THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2023

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Flawed, but Not a Failure

During the years God led His people thorough the wilderness, Moses was the unsurpassed example of hearing God’s voice…listening and obeying the words of God. But even Moses had a moment of failure. At a crucial point in his leadership, Moses did not obey God’s instructions and rebelled against the power of God’s spoken word.

1. The Hebrews had been to Kadesh Barnea before the account in     Numbers 20…forty years earlier.

a.     READ:  Numbers 13: 1 – 20, 27 – 14: 10; 14: 20 – 23, 28 – 30.     What sin did the Hebrews commit the first time they were at Kadesh Barnea?

b.    What penalty did God impose?

c.     READ: Numbers 20: 12. What sin did Moses and Aaron commit the second time the Hebrews were at Kadesh Barnea?

d.    What penalty did God impose?

1. Even when God’s people sin against Him and he must discipline them, God’s loving, merciful, just, and forgiving character does not change. As you read the following passage, notice how God described and / or responds to the sin of Moses and Aaron:

a.     Numbers 20: 12 & 13

b.    Numbers 20: 23 – 30

c.     Numbers 27: 12 – 13

d.    Deuteronomy 32: 48 – 52

1. READ: Deuteronomy 34: 10 & 11. Although one of Moses last acts was sinful and cost him dearly, what does his epitaph reveal (in what it says and does not say) about God’s forgiveness and desire to use His people to accomplish his purpose and bring about His kingdom?

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2023

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Learning is Lifelong

1. READ:  Exodus 3: 4 and Jeremiah 10: 3 – 6. From the moment He first called Moses, God emphasized the importance of His word. In what way did God’s communication differ from that of the gods Moses had known in Egypt?

1. How did God instruct Moses to lead the Israelites and what role were God’s words to have in the at process?

a.     READ: Exodus 4: 2 – 9. What signs did God provide to help Moses authenticate His message?

b.    What impact do you think they had on Moses’ experience of God?

As he led the Hebrews, Moses faced many challenges that shaped him in hearing and obeying God’s words and in teaching God’s people to do the same.  Several of those challenges had to do with a crisis in the water supply, so consider what happened at Rephidim and Kadesh-Barnea:

READ and COMPARE:

Exodus 17: 1 – 7 (Rephidim) & Numbers 20: 1 – 13 (Kadesh Barnea)

1. When the crisis occurred, how did the people treat Moses?

1. What was the tone of their complaint, and against whom were they really complaining?

1. Where did Moses turn for help?

1. What did God tell Moses to do, and what about His instructions suggests that He wanted to teach His people through this response?

1. Did Moses obey God’s every word?

a.     What was the result?

1. What message, what lesson comes with you and your commitment to hear and obey God?

TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2023

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Learning to Live by the Word

1. READ:  Deuteronomy 6: 1 – 4. As God led the Israelites to sanctuary and pasture in the desert, what did He begin training them to do?

a.     What was God’s purpose in doing this?

b.    What did God desire for His people?

1. READ:  Exodus 25: 22; Numbers 7: 89; Deuteronomy 10: 5. Desert shepherds lead their flocks by voice and word. God chose to lead His people in the same way. He first spoke His words from Mount Sinai, but His people were going to move on toward the Promised Land. How would God continue to speak Hos words to His people as the travel in the desert?

a.     When God gave these instructions, what was He communicating about His presence with His people and the importance of the words He would speak to them?

1. READ: Deuteronomy 6: 4 – 9; 11: 18 – 21. In order to emphasize how seriously God took His command to live by His words, what did He tell the Israelites to do?

a.     What do you think would be the impact of surrounding so much of life by the words of God?

b.    Why was this ESSENTIAL that the Israelites do this for their children?

1. READ:  Numbers 15: 37 – 41; Deuteronomy 22: 12. After spending 40 years teaching Israelites how to live on every word that came from his mouth, what did God tell them to wear? Why?

1. READ:  Deuteronomy 31: 9 – 13. As Moses’ life neared its’ end, what did God instruct Moses to do to ensure that God’s words would continue to be the formative influence in the lives of His people.?  

a.     What did God command Israel to do every seven years?

MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023

Monday, March 20, 2023

Changing the Perception of God

The events of Mount Sinai initiated a transformation in the Israelites’ perception of God and their understanding of how to worship Him.  Unlike the gods of Egypt, their God was to be heard, not seen. In order to help them understand God’s message at Mount Sinai, Moses cautioned the Israelites to be very careful about two things:

1. READ:  Deuteronomy 4: 9 – 14.  What did God tell them to remember about the Mount Sinai experience?

1. READ:  Deuteronomy 4: 15 – 20.  What did He tell them never to do?  Why?

1. READ:  Exodus 20: 1 – 4; 34: 17; Deuteronomy 4: 23, 24; 5: 4 – 10, 22

Which of God’s commands shaped how the Israelites would know (experience) Him?

a.     READ: Psalm 115: 2 – 8.  How different would the Israelites’ experience of God be from that of the visual gods of other nations? Why?

b.    READ:  Deuteronomy 4: 25 – 29. What would be the consequences if Israel disobeyed this command?

1. READ: Deuteronomy 4: 5 – 8, 32 – 40.  What did Moses say to encourage the Israelites – who had just come out of a culture that identified with hundreds of visual deities – to be confident and secure in their identity as the people of the one true and invisible God?

a.     Which actions and characteristics of God would make Him real, present, and important to the Israelites.

b.    Which actions of the Israelites would make God real and present with them?

c.     How important were God’s words becoming to the Israelites?

SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2023

Saturday, March 18, 2023

The Shepherd Who Would Come After Moses (Part 2)

   ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities[a] of Judah, for a ruler will come from you   who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”                                                                Matthew 2: 6 (NLT)

1. READ:  Acts 13: 38 & 39 and romans 10: 5 – 13.  Why was it necessity for Jesus to come to earth?

1. READ:  John 1: 1 – 14.  Shepherds lead and teach by speaking the word and being an example of the word. What is the relationship between Moses, who taught the Hebrews to live by the word of God, and Jesus the Messiah?

    Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors. 2 Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. 3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.                                                                   Deuteronomy 8: 1 – 3 (NLT)

1. By what extent did Jesus live by these words and teach them to others in His speech and action?  READ: Matthew 13: 1 – 9;   Luke 4: 18 – 21;    5: 1;   8: 21;   11: 28;   19: 45 & 46;   24: 27, 44 & 45 

FRIDAY. MARCH 17, 2023

Friday, March 17, 2023

The Shepherd Who Would Come After Moses (Part 1)

   ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities[a] of Judah, for a ruler will come from you   who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”                                                                Matthew 2: 6 (NLT)

Moses matured to become a great godly leader. He developed an intimate relationship with God, and patiently, lovingly led the Hebrews as they struggled free from their bondage to Egypt and its ways.  Although Moses stands out in biblical history as a leader like no other, he still was sinful and could not remove or pardon the Israelites’ sins, much less the sins of all humankind.  God would later send the Messiah – the sinless Shepherd – to give the ultimate sacrifice.

1. READ:  Exodus 34: 29 & 30;   Numbers 12: 3 – 8;                      Deuteronomy 34: 10 -12;   Jeremiah 15:1;   Matthew 17: 1 -3

What sets Moses apart as a great man of God?

1. READ:  Numbers 20: 8 – 12;   Deuteronomy 34: 4.   Despite his strengths and accomplishment, Moses remained a human being flawed by sin. In what ways did Moses disobey God and what were the consequences of those actions?

a.     What was it about Moses’ action that was such a great offense against God?

b.    Do you think God still considered Moses to be a successful “shepherd” of his “Flock”?  Why or why not?

1. READ: Deuteronomy 18: 15, 17 – 19.  What did Moses say about the prophet who would come after him?

a.     READ:  Luke 7: 16;   John 1: 21 & 25;   6: 14;   7: 40.  What impact did Moses’ words still have on people during Jesus’ time?

1. READ:  John 10: 11 – 16.  What metaphor did Jesus use to describe himself and to what extent did it also describe Moses?

a.     READ:  John 1: 17 and Hebrews 3: 3 – 6. What set Jesus apart from all other shepherd leaders, including Moses?

THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2023

Thursday, March 16, 2023

TRUST: The Lesson of the Desert

   “The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! 8 Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the Lord rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.                                                            Deuteronomy 7: 8 & 9 (NLT)

1. From the beginning of the exodus experience, even before the Hebrews left Egypt, they were learning what it meant to trust God.  This was true for Moses and Aaron, as well as for the flock they led.  As you read the following passages, notice how the stakes kept rising as the Hebrews were pushed to trust “a little more” each time.

The Progression of the Hebrews’ Trust in God:

a.     Exodus 5: 19 – 21;  6: 6 – 6

b.    Exodus 7: 19 – 21;  9: 8 – 10

c.     Exodus 9: 22 – 26 & 33

d.    Exodus 10: 12 – 15; 18 & 19

e.     Exodus 10: 21 – 23

f.      Exodus 14: 21 – 28

g.    Exodus 16: 4, 5, 22 – 26

h.    Exodus 17: 10 – 13

1. READ:  Deuteronomy 8: 2 – 5.  God says that He took the Hebrews into the desert to humble them, test them and know their hearts…NOT enticing them to do wrong, but providing them the opportunity to prove the quality of their character through experience.

a.     What was the desert like?  READ: Numbers 20: 4 & 5;  Deuteronomy 1: 19;  8: 15 – 18;    Jeremiah 2: 6

b.    In what ways do you think life in the desert would reveal the quality of a person’s character?

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2023

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Lead as I Lead

1.     READ: Exodus 2: 11 – 19;   Acts 7: 23 – 29.  Although Moses desired to identify with the Hebrew people of his birth and had compassion for them in their suffering, the fact is he grew u pin Pharaoh’s palace. What are the indications that the Egyptian worldview I including Pharaoh’s brute-like style of leadership – may have become more a part of Moses the realized?

2.     READ: Exodus 3: 1 – 11.  When God first met Moses at he burning bush and commissioned him to speak to Pharoah and lead the Hebrews out of Egypt, how did Moses respond?

a.     Is this the same response you would have expected from Moses before he spent forty years tending sheep in the desert?  What do you think changed?

b.    Why do you think Moses responded this way?

3.     READ:  Exodus 3: 13 – 20;   4: 1 – 9. What similarities do you see between the way a shepherd guides a flock – leading by walking ahead of them and calling to the sheep to show them the way – and the way God instructed Moses to confront Pharaoh and lead the Hebrews out of Egypt?

a.     What was the primary way Moses was to lead on God’s behalf?

b.    When was Moses to take action and demonstrate God’s power?

c.     How was Moses’ staff (the symbol of a shepherds leadership) to be used, and whose power did it represent?

4.     Even though Moses had a sensitive, compassionate heart that longed for justice, he did not learn overnight how to lead as God leads. That took time – not just time spent as a shepherd, but time spent observing God’s example, time spent listening for God’s voice, time spent getting to know God and his ways. Read the following passages and note the characteristics of Moses’ relationship with God that would have helped him to know God and become a shepherd like him. READ:  Exodus 4: 19 & 20;

Exodus 5: 22 – 6: 1;   17: 4 – 6;     Exodus 33: 7 -  11 & 13;   Deuteronomy 34: 10;    Psalm 77: 20 

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

God Chooses Moses

   He will feed his flock like a shepherd.  He will carry the lambs in his arms,
holding them close to his heart.  He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.  12 God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”

1. Moses was nursed by his mother during his earliest years before he began living in the royal household of Pharaoh as his adopted son. During his adult years, which people – Hebrews or the Egyptians – did Moses identify with as his own? READ:  Exodus 2: 10;   Hebrews 11: 24 & 25

a.     Why do you think Moses made this choice?

b.    What does this choice reveal about Moses’ character and the values that matter most to him?

1. READ:  Acts 7: 20 – 28 and Exodus 3: 7 – 12.  These two passages provide very different perceptions of Moses’ qualifications and his confidence in their value to the task of rescuing the Hebrews from Egypt.

a.     From Acts 7: 20 – 22, what qualifications for success do we know Moses possessed?

b.    READ:  Acts 7: 23 – 25. What confidence did Moses have in his earthly qualifications, and for what purpose did he seek to use them?

1. As you read the following passages, write down the values and character you see expressed by God and by Moses:

Characteristics of God                                           Characteristics of Moses

Exodus 2: 24 & 25;   3: 7 – 9;   4:31:                          Exodus 2: 11 – 13

Deuteronomy 16: 20;   Ezekiel 9: 9 & 10

Exodus 12: 12,13 & 29                                             Exodus 2: 15 – 17

Psalm 23: 1 & 2                                                        Exodus 5: 19 – 23

John 3: 16;   Romans 5: 4 – 9                                   Exodus 32: 7 – 14

1 John 1: 9                                                               Exodus 32: 30 - 35

MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2023

Monday, March 13, 2023

God Leads Like a Shepherd

   He will feed his flock like a shepherd.  He will carry the lambs in his arms,

holding them close to his heart.    He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.                                                                                   Isaiah 40: 11 (NLT)

Through the Spirit-empowered leadership of Moses, God led His chosen people out of the lush land of Egypt and into the vast wilderness. The Israelites were totally dependent on both God’s provision and His faithfulness in leading them through the dangerous and unknown land.

1. The image of a shepherd is familiar to people living in the lands of the Middle East. As you read the following passages, notice how this image is used to describe God’s relationship with His people, especially the manner in which He led them during their years in the desert. Take note of what God does / provides / and desires for His flock and what those details reveal about the kind of leader God is.        READ:  Psalm 23: 1 – 4;   Psalm 77: 19 & 20;   Psalm 78: 52 – 55;     Psalm 100: 3;   Isaiah 40: 10 & 11;   Jeremiah 31: 10

1. After the Hebrews marched out of Egypt, God anticipated and met their need for His guiding, protective presence – in much the same way a shepherd would guide a flock. In each of the following passages what specific examples of shepherd-like care did God provide for His people? READ:  Exodus 13: 17, 18, 21 & 22;   Exodus 14: 19 & 20;   Exodus 15: 23 – 27;   Numbers 9: 15 – 23;   Deuteronomy 1: 30 – 33

a.     Why do you think it was important for the Israelites to actually see and experience God ‘s leading?    

b.  In what ways do you think these examples helped them to know their God and trust Him as their shepherd?

SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 2023

Saturday, March 11, 2023

Being God’s Presence Today (Part 2)

    And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them.
I will be their God, and they will be my people… Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.                                                                      2 Corinthians 6: 16, 7: 1 (NLT)

1.     READ: Exodus 25: 8. Where did God say he would live when His people built a sanctuary for Him?

a.     Why is it significant that God promise to live among his people, not just live in the tabernacle?

b.    READ: 1 Corinthians 6: 19 and Ephesians 2: 19 – 22.  Where is God’s tabernacle today?

c.     In what ways has our understanding of what it means for a follower of Jesus to be God’s temple grown because of what you have learned about the tabernacle?

2.      What parallels do y see between what God commanded the Israelites to e in their world and what He commands those who follow Jesus today?

a.     READ:  Exodus 19: 3 – 7 What was the role of the Israelites in their world?

b.    READ:  Romans 12: 1 7 2; 1 Corinthians 1: 2;  Ephesians 1: 4;       1 Peter 2: 9 & 10.  What is the role of Christ followers today?

3.     Holiness is an essential component of “making space” for God in our lives. When we sin we are, in effect, not providing the “space” in which to have an intimate relationship with our holy God. The Israelites brought sacrifices to the tabernacle to atone for their sins and to reestablish intimacy with God. What must God’s people do today in order to maintain intimate relationship with Him?  READ: 1 John 1: 9

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2023

Friday, March 10, 2023

Being God’s Presence Today (Part 1)

     “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[b] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.                                         Deuteronomy 6; 4 – 9 (ESV)

    God has long desired for His people to became partners with Him in renewing his relationship with humanity. The Hebrews were part of that plan, but they needed to be trained and shaped into a people who would love (obey) Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. The tabernacle was part of the shaping process. As God lived among His people, an s as they worshiped him through the tabernacle ritual, the tabernacle became God’s lesson in how to create space for Him in every part of their lives.

    Today, followers of Jesus no linger worship God at a tabernacle where there is a dedicated space for Him.  However, it is no less important for us to make space for Him in our lives if we are o be a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that declare the praises of Him wo called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. 1 Peter 2: 9

1. READ: Exodus 32: 7 – 10.  God gave Moses instructions for building the tabernacle and creating a space where he could live among His people. What could prevent God from filling this space?

1. READ:  Exodus 32: 35 and 33: 1 – 6.  After God punished the Israelites because they sinned against Him by creating and worshiping the golden calf, what did He say He would do because He was displeased with them?

a.     READ:  Exodus 33: 12 – 17.  What did God promise Moses that he would do for His people?

b.    READ:  Exodus 40: 34 & 35;  Leviticus 9: 23 & 24.  After the Israelites completed the space in the tabernacle for him to dwell, what did God do?

c.     What do these examples reveal to you about God’s commitment to His promises and His willingness to forgive His people?

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2023

Thursday, March 9, 2023

The Tabernacle: A Renewal of Relationship with God

In the beginning, God created…and it was very good. Genesis 1: 1. 31.

    Ever since that moment, the chaos of sin has been at work to destroy God’s perfect creation. As wickedness multiplied throughout the earth, God implemented a plan to work in and through his people to renew / restore His creation…order, purpose, and harmony of His original creation.

    God used the flood to “cleanse’ His creation from evil and chose Noah as His partner in renewing a world that was not in bondage to evil. When He delivered the Hebrews from bondage in Egypt, God renewed a people who would live in intimate relationship with Him and participate in His plan to restore His creation.  

However, living in a kingdom ruled by chaos for four hundred years had left its mark on God’s people. They needed help to learn how to become the kingdom of priests God wanted them to be. So God provided the Torah and the tabernacle to teach them how to live in intimate relationship with Him and display His character to the world.

1. READ: Genesis 1: 25 – 27, 31.  After speaking to the chaos and bringing about order, how pleased was God with His original creation?

1. READ:  Genesis 6; 5 – 7.  Why did God send the great flood to destroy the earth during the days of Noah?

1. After the flood, God made promises and gave commands to the surviving people, almost as if starting over and renewing the world He created.

a.     READ:  Genesis 1: 26 – 30 and Genesis 9: 1 - 3, 7 – 11  Compare God’s blessings.

b.    God gave the Torah to the Israelites, in part, to provide the with the background and knowledge they would need to become His partners in renewing His relationship with humanity. In light of the creation and flood narratives, what sense of God’s purpose do you think the Israelites would have recognized from God’s instructions in         Exodus 25: 8, 29: 42 – 46 and Leviticus 26; 2 – 5, 9: 13?

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2023

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

The Scapegoat: A Foreshadowing of the Messiah

Regular offerings on the altar of the tabernacle played a significant role in the Hebrew’s spiritual lives. Guilt offerings, burnt offerings, and sin offerings all involved the sacrifice of animals. But the annual sacrifice on the Day of Atonement stood out s a picture of God’s forgiveness of His people’s sins.

READ: Leviticus 16: 2 – 31

1. What steps did the high priest (Aaron) have to do before entering the tabernacle to conduct the sacrificial ritual on the Day of Atonement     (vv.3 – 13)

1. What protected the high priest from death when he entered the Holy of Holies?  (vv. 12 & 13)

1. What did the high priest do in the holy of holies, and why? (vv. 14 - 17)

1. What did the Israelites know had occurred when the high priest came out of the tabernacle? (vv. 17 – 19)

1. Specifically, what did the scapegoat carry away? (vv. 20 – 22, 34)

1. What parallel exists between the animals sacrificed on the Day of Atonement and the sacrifice of Jesus’ life for the sins of all humanity? READ:  Leviticus 16: 20 – 22, 27 & 28;  Matthew 27: 31 – 33;           John 19: 17;   Hebrews 13: 11 – 13

1. When the high priest returned from the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement, the Israelites knew that God had accepted their sacrifice READ:  LEVITICUS 16: 17  What happened after Jesus’ death on the cross that demonstrated God’s acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice as the sinless Lamb of God?  READ:  Matthew 28: 1 – 10;   Mark 16: 1 – 7

1. What did the sacrifice of Jesus accomplish that the atonement sacrifices could not?  READ:  John 1: 29;   3: 16 & 17;   Hebrews 9: 22 – 28;      Hebrews 10: 11 -14;   1 John 1: 7;  3: 5

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2023

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

The Tabernacle: A Dwelling Place

   Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them.

                                                                                          Exodus 25: 8 (NLT)

Think about all the effort the Israelites put into “making space for God”. It took nearly a year to complete the construction of the tabernacle.

1. Once the tabernacle was completed as God has instructed, how did He respond? READ:  Exodus 39: 42 – 40: 35

1. God’s move into the tabernacle had significant implications for His relationship with the Israelites and for His people today.

a.     Consider, for example, the many times Moses met with God at Mount Sinai: READ: Exodus 3: 1 – 4; 19: 3, 4, 16 – 20

b.    Where did God speak to Moses after the tabernacle was completed?  READ:  Exodus 25: 22;  Leviticus 1: 1;   Numbers 1: 1;  7: 89;  Deuteronomy 31: 14 – 16

c.     What does the fact that Moses never climbed Mount Sinai again to speak with God once the tabernacle was completed communicate to you about the importance of the tabernacle in God’s relationship with His people?

d.    In what sense do you think the way in which God chose to be present among His people in the tabernacle was a significant step toward what God’s people can experience today?

e.     To what extent are you experiencing a personal relationship with God?

MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2023

Monday, March 6, 2023

The Tabernacle: Function of the Furnishings

With each reading consider the function of the furnishings.

1.     READ:  Exodus 25: 23 – 30;  Leviticus 24: 5 – 9

FYI: The table of the consecrated bread of the presence held twelve loaves of bread (representing the twelve tribes) that were not touched until Sabbath, when the priests ate them.

2.     READ:  Exodus 25: 31 – 40;  Leviticus 24: 1 – 4;    Numbers 8: 4

FYI:  The lampstand, for which no size is specified, was fashioned from a single block of gold, not overlaid like other furnishings.  Scholars have noted Egyptian influence in its description such as its shaft that appears to be like a “reed” that was common along the Nile (Exodus 2: 1 – 3). The word translated “cups” (Exodus 25: 33) has Egyptian roots. These connections support the tradition that the lampstand had a unique role in helping the Hebrews to understand their God and distinguish Him from the idols of Egypt.

3.     READ: Exodus 30: 1 – 6;  32: 25 – 29;    Leviticus 16: 1, 2, 12 & 13

FYI:  The incense offered in the tabernacle is a reminder of God’s constant presence as symbolized by the pillar of fire and cloud (Exodus 13: 21 & 22) Later texts (Psalm 141: 1 & 2; Revelation 8: 3 – 5) reveals that the prayers of God’s people are like incense…a sweet fragrance to God.

4.     READ:  Exodus 25: 10 – 22; Leviticus 16: 15 – 17

FYI:  The Ark of the Covenant, the most sacred object in the most sacred place, contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments. It was the first item God described when issuing instructions for the building of the tabernacle. On the ark rested a slab of gold called “The Mercy Seat” or an “Atoning Cover.” Rising out of   this cover as part of it, one from each end, were tow cherubim that faced the center, their wings extended over the covering. This covered space, thought of as God’s throne, was where God’s presence lived.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2023

Saturday, February 25, 2023

CONTRASTS

READ: Exodus 32: 1 – 3  While Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the covenant with God, the Israelites struggled t live by the word of God rather than by what they set their eyes on in Egypt. The doublemindedness led to a crisis in the camp. Moses was focused on how they would build a sanctuary, a holy place where their invisible God could live with them so they could get to know Him and His ways. At the same time, Aaron was making a golden calf so the Israelites could focus on a visible god as they had done in Egypt. Consider the spiritual implications of the contrast between these two mindsets.

BUILDING THE TABERNACLE                         MAKING THE GOLDEN CALF

God’s ides – Exodus 25: 8&9; 29: 45&46          Israelites ides: Exodus 32: 1-3

Made through willing offerings                        Made through demanded

Exodus 25: 1 & 2                                               donations   Exodus 32: 1 – 3

Well-planned, orderly process of                          A hurried creation, resulting

Painstaking, skilled construction                          from impulsive action

Exodus 25 – 31; 35 – 40                                      Exodus 32: 2 – 6

Priests ordained to serve and                                People offered sacrifices and protect God’s holiness                                          then indulged in revelry   Exodus 29: 1, 35 – 37, 44                                  Exodus 32: 6

Leviticus 16: 1 & 2

Created a visible space among His                       Created a visible image (idol)

people for an invisible God                                    Exodus 32: 4

Exodus 25: 22    

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023

Friday, February 24, 2023

The Tabernacle: God Uses the Skill of His People

    Come, all of you who are gifted craftsmen. Construct everything that the Lord has commanded.                                                    Exodus 35: 10 (NLT)

1. Building the tabernacle required the skills of the whole community of God’s people All of these tasks demanded workers with the wisdom to do the work exactly as God instructed. READ:  Exodus 28: 3;   31: 1 – 11;   35: 25 & 26 

a.     What kinds of skills were needed to complete the work of the tabernacle?

b.    How had the Israelites acquired those skills?

1. READ:  Exodus 31; 1 – 6;  35: 30 -  36: 1

a.     What special qualifications had God given to Bezalel?

b.    What special qualifications had God given to Oholiab?  

c.     Which do you think were the most important skills or qualifications the God gave these two men?

1. Knowing language, customs, or lifestyles of the people involved in God’s story can give us valuable insight into the meaning and message of the Bible. Consider Bezalel and Oholiab:

a.     Which tribes were each man from?  READ:  Exodus 31: 1 -6

b.    What were the responsibilities of their respective tribe during Israel’s time in the desert?  READ:  Number 10: 11 – 14 & 25

c.     When God chose men from both the leading tribe of Israel and the rear-guard tribe, what do you think He was saying about the community nature of the task he was calling His people to do?

d.    Bezalel means “in the shadow (protection) of God.” Oholiab means “the tent of the father.” Which implies being under the protection of the father. What insights do the meanings of these names provide regarding the important nature of their work in building the tabernacle?

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 , 2023

Thursday, February 23, 2023

The Tabernacle: Built from the Gifts of the People

    The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them.                                                                                 Exodus 25: 1 & 2 (NLT)

1.     Building the tabernacle as God’s dwelling place was clearly an important part to God’s unfolding story. We might think that God would command His people to give Him gifts or use his authority to levy a tax in order to have the resources needed for the task. Instead, God asked for voluntary offerings. READ:  Exodus 30: 11 – 16

a.     Why do you think God did this, especially since he assessed a

payment to be used for maintaining the tabernacle late?

b.    What do you think the opportunity, rather than obligation, to give to the Lord said to the Israelites about the kind of relationship God desired to have with them?

c.     What do you think it said about the kind of people he wanted them to be?

2.     Read Exodus 25: 3 – 7 to see the list of specific items God asked the people to bring as an offering.

a.     Which items, and how large a quantity of them, do you think these former slaves would or would not have had?  

b.    READ:  Exodus 3: 21 & 22;  11: 2 & 3;  12: 33 – 36

How had the Israelites obtained their more valuable possessions?

c.     READ:  Genesis 15: 12 - 14

What indicates that these possessions were a gift from God?

3.     READ: Exodus 35: 20 – 29;  36: 2 - 7 When Moses finished telling the people what God had said about offerings to build the tabernacle, how did the people respond?

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2023

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

The Tabernacle: God Lives Among His People

    Then I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, 46 and they will know that I am the Lord their God. I am the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am the Lord their God.

                                                                                      Exodus 29: 45 & 46 (NLT)

As you study today, think about this: As the Hebrews left their 400 years of Egyptian captivity, how would they encounter God?  How would they come to know God’s story and participate in his plan to reclaim His world?

READ:  Genesis 12:  6 & 7;  28: 10 – 17;   Exodus 3: 1- 6  7 17 – 20

1. Consider how God’s people had encountered His presence before the tabernacle was built.  WHEN and WHERE had God made his presence known to individual people?

a.     Do you think the Hebrews expected God to appear to them? 

b.    Why or why not?  

1. God began making Himself know to the Hebrews while they were still in Egypt through miracles of plagues, protection and deliverance. At Mount Sinai, God expressed what kind o relationship He desired to have with His people.   READ:  Exodus 19: 3  –  23: 33

a.     READ: Exodus 24: 3  How did the people respond to Moses’ report of how God desired them to live in relationship with Him?

b.    READ Exodus 24: 4 – 8  What kind of relationship did God then establish with them?

1. READ: Exodus 25: 8  After the Israelites confirmed their relationship with God, what did He command them to build?      Why?

a.     Had God ever lived among His people in this way before?

b.    READ:  Exodus 19: 5 & 6;  29: 45 & 46   What was God’s purpose for living among His people?

c.     How did this fit into His pan to reclaim the world form sin?