Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 8

Because Blogger limits the number of labels per post, I have had to divide the study of Numbers 26 and its important census that determined the inheritances of the tribes of Israel, into eight short posts:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 1

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 2

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 3

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 4

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 5

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 6

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 7

And to complete the counting of the tribe of Levi, part 8:

(Numbers 26:60) To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. (61) And Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before the LORD.

Aaron's sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, but Nadab and Abihu were struck dead when they offered profane incense in disobedience before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2).

(62) And those who were numbered of them were twenty-three thousand, all males from a month old and upward: for they were not numbered among the children of Israel, because there was no inheritance given them among the children of Israel.

The tribe of Levi were not counted in the same way as the other tribes.  They were not men of war, and were therefore counted every male from one month and older.  They numbered 23,000 which was an increase of 1000 since the census taken 38 years prior to this one.  They were not numbered with the other tribes because they had no part of the land of Israel divided to them and had no inheritance in it.

(63) These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan across from Jericho.

After eight short posts, the numbering of the Israelites in chapter 26 of Numbers comes to an end.  They were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, as instructed by God in verse 2 where they had dwelt in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River across from Jericho.

(64) But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. (65) For the LORD had said of them, “They shall surely die in the wilderness.” And there was not left a man of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

In this census taken 38 years after the first census in the wilderness of Sinai, except for Caleb and Joshua, there were not any of the same people counted that were counted in the first census, for the Lord had told them they would all die in the wilderness.  They all did die, except for Caleb and Joshua, whom the Lord allowed to enter their promised land because of their faith and good report of the land of Canaan, when all the rest of the spies had brought back a bad report, in spite of what their Lord had told them about it.

Note the goodness and mercy of the Lord to His people in that even after all their provocations, He raised up another generation as numerous as the previous one to which He would fulfill His promise to give them their inheritance in their promised land flowing with milk and honey.  God's will shall be done always.  Had the Israelites trusted and obeyed their Lord from the beginning, they would have entered their promised land much sooner.  Even though their iniquity prevented the first generation from seeing His promise fulfilled, His will was fulfilled with the next generation.  

The Passover and the Pillar of Cloud Directing the Movements of the Israelites

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 9:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, (2) "Let the children of Israel also keep the Passover at its appointed time."

I am supposedly doing a chronological Bible study, one that was suggested by Skip Andrews found here.  However, this taking place in the first month of the second year after they had come out of Egypt, was actually prior to the numbering that took place in Numbers 1 which was on the first day of the second month (Num. 1:1).  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, explained it this way:  "It is...recorded here as introductory to the ordinance of Num. 9:6-14 in this chapter respecting the supplementary Passover; the observance of which was one of the last occurrences during the halt at Sinai."  The Lord spoke to Moses telling him the children of Israel were to keep the Passover at its appointed time as follows:

(3) "In the fourteenth day of this month, at evening, you shall keep it at its appointed time; and according to all its ceremonies you shall keep it.”

The fourteenth day of this first month, Abib or Nissan (corresponding to our March or April), at evening, which was when the Hebrew day started, they were to keep the Passover according to all its ceremonies which had been previously described in Exodus 12.

(4) And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, that they should keep the Passover.

Moses told the children of Israel what the Lord had told him about them keeping the Passover at its appointed time.

(5) And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at evening in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did.

The Israelites kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at evening, just as the Lord had commanded Moses that they do.  As far as keeping all its ceremonies (v. 3 above), some details would necessarily differ from the first Passover, like putting the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts, which was not only impossible since they were living in tents, but also unnecessary since they were not in Egypt and no longer had to be identified and "passed over" during the killing of all the firstborn in Egypt.  However, the people had been instructed to keep that day as a memorial and keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout their generations (Exodus 12:14).

(6) And there were certain men who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day.

There were certain men who could not keep the Passover on that day because they had been defiled by a dead body.  The people had been told previously in Numbers 5:2 to separate those who had been defiled by the dead from the camp.  Albert Barnes suggested that these men were probably Mishael and Elzaphan, who buried Nadab and Abihu within a week of this Passover.  Moses was the one who had instructed these men to carry their brethren out of the camp (Lev. 10:4), so it was certainly through no fault of their own that they could not keep the Passover.  Therefore they brought their case to Moses and Aaron.

(7) And those men said to him, “We are defiled by the dead body of a man; why are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in its appointed time among the children of Israel?"

The men explained to Moses that they had been defiled by a dead body, and seemed to lament the fact that they would not be able to participate in the Lord's Passover at its appointed time.

(8) And Moses said to them, “Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you."

Moses told the men to wait there while he consulted the Lord about what He would have these men do.

(9) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (10) “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If any man of you or of your posterity is unclean because of a dead body, or is on a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the Passover to the LORD.'"

The Lord told Moses to tell the children of Israel that if any of them at that time and in their future generations became unclean because of a dead body, or found themselves on a journey far away, they would still be able to keep the Passover to the Lord.

(11) "'The fourteenth day of the second month at evening they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.'"

They would be allowed to keep the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month, that is Iyar, corresponding to our April or May.  That gave them an entire month to cleanse themselves if they were defiled or to return home and prepare for the Passover, which was never to be omitted.  The Passover lamb was to be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs as instructed in Exodus 12:8.

(12) "‘They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break any bone of it; according to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it.'"

None of the flesh of the Passover lamb was to be left until morning, but any that was left was to be burnt with fire (Ex. 12:10), nor was any bone of the lamb to be broken (Ex. 12:46).  The people were to observe the same ordinances of the Passover as if they had kept it on its appointed day.

(13) "‘But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and fails to keep the Passover, that same person shall be cut off from among his people; because he did not bring the offering of the LORD at its appointed time, that man shall bear his sin.'"

However, if a person was not defiled and was not on a journey afar off, but just neglected to keep the Passover for whatsoever petty reason, that person was to be cut off from among his people, which meant either excommunication or even death by the immediate hand of God.  Because that man had broken a divine law of God and had shown negligence and ingratitude to his Lord, he would certainly bear his sin in this affront to God.

(14) "'And if a stranger shall sojourn among you and will keep the Passover to the LORD, according to the ordinance of the Passover and according to its manner, so shall he do; you shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger and for him that was born in the land.'"

If a stranger was visiting and wished to participate in the Passover, he could, as long as he had been circumcised, according to earlier instructions in Exodus 12:48:  "And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land; for no uncircumcised person shall eat of it."  If the stranger was circumcised and wished to participate in the Passover, he may, but he must observe the law of the Passover just as a child of Israel must.

(15) And on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony; and at evening there was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire, until the morning.

On the day that the tabernacle was raised up, which was the first day of the first month in the second year after the people came out of Egypt (Exodus 40:2), the pillar of cloud in which the presence of the Lord manifested itself (Exodus 13:21), covered the tabernacle, more specifically that part that covered the Ark of the Testimony.  Through the night the cloud looked like a pillar of fire.

(16) So it was always; the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.

So it was that the Lord was with them always; the cloud covered the tent of the testimony by day, and the appearance of fire covered it by night.  The King James translators supplied the words "by day"; they were not in the original text.  Even commentators agree the words were necessarily applied.  However, I see the meaning clearly without those words.  Those words make it sound as if the cloud took on two different forms, one as a cloud during the day and one as a pillar of fire during the night.  I see the meaning as the cloud covered it always and that same cloud had the appearance of fire at night.

(17) And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.

We learned in earlier scriptures that the cloud was with them always guiding them on their journey (Exodus 13:21-22), but when the tabernacle had been raised, the cloud covered the tent and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34).  When the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, as that pillar of cloud probably visible to all the camp, then the children of Israel journeyed with the pillar of cloud guiding them.  When the cloud settled back down, there the Israelites pitched their tents.

(18) At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched; as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.

It's not that the Lord audibly commanded they journey, but by the motion of the cloud, He directed them to move or camp.  As long as the cloud abode over the tabernacle, the people rested in their tents.

(19) And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and did not journey.

Even if the cloud remained over the tabernacle many days, the children of Israel obeyed the Lord's command and did not journey.

(20) And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed.

That was the way it was for the people when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle.  According to the commandment of the Lord through the motion of the cloud, they either abode in their tents or journeyed.

(21) And so it was, when the cloud abode from evening until the morning, and the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed; whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.

Likewise, that was the way it was for them if the cloud rested over the tabernacle only one night.  Whenever the cloud was taken up, whether day or night, they journeyed.

(22) Or whether it was two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining on it, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not; but when it was taken up, they journeyed.

Even if it was more than a few days, if it was a month or a year that the cloud remained on the tabernacle, the children of Israel resided in their tents and did not journey.  At the time it was taken up, whenever that was, they journeyed.

(23) At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed; they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Once again, the commandment was made visible to the people by the motion of the cloud, and they obeyed and rested in their tents, or they obeyed and journeyed, according to the commandment of the Lord that had been explained to Moses.

There are many lessons to be learned in this pillar of cloud.  The people never knew when the cloud would move.  They had to be always ready to move, but then again, they could be waiting days, weeks, or months.  Is that not the way it is for us?  We have no idea what the future holds and our best laid plans can be wiped away in an instant:  "Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14).  Also there is a time when we should rest and wait on the Lord:  "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him..." (Psalm 37:7a).  As Matthew Henry stated in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, "There is no time lost while we are waiting God's time. It is as acceptable a piece of submission to the will of God to sit still contentedly when our lot requires it as to work for him when we are called to it."  When we get busy and try to fix things ourselves, we can often screw it up, or at the very least, we won't have God's best for us!  Think of Sarah deciding it must be up to her to "help" God when she gave Abraham her hand maiden Hagar to have a child for him.  God still gave Sarah a child, but there was much strife in her life caused by Hagar and her child, all because Sarah jumped in to "do something" before God's timing. 

Note how many times it was stated that the people obeyed the commandment of the Lord in the cloud.  It must be very important and I believe, for our instruction, as "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).  How important it is for us to be with God at all times!  We must follow the direction of His word and Spirit; "all the motions of our souls must be guided by the divine will" (Matthew Henry).  "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:6).  How wonderful the care God has for His people!  Although we don't visually see His constant presence in a cloud, He gave us His Holy Spirit to guide us:  “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth..." (John 16:13a).  "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD..." (Psalm 37:23a). 

The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 1

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 3:1) These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

In the previous several chapters, the Lord had been speaking to Moses, giving him laws and instructions to pass on to the people.  At the time this took place, the following is an account of the descendants of Aaron and Moses.

(2) And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

I believe because Aaron and Moses were brothers, Moses's name was included in verse 1.  However, it seems that only the descendants of Aaron are named.  I believe that is because it was Aaron who was the head of the tribe of Levi, and we are about to see a census of sorts of the Levites.  In the previous two chapters of Numbers, Moses and Aaron numbered the armies or tribes, but were instructed by God not to number the Levites.  This chapter is an account of the Levites.

These sons of Aaron--Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar--were first mentioned in Exodus 6 when we learned that Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon.

(3) These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.

These sons of Aaron were the priests who were anointed and set apart to minister in the office of the priesthood.

(4) And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.

In Leviticus 10, we read the account of Nadab and Abihu who offered profane incense in the sight of the Lord; and they were devoured by the fire of the Lord.  They died with no descendants, and Eleazar and Ithamar were left to carry on in the Aaronic priesthood.

(5) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (6) "Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him."

The Lord told Moses to bring the tribe of Levi before Aaron the priest, offering their services to the sanctuary.

(7) "And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle."

The tribe of Levi was to assist Aaron the high priest, working for the whole congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.

(8) "And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle."

The tribe of Levi was to take care of the tabernacle and all its furnishings.  They serviced the priests and therefore serviced the entire tribe of Israel by taking care of the tabernacle.

(9) “And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him out of the children of Israel."

The whole Levite tribe was given to the service of Aaron and his sons, the priests.  The priests came only from the Levites, and all of the Levites, even though most not priests, were set apart from the rest of the tribes of Israel and appointed for the service of the priests.

(10) "And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office; and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”

Only Aaron and his sons were to be appointed to the priesthood, and they only were to attend to the duties of the priest's office.  A stranger in this case was anyone who was not a priest; anyone who came near to perform any duties that were wholly set aside for the priests only, would be put to death.

(11) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (12) "And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel; therefore the Levites shall be Mine, (13) Because all the firstborn are mine; on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast; they shall be Mine; I am the LORD.”

The Lord continued speaking to Moses, telling him that He had taken the Levites from all the children of Israel to be His own, set apart for His service and the service of His sanctuary.  The Lord took the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, whom He had declared as His own when He had spared the firstborn of Israel at the time He destroyed the firstborn in Egypt (Exodus 13:15).  As He alone had the sovereign right and power to take the firstborn as His own, and because they were now His, He also had the sovereign right to take the Levites as His own in exchange for His firstborn.

(14) And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, (15) “Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families; you shall number every male from a month old and upward.”

Having numbered all the other tribes except the tribe of Levi, the Lord now instructed Moses to number the Levites.  Whereas the Lord had Moses and Aaron number only the men of the other tribes who were twenty years of age and older, He now instructed Moses to take a census of the Levite males who were one month and older.  The other tribes were to be ready for war, but the Levites were to be the Lord's, and were to be set apart and trained from their youth for the service of His sanctuary.

(16) And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.

Moses, with Aaron and the heads of each tribe, had numbered all the other tribes, but it appears that only Moses numbered the Levites just as God had instructed him to do.

(17) And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

The immediate sons of Levi, who went with him into Egypt (Genesis 46:8 and 11), were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

(18) And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.

The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei.  These sons had first been named in Exodus 6:17 when the heads of the fathers of the Levites were named.

(19) And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.  These sons were also mentioned in Exodus 6 as heads of the Levites.  Amram was the father of Aaron and Moses (Exodus 6:20).

(20) And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.

The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.  Mahli was written as Mahali in Exodus 6:19.  The preceding verses listed the families of the Levites according to the houses of their fathers.

Since Blogger limits the number of labels per post, and there are many more notable names in the third chapter of Numbers, the study of this chapter is continued here:

The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 2

The Sin and Death of Nadab and Abihu

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Leviticus 10:1) And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them.

In the last chapter and post, Aaron, who along with his sons had been previously solemnly consecrated to the priest's office, began the exercise of his priestly office and offered the first offerings of himself and of the people.  A fire had come from the Lord indicating His acceptance of the offerings that Aaron had offered just as had been instructed by Moses.

Now Nadab and Abihu, the two oldest sons of Aaron (Exodus 6:23), each took his own censer, a vessel in which coals of fire were put and incense upon them, which the sons indeed put, and they offered "strange fire" before the Lord, which the Lord had not commanded be done.  The original word for "strange" was "zoor" and it meant "strange, profane" and "to be estranged, as to commit adultery".  At first glance, it might seem that we don't know exactly what Nadab and Abihu did that made their fire profane, but I believe the answer is in the end of the verse that said God "had not commanded them".  While everyone else was prostrate in awe and reverence and humility, these two did not wait for the solemn instruction with which everything else had been done up to this point, but of themselves took their censers and put fire and incense and burned it.  The rituals that took place in the tabernacle were all for the Lord and per His instruction.  Deciding of themselves to offer incense was offering a strange fire not authorized by God, and forbidden, like had been commanded in Exodus 30:9 when it was said that no "strange incense" be burned on the incense altar, "strange" meaning any other incense for any other purpose other than what was commanded.  The brothers offered "strange fire" of themselves that had not been commanded by God.

(2) And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

The fire from the Lord that had just sanctified the ministry of Aaron as well pleasing to the Lord, now brought destruction to Aaron's two oldest sons because they performed a self-willed act of worship.  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, pointed out that this was consistent with what was said later in the Gospel:

"For we are to God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: to the one we are the savor of death leading to death, and to the other the savor of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?" - 2 Corinthians 2:15-16

The very same salvation Gospel of Christ means life to them who accept and are saved by it, and death to those who reject it.  This fire that came from the Lord devoured Nadab and Abihu, meaning devoured their lives, and they died right there before the Lord.  They were not completely devoured to non-existence as a later verse will show.

(3) Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying, 'I will be sanctified in those who come near Me, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" And Aaron held his peace.

Moses spoke immediately to Aaron repeating the words of the Lord.  Although this exact quote of the Lord is not found in scripture, there is a hint of it in Exodus 19:22 when the Lord said that the priests who came near to Him must be sanctified "lest the LORD break forth upon them".  The Lord is a holy God who must be approached with reverence and seriousness and His presence is not to be entered into vainly or lightly.  Aaron held his peace meaning he acknowledged and submitted to God's righteous justice and did not murmur against His Lord.

(4) And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.”

Here is where we see that the bodies of Nadab and Abihu were not totally devoured to nothingness because Moses called upon Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, who was the uncle of Aaron, to carry Nadab and Abihu out of the camp.

(5) So they went near and carried them in their coats out of the camp as Moses had said.

They did as Moses said and carried the bodies in their coats out of the camp.  It's interesting to note that although fire came out and killed them, perhaps as if by a flash of lightning, neither their bodies nor their clothes were burned up.

(6) And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people; but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD has kindled."

Moses told Aaron and Aaron's two remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, that they were not to uncover their heads or rent their clothes, which were signs of grief and mourning.  As a matter of fact, they were strictly forbidden to do it or else they would die and God's wrath would come upon all the people.  Lamenting so demonstrably for them would have sent the message that even though their family members' actions were so heinous and provoking to God, and so deserving of the punishment He inflicted on them, their mourning might be seen as justifying the crimes and accusing God of unjust severity.  In addition, they were not to be diverted from or disturbed in their present service to their Lord.  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, put it this way, "By this they must make it to appear that they had a greater value and affection for their God and their work than for the best friend they had in the world."  However, as a whole, they and the whole house of Israel, should bemoan the incident, not so much for the death of their brethren, but for the irreverence to the Lord that had occurred, and in respect and recognition of the Lord's sovereign and powerful judgment, and for His wrath that could just as easily consume all of them as they were sinners, as well.

(7) "And you shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.

Additionally, Moses told Aaron and his sons that they were not to go outside the door of the tabernacle as they were consecrated with oil to the priest's office, the oil being the symbol of the Holy Spirit, that Spirit of Life; and they were to be completely attentive to their priestly affairs dedicated to their Lord preferring service to Him over any mourning or funeral customs.  They did just as Moses told them to do.

(8) And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, (9) “Do not drink wine or strong drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations,"

The Lord now spoke directly to Aaron, rather than through Moses.  He told him that neither he nor his sons were to drink wine or any strong drink when they went into the tabernacle.  It is believed by many Bible commentators that the reason for this prohibition at this time might be because Nadab and Abihu were drunk when they offered strange fire.  That is certainly possible.  They had feasted that day and probably drank freely in celebration of their first day into their priesthood.  Service in the priest's office called for clear heads and clean hearts in the administration of sacred things.  Even if the brothers had not been drunk, God was pointing out to Aaron that this was a most sacred service they were undertaking and it was to be administered with reverence and respect and wine and strong drink were prohibited under the penalty of death, and as a statute forever.  Note the prohibition seems to just apply to when they were going into the tabernacle; they were permitted to drink wine at other times.

(10) "And that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, (11) And that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.”

The Lord continued speaking to Aaron giving him the reason for the prohibition, that the priests' minds be clear and their understanding and judgment correct, that they be able to distinguish between holy and unholy (which obviously Nadab and Abihu were not able to do), and clean and unclean, and that they be able to properly teach the children of Israel all the statutes that God had passed to Moses to pass to them.

(12) And Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons who were left, “Take the grain offering that remains of the offerings made by fire to the LORD, and eat it without leaven beside the altar, for it is most holy. (13) And you shall eat it in the holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due, of the sacrifices made by fire to the LORD; for so I have been commanded."

Moses now spoke to Aaron and his remaining two sons, and told them to take the grain offering that remained of the offerings made by fire to the Lord (all but the handful that was burnt), and instructed them to eat it without leaven beside the altar, here called the holy place, because that part of the grain offering that remained for the priests was most holy.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, pointed out that this was not the previously designated "holy place" next to the "holiest of holies" within the tabernacle, but was a so-called holy place within the court of the tabernacle next to the altar at the door of the tabernacle.  This part of the grain offering was for Aaron and his sons only, not for any other family, etc., and was to be eaten nowhere else but in the tabernacle.  Moses lets Aaron and his sons know that this was the will of God as He had commanded him.

(14) "And the wave breast and heave shoulder you shall eat in a clean place, you, your sons, and your daughters with you; for they are your due and your sons’ due, which are given from the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel."

Moses continued speaking to Aaron and his sons, telling them that the breast that was waved and the shoulder that was heaved was provided to them and their families and was to be eaten in a clean place, but not necessarily a holy place.

(15) "The heave shoulder and the wave breast they shall bring with the offerings of fat made by fire, to wave it for a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be yours and your sons’ with you, by a statute forever, as the LORD has commanded.”

Moses continued speaking to Aaron and his sons, continuing the thought from the previous verse that these items were given from the sacrifices of peace offerings brought by the children of Israel with the offerings of fat, and the breast and the shoulder were to be Aaron's and his sons' portion by an everlasting statute commanded by the Lord.

(16) And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burnt; and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying, (17) “Why have you not eaten the sin offering in a holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God has given it to you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD?"

Leviticus 9:15 told of Aaron taking the goat, the sin offering for the people, killing it, and offering it for sin.  Verse 16 stated he then brought the burnt offering.  These were two different offerings as stated in Leviticus 9:3--a kid of the goats for a sin offering and a calf and a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering.  Moses now looked for the goat of the sin offering and saw that it was burnt, and he was angry with Aaron's sons, Eleazar and Ithamar.  The flesh of this goat was not to be burnt, but to be eaten by the priests in the holy place, according to Leviticus 6:25-26:  “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed, the sin offering shall be killed before the LORD. It is most holy. The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of meeting.'"  Moses demanded to know why the sons had not eaten the sin offering in a holy place; it was most holy and to be eaten by the priests to bear the iniquity of the people.  In this way, they bore the sins of the people as their own, and then made atonement for them.  In this, they were symbolic types of Christ, who took the people's sins upon Him and bore them in His own body on the cross, and made full satisfaction and atonement for them.  Seeing that the eating of the sin offering of the people was of so great importance, the neglect of it by the priests angered Moses.  You would think that just after witnessing what happened to their brothers, they would have been more carefully attentive to the laws of God.

(18) "Behold, the blood of it was not brought inside the holy place; indeed you should have eaten it in a holy place, as I commanded.”

Moses referred back to the instructions given in Leviticus 6:30, which were that if any blood of the sin offering had been brought into the tabernacle, then the sin offering was not to be eaten, but was to be burnt in the fire.  However, in this case, he said that no blood of the sin offering was brought inside the holy place, therefore they were to have eaten it in a holy place, as he had previously told them.

(19) And Aaron said to Moses, “Behold, this day they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD, and such things have befallen me; and if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been accepted in the sight of the LORD?”

Moses had directed his anger toward Eleazar and Ithamar, but it was Aaron who answered.  Perhaps what they did was by Aaron's direction, and therefore he apologized for it.  In essence what he said was that on this very day when they had sacrificed sin and burnt offerings to the Lord, this great calamity had befallen him; and would it have been pleasing to the Lord that those so humbled and distressed by the sin of their family members and God's divine judgment, would have chosen to feast on the most holy flesh of the sin offering?

(20) And when Moses heard that, he was content.

Moses was content with Aaron's answer.  God judges the heart of man rather than his actions.  In verse 3 above, Aaron had held his peace and not openly and audibly mourned for his sons.  In his excuse to Moses, he did not say that it was in an act of mourning (choosing to mourn for his sons over the law of God) that he chose not to feast on the sin offering, but rather wondered aloud if it would have been acceptable to the Lord to be done in his present sorrowful spirit.  Indeed, God had provided in other places that what could not be eaten was to be burnt.  Aaron's unfitness for duty, natural and not sinful, was given a great allowance and God had mercy on him and his remaining sons.  It appeared that Aaron did aim to be acceptable to the Lord, and this was most surely a case of the spirit being willing, but the flesh was weak.  God judged Aaron's heart, and we being unable to see within a person's heart, should learn to be careful not to judge every little action of another person.  We must learn to forgive and show mercy just as we are forgiven and shown mercy by our Lord.

Aaron and His Sons Are Set Apart for the Priest's Office

Continuing with a chronological Bible study:

(Exodus 28:1) "And take unto you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me in the priest's office, Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar."

In the last chapter, God had just given Moses instructions on how to make an altar and a court for the tabernacle.  In the last verse He told how Aaron and his sons were to tend to the lamps "from evening to morning before the LORD".  Now He continued by telling Moses to take Aaron and all his sons from among the children of Israel to be priests to minister to Him, the Lord, "in the priest's office".  Before this time the eldest in every family officiated as priest, perhaps because there was not just one place of public worship.  Now that they were building a tabernacle for the Lord, they were to have one set of priests and that was to be Aaron and his sons.

(2) “And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. (3) And you shall speak to all who are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me in the priest's office."

They were to make holy garments for Aaron because he was to minister in the holy place and perform holy service to the Lord.  The garments were to be made for glory and honor to the Lord, and were to be beautiful.  Only the wisest and most skillful of the children of Israel were to make Aaron's garments to put on him at the time of his consecration as priest.

(4) “And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, an embroidered coat, a turban, and a belt; and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me in the priest's office."

They were to make specific pieces for Aaron and his sons to wear in the priest's office.  There was to be a breastplate, an ephod (a type of apron without sleeves), a robe, an embroidered coat, a turban, and a belt or sash.  These were to be holy garments necessary for Aaron and his sons to be able to minister to the Lord in the priest's office.

(5) "And they shall take gold, and blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. (6) And they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine woven linen, with cunning work."

They were to take real gold made into thin flat wires or threads, and blue, purple, and scarlet threads, either woven into fine linen or embroidered onto fine woven linen.  Thus they were to make the ephod with the skilled work of a wise and skilful artisan.

(7) “It shall have two shoulder pieces joined at its two edges, and so it shall be joined together. (8) And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is on it, shall be of the same, according to its work of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine woven linen."

The ephod was made of two pieces of cloth of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, on the front and the back, with shoulder straps joining the two pieces.  The "girdle", or belt or band of the ephod was to be made of the same skilled and artistic work with gold and blue, purple, and scarlet threads on fine woven linen.  Interesting "curious girdle" is the way the original word "chesheb" was translated.  It was not the same word used for girdle in other scriptures--"abnet".  This was a "curious" girdle!  Strong's defined it as being an interlaced belt or strap.  Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions defined it as a girdle of ingenious work.  Probably this was not a separate belt over the top of the ephod, but was a part of the ephod, ingeniously interwoven onto the ephod.

(9) "And you shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: (10) Six of their names on one stone, and the names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. (11) With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel; you shall set them in ouches of gold."

They were to take two onyx stones and engrave the names of the sons of Israel, or Jacob, six on one stone and six on the other, in birth order.  The engraving was to be done by an engraver skilled in the art of engraving precious stones.  It was to be done with the same elegance and precision as signet rings were engraved at the time.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wrote this about the engraving of signet rings:

"So signets or seals were in use at this time, and engraving on precious stones was then an art, and this art, which was one of the most elegant and ornamental, was carried in ancient times to a very high pitch of perfection, and particularly among the ancient Greeks; such a pitch of perfection as has never been rivaled, and cannot now be even well imitated. And it is very likely that the Greeks themselves borrowed this art from the ancient Hebrews, as we know it flourished in Egypt and Palestine long before it was known in Greece."

The engraved stones were to be placed in "ouches" or settings of gold.  They were more than plain settings of solid pieces of metal, but the original word "mishbetsah" translated as "ouches" in the KJV meant more of a wrought, plaited, or filigreed setting.  It was said that Shakespeare used the word "ouches" in the general sense of "jewels".  Indeed even the dictionary meaning of ouch is "a brooch or clasp set with gems".

(12) “And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders as a memorial."

The engraved stones were to be placed on the shoulder pieces, or straps, representing the twelve tribes of Israel.  Aaron, as high priest, was to represent the children of Israel before the Lord.  The names of their twelve tribes were to be upon his shoulders, the place of strength of a man, as indicated in other scriptures like that of Isaiah 9:6, which said the government would be upon Christ's shoulder.  In this way, Aaron illustrated a type of Christ, representing all his people, making intercession for them, and bearing their burdens, the care and government of them being upon his shoulders.

(13) "And you shall make ouches of gold, (14) And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work you shall make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches."

They were to make the ouches of gold into which the stones were to be set.  Two chains of pure gold were to be twisted or braided into cords and fastened to the ouches on the shoulder straps.

(15) "And you shall make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; according to the work of the ephod you shall make it, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine woven linen, you shall make it."

The "breastplate of judgment" was to be made of the same skilled and artistic work as with the ephod, of gold and blue, purple, and scarlet threads, and fine woven linen.  The original word translated as "breastplate" was "choshen", suggesting more of an ornament with sparkle; it was called a breastplate merely because of its position on the chest.  It was called one of judgment because, in the words of Adam Clarke, "the high priest wore it upon his breast when he went to ask counsel of the Lord, to give judgment in any particular case; as also when he sat as judge to teach the law, and to determine controversies."

(16) "Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width."

The fabric that made the breastplate was to be doubled, perhaps to give it more stability, but also to form a fold in which to hold something, like the Urim and Thummim perhaps, which will be studied when mentioned later.  When doubled, it was to be one span on each side.  A span was said to be the span of an outstretched hand, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger, about nine inches.

(17) “And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones; the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row. (18) And the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond. (19) And the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. (20) And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be set in gold settings."

On the breastplate of judgment were to be four rows of stones set in gold settings, three in each row representing each of the twelve sons of Israel or Jacob.  There was a different stone representing each of the sons of Israel.  What every one of the stones was may not be known exactly.  It was interesting that what the KJV called an emerald in the first row was called a carbuncle or beryl by other translations, and what was called an emerald was translated as turquoise.  There is so much discrepancy among experts and the theologians that I am not even going to try to determine exactly what each stone was.  At this point, I don't think that is what was most important.  I believe the point is that each one of the stones was a distinct separate stone representing each one of the sons of Israel. 

(21) “And the stones shall have the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes."

Each stone was to have engraved on it the name of the son of Israel that it represented.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, did as good or better a job at telling what each stone was and who it represented, and stated that it was "in this order the Jews in general agree to place them":

First Row:  Sardius or Ruby - representing Reuben / Topaz - Simeon / Carbuncle or Emerald - Levi
Second Row:  Emerald or Turquoise - Judah / Sapphire - Issachar / Diamond - Zebulun
Third Row:  Jacinth - Dan / Agate - Naphtali / Amethyst - Gad
Fourth Row:  Beryl - Asher / Onyx - Joseph / Jasper - Benjamin

(22) "And you shall make chains for the breastplate at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold."

I would assume that these are the same braided gold chains that were attached to the ouches on the shoulder straps, the other ends being attached to the breastplate.

(23) “And you shall make two rings of gold on the breastplate, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. (24) And you shall put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate. (25) And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains you shall fasten to the two ouches, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod in the front."

Two gold rings were to be made and placed at the two upper corners of the breastplate.  The two braided gold rope chains were to be placed in the rings and fastened to the ouches on the shoulder straps of the ephod in the front.

(26) "And you shall make two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate on the edge of it, which is on the inner side of the ephod. (27) And two other rings of gold you shall make, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath toward its front, right at the seam above the the curious girdle of the ephod. (28) And they shall bind the breastplate by means of its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it is above the curious girdle of the ephod, and so that the breastplate does not come loose from the ephod."

I'm a little unclear about whether the two rings mentioned in verse 26 are additional rings, or if they are the same ones mentioned in verse 23, just a little more elaborated on, and exactly where all these rings were placed.  The old commentaries are mixed, but I am beginning to settle on the image that there was the one set of rings mentioned in verse 23 holding the breastplate up by means of the wreathen chains attached to the shoulder straps, and there were two sets of rings attaching the breastplate to the ephod underneath at the top and at the bottom.  The bottom pair of rings were placed right above the "curious girdle" of the ephod.  Again, I'm unclear exactly what rings and where attached to the breastplate, but scripture does say that the rings of the breastplate were bound to the rings of the ephod with a blue lace that kept the breastplate in place above the girdle of the ephod.

(29) "And Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the LORD continually."

Once again it is said that Aaron would bear the names of the sons of Israel engraved on the breastplate of judgment upon his heart whenever he went into the holy place.  The memorial may have been more for Aaron himself to remind him that he entered the holy place not in his own name, but in the name of all the children of Israel.  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, reminded me that:  "The high priest had the names of the tribes both on his shoulders and on his breast, intimating both the power and the love with which our Lord Jesus intercedes for those that are his."  The priest was a type of Christ intercessor and mediator between the Lord and His people. 

(30) “And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be upon Aaron's heart when he goes in before the LORD; and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually."

The fabric of the breastplate was doubled over creating a fold and a pocket to place the Urim and Thummin that would rest upon Aaron's heart when he went in before the Lord.  "Urim" means "light" and "Thummim" means "perfection".  According to some of the greatest Biblical scholars and theologians that I study, it has never been determined exactly what the Urim and Thummim were.  However, we know that they were physical material things because they were kept inside the fold of the breastplate.  They appear to have been used perhaps as a sort of lots or dice in which the Lord would make known His will through them.  These symbols of light and perfect truth and judgment were to be upon Aaron's heart continually when he was before the Lord.

(31) "And you shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. (32) And there shall be a hole in the top of it, in the middle of it; it shall have a woven binding all around the hole, like the opening in a habergeon, so that it does not tear."

The robe of the ephod has been described as a simple loose fitting tunic style of garment with no sleeves and only a head hole in the top, worn under the ephod.  It was to be made of blue cloth and the head hole was to be reinforced with a woven binding so that it would not tear.  The habergeon has been described as a linen corslet or a light sleeveless coat of mail.  Whatever it was exactly, it was used here as an example of how the head opening of the robe of the ephod was to be reinforced.

(33) “And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: (34) A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around."

Along the hem of the robe they were to make blue, purple, and scarlet pom-pom style decorations, or in the form of pomegranates.  The pomegranates were to alternate with gold bells all around the hem of the blue robe.

(35)  “And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before the LORD and when he comes out, that he may not die."

The sound of the bells would be heard whenever Aaron went into the holy place before the Lord, undoubtedly to make the people aware of the solemn and important duty the priest was then performing, but it is also said they would prevent Aaron from dying.  Great care and respect was to be taken with how the priests approached the Lord.  Albert Barnes put it this way, "An infraction of the laws for the service of the sanctuary was not merely an act of disobedience; it was a direct insult to the presence of Yahweh from His ordained minister, and justly incurred a sentence of capital punishment."

(36) "And you shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. (37) And you shall put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. (38) And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD."

The people were to make a plate of pure gold engraved with the words "HOLINESS TO THE LORD".  The plate was to be placed on a blue lace or band and fastened on the turban so as to be placed in the front of the turban.  This would position the plate on Aaron's forehead to bear in his mind that he "bore the iniquity of the holy things..."  The meaning here is a little unclear to me, but Aaron was acting as a type of Christ.  "Bearing the iniquity" applied to one who suffered the penalty of sin or to one who took away the sin of others.  Therefore, the people's imperfect gifts and offerings were made acceptable to the Lord because of the One who took away their sins.

(39) "And you shall embroider the coat of fine linen, and you shall make the turban of fine linen, and you shall make the sash of woven work."

The coat of fine linen appears to be a garment distinct from the ephod and the robe of the ephod, and was probably the innermost of all the priestly garments.  It was to be embroidered or woven in fine linen and was bound to the body with a needlework sash.  The turban was also to be made from fine linen.

(40) "And for Aaron’s sons you shall make coats, and you shall make sashes for them, and bonnets you shall make for them, for glory and beauty."

They were also to make coats, sashes, and caps for Aaron's sons.  They were to be made for glory and for beauty, that is, both to point out the dignity and honor of the office they held as ministers of the Most High God, and to be beautiful.

(41) "And you shall put them on Aaron your brother and his sons with him; and shall anoint them, consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to Me in the priest's office."

All these garments before described were to be put on Aaron and his sons, and they were to be anointed (probably with oil), consecrated, and sanctified, investing them with their garments and setting them apart, devoting them to the office of priesthood.

(42) “And you shall make for them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; they shall reach from the waist to the thighs. (43) And they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near to the altar to minister in the holy place, that they do not bear iniquity and die; it shall be a statute forever to him and his descendants after him."

Linen breeches were to be made for Aaron and his sons, reaching from their waists to their thighs, to cover their nakedness.  For decency and purity in holiness, the breeches must be worn by Aaron and his sons whenever they came into the tabernacle or when they came near the altar to minister in the holy place, again a necessary act of respect and obedience that prevented immediate death.  This was to be a statute forever, or as long as the priesthood continued, as these things foreshadowed the coming of Christ.

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.