Some days when I’m reading the Bible, I find a verse that leads me on a trail of exploration. One small portion of scripture is packed with an abundance of truth just waiting for us to put the pieces together. God’s Word is like a fine tapestry, where every stitch fills in a significant part of the picture. Every sentence composed by His Spirit, and every word flows with intent.

One could read the book of Exodus and simply gloss over its detail, but those of us who stop to consider the words discover there’s more to this amazing story than what we find on the surface.

The feasts that Moses writes about in this chapter are more than simple festivities. Each one of them typified a characteristic of the salvation message found through faith in Jesus Christ.

I took down a few notes as I studied, which I share with you below. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I do!

Questions and Answers…

What moral wisdom can you glean from verses 1-9?

Don’t gossip. Stand up for what’s right. Don’t follow the wrong crowd, or give a dishonest testimony to fit in with others. Don’t offer a false report just because someone is poor and you want to help them. Look out for the well being of others even if you don’t get along. Don’t contribute to the death of innocent people. Don’t be enticed by bribes that draw you away from doing or saying what’s right.

What does verse 11 teach us about God’s character?

He has compassion for both the poor and for every living thing on the earth.

Verse 12 gives us a good reason to have one day of rest. What is that?

So that employees and animals can have a day of rest too.

What were the three feast mentioned in this chapter?

The Feast of Unleavened Bread/Passover
Feast of Harvest/Pentecost
The Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles

Each of these feasts were fulfilled through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each of them were designed to help them understand salvation and to lead them to repentance.

Passover – Just as the Israelites were protected by blood during their flight from Egypt, we are protected by the blood of the Lamb. When Jesus became our Passover Lamb, His blood became our protection from sin.

Pentecost – The descent of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus promised He would send is also known as the Pentecost. This came 50 days after the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2). The original feast was celebrated 50 days after the wave-sheaf offering that took place during the feast of unleavened bread.

Tabernacles – John 1:14 tells us, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” That Greek word for “dwelt” here is skénoo (stong’s G4637). It is translated as, “to fix one’s tabernacle, have one’s tabernacle, abide (or live) in a tabernacle.” Further into the book of Exodus we’ll read about the tabernacle the Israelites were instructed to make in which God dwelt with His people. “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” – Exodus 25:8

“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
– Colossians 2:16-17

How are Christians under the new covenant commanded to keep the feast within their heart? 1 Corinthians 5:7-8

By living out our salvation with sincerity and truth.

Compare verses 20-23 to John 16:12-15 what comparisons, if any, can we draw here?

In the Old Testament God sent an angel to lead them. They were instructed to be obedient to him.

In the new covenant, we are led by the Holy Spirit, also called “The Spirit of Truth.” The law is written in our hearts. The Holy Spirit teaches us what is right and what is wrong. And the more that we exercise ourselves by adhering to God’s Word and following the Spirit of Truth, the better we become at discerning good from evil.

“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” – Hebrews 5:14

Questions and Answers…

What was the people’s response to the Lord’s words?

They were ready and willing to do what the Lord said.

Moses set up twelve stone pillars to represent the 12 tribes of Israel. What were the names of those tribes?

Reuben

Simeon

Levi

Judah

Issachar

Zebulun

Dan

Naphtali

Gad

Asher

Joseph

Benjamin

Compare verse 8 with Matthew 26:27-28, and Hebrews 9:16-22. What can we learn from these verses?

In the old covenant, the people were sprinkled with the blood of a young bull as a cleansing ritual. This was a shadow of the new covenant by which was are cleansed from our sin by the blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

What difference do we find between the old and the new covenant when we compare verse 12 with Hebrews 10:16?

The old covenant was written on tablets of stone. The new covenant is written in our hearts and our mind.

When Moses went up through the cloud onto the mountain, how long did he stay there?

40 days and 40 nights.

I enjoyed the symbolism of the lampstand in this chapter. In hindsight I see that I could have presented other verses connecting the symbolism between the lampstand and our walk of faith. When I first studied this, I saw the lampstand as the Holy Spirit burning within the heart of every believer. As I dug deeper, I saw a bigger picture, which was the light that shines out from within us. This light is fuelled by the Spirit of Truth. The more we adhere to that truth—the brighter we shine. And so it’s important that we keep these lamps burning by obeying the truth.

The light is the fruit of our faith that brings glory to God. It’s the love we give to others. It’s standing up for the truth when we’re standing alone. It’s the joy we have in our hearts. It’s the peace we find in the midst of our pain, and the gentle way we forgive.

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. – Ephesians 5:8-10

Questions and Answers…

At the beginning of this chapter, God tells Moses to ask the people to bring their offerings.

What was He planning to do with them?

God wanted the people to make him a sanctuary (tabernacle) where He would dwell among them.

What can verse two teach us about giving to God?

That when we give to God we should give willingly from the heart.

What were the dimensions of the ark?

The cubit is an ancient unit based on the forearm length from the middle finger tip to the elbow bottom. Cubits of various lengths were employed in many parts of the world in antiquity… The Near Eastern or Biblical cubit is usually estimated as approximately 457.2 mm (18 in).

And so the ark was 2.5 long, 1.5 wide, and 1.5 high
This translates to 45” long by 27” wide and 27” high

Pay close attention to the lid of the box. This is known as “The Mercy Seat.”  Leviticus chapter 16 talks about “The Day of Atonement,” at which time the high priest would enter the holy of holies each year and sprinkle the mercy seat with blood to atone for the sins of the people. (Also see Hebrews 9:7). How did this change when Christ came? See Hebrews 9:11-14

Atonement means to compensate for wrong doing. This is also known as redemption, which is paying a debt in full.

Jesus’ blood was shed, when He died on the cross to atone for our sins. His blood accomplished what the old covenant could not. By His blood, He paid our debt once and for all. He satisfied the need to enter the Holy of Holies year after year, and through one sacrifice He offers eternal redemption.

What was Moses instructed to put inside the ark?

In this chapter, God instructs them to place the tablets of stone which contained the covenant law and commandments into the ark. Hebrews 9 however, lists three things that we’re placed in the ark:

The golden pot that had manna
Aaron’s rod that budded
The tables of the covenant

What were they instructed to make after the ark?

The table of showbread

What were they instructed to put on the table? And what might this symbolize?

The showbread (bread of the Presence). We learn more about the showbread in Leviticus 24:5-7:

“And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord.  And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord.”

We discover the symbolism of this bread in John 6:35 where Jesus says, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

Matthew Henry writes, “Christ shows that he is the true Bread; He is to the soul what bread is to the body, nourishes and supports the spiritual life. He is the Bread of God. Bread which the Father gives, which he has made to be the food of our souls.”

What might the lampstand symbolize? Also see Revelation 4:5.

The New Testament talks about letting our light shine before men. It warns us not to hide the light, but to place it on a lampstand where everyone can see.

And so we understand that this light is our testimony—the evidence of our faith–shining brightly within us by His Spirit that guides us in truth. The Spirit is the oil of anointing that we each receive when we come to salvation. It’s the fuel that keeps our lamps burning day in and day out. Matthew 5:14-16 says,

^“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

The Spirit gives us strength and power and wisdom from God. In the same way that a fire is fed, so is our faith.