Why Did It Take 40 Years for an 11 Day Journey?

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 1:1) These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

In the preceding chapters of Numbers Moses had been giving the people the commandments and judgments of the Lord, concerning their inheritances in the promised land--the boundaries, the division of it, cities of refuge, and the case of inheritances in it.  However, this first verse in Deuteronomy probably refers to what will shortly follow, not what had preceded this.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, suggested that the first five verses of this chapter were placed as an introduction to the rest of the book, and that they didn't appear to be written by Moses, but may have been added by either Joshua or Ezra.  Albert Barnes's (Notes on the Bible) sense of this first verse was that it was written by Moses as a "connecting link between the contents of the preceding books and that of Deuteronomy now to follow. The sense of the passage might be given thus: 'The discourses of Moses to the people up to the eleventh month of the fortieth year have now been recorded.'”  I think I prefer the flow of the first explanation, but I really don't think it matters in the scheme of things.

At this time, the Israelites were still in the plains of Moab on the east side of the Jordan River.  The original word translated as "red" was "suph", and it was used when referring to the Red Sea.  However, the Israelites were not near the Red Sea at this time.  In the KJV, "Sea" was added by translators, assuming it meant the Red Sea.  However, all the commentaries I read state it could not have referred to the Red Sea because the Israelites were farther away from it than they had ever been; it may have been a city called "Suph", which is reasonable as many other places follow its mention.  The consensus is that all these places were the boundaries of the plain where the Israelites were at that time.  Suph probably meant Suphah which was in Moab; Paran was thought to be Mount Paran, not the Wilderness of Paran which was too remote; Tophel is probably Tufileh; Laban is generally identified as Libnah; Hazeroth may be Ain Hadherah; and Dizahab actually means "gold", so it was either the name of a place or could have meant a place where gold was found, a gold mine. 

(2) It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.
 
Again, this verse seems to be part of an introduction to what will follow in later verses.  In the KJV it is in parentheses.  Perhaps this is the only verse that was added after Moses wrote his record.  Going from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea was only an eleven day journey, yet it had taken the Israelites forty years to get to this point.  I tried for quite awhile to find a map that showed what would be a normal path from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea, and came across this delightful map from an article by Phil Campbell that really sums up the point:

That point is, of course, what could have taken just eleven days, but because of their unbelief in God, took the Israelites forty years and an entirely new generation to get back to the current point.

(3) And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him as commandments to them, (4) After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtaroth in Edrei.

Now here they were in their fortieth year after coming out of Egypt, in the eleventh month, Shevat, which is about our January and February, on the first day of that month.  Moses was about to speak to the congregation what the Lord had commanded him to give as commandments to them.  This was after their victory over Sihon (from Heshbon) and Og (from Bashan who dwelt at Ashtaroth) in Edrei.  The 1599 Geneva Bible Translation Notes suggests this was a parenthetical mention to remind the Israelites of God's favor, preparing them to be receptive to what was to follow.

(5) On this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to declare this law, saying, (6) “The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying, ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain.'"

On their current side of the Jordan River, across from their promised land, Moses began speaking to the people.  They had come to Mount Sinai (generally thought of as the same place as Horeb) in the third month after their departure from Egypt (Exodus 19:1-2), and left it on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year (Numbers 10:11-13), so it appears they had been there nearly a whole year when God told them it was time to move.

(7) "‘Turn and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and to all the places near to it in the plain, in the hills, and in the valley, in the south and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, to the great river, the river Euphrates.'"

Moses continued, repeating what the Lord had told them when it was time to move from Horeb.  He told them to move from Horeb and go toward the mountains occupied by the Amorites, and to all the places near it, in the plain, in the hills, and in the valley, to the southern border of Canaan to the Mediterranean Sea, to the land of the Canaanites upward to Lebanon to the Euphrates River.

The map above (courtesy of Bible History Online) gives a general sense of the area the Lord was talking about.  There are the Amorites in the east to the southern border of Canaan which was at Kadesh Barnea to the Mediterranean Sea, and in the north is Mount Lebanon.

(8) "'Behold, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants after them.'"

Moses continued, reminding the people of the words of their Lord at that time He told them to move from Horeb.  He, in essence, told them "There is your land, promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, before you.  Now go in and take possession of it."

(9) “And I spoke to you at that time, saying, ‘I am not able to bear you alone.'"

Moses reminded the people that he had said he alone was not able to take the entire burden of the children of Israel.  In Numbers 11:14 he had told God he could not bear the burden alone, and God had taken of the spirit that was upon Moses and gave it to seventy elders so that they could wisely assist him in governing the people.  Although there was no reference that Moses himself had declared he was unable to bear the burden of the people, there was also the time that Moses's father-in-law advised him in Exodus 18:18 that he could not continue to try to bear the burden, but should appoint and teach men to be judges of the people's matters to share the burden with him.

(10) "'The LORD your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude.'"

The KJV never used quotation marks to identify quotes.  Some of the versions show this as a continuation of what Moses had said to the people at the time he had told them he was unable to bear them all alone.  Others suggest he was telling them at that current time that the Lord had so multiplied them that they currently were as numerous as the stars of heaven, a reference to the original promise God had made to Abraham (Genesis 15:5).

(11) "'(The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as you are, and bless you, as He has promised you!)'"

Once again, it's hard to know with certainty whether Moses was referring to what he had said to them previously at the time he spoke of in verse 9, or if he was making the statement at this current moment.  Either way, it is seen as a parenthetical statement that Moses wished for the people to become a thousand times greater in number than they were, and that God would continue to bless them as He had blessed them up to that point.

(12) "'How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?'"

This appears to complete the explanation of what Moses had begun in verse 9, that was the reason he could not bear the burdens of the people by himself.

(13) "'Take wise and understanding men known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.'"

Moses had told the people that they were to take wise and knowledgeable men from their tribes and he would appoint them as leaders of the people.

(14) “And you answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have spoken is good for us to do.'"

This verse makes it clear that verses 10 through 14 have been what was spoken at the time when Moses apparently told the people that he could not bear them alone, perhaps at the time of Exodus 18:18, or at some other time when he had spoken directly to the people about how best to govern them.  He had told them to choose their own leaders from among their tribes to be their leaders, and the people had agreed it was a good plan.

(15) "So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes."

Moses had previously taken the chief men of wisdom and knowledge from their tribes and made them leaders of the people.  Adam Clarke wrote that these were millenaries (captains over thousands), centurions (captains over hundreds), quinquagenaries (captains over fifties), and decurions (captains over tens); and that each of these were probably dependent on that officer immediately above himself.  The decurion, or ruler over ten, if he found a matter too hard for him, brought it to the quinquagenary, ruler of fifty, and if he found a case too complicated for him, he brought it to the centurion, etc.

(16) "And I charged your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother and the stranger who is with him.'"

Moses had charged the people's judges at the time to hear the cases of the people, including the strangers who dwelt among them, and to judge righteously.

(17) "‘You shall not respect persons in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid of the face of any man, for the judgment is God's; and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it to me, and I will hear it.'"

To be a respecter of persons was to show partiality to particular classes of people, whether they be rich and powerful, or poor and needy.  The judges were to judge impartially, and they were to judge small cases as well as great cases.  They were not to fear any man, for their judgment was considered to be God's judgment, as He had commissioned them to judge for Him.  If a case had worked up the chain of command and was too difficult for them, then the case was to be brought to Moses, and of course, if it was too difficult for Moses, he took the problem to God.

(18) “And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do."

Moses had delivered to them all the laws, statutes, and judgments that had been revealed to him by the Lord.

(19) "And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which you saw by the way of the mountains of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh Barnea."

Moses reminded the people of the time they left Horeb as the Lord had commanded they do.  They went through the wilderness of Paran, hard and dry and difficult to travel through, in the way that led to the mountains of the Amorites.  They went the way the Lord had told them to go, and they came to Kadesh Barnea.

(20) “And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the LORD our God does give to us.'"

Moses told the people at that time that they had arrived at the mountains of the Amorites which the Lord had given to them, not just the mountains, but the whole land of Canaan beyond them.

(21) "'Behold, the LORD thy God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has said to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’"

Moses continued reminding the people of what he had said at the time.  He told them to behold the land of Canaan before them to which the Lord had brought them, and to go in and possess the land as their Lord had told them to do.  He told them not to fear or be discouraged for the Lord had given them the land to possess.

(22) “And every one of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.’"

Moses reminded them that they all came to him at the time.  I'm sure not every single person came to him, nor would this current generation of people have come to him, but their fathers and the heads of their tribes representing all the people at the time came before him.  They proposed that they send some men into the land to explore it and to bring back word about the best way to go and information about the cities to which they would come.

(23) “The plan pleased me well; and I took twelve men of you, one from each tribe."

Moses recalled that the people's plan seemed a good one to him.  He selected twelve men, one from each tribe.

(24) "And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came to the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out."

Those twelve men went up into the mountains of the Amorites into the Valley of Eshcol, and searched out the land.

(25) "And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down to us, and brought back word to us, saying, ‘It is a good land which the LORD our God does give us.’"

Moses reminded them that the twelve spies brought back fruit of the land and the news that the land the Lord was giving them was very good.

(26) “Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; (27) And you murmured in your tents, and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. (28) Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’"

Even though they saw the land was good, the people would not go in to possess the land against the command of their Lord to do just that.  They cowered in their tents talking among themselves and actually came to the conclusion that this great act of love for His people was actually a trick to destroy them.  Incredible!  How little they had learned about God's nature and His love and mercy for them that they could believe such a thing!  The people complained there was no place they could go into the land that they wouldn't encounter people taller and greater than them, and cities too strong and fortified for them to enter.  They blamed the spies for discouraging them with all this news.  Besides, there were the giant sons of Anakim there, as well!  The people took the word of ten spies, for Caleb and Joshua had encouraged them to take possession of the land their Lord had given them.

(29) “Then I said to you, ‘Do not dread them, neither be afraid of them. (30) The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, (31) And in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.'"

Moses reminded the people of what he had said at the time.  He told them not to dread or fear the Canaanites, for the Lord went before them and would fight for them, just as He had done in Egypt.  He reminded them of how the Lord had cared and provided for them in the wilderness up to that point.

(32) "Yet in this thing you did not believe the LORD your God, (33) Who went in the way before you, to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day."

Moses reminded the people that they did not believe that their Lord, who had constantly gone before them previously to lead them to their campsites and had shown them the way to go in that fire by night and in that cloud by day, would lead and protect them now that they might go in and possess the land.

(34) “And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was angry, and swore, saying, (35) ‘Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, (36) Except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him I give the land that he has trodden upon, and to his children, because he has wholly followed the LORD.'"

Moses reminded them of how the Lord was angry with their words and their lack of faith, and had vowed that none of that generation would be able to see the good land that He had promised to them long before them.  None would see it except for Caleb (and Joshua mentioned later); those two spies had wholly followed the Lord.  They alone had come back with good reports and believed the Lord when He had told them they could go in and possess it.

(37) "Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, 'You also shall not go in there. (38) Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there; encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.'"

Moses admitted to the people that the Lord was angry with him, also, and told him that he would not be able to go into the promised land either.  This did not happen at the same time that the people had believed the bad report of the spies, but some 37 years later at the rock at Meribah, when he spoke for the sake of the people, but spoke unadvisedly and acted differently than the Lord had commanded him, and did not sanctify the Lord in the eyes of the children of Israel.  For that reason the Lord had told Moses he would not be the one to bring the congregation into the promised land, but Joshua, Moses's own servant and minister, would do that.  The Lord had instructed Moses to encourage Joshua, for he would be the one to lead them into their promised land to inherit it.  This, of course, was because Joshua had been one of only two spies (with Caleb) who had believed the Lord in that they could go in and possess their promised land, just as the Lord had told them to do.

(39) "‘Moreover your little ones and your children, whom you said would be prey, whom in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in there; and to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.'"

Moses continued with what the Lord had said at the time of the people's rebellion and lack of faith, that their children whom the people had cried would become prey to the Amorites (Numbers 14:3), they, those children, not being at the age of understanding between good and evil, and certainly not having the understanding at the time to choose between the good and bad reports at the time of the spies, they would be the ones to go in and possess the land (Numbers 14:31).  The Lord would give it to the children of the children of Israel.

(40) "‘But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.’"

Moses continued with what the Lord had said at the time.  Those adults at the time, who would not be allowed to enter the promised land, were told to turn back toward the Red Sea again and journey into the wilderness (Numbers 14:25).

(41) “Then you answered and said to me, ‘We have sinned against the LORD; we will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.’ And when everyone of you had girded on his weapons of war, you were ready to go up into the mountain."

Moses reminded the people of what they had done at that point.  They realized that they had sinned against the Lord, and they were ready to go up into the mountain and fight for their land (Numbers 14:39-40).

(42) “And the LORD said to me, 'Say to them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.”’"

The Lord had told Moses at the time to tell the people not to go up or fight, for He would not go with them.  If they persisted in going, they would be smitten by their enemies (Numbers 14:41-42).

(43) “So I spoke to you; and you would not listen, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the mountain."

Moses reminded the people he had told them the words of the Lord, that they should not go and fight, but they would not listen.  Once again, they were rebelling against the word of the Lord.  When He told them to go, they would not, and then He warned them not to, they went defiantly up into the mountain.

(44) “And the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even to Hormah."

Moses continued to remind them of what happened at the time.  The Amorites who dwelt in the mountain came out against them as bees that had been disturbed in their hives.  The original scripture (Numbers 14:45) that told of this incident indicated that it was the Amalekites and the Canaanites who came out against them.  The commentaries I study explain that the Amorites, as the most powerful nation of Canaan, are sometimes referred to as to the Canaanite tribes in general.  Continuing Moses's reminder to the people, he told them they had been defeated at Mount Seir, and driven back to Hormah.

(45) "And you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you."

Moses reminded the people that those of them who had returned from their presumptuous advancement up the mountain, wept before the Lord, but He would not listen to them, for He had warned them not to go, but they had once again disobeyed, and He was not going to change His decision about sending them back into the wilderness and not allowing them to go in to possess their promised land.

(46) "So you abode in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you abode there."

After that, the people remained in Kadesh many days.  No one seems to know the exact meaning of this difficult verse.  Adam Clarke wrote, "They had been a long time at this place. And some think that the words mean, 'Ye abode as long at Kadesh, when you came to it the second time, as ye did at the first.' Or, according to others, 'While ye were in that part of the desert, ye encamped at Kadesh.'"  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, quoted others before him:

...according to Jarchi, as they did in the rest of the journeys or stations; so that as they were thirty eight years in all at several places, they were nineteen years in Kadesh; the same is affirmed in the Jewish chronology. Maimonides says they were eighteen years in one place, and it is very probable he means this; but Aben Ezra interprets it otherwise, and takes the sense to be, that they abode as many days here after their return as they did while the land was searching, which were forty days, but without fixing any determinate time, the meaning may only be, that as they had been many days here before this disaster, so they continued many days after in the same place before they marched onward into the wilderness again.

As Dr. Gill concluded, I believe the sense is just that they remained as long in Kadesh after this disaster as they had before it.  Moses continued in the next chapter with their journeys from there.

A study of the word "Deuteronomy" reveals it is a Greek word, "Deuteronómion", and means "second law" or "copy of the law".  However, Moses wrote in Hebrew, and that word for "Deuteronomy" was actually "eleh ha-devarim" and that means "these are the words."  The book of Deuteronomy was essentially a retelling of God's laws and of the history that brought the people to this point in time.  In this first chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses reminded the people why they had been in the wilderness for forty years.  It was due to their own lack of faith and misconduct.  The purpose of the law of God was to instruct the people in the way that would give them peace and prosperity, and keep them close to Him, their provider, their protector, their very source of life.  When the people lost sight of that and began to wander away, it was a merciful God who brought them back to Him in whatever means necessary.  God, in His infinite wisdom and knowledge of everything past, present, and future, knows exactly what we need to bring us to Him.  Some people take more refining than others, but the ultimate goal of God is that all should come to repentance and salvation in Him (2 Peter 3:9).  He is long-suffering, that is patient, taking the time, for instance forty years, to bring us to Him.  We should all reflect on our past lives and see the blessings of God throughout, and understand that in those times of hardship God was working to draw us to Him.  I don't believe that the bad things in our lives are the result of God punishing us.  We have free will, and we often use it to turn from what God tells us is best for our lives.  However, I don't believe as some do, that nothing "bad" ever comes from God.  What we consider bad and what God considers that same thing to be are probably quite different!  If a man has lived his entire life apart from God, and is in a terrible accident that disables him for the rest of it, but he comes to salvation in God because of his trials, would that not be a good thing?  Even when there is loss of life that seems so unfair to us and may make us want to reject God because of it--if that loss eventually brings us to God because we can't handle it alone, is it not a good thing?  We make the mistake of thinking that this life on earth is most important!  If God takes a young person home to be with Him where they have joy and perfection and eternal life and love, is that not a most wonderful thing?  It only hurts those of us who are left behind, who must learn and draw near to God in our pain.  I certainly don't believe God gives a child cancer.  The things we have done in our environment and the chemicals we eat and breathe, all our choices in life, bring about the perfect storms that can create cancer in a young one.  No, it wasn't the choice of the child.  But once again, this life is only meant to be a journey to heaven.  Our dear ones who may have lost their lives early just had a much shorter journey.  The rest of us may have to wander in the wilderness for awhile before we get there!

The Law of Inheritances; Joshua Appointed to Succeed Moses

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 27:1) Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and these are the names of his daughters--Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

In chapter 26 of Numbers there was a census taken of all the able-bodied men of war 20 years and older.  In verse 33 we were told of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher (Gilead's son who was the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh), and that Zelophehad had no sons, only daughters.  Here these daughters were mentioned again--Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

(2) And they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, (3) “Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the LORD, in the company of Korah, but died in his own sin, and had no sons."

The five daughters of Zelophehad came before Moses and Eleazar (Aaron's son) the priest, and before all the princes of the people, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were gathered by the door of the tabernacle.  They spoke about their father who had died in the wilderness, making it a point to say that he had not been in the company of Korah who had rebelled against the Lord, but had died in his own sin, meaning that sin that is common to all men, and he had died in the wilderness under that general sentence that the Lord had passed upon the older generation that none of them would enter the promised land.  They explained that their father had had no sons.

(4) “Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.”

Because inheritance in the promised land was based upon the number of able-bodied men of war, and did not include women, they reasoned that their father's name should not be erased from his family just because he had only daughters and no son.  They requested that they be given a possession in the promised land, as representing their father among his brothers.  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, pointed out how this showed great faith in the word of the Lord since Canaan had not yet been conquered, and an earnest desire to have a part in that promise, as well as respect for their father's name.  Additionally, Mr. Henry compared these five daughters to the five wise virgins that Jesus would later use in a teaching parable.  The promised land was a symbol of the Kingdom of God, and these five wise virgins showed diligence in seeking to obtain their part in that heavenly inheritance.

(5) And Moses brought their cause before the LORD.

Moses did not try to answer this himself, but took their case to the Lord.

(6) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (7) “The daughters of Zelophehad speak right; you shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and you shall cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them."

The Lord told Moses that the daughters of Zelophehad had spoken what was right and just, and that he was to give them the inheritance of their father just as their father's brothers' inheritances fell to their sons.  In this the Lord demonstrated that when you seek, you shall find.  Those who seek an inheritance in the heavenly land of promise, shall receive it.

(8) “And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter.'"

The Lord went on speaking to Moses, to furthermore tell the children of Israel what to do in the case of a man who died with no son; his inheritance was to pass to his daughter.

(9) "'And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.'"

The Lord went on to instruct that if a man died with no children at all, his inheritance was to pass to his brothers.

(10) "'And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. (11) And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the relative closest to him in his family, and he shall possess it.’” And it shall be to the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the LORD commanded Moses.

If a man died with no children and he had no brothers, then his inheritance was to be given to his father's brothers.  In the event his father had no brothers either, then the inheritance was to pass to the man's closest relative.  This was to be the law for inheritances as the Lord had commanded to Moses.

(12) And the LORD said to Moses, “Go up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel."

The Lord then told Moses to go up this mountain...  Abarim was actually a range of mountains; the mountain Moses was told to ascend was Mount Nebo, as was later recorded in Deuteronomy 32:49.  The Lord wanted Moses to go up that mountain to see the land that He was giving the children of Israel.

(13) “And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered."

The Lord continued, telling Moses that once he had seen the promised land, he would then die, as his brother Aaron had died.

(14) "For you rebelled against My commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify Me at the water before their eyes"; that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

The Lord went on to explain to Moses why he would die before entering the promised land.  In Numbers 20:12, the Lord had told both Moses and Aaron that because they did not believe Him, to sanctify Him in the eyes of the children of Israel, they would not bring the people into the promised land.  This was the event at the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin when the people had complained about having no water.  Moses and Aaron did not obey the Lord to sanctify Him in the eyes of His children.  Rather they seemed to imply it was they who would give them water by Moses's action by striking the rock, which was not what the Lord had told him to do.  Aaron had already died as the Lord had promised after this episode, and now it was Moses's time, but the gracious Lord would allow Moses to see the promised land.

(15) And Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, (16) “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, (17) Who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep which have no shepherd.”

Moses then entreated the Lord, acknowledging that He, the Father of spirits who knew the spirits of all men, place a man in Moses's stead to lead the people so they would not wander about as sheep without a shepherd.  This request by Moses showed a tender concern for the children of Israel.  This same metaphor was later used in Matthew 9:36 when describing Jesus Christ's compassion for the multitudes who fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd.

(18) And the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; (19) And set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and give him charge in their sight."

In answer to Moses's request, the Lord told him to take Joshua with him, a man in whom was His Spirit, and set him before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation.  Moses was to lay his hand on Joshua, signifying the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua, and give him formal charge in their sight.

(20) “And you shall put some of your honor on him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient."

By his words and actions, Moses was to transfer to Joshua his honor as leader in government so that the children of Israel would regard Joshua as their leader and obey his commands.

(21) "And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the LORD; at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, he, and all the children of Israel with him, all the congregation."

The Lord continued to speak to Moses with regard to Joshua.  Joshua was to stand before Eleazar the priest, who would ask counsel of the Lord through the use of the Urim and Thummim that were kept inside the fold of the breastplate of judgment worn by the priest (Exodus 28:30).  In this way it was the Lord who determined when the people moved out or came back in.  At "his" word may refer to Joshua's word or that of Eleazar, or even at the Lord's word.  If it was Joshua or Eleazar, it was to voice the will of the Lord as shown through the Urim and Thummim.

(22) And Moses did as the LORD commanded him, and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; (23) And he laid his hands upon him and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.

Moses did just as the Lord had commanded he do.  He brought Joshua before Eleazar the priest and before all the children of Israel, and laid his hands upon him and ordained Joshua as his successor.  According to the medieval French rabbi and Torah commentator, Jarchi, Moses "did this cheerfully, and did more than he was commanded; for the Lord said to him, 'lay thine hand', but he laid both his hands" (John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible).

Moses showed us a great example of humility.  This might have ordinarily been seen as a demoting of himself and a diss to his own family.  Think about it--the priesthood was given to his brother Aaron's family, and now he was to pass the civil government on to his servant from the tribe of Ephraim.  His own posterity were only common Levites who waited on the priests.  However, Moses cheerfully ordained Joshua.  As Matthew Henry so beautifully stated, "...this was such an instance of self-denial and submission to the will of God as was more his glory than the highest advancement of his family could have been; for it confirms his character as the meekest man upon earth, and faithful to him that appointed him in all his house. This (says the excellent bishop Patrick) shows him to have had a principle which raised him above all other lawgivers, who always took care to establish their families in some share of that greatness which they themselves possessed; but hereby it appeared that Moses acted not from himself, because he acted not for himself."

The Building of the Ark of the Covenant and Furnishings and Courtyard of the Tabernacle

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Exodus 37:1) And Bezaleel made the ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits was its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.

Chapter 36 told of how Bezaleel, Aholiab, and the other skilled workers began working on the tabernacle according to the specifications the Lord had given Moses on the mount.  The work continued in chapter 37 with Bezaleel making the ark of acacia wood.  It measured 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

(2) And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold all around it.

Bezaleel overlaid the wooden ark with pure gold inside and out, and made a crown molding of gold all around the top of the chest.

(3) And he cast for it four rings of gold to be set in its four corners, two rings on one side, and two rings on the other side of it.

He made a gold ring on each corner which made for two rings on one side and two rings on the other side.

(4) And he made staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. (5) And he put the staves into the rings at the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.

He made poles or rods of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.  He put the staves into the rings on each side of the ark so that the ark might be carried by them.  All this work on the ark was being done just as instructed by God in Exodus chapter 25.

(6) And he made the mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits was its length and a cubit and a half its width.

Bezaleel made the mercy seat that was both a lid for the ark and a seat on top of it.  He made it of pure gold and it was 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.

(7) And he made two cherubim of gold, beaten out of one piece on the two ends of the mercy seat; (8) One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side; out of the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends. (9) And the cherubim spread out their wings above, and covered the mercy seat with their wings; with their faces one to the other, the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.

He made the mercy seat with two cherubim, hammered and formed one with the seat, on each side of it.  The cherubim were made on each end facing each other with their wings spread above and covering the mercy seat.

(10) And he made the table of acacia wood; two cubits was its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. (11) And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a crown of gold all around it.

Bezaleel then made a table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high. He overlaid it with pure gold with a crown molding of gold all around it.

(12) Also he made a border of a handbreadth all around it, and made a crown of gold for the border all around it.

He made another border or frame about the width of a hand to go all around the table, and it, too, had a crown molding of gold all around it.  As first discussed when God gave Moses these instructions in chapter 25, most theologians figured this was a separate border from the one on top that may have gone from table leg to table leg all around, and acted as a brace around the middle or bottom of the table legs.

(13) And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that were in its four feet. (14) The rings were over against the border as places for the staves to bear the table. (15) And he made the staves of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table.

He made four rings of gold placed on the four corners of the table at the table legs at the border that was to be made all around from leg to leg.  The rings were to be where poles were inserted with which to lift and carry the table.  He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

(16) And he made the vessels which were on the table, its dishes, its spoons, its bowls, and its covers of pure gold.

Bezaleel made all the dishes and utensils that would be used on the table out of pure gold.

(17) And he made the candlestick of pure gold; of hammered work he made the candlestick; its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its knobs, and its flowers were of the same piece.

He made a candlestand of pure gold, and rather than poured into a mold, it was hammered and worked from one piece with branches, bowls, knobs, and flowers.

(18) And six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the candlestick out of one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side.

The original word for candlestick in the scripture above is "menorah" and the seven-branched candelabrum that word brings to mind is more likely what is meant in this scripture rather than a single candlestick.  Bezaleel made it with three branches on one side of the main stick or shaft and three branches on the other side, making seven places for oil lamps, including the shaft in the middle. 

(19) There were three bowls made like almond blossoms on one branch, with a knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, with a knob and a flower, and so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick. (20) And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, each with its knobs and its flowers.

The bowls for the oil lamps on each of the branches that extended from each side of the main candlestick were made as almond blossoms, each with an ornamental knob and flower.  The main shaft of the candlestick was made with four bowls made like almond blossoms, each with an ornamental knob and flower.

(21) And a knob under two branches of the same, and a knob under two branches of the same, and a knob under two branches of the same, according to the six branches going out of it. (22) Their knobs and their branches were of one piece; all of it was one hammered piece of pure gold.

The making of this part is no clearer to me than the description of how it should be made in chapter 25.  It sounds as if there was to be another knob made underneath connecting two branches, and connecting another two and the other two, making six branches with three knobs underneath, but since I thought the branches were to be arranged three on one side and three on the other, it does not make sense to me.  I had to refer back to my notes on the initial instructions for this in verse 25 to get any help in explaining it.  Even back there none of the old commentaries I read bothered to explain this, but Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, did mention an interpretation of Jarchi, who was a medieval French rabbi and Torah commentator.  The previous scripture had just spoken of the bowls that were each to have a knob and a flower, and then the next verse speaks of "a knob under two branches of the same".  If "the same" is still referencing each bowl with its knob and flower, then verse 21's "knob" is speaking of the same knob, and what Dr. Gill said Jarchi wrote about it makes sense.  According to him, the knob was like a pomegranate (or an apple), and "two branches were drawn from the two sides of it...this clause is repeated twice in this verse, signifying there should be a knop under each of the three branches on one side, and three on the other side."  Once again these knobs and branches were to be hammered from one mass of gold, and not poured into molds and soldered together.

(23) And he made its seven lamps, its snuffers, and its snuff dishes of pure gold. (24) Of a talent of pure gold he made it, and all its vessels.

He made seven lamps, snuffers, and snuff dishes for each of the bowls at the end of each of the branches (three on each side) and one for the middle shaft.  He made the candlestick and all its utensils from a full talent of gold.  The old theologians and commentators that I read varied greatly in their opinions about exactly how much gold this was, but as discussed in chapter 25, I gathered that generally a talent was understood to be about the weight of a person, and was considered to be roughly 120 pounds.

(25) And he made the incense altar of acacia wood; the length of it was a cubit and the width of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; its horns were of the same.

"He", I assume Bezaleel is the one still making these items, made an incense altar of acacia wood.  It was square, 18 inches on each side, and 36 inches high.  It was made with horns, or some similar projections pointing upward that resembled horns, from the same acacia wood as the altar, probably carved from the same piece of wood.

(26) And he overlaid it with pure gold, the top of it and its sides all around, and its horns; he also made for it a crown of gold all around it.

He overlaid the incense altar with pure gold on its top and sides and on the horns of it.  He also made for it a crown molding of gold.

(27) And he made two rings of gold for it under its crown, by its two corners on both sides, to be places for the staves with which to bear it. (28) And he made the staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold.

Two golden rings were made for the altar under the crown molding on each side, into which poles or bars would be placed in order to carry the altar.  The poles were also made of acacia wood like the altar itself, and overlaid with gold.

(29) And he made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary.

It was said that he made the holy anointing oil and the incense of sweet spices, "according to the work of the apothecary".  An apothecary was one who pounded and mixed drugs and perfumes.  There was an art to making the perfect anointing oil and pure incenses, and he had the talent for it.

(Exodus 38:1) And he made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood; five cubits was its length and five cubits its width, it was square, and its height was three cubits.

"He" still refers to Bezaleel from chapter 37.  Either he personally made the altar of burnt offering, or it was made under his direction.  He made it of acacia wood, square, 7 1/2 feet on each side, and 4 1/2 feet high.

(2) And he made its horns on its four corners; the horns were of the same piece; and he overlaid it with brass.

He made horns or some similar projections on the four corners of the altar, of the same piece of wood as the altar, not made separately and applied to the altar.  The altar was then overlaid with brass.

(3) And he made all the vessels for the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the firepans; all its vessels he made of brass.

He made all the vessels and utensils for the altar from brass.  As discussed when God first gave Moses the instructions for these in chapter 27, there were pans for receiving the ashes of the burnt sacrifices, basins for the blood, shovels and forks for handling the pieces of flesh and animal parts, and fire pans for the burning embers or coals of fire.

(4) And he made a grate of brass network for the altar, under its rim, in the midst of it. (5) And he cast four rings for the four corners of the grate of brass, to be places for the staves.

He made a brass grate for the altar probably over a hollowed area in the middle of the altar, where the fire would burn. As discussed in chapter 27, in the "midst" meant the "middle".  Exodus 27:5 expressed it with a little more detail:  "And you shall put it under the rim of the altar beneath, that the network may be even to the midst of the altar."  He made four rings in the four corners of the grate in which to put poles or bars to move it.

(6) And he made the staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with brass. (7) And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to bear it; he made the altar hollow with boards.

He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with brass.  He put the poles into the rings on the side of the altar with which to carry it.  As I had confusion when I first read the description of this altar's poles in chapter 27, I still have it.  I originally thought the rings were on the brass grate and that poles would remove the grate, not carry the entire altar.  Perhaps the brass grate was one piece with the entire overlay of brass and therefore poles through those rings would carry the entire altar.  For the first time I am picturing this altar a little differently; maybe instead of the brass being on top and going down to the middle of the sides, perhaps it was on the bottom going halfway up to the middle.  It does say the altar was hollow.  Perhaps it was open at the top and the ashes would fall through the sides.  If the brass grate was on the sides and under the top, it could be carried by rings on the corners of the brass.  I got no help from the old commentaries that I read, so I was on my own to try to imagine this!  :-)

(8) And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, from the mirrors of the women assembling, who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

He made a brass basin with a brass foot or stand.  He made them from the mirrors of the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle.  We can assume these were devoted women, attending more consistently at the place of public worship than others.  Their mirrors were likely highly reflective brass rather than glass with brass handles as we might picture today.

(9) And he made the court; on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, one hundred cubits long. (10) There were twenty pillars for them, with twenty brass sockets; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.

"He" would still seem to be Bezaleel, but I am beginning to believe more certainly that he alone didn't personally do all this work, but that it was done under his direction.  As I assumed that the "he" in chapter 36 referred back to "every wise hearted man among them who worked on the tabernacle" (Exodus 36:8), I believe all this work being discussed now must be done by other talented and skilled workers than just Bezaleel.  After all, we did read that he was more than a talented craftsman; he had the ability to teach others (Exodus 35:4).

They now made the courtyard for the tabernacle, enclosed on the south side with hangings of fine woven linen, fifty yards long.  The hangings hung on twenty pillars set in brass sockets.  As discussed in chapter 27 when God first gave Moses these instructions, the silver fillets were probably some sort of connecting rods between the pillars.  The rods probably went across the top of the pillars as a sort of curtain rod upon which the hooks holding the hangings were attached.  Since there were only twenty pillars in a length of fifty yards, the hangings couldn't have hung on the pillars alone, so surely hung on hooks on the fillets or rods.

(11) And for the north side the hangings were one hundred cubits long, with twenty pillars and their twenty brass sockets; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. (12) And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, with ten pillars and their ten sockets; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were silver. (13) And for the east side fifty cubits.

The north side was made identical to the south side, with hangings fifty yards long on twenty pillars set in sockets of brass, with silver rods and hooks.  On the east and west sides the hangings were made 25 yards long set on ten pillars set in ten sockets, with silver rods and hooks.

(14) The hangings of one side of the gate were fifteen cubits long, with their three pillars and their three sockets, (15) And for the other side of the court gate, on this side and that were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets.

At the gate or entrance to the court they made hangings 7 1/2 yards long hanging on three pillars in three sockets on both sides of the entrance.

(16) All the hangings of the court all around were of fine woven linen.  (17) And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were silver; and the overlaying of their capitals were silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver.

All the hangings of the courtyard were made from fine woven linen.  All the sockets for the pillars were made of brass, the hooks and rods were made of silver, and the capitals or tops of the pillars were overlaid with silver.  All the pillars were banded with silver, or perhaps this referred to the rods upon which hung the silver hooks.  

(18) And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and of fine woven linen; twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the width was five cubits, corresponding to the hangings of the court.

Hangings or curtains were made for the gate itself of the courtyard of fine woven linen embroidered in blue, purple, and scarlet.  They were ten yards long and 7 1/2 feet high like the hangings of the courtyard walls.

(19) And there were four pillars with their four sockets of brass; their hooks were silver, and the overlay of their capitals and their fillets was silver. (20) And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court all around, were of brass.

There were four pillars on which the hangings of the gate itself hung.  They stood in brass sockets, their capitals were overlaid with silver, and they had bands or rods of silver and silver hooks.  All the tent pins or pegs were made of brass.

(21) This is the inventory of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, which was counted according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest.

The preceding account contained a detail of all the articles which had been commanded by Moses (from commandment of the Lord)  for the tabernacle for the service of the Levites, over whom Ithamar, the son of Aaron, apparently presided.

(22) And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses. (23) And with him was Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer, and an embroiderer of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

Bezaleel and Aholiab, men gifted and chosen by God (Exodus 35), had done and overseen the work.

(24) All the gold that was used in all the work of the holy place, that is, the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.

The gold that was used in the work of the tabernacle, the gold that had been offered freely by the people, amounted to 29 talents and 730 shekels.  A talent was 3000 shekels.  What the exact weight of a talent of gold was varies from "expert" to "expert", some saying 60 pounds and some saying as much as 120 pounds; regardless, we are talking about hundreds, even thousands, of pounds of gold!

(25) And the silver from those who were numbered of the congregation was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary: (26) A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone included in the numbering from twenty years old and above, for six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men.

The silver that was counted here appears to be the silver that was collected in numbering the people, where everyone of twenty years old and upwards (603,550 men) paid half a shekel (Exodus 30:12-14).  The silver amounted to 100 talents and 1775 shekels.  The measuring of weight of silver may have varied a little from the weight of gold (again I get conflicting reports), but again, we are talking about hundreds, actually thousands, of pounds of silver!

(27) And from the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary and the sockets of the veil; one hundred sockets from the hundred talents, one talent for each socket.

The hundred talents of silver were used for the sockets of the sanctuary and for the veil, one talent of silver for each socket.  I didn't personally count each of the sockets, but according to this scripture there were a hundred, and Dr. John Gill wrote, "there were ninety six sockets for the sanctuary or tabernacle, and four for the vail".  A talent being from 50 to 100 pounds of silver, there was a lot of value in the bases of the pillars!

(28) And of the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, overlaid their capitals, and filleted them.

From the remaining 1775 shekels of silver, the hooks, fillets, and overlaying of the capitals for the pillars of the court were made.

(29) And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand four hundred shekels. (30) And with it he made the sockets for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, the brazen altar, the brazen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar, (31) And the sockets of the court all around, the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins for the tabernacle, and all the pins for the court all around.

The brass from the freewill offerings totaled 70 talents and 2400 shekels.  Once again, I didn't find a definitive answer as to exactly how much brass this was, but it would be in the thousands of pounds.  With this brass were made the brass altar and grate, the vessels and utensils for the altar, the sockets for the courtyard and its gate, and the tent pegs.

In these two chapters, we see how generous the people were in giving for the building of the tabernacle, and how faithful the workmen were in following the instructions of God given to them by Moses.

Moses Receives Instructions From God for the Building and Furnishing of His Tabernacle

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Exodus 24:1) And He said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. (2) And Moses alone shall come near the LORD, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.”

In the last few chapters, Moses was near to the Lord (Exodus 20:21), receiving the judgments of God that He gave to Moses to give to the people, after He had given the Ten Commandments in the hearing of all the people.  Now God directed Moses, Aaron, Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, to come up the mount to the Lord.  However, all but Moses were to stand afar off from the Lord and worship, and Moses alone would be allowed to come near the Lord.

(3) And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the judgments; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the LORD has said we will do.”

As Moses alone had been near to the Lord to hear these words, he first went to tell the people all the judgments of the Lord that He had told him to tell the people.  The people unanimously agreed and answered that they would obey the judgments of God.

(4) And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

After the people had agreed to this covenant, Moses wrote down all these laws and judgments as a permanent record.  Then he rose up early the next morning and built an altar to the Lord at the foot of Mount Sinai where the Lord was.  Moses also built twelve pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel, that represented the people as the other party to the covenant, probably in front of the altar that would of course, represent God.

(5) And he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. (6) And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

Moses then sent young able men to bring and sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings of oxen to the Lord.  He took half the blood from the sacrifices and put it in basins (to later be sprinkled on the people), and the other half he ceremoniously sprinkled on the altar, which would represent the blood covenant between God and His people.

(7) And he took the book of the covenant and read in the audience of the people; and they said, “All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.”

Moses then read from the book of the covenant that he had written in the hearing of the people, and they ceremoniously repeated that they agreed to do all the Lord had said, and that they would be obedient to His laws and judgments.

(8) And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you concerning all these words.”

Moses took the blood he had reserved in basins and then sprinkled it on the people, or perhaps since there were hundreds of thousands of people, maybe he sprinkled it on the pillars representing the people.  The people had ceremoniously confirmed that they would keep their part of the covenant by obeying the word of their Lord, and it was sealed with the sacrificial blood of their covenant.  God's part of this covenant was to support, increase, defend, and save them, as He had said He would at the end of chapter 23.

(9) Then Moses went up, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, (10) And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in its clarity.

It was at this point that Moses, Aaron, Aaron's sons, and the seventy elders went up to the Lord, as instructed by the Lord in verse 1.  It is said that they saw the God of Israel, but as they were to remain afar off, and we are told elsewhere in the Bible that no man can or has seen God, we understand this to mean that they saw the glory and evidence of God before them, as they saw the bright splendid pavement of sapphires under His feet.  Indeed the scripture states they only saw under His feet, but there was no doubt in their minds that the feet of the Almighty were above this awesome bright clear sapphire-like pavement.

(11) And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand; also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

God did not strike down those who saw Him, or were close enough to see this splendid evidence of Him below His feet.  This was explained by God before His giving of the Ten Commandments when He told Moses to keep the people from gazing upon Him or they would die (Exodus 19:21).  However, in Exodus 19:22, He went on to say that the priests who came near must sanctify themselves or the Lord would break forth upon them.  In this case, these nobles were just sanctified by the sprinkling of the blood, and were allowed to come near the Lord and eat and drink.

(12) And the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mount and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”

The Lord now called Moses to go all the way up the mountain to where He was, as Moses alone was permitted to do.  "Be there" may mean "stay there" or "remain there" as indeed, Moses would come to be there an extended time.  God said He wanted to give Moses stone tablets, with the law and commandments that He Himself had written, that Moses might teach them to the people.  Isn't it fantastic to think of the Almighty God of the universe Himself writing the commandments on stone?!  Most of the old commentaries agree that these tablets (although scripture says the law and the commandments, what is meant is the law of the ten commandments) contained just the Ten Commandments that God had already given the people in all their hearing.  That is reasonable; those are the ones that God had Himself given the people with great terrifying thunder and lightning and noise.  The rest were judgments that God gave to Moses that more fully explained how the Ten Commandments were to play out in day to day judgments.  Moses had written all these words himself when he came back from the Lord before he built the altar where the people ceremoniously agreed to these words of the Lord.  The basis for all the judgments of God were contained in the Ten Commandments He initially gave the people, and it is most probable these are the only ones contained on the tablets of stone.

(13) And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua; and Moses went up into the mount of God.

After God asked him to come up the mount to Him, Moses indeed went up, bringing his minister Joshua with him.  As his minister, Joshua was probably with Moses as his assistant to minister to his needs, and of course, he was to become Moses's successor.  We must assume that Joshua was only allowed to go so far up the mountain, not as far up and close to God, as Moses was allowed to go.

(14) And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come again to you; and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; if any man has any matters to do, let him come to them.”

Moses told the elders, surely the ones who had gone thus far with him toward God, to wait for them (he and Joshua) until they came down again, and he put Aaron and Hur in charge of any matters the people might have in Moses's absence.

(15) And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. (16) And the glory of the LORD abode on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

Moses, and we may assume Joshua, went up into the mountain of God, and a cloud covered the mountain.  The glory of the Lord abode on the mountain within the cloud that served as a visible sign of God's presence on Mount Sinai.  Moses remained there six days, until the seventh day when God called Moses.

(17) And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. (18) And Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

To the children of Israel below the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.  It wasn't actually consuming the mountain top, but it looked as though it would consume all that was in its way, just like the burning bush that Moses observed back in Exodus 3:2.  The burning bush wasn't consumed then, and Moses would not be consumed now when he went up inside of what looked like a fire that would devour anything that came close to it.  We can assume at this point Joshua stayed behind and only Moses went up in the midst of the cloud at the top of the mountain.  Moses was there for forty days and forty nights.  Obviously, forty days and forty nights is a familiar theme as with Jesus Christ fasting forty days and forty nights in the wilderness.  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, reminded me of another forty days and forty nights, and wrote this:  "In like manner, Elijah fasted for forty days, when he visited the same spot.  The two who met our Saviour on the Mount of Transfiguration, the one representing the law (Moses, my parenthetical note), the other representing the Prophets (Elijah, again my parenthetical note), thus shadowed forth in their own experience the Fast of Forty days in the wilderness of Judaea."

Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wrote, "Moses, who was the mediator of the Old Covenant, is alone permitted to draw nigh to God; none of the people are suffered to come up to the Divine glory, not even Aaron, nor his sons, nor the nobles of Israel. Moses was a type of Christ, who is the mediator of the New Covenant; and he alone has access to God in behalf of the human race, as Moses had in behalf of Israel."

(Exodus 25:1) Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering; from everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering."

When Moses went back down to the people, he was to tell them to bring the Lord an offering, but it was not dictated by the Lord exactly what they must bring to Him.  This was to be a free-will offering of whatever was in their hearts to give.  To me this suggests that God did not want the offerings of those who would give grudgingly or out of only obligation.  God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7)

(3) “And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; (4) And blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; (5) And rams' skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; (6) Oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; (7) Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. (8) And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them."

The Lord went on to give Moses a broad and varied list of the type of good-will offerings he was to accept from the people, and these items were to be used to build the Lord a sanctuary, a place where He might dwell among His people.  Some of the offerings to be accepted would be used to make furnishings and accessories for the sanctuary, as well, as for the ephod and breastplate that were mentioned.  An ephod was a garment, perhaps a type of girdle or apron that would be worn by the priests.

(9) “According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it."

God would give Moses an exact plan of how He wanted His sanctuary and all its furnishings built, and he was cautioned to make it just that way.

(10) “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height."

The people were also to make an ark or chest out of acacia wood, and the Lord gave the exact dimensions He wanted it to be.  A cubit was about the length of a forearm, about 18 inches.  Thus the ark was to be 3 ft. 9 in. long, 2 ft. 3 in. wide, and 2 ft. 3 in. tall.

(11) “And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a crown of gold all around. (12) And you shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; and two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side."

The ark or chest was to be overlaid with pure gold, inside and out.  There was to be a crown molding of gold all around the top of the chest, and on each corner of that would be a gold ring, which would make two rings on one side of the chest and two on the other side.

(13) “And you shall make staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. (14) And you shall put the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. (15) The staves shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it."

Poles or rods were to be made of acacia wood, the same wood as the ark, and they were also to be overlaid with gold.  These poles were to be put into the rings on the sides of the ark so that it could be carried.  The poles were to stay in the rings of the ark and not to be removed, surely so that the ark would not be touched by human hands, as we will find to be the case in future verses.  

(16) “And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I shall give you."

The tables of stone that the Lord planned to give to Moses (Exodus 24:12) were to be placed in this ark or chest.

(17) “And you shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width."

They were to make what was called a mercy seat that would act as a lid or covering to the chest, and this was to be made of pure gold.  Its dimensions were to be 3 ft. 9 in. long and 2 ft. 3 in. wide, exactly the dimensions of the ark.  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, explained the mercy seat well:  "This propitiatory covering, as it might well be translated, was a type of Christ, the great propitiation, whose satisfaction fully answers the demands of the law, covers our transgressions, and comes between us and the curse we deserve."  In this, it was certainly a seat or covering of mercy.

(18) “And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. (19) And make one cherub on one end, and the other cherub on the other end; even of the mercy seat you shall make the cherubim on its two ends."

At each end of the mercy seat there was to be a cherub made from hammered gold.  Exactly what a cherub was and looked like was debated among all the old theologians.  I'm pretty sure it was not the chubby cheeked little angel we picture these days, but I imagine it was some sort of angelic being.  Most all the old translations and commentaries suggest that what these awkward, rather difficult to understand verses are trying to explain is that the cherubim were to be made of one piece of gold with the seat.  They were not to be poured into molds and attached, but rather to be worked and hammered out at the ends of the seat.  They refer to the verse in Exodus 37:7 which speaks of the actual making of the seat per these instructions:  "And he made two cherubim of gold, beaten out of one piece he made them, on the two ends of the mercy seat."

(20) “And the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look at one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat."

The cherubim were to be made with their wings stretched out upward toward heaven and probably forward so that they touched or almost touched each other.  In that way they covered the mercy seat with their wings.  They indeed were to face each other and each toward the mercy seat.

(21) "And you shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you."

This mercy seat with cherubim on either side covering the seat with their wings was to be placed on top of the ark or chest, and the Testimony that the Lord was going to give Moses was to be placed inside the ark.

(22) “And there I will meet with you, and I will commune with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel."

There at the mercy seat God would meet with Moses and converse with him.  More specifically, God said He would converse with Moses above the seat in between the cherubim on either side of the seat.  There He would talk to him about everything He would give him with respect to the commandments to the children of Israel.

(23) “You shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height."

God instructed Moses to have the people also make a table of acacia wood, 3 ft. long, 1 ft. 6 in. wide, and 2 ft. 3 in. high.

(24) “And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a crown of gold all around. (25) And you shall make for it a border of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a golden crown to the border all around."

The table was to be overlaid with pure gold with a crown molding of gold all around it.  Most theologians agree that the border of a handbreadth is an additional border, probably from table leg to table leg all around.  A handbreadth was the width of a man's hand, just the four fingers, not including the thumb.  The fact that this border was also to have a crown all around makes it sound separate and not attached to the first molding, like it could have been a brace around the middle or bottom of the table legs.

(26) “And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that are on its four feet. (27) Over against the border shall the rings be for places for the staves to bear the table. (28) And you shall make the staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them."

There were to be four rings of gold placed on the four corners of the table at the table legs at the second border that was to be made all around from leg to leg.  The rings were to be where poles were inserted with which to lift and carry the table.  The poles were also to be made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold.

(29) "And you shall make its dishes, its cups, its covers, and its bowls for pouring; you shall make them of pure gold. (30) And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always."

They were to make all the dishes and utensils that would be used on the table out of pure gold.  The literal meaning of the words transcribed as "showbread" was "bread of faces", which may have referred to it being placed before the face of God, but probably more completely should be rendered as the "bread of presence".  That bread was to be on that table always, representing that God was present with them always.  The tabernacle was God’s house, and in it He had his table set with His bread, showing His people that He had taken up His dwelling among them.

(31) "And you shall make a candlestick of pure gold, of hammered work shall the candlestick be made; its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and its flowers shall be of the same piece. (32) And six branches shall come out of its sides, three branches of the candlestick out of one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side."

The original word for candlestick in the scripture above is "menorah" and the seven-branched candelabrum that word brings to mind now is more likely what is meant in this scripture rather than a single candlestick.  It was to be pure gold, and once again, rather than poured into a mold, it was to be hammered and worked from one piece.  Three branches were to come out of one side of the main stick or shaft and three branches out of the other side, making seven places for oil lamps, including the shaft in the middle.  There were to be bowls to hold the lamps, and ornamental knobs and flowers, all made from one piece of gold.

(33) “Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower; and so for the six branches that come out of the candlestick. (34) And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower."

The bowls for the oil lamps on each of the branches that extended from each side of the main candlestick were to be made as almond blossoms, each with an ornamental knob and flower.  The main shaft of the candlestick was to have four bowls made like almond blossoms, each with an ornamental knob and flower.

(35) “And there shall be a knob under two branches of the same, a knob under two branches of the same, and a knob under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick. (36) Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold."

This is where the instructions completely lose me.  It sounds as if there was to be another knob underneath connecting two branches, and two and two, making six branches with three knobs underneath, but since the branches were to be arranged three on one side and three on the other, it does not make sense.  None of the old commentaries I read bothered to explain this, but Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, did mention an interpretation of Jarchi, who was a medieval French rabbi and Torah commentator.  The previous scripture had just spoken of the bowls that were each to have a knob and a flower, and then the next speaks of "a knob under two branches of the same".  If "the same" is still referencing each bowl with its knob and flower, then verse 35's "knob" is speaking of the same knob, and what Dr. Gill said Jarchi wrote about it makes sense.  According to him, the knob was like a pomegranate (or an apple), and "two branches were drawn from the two sides of it...this clause is repeated twice in this verse, signifying there should be a knop under each of the three branches on one side, and three on the other side."  Once again these knobs and branches were to be hammered from one mass of gold, and not poured into molds and soldered together.

(37) "And you shall make the seven lamps for it, and they shall light its lamps that they may give light in front of it."

They were to make seven lamps for the elaborate candlestand, six for the bowls at the end of each of the six branches, and one for the shaft in the middle.  They should light the lamps so that they gave light before it out into the tabernacle.

(38) “And its tongs and its snuff dishes shall be of pure gold."

The instruments used to adjust and trim the wicks and to snuff out the lights, as well as the snuff dishes (literally fire pans) into which the snuffed pieces were placed and perhaps the tongs themselves laid, were also to be made of pure gold.

(39) "It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. (40) And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain."

The entire candlestand and all its utensils were to be made from a full talent of gold.  The old theologians and commentators that I read varied greatly in their opinions about exactly how much gold this was, but generally a talent was understood to be about the weight of a person, and was considered to be roughly 120 pounds.  God cautioned Moses to make sure everything was made according to the instructions He gave him.  The way the scripture is worded, it may be that Moses was even shown a model.  Nothing was to be left to the people's whimsy, but every detail religiously observed as God had directed.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, explained why it was necessary that every detail must be meticulously followed:  "As God designed that this building, and all that belonged to it, should be patterns or representations of good things to come, it was indispensably necessary that Moses should receive a model and specification of the whole, according to which he might direct the different artificers in their constructing the work."  He then went on to summarize the features of the tabernacle and its furnishings and what it represented:

1.  We may observe that the whole tabernacle and its furniture resembled a dwelling-house and its furniture.
2.  That this tabernacle was the house of God, not merely for the performance of his worship, but for his residence.
3.  That God had promised to dwell among this people, and this was the habitation which he appointed for his glory.
4.  That the tabernacle, as well as the temple, was a type of the incarnation of Jesus Christ.  See Joh 1:14, and Joh 2:19, Joh 2:21.
5.  That as the glory of God was manifested between the cherubim, above the mercy-seat, in this tabernacle, so God was in Christ, and in him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
6.  As in the tabernacle were found bread, light, etc., probably all these were emblematical of the ample provision made in Christ for the direction, support, and salvation of the soul of man. Of these, and many other things in the law and the prophets, we shall know more when mortality is swallowed up of life.