Hope for Today

Thank you for joining us this week as we continue our study through Exodus. Now, let’s go with Bible teacher, J Mark, for a closer look at today’s lesson.  

Genuine hope can only be experienced when we are in the right relationship with God. Our greatest need is to hear what the LORD has said. The text for the teaching that follows is important because, in it, God commands Israel to make a dwelling place for Him.

Perhaps that sounds strange to you because King Solomon said to God, “the heaven of heavens cannot contain You.” The Prophet Isaiah, speaking for the LORD, said, “The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.” How then could God dwell in a structure made by man?

God planned to live among His people, Israel. We cannot question that the LORD chose a particular people to whom He related in a special way. He is sovereign, He makes His choices, and He doesn’t need to give us the reasons for His choices.

From earlier chapters in Exodus, we saw how the LORD led Israel out of Egypt and brought them to Mt. Sinai. There God led them into a covenant relationship with Him. He needed a people through whom He could reveal Himself to all of humanity. So, Moses on the mountain, in the presence of the LORD, received the instructions for all the details of a place for God to dwell among His people. This place would be called the Tabernacle.

God’s relationship with Israel was to be visible. He commanded Moses to build the Tabernacle with all of its furniture and various vessels as visible proof that God was, in fact, “living” among His people.

Moses received from God the patterns and detailed instructions to present to the people in PREPARING FOR GOD’S DWELLING. In Exodus 25:1-9 we are introduced to the materials.

1.  And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

2.  Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.

3.  And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,

4.  And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,

5.  And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and      shittim wood,

6.  Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,

7.  Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.

8.  And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

9.           According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

In this text we find the several CONDITIONS which are necessary for any people who desire to prepare a dwelling for God.

First is,

The Condition of the Offeror.

In God’s request for an offering, He included everyone even though He knew only some would respond. However, the heart of the offeror, each one who would give, must be in a proper condition. God appealed to person’s choice and requested the offeror to “give it willingly.” Such a word quickly takes it out of the realm of any kind of taxation. The amount is not stated. The amount is completely decided in the heart of the offeror.

Let’s probe a little farther. At first by referring to “the children of Israel” we might consider the whole assembly for, so it was intended. They were to be the covenant people. Consequently, God was expecting a corporate or group response from the covenant community.

However, another truth comes immediately to the surface when God added “of every man.” The community is made up of individuals, and the final responsibility rests on each person. God understood this most critical situation. Without the cooperation of every person in Israel the preparation for the dwelling would not be complete.

The individual is never lost in the community. God wants a personal response from everyone. In fact, we can go a bit farther, God wants a personal response from you! He wants to be your personal God. For too many people, God is only an idea. From this portion of God’s Word, we should gather the clear truth that God wants a willing-hearted, personal offeror to give. It is important that we see this condition of the offeror clearly, not only for Israel, but for us.

Next is,

      The Condition of the Offering.

While God left the amount up to the willing heart to determine, He did say what to give, not how much but what kind, not quantity but quality. Let us examine what they were to include in the offering.

1.  The metals: God specified the metals: gold, silver, and brass (bronze). The first two are precious metals, valuable even in those days. The bronze most likely was an alloy whose base was copper.

2.  The cloth and skins: Here we find the colors requested: blue, purple, and scarlet. Certain types of cloth were needed: fine linen, goats’ hair, rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins.

3.  The wood: acacia or shittim.

4.  The oil and spices: oil for light, spices for ointment and sweet incense.

5.  The stones: precious stones to be set in the ephod and breast plate.

From this list we conclude that God had a definite plan for the tabernacle and its furniture. The metals did not include iron, which is a metal associated with warfare. The offerings were limited to the metals which would enrich the dwelling of God. They would remind Israel of the glory and beauty of their God. It may be that the metals were to tell a story to the people: gold to tell of divine glory; silver to tell of divine redemption; brass to tell of divine justice.

Each kind of cloth had a particular function. We noticed that color was specified. Blue may tell of the heavenly, the color of the sky; purple may tell of royalty, God, their King; scarlet may tell of sacrifice, a necessity for anyone to approach God in His holiness.

The fine linen may tell of the need for divine righteousness for the prophet Isaiah referred to our own righteousness as filthy rags. The rams’ skins dyed red surely tell of the required blood sacrifice. Goats’ hair and badgers’ skins tell of protection.

The oil and precious stones further tell of the glory of God. He wanted the best for His people, and He wanted them to know He required the best, which in reality was still not enough.

Where did all this offering come from? Remember the LORD instructed Moses to tell the people to ask the Egyptians for jewels of silver and jewels of gold. And when that final hour came for the children of Israel to leave, the Egyptians gave them jewels and raiment in abundance.

The treasure they carried out of Egypt made it possible for them to give an offering to God. God asked for it. It made them aware of the relation they had with God. It is so today. The LORD desires the best. Our gain demands we give to God willingly.

And Finally,

The Condition of the Offer.

The willingness of the offeror is now transferred to the offer in these words, “Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” What condescension! The God who cannot be housed in the heavens said He wanted to dwell among His people in the barren land of Sinai.

He reduced His dwelling to a tent like theirs and yet not completely like theirs. Meditate on what the tent idea meant. It meant God would be travelling with His people as long as they travelled, that wherever they went He would be with them.

Further, notice that the plans for the sanctuary were not left to be drawn up by anyone among them. The complete plans were given to Moses by God. The sanctuary was to be exactly like the pattern Moses received from the LORD in the mountain. No generalities or modifications would be permitted. It was to be exactly and accurately done.

Consider the actions of God. He is particular about how men approach Him, every detail carefully described is to be carefully followed. He is a God of order to the finest points, and nothing is left to chance.

Now consider what it meant to Israel to have God’s dwelling among them. It was a unique and awesome situation.  With no other people has God chosen so to dwell. The awesomeness goes beyond Israel. To Israel it meant they will live with God’s presence among them. To the nations around them it was awesome in that it marked out Israel as a people of a different level.

Surely this should teach us that God is a personal God. It is not enough that He dwells in the heaven of heavens, He wants to dwell with His people, even today.

From these verses we must conclude that God wants willing service from the offeror; He wants the best in our offering; and He wants to dwell with His people by the offer. Have you found Him as your personal God?

        Thanks J Mark for this teaching and thank you for being here for this teaching. It is neat to see God’s heart for His people here in Exodus 20. He shows the children of Israel more of Himself. They were terrified but as we just learned God guided them through their fears.

It is incredible to realize the Lord of the universe wants a relationship with people. He wants your heart.  Way back here at Mt Sinai, God came close. Again, many years after this, God came closer. This time he came as a baby. God came in the flesh and limited Himself to a body. His desire was and is the same. He desires a relationship with you, He wants to be the object of your worship, after all, He alone is worthy. We see God going to extreme measures to make this possible. Today we saw a small part of the story and thankfully Jesus has completed it. Through what Christ has done on the cross, we can come into the presence of our Holy God and be in relationship with Him. This is worth thinking about.  

If you’d like a copy of today’s teaching, or if you’d like to contact us for any reason here are a few ways you can reach us. The best way is through email. Our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have email, no problem, just write to us, our address is Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, Pennsylvania 15533. Or you can connect with us on our website. Our website is Heraldsofhope.org. On our website you will find some resources and under the listen tab there is other teaching similar to what you just heard. If you go to the connect tab you can message us directly. Again, our website is heraldsofhope.org.

Thank you so much for joining us. We look forward to being with you next week and till then go with God and grow in your connection with Him. He is an amazing God to love and serve.

Thank you for joining us this week as we continue our study through Exodus. Now, let’s go with Bible teacher, J Mark, for a closer look at today’s lesson.  

After Israel came out of Egypt under Moses’ leadership they camped at Mt. Sinai. This is an outstanding moment in human history because God came down on Mt. Sinai to meet with His people. No other gods have ever met with their followers in this way.

There on the mountain, God gave them the Law so they would know how to live. That Law is good for all people everywhere. It was intended to be the Law of God and people everywhere are expected to pay attention to it, respect it and obey what the LORD has spoken. It is this Law that shows us our need for Christ.

The Bible tells us “No one has seen God at any time.” In this Scripture from Exodus, Moses and the elders of Israel did not see God face to face, but they saw that under His feet was a pavement of brilliant stone. I believe they were seeing a reflection of God’s Shekinah glory.              

When God spoke from Mt. Sinai the people of Israel trembled with fear and stood at the further end of the camp. They were afraid of God’s presence. Now, on this occasion, the leaders are APPROACHING GOD’S PRESENCE as recorded in Exodus 24:9-18.

9.  Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:

10.  And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.     

11.  And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also, they saw God, and did eat and drink.

12.  And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.

13.  And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.

14.  And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.

l5.  And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.

16.  And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

17.  And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

18. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was on the mount forty days and forty nights.

On this occasion God disclosed several direct MANIFESTATIONS as His people approached His presence.

The First MANIFESTATION was,

He Disclosed His Divine Splendor.

These men saw some representation of God. We are not given details. We are simply told they saw the God of Israel. But what they described wasn’t a person. Instead, they saw under His feet was a paved work of sapphire stone. Sapphire is a precious stone that is a rich blue color. The next clause says it was like the body of heaven, or as blue as the sky of heaven. They saw this as a sapphire stone under the feet of God, a pavement that was as blue as the bluest sky.

Then we are told that the LORD did not lay His hand upon the nobles of Israel. I take that to mean that God didn’t discipline or punish them, He accepted them in His presence. They saw God and ate and drank together. They enjoyed a meal together. Someone once said, “the crown of fellowship is eating together.” Sharing a meal shows welcome, hospitality, and friendship.

Later on, in the book of Leviticus, God told them how to present the peace offerings that they would bring to the tabernacle. With this offering they would eat part of it in the presence of the LORD and in this way have fellowship with Him.

Not many descriptions like this are given to us in the Bible but whenever God is depicted, He is revealed in much splendor. This manifestation led those leaders to worship and to stand in awe before the Almighty God in His divine splendor.

The Next MANIFESTATION was,

He Disclosed His Divine Speech.

First, God spoke to Moses and said, “Come up to me in this mountain and remain there. I will give you the tablets of stone and the law and the commandments that I have written so that you may teach them.” We must understand that this is an invitation to receive direct revelation. God is breaking the silence with the Word and breaking the darkness with the light of revelation. God wanted His people to understand this revelation, and Moses was given the responsibility of teaching it to them.

I am impressed with the careful way God provided for His people. If He had only spoken to Moses and the elders, it could have been lost in passing it on from generation to generation. But the LORD said, “I will give you tablets of stone and the law and commandments which I have written.” The written Word remains unchanged, and God meant that this message, this speech, should be unchanged. So, He spoke first to Moses and told him to come up and get the Law. And Moses went up along with Joshua. Aaron and Hur stayed down to keep order in the camp. If anyone needed any help, these two men were there to offer the help they might need.

Only a few people have ever talked with God. No other person talked with Him like Moses did. You cannot go to Mt. Sinai today and go up the mountain and have the same kind of conversation with God that Moses had. No. That is a matter of history, and it is recorded here for us in the book of Exodus.

We should never, by any means, attempt to change that record. The apostle John, in Revelation 22:18 and 19, warns us not to add to or subtract from the Word of God. We must be very diligent to transmit it and to understand it just like it has been given to us. God disclosed His divine speech first to Moses and then from him to the rest of the people so he could teach them. This is his manifestation by divine speech.

So, we have the manifestation of His divine splendor and the manifestation of His divine speech.

The Final MANIFESTATION was,

He Disclosed His Divine Spectacle.

I have especially chosen that word because a spectacle is something very unusual. It is so unusual that it only happens once. That is exactly the situation here on Mt. Sinai. God came down in this way only once. The glory of the LORD rested on Mt. Sinai and the shekinah glory cloud covered it for six days.

It was the shekinah cloud, not an ordinary moisture cloud, but radiating from the presence of God. He came there in that shekinah glory cloud and rested over the mountain for six complete days. We are told that the spectacle was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. Imagine yourself there at the foot of the mountain, looking up and seeing the azure blue sky, the sapphire blue sky, and over the mountain a devouring fire: the presence of God. That must have been an awesome experience.

On the seventh day God called to Moses out of the midst of that shekinah glory cloud. Moses disappeared from view as he went into the cloud and up into the mountain. He stayed there forty days and forty nights. God disclosed His divine spectacle. It happened only once. No one has ever matched Moses’ experience.

In our present bodily existence, we cannot see the glory of God, it would be fatal. His glorious brightness would consume us because of our sinfulness. Moses was the only one who was permitted such close intimacy with God. While we cannot repeat the experience of Moses, we can have fellowship with the same God Moses saw. We do that through receiving the truth of the Bible and the presence of God’s Holy Spirit.

The people of Israel were called to be God’s people in a special way. Moses in particular was chosen to receive the Law from God. Remember that God disclosed His divine splendor, God disclosed His divine speech, and God showed His glorious spectacle so that we might know who He is and experience His presence.

Thanks J Mark for this teaching and thank you for being here with us. It is neat to see God’s heart for His people. He shows the children of Israel more of Himself. They were terrified but as we just learned God guided them through their fears.

It is incredible to realize the Lord of the universe wants a relationship with people. He wants your heart.  Way back here at Mt Sinai, God came close. Again, many years after this, God came closer. This time he came as a baby. God came in the flesh and limited Himself to a body. His desire was and is the same. He desires a relationship with you, He wants to be the object of your worship, after all, He alone is worthy. We see God going to extreme measures to make this possible. Today we saw a small part of the story and thankfully Jesus has completed it. Through what Christ has done on the cross, we can come into the presence of our Holy God and be in relationship with Him. This is worth thinking about.  

If you’d like a copy of today’s teaching, or if you’d like to contact us for any reason here are a few ways you can reach us. The best way is through email. Our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have email, no problem, just write to us, our address is Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, Pennsylvania 15533. Or you can connect with us on our website. Our website is Heraldsofhope.org. On our website you will find some resources and under the listen tab there is other teaching similar to what you just heard. If you go to the connect tab you can message us directly. Again, our website is heraldsofhope.org.

Thank you so much for joining us. We look forward to being with you next week and till then go with God and grow in your connection with Him. He is an amazing God to love and serve.

For most people, religion is something of a mystery. It’s hard for them to understand. It sometimes produces deep fears. For some, it is a matter of satisfying their god in some way, often at great cost of time or possessions. Some people make their gods so they can control them.

The God revealed in the Bible is different. He wants the love and presence of His people. The book of Exodus reveals that God talked with His people at Mt. Sinai when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. As they were HEARING GOD SPEAK, their hearts were filled with fear.

In Exodus 20:18-26 we read how God dealt with their fear.

18.  And all the people saw the thundering, and the lightning, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

19.  And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

20.  And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

21.  And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

22.  And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

23.  Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.           

24.  An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.

25.  And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

26.  Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

I want to help you get rid of your fear in the same way that Israel got rid of their fears. God led them by certain STEPS to deal with their fears.

In the first step

Their Fear Was Experienced.

They saw the sights. The Bible says they saw the lightnings and the mountain smoking. I have never been to Mt. Sinai, but I understand it to be an imposing mountain. To see the lightning flashing, to hear the thunder rumbling and the trumpet sounding, and the smoke rising from this tremendous granite mountain must have been an awesome experience.

I can imagine that the thunder rolled out across the land where they were, and the trumpet sounds amidst the thundering must have given them an awesome sound. It made them very afraid. I can understand why it would have terrified them and why they were fearful.

Then they spoke to Moses and said, “We cannot stand it anymore. You speak to us, and we will hear, but let not God speak to us lest we die.” After seeing the lightning and smoke and hearing the thunder and the trumpet, the people of Israel were greatly distressed. They were frightened at the sights and sounds they had witnessed and experienced. This awesome display of God’s holiness and glory shook them to the core of their being.

An experience like this would strike fear in most people’s hearts. To be exposed to the mighty God of heaven in revelation would strike fear in the heart of anyone. Their fear was experienced; it was real.

In the second step

Their Fear Was Explained.

Moses began to explain to them what was happening. He said that God wanted their fellowship, so He came down to meet with them. Moses said, “Do not fear Him.” That should have been comforting to the people standing there. They were in this open barren land right next to the tremendous granite mountain of Mt. Sinai. God had come to put them to the test so they would not need to fear anymore. In fact, Moses specifically said, “Do not fear, for God has come to prove you.” He also said that in His testing, He brought them to this place so that the fear of God may be in front of their faces, so they do not sin. That is the proper place for God to be.

In the presence of God, one should be fearful lest he violate the commandments of God and bring down His wrath. That kind of fear is different from the fear they were experiencing at Mt. Sinai. That kind of fear is the fear of restraint, not the fear of trembling in the presence of God. I believe everyone who really loves the LORD has that kind of restraining fear.

Then Moses drew near. I was impressed as I read how he drew near to the thick darkness where God was. Moses did not have the fear that the people had. He was unafraid. There may be a proper reason for this. He had experienced God in a way the people should have experienced Him but had not. So, Moses could come to the LORD without fear. He drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

They needed to know that God intended only good for them, but they could not seem to get this in their minds, so they were afraid.

Then in the third step

Their Fear Was Expiated.

I want to explain that for you, because here, God instructed Moses that they were to build an altar. This altar would be a place where atonement could be made for their sin. That’s the meaning of expiate. They were not to form other gods of silver, gods of gold, or any other gods in any way for themselves. God required singleness of heart. It was important for God to talk to His people, the people of Israel. By talking with them, He demonstrated their worth. He valued them, so He came to talk with them.

But He also expected them to value Him, to engage in proper worship, and not to do as other people around them. So, He restrained them in this area. He required a singleness of heart. He said, “You shall not build gods of silver, nor gods of gold. You shall not make any other gods.”

Then He instructed them to make altars. The externals are important. If they follow God’s instructions in the proper way, their fear could be expiated, atoned for, taken away. He said, “You are to make an altar of earth to me – not of gold or silver but of earth.” You shall sacrifice on that altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep, and your oxen.

God showed them how to worship Him so their fear would be taken away. He said, “If you build an altar of stone, then you build it without the use of a tool. You make it of unhewn rock. You lay it up in a simple way; you shall not go up to it by steps.” God was very jealous, and He wanted to be sure that the people did exactly what He instructed them to do. They needed to do what God asked them to do. Then their fear would be completely expiated! It would be taken care of. It would be removed.

Perhaps you also have certain fears when you think about God and about the spirit world. Hearing God speak would be a terrifying experience for anyone, and yet God wants us to take time to come and listen to Him. He wants to remove our fears.

It is a reality that our fears are experienced. We know what they are. Our fears can also be explained as Moses explained the fears of the people of Israel. God wants to come to us and speak to us through the Word. He wants your fears to be expiated, taken away, when you follow God’s way. This can be your experience when you have a personal relationship with the God revealed in the Bible.

The LORD said to the Children of Israel that they should not make any gods of silver or gold, or any graven image of any kind. When you come to the God of the Bible, then you come His way, not your way. He can be a personal God to you as you follow His way, and you will hear Him speak.

Thanks, J. Mark, for this teaching, and thank you for being here for this teaching. It is neat to see God’s heart for His people here in Exodus 20. He shows the children of Israel more of Himself. They were terrified, but as we just learned, God guided them through their fears.

It is incredible to realize the Lord of the universe wants a relationship with people. He wants your heart. Way back here at Mt Sinai, God came close. Again, many years after this, God came closer. This time He came as a baby. God came in the flesh and limited Himself to a body. His desire was and is the same. He desires a relationship with you; He wants to be the object of your worship. After all, He alone is worthy. We see God going to extreme measures to make this possible. Today we saw a small part of the story, and thankfully, Jesus has completed it. Through what Christ has done on the cross, we can come into the presence of our Holy God and be in a relationship with Him. This is worth thinking about.  

If you’d like a copy of today’s teaching, or if you’d like to contact us for any reason, here are a few ways you can reach us. The best way is through email. Our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have email, no problem; just write to us. Our address is: Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, Pennsylvania 15533. Or you can connect with us on our website. Our website is heraldsofhope.org. On our website, you will find some resources, and under the “Listen” tab, there is other teaching similar to what you just heard. If you go to the “Connect” tab, you can message us directly. Again, our website is heraldsofhope.org.

Thank you so much for joining us. We look forward to being with you next week, and till then, go with God and grow in your connection with Him. He is an amazing God to love and serve.

*This episode is an exposition of Exodus 20:18-26 by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.