Exodus Explained: A Bible Study

What was the Ark of the Covenant for? In Exodus 25, God gives the plans for the Ark of the Covenant — the most sacred object in Israel. Dr. Toby Holt explains what the ark was really for, and what it pointed to. God asks for the people's finest materials, and the ark is the first item described — because His glory would rest on it. The true focus is the "mercy seat" on top, between two golden cherubim, where God promised to meet His people. Holt corrects the popular fascination with the ark's contents, pointing instead to the mercy seat, fulfilled when Christ's blood was shed.

Questions this study answers:

1. What was the ark, and why was it important? The sacred chest at the center of the tabernacle, where God's glory rested. The whole structure pointed to it.

2. What was the "mercy seat"? The gold lid on the ark, between two cherubim, where God met His people and atoning blood was sprinkled. It pointed to Christ.

3. Where is the ark today, and does it matter? Its location is unknown, and it does not matter — Jesus has fulfilled what the ark and mercy seat pictured. He is now our meeting place with God. "And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat…" — Exodus 25:22 (NKJV)

Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.

What does it mean to be holy? In Exodus 28, God designs the garments for His priests, each one stamped with the theme of holiness. Dr. Toby Holt explores what it means to be "holy to the Lord." The priestly garments were made to glorify God, not the priest, and on the high priest's forehead was a gold plate engraved "HOLINESS TO THE LORD." "Holy" means "set apart" — God's people are both declared holy and called to live holy lives. Under the new covenant, believers themselves are priests, given bold access to God through the torn veil.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why did God care so much about the priests' garments? Because they were to display His holiness and glory, not the priest's status. Everything pointed to God being set apart.

2. What does "holy" mean? It means "set apart" — both declared righteous by God and called to live differently from the world.

3. How are believers "priests" today? Through Christ, the veil is torn and every believer has direct access to God. We are now a royal priesthood, set apart for Him. "You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet: HOLINESS TO THE LORD." — Exodus 28:36 (NKJV)

Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.

Why do people make idols? In Exodus 32, while Moses is on the mountain with God, the people below melt their gold into a calf and worship it. Dr. Toby Holt examines the human heart's pull toward idols. Impatient for Moses, the people pressure Aaron to "make us gods," and he fashions a golden calf, even calling it a feast to the Lord. An idol's appeal: a god you make yourself, who demands no obedience and never judges. God's anger burns, but Moses intercedes — a picture of Christ the Mediator — and God relents, though judgment still falls.

Questions this study answers:

1. What were the people thinking, and why did Aaron help? Impatient and afraid, they wanted a god they could see, and Aaron gave in to the pressure of the crowd.

2. Were they trying to replace God? In part they blended true worship with idolatry, even calling the calf a feast to the Lord. It was corruption, not just replacement.

3. How does Moses point to Christ? Moses stood between the people and God's wrath, pleading for them. He pictures Jesus, the true Mediator who saves His people.

"This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!" — Exodus 32:4 (NKJV)

Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.

Is God's presence really with you?

In Exodus 33, Moses pleads for the one thing that matters most: God's own presence. Dr. Toby Holt shows why nearness to God is the believer's greatest treasure. After the golden calf, God says He will give Israel the land but warns His presence will not go in their midst, lest He consume a stubborn people. Moses refuses to go without God, and God relents: "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then Moses asks to see God's glory, and God hides him in the cleft of a rock.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why did God say His presence would not go with Israel? Because they were a stiff-necked people, and His holy presence among them could consume them. It revealed the seriousness of their sin.

2. Why was Moses so desperate for God's presence? Because His presence is what set Israel apart from every other nation. Without it, the Promised Land meant nothing.

3. What did the cleft in the rock picture? A safe hiding place where a sinner could glimpse God's glory and live — pointing to the refuge we have in Christ.

"My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." — Exodus 33:14 (NKJV)

Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.

How does the book of Exodus end? In Exodus 40, the book closes as the glory of God comes down to fill the newly built tabernacle. In this study, Dr. Toby Holt shows how Exodus ends with God dwelling among His people. After all the instructions are carried out “as the LORD commanded Moses,” the tabernacle is finished and the cloud of God’s glory fills it — so completely that even Moses cannot enter. Dr. Holt explains that this points to the regulative principle, that we worship God His way rather than ours, and to a deeper need: Moses, still a sinner without a sufficient sacrifice, could not go in. That need is finally met in Christ. The cloud and fire that led Israel remind us that our comfort is God’s presence, not perfect circumstances.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why was God so specific about the tabernacle? Because worship is to be done His way, not ours. The repeated phrase “as the LORD commanded” underscores it.

2. Why could Moses not enter the tabernacle? Because he was still a sinner with no sufficient sacrifice. It showed the need for a greater Mediator — Christ.

3. What did the tabernacle ultimately point to? God dwelling with His people — fulfilled in Jesus, “God with us,” and in believers, who are now God’s temple. “Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” — Exodus 40:34 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is the President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Colorado Springs. He is known for clear, down-to-earth Bible teaching, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Listen and go deeper: This sermon is part of the Exodus Explained study from New Geneva Theological Seminary. Find more verse-by-verse teaching across the Bible at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.