Exodus

There is no way around it, today is a strange and difficult story. In Exodus 32:25-35, Moses confronts the people of Israel who have gone off the deep end in their idolatry, and calls for justice to be meted out in the form of a quasi-military action where people must attack their own kin. Moses […]

Moses descends the mountain and is overwhelmed with anger at the sight of the Golden Calf, symbolically shattering the tablets of the covenant. He burns the calf, grinds it into powder, scatters it on the water, and makes the Israelites drink it, making them ingest the wrong they have done. Moses then turns his anger […]

In Exodus 32:7-14, God is angered by the Israelites’ idolatry and rebellion and is ready to turn his wrath against them, even if it means starting over with Moses. He uses the phrase “stiff-necked” to describe their disobedience, which is a reference to a bull or ox that will not be yoked. Though this moment […]

In Exodus 32:1-6, the people of Israel become restless in the absence of Moses and ask Aaron to make gods for them. Aaron takes their gold and creates a calf, a sacred object of the pagan gods in the land of Canaan, symbolizing fertility and strength. This clear and unambiguous destruction of God’s covenant marks […]

In Exodus 31, God instructs Moses to appoint two craftsmen, Bezalel and William, to oversee the construction of religious items for the Israelites, emphasizing the importance of holiness and obedience to the Sabbath, and restating the importance of the Sabbath as a sign of God’s sanctification and a perpetual covenant between God and the people […]

In Exodus, God provides detailed instructions to the Israelites for the construction of the tabernacle and the garments of the priests, as well as the altar and anointing oil. God emphasizes the importance of both the big and small details of faith, which calls the people to live with the constant faith that God is […]

In Exodus 25:23-26:37, God gives instructions to the Israelites on how to construct a mobile temple, emphasizing the importance of holiness and reverence. This includes the use of gold and other materials to create a space of worship that is inspiring and reminds the people of God’s abundance and power. It is a good reminder, […]

In Exodus 25:1-22, God commands the Israelites to take an offering from those whose hearts prompt them to give, which includes items such as gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple, and crimson yarns, fine linen, goat’s hair, tanned ram skin, fine leather, acacia wood, oil for lamp spices, anointing oil for fragrant incense, onyx stones, and […]

In Exodus 25, the people of Israel transition from a place of bondage and captivity to the wilderness, where God meets them and provides them with a tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant, symbols of faith and religion that will accompany them on their journey. These items represent the constancy of God’s faithfulness to […]

In Exodus 24, God commands Moses to gather the people and worship at a distance, and Moses offers a sacrifice and reads the Book of the Covenant aloud. The people respond with a promise of obedience to the Lord’s commands. This chapter serves as a reminder of the holiness of God and the difficulty of […]