Exodus – Page 2 – Be Still…

Exodus 35:1-24 – Give to the Lord

We see again the importance of Sabbath rest. A day of complete rest dedicated to the Lord. Those who work are to be put to death. To me, this is a pretty serious command. While in the New Testament we see Jesus “working, the difference is his work was to give God the glory. Again, I feel compelled to do a better job with my Sabbath rest. There is something so refreshing about setting all work aside for 24 hours. If you’ve never tried it, you should. Let me know how it feels for you.

Exodus 34:1-35 – New Tablets

Read Exodus 34:1-35

I had to chuckle with God’s first instruction to Moses. He recognized that Moses had “smashed” the first stone tablets God had written on to give the people his law. I’m not sure what kind of a job “chiseling” new tablets would be, but I’m sure it wasn’t as simple as grabbing a new piece of paper. Moses had a bit of a task to be prepared for his next visit with God.

Moses was truly blessed to have been allowed into the presence of God. To be surrounded by God’s glorious presence was quite an honor. I loved how God described himself in those verses: full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger, filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. It wasn’t just for those folks, it was for a thousand generations! God would forgive but not excuse the guilty.

Exodus 33:12-23 – Glory of the Lord

Read Exodus 33:12-23

The glory of the Lord. We’ve heard that word, “glory” before, have we not? What exactly does it mean? To me, it’s the beauty of God, his majesty. It’s the glowing, brilliant light that emanates from the Father. The radiant light of God’s being that warms, encourages, and protects us, while revealing our own weakness and need for a relationship with him. I’d love to hear what you think in the comments.

In today’s reading, we hear Moses asking to see God’s glorious presence. It was as if he needed some “proof” that God would do what he said and go with them to the Promised Land. After all that Moses had experienced in God’s presence, it seems hard to fathom he would have to ask God to show himself.

Exodus 33:7-11 – Take Your Request to the Lord

Read Exodus 33:7-11

What is your practice of taking your requests to the Lord? Do you plead with him on your knees? Do you wait until Sunday morning and say a prayer in church? Do ask him for help like he’s your best friend? Moses set up a tent of meeting for the people he was leading. (Not to be confused with the tabernacle we’ve been reading about in recent posts.)

This was a special location set up outside the camp. People would approach the tent of meeting with their requests for God. Moses would speak to God on their behalf. It seems like this passage is out of place. I’m not saying it is, just that it seems like it.

Exodus 32:30-33:6 – In the Doghouse

Read Exodus 32:30-33:6

Can you remember a time when you were punished for something? I can vividly remember being grounded for breaking the hall mirror as a child. Now that act doesn’t sound all that horrible, but when it happened after mom told me and my brother to stop playing in the closet (the door had the mirror), and we obviously didn’t, that was the bad thing. We didn’t mind her and what happened? Well, we were definitely in the doghouse! Do you remember that phrase?

For the Israelites, their deed was so much worse. Disobeying a parent is one thing, but disobeying our Heavenly Father is an entirely different matter. God’s anger burned so much; he didn’t even want to see them. He even said he would surely “destroy them.” But God still loved them. He was going to look out for them despite his anger.