January 28

January 28

Exodus 30–32

Scripture Text: Exodus 30:1–32:35

Series: Read the Bible in a Year

Go to January 29

An altar for burning incense is to be made and placed before the veil. We may be confident that our prayers, when offered with faith in the name of Jesus, are like fragrant incense to the Lord (Psalm 141:2; Luke 1:2; Revelation 5:8; 8:3–4). 

A one-time tax is established for the upkeep of the sanctuary. A basin is prescribed for the priests to wash their hands and feet so that they are ritually clean before approaching the Lord. You might notice some foreshadowing of baptism in these verses. Instructions are given for making and using anointing oil and incense in the tabernacle. Anointing the priests with this oil sets them apart from the people so that they may serve God (Exodus 30:30). 

Chapter 31 begins with a sort of Old Testament gift of the Spirit: craftsmanship. The Lord fills two men in particular with his Spirit so that they may design and create art for the sanctuary according to the Lord's previous instructions. Further, God gives abilities to all so that they may fulfill his commands. 

The Sabbath is established as a day of rest, a day that sets apart God's people from the rest of society. Think of how different God has made you, that you go to worship him each Lord's Day while others sleep in, go on trips, or work.

Finally, the Lord gives Moses the two tablets of testimony, the Ten Commandments, written by the finger of God.

Before Moses can descend Mt. Sinai with these instructions about how and where to worship God, the people devise their own religion. They have Aaron make gods for them, though he makes one idol, a golden calf. He also contructs an altar so sacrifices may be made to this manmade god or idol. To make it even clearer that without Moses' leadership, the people have already returned to Canaanite worship of fertility gods, they settle into a day of various immoral activities, very likely including orgies — all done in veneration of their gods, which are meant to replace (Exodus 32:8) the one, true God, who delivered them from Egypt. Who are these gods in reality? Since they are not real, who are they actually? When we seem to worship money or sex or our neighbor's possessions or people, who are we really worshiping?

The Lord sees this from the mount and tells Moses to get down there. Further, he means to destroy the people and then, make a great nation of Moses. This would still honor God's covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:2).

But Moses intercedes for the people again, asking God to relent from his hot anger. He does, but ironically, no sooner does Moses draw near to the camp of the people singing and dancing around the golden calf, he becomes angry with them and breaks the tablets. Then he destroys the calf and demands an answer of Aaron. Moses implies that the people must have doen something to get him to sin this way. Aaron's pathetic response is the calf lept from the fire, as though to say that it was not his fault. 

The people have begun to lose all restraint, so Moses calls those who are on the Lord's side to come to him. Moses' and Aaron's own tribe, Levi, gather around him. Moses instructs them to kill many of the idolators (about 3,000 men) even though many would be family. The next day he goes back to the Lord on the mount, asking him to forgive the people's great sin. God promises that all who sinned that day would die. This should remind you of the fact of Romans 6:23. 

Because they made the calf, the Lord sends a plague upon the people. Now, plagues are serious things, widespread and killing. Think of the panic and death caused by Covid. Regardless of how devastating this plague was, it was a mere drop from the torrent of God's wrath. 

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