Exodus 28 - the Priestly Vestments

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Aaron and his sons were priests. The Lord endowed certain Israelites with special talents and they were chosen to create fine priestly vestments for Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Using gold, violet, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linens they were to make breastplates, ephos, robes, brocaded tunics, miters and sashes. The garments were to be made so exquisitely that they would set off the priests from the rest of the Israelites. God wanted His priests to be distinguised and easily recognizable. Another thing He instructed Aaron to do was to have the sons of Israels names sewn into his breastplate so that when he made decisions regarding them they would be on his heart. 

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Exodus 27 - The Altar, Court and Lamp Oil

 

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God provided the Israelites with specific instructions for each step of creating the synagogue. The altar of the holocaust was to be made from acacia wood and to measure 5 cubits long by 5 cubits wide and 3 cubits high. Instruments to be used at the altar such as a rack, basket, shovel, pots for removing ashes, and so forth were to be made of bronze. God went on to explain in explicit design how the court yard and even the columns were to be designed and created and then the oil for the lamps was to be made from pressed olives.

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Exodus 26 - Decorating the Sanctuary

 

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Wouldn't it be something if we could visit the first sanctuary ever built? According to the above site, this is where the first church was built and it was built exactly to the specifications of God. The Israelites has a very close relationship to God. He had fed and nurtured them firsthand. He brought them out of land of their oppressors and was taking them to the "promised land".

Exodus 24 and 25 gave us some very specific instructions that he had given to Moses and the children of Israel. If we ever doubt for a moment that our God does think thoroughly through any of His undertakings, we have only to pick up the Bible and browse these chapters. In this chapter God tells His children what type of fabric he would like the tent constructed of and the veils. He explains how the walls should be made and of what type of materials. Remember this is the same God that designed an ark which protected Noah, his family and two of each type of animal and reptile throughout the flood. Our God is very detail oriented and very caring. 

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Exodus 25 - The Planning of the Sanctuary

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"Tell the Israelites to take up a collection for me. From every man you shall accept the contibution that his heart prompts him to give me." God said to Moses then he went into specific instructions on what would be needed to build the ark, table and lampstand. The instructions were precise and the results were sure to be something with so much splendor that nothing could compare.

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Exodus 24 - Moses Stays with God for 40 Days

 

God told them all to worship at a distance but Moses. Moses was invited to come up into the mountain and commune with God. He brought God's instructions back to the people and related them to them and they agreed to all that God asked. 

Moses then took Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and 70 elders with him to the mountain where they beheld God. Under His feet there appeared to be beautiful tile made of sapphires as clear and blue as the sky. They were allowed to gaze upon God's image and live to tell of it. Then God instructed Moses to come with him to receive the stone tablets with the ten commandments on them. He took with him Joshua and his aide but they remained behind as he got closer. Moses entered into the cloud with God and remained there for 40 days and nights. 

To the Israelites God appeared as a consuming fire on the mountaintop, but they could see Moses enter into its midst.

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Exodus 21-23 - The Laws

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In both of these chapters God expounds upon the ten commandments clarifying the letter of the law pertaining to violence, property, cleanliness, and justice. 

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Exodus 20 - God delivers the 10 commandments

God delivered the ten commandments with great thundering, lightning, trumpet sounds along with a mountain filled with smoke. The people backed up and stood afar off as they were fearful that if they witnessed God they would die. They asked Moses to speak to God in their behalf and promised their obedience. The commandments are as follows:

The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-17 NKJV)
1	“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2	“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of any- thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments.
3	“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
4	“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
5	“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
6	“You shall not murder.
7	“You shall not commit adultery.
8	“You shall not steal.
9	“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10	“You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.” Posters of the ten commandments can be purchased here. image source

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Exodus 19 - The Burning Mountain

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It was three months after they had escaped from Egypt. They set up camp in Sinai. Moses went up into the mountain to speak with God. God told Moses that if the people listen to Him they would be blessed above all other people and would a kingdom of priests and dearer than all others. When Moses carried this message back to the people they wholeheartedly agreed to listen and obey. He also told Moses that when the people witnessed Him speaking to him they would truly respect and have faith in him. 

Then God told Moses to instruct the people to sanctify and cleanse themselves for three days and to set the mountain as off limits for He would come down and speak to them. They were not to even set foot on the base of the mountain as it would needed to remain holy and pure. If they disobeyed they could be put to death. 

The morning of the third day a great trumpet sounded, there was great thunder and lightning, everyone in the camp trembled and a cloud encompassed the mountain. The Lord descended upon the mountain in a fire, and the very mountain shook. Moses spoke to God. God spoke to Moses in thunder. The people were warned again not to step foot even on the base of Mount Sinai. There were not to try to break through to get a glimpse of God. Moses went up in the mountain to commune with God. 

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Exodus 18 - Appointment of Minor Judges

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Moses is reunited with Zipporah and his sons

In Exodus 2 Moses had been invited to live with Jethro and his family and was given Zipporah his daughter in marriage. They had two sons. Jethro had heard of the wonderful miracles that God was performing and how God had helped Moses to conquer the enemy and free the Israelites from captivity. He, Jethro, brought with him Zipporah and their two sons. He sent word on ahead to Moses that he was coming to visit him. Moses came out to greet him and bowed low to show his respect. They greeted exchanging kisses as was customary, then went into the tent to talk about God's wonders. 

Moses appoints men to hear the minor cases

Then next day as Jethro, who himself is a priest, saw the many people come and line up to ask Moses to mediate for them, he suggested that Moses appoint certain Godly, respectable and wise men to sit over the lesser disagreements so that Moses would not have so much upon his shoulders. He agreed, selected the men and bid his father in-law farewell as he journeyed back to him homeland. 

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Exodus 17 - Water from a rock

In a particular stage of the journey, the Israelites became thirsty and began to quarrel with one another and with Moses. They again questioned why Moses had taken them from Egypt. They argued so angrily with Moses that Moses cried out to God that if the Israelites did not get water he feared that they may stone him.

God told Moses to take some of the elders with him along with  his staff then in front of the Israelites to take the staff and  to strike the rock at Horeb. The Lord said I will be there and cause water to flow from the rock that they may drink.

At Rephidim, Amalek came to challenge them to a war. Amalek was from an aboriginal tribe from southern Palestine and the Sinai peninsula. Joshua was instructed to select certain men to go with him into battle and Moses would stand at the top of the hill with his arms outstretched. As long as Moses held his arms up the Israelites were winning, but when he grew tired and lowered them the enemy would start winning so Aaron and Hur helped to support his arms and the battle was won. God told Moses he would blot out from memory in the annals of history the mention of Amalek, but will remember the victory of Joshua. An altar was built and praises made to God.

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Exodus 16 - Groaning and Grumbling

The Israelites cried moaning and groaning unto Aaron and Moses stating they would have been better off had the Lord let them die rather than to bring them to a desert to die of famine.

God told Moses to have the Israelites gather bread each morning enough for their family that day and not to gather more than they needed as He would supply enough each day. On the sixth day only could they gather extra so that they might rest on the sabbath. Some disobeyed and when they gathered too much it was spoiled in the morning, however when they saved some for Sunday it was good the next day. Moses warned them that their grumbling was not against Aaron and himself but against their God and they ought not grumble as God provides for them. He then asked them to present themselves to God and then they witnessed God in a cloud in the desert. He told them that in the morning they would have bread and in the evening they would have quail to eat. 

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Exodus 15 - At last the Israelites are free!

Imagine the feelings of relief felt by the children of Israel. They were born into slavery. Their parents and their parent's parents were too. Life had been hard for them and they certainly thought they were going to die as slaves, only moments before as they were trapped between the Red Sea and the armies. They sang of how the Lord opened the seas for them to pass on dry land but closed the same sea right behind them as the enemies pursued and swallowed them up. Verses 9 and 10 state they sang

""The enemy boasted, "I will pursue and override them; I will divide the spoils and have my fill of them; I will draw my sword; my hand shall despoil them!" When your wind blew, the sea covered them; and they sank in the mighty waters." The New American Bible

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Exodus 14 - The Lord opens and closes the sea

The Lord directs the Israelites and has them near the Red Sea causing them to appear as if they could be easily trapped and captured. At the same time He causes the Pharaoh to have a change of heart and think about the slaves being freed and his loss of free labor. Suddenly the Pharaoh assembles his armies and his chariots to go after the Israelites.

Can you imagine the Egyptians, who have had free slave labor all their lives suddenly realizing that they need to perform the tasks they are accustomed to having done for them? They are in hot pursuit and look ahead to see the Israelites within grasp.

The Israelites see the armies closing in on them and cry out to God and Moses asking if they have been brought this far to die in the desert. Moses turned to them and told them to stand their ground and they would witness their God destroy their enemies before them. Then God said to Moses lift up your staff and lift it before the sea. Tell the children to pass and I will protect them. Pharaoh's armies along with Pharaoh were closing in on them and God closed the sea upon them! Not one Egyptian survived. Not one Israelite was hurt! When the Israelites saw them all lying dead it renewed their faith as they feared God and Moses. 

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Genesis 13 - God led them by fire

The Lord instructed the Israelites to consecrate the firstborns "of man and beasts for it belongs to me."

Joseph had asked that they vow to take his bones with  them when they journeyed to the promise lands so his bones were with them. They were led by cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night as they headed to the red sea on their journey to the their first passover celebration.

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Genesis 12 - The Passover Rituals Explained

The rituals of the first passover feast were explained to God's children.

When the Pharaoh's household woke in the middle of the night they found their firstborn dead and so did every other Egyptian families. There was a loud wailing throughout all of Egypt and the Pharaoh, though already warned of this, summoned Moses and Aaron, this time pleading with them to please go and take everything with them, their children, their flocks... Just go!

The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked their neighbors for jewelery and clothes. The Lord had made them behave favorably to the Israelites and many valuable items were offered and taken. About 600,000 men (not counting children) began the journey. This had been the families of Abraham which accumulated since. They stay it Israel since Joseph, had been 430 years.

Then the Lord explained to His children the regulations they needed to keep the passover.

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Exodus 11 - The Worst Plague

The tenth and worst plague - Death of the firstborn

The Lord told Moses to instruct every Israelite to ask their (Egyptian) neighbor for silver, gold and clothing. Moses was held in high esteem by the servants and other Egyptians. Then he advised them that at midnight the Lord would go through Egypt and every firstborn would be slain, human and animal alike. He told them that not even a dog would growl to warn them, but there would be loud wailing throughout the land and the Pharaoh would send the people on their way, but God made the Pharaoh stubborn one more time so that his power could be demonstrated and the people would learn that there is but one true God; the God of the Israelites.

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Exodus 10 - Two More plagues and Moses is Threatened

The eighth plague - locusts.

The Pharaoh is continuing to be stubborn while Egypt is destroyed with each plague being worse than the previous one. The Lord told Moses that he would continue to make the Pharaoh stubborn so that once he let the people go he would have a greater respect for God and so that the Israelites could tell their children and their grandchildren about these days.

Aaron and Moses approached the Pharaoh telling him that if he continue to be stubborn and refuse to let them go into the desert to worship their God he would invade their land with a plague of locusts like they had never before seen and it would eat all of the vegetation left in Egypt. The servants plead with the Pharaoh to please let the people go before there was no more Egypt, so he summoned back Moses and Aaron back and the Pharaoh tried to bargain with them that only the men go, no cattle, no children, and not their families.

The Lord told Moses to stretch forth his hand so that the locusts could destroy whatever the hail had not and everywhere became covered with locusts. There was nothing green left on the land. The Pharaoh sent quickly for Moses and Aaron confessing that he had sinned and begging for Moses to pray on his behalf. The moment Moses prayed and the Lord removed the locusts, the Pharaoh was again adamant refusing to let the Israelites go.

The ninth plague - darkness.

God told Moses to stretch forth his hand and the land of Egypt "may be such intense darkness that one can feel it." Egypt was enveloped in complete and total darkness for 3 days but the Israelites had light as normal. The Pharaoh told them they could go but without their flocks and herds and Moses told him that they needed their herds to present a sacrifice. The Pharaoh threatened Moses with death if he ever appeared in front of him again and Moses replied "Well said! I will never appear before you again!"  This is taken from The New American Bible.

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Exodus 9 - 3 More Plagues and Pharaoh Remains Stubborn

The Pestilence

The Lord told Moses that he would strike  the livestock of the Egyptians dead tomorrow but not one of the Israelites so that Pharaoh could see that there was no mistake.The Pharaoh still persisted in his stubborness and refused to let the Israelites going wanting to keep them as slaves.

Then came the 6th plague - Boils.

The Lord told Aaron and Moses to take a double handfull of soot from the furnace and to do this in the presence of the Pharaoh so that he could see that it was from God. Moses scattered it towards the sky. It caused boils and open sores to rise up on the skin of all the Egyptians, even on the sorcerers. Each time that God predicted that the Pharaoh would be stubborn, it was so. He still refused to let the people go.

The 7th Plague - Hail

Moses told the Pharaoh that his God was a just God and could have struck him dead at any time but he was sending him these plagues that he might understand the power of God. He warned him to bring  man and beast in from outside as he was going to rain down hail like they had never seen before. The hail was accompanied by lighting and thunder and splintered mighty trees and destroyed crops. It did not strike the Israelites that lived in Goshen.

The Pharaoh summons Moses

He confesses that he is the one who has sinned and that God is a just God. He asked that Moses please take the Israelites and go but to pray for him as he leaves that the plague would be lifted, but the moment that the hail stopped, the Pharaoh blocked the Israelites and stopped them from leaving. This was not a surprise to God as He foretold it to Moses, advising him that the Pharaoh would be very stubborn in letting the slaves go.

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Exodus 8 - The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Plagues

The Lord told Moses to instruct Aaron to stretch out his staff over the waterways, streams, and pools that frogs may overrun the land. Once the frogs were in an abundance everywhere, the Pharaoh summoned his magicians and sorcerers who also created frogs. Then he requested Moses to please pray that they would be removed and he would let the people go. The Pharaoh and Moses set up an appointed time the next day and the Lord removed the frogs from everywhere but the rivers.

Once they were removed the Pharaoh became stubborn again. God told Moses to have Aaron strike the dust and bring forth gnats to cover all man and beast. The sorcerers told the Pharaoh that this was truly the hand of God as they could do nothing against this plague. Then the Lord sent another plague, but this one was different. Swarms of flies landed on everything belonging to the Egyptians, except in Goshen where the Israelites resided. This was as God said to show that it from God and he was not sending a plague on His people.

The Pharaoh summoned Aaron and Moses asking them to go and offer sacrifice to their God and to pray for him. He gave them one stipulation however, and that was that they were not to go to far away. Moses prayed for the Pharaoh and the plagues were removed but the Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let the people go.

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Exodus 7 - Moses and Aaron Speak to the Pharaoh

God reminds Moses of the roles he and Aaron are playing. He told Moses that he was as a god and Aaron as a prophet and they were to approach the Pharaoh. Because of the horrendous things the Pharaoh had done to God's chosen children, he would pay. God would harden his heart making him to be stubborn so that God could demonstrate to him the power that is His. The Egyptians would learn to fear and honor God.

 Moses was  80 and Aaron 83 when they and their families approached the Pharaoh. They turned the staff into a serpent, and the Pharaoh summoned sorcerers who did the same, but Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs.

Then Aaron came and struck the water supplies with his staff in full view of the Pharaoh telling him that God was turning his waters into blood because he had refused to let the people go. They lost all their sea food and had no clean water to drink. Then the Lord told Moses to wait a week and then strike Pharaoh with a plague of frogs. There were swarms of them everywhere.

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Exodus 6 - The Israelites Refuse to Listen

God responded to Moses.

"Now you shall see what I will do to the Pharaoh. Forced by my mighty hand, he will send them away..."

The Lord told Moses to tell the Israelites that He will free them from their slavery and give them the land which he promised to their forefathers. 

When Moses told the Israelites they doubted him. They had been so accustomed to their oppression that they feared to believe they could escape it. Moses told God, they will not listen to me so how can I expect the Pharaoh to as I am so poor at speech? Then the Lord God instructed both Aaron and Moses with the words to use but Moses continues to protest more.

This chapter also  provides us with details of lineage.

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Exodus 5 - the Pharaoh is Even More Heartless

Moses and Aaron visited the Pharaoh with God's message to him advising him to let the people go into the desert and celebrate a feast in honor of God or they may suffer pestilence or the sword.

The Pharaoh was quite upset with the request stating that their God  meant little to him so he gave orders to the foremen to no longer provide them with straw to make their brick but to order them to find their own and still make as many bricks as before. The foremen pleaded with the Pharaoh telling him that the workers were already overworked and the Pharaoh would not budge, so then they cried to Aaron and Moses. Moses then accused God of having placed His people into a worse plight than they were already in.

 
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Exodus 4 - Moses Becomes Acclimated to God's Mission

Moses is still filled with self doubt and continues to offer objections to God's plans as he outlines them for him. He worries that no one will believe him when he tells them he is taking them away from their bondage. He worries that his speech is inadequate. Even after God makes his staff magical, he worries that the signs and miracles will not be enough.

The Lord is becoming impatient with Moses

"Who gives one man speech and another deaf and dumb? Or who gives sight to one and makes another blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Go then! It is I who will assist you in speaking and will teach you what to say."

Even then Moses insisted that God send another at which time the Lord became angry with him and reminded him that his brother Aaron was an eloquent speaker and he would assign him to be the spokesperson.  Even after all this pleading and God's display of various miracles, Moses was still hesitant but nonetheless going. He stopped at his father in law Jethro's and advised him that he needed to head back to Egypt and check on his kinsmen. God had advised him that those who sought his death were no longer alive so he was safe so he traveled with his wife and sons.

God instructed him that the Pharaoh would be hard hear-ted but he should tell him that Israel was God's firstborn and if the Pharaoh did not let the Israelites go he would lose his own firstborn. The Bible tells us in chapter 4 verse 24 that God would have killed Moses during the night but Zipporah circumcised their son, touched him and said "You are a spouse of blood to me." and God let Moses go.

The Lord visited Aaron telling him to go and meet Moses. When they met at the mountain of God, Aaron greeted his brother with a kiss. Moses filled him in and they left to assemble the elders. When they heard how concerned and touched the Lord was regarding their oppression, they bowed and worshiped him.



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Exodus 3 - Moses Sees the Burning Bush

 

Moses was out tending the flock for his new father in-law a priest of Midian. As he approached the Mountain of God, Horeb, he noted an angel in a burning bush. Curiosity got the better of him and he approached for a closer look. He could not understand how the bush was burning but not consumed. The voice of God rang out from the bush "Moses! Moses!" Moses answered "Here I am." and was instructed to remove his sandals as he was standing on holy ground. God then told him that he was the God of his descendants naming Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then Moses became fearful and hid his face, but God continued to tell him how he had heard his children cry out and had come to deliver them from their oppression with the help of  Moses. Moses kept doubting his ability to carry out God's plan and came up with excuses. God continued laying out His plan and advised Moses to speak to the elders of Israelites about what God had told him.

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Exodus 2 - Moses is Adopted

 
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A certain man in the house of Levi married a Levite woman. They had a healthy son and she was successful in keeping him hidden for three months but then fearful for his life she placed him in a basket which she had made waterproof with pitch. His oldest sister kept a careful eye from a distance. The Pharaoh's daughter spotted the baby and heard him cry. She was moved to pity and the baby's sister then approached asking if she would like a Hebrew woman to nurse him. The daughter agreed and said she would repay the kindness, so the sister of Moses ran to get their mother. The Pharaoh's daughter named him Moses meaning drawn from the water.

After Moses had grown and was educated in the palace, he was traveling one day in Midian and witnessed one of his kinsmen being oppressed and assaulted. He killed the oppressor and hid him in the sand. The following day he say two of his kinsmen fighting against one another and reprimanded them. One asked if he would kill them as he had the other man. He then became fearful that others must know and actually the Pharaoh did know and was looking for him to put him to death. He decided to stay in Midian and not return to the palace.

In the land of Midian he was seated by the well when 7 daughters were trying to water their father's flock when some shepherds gave them a hard time. He helped them and watered their flock for them. That night they returned earlier than normal and their father asked them why so they told him and he asked them to bring the man home. He invited Moses to live with them and to wed his daughter Zipporah. She bore him a son.

The Israelites prayed daily for relief from their oppression  and though the current king died the next one was no better.


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