We rejoin Moses as he is with God on Mt.Sinai receiving instructions for the tabernacle and it's sumptuous furnishings. God instructs Moses to have an insense altar crafted from acacia wood and covered with pure gold. God then tells Moses that each person must pay the Lord a ransom for his life when he is counted. Everyone is to give the same amount regardless of their wealth. Then God told Moses He wanted a basin for washing fashioned out of bronze, in which, the priests were to wash their hands and feet whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting. A recipe for anointing oil was given next. This sacred anointing oil was not for personal use and was only to be used by the priests in their sacred duties. A recipe for incense is given next, and again, it is not for personal use.
God tells Moses that He has chosen two craftsmen named, Bezalel and to assist him, Oholiab, to be the creators of these works. God filled them with His Spirit to give them the ability and knowledge to bring forth these objects. God also gave skill to all the other craftsmen to help make everything He commanded.
The Lord told Moses to remind the Israelites to observe the Sabbaths. God worked six days to create heaven and earth and abstained from work and rested on the seventh and that's just what He wants us to do to. I really like to rest! Then the Lord finished speaking and gave Moses the two stone tablets "inscribed by the finger of God". How I would love to see those!
Now while Moses was gone, remember he was gone for 40 days and 40 nights, the Israelites were getting rowdy waiting for him to return. So Aaron tells them to give him their gold and he makes a golden calf. In verse 4 of ch 32, it says Aaron used a tool and fashioned an idol. The Lord sees this and tells Moses to get back back down to the Israelites because they have made an idol and worshiped it. Then God tells Moses that He wants to destroy them. Moses talked to God and spoke on their behalf that the Lord not destroy them, to remember his promise to Abraham, Isaac and Israel to multiply their descendants as the stars of the heavens. So God relented and did not bring the disaster he had threatened. Moses went down with the tablets and smashed them when he saw what they were up to. Then he took the calf and burned it and ground it into powder and scattered it over the water and made them drink it. So Moses asked Aaron what he was thinking. Aaron was left in charge and the Israelites conned him. Then Aaron lies to Moses and tells him that he threw the gold jewelry into the fire and a golden calf just popped out! Moses looks at the Israelites all running around like crazy people, and yells at the crowd for those who are with him come over to where he is. So all the Levites go over to Moses - like, if you're not with me then you're against me! Then Moses tells them to put on their swords and kill everyone who is out of control. So they did and killed about 3000 people. I'm guessing that Moses understood why God was SO mad once he saw for himself what they were doing after they had made the covenant with God 40 days earlier. It doesn't really say what they were doing, but I have to admit that sometimes I hear about someone somewhere doing something horrible and I can understand capital punishment.
The next day Moses tells the remaining people that they have sinned greatly, but he will go before the Lord and try to atone. Moses asks the Lord to blot him out of His book if He can't forgive him. But God tells Moses that whoever sins against Him will be blotted out of the book. Then God tells Moses that He wants him to take the Israelites to the place He spoke of. Then the Lord caused a plague upon the people because of their grevious sin.
Tomorrow read Exodus 33-35:29
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