I’ve also written What I Learned from Exodus, What I Learned about the Commandments and Ordinances of God, What I Learned from Moses’ reaction to the golden calf, and about Moses’ face shining.
Exodus 1-3 (Day 30)
Joseph and his generation have died, the sons of Israel have grown into a mighty nation, the new king over Egypt did not know Joseph, and, in fear of the Israelites, the Egyptians become brutal taskmasters over them
the king of Egypt tells the Hebrew midwives not to let newborn boys live, but the midwives fear God and let them live, and God blesses the midwives; Pharoah proclaims that all Hebrew boys should be thrown in the Nile; the Levi Moses is placed by his mother in a basket in the Nile at 3-months-old and Pharoah’s daughter adopts him
when Moses is grown, he kills an Egyptian who had been beating a Hebrew; when he realizes he’s been found out and Pharoah wants to kill him, he flees to Midian [descendants of Abraham by his second wife Keturah]; he defends the priest of Midian’s daughters against shepherds interfering with watering their flocks; the priest takes Moses into his home; Moses marries the priest’s daughter and has two sons
when he is pasturing his father-in-law Jethro’s flock near the mountain of Horeb, God appears to him in a burning bush; God reveals His name, “I AM” and tells Moses He is going to send him to Pharoah to bring His oppressed people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt, after He strikes Egypt with many miracles and they plunder the Egyptians, fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14: “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.”
Exodus 4-6 (Day 31)
Moses is concerned about not being believed by the sons of Israel so God gives him two signs to demonstrate: turning his staff into a serpent and then back into a staff, and turning his hand leprous and then restoring it
Moses is still worried, saying he doesn’t speak well, making God angry; God appoints his brother Aaron as Moses’ spokesperson
Moses starts back to Egypt with his wife and now two sons, but his wife must circumcise their son en route while God tries to kill Moses
circumcision is the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants, so Moses had yet to comply with this covenant
Moses and Aaron meet with the elders of the sons of Israel, who worship when they hear that God has seen their affliction and is concerned for them
Moses and Aaron speak to Pharoah about letting them go a three day journey into the wilderness to worship and sacrifice to God; Pharoah accuses the Israelites of being lazy, so he makes their work harder and beats their foremen; the sons of Israel are angry with Moses and Aaron, and Moses accuses God
God explains that Moses and all the sons of Israel will see what He is going to do in compelling Pharoah to let them go; He reminds them of Who He is and His covenant with them
God directs Moses back to Pharoah but Moses is again nervous about his unskilled speech
Exodus 7-9 (Day 32)
God says Moses will be like God to Pharoah, and Aaron will be his prophet, speaking for him. He gives them signs to perform as evidence they are speaking for God, but Pharoah has the wise men and sorcerers, the magicians of Egypt, try to replicate most of the signs.
Moses and Aaron appear before Pharoah; Aaron’s staff becomes a serpent and swallows the magicians’ staffs that have also become serpents
Plague of all the water of the Nile turning to blood
but magicians are able to replicate this sign
Plague of the frogs coming up over the land of Egypt
but the magicians are able to replicate this sign as well, but Moses asks Pharoah when he wanted him to entreat God for the frogs to go away, and the Lord did according to the word of the Lord
“But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the LORD had said” (Exodus 8:15).
Plague of the gnats
which the magicians could NOT replicate
“the magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said” (Exodus 8:19).
Plague of the flies
except in the land of Goshen where the sons of Israel lived
Pharoah gave permission for the Israelites to go not very far away to sacrifice if Moses would make supplication for the flies to go away, but once they did “Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go” (Exodus 8:32).
Plague of the livestock
“all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died” (Exodus 9:6b)
“But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go” (Exodus 9:7b)P
Plague of the boils
on man and beast throughout Egypt, including the magicians
God has Moses tell Pharoah, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. For this time I will send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth. But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth. Still you exalt yourself against My people by not letting them go” (Exodus 9:13b-17)
Plague of the hail
God warned that He was going to send hail “such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded”
“The one among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses; but he who paid no regard to the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field” (Exodus 9:20-21).
the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was spared
Pharoah asked Moses to intervene with God again, but hardened his heart again when he did
Exodus 10-12 (Day 33)
plague of locusts
when Moses warned Pharoah, “Pharaoh’s servants said to him, ‘How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not realize that Egypt is destroyed?’” (Exodus 10:7)
Pharoah tried to give permission for only adults to go but changed his mind when Moses said their children would go too
east wind brought the locusts that covered all the land of Egypt
Pharoah asked Moses to make supplication to God, and when he did, “the LORD shifted the wind to a very strong west wind which took up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea” (Exodus 10:19a)
but still the Lord hardened Pharoah’s heart
plague of darkness
“thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days…but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings” (Exodus 10:22b-23)
Pharoah tried to give permission for people but no animals to go, but when Moses said animals needed to go too, Pharoah said, “‘Get away from me! Beware, do not see my face again, for in the day you see my face you shall die!’ Moses said, ‘You are right; I shall never see your face again!’” (Exodus 10:28-29)
warning from God of the last plague, so that Israelites are directed to ask for silver and gold articles from their neighbors
“The LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people” (Exodus 11:3)
Passover
instructions to the Israelites on how to prepare for Passover, explaining that they will also do this annually as a memorial
unblemished 1 year old male sheep or goat, killed at twilight on 14th day of 1st month of year
eat it roasted, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; burn what is left in the morning
1st Passover: “take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it” and eat it “with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste” (Exodus 12:7,11)
“For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12-13).
“if a stranger sojourns with you, and celebrates the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near to celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat of it” (Exodus 12:48).
at midnight, all the firstborn of man and animals in Egypt are struck dead; Pharoah calls Moses and Aaron and tells them to go, with all the people and livestock
“The Egyptians urged the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, ‘We will all be dead’” (Exodus 12:33).
"at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:41).
Exodus 13-15 (Day 34)
God again explains ritual of memorial of Passover to be celebrated each year, as well as the sanctification of every firstborn of man and beast (Exodus 13:1-16)
“Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, ‘God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you’” (Exodus 13:19).
“The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light” (Exodus 13:21a).
God has the Israelites turn back so Pharoah will think they were wandering aimlessly
He tells Moses, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD” (Exodus 14:4).
As Pharoah and his chariots pursue and the Israelites are frightened, Moses says, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent” (Exodus 14:13-14) and the Lord tells Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward” (Exodus 14:15)
Moses stretches out his hand over the Red Sea and it is parted so the Israelites can cross it by night, with the angel of the Lord and the pillar of cloud behind them
in the morning, God has Moses stretch out his hand so the waters of the Red Sea return to their normal state and drown the Egyptians
“When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31).
the Israelites sing praise to the Lord (Exodus 15:1-21)
over the next three days, they find no water and then they find bitter water, and they complain
God has Moses throw a tree into the water to make it sweet
“There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. And He said, ‘If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer’” (Exodus 15:26).
“Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters” (Exodus 15:27).
Three days of testing, and then…provision. How often do we get impatient, and grumble and complain, when the Lord has provision waiting for us?
Exodus 16-18 (Day 35)
once in the wilderness again, between Elim and Sinai, in literally “the wilderness of Sin,” on the fifteenth day of the second month since they left Egypt, the Israelites complain of hunger, so God provides quail at evening and manna in the morning
“‘I will rain bread from heaven for you’….in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, for He hears your grumblings against the LORD” (Exodus 16:4a,7a).
God tells them to gather only what they need and not to leave it until morning, but they disobey and it is foul in the morning; they are able to gather double the day before the Sabbath so they can rest on the Sabbath, but they disobey this also
“the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily” (Exodus 16:4b-5).
God instructs them to keep some manna as a testimony
“Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take a jar and put an omerful of manna in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept throughout your generations.’ As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony, to be kept. The sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan” (Exodus 16:33-35).
after journeying from the wilderness of Sin to Rephidim, they complain of thirst, so God instructs Moses to hit the rock at Horeb with his staff and water comes out
“He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, ‘Is the LORD among us, or not?’” (Exodus 17:7).
Amalek [descendant of Esau] fights against Israel at Rephidim but Israel prevails as Aaron and Hur hold up Moses’ arms; God promises war against Amalek from generation to generation
Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it 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; the LORD will have war against Amalek from generation to generation’” (Exodus 17:14-16).
Moses’ father-in law comes to visit, bringing Moses’ wife and two children with him
“Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians….‘Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods’” (Exodus 18:9,11a).
Jethro gives Moses advice for appointing elders to help him judge the people
“You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God, then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do. Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens” (Exodus 18:19b-21).
Exodus 19-21 (Day 36)
on the third month since leaving Egypt, they came to the wilderness of Sinai, to the mountain of God, where God told Moses, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain” (Exodus 3:12)
“Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying,“Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’”
God tells the people to consecrate themselves and on the third day, God descends upon the mountain in fire, with thunder and lightning and a thick cloud, and the sound of a trumpet, and the Israelites gather at the foot of the mountain; Moses speaks to God and He answers in thunder;
Moses and Aaron are called to the top of the mountain, and God speaks the Ten Commandments:
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to 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 leave him unpunished 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 of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives 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.
after God spoke the Ten Commandments, He declared additional ordinances for the people (I discuss all of these in What I Learned about the Commandments and Ordinances of God)
"Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them":
Exodus 21
Hebrew slave (v2-6): shall serve for six years, but go then free; if he has been given a wife and has children, they stay behind; if he does not want to go without them, he can choose to serve permanently (has his ear pierced with an awl as a sign)
Female slaves (v7-11): are not to go free as males slaves are; she can be redeemed if her master is displeased with her; if he sells her to his son, she is treated as his daughter; if he takes another woman, her food, clothing, or conjugal rights cannot be reduced, or she gets to go free
Capital punishment (v12-13): someone who kills should be put to death; if it is an accident, he may flee; if not an accident, the man may be taken even from God’s altar to be put to death
Striking one’s father or mother (v15): assailant should be put to death
Kidnapping (v16): offender should be put to death
Cursing parent (v17): offender should be put to death
Man who strikes another man in a quarrel (v18-19): shall pay for his loss of time and shall take care of him until he is completely healed
Man who strikes his slave with a rod so that he dies (v20): shall be punished if he or she dies immediately; no vengeance if the slave survives a day or two
Men struggle but strike a pregnant woman (v22-25): premature birth—>shall be fined as husband demands and pay as judge decides; another further injury: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise
Man strikes slave and causes permanent injury (v26-27): slave shall go free
Ox gores someone to death (v28-v32): animal stoned and flesh not eaten; if animal was previously in the habit and owner did not confine it, owner also shall be put to death; owner shall give ransom for lost property/life
Open pit (v33-34): if a man opens one or digs one and does not cover it, and an animal falls into it, the owner shall make restitution to the owner of the animal but may keep the animal
Animal kills another’s animal (v35-36): sell live animal and divide price between owners and divide the dead animal; if the animal was known to be in the habit of goring and the owner had not confined it, he shall pay for dead animal and it shall become his
Exodus 22-24 (Day 37)
God finishes giving some 40+ ordinances to the people (see What I Learned about the Commandments and Ordinances of God):
Exodus 22
Theft of animal (v1-4): whether sold or slaughtered, their pays five oxen for an oxen and four sheep for a sheep; if thief is caught while breaking in and struck so that he dies, no blood guiltiness; if he owns nothing, thief himself is sold; if animal is found in his possession, he shall pay double
Man lets his field or vineyard be grazed bare and lets animal loose to graze elsewhere (v5): make restitution from best of field and vineyard
Starting a fire that causes property damage (v6): starter of fire must make restitution
Breach of trust: stolen property (v7-9): if thief caught, pays double; if thief not caught, owner of house who was keeping property for his neighbor shall appear before judge; whom judge condemns shall pay double to his neighbor
Lost animal while under care of another (v10-13): if circumstances unknown, oath of innocence sworn before Lord; if animal stolen, caregivers shall make restitution; if it can be demonstrated that animal was torn to pieces, no restitution needed
Borrowed possessions (v14-15): restitution made for injury or death if owner not with it at time of injury or death
Seducing a virgin who is not engaged (v16-17): pay dowry (father may or may not agree for her to be man’s wife)
Sorceress (v18): shall be put to death
Sexual activity with animals (v19): offender shall be put to death
Sacrifice to any god other than the Lord (v20): offender shall be utterly destroyed
"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 afflict him at all, and if he does cryout to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless” (v21-24)
Lending money (v25-27): do not charge interest; return a cloak given in pledge before the sun sets; warning: God will hear if he cries out, for He is gracious
"You shall not curse God, nor curse a ruler of your people” (v28)
“You shall not delay the offering from your harvest and your vintage. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me” (v29-30)
“You shall be holy men to Me, therefore you shall not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs” (v31)
Exodus 23
Justice (v1-3): “You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice; nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute”
Wandering animal (v4-5): return it to its owner; if even the animal of one who hates who lying under a load, release it
More justice: (v6-7):“You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute. Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty”
Bribes (v8): “You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just”
Strangers (v9): "You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt”
Sabbath rest for land (v10-12): “You shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove”
Sabbath (v12): "Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as your stranger, may refresh themselves”
Warning (v13): "Now concerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth”
Three feasts: (v14-17): “Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD”
Sacrifice (v18): “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor is the fat of My feast to remain overnight until morning”
First fruits (v19a): “You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God”
“You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother” (v19b)
Conquest of the land (v21-33): “Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces. But you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst. There shall be no one miscarrying or barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. I will send My terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land. I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
Moses goes down and recounts these words to the people and they say they will obey them; Moses writes down the words and then builds an altar with twelve pillars and young men offer burnt offerings and peace offerings; Moses reads the book of the covenant in the hearing of the people and they say they will obey, so Moses sprinkles the blood of the covenant with the Lord in accordance with those words
“Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words” (Exodus 24:8b).
Moses goes up on the mountain with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 elders and they see God, with a pavement of sapphire under His feet and they eat and drink (Exodus 24:10-11)
God calls Moses up, and Joshua goes with Him; God’s glory rests on the mountain like a cloud for six days and then God calls Moses from the midst of the cloud on the seventh day; Moses enters the cloud and is there for forty days and nights, and to the people the glory of the Lord is like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain (Exodus 24:15-18).
Exodus 25-27 (Day 38)
God tells Moses, “Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution…..Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:1-2,8).
“According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it” (Exodus 25:9).
ark with its mercy seat
“put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel” (Exodus 25:21-22).
“You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you” (Exodus 25:14-15). [This is important when Uzzah is killed for touching the ark when it is moved on a cart in 2 Samuel 6.]
table
“You shall make its dishes and its pans and its jars and its bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold” (Exodus 25:29).
“You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times” (Exodus 25:30).
lampstand of gold, with seven lamps (Exodus 25:31-40)
tabernacle curtains (Exodus 26:1-6)
tent (Exodus 26:7-13)
covering for the tent (Exodus 26:14)
boards with bars for erecting tabernacle (Exodus 26:15-30)
veil to partition holy place, where table and lamp stand go, from holy of holies, where mercy seat on ark of testimony go (Exodus 26:31-35)
screen for doorway of tent of meeting (Exodus 26:36-37)
altar, with its bronze utensils (Exodus 27:1-8)
court of the tabernacle (Exodus 27:9-19)
screen for the doorway of the court (Exodus 27:16)
beaten olive oil for the lamp
“In the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout their generations for the sons of Israel” (Exodus 27:21).
Exodus 28-29 (Day 39)
God explains the garments for the priests, Aaron & his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar
“You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty” (Exodus 28:2).
“make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him” (Exodus 28:3)
“a breastpiece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of checkered work, a turban and a sash” (Exodus 28:4)
ephod
“take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other stone….put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for a memorial” (Exodus 28:9-12)
breastpiece of judgment
with four rows of three fine stones each
“The stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel” (Exodus 28:21)
“Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually….Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually” (Exodus 28:29-30)
robe
“a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe….its tinkling shall be heard when he enters and leaves the holy place before the LORD, so that he will not die” (Exodus 28:34-35)
plate of pure gold, with “Holy to the LORD” engraved on it
“it shall be at the front of the turban. It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall take away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, with regard to all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD” (Exodus 28:37b-38)
tunic, turban, and sash for Aaron (Exodus 28:39)
tunic, sash, and caps for Aaron’s sons, “for glory and for beauty” (Exodus 28:40)
linen breeches to cover their bare flesh from loins to thigh for when they enter the tent of meeting or holy place “so that they do not incur guilt and die” (Exodus 28:42-43)
God explains the sacrifices required over seven days for the ordination of the priests and the consecration of the altar and tent of meeting (Exodus 29:1-37)
Aaron and his sons shall be ordained at the doorway of the tent of meeting as priests by perpetual statute; wash them with water; clothe them with the garments made for them; anoint Aaron with anointing oil on his head
bring one bull and two rams without blemish, and, in a basket, unleavened bread and unleavened cakes mixed with oil and unleavened wafers spread with oil, made with fine wheat flower
sacrifice of the bull=sin offering: Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the head of the bull who is then slaughtered before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting; take some blood and put it on horns of altar and pour out blood at base of altar; offer fat that covers entrails and lobe of liver and two kidneys with the fat that is on them up in smoke on altar; burn the rest of the bull outside the camp as a sin offering
sacrifice of one ram=burnt offering: Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the head, slaughter it and sprinkle its blood around the altar; cut the ram into its pieces, wash its entrails and legs, put them with its pieces and head, and offer up in smoke the whole ram on the altar as burnt offering to the Lord, a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord
sacrifice of other ram=ram of ordination, wave offering, heave offering: Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the head, slaughter it, take some blood and put it on lobe of priests’ right ears and thumbs of their right hands and big toes of their right feet, and put rest of blood around altar; sprinkle some of the blood with some of the anointing oil on all their garments to consecrate them; take fat, fat tail, fat that covers entrails and lobe of liver, two kidneys and their fat, right thigh, one cake of bread, one cake of bread mixed with oil, and one wafer of unleavened bread and put all these in the hands of Aaron and their sons, and wave them as wave offering before the Lord, and then offer them up in smoke on the altar, a burnt offering, a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord
the breast of the ram of ordination is waved as a wave offering before the Lord and the other thigh is a heave offering—these are the portions for Aaron and his sons, boil them in a holy place, Aaron and his sons shall eat them (a layman shall not eat them), with the bread remaining in the basket, at the doorway to the tent of meeting; if any remains until morning, it should be burned, because it is holy
repeat this process for seven days, ordaining Aaron and his sons, purifying the altar with a sin offering (bull) for atonement and consecrating it by anointing it; then the altar shall be holy and whoever touches the altar shall be holy
God explains the daily continual burnt offerings (Exodus 29:38-41)
daily offerings: one in morning and one at twilight: one-year-old lamb, one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed, one-fourth of hin of beaten oil, one-fourth of his of wine for drink offering
“It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated by My glory. I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to minister as priests to Me. I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God. They shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God” (Exodus 29:42-46).
Exodus 30-32 (Day 40)
God explains the incense altar, half-shekel for the sanctuary, the laver of bronze for the priests’ washing, anointing oil, incense
altar for incense
placed in front of the veil near the ark of the testimony
incense shall be burned perpetually (replaced by priest in the morning and at twilight when the lamps are trimmed)
no strange incense, no drink offering, no burning of other offerings
“Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD” (Exodus 30:10).
half-shekel for the sanctuary
“When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you number them” (Exodus 30:12). [This is important when David numbers the people and a plague breaks out in 2 Samuel 24.]
“You shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves” (Exodus 30:16).
laver of bronze
for washing, between the tent of meeting and the altar
Aaron and his sons, the priests, wash their hands and feet before going into the tent of meeting, or before they approach the altar to minister “so that they will not die” (Exodus 30:21).
anointing oil
made of finest spices
used to anoint and consecrate, to make holy, Aaron and his sons, tent of meeting, ark of the testimony, table and its utensils, lampstand and its utensils, altar of incense, altar of burnt offering and its utensils, laver and its stand
“It shall not be poured on anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in the same proportions” (Exodus 30:32)
incense
made from spices, “salted, pure, and holy” (Exodus 30:35b)
“you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the LORD” (Exodus 30:37).
God names the two skilled craftsmen who will make all He has commanded
“I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship” (Exodus 31:2-3)
“I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill (Exodus 31:6a)
God explains sabbath observance
“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” (Exodus 31:13).
“It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:17).
God gives Moses the two tablets of the testimony, written by Him in stone
“When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18).
the Israelites make and worship a golden calf
the people said to Aaron, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him” (Exodus 32:1b).
he took their gold rings and earrings and molded a calf
the people “offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play (Exodus 32:6).
the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation” (Exodus 32:9-10).
but Moses reminded him, “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel” (Exodus 32:13)
“So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people” (Exodus 32:14)
when he saw the people, Moses threw down the tablets of the testimony, shattering them; he burned the calf with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it over the water, and made the sons of Israel drink it
“then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, ‘Whoever is for the LORD, come to me!’ And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him. He said to them, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, “Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.”’ So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day” (Exodus 32:26-28).
Exodus 33-35 (Day 41)
God threatens not to go up to the Promised Land with His people but Moses intercedes (Exodus 33)
Moses returns to the mountain with God for another forty days; God shows Him His glory, renews His covenant and reminds him of its provision, and rewrites the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34)
“God said, ‘Behold, I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the LORD, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you. Be sure to observe what I am commanding you this day’” (Exodus 34:10-11a):
“make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land” (Exodus 34:12)
“rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim—for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God— otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods. You shall make for yourself no molten gods” (Exodus 34:13-17).
“You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread” (Exodus 34:18)
“The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me” (Exodus 34:19-20)
“You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest” (Exodus 34:21)
“You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel” (Exodus 34:22-23)
“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, nor is the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover to be left over until morning” (Exodus 34:25).
“You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk” (Exodus 34:26).
Moses’ face shines after speaking with God (Exodus 34:29-35)
Moses communicates the provisions of God’s covenant with the people, and calls for a contribution so that they can make all that God commanded for the tabernacle and the service of Aaron and his sons as priests (Exodus 35)
Exodus 36-38 (Day 42)
an offering is taken for all that God instructed be constructed and more is given than needed
Bezalel oversees the construction all that God instructed
“Now Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD had commanded Moses. With him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and a skillful workman and a weaver in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and fine linen” (Exodus 38:22-23).
Exodus 39-40 (Day 43)
all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting is brought to Moses and examined by him; it is done just as the Lord commanded, so Moses blesses the people
God directs Moses to set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting according to His instructions on the first day of the first month of the second year since the Israelites left Egypt
when the work is finished, a cloud covers the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord fills the tabernacle; through the rest of their journeys, when the cloud is taken up, the sons of Israel set out; the could of the Lord is on the tabernacle by day and there is fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel
Amen. You are a blessing to me. Thank you.
Very, very helpful. Thank you. This email is a keeper and will be saved in my files for future reference and sharing. I really appreciate all the work and time you are putting into sowing The Word in our hearts. May God bless you always. Thank You, Father for this sweet laborer You sent! May our hearts be fertile soil for this planting: untrodden, not devoured or choked out by the enemy. May we be well watered, and in Your appointed time, may we yield much good fruit for Your Kingdom!