Exodus 2017

This chapter tells of the setting up of the Tabernacle and the anointing of the priests.

This chapter discusses the making of the cloths of service.

This chapter continues the construction. The construction of Altar of Burnt Offering, the Laver, and other materials of the Tabernacle are discussed.

This chapter is going to tell us about the construction of the Ark, the golden lampstand, and the altar of incense. Once again, this chapter is essentially a repeat of previous chapters which told of how to do these things. This chapter tells of the actual construction that took place.

Exo 36:2 Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful person in whom the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it. Bezalel and Oholiab were apparently in charge of the skilled craftsmen who performed the construction. This chapter is mostly a repetition of the previous commands given. The previous commands started with the holiest of the objects, starting with the Ark of the Covenant, and working outward. But here the construction of the Tabernacle itself and then continues with the furnishings. It is very practical. First build the house, then you have a place to put the furnishings as you construct them. Exo 36:3 And they received from Moses all the contributions which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. The people continued bringing freewill offerings every morning, even after they had collected enough to apparently construct the sanctuary.

Since the covenant has been re-instituted, the Tabernacle may now be built. The instructions were given in earlier chapters, but the construction had not yet taken place. All of Israel was assembled. Building the Tabernacle was a task for all of the people, not just a few skilled craftsmen. But before construction takes place, Elohim reviews a couple instructions that were given previously. He demands that His Sabbath Day be honored by His people. If anyone does any work on it they are to be put to death. Christianity has taken it upon themselves to do away with the Sabbath Day and use the day of the sun-god instead. There is absolutely no Scriptural reason to do so. The excuses used are scant and show an illiteracy of Scripture. For instance, the main reason used for gathering on Sunday is that allegedly, Messiah resurrected on that day. But the fact is, He likely resurrected on Saturday evening after the sun went down. They just discovered that He was gone on Sunday morning before the sun came up while it was still dark (John 20:1). The few Scriptures used to justify Sunday observance are Acts 20:7 and 1 Cor 16:1-2. Neither Scripture says to change the Sabbath Day. (Acts 20:7 And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to depart the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. The reference to "breaking bread" is a Jewish term referring to "eating" or "dining together" and has nothing to do with celebrating the Lord's Supper or communion or the Eucharist or whatever term is used for the church cracker thing, as some claim. Secondly, this didn't happen on what we today know as "Sunday." The Biblical day starts at sundown and ends at the following sundown. This event was a carryover of the Sabbath celebration that continued past sundown from the Sabbath. It does say that Paul "continued his message until midnight." Therefore, if this occurred on what we call "Sunday," then this would have been recorded as the second day of the week. This celebration at the end of the Sabbath is called the havdalah[1]: "The[2] Havdalah service marks the end of Shabbat. It should be performed no earlier than nightfall on Saturday night. Nightfall is the time when three stars can be seen in the sky. It is normally about 45 minutes to an hour after sundown, depending on your latitude. http://www.jewfaq.org/prayer/havdalah.htm They merely continued the havdalah celebration with Paul while he was still among them. Thirdly, we are told that Paul was about to leave the next day. Naturally, they would have wanted to get together with him as much as possible before he left. To say that this is some kind of ordinance that should be an example for a day of worship is a poor misinterpretation. One more point. Paul was making himself as an example for the people by not traveling on the Sabbath. He waited until the Sabbath was over and for the sun to rise on Sunday morning before he left. (1 Cor 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. (1 Cor 16:2 On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come. They were not to gather collections on the Sabbath, but wait to do it on the first day of the week. Some Christian teachers claim this passage teaches that the early church met on Sunday. This verse states quite the opposite. The work of collections for provisions for the saints is to take place after the Sabbath has passed. Paul did not want collections to take place after he got there. That would be a waste of his time with them which was short and very precious. The last passage that is distorted to lead people to think the Sabbath Day has been done away with is Rev 1:10, which is the ONLY passage in Scripture which uses the Scripture that is translated as the "Lord's day.".

Exo 34:1 Now the LORD said to Moses, "Cut out for yourself two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered. What is going to take place in this chapter is a reinstatement of the covenant broken by Israel. The shattered tablets, which once testified to the reality of the covenant between Elohim and Israel, were to be reproduced. Once again, the mistake made by many modern churches is that the covenant with Israel was Torah (the Law). That is not what the covenant is in reality. The covenant was an agreement between Elohim and Israel that they would walk according to His ways and do all that He commands them. If they do this, then He will be their Elohim and they will be His people (Ex. 19:15-19). This is the Covenant.

Exo 33:11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. The method of revelation to Moses was very different than it was to the prophets. This same expression is used in Deut 34:10. It is also said that Elohim spoke with Moses "mouth to mouth" (Num. 12:6-8). Other prophets that proceeded after Moses received the Word of Elohim in dreams, visions, or dark sayings. It was only Moses and Yeshua who spoke directly with the Father and gave the Words to the people. This is why it is so important to view Scripture with Torah as the foundation. The words of Moses were given to him in the most direct manner possible. This makes the words of Moses weightier than those of any other prophet. Yeshua Himself said that the Words of Moses are the most important and convincing of all (Luke 16:31). To deny Torah is to deny the most direct Words and instructions of Elohim.

This chapter records a tragedy for the Israelites. It is here that they turn against Elohim very soon after their deliverance from Egypt. They are without Moses for a few days and they get impatient with Elohim. Exo 32:1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron, and said to him, "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." This didn't take a long time at all. After just a few days of waiting, the people grew impatient. They gave Moses up for dead and decided that Elohim doesn't care anymore. They wanted to make their own gods and go back to Egypt. They speak of Moses very disrespectfully "as for this Moses..." They spoke of him as someone who was a passerby. Exo 32:2 And Aaron said to them, "Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." In that time, earrings at times had cultic significance (Gen. 35:4). However, it should be kept in mind that Israel was never told not to wear earrings. They were sometimes used for evil purposes, but earrings themselves are not condemned in Scripture.

Exo 31:15 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death. There are so many Truths that are demonstrated when we honor the Sabbath. We acknowledge Elohim as the Creator of all things when we honor the Sabbath. We acknowledge Him above everything else when we honor the Sabbath. We show our love for Him when we honor the Sabbath. We acknowledge the Truth of His Word when we honor the Sabbath. We show the world who we belong to when we acknowledge the Sabbath. It is also interesting that Elohim does not command for us to do miraculous things in order for these Truths to be revealed in our lives. All He commands is that we rest on the Day He has chosen. It is also interesting that Elohim does not command for us to do miraculous things in order for these Truths to be revealed in our lives. All He commands is that we rest on the Day He has chosen. Join us and see if you don't agree!