"People..."
• 6.23.11 •
Calvary Christian Fellowship, Thursday Night Bible Study
Intro
- We have been
talking the last several weeks about the Tabernacle and the worship that God
prescribes for His people. That sounds innocuous enough. God and His people.
- But there is
a side issue involved with that. God's people must worship Him alongside other
people! That subject is a predominant feature in these two chapters that we are
studying tonight.
- For the sake
of simplicity, I'll present two groups that are here for us to study. They are
the constructive and the destructive.
- I pray that
as we study, God will give us the wisdom to see ourselves in light of His Word.
Text
• Exodus
31:1-5 : "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'See,
I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of
Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in
understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design
artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for
setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship." :
Generally chapter 31 introduces us to the constructive people...literally!
- After the
Lord had given Moses the instructions for the Tabernacle, He let Him know that
He was also preparing someone to do it.
- While He was
instructing Moses, He was also working in the heart of this man
"Betsalel." His name means "In God's Shadow," meaning that
He was under God's protection.
- He is of the
same tribe as the Lord Jesus, the grandson of Uri and the son of Hur. Hur helped
to hold up Moses' arms when He stood on the mount in the battle against the
Amalekites.
- Now, His son
would be involved in the ministry in a wonderful way, in that he would be the
one who would construct the place of worship!
- My Dad prayed
for me once, that I would surpass him in spiritual things. Now, I pray that
Caleb would surpass me. This was true with the case of Bezalel.
- God speaks of
filling Bezalel with the Spirit of God, all for this task. God would give Him
all that he needed to put this place of worship together. He filled him with
vision and the talent to do it.
- God was
gifting Bezalel in a way that He was not gifting Moses. Moses did not need to
figure out how to design cherubim and then to mold gold! God gave that to
another man.
- Another
interesting aspect of this regards the provision of God being distributed in
multiple directions. The people
would give donate and Bezalel would construct it.
- In every
direction, God used people in their gifts, each gift being necessary for
worship.
• Exodus
31:6-11 : "And I, indeed I, have appointed with him
Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the
hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded
you: the tabernacle of meeting, the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat
that is on it, and all the furniture of the tabernacle— the table and its
utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, the
altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base— the
garments of ministry, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments
of his sons, to minister as priests, and the anointing oil and sweet incense
for the holy place. According to all that I have commanded you they shall do.'" : God had an entire team in place who
were gifted to make the furnishings of the tabernacle.
- Aholiab, meaning "Father's Tent" as
well as Ahismach, "My Brother Has Supported" were perfect matches to
Bezalel. They would be in charge of the implements and clothing.
- These were
men of detail and artistry that God had raised up in the face of need.
• Exodus
31:12-15 : "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak
also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for
it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know
that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore,
for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death;
for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his
people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of
rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall
surely be put to death." : There is one danger that constructive
people need to be warned about: Rest!
- In the midst
of talking about all of the construction needs, as well as the giftings of men,
God reminds them of their obligation to rest.
- God knows the
men that He has gifted. They love what they do for Him. They love to create,
but the need to rest. They need to take a day off!
- They need to
understand that this is a particular point of reference for them. They are not
to identify themselves through what they do, but by what they are!
- The Sabbath,
peculiar to the Jewish people, as a sign to them, that they were to rest in Him
- They were not
to exchange resting in God for working for God!
- This was a
sign to them. It is something that is done to keep a memory alive. What are
they to remember? It's to remind them that He is their God.
- He is the One
who set them apart, who made them a nation, whose promise they lived for.
- That Sabbath
then would be holy to them, enforced by a strict death penalty! Why? Because the
Sabbath, like all of the other things that God is specific about, speaks
figuratively of Christ.
- Christ is our
rest. He is the one that gives us permanently, spiritually, what the Sabbath
gave temporally and physically to the people of Israel. Israel: Don't mess with
the type!
• Exodus
31:16-18 : "Therefore the children of Israel shall keep
the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual
covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in
six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He
rested and was refreshed.’ And when He had made an end of speaking with him on
Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone,
written with the finger of God." :
God cannot be more clear about the Sabbath. It's is between Himself and
the people of Israel! Of the 10 commandments, keeping the Sabbath is the only
one missing from the NT!
- God tells
them that when He rested, He was refreshed. He took a breather!
- He wants that
for His people. It's interesting that Peter employs a similar expression when
speaking of the Holy Spirit coming upon believers. He called it "times of
refreshing."
- That's what
God has always wanted for HIs people. When we rest in Jesus, and allow His
Spirit to have free reign in our hearts and lives, we are refreshed as well.
- This brings
this section to a close. God has finished speaking to Moses. From chapter 25 to
this chapter, 40 days have elapsed. Now, we'll see another group of people.
• Exodus
32:1-6 : "Now when the people saw that Moses delayed
coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said
to him, 'Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for 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.' And Aaron said to them, 'Break off the golden earrings which are in
the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.'
So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and
brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned
it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, 'This is
your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!' So when Aaron
saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, 'Tomorrow
is a feast to the Lord.' Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt
offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and
drink, and rose up to play." : Sometime during the 40 day absence of
Moses, the people became restless in the delay. They became impatient. Impatience
is the ground that every bad decision is founded on!
- Notice that
they were unified. They came together to Aaron. Not all unity is good! This
group had had enough of this waiting stuff and came to Aaron, dictating what
should be done.
- Aaron,
lacking a little backbone in the face of what must have been a hostile crowd,
caves!
- The gold that
was to be given to the Lord, was given to the making of this calf. It's truly a
waste when we take and give away resource to other gods in our lives, when it
really belongs to Him!
- When whatever
we have is given to the Lord for righteousness, it's an investment in His
Kingdom. These people just threw away their material for a worthless idol!
- When he
brought it out, He proclaimed the image of the calf to be representative of
God! Verse 6 gives us a sense of how low they went.
- "They
rose up to play." The NLT renders this verse, that they rose up to
"pagan revelry." They acted like the idolatrous nation of Egypt, for
that was their sole model.
• Exodus
32:7-14 : "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Go, get down!
For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted
themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded
them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed
to it, and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land
of Egypt!’ And the Lord said to Moses, 'I have seen this people, and indeed it
is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn
hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.'" :
God tells Moses, "Your people" have corrupted themselves. Literally,
they have perverted or soiled themselves.
- What a
perfect word for sin. It's a soiling of ourselves, a perverting of the image of
God in us.
- Once
impatience takes root, it isn't long before their is a departure from His way.
- God knows
what has happened. He sees the reasoning and He sees the evil that has taken
place and their sin was an offense to His holiness!
- He would wipe
them off the face of the planet and start over with Moses. Never ever believe
for a moment that sin doesn't matter to God! He is Holy!
• Exodus 32:11-14 : "Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said: '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? Why should the Egyptians
speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the
mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth?' Turn from Your
fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. Remember Abraham,
Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said
to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this
land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit
it forever.’ So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to
His people." : Moses returns the volley and pleaded
with the Lord. The idea behind this word is that Moses sought to soothe the
Lord from His righteous anger. He does so by pointing out His responsibility.
- It's funny
that Moses puts the children of Israel back into God's corner. "No, they
are YOUR people, who YOU brought out!" Moses was under no delusion. These
were God's people, not His!
- They were His
children, made in His image and were therefore His responsibility.
- Then, Moses
reminds God of His reputation. Destroying the children of Israel would have
caused His Name and character to be blasphemed in front of the Egyptians.
- Finally,
Moses reminded God of His promises. You promised the forefathers that you would
give their descendants land.
- God never
forgets His promise. He never forgets who He is. However, God used this to test
Moses and to bring out what was in him! Moses had really changed!
- When God
first met with him, he was unconcerned about the people of Israel. Now, he
stands between God and the people to intercede on their behalf. Moses was a
great shepherd in this way.
• Exodus
32:15-20 : "And Moses turned and went down from the
mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets
were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written.
Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God
engraved on the tablets. And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they
shouted, he said to Moses, 'There is a noise of war in the camp.' But he said:
'It is not the noise of the shout of victory, Nor the noise of the cry of
defeat, But the sound of singing I hear.' So it was, as soon as he came near
the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and
he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the
mountain. Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and
ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of
Israel drink it.'" :
Joshua has not been given the news. He wonders what is going on. Moses
goes with steely expression, bracing himself.
- When Moses
saw it, it was too much for him to handle and he instinctively threw the
tablets onto the ground.
- When we went
through the 10 commandments, we mentioned that this was the case: You either
keep the commandments or you break them.
- There is no
inbetween and the people had broken the law of God. Moses made gold shakes for
the people to drink, taking in the full bitterness of the experience.
• Exodus
32:21-29 : "And Moses said to Aaron, 'What did this
people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?' So Aaron
said, 'Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that
they are set on evil. For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before
us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do
not know what has become of him.’ And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold,
let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and
this calf came out.' Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for
Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), then Moses
stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, 'Whoever is on the Lord’s
side—come to me!' And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.
And he said to them, 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his
sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the
camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every
man his neighbor.’ So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And
about three thousand men of the people fell that day. Then Moses said,
'Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, that He may bestow on you a blessing
this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.'"
: Aaron's explanation was
ridiculous! He led the blame away from himself and then he claimed not to have
any responsibility in the formation of the calf!
- Aaron, the
man that God allowed Moses to have has now become a helpless nuisance and a
troublesome person to Moses.
- Aaron the
High Priest had allowed the people to become unrestrained. The sense is that
the people were now fully and completely out of control, in a pagan worship
fest.
- It seems that
there was blatant sexual activity that brough shame to their reputation as
God's people. They had stripped themselves literally and figuratively.
- This led to
this drastic action where the people who were engaging in these actions were
given a choice to repent. They did not want to and had set themselves in mortal
peril.
- Moses ordered
the Levites to give themselves to the Lord. They were going to be used of the
Lord. Theirs would be the arms that would bring God's judgment upon these
rebels.
- That day, the
Levites went and killed three thousand, who refused to turn from their
idolatry.
- Like an
aggressive surgeon hunting a cancer, God takes out the element that would have
effected the entire community! God removed it.
• Exodus
32:30-35 : "Now
it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, 'You have
committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make
atonement for your sin.' Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, 'Oh, these
people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold!
Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your
book which You have written.' And the Lord said to Moses, 'Whoever has sinned
against Me, I will blot him out of My book. Now therefore, go, lead the people
to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before
you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit
punishment upon them for their sin.' So the Lord plagued the people because of
what they did with the calf which Aaron made." : Moses confronted
the people in their sin. He told them that they had committed a great sin. But then
he stood in the gap for them.
- I will bring
you before the Lord! I will go before Him that you might have your sin
forgiven!
- When Moses
came before God, he pled for them and offered, out of love to be removed from
His promise. This is reminiscent of Paul's words in Romans regarding the Jews.
- He said that
he would have been accursed if it were for the sake of the salvation of God's
people. Yes, the people that had hunted him and become a grief to him in every
city.
- But this is
the power of a changed and prophetic leader, who is a type of Christ in Moses
and a reflection of Him in Paul!
- Thankfully,
God said no and promised His Angel to go with them.
- Additionally,
because of their sin, there was a dire consequence of a plague. Sin might be
forgiven, but there are plagues that come because of them!
Conclusion
- Two kinds of
people: Gifted ones that use their gifts for His glory and ones that are
impatient, taking things into their own hands!
- Additionally,
there are two kinds of leaders. There are pathetic ones that give in and prophectic
ones that correct!
- I pray that
we'll be constructive, prophetic leaders, who fear the Lord!
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