Podcast

In our previous episode, but Moses again interceded when God said he will not go with Israel to the Promised Land.  Moses begged him to go with them personally because God’s presence is what set them apart from everyone else on earth.  God agreed – but it sounded more like he was going because of who Moses was – not because of who the people were.  I don’t think it is too much of a stretch to say that even one person’s prayer can save a nation.  That’s something for us to think about in the world we live in today. 

Something extraordinary happened after God agrees to go.  Moses wanted MORE of God.  He wanted to SEE His glory.  God agreed to let him see on the back of Him because no one could see God’s face  and live.  And God didn’t trust him not to peek.  He covered him with His hand until He passed by. 

Even if Moses could see ALL of God’s glory, God was sweet and caring enough to let him catch of glimpse of it.  Maybe God allows us to see as much of him as we can handle on this earth. Let’s listen in to Exodus chapter 34.

Reflection Questions:

1.  What stood out to you today?  Did anything surprise you?

2.  What do you see God doing in this chapter? 

3.  What does that teach you about who God is?

In our last episode, at the same time God is telling Moses to build a place for Him to dwell with His people and outlining holy uses for the gold they fled with from Egypt; at the same time God is outlining the commandments to not have any other gods or make any idols….and at the same time He is calling out a holy priesthood and outlining festivals to honor Him…the people ran amuck. 

The people wanted a god they could see…they wanted something to worship.  So Aaron, the man God just earmarked to be the first in the lineage of priests created an golden calf.  The gold to use the very things God wanted to use to create holy things was used to create something unholy.  When the people saw it, they did what they said they would never do, and worshipped a god other than Yahweh, and then their own festival to commemorate the occasion. 

God saw the whole thing and burned with anger, but Moses interceded for them and argued for God to remember His faithfulness.  Then, Moses went down to confront the people and gets so mad he throws down the stone tables!  The consequence of Israel’s sin was 3,000 people dead by the sword and a plague.  Let’s see what happens next in Exodus 33.

Reflection Questions:

1. Recap the story in your own words
2. What stood out to you today?  Did anything surprise you?
3. How does this story point us to Jesus?

In our last episode, God called two men to oversee the work of building each facet of the temple.  He placed His Spirit on one of them and gave them wisdom, skill, and expertise in all the areas needed in order to complete the work You called them to do.   And after telling Moses everything they had to make and build, God reminded him that the Sabbath still needed to be observed.  They rest because God rested, and because when we observe the Sabbath, we are imitating Him.   Let’s continue with Exodus chapter 32.

Reflection Questions

1. Where did the people fail? 
2. What was God’s response to that failure?
3. How does this story point us to Jesus?

So far this season, we’ve caught up with the Israelites from where we left off in Genesis and seen God’s faithfulness to His word and His covenant with Abraham back in Genesis 15. 

We met a man named Moses who had a heart for rescuing God’s people, the Israelites.  Moses’s story was complicated, but God chose him to rescue His people out of the land of their slavery and lead them into a land of abundance – The Promised Land.   

After 400 years of oppression – right on time based on God’s promise to Abraham back in Genesis – God moved on behalf of His people and rescued them.  He executed 10 plagues because one man refused to humble himself.  When God finally broke his heart, Pharaoh did, indeed, let God’s people go, but changed his mind and tried to chase them down with his whole army.  The Israelites thought they were trapped but God had a plan to fight for them and to take them through the Red Sea on dry ground. 

Then, God leads His people to the wilderness – a place where He would test their faith after the miracles they saw Him do on their behalf.  But the struggles of having their basic necessities, like food and water, eclipsed all the miracles.  So, God miraculously and supernaturally provided for them with bread in the mornings, meat in the evenings, and water in the most unlikely of places.  God gave the Israelites a chance to be in His Presence, to hear directly from Him, but they were afraid of His power and were too terrified to go.  So, Moses went on his own. 

Last week, we heard what God told Moses during his time on the mountain of God.  God made a covenant with His people and they provided to be obedient.  To commemorate the occasion, God had a feast with Moses and some of the elders.  When He called Moses to come up higher, Moses went and God gave him instructions and a blueprint for a Tent  – A Tablenacle – Where He could dwell among his people.  God designed a tent with intricately woven curtains.  The tent would have a courtyard.  He also gave Moses the plans for a golden Lampstand and recipe for oil to keep it lit.  He instructed him to build an ark of the Covenant where God would speak to the priest.  And we actually heard about who the priests would be and how they would carry the guilt of Israel’s sin on their shoulders and their names over their hearts. 

Let’s see what else God has in store for the tent in Exodus chapter 31.

Reflection Questions

1.  What stood out to you today?  Did anything surprise you?

2.  What does God say His Spirit will do in this chapter? 

3.  How does this help us understand the work of the Holy Spirit today? 

4.  Use the next few moments to think about how you should respond in light of this passage?

In our last episode,  we heard about the ceremony to ordain God’s priest and it was bloody.  Blood always has to be shed in order for us to be in God’s presence.  Let’s see what happens next in Exodus chapter 30. 

Reflection Questions:

1.  What stood out to you today?

2.  How does this chapter point us to Jesus?

3.  How do you need to respond?

In our previous episode, God provided Moses with specification for the garments the priests would were and specified the priests would come from Aaron’s lineage.  God’s priests – those who were set apart to minister to Him – dressed differently and specifically from everyone else.   And what they wore, held meaning.   

The priests carried the names of God’s people on their shoulders and over their heart.  They would take on the guilt of God’s People in order to be accepted by God.

Let’s listen to God’s continued instructions in Exodus chapter 29: 

Reflection Questions:

1. What stuck out to you today?  What surprised you?
2. Why did the priests have to be consecrated? 
3. How does this story point us to Jesus?