QT 5/21/2026 Exo 38:21–31, Spiritual babes have the wrong focus

Exodus 38:21–31 (ESV) —

21 These are the records of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 22 Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses; 23 and with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer and embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.

24 All the gold that was used for the work, in all the construction of the sanctuary, the gold from the offering, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. 25 The silver from those of the congregation who were recorded was a hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary: 26 a beka a head (that is, half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone who was listed in the records, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men. 27 The hundred talents of silver were for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent a base. 28 And of the 1,775 shekels he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their capitals and made fillets for them. 29 The bronze that was offered was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels; 30 with it he made the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and the bronze grating for it and all the utensils of the altar, 31 the bases around the court, and the bases of the gate of the court, all the pegs of the tabernacle, and all the pegs around the court.

 

NOTE: A lot of money (valuable items) were given by the entire community for the work of the temple. The silver was required during the census as a means to also count the men, but the rest was freely given. The whole community was involved. Aaron, Bezalel, and Oholiab represented three different tribes in the leadership of building the tabernacle. And I am sure the craftsmen under them were from even more of the twelve tribes. There is a fascinating degree of unity seen in their building project.

 

I wish more churches had that same degree of unity when facing a project. There is a major argument among churches that the money should be given before the work commences. In looking at this story, it appears the work started before all of the giving was complete. In fact, at some point the people were told to stop giving. So, should a church borrow money or wait upon having the full amount? I think we can be too legalistic to give an answer to that question. My preference would be to have the funds and resources before starting the project. But God has blessed efforts and churches who borrowed as much as those who waited. The more important issue is that people are unified.

 

When people argue about colors, carpeting, and comfort, they reveal that they are mere babes in the Lord. There will be baby Christians in the church -- some of those babies have attended the church for years, even decades. That is discouraging. Those people need to know Jesus deeper and they need to get involved in discipleship training.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I an infant in Christ despite years in the church?
2. Am I more concerned with colors of curtains than I am with where God would have me ministering?
3. Do I really ever think about a place of ministry, or is my focus on my personal comfort?

 

PRAYER: Father, open our eyes to our selfishness. Help us to grow up spiritually. Give us the wisdom to see our failure and to begin a discipline in our spiritual life of meeting with you each day.

QT 5/20/2026 Exo 38:8, Serving God on his terms

Exodus 38:8 (ESV) —

8 He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.

 

NOTE: This is the first mention of women ministering at the entrance of the tabernacle. In a not so flattering description, the practice continue for hundreds of years after as seen in 1 Sam 2:22, where Eli's wicked sons abused their authority. What did these women do? The passage says they ministered or helped. Stuart has suggested based on other passages of scripture that they helped the men by:

 

"… utensil cleanup,284 general courtyard cleanup,285 water resupply,286 ancillary food preparation, guiding and assisting other women worshipers,287 washing priests’ clothes,288 and the like

 

284 See, e.g., Lev 6:28.

 

285 Sacrificial animals were not housebroken. Not only so, but many body parts had to be disposed of in the process of preparing and cooking animals. Cf. 29:14; Lev 4:12, 21; 6:11; 8:17; 9:11; 13:46; 16:27. Priests may have done most of the disposal work (note the masculine pronouns in many of the commands), but women may have helped in various ways.

 

286 In most cultures it has primarily been a woman’s job to provide water for a home, and Israelite women probably supplied the water for use in the bronze laver at the tabernacle. Cf. Gen 24:11; Exod 2:16.

 

287 E.g., Lev 12. It is highly unlikely that OT priests would ever have touched women worshipers because of the sense of distance that was maintained between the genders in Bible times and because of the possibility that the woman (or man) worshiper was defiled by undisclosed contact with a dead body and therefore would ruin the priest’s holiness for service. So in those cases where women required being held or led by the hand or the like (because of age or infirmity, e.g.), a trained woman worker at the entrance to the tabernacle would naturally have been the ideal person to handle the task (e.g., Num 5:16–18, 24–25).

 

288 Lev 6:27. Nothing explicitly tells us that women did the washing, and many passages in Leviticus sound in English as if they describe men washing their own clothes (e.g., Lev 17:15), but it would certainly be surprising if men actually did a significant proportion of clothes washing in any ancient culture at any time.

 

Stuart, D. K. (2006). Exodus (Vol. 2, p. 767). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

 

Someone might be critical and say, "ah, women's work, the bible is misogynist." I believe that the women working there never for a moment felt that way but saw it as a honor to serve. Likewise the Levites who were not from the line of Aaron saw their role as an honor even if they could not be a priest.

 

It is our western view that has corrupted us. We overemphasize our freedoms, preferring our individual kingdoms rather than service to God. It is a privilege to serve God. We don't serve God on our terms, we serve on His terms, which means we are accepting of whatever role he has called us.

 

PONDER:

1. How do I serve others or God, on my terms or on their terms? Real service is serving based on the needs of the person I am serving

 

PRAYER: Father, this is a hard concept in our narcistic western society. We have years of brain-washing to overcome. We are an incredibly selfish society and we are blinded by our own sin. Open our eyes to truly see you and serve you on your terms. If we can't say that prayer, then something is wrong in our hearts.

QT 5/19/2026 Exo 37:10–16, Knowing God through a spiritual mean

Exodus 37:10–16 (ESV) —

10 He also made the table of acacia wood. Two cubits was its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a molding of gold around it. 12 And he made a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and made a molding of gold around the rim. 13 He cast for it four rings of gold and fastened the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 14 Close to the frame were the rings, as holders for the poles to carry the table. 15 He made the poles of acacia wood to carry the table, and overlaid them with gold. 16 And he made the vessels of pure gold that were to be on the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and flagons with which to pour drink offerings.

 

NOTE: I guess I always thought the table of shewbread was just a table for the bread, and possibly plates for the bread. But apparently, there are drink offering in bowls and flagons, and dishes with incense. Maybe the real picture is that of a meal, not just bread, to depict the need for spiritual food and spiritual drink. Communion has the bread and the cup of wine. It makes sense that the table of shewbread would look more like communion or even Passover than just a table with twelve loaves.

 

In the new kingdom, similarly there will be a meal to celebrate the Lord's victory. And to the confusion of some, animal sacrifice will also be a part of the millennial kingdom. I'm not sure why, other than the meat is a part of a meal of celebration, as well as emphasizing the seriousness of death, and Gods' holiness.

 

PONDER:

1. Knowing God is a meal, bread and drink, what am I doing to partake of the Lord?

 

PRAYER: Father, I know the bread is your word, but what is the drink in the daily spiritual life. Is it prayer? In the sacrament of communion, it represents Jesus' blood that washed our sin, guilt, and shame away. In that sense, maybe prayer and repentance is the washing that we need spiritually (our drink).

QT 5/18/2026 Exo 37:1–9, Treating sacred things seriously

Exodus 37:1–9 (ESV) —

1 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 2 And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold around it. 3 And he cast for it four rings of gold for its four feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side. 4 And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold 5 and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark. 6 And he made a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. 7 And he made two cherubim of gold. He made them of hammered work on the two ends of the mercy seat, 8 one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends. 9 The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.

 

NOTE: Bezalel follows the instructions of 25:17-20 virtually verbatim (Stuart, 2006). I did notice (as did Stuart in his commentary), that Moses and Bezalel started on the coverings that made up the surrounding border of the tabernacle as well as the inside structure and roof. The different order of events protected the inside furniture (to include the ark) from weather, and also from becoming a curiosity to the people. In a way, they preserve a view of the holiness of God by keeping the finished products from general view. Ultimately, that is emphasized even more when the High Priest is the only one allowed to see the ark of the covenant, and that once a year. During the travels in the desert, it is also covered by the priests and then carried using the long poles inserted through the rings. Bezalel is probably the only non-Levite to officially view or touch the ark (prior to its consecration).

 

What do we learn? I think the story emphasizes the holiness of God and how the Israelites were beginning to understand his holiness. The golden calf event and the purging afterwards showed the Israelites the seriousness of God toward his holiness and his command to only worship God, and not idols or images.

 

PONDER:

1. How serious are we in our view of God?
2. Do we have a flippant attitude toward the things of God?

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for your guidance in a difficult issue the other night and the godly responses from the men. Continue to lead us and teach us from your word.

QT 5/15/2026 Exo 36:8–10, Example of how God uses the whole body

Exodus 36:8–10 (ESV) —

8 And all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains. They were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked. 9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size.

10 He coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another. …

Exodus 38:21–23 (ESV) —

21 These are the records of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 22 Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses; 23 and with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer and embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.

 

NOTE: The pronoun "he" refers to Bezalel, but the "all the craftsmen among the workmen" refer to people in the congregation who volunteered to help. I postulate that Bezalel oversaw much of the work as opposed to doing all the coupling, etc. I think Bezalel probably did some of the intricate work. One of his qualities was his ability to teach. He probably did much of the initial work before passing it off to subordinates. I don't think that violates a literal hermeneutic (verse 10 and on), because the passage is the way most people would express an effort led by mostly one person. Otherwise, he would have had to do absolutely everything and the amount of work is quite extensive. In fact, Exo 38:22-23 seems to confirm my point when it says that Bezalel made all that the Lord commanded Moses, and then adds the fact Oholiab was with him, meaning Oholiab did quite a bit himself. Additionally, why mention that Oholiab was an engraver and a designer and an embroiderer if he did not do some of the fine work as well.

 

My point is that the building of the tabernacle was a team effort, and while one person might seem to get the credit, multiple people were involved. In terms that a Christian might understand, there are parts of the body that are noticed (pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc.) and other parts that are unnoticed (those with gifts of service, gifts of administration, gift of giving, etc.), but the body cannot function if each part does not contribute.

 

PONDER:

1. What is my part in the body of Christ? If you believed in Jesus, you were given a spiritual gift -- what are you doing with it?

 

PRAYER: Father, I know that I have certain gifts and responsibilities in the church. At times, I feel a little overwhelmed in terms of my ability to accomplish all that needs to happen. Give me grace, strength, and perseverance to finish the things that you have given me.

QT 5/14/2026 Exodus 35:30–36:7, We need the whole body

Exodus 35:30–36:7 (ESV) —

30 Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, 32 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, 33 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. 34 And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.

1 “Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the Lord has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded.”

2 And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. 3 And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, 4 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, 5 and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.

 

NOTE: In the New Covenant (through Jesus' blood), the Holy Spirit also gives gifts (1 Cor 12:4-11). The Holy Spirit is given upon belief in Jesus.

 

Ephesians 1:13–14 (ESV) — 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Acts 2:38 (ESV) — And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

Not so in the Old Covenant. The Holy Spirit was not given to all. It was not a promise (at least until the Messiah came). It did give gifts apparently, and a few are listed here: skill, intelligence, knowledge, craftsmanship, design, metal work, stone work, wood work, teaching, and other crafts. One can develop these gifts through hard work, apprenticeship, and training. And in fact, God calls other craftsmen to the job, but Bezalel (and Oholiab) were given special gifts for the work of building their worship center.

 

The people also responded, above and beyond the call in their giving.

 

While some had special gifts, they still needed others to do the work for God. Rarely does anyone do something on their own. God just doesn't work that way. The body of Christ is required, not lone rangers. Others have to be a part of the ministry or it will fail.

 

PONDER:

1. What ministry am I a part of and /or supporting?
2. Am I trying to do a ministry on my own?

 

PRAYER: Father, many people are involved in the ministry I lead to make disciples. But I need to do more to create a leadership group. I can't lead on my own, I need to involve others in the body. I pray for leading on who to involve and invite to such a ministry. Lead me and guide me.

QT 5/13/2026 Exo 35:1-29, In harmony

Exodus 35:4–10 (ESV) —

4 Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 5 Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord’s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats’ hair, 7 tanned rams’ skins, and goatskins; acacia wood, 8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 9 and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

10 “Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded:

…

Exodus 35:20–29 (ESV) —

20 Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22 So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 And every one who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats’ hair or tanned rams’ skins or goatskins brought them. 24 Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord’s contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. 25 And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 26 All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats’ hair. 27 And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece, 28 and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. 29 All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.

 

NOTE: It is so exciting when the body comes together for a building project. No one is complaining about the colors or the use of gold (bronze would be cheaper). No one is trying to exert their influence on the design. They are all one in spirit. I would like to say that this is common in Christian churches, but in my experience it is not. That does not make the church non-Christian, but it does reflect spiritual immaturity and a not-so-small group that are not Christians actually, but just religious. They are controlled by their desires. They are selfish and mean-spirited. Ultimately, it does mean that there needs to be an over-commitment to communication. People have to be heard (a lot) and given a chance to speak their minds, and sometimes even vote. Without such actions, the project does not move along. I wish we could be like the Israelis at this point in their history.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I a supporter or detractor when it comes to major efforts to improve the buildings by the leadership?
2. Do I pray or do I write numerous memos to communicate my desires?

 

PRAYER: Father, it is exciting to see the heart of the people at this point. As our church moves forward on some planned projects, I pray for a unity of spirit. I pray that you would quiet the voices of those whose only aim is to be right and to disrupt.

QT 5/12/2026 Exo 34:29–35, Life transformed by God's presence

Exodus 34:29–35 (ESV) —

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

34 Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

 

NOTE: For now, Moses is meeting with the Lord, face-to-face, in the tent of meeting outside the camp. Some commentators have suggested that later, he will meeting in the completed tabernacle, so my earlier comments should be taken with a grain of salt. For now, the effect of meeting with God, face-to-face, is to cause Moses' face to glow or shine forth light. Two things to point out:

 

1) I'm not sure what "face-to-face" means in this context. God is spirit and so he would not have a face. Additionally, God said that a person would die if he saw God's face. In Exo 33:11, God defines the phrase, "face-to-face" as how a man speaks to his friend. Did he see God's face? No, God is spirit. Did he talk to God like a person talks to a friend face-to-face? Yes. Another possibility is that he could have met with the second person of the deity, the preincarnate Christ, but we don't know.

 

2) Meeting with God causes a change in our image. One cannot meet regularly with God without life change or else you are not meeting with God.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV) — And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

 

A person who regularly meets with God will see his life change. He will begin to more and more reflect the image of God. If that is not happening, that person is not meeting with God.

 

PONDER:

1. Are you truly meeting with God every day?
2. Are you seeing change in your life?
3. Does your image reflect Jesus or something else?

 

PRAYER: Father, the religious fool themselves. They read a pre-written devotional and think they have met with God. They attend church each week and Wednesday night activities. But their life stinks because they are angry, crabby, opinionated on everything, complaining, and they don't even see it. Help us to see the true image of ourselves. Help us to repent and desire your Holy Spirit to work change.

QT 5/11/2026 Exo 34:21-24, Day of rest and times of worship

Exodus 34:21–24 (ESV) —

21 “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. 22 You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end. 23 Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. 24 For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.

 

NOTE: Verse 21 caught my attention. It is the command to rest one day a week. Even during the very difficult weeks when it is plowing time or it is harvest time, we are to rest. And not only that, you must make time in your schedule three times during the year to attend one of the feasts (actually, it appears to be a specific feast since all the males are to appear).

 

These are OT laws and for the believer in Jesus Christ, who has born again, we are not under the law. It was nailed to the cross. We are under a new covenant. Still there is much to learn from the OT laws. In this passage, we see the importance of resting one day each week, even during the busiest weeks of the season. Personally, I know that there are busy weeks in the year. I have worked late, and at times over the weekend during these busy weeks. The point is that the Sabbath rest is for our good. Biblically, the Sabbath is Saturday (well actually Friday night through Saturday afternoon) -- it is not Sunday (not that it matters). Saturday is a day of rest, of hobbies, and of time with family. It is the end of the work week. It is a good thing for our souls. It is also good to gather for worship on Sunday morning (although that is not a rule) with the body of Christ. While we are not under the law, there is a great danger in not making it a priority.

 

Hebrews 10:24–25 (ESV) — 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

 

We have a spiritual responsibility to encourage one another in the faith by worshipping corporately. When we fail to make that a priority in our life, we show a self-centered life that does not recognize the importance of others.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I a workaholic or do I take a day off each week to rest? A day like Saturday?
2. Do I believe in the importance of encouraging others by attending corporate worship on Sunday mornings? Or am I self-centered?

 

PRAYER: Father, one of the biggest weakness in the church is the selfishness of supposed believers. Instead of worshipping, that is when they rest from all work. There is a great weakness in the church and it is because we have misplaced priorities. I pray we would be committed to our faith and not to ourselves.

QT 5/8/2026 Exo 33:12-23, How do we see God?

Exodus 33:12–23 (ESV) —

12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” 14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

17 And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

 

NOTE: Moses prays /argues that God's presence must go with them. God answers by agreeing that his presence will go with him (Moses). The passage is confusing because God says that he can't go with Israel, because he will destroy the nation because of their sin. But he does agree to go with Moses. Did he agree to go with the people too? I'm not sure. Certainly, prayer can change the perceived direction that God has verbally said. God wants us to pray and will "change" direction according to prayer. The other possibility, is that God gave Moses the Holy Spirit. His Spirit would rest on many others but not all people during the Old Testament times. Just like today, the HS resides in us, even as we walk among a godless and sinful culture.

 

Moses also pleads for a greater revelation of God to himself. God puts him a cleft of a rock and passes by, allowing him to see his back. This is all clearly symbolic (in a sense) since God is spirit, but God revealed the same thing to Elijah. In that case (Elijah's), the real presence of God was the still small voice. God is not seen in the noise of mighty things, but is revealed in how his word changes us. Moses technically didn't see much of anything. He just heard his glory pass by, until the end. Idiomatically in Hebrew, to see the back of someone is to see nothing. And the anthropomorphisms are there to describe something that can't be described in any other sense. God does not have a huge hand, but God's "hand" prevented Moses from being blinded / destroyed probably by the amazing glory of the God of the universe. Going back in the discussion, Moses didn't see anything because he couldn't, but he heard God speak, and God's word is where we meet God for real.

 

PONDER:

1. Have we seen God in his word? You really can't unless you spend time daily in it

 

PRAYER: Lord, open our eyes to truth. The enemy has blinded us be denying the clear truths in your word so that we might never see or know you. Please take off the scales, and help people to see the truth. And for believers, may we stop arguing in human arguments but use your word in our discussions with others.

QT 5/7/2026 Exo 33:7-11, Seeking God despite obstacles

Exodus 33:7–11 (ESV) —

7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. 9 When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. 10 And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. 11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

 

NOTE: I was wrong about a previous comment where I mentioned Moses meeting with God in the tabernacle. It is possible that was always the intent, but after the golden calf incident, part of God's judgment was not to "travel" with the people. And so a meeting place had to be placed outside the camp. All these actions are a reminder of God's holiness and the consequence of sin.

 

I note that the pillar of cloud would descend to the tent of meeting outside the camp when God met with Moses. It could be that the pillar of cloud represented God's presence and it was no longer in the camp but rather above the camp. So, that was also a visual reminder of the seriousness of sin.

 

I can't imagine how much of an impact it was on Joshua, hearing God speak to Moses in the tent. It says he wouldn't leave, which I am sure is a common language hyperbole (He ate and performed other tasks as well, but he dwelt near the presence of God as long as he could).

 

So what do we learn? Actions have consequences (the removal of meeting from in the camp to the outside because of the golden calf), but individuals who are driven by a heart for God can overcome the obstacles to be near God. God is looking for those with a heart after him -- Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, …, Paul.

 

PONDER:

1. What do I seek out of life -- the things of life or the person who created life?

 

PRAYER: Father, I don't want to get caught up in things or luxury. Give me wisdom to see the difference.

QT 5/6/2026 Exo 33:1-6, The result of idolatry

Exodus 33:1–6 (ESV) —

1 The Lord said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ 2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”

4 When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.’ ” 6 Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.

 

NOTE: Things are not the same. I think we ignore how big a deal the golden calf incident was. Constable highlights two passages (as well as others) to show the before and after difference.

 

Exodus 19:5–6 (ESV) — 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

Exodus 32:29 (ESV) — And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”

 

There were all supposed to be priests, but now God selects a special group of men, Levites, to serve in the tabernacle. In the new covenant, as a result of Jesus' death, that original idea is restored.

 

1 Peter 2:9 (ESV) — But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Revelation 1:6 (ESV) — … and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

The sin in the desert had changed everything. In the passage in Exodus 33, God says his presence can't travel with them because he would destroy them. That is a confusing thought. God is spirit and he is everywhere. And yet in some unusual way, something about who God is, would be absent from their camp. It was a distance that God created, much like when we sin and our relationship with the Lord is affected until we repent. For the believer, God never leaves us, his Holy Spirit is in us, but the relationship is affected by sin. He seems far away and we can feel it. We know we need to deal with our sin.

 

PONDER:

1. Is there a sin that I need to confess and repent?
2. Does God feel far away at times? Who moved? If you don't meet with God regularly (daily in the word), God will feel far away.

 

PRAYER: Father, I never saw the change that came over Israel as a result of that sin. It is no wonder that Jeroboam son of Nebat's sin was such a stumbling block to the entire nation. Protect us from such stupidity and deception. I pray we would not make gods in our mind and worship them.

QT 5/5/2026 Ex 32:21-35, The incredible danger and degree of idolatry in modern times

Exodus 32:21–35 (ESV) —

21 And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” 22 And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. 23 For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

25 And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. 27 And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’ ” 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. 29 And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” 33 But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. 34 But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.”

35 Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.

 

NOTE: Aaron's response contains three components. First is that he blames the people for being evil, such that he couldn't control them. Second, he indirectly blames Moses for being gone so long. And third, he lies that the object was not fashioned but came out miraculously looking like a calf.

 

A better response would have been to take responsibility as follows. One, I felt overwhelmed and gave into the people in order to be liked. Two, I lacked faith. I did not believe you were coming back. Three, I created the idol. I could have stopped everything by refusing to accede to them.

 

In the New Covenant, we don't ever kill people for breaching orthodoxy, although we might remove them from the church because of false teaching. In this case, God commands it. Many feel that this idolatry led to a sexual orgy of worship. These people had crossed too many boundaries and would be a cancer that would eat away at others. Putting to death 3000 men was a protection for the whole camp, and it showed the seriousness of the sin of idolatry.

 

What is the application for us? The first commandment is to have only one God, the God revealed in the bible. Yet I see too many Christians who are embarrassed by the God of the bible and create their own version of God. When you do that, you are creating an idol. Be forewarned, God hates idolatry. Learn the bible, and understand the hard passages through study. Don't reject clear teaching of scripture.

 

PONDER:

1. Have I created a false image of God in my mind? Reject it and seek the one true God

 

PRAYER: Father, I see this mistake everywhere. People are creating gods of their minds and religions of their own that are not grounded in truth. They have made themselves gods by deciding what is and is not truth. Jesus said,

John 8:31–32 (ESV) — 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

May we be set free by the truth of God's word and not enslaved by the false truths of our culture.

QT 5/4/2026 Exo 32:1-20, The battle against sin in our inner being

Exodus 32:1–4 (ESV) —

1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

Exodus 32:11–14 (ESV) —

11 But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 14 And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

 

NOTE: Two things stand out to me in this passage. One, Aaron will end up lying about the event. Yes, he was under a lot of pressure because of the long absence of Moses, but he fashioned the calf, it did not come out that way as he will later argue in his defense. This is so true of sin, there are usually two responses to being caught in sin, one is to justify and the other is to lie about it. We are all guilty of the same responses when we are caught.

 

The second thing that stands out is that Moses stands up for the people and prays for them. I think God wanted Moses to pray for them. There were many times God could have and should have destroyed the people, but he did not. A good leaders prays for the people. We are certainly not worth it, in terms of behavior, but we are worth it, in the sense that Jesus died for us and we are now called God's adopted children. So, we need to pray for the believers and for their protection from sin. It is a dangerous thing to play around with sin. And I am speaking to myself in this regard as much as to anyone who might read this.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I play around the fire, in my mind, and maybe in my actions?
2. Or do I deal decisively when temptation attacks me?

 

PRAYER: Father, I do struggle with entertaining thought which are not good for my soul. I need your strength and power in my striving to battle the enemy. Give me grace and mercy. I am always in need.

QT 5/1/2026 Exo 31:12-18, Rest for the sake of rest

Exodus 31:12–18 (ESV) —

12 And the Lord said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’ ”

18 And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

 

NOTE: I don't want to start any arguments. The idea of the Sabbath is a great idea, that is, taking a rest one day a week. In the New Covenant, Sunday is not the Sabbath, and Sunday does not replace the Sabbath. Jesus' comments were very clear that the Sabbath was for man, not for itself. Verse 17 makes the injunction even more clear when it says that the Sabbath was a sign between God and the people of Israel.

 

As Christians, we do celebrate the resurrection of Jesus every week on the first day of the week. We come together not because of a law, there is no law, but because we want to encourage one another.

 

Hebrews 10:24–25 (ESV) — 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

 

Too many Christians want to turn the New Covenant into the Old Covenant version 2.0 -- that is clearly not what God intended.

 

Colossians 2:13–14 (ESV) — 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

 

Our sins are cancelled. The legal demands of the law have been set aside. They are nailed to the cross. They do not govern our lives. We are under a different law, the law of Christ.

 

Galatians 6:2 (ESV) — Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

 

We can't be under the OT law if we believe that Jesus is our new high priest. Jesus was born of the tribe of Judah. By OT law, he cannot be our high priest because that would be a violation of the law.

 

Hebrews 7:11–16 (ESV) — 11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. 13 For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

15 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.

 

A further reading of Hebrews 8-10 makes the need for our new covenant even clearer.

 

So what does all this mean in regard to the Sabbath? The idea of a Sabbath day of rest is a good thing. It was established on Saturday, the last day of the week to give people a rest. But it became its own thing, i.e., a rule because religious people made it into something different. Our Sunday is not the Sabbath, but it can also be a good day for rest if a person chooses. Our Sunday is a day when we gather for corporate worship and the encouraging of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

PONDER:

1. What am I doing to encourage others in their walk with God? What questions do I ask? What do I share?
2. Does talking about sports, the weather, and work encourage others in their walk with God?
3. Do I ever share what God has been teaching me in his word with other people? (That is true Christian fellowship)

 

PRAYER: Father, if I am wrong in my understanding of these things, please show me. Give me a tender heart that hears what others have to say and takes it to prayer and your word for review. The Bereans examined teaching faithfully against your word. I want to follow their example.

QT 4/30/2026 Exo 31:1–11, Beauty

Exodus 31:1–11 (ESV) —

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. 6 And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, 8 the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, 9 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, 10 and the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.”

 

NOTE: Bezalel and Oholiab are called out for the intricate work of the tabernacle. But, starting in verse 6b God says, "… And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: …" before listing all the different items that need work. So, there are a number of people involved. Bezalel is specifically lists for "artistic designs" mostly in metal. That sounds like who oversaw the work of the artisans, the able men with ability.

 

Beauty is important to God. I think it is epitomized in women, the desire and the appreciation. This design, while a copy was in heaven, was completed by men on earth, unlike all of creation which was God's handiwork. Sometimes, we overlook God's love of beauty as well as function. We could learn a few things from those who do have an appreciation of beauty.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I only interested in function, and forget that our Lord loves beauty?

 

PRAYER: Father, open my eyes to all the beautiful things in our creation. Help me to remember that it is you, to make all things beautiful in their time.