be done and are guilty; when the sin which they have committed becomes known, the assembly shall offer a young bull for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting" (Leviticus 4:13-14 RSV)
"When a ruler sins, doing unwittingly any one of all the things which The Lord his God has commanded not to be done, and is guilty, if the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without blemish" (Leviticus 4:22-23 RSV)
"If any one of the common people sins unwittingly in doing any one of the things which The Lord has commanded not to be done, and is guilty, when the sin which he has committed is made known to him he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed" (Leviticus 4:27-28 RSV)

Day 29 Exodus Chapter 39-40, Leviticus 1 Supplemental Notes

Exodus Chapter 39
With the Tabernacle (see also What Happened To The Tabernacle?) and all implements ready, the priestly garments for Aaron, his sons (see The Lines Of Eleazar and Ithamar), and other rankings of Levites, were then completed from the same materials.

"And of the blue and Purple and Scarlet stuff they made finely wrought garments, for ministering in the holy place; they made the holy garments for Aaron; as The Lord had commanded Moses. And he made the ephod of gold, blue and purple and scarlet stuff, and fine twined Linen. And gold leaf was hammered out and cut into threads to work into the blue and purple and the scarlet stuff, and into the fine twined linen, in skilled design." (Exodus 39:1-3 RSV)
"He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, like the work of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet stuff, and fine twined linen. It was square; the breastpiece was made double, a span its length and a span its breadth when doubled. And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and Carbuncle was the first row; and the second row, an emerald, a Sapphire, and a diamond; and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an Amethyst; and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a Jasper; they were enclosed in settings of gold filigree. There were twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel [see Children of Jacob]; they were like Signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes." (Exodus 39:8-14 RSV)
"They also made the coats, woven of fine linen, for Aaron and his sons, and the turban [see Aaron's Turban] of fine linen, and the caps of fine linen, and the linen breeches of fine twined linen, and the girdle of fine twined linen and of blue and purple and scarlet stuff, embroidered with needlework; as The Lord had commanded Moses. And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, "Holy to The Lord." And they tied to it a lace of blue, to fasten it on the turban above; as The Lord had commanded Moses." (Exodus 39:27-31 RSV)

The Lord (see YHVH, Adonai, Jehovah, LORD) had given the design to Moses (see also The Education Of Moses) who had then supervised the work.

"According to all that The Lord had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work. And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as The Lord had commanded, so had they done it. And Moses blessed them." (Exodus 39:42-43 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 40
And so, with all of the preparations completed, the The Tabernacle In The Wilderness became operational.

"The Lord said to Moses, "On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. And you shall bring in the table, and set its arrangements in order; and you shall bring in the lampstand, and set up its lamps. And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and place the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. And you shall set up the court round about, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court. Then you shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture; and it shall become holy. You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar; and the altar shall be most holy. You shall also anoint the laver and its base, and consecrate it. Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tent of meeting, and shall wash them with water, and put upon Aaron the holy garments, and you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest. You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests: and their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations." Thus did Moses; according to all that The Lord commanded him, so he did." (Exodus 40:1-16 RSV)

It had been 1 year since the Exodus; the Tabernacle and the priesthood were then ready for the first of The Lord's annual Holy Days that would come on the 14th - Passover (see Christ's Passover and Christ's Feast of Unleavened Bread).

"And in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected." (Exodus 40:17 RSV) "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of The Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode upon it, and the glory of The Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would go onward; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not go onward till the day that it was taken up. For throughout all their journeys the cloud of The Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel." (Exodus 40:34-38 RSV)

Leviticus Chapter 1
The Levitical priesthood, including the office of the high priest himself, was symbolic of Christianity (see What Is Jesus Christ Doing Right Now?). All of the Levitical rituals and ceremonies were actually Christian because they were all about things that looked forward to, and would be fulfilled by, Jesus Christ.

"The Lord called Moses, and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, "Speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, When any man of you brings an offering to The Lord, you shall bring your offering of cattle from the herd or from the flock. "If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it at the door of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before The Lord; he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Then he shall kill the bull before The Lord; and Aaron's sons the priests shall present the blood, and throw the blood round about against the altar that is at the door of the tent of meeting. And he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces; and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay wood in order upon the fire; and Aaron's sons the priests shall lay the pieces, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn the whole on the altar, as a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to The Lord." (Leviticus 1:1-9 RSV)

Day 28 Exodus Chapter 35-38 Supplemental Notes

Exodus Chapter 35
The instructions for how the Tabernacle and its furnishings were to be constructed were given earlier. Now, the actual work was to begin, but even in that, The Lord's Sabbath (see "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it Holy") was to be a day of rest.

"Moses [see also The Education Of Moses] assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel, and said to them, "These are the things which The Lord has commanded you to do. Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy Sabbath of solemn rest to The Lord; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death" (Exodus 35:1-2 RSV)

The Israelites had left Egypt with great wealth ("The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked of the Egyptians jewelry of silver and of gold, and clothing; and The Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they despoiled the Egyptians," Exodus 12:35-36 RSV). From that, came the materials for the Tabernacle.

"Take from among you an offering to The Lord; whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring The Lord's offering: Gold, Silver, and bronze; blue and Purple and Scarlet stuff and fine twined Linen; goats' hair, tanned rams' skins, and goatskins; acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil [see also Ointment] and for the fragrant incense, and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. "And let every able man among you come and make all that The Lord has commanded: the tabernacle" (Exodus 35:5-10 RSV)

The Lord also gave certain craftsmen even greater skill for their work on the Tabernacle.

"And Moses said to the people of Israel, "See, The Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with ability to do every sort of work done by a craftsman or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet stuff and fine twined linen, or by a weaver - by any sort of workman or skilled designer." (Exodus 35:30-35 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 36
The Israelites obeyed The Lord's command to supply the materials for the Tabernacle. For once at least, they did so wholeheartedly.

"And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every able man in whose mind The Lord had put ability, every one whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work; and they received from Moses all the freewill offering which the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary [see also Sanctuary]. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the able men who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, "The people bring much more than enough for doing the work which The Lord has commanded us to do." So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, "Let neither man nor woman do anything more for the offering for the sanctuary." So the people were restrained from bringing; for the stuff they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more." (Exodus 36:2-7 RSV)

So the work began, beginning with the Tabernacle in which all of the items would be housed and implemented..

"Bezalel and Oholiab and every able man in whom The Lord has put ability and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that The Lord has commanded." (Exodus 36:1 RSV) "And all the able men among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains; they were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet stuff, with cherubim skilfully worked. The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains had the same measure." (Exodus 36:8-9 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 37
Next, The Ark of The Covenant (see also Raiders Of The Lost Ark) was constructed by Bezalel.

"Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; two cubits and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a molding of gold around it. And he cast for it four rings of gold for its four corners, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side. And he made poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold, and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark. And he made a mercy seat [see the Fact Finder question below] of pure gold; two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. And he made two cherubim of hammered gold; on the two ends of the mercy seat he made them, one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end; of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim." (Exodus 37:1-9 RSV)

Then the table, the lampstand and the altar of incense.

"He also made the table [see also Bread of the Presence] of acacia wood; two cubits was its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height; and he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a molding of gold around it." (Exodus 37:10-11 RSV) "He also made the lampstand of pure gold. The base and the shaft of the lampstand were made of hammered work; its cups, its capitals, and its flowers were of one piece with it. And there were six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; three cups made like Almonds, each with capital and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almonds, each with capital and flower, on the other branch--so for the six branches going out of the lampstand." (Exodus 37:17-19 RSV)
"He made the altar of incense [see also Frankincense] of acacia wood; its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit; it was square, and two cubits was its height; its horns were of one piece with it." (Exodus 37:25 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 38
Then, the altar of burnt offering (see Burnt Offerings and the origin of the word holocaust), the basin for washing [see also The Origin of Baptism] and the courtyard. Note below how mirrors back then were made of polished metal i.e. "its base of bronze from the mirrors of the ministering women."

"He made the altar of burnt offering also of acacia wood; five cubits was its length, and five cubits its breadth; it was square, and three cubits was its height. He made horns for it on its four corners; its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze. And he made all the utensils of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the firepans: all its utensils he made of bronze." (Exodus 38:1-3 RSV) "And he made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered at the door of the tent of meeting." (Exodus 38:8 RSV)
"And he made the court; for the south side the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits; their pillars were twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver." (Exodus 38:9-10 RSV)

Again, to make plain how the Israelites had left Egypt with great wealth, the offerings alone that they made for the Tabernacle included "twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels" of gold - over a ton of gold (valued at about $24 million at July 2007 prices).

"All the gold that was used for the work, in all the construction of the sanctuary, the gold from the offering, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary." (Exodus 38:24 RSV)

Day 27 Exodus Chapter 32-34 Supplemental Notes

Exodus Chapter 32
While Moses was up on Mount Horeb with The Lord (see also Why Did Christ Put Moses To Death?), the Israelites grew impatient.

"When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, "Up, make us gods, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." (Exodus 32:1 RSV)

Aaron, by whatever bizarre reasoning, not only condoned the people's desire to mimic the idolatry that they had witnessed in Egypt (the golden calf, that they were about to make, was very likely their version of the Egyptian bull "god"), but actually led them in producing their idol of gold.

"And Aaron said to them, "Take off the rings of gold which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." So all the people took off the rings of gold which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made a molten calf; and they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" (Exodus 32:2-4 RSV)

The Lord saw what they were doing and would have annihilated them all, if not for Moses' plea.

"And The Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people; now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; but of you I will make a great nation." But Moses besought The Lord his God, and said, "O Lord, why does Thy wrath burn hot against Thy people, whom Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did He bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Thy people." (Exodus 32:9-12 RSV)

Moses was himself nevertheless overcome by anger when he saw the Israelites running wild about an idol. Although some regard it merely as a fit of anger, Moses' breaking the Ten Commandments (the stone tablets on which they were written, that is) was moreover a statement of how the Israelites were breaking them by their behavior (see The Decalogue).

"And Moses turned, and went down from the mountain with the two tables of the testimony in his hands, tables that were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables." (Exodus 32:15-16 RSV) "And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tables out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain." (Exodus 32:19 RSV)

The Levites remained loyal to one of their own, Moses.

"And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose, for Aaron had let them break loose, to their shame among their enemies, then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, "Who is on The Lord's side? Come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. And he said to them, "Thus says The Lord God of Israel, 'Put every man his sword on his side, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.'" And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men." (Exodus 32:25-28 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 33
The Lord then commanded the Israelites to prepare to leave Mount Sinai (see also Why Did Paul Say That Sinai Was In Arabia?) and head north, to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Interestingly, The Lord decided to keep His distance from them at that point, "I will not go up among you, lest I consume you in the way, for you are a stiff-necked people" because they had chosen to become spiritually distant from Him.

"The Lord said to Moses, "Depart, go up hence, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham [see Abram and Sarai], Isaac [see Isaac's Faith And Obedience], and Jacob [see Jacob and Laban], saying, 'To your descendants I will give it.' And I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites [see The Land Of Canaan], the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you in the way, for you are a stiff-necked people." (Exodus 33:1-3 RSV)

The Lord did remain physically and spiritually close to Moses however; they met "outside the camp" in The Trysting Tent.

"Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp; and he called it the tent of meeting. And every one who sought The Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose up, and every man stood at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he had gone into the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the door of the tent, and The Lord would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the door of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, every man at his tent door. Thus The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tent." (Exodus 33:7-11 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 34
The Lord then wrote a replacement set of The Ten Commandments. Note that Moses made the stone tablets and carried them up on the mountain and then back again (see the Fact Finder question below).

"The Lord said to Moses, "Cut two tables of stone like the first; and I will write upon the tables the words that were on the first tables, which you broke. Be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain." (Exodus 34:1-2 RSV)

While there, The Lord repeated The Law of God, not "the law of Moses."

"And The Lord said to Moses, "Write these words; in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." And he was there with The Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water [see The Forty Day Fasts]. And He wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments." (Exodus 34:27-28 RSV)

Moses' return from The Lord's mountain also produced a change in appearance.

"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone [see The Shining] because he had been talking with God. And when Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them." (Exodus 34:29-31 RSV) "And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face [see The Veil of Moses]; but whenever Moses went in before The Lord to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, the people of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone; and Moses would put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him." (Exodus 34:33-35 RSV)

Day 26 Exodus Chapter 29-31 Supplemental Notes

Exodus Chapter 29
The sacrificial consecration ceremony for the Levites was also symbolic; just as the High Priest represented Jesus Christ (see Through The Veil of The Temple and High Priest to King of The World), so too the priests that served under the High Priest were symbolic of those who would later come in Christian service (i.e. "Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with Him a thousand years," Revelation 20:6; see also When Will You Be Judged?).

"Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests." (Exodus 29:1 RSV) "You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tent of meeting, and wash them with water. And you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skilfully woven band of the ephod; and you shall set the turban on his head [see Aaron's Turban], and put the holy crown upon the turban. And you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head and anoint him. Then you shall bring his sons, and put coats on them, and you shall gird them with girdles and bind caps on them; and the priesthood shall be theirs by a perpetual statute. Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons." (Exodus 29:4-9 RSV)
"I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate, to serve me as priests. And I will dwell among the people of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am The Lord their God, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them; I am The Lord their God." (Exodus 29:44-46 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 30
The very detailed instructions continued, for the altar of incense, atonement offerings, the basin for washing, the anointing oil and the ingredients for the finely-ground incense. The formulas for the anointing oil and the incense were not to be used for or by anyone else, otherwise they would be "cut off from his people."

"You shall make an altar to burn incense upon; of acacia wood shall you make it. A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth; it shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height; its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides round about and its horns; and you shall make for it a molding of gold round about." (Exodus 30:1-3 RSV) "The Lord said to Moses, "When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for himself to The Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. Each who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel [see Biblical Weights and Measures] according to the shekel of the sanctuary, the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to The Lord. Every one who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give The Lord's offering. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give The Lord's offering to make atonement for yourselves. And you shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting; that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before The Lord, so as to make atonement for yourselves." (Exodus 30:11-16 RSV)
"The Lord said to Moses, "You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing [see also The Origin of Baptism]. And you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering by fire to The Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die." (Exodus 30:17-20 RSV)
"Moreover, The Lord said to Moses, "Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, two hundred and fifty, and of aromatic cane two hundred and fifty, and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin; and you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; a holy anointing oil it shall be ... And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. And you shall say to the people of Israel, 'This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. It shall not be poured upon the bodies of ordinary men, and you shall make no other like it in composition; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.'" (Exodus 30:22-25,30-33 RSV)
"And The Lord said to Moses, "Take Sweet Spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense, of each shall there be an equal part, and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy; and you shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you; it shall be for you most holy. And the incense which you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves; it shall be for you holy to The Lord. Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people." (Exodus 30:34-38 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 31
The intricate work of producing the Tabernacle and its furnishings was done by craftsmen who were empowered by The Lord to be even more skillful.

"The Lord said to Moses, "See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you" (Exodus 31:1-6 RSV)

The Lord is the only true Creator (see the Fact Finder question below); the seventh day is His only true Sabbath.

"And The Lord said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, 'You shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, The Lord, sanctify you. You shall keep the Sabbath [see "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it Holy"], because it is holy for you; every one who profanes it shall be put to death; whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to The Lord; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign for ever between me and the people of Israel that in six days The Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.'"
And He gave to Moses, when he had made an end of speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, the two tables of the testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." (Exodus 31:12-18 RSV)

Day 25 Exodus Chapter 26-28 Supplemental Notes

Exodus Chapter 26
Next came the instructions for constructing the Tabernacle ("tent"), an ornate portable structure that would be used as the center of worship until the Temple in Jerusalem would be built (see the Fact Finder question below). The Tabernacle was located inside a walled courtyard; inside the Tabernacle was the Holy Place, and within the Holy Place was the Most Holy Place where The Ark Of The Covenant (see also Raiders Of The Lost Ark) was kept.

"And you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it which has been shown you on the mountain [i.e. Mount Horeb]. And you shall make a veil of blue and Purple and Scarlet stuff and fine twined Linen; in skilled work shall it be made, with Cherubim; and you shall hang it upon four pillars of acacia overlaid with Gold, with hooks of gold, upon four bases of Silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in thither within the veil; and the veil shall separate for you the holy place from the most holy.
You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place. And you shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table; and you shall put the table on the north side.
And you shall make a screen for the door of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet stuff and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them." (Exodus 26:30-37 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 27
All of the functional items of The Tabernacle were precisely designed by The Lord [see YHVH, Adonai, Jehovah, LORD] because The Tabernacle, and the Temple that replaced it, were symbolic of God's perfect and pure Temple in heaven.
The altar of burnt offering:

"You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad; the altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and firepans; all its utensils you shall make of bronze. You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze; and upon the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners." (Exodus 27:1-4 RSV)

The Courtyard:

"You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side; their pillars shall be twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver." (Exodus 27:9-10 RSV)

The oil for the lamps:

"And you shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may be set up to burn continually. In the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before The Lord. It shall be a statute for ever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel." (Exodus 27:20-21 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 28
The garments of the Levite priests (see Levites) were also intricately designed for their symbolism. The High Priest was symbolic of Jesus Christ (see the Fact Finder question below).

"Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests - Aaron and Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu [see also False Christs Of The Old Testament], Eleazar and Ithamar [see also The Lines Of Eleazar and Ithamar]. And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. And you shall speak to all who have ability, whom I have endowed with an able mind, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. These are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a girdle; they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests." (Exodus 28:1-4 RSV) "And you shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel [see Children of Jacob], six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel; you shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree." (Exodus 28:9-11 RSV)
"So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment upon his heart, when he goes into the holy place, to bring them to continual remembrance before The Lord. And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim [see Urim And Thummim], and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goes in before The Lord; thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel upon his heart before The Lord continually." (Exodus 28:29-30 RSV)

Day 24 Exodus Chapter 23-25 Supplemental Notes

Exodus Chapter 23
The Lord continued His instructions in matters of justice and mercy. Examples:

"You shall not utter a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man, to be a malicious witness. You shall not follow a multitude to do evil; nor shall you bear witness in a suit, turning aside after a multitude, so as to pervert justice; nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his suit." (Exodus 23:1-3 RSV) "You shall not oppress a stranger; you know the heart of a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." (Exodus 23:9 RSV)

The Lord's Sabbath also applied to working animals, even the land itself.

"For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild beasts may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard. Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your ass may have rest, and the son of your bondmaid, and the alien, may be refreshed." (Exodus 23:10-12 RSV)

The Lord's Holy Days were grouped according to their season and timely fulfillment as it will come.

"Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to Me. You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; as I commanded you, you shall eat Unleavened Bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib [see Bible Calendar and Bible Months], for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed. [see Christ's Passover and Christ's Feast of Unleavened Bread]
You shall keep the Feast of Harvest [later also called Pentecost], of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. [see Christ's Pentecost]
You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering [also called The Feast of Tabernacles] at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. [see Christ's Feast of Trumpets, Christ's Day Of Atonement, Christ's Feast of Tabernacles and Christ's Eighth Day]
Three times in the year shall all your males appear before The Lord God." (Exodus 23:14-17 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 24
Centuries later, Jesus Christ plainly stated that, of all men, He was the only one to ever have seen the Father i.e. "Not that any one has seen the Father except Him who is from God" (John 6:46 RSV). However, people did see The Lord God, The One who would be born as Christ, The One Who delivered the Israelites out of Egypt i.e. "I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized [see also Old Testament Baptisms and The Origin of Baptism] into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same supernatural food and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ." (1 Corinthians 10:1-4 RSV). It was Jesus Christ who gave The Ten Commandments to the Israelites - and to all of humanity. "They saw the God of Israel":

"Then he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, "All that The Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient." And Moses took the blood and threw it upon the people, and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant which The Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words."
Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank." (Exodus 24:7-11 RSV)

Moses then spent 40 days and 40 nights on the mountain with The Lord (see the Fact Finder question below).

"Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of The Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of The Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. And Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights." (Exodus 24:15-18 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 25
The Lord then gave Moses instructions for the construction of the The Ark Of The Covenant (see also Raiders Of The Lost Ark), The Tabernacle and the furnishings within.

"And this is the offering which you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, blue and purple and scarlet stuff and fine twined linen, goats' hair, tanned rams' skins, goatskins, acacia wood, oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. According to all that I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it." (Exodus 25:3-9 RSV) "They shall make an ark of acacia wood; two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, within and without shall you overlay it, and you shall make upon it a molding of gold round about. And you shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold [see The Gold-Covered Staves]. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. And you shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you." (Exodus 25:10-16 RSV)
And you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The base and the shaft of The Lampstand shall be made of hammered work; its cups, its capitals, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it; and there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; three cups made like almonds, each with capital and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almonds, each with capital and flower, on the other branch - so for the six branches going out of the lampstand; and on the lampstand itself four cups made like almonds, with their capitals and flowers, and a capital of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out from the lampstand." (Exodus 25:31-35 RSV)

Day 23 Exodus Chapter 20-22 Supplemental Notes

Exodus Chapter 20 The formal proclamation of The Ten Commandments (see the Fact Finder question below), which had actually been known and in effect since creation (The Ten Commandments Before Sinai?), then came:

"I am The Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. "You shall have no other gods before Me. "You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I The Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My Commandments.
"You shall not take The Name of The Lord your God in vain; for The Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His Name in vain.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to The Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days The Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which The Lord your God gives you.
"You shall not kill.
"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 manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's." (Exodus 20:1-17 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 21
The Lord then further explained His Law (although often referred to as "the law of Moses," it was and is actually The Law of The Lord), all of which is based upon the Ten Commandments. Many modern-day laws in countries all around the world are based (although credit for them is rarely given to their original Author, The Lord) upon God's instructions in how civilized people are to behave. Examples: the death penalty for murder, and compensation paid to a victim of assault.

"Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him treacherously, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die." (Exodus 21:12-14 RSV) "When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but keeps his bed, then if the man rises again and walks abroad with his staff, he that struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed" (Exodus 21:18-19 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 22
Property rights were also covered in God's Law (as made obvious in the Commandments against theft and coveting).

"If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. He shall make restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or an ass or a sheep, he shall pay double.
"If a thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him; 22:4 but if the sun has risen upon him, there shall be bloodguilt for him.
"When a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man's field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.
"When fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he that kindled the fire shall make full restitution.
"If a man delivers to his neighbor money or goods to keep, and it is stolen out of the man's house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God, to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's goods. "For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for ass, for sheep, for clothing, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, 'This is it,' the case of both parties shall come before God; he whom God shall condemn shall pay double to his neighbor." (Exodus 22:1-9 RSV)

Along with property rights came social responsibility. Examples:

""You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you do afflict them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry; and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.
"If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbor's garment in pledge, you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down; for that is his only covering, it is his mantle for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate." (Exodus 22:21-27 RSV)

Day 22 Exodus Chapter 17-19 Supplemental Notes

Exodus Chapter 17
Despite all of the miraculous power that they had witnessed from Him, the Israelites had little faith. They grumbled and whined constantly while The Lord patiently awaited their behaving in a more responsible manner for themselves. The Lord was giving them a chance to grow up.

"All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from The Wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of The Lord, and camped at Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people found fault with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you find fault with me? Why do you put The Lord to the proof?" But the people thirsted there for water, and the people murmured against Moses, and said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?"
So Moses cried to The Lord, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." (Exodus 17:1-4 RSV)

The Lord (see also Christ The Creator) provided water for them (see also Why Did Christ Put Moses To Death?).

"And The Lord said to Moses, "Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel [see also The Senate]; and take in your hand the rod with which you struck The Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the faultfinding of the children of Israel, and because they put The Lord to the proof by saying, "Is The Lord among us or not?" (Exodus 17:5-7 RSV)

Even though they were psychologically weak, the Israelites were physically strong in battle. But even then, The Lord helped them when they were attacked by the Amalekites. Already, at that early point, Joshua was proving himself to be a worthy successor to Moses when the time would come.

"Then came Amalek and fought with Israel at Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, "Choose for us men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand." So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat upon it, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword." (Exodus 17:8-13 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 18
Moses had two sons with his Midianite wife Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro. Zipporah and her children had remained in the Sinai when Moses went into Egypt for the Exodus. Afterward, the family was reunited.

"Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how The Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away, and her two sons, of whom the name of the one was Gershom, for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land", and the name of the other, Eliezer, for he said, "The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh".
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God." (Exodus 18:1-5 RSV)

Jethro had been Moses' mentor before the Exodus (see The Education Of Moses). Afterward, Jethro had more advice for Moses, in how to manage the government of a large number of people.

"So Moses gave heed to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times; hard cases they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves.
Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own country." (Exodus 18:24-27 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 19
The Israelites by that time had arrived at Mount Sinai, also known as Mount Horeb, located in the southern area of the Sinai Peninsula (see the Fact Finder question below).

"On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone forth out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. And when they set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain." (Exodus 19:1-2 RSV)

The Israelites were about to experience one of the most well-known events of Bible History - the formal giving of The Ten Commandments (see The Decalogue; see also The Ten Commandments Before Sinai?). They were first given instructions in how to prepare.

"And The Lord said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments, and be ready by the third day; for on the third day The Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set bounds for the people round about, saying, 'Take heed that you do not go up into the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death; no hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.' When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain." (Exodus 19:10-13 RSV)

When The Lord then descended upon Mount Sinai amidst smoke and lightning, Moses went up.

"On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God; and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. And Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because The Lord descended upon it in fire; and the smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. And The Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and The Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up." (Exodus 19:16-20 RSV)

Day 21 Exodus Chapter 13-16 Supplemental Notes

Exodus Chapter 13
The Exodus from The Land Of Goshen occurred on the First Day of Unleavened Bread.

"And Moses [see also The Education Of Moses] said to the people, "Remember this day, in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for by strength of hand The Lord brought you out from this place; no leavened bread shall be eaten. This day you are to go forth, in the month of Abib [see Bible Calendar and Bible Months]. And when The Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites [see The Land Of Canaan], the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread [see Christ's Feast of Unleavened Bread], and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to The Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory." (Exodus 13:3-7 RSV)

Joseph (see The Israelite Patriarchs - Joseph), although dead for centuries by then, also participated in the Exodus (see Joseph's Bones).

"And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; for Joseph had solemnly sworn the people of Israel, saying, "God will visit you; then you must carry my bones with you from here." (Exodus 13:19 RSV)

Although the Israelites were armed for battle, The Lord provided them with all of the "fire power" that they would need to defeat the powerful army that was about to attack them.

"But God led the people round by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle." (Exodus 13:18 RSV) "And The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud [see also He That Sat On The Cloud] to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night; the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people." (Exodus 13:21-22 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 14
As had been the situation all through the plagues upon Egypt, once the pressure was decreased the Pharaoh's stubbornness returned.

"When the king of Egypt [see Egypt's Royal House] was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?" So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred picked chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and he pursued the people of Israel as they went forth defiantly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Piha-hiroth, in front of Baal-zephon." (Exodus 14:5-9 RSV)

With The Lord holding the Egyptian army back, the sea was "parted" by a strong east wind (see the Fact Finder question below). For the Israelites, it was a bridge to freedom; for the Egyptian army, it was an ambush.

"Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left." (Exodus 14:21-22 RSV) "Then The Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen." So Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its wonted flow when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled into it, and The Lord routed the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not so much as one of them remained." (Exodus 14:26-28 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 15
With the enemy army at the bottom of the sea, the Israelites sang for joy amidst their victory and their freedom.

"Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to The Lord, saying, "I will sing to The Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father's God, and I will exalt Him. The Lord is a man of war; The Lord is His Name [see Names Of God]. "Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea; and his picked officers are sunk in the Red Sea. The floods cover them; they went down into the depths like a stone. Thy right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, thy right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy." (Exodus 15:1-6 RSV)

The Lord reminded them however that with freedom comes responsibility and obedience; otherwise, people are merely "free" like rebellious Satan.

"There The Lord made for them a statute and an ordinance and there he proved them, saying, "If you will diligently hearken to the voice of The Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon you which I put upon the Egyptians; for I am The Lord, your healer." Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they encamped there by the water." (Exodus 15:25-27 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 16
The Israelites had spent their lives being cared for by their slave masters. Freedom and personal responsibility were new to them, so they whined like children when they had to begin looking after themselves more.

"They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and said to them, "Would that we had died by the hand of The Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger." (Exodus 16:1-3 RSV)

The Lord supplied them with manna (see also Christ, The Bread of Life) and quail.

"I have heard the murmurings of the people of Israel; say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; then you shall know that I am The Lord your God.'" In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew lay round about the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which The Lord has given you to eat." (Exodus 16:12-15 RSV)

The Israelites had not yet arrived at Mount Sinai where The Ten Commandments (see The Decalogue) were formally given, but they were already well aware of The Lord's Sabbath that has existed and been observed since creation (see The Ten Commandments Before Sinai? and Do We Have The Original Calendar?).

"On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers apiece; and when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, "This is what The Lord has commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to The Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay by to be kept till the morning.'" So they laid it by till the morning, as Moses bade them; and it did not become foul, and there were no worms in it. Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to The Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none." (Exodus 16:22-26 RSV)

Day 20 Exodus Chapter 10-12 Supplemental Notes

Exodus Chapter 10
Seven plagues had come upon Egypt so far: waters turned to blood, frogs upon the land, gnats, flies, disease upon livestock, boils upon man and beast and a great hail storm. Then, locusts that devoured what remained of the crops and trees.

"So Moses [see also The Education Of Moses] stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and The Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night [see also Is This How The Red Sea Parted?]; and when it was morning the east wind had brought the locusts. And the locusts came up over all the land of Egypt, and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever shall be again. For they covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left; not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt." (Exodus 10:13-15 RSV)

There were times when the Pharaoh's stubbornness weakened somewhat, but it nevertheless continued - as did the plagues. Next, darkness, "but all the people of Israel had light where they dwelt."

"Then The Lord [see YHVH, Adonai, Jehovah, LORD] said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt." So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days; they did not see one another, nor did any rise from his place for three days; but all the people of Israel had light where they dwelt." (Exodus 10:21-23 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 11
Then, the preparation, and final warning, for the last plague - the death of the firstborn.

"The Lord said to Moses, "Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence; when he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, jewelry of silver and of gold." And The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people. And Moses said, "Thus says The Lord: About midnight I will go forth in the midst of Egypt; and all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sits upon his throne, even to the first-born of the maidservant who is behind the mill; and all the first-born of the cattle. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever shall be again. But against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, not a dog shall growl; that you may know that The Lord makes a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel." (Exodus 11:1-7 RSV)

The Pharaoh's last chance:

"Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land." (Exodus 11:10 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 12
The Passover occurred in spring, according to The Lord's calendar i.e. the calendar is God's creation, not the Israelites as a whole, or Jews in particular (see Bible Calendar and Bible Months; also Do We Have The Original Calendar?).

"The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, "This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you." (Exodus 12:1-2 RSV)

Passover and Unleavened Bread were instituted together (see the Fact Finder question below).

"Then they shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat them. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled with water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning, anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste. It is The Lord's passover." (Exodus 12:7-11 RSV) "And you shall observe the feast of unleavened bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt: therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as an ordinance for ever. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, and so until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses; for if any one eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land." (Exodus 12:17-19 RSV)

Then, the Exodus (notice that the Exodus wasn't just for the people of Israel; a "mixed multitude also went up with them" - the Exodus, like salvation, was open to anyone who would repent).

"And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very many cattle, both flocks and herds. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any provisions. The time that the people of Israel dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, on that very day, all the hosts of The Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It was a night of watching by The Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to The Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations." (Exodus 12:37-42 RSV)

Day 19 Exodus Chapter 7-9 Supplemental Notes

Exodus Chapter 7
Moses' return to Egypt, at age eighty ("Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh," Exodus 7:7; see also The Education Of Moses), would be different than the previous journey. This time, miraculous signs and wonders would accompany the demand to set the Israelites free. The "I will harden Pharaoh's heart" could be interpreted literally, or it could also be referring to how naturally stubborn people react by simply becoming more stubborn when forced to do something.

"But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh [see Egypt's Royal House] will not listen to you; then I will lay My hand upon Egypt and bring forth My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. And the Egyptians shall know that I am The Lord, when I stretch forth My hand upon Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them." (Exodus 7:3-5 RSV)

First, The Lord's miraculous change of a rod into a snake. By Satanic means, the Pharaoh's sorcerers (see the Fact Finder question below) also transformed their rods into snakes.

"So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as The Lord commanded; Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same by their secret arts. For every man cast down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them; as The Lord had said." (Exodus 7:10-13 RSV)

Next, the famous plague of blood - but again, by Satanic means, the Pharaoh's sorcerers produced blood in the waters.

"Moses and Aaron did as The Lord commanded; in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, he lifted up the rod and struck the water that was in The Nile, and all the water that was in the Nile turned to blood. And the fish in the Nile died; and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts; so Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them; as The Lord had said." (Exodus 7:20-22 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 8
With the waters of the Nile so fouled, it naturally produced the next plague, frogs driven onto the land, that The Lord miraculously multiplied. Also, once out of water, the frogs died, adding to the troubles. The Pharaoh's sorcerers foolishly continued to attempt to match the miracles, by Satanic means, while ironically, adding to the destruction of their nation. Through it all, Pharaoh maintained his stubbornness.

"So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. But the magicians did the same by their secret arts, and brought frogs upon the land of Egypt." (Exodus 8:6-7 RSV) "So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried to The Lord concerning the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. And The Lord did according to the word of Moses; the frogs died out of the houses and courtyards and out of the fields. And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and would not listen to them; as The Lord had said." (Exodus 8:12-15 RSV)

With the plague of gnats, the Pharaoh's sorcerers were either losing their Satanic powers, or were starting to realize that they were very foolishly adding to the damage to their own country.

"Then The Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.'" And they did so; Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and struck the dust of the earth, and there came gnats on man and beast; all the dust of the earth became gnats throughout all the land of Egypt. The magicians tried by their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. And the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them; as The Lord had said." (Exodus 8:16-19 RSV)

Then the plague of flies.

"And The Lord did so; there came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants' houses, and in all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by reason of the flies." (Exodus 8:24 RSV)

Exodus Chapter 9
Next, the plague on livestock; damaging to the economy, and on some of Egypt's "gods" (e.g. their bull idol that the Israelites may have had in mind for their Golden Calf a few months later) - but the Pharaoh remained stubborn.

"And on the morrow The Lord did this thing; all the cattle of the Egyptians died, but of the cattle of the people of Israel not one died. And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the cattle of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go." (Exodus 9:6-7 RSV)

Then the plague of boils (see Biological Warfare).

"And The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of ashes from the kiln, and let Moses throw them toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt." So they took ashes from the kiln, and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses threw them toward heaven, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. But The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them; as The Lord had spoken to Moses." (Exodus 9:8-12 RSV)

The plague of hail followed. It was spring, so specific crops were lost (i.e. "The flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they are late in coming up," Exodus 9:31 RSV). The Israelites in Goshen were spared.

"Then Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and The Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And The Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt; there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. The hail struck down everything that was in the field throughout all the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and the hail struck down every plant of the field, and shattered every tree of the field. Only in The Land Of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, there was no hail." (Exodus 9:23-26 RSV)