Exodus Bible Study – Chapters 31-35

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This Week’s Reading Schedule:

Monday – Exodus 31
Tuesday – Exodus 32
Wednesday – Exodus 33
Thursday – Exodus 34
Friday – Exodus 35

My Thoughts on Exodus Chapters 31-35

Exodus Chapter 31

Up until this point, they hadn’t started any work on the tabernacle. God was instructing Moses as he was writing it down. What’s interesting to note is that when everything was said, when every detail had been spoken, and every plan had been laid out, God reminded them of one important law before they got to work.

“You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.” – Exodus 31:13, NIV

This was a timely caution, as the Israelites might certainly put the work of the Lord above the laws of the Lord.

In first Samuel 15:22 we read, “But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” (NIV)

And again in the New Testament, we see this in Matthew 12:7, when Jesus says, “If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”

We must always be careful that our work doesn’t cause us to stumble. That we don’t get so busy with “doing” God’s work so much that we prioritize our ministry above that of our Lord. It’s important to listen, to slow down when we must, and to follow His will at all times.

Exodus Chapter 32

I’ve read this chapter so many times. I heard it in Sunday school, and in fact I taught it in Sunday school too. All the while my focus was on the golden calf, on the Israelites that turned their back on God, and how sinful they were. But today my focus was brought back to repentance. I realized that Aaron was every bit as sinful as the rest of those who worshipped the calf. He not only created the calf, he led the people to worship it. Perhaps one could call him the chief of sinners so to speak—like Paul who said, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:15). Aaron and his sons weren’t chosen for the priesthood because they were perfect, they were chosen because, unlike so many others that day, they turned away from their sin.

Exodus Chapter 33

What I loved about this chapter was the heart of Moses, and how he humbled himself before God. After all of the miracles he had performed back in Egypt, and after leading the people across the Red Sea on dry land, Moses knew that he was nothing without the presence of God.

And so He went to God and humbly prayed that God would reconsider his request. Moses didn’t deserve God’s goodness he knew that all good things come by grace, which is why he said, “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.”

Exodus Chapter 34

What I noticed in both this chapter and the last was that Moses was ready and will to pray for his people. This is the sign of a great leader. Instead of dwelling on their sin, he pled for mercy on their behalf.

The Bible tells us that Moses was humble–in fact the humblest man on the face of the earth. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) Numbers 12:3. After everything he had done on behalf of the Israelites, he understood that he was merely an instrument in the hands of a mighty God. He understood the power of grace in his life and wanted that same grace for his people.

Exodus Chapter 35

As I’m reading this chapter, I see the words…

“Everyone who is willing…”

“Everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them…”

“All who were willing…”

“And all the women who were willing and had skill…”

“All the Israelite men and women who were willing…”

What we see here are men and women who joyfully gave to the Lord from their heart. They freely gave their skill, their wealth, and their time. And they gave from the heart.

David Guzik writes, “God could cause the money and materials to just appear by a miracle. Yet He chooses to almost always fund His work through the willing gifts of His people. He works this way because we need to be a giving people… This idea is echoed in 2 Corinthians 9:7, So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (Blue Letter Bible, David Guzik, Exodus)

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