The Book Of Exodus
Exodus 3:14 "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say
unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
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This chapter describes the ritual by which Aaron and his sons are consecrated and ordained to serve as priests in the tabernacle. The ceremony begins with one young bullock and two rams, all without any blemish or spot. (v.1) (Hebrews 7:26) Along with the animals, Moses is also to bring bread, cakes, and wafers – all of them unleavened and made of wheat flour. (v.2) (Leviticus 2:4) Here in the OT, remember, leaven represents sin. Everything about this consecration ceremony symbolizes cleanliness and purification, holiness before the Lord. Aaron and his sons are to be brought to the door of the tabernacle and washed with water (v.4), the first step of purification before God. (Exodus 40:12, Leviticus 8:6, Hebrews 10:22) Next, the garments described in chapter 28 are to be put upon Aaron and his sons. (v.5-9) (Leviticus 8:7) Because Aaron will be the high priest, the one highest in rank in the tabernacle service, the process of robing him is described first. (v.5-6) After he is properly clothed, Moses is to take the anointing oil and pour it upon Aaron’s head. (v.7) (Exodus 25:6, 30:25, Leviticus 8:12, 10:7, 21:10, Numbers 35:25, Psalm 133:2) Verse 9 repeats the command that “…the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute…”. The Aaronic priesthood is to be inherited, passed from father to son, a sacred and holy honor for the men of the tribe of Levi.
NOTE: the Aaronic priesthood is one of the institutes of the OT that Joseph Smith erroneously and egregiously turned into a fundamental doctrine and practice of the Mormon church. God never intended for anyone but the Israelites under the Mosaic law to obey and practice this institution. This is one of the many glaring contradictions between scripture and the false teachings found in the Book of Mormon. When Jesus Christ gave up his life upon the cross, and when the veil of the temple that separated the holy place from the holy of holies was torn in two, the Levitical priesthood was abolished. We who now live in the dispensation of grace are not under the law because Christ’s sacrifice paid the penalty for our sins once and for all time – past, present and future. The need for a man to serve as our high priest and mediator is no more because Jesus Christ now serves that role for us for all eternity, as explained in the book of Hebrews. Verses 10-14: The next step of the purification and consecration ceremony for the priests is the blood sacrifice of the bullock, which is the sin offering. (Leviticus 1:4-5, 8:14) This offering is for the purpose of cleansing the altar. (Exodus 24:6) Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before slaying it “…by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” (v.11) “The priest laying hands on the animal symbolized the transfer of guilt (imputation) from the guilty to the innocent. This was a key feature of the entire sacrificial system (Leviticus 16:21-22, Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24). The concepts of transfer and imputation point to a system and theology of substitution. Combined with the act of slaying the animal, the entire scene pictured penal substitution.” (The Moody Bible Commentary) The blood of the bullock is to be sprinkled upon the horns of the brazen altar (a.k.a. the altar of burnt offering) and then poured all around the base of it. (v.12) (Leviticus 8:15) The fat of the bullock, as well as part of the liver (the caul) and the two kidneys, are to be burned upon the altar. (v.13) “The fat was considered the choicest part of the animal and was therefore offered to the Lord.” (Believer's Bible Commentary) The rest of the animal is to be burned outside the camp. “…it is a sin offering.” (v.14) (Leviticus 4:11-12, 21, Hebrews 13:11-12) “The various kinds of sin offering and their circumstances are described in Leviticus 4:1–5:13. Sometimes called a purification offering, its purpose is to atone for sin or ceremonial uncleanness in order to restore communion.” (Holman Illustrated Bible Commentary) Verses 15-18: The first ram is to be the burnt offering. (Leviticus 8:18) This offering is for propitiation. (Leviticus 1:4) Once again, Aaron and the priests are to lay their hands on the head of the ram (v.15) before killing it. (v.16) This time, however, the blood is to be sprinkled around the altar rather than just on the horns. The animal is to be cut up into pieces – the head, body, and the four legs – and his insides cleaned out and washed. All the pieces are then laid upon the altar (v.17) and burned. (v.18) This offering is one of atonement on behalf of the priests, foreshadowing once again Christ’s death on the cross for our sins. (Exodus 20:24) That’s why the whole animal is to be sacrificed on the altar. Verse 18 concludes with, “…it is a sweet savour, and offering made by fire unto the Lord.” Verses 19-21: The second ram is the ram of consecration. (Leviticus 8:22) As before, Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands upon the head of the ram before slaying it. With the blood of this animal, Moses is to put some on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, his right thumb, and the big toe of his right foot. (v.20) He then repeats the process for Aaron’s sons, and then sprinkles the blood on the altar and all around it. Lastly, Moses is to sprinkle some of the blood that’s on the altar, as well as some of the anointing oil, on Aaron and his sons and their garments. (v.21) (Exodus 30:25, 31, Leviticus 8:30, Hebrews 9:22) According to the Believer’s Bible Commentary, the placing of the blood on the right ear tip, the thumb, and the big toe “…signified the need of cleansing from sin in every area of human life—the ear for obedience to God’s Word, the hand for action or service, and the foot for walk or deportment.” By all of this, Aaron “…shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.” It might seem strange to us that Moses is to stain these beautiful priestly garments with blood, but in the eyes of God this blood is for atonement. Without it, there is no fellowship or communion with God who is holy and perfect and us who are stained with sin. Without penal substitution and the propitiation of a blood sacrifice, there is no way of salvation for mankind. Verses 22-25: From the third ram Moses is to take the fat, the rump, the caul of the liver, the two kidneys, and the right shoulder. (v.22) All of these, along with a loaf of bread and a wafer (v.2, 23), are to be placed into the hands of Aaron and his sons. (v.24) (Leviticus 8:26) They are to offer them up “…for a wave offering before the Lord.” (Leviticus 7:30, 10:14) The priests will hold up the items and wave them back and forth in the air above the altar, presumably also looking towards heaven, as if to say to God, “See this!” After this all the items are burned upon the altar, once again “…for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour before the Lord…”. (v.25) (Leviticus 7:31, 8:28) Verses 26-28: The breast and left shoulder of the second ram are for Aaron and his sons to consume after the pieces have been sanctified and offered up in wave and heave offerings. (v.26-27) (Leviticus 7:34, 8:29, Numbers 18:11, 18, Deuteronomy 18:3) The heave offering is so named because of the priest lifting the animal flesh vertically instead of waving it horizontally above the altar. The heave offering is to always be set aside for the priests. (v.28) (Leviticus 10:15) The sacrifice of the second ram is referred to as a “peace offering” in verse 28. (Leviticus 3:1) “A peace offering (see Leviticus 7) was, in a sense, celebratory, a joyful act symbolizing the peace now enjoyed (after the sin and guilt offerings had been made and accepted by the Lord) between the worshiper and God.” (Moody Bible Commentary) Verses 29- 34: The garments of the high priest are to be passed down from generation to generation (v.29) (Numbers 20:26, 28), and the ordination ceremony for the new high priest is to last seven days. (v.30, 35) The meat of the second ram, the peace offering, is for the nourishment of the priests only (v.33), along with the bread from the basket that is to be kept always at the door of the tabernacle. (v.31-32) The ram’s flesh is to be boiled, (Leviticus 8:31), and any of the meat or bread that is left over at the end of each day is to be burned. Nothing is to be saved for the following day. (v.34) (Exodus 12:10, 16:16, 19, 23:18, 34:25, Leviticus 7:18, 8:32) As with many of the commandments found in the Mosaic law, especially in Leviticus, this rule was most likely given for health reasons. With no way to adequately and safely refrigerate any leftover meat, it would quickly spoil if the priests tried to save any for the following day or later. Verses 35-37: This ceremony of consecration is to last seven days. (v.35) (Leviticus 8:33) Each day there is to be the three different animal sacrifices. (v.36) (Hebrews 10:11) God makes a point of emphasizing the first sacrifice, that of the bullock which is the sin offering, and the holiness of the altar. (v.37) Only that which is holy may touch the altar itself. (Numbers 4:15, Matthew 23:19) Verses 38-46: The priests are to sacrifice on the altar twice daily, once in the morning and evening, a lamb less than a year old. (v.38) (Numbers 28:3, 29:6, 1 Chronicles 16:40, Ezra 3:3) “This shall be a continual burnt offering…” (v.42), says the Lord. With each lamb the priest is to combine a meat offering of flour and oil and a drink offering of wine (v.39-40), “…for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.” (v.41) The purpose of these two daily sacrifices is states in verse 43: “And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.” (Exodus 25:22, 33:7, 9, 40:34, Numbers 17:4, 1 Kings 8:11, 2 Chronicles 5:14, Ezekiel 43:5, Haggai 2:7, 9) The whole reason and purpose of the tabernacle, the priests, and the various sacrifices is so that God may commune and fellowship with His chosen people. (Exodus 6:7) It’s why he brought them out of bondage in Egypt in the first place. God desires on ongoing relationship with the Israelites, and all these commandments and instructions for the law and the tabernacle and the daily sacrifices are so that He – a holy, perfect God – can meet with His unholy, sinful creation. Sin separates us from God. Without the blood sacrifice of a perfect, sinless being there can be no atonement for our sin. Until it was time to send Christ into the world – born of a virgin, living a perfect, sinless life, and then offering up himself as a blood sacrifice once and for all for all mankind – only the daily sacrifices and burnt offerings of lambs, bulls and goats could temporarily repair the broken relationship between almighty God and His chosen people. (Hebrews 9:13-15) It was God who first desired to dwell among His people (v.45-46), and it was He that initiated the instructions to Moses in the proper way that that fellowship could be restored. (Exodus 25:8, Leviticus 11:45, 26:12, Numbers 5:3, Deuteronomy 12:11, Zechariah 2:10, John 14:17, 23, Revelation 21:3)
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Chapters 28 and 29 are God’s instructions to Moses regarding the high priests. Chapter 28 is a detailed description of the vestiture that will be worn by Aaron and his sons. Verse 1: God tells Moses that Aaron and his sons – Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar – are to be called out and separated “…from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto Me in the priest’s office…”. (v.1) (Numbers 3:10, 18:7, Psalm 99:6, Hebrews 5:4) The role of the high priest is a sacred one, a position of the highest honor, for the priest is to be a mediator between God and His chosen people. Until now, the family patriarch had typically filled the role of priest for his household, i.e. Job, or the leader of a community had served as high priest, i.e. Melchizedek or Jethro. But now God is officially establishing and ordaining the Levitical priesthood for the nation of Israel. The Moody Bible Commentary explains it this way: “This office was not one a man could aspire to or assume on his own authority; it was not an office intended to elevate the man but to meditate between God and Israel. Everything about the priests, their clothes, their duties, their role, was designed to focus on the office and the function of the man. The quality and character of the man under the clothes counted, but only so far as the man’s character did not defile the clothes or demean the office. In his person he did not contribute to the value and vitality of the position. He could detract from it, but it was all about the office and it was all about the mediatorial function.” Just as God called Moses from a burning bush on the backside of the desert to be the leader of the Israelites, so He now calls Aaron and his descendants to serve as priests in the tabernacle. There is nothing that either of these men did of their own merit to earn their positions. God is the one who ordains and calls them, and He now establishes that it will be the tribe of Levi, starting with Aaron and his sons, that will serve as mediators between God and the Israelites. Verses 2-4: The robes worn by Aaron and his sons are “…holy garments…for glory and beauty.” (v.2) (Exodus 29:5, 29, 31:10, 39:1, Leviticus 8:7, 30) (See below, image courtesy of Logos Bible Software.)  According to the Holman Bible Commentary, “…the priestly garments were much more than utilitarian. They resembled other elements of the tabernacle complex, which featured fine fabrics, colorful designs, precious metals, and specialized workmanship, as appropriate for honoring the Lord, who would reside there.” The robes would be made by specific Israelites God would choose from among the congregation, “…whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom…”. (v.3) (Exodus 31:3, 6, 35:30-31, 36:1, Isaiah 11:2, Ephesians 1:17) Verse 4 lists the different pieces that would make up the whole of the priestly garments: the breastplate of judgment, an ephod, a robe, a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle. (Leviticus 8:7) God emphasizes a third time the purpose of the detailed instructions that are about to follow: that Aaron and his sons “…may minister unto me in the priest’s office.” Verses 5-14: The ephod. (Exodus 39:2, Leviticus 8:7) This is a two-piece garment, open at the sides and joined at the shoulders. (v.7) It and the belt are made of finely spun cloth of gold, blue, purple and scarlet. (v.6, 8) At each shoulder where the two pieces are joined together is an onyx stone (Exodus 35:27), each one engraved (Exodus 35:35) with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, according to their birth; six on one stone, six on the other. (v.9-10) (Refer back to Chapter 25 for my cross references and commentary on onyx stones throughout the Bible.) The onyx stones are secured in “ouches”, or settings, of gold. (v.11) These are fastened to a pair of gold chains at either end, and those are what connect the two pieces of the ephod at the shoulders. (v.13-14) The purpose of these two stones is so that “…Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial.” (v.12) (Exodus 39:6-7) Verse 29 also reiterates this: “…a memorial before the Lord continually.” What this means is that the priest is representing the whole nation of Israel before God every time he puts on the ephod and the breastplate of judgment and performs the sacrifices in the tabernacle. Verses 15-30: The breastplate of judgment. (Exodus 39:8) The instructions for this garment piece are more detailed than any of the other pieces, thus highlighting it as the most important of all the pieces of the priestly robe. This, too, is made “…of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen…”. (v.15) It is an exact square, each side being a span, or about nine inches (v.16), and it’s attached to the front of the ephod by a gold ring with a gold chain at each corner. The upper pair connect to the shoulders of the ephod via the ouches of gold that hold the onyx stones, and the lower pair connects to the belt of the ephod. (v.22-28) The breastplate itself contains twelve stones (v.17), each one engraved with the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. (Exodus 39:10) This is the order of the stones: sardius, topaz, carbuncle, emerald, sapphire, diamond, ligure, agate, amethyst, beryl, onyx, and a jasper. (v.17-20) In the text of my study Bible, there is a note next to each of the following names as thus: carbuncle (emerald), emerald (turquoise), diamond (sapphire), ligure (jacinth or amber), beryl (yellow jasper), and onyx (onyx or carnelian). Matching up the names of each gem according to its common name in the ANE compared to what we know it as today is somewhat difficult for a few of the gemstones named in the Bible, hence the notes in the KJV text. Although the text does not say specifically in what order the names of the tribes are to be engraved, we can logically presume from the earlier instruction regarding the onyx stones in the ephod that the order is according to birth. If this is the case, and if we go by the traditional Hebrew rule of reading/writing each line of a text from the right side of the page to the left, the name of each tribe and their assigned gemstone would be as follows:  You’ll notice that the description of the breastplate in the illustration above says that the colors of each gemstone match the colors of the flag of each tribe, but none of the Bible commentaries that that I am using as resources for my notes here say anything about that, so I’m not sure how accurate that is. It is a reasonable possibility, however, that each tribe would have had a banner or standard of some sort with a color that would match their assigned gemstone. And as for the colors of jewel in the breastplate, that, too, is up for some debate, only because of what I mentioned earlier about some confusion regarding the differences in a few of the names of the stones back then and how we would label them today. Attached to the breastplate are the Urim and the Thummim. (v.30) (Leviticus 8:8, Numbers 27:21, Deuteronomy 33:8, 1 Samuel 28:6, Ezra 2:63, Nehemiah 7:65) This is why the breastplate of judgment is so named: “…Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.” Exactly what the Urim and Thummim are is not clear. According to Strong’s concordance and the Brown-Driver-Briggs Bible dictionary, the word “Urim” means “lights” and Thummim means “perfection”. Scripture doesn’t describe them in any detail, saying only instead that the priest uses them to determine the will of God in any given situation or dilemma. (See Numbers 27:21 in the cross references above.) The Moody Bible Commentary says this: “Some have suggested that they were used as sacred lots (something like modern dice) to gain yes and no answers to specific questions. However, it might be that these objects were only symbolic of the high priest’s special authority as the Lord’s spokesman; in other words, when the priest was wearing these stones he was speaking for God.” Verses 31-35: The priest’s robe. (Exodus 39:22) This garment is worn under the ephod, and it’s made of only blue cloth. It’s longer than the ephod, extending past the knees. All around the hem, in an alternating pattern of one and one, are blue, purple, and scarlet pomegranates and tiny gold bells. (The pomegranates are most likely just bits of cloth sewn in the shape of the fruit.) (v.33-34) The reason for this is given in verse 35. If the high priest were to die while in the holy of holies, the lack of sound from his movements will be noticed by those who are either in the holy place or gathered in the courtyard outside the tabernacle. (Leviticus 10:2, Luke 1:21) Verses 36-38: The mitre and gold plate. (Exodus 39:30-31, Leviticus 8:9, Zechariah 14:20) The mitre, or turban, is the final piece of the priestly garments described in this chapter. Notice that the description of this headpiece starts not with the turban itself but, rather, with the large gold plate that contains the engraving, “HOLINESS TO THE LORD”. (v.36) It’s attached to the front of the turban with a cord of blue lace (v.37), and the turban itself “…probably consisted of folded fabric around the head, the sort of thing made familiar in pictures of men from the Middle East and Islamic countries today.” The meaning of the gold plate and its inscription is explained in verse 38: “…that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts…”. This goes back to the fundamental purpose of the role of the high priest from verses 1-3. Aaron and his sons are to be the mediators between God and the Israelites. Part of that responsibility means sanctifying all the things set aside in the tabernacle for the worship of God, as well as conducting the blood sacrifices that would temporarily cover the sins of the people before their holy and righteous God. “…that they may be accepted before the Lord.” The whole purpose of the tabernacle, the priest, and the blood sacrifices is so that God may have a covenantal relationship with His chosen people. Sin, remember, separates us from God. By instituting the Levitical priesthood and the system of blood sacrifices, God is making a way for the Israelites to worship and commune with Him without violating and staining His holiness with their sin. (Leviticus 10:17, 22:9, 16, Numbers 18:1, Isaiah 53:11, Ezekiel 4:4, John 1:29, Hebrews 9:28) This is why Jesus Christ is compared and contrasted with the role of the high priest in Hebrews. The tabernacle and the duties of the priest as instructed to Moses here in Exodus and Leviticus is a foreshadowing of Christ and all that he would do for all mankind hundreds of years later on the cross at Calvary. Jesus provided the once-for-all blood sacrifice that would take away the sins of all who would believe on His name. He now sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding on our behalf as our priest and mediator to God the Father. (Hebrews 4:15-16) Verses 39-43: The coat and mitre are to be made “…of fine linen…” (v.39) (Exodus 35:35, 39:27), and the girdle is to be crafted of needlework. Only the high priest is to wear all of the garments described thus far in this chapter. The other priests, including Aaron’s sons, will wear only the coat, belt and turban. (v.40) (Refer back to the illustration above.) (Ezekiel 44:17-18) The materials and the handiwork of these garments are to be a reflection of God’s beauty and glory. (v.40) They, like everything else related to the tabernacle, are to be HOLY UNTO THE LORD. Aaron and his sons are to be anointed, consecrated, and sanctified before God in order to minister for Him in the office of priest. (v.41) (Exodus 29:7, 30:30, 40:15, Leviticus 10:7) “Sanctified” means “to be set apart”. To stand before almighty God as mediator for the people of Israel is a holy and sacred duty that is not to be undertaken lightly. Furthermore, the priestly office, as well as the daily responsibilities within the tabernacle, are to have no hint of sexuality. This is the reason for the command in verse 42: “And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness…”. (Exodus 39:28, Leviticus 6:10, 16:4) The underwear extends all the way to the thighs, and is as essential to the office of the priesthood as all the other garments described in this chapter. God specifically states in verse 43 that Aaron and all others who serve after him in this role must wear these breeches, as well as everything else as instructed up to this point, lest they offend God’s holiness and be condemned to death for it. “…that they bear not iniquity, and die…” (Exodus 20:26, Leviticus 5:1, 17, 20:19-20, 22:9, Numbers 9:13, 18:22) This is a statute forever to Aaron and all his descendants. (Exodus 27:21, Leviticus 17:7) One final note: there’s no instruction in this chapter regarding footwear for the priests. That’s because the tabernacle is holy ground and, therefore, the priests are to remain barefoot. (Exodus 3:5) Below is an artist’s rendering of what the high priest might have looked like while wearing the garments described in this chapter. (Courtesy of Logos Bible software.)  As noted previously, the children of Israel arrive in the wilderness of Sinai three months after leaving Egypt. (v.1) They set up camp at the base of Mount Sinai where they will remain for almost a year. (v.2) (Numbers 10:11-12) All the events described in the remainder of the book of Exodus, all of Leviticus, and Numbers 1-10:10 take place here in the wilderness of Sinai.
The term “wilderness” in the Bible is commonly used to describe a desolate place, a desert, or an uninhabited land. Strong’s Concordance also lists “pasture” or “open field” as one of the uses of this word in the original Hebrew. Wilderness conveys the image of an isolated place away from civilization, a vast area where there is nothing but grasslands or desert vegetation. A simple search for this word in my Bible app turned up 293 verses in the KJV, with nearly every book in the Bible having at least one verse containing this word. While it’s used as both a place of refuge for some (Genesis 21:20, Exodus 3:1, Revelation 12:6) and a form of righteous judgment for others (Job 12:24, Psalm 107:40, Isaiah 33:9, Zephaniah 2:13), it’s most often seen as the latter. There are far more references with God using the term “wilderness” as an example of His condemnation against the rebellious, the unholy, the proud and the wicked than there is of the desert as a desirable or good place. Here in Exodus, God chooses the wilderness of Sinai to give His holy law to His chosen people. The note in my study Bible for this passage says that “…this chapter, in addition to chapter 20, follows the pattern of ancient suzerainty treaties, thus suggesting that Yahweh is King and Israel is His kingdom. His subject people are to render complete submission, allegiance, and obedience to Him.” The term “suzerain” refers to the specific form of treaties that were common in the Ancient Near East (ANE), which typically consisted of the preamble (v.3), historical prologue (v.4) and then a list of specific obligations of the vassals, as well as the consequences of keeping or breaking the treaty, i.e. the blessings from God for obedience or punishment for disobedience (v.5-6). The commentary goes on to say that “…The pattern follows closely that of the Hittites, who were destroyed around 1200 B.C., thus demonstrating the antiquity of the Law, and the fact that it is a complete unit not to be dissected.” Verse 4: God had miraculously delivered the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, shown to them signs and wonders to demonstrate His power and authority over not only the physical world around them (the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea), but also over all the people of the earth (Pharaoh and the Egyptians), guided the Israelites through the desert – also miraculously providing for their basic needs – and now brings them to a place of rest and isolation at the foot of Mount Sinai. God has given His chosen people more than enough proof of His right and authority to rule over them. Verse 5: Then God says to Moses, “Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine:” That phrase “peculiar treasure” conveys the idea of “personal possession” or “property”; something that is set aside or separated for a unique purpose. (Deuteronomy 4:20, 7:6, 14:2, 26:18, 1 Kings 8:53, Psalm 135:4, Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 2:9) God had chosen Abraham, called him out from among his people to a new land for a new purpose, and is now initiating a new, personal relationship with Abraham’s seed. God had stated as much to Moses in Exodus 6:4. Though the whole earth and all that is in it belongs to God (Exodus 9:29, Deuteronomy 10:14, Job 41:11, Psalm 50:12, I Corinthians 10:26), the children of Israel are His special, peculiar treasure. But that same status also applies today to all true believers in the New Testament church age! Verse 6: God then concludes by stating His ultimate desire for His chosen people: “…a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” (Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:21, 26:19, Isaiah 62:12, I Corinthians 3:17, 1 Peter 1:15-16) The whole purpose of the law which God is about to give to Moses is twofold: 1) It reveals the holiness of God and His perfect nature, and 2) it reveals, by contrast, the unholy, sinful, fallen nature of mankind. God is about to institute a system of rules and processes by which His chosen people will live their daily lives. This treaty, by which God will be their Lord and king and they His subjects, will state in clear and direct terms God’s expectations for the Israelites and the process by which they will atone for their sins when they fail to obey His law. That is what meant by the phrase “a kingdom of priests”. When God first revealed Himself to Abram/Abraham, He commanded him to “…Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee…” (Genesis 12:1) God called Abraham to separate himself from his family, and from his father’s house, and leave his homeland to begin a new life and a new journey to a promised land. God is now commanding the same thing from Abraham’s seed, the children of Israel. By giving them the law, God is making clear to His chosen people that they are to come out from the world, to live separate from the heathen nations around them, and they will accomplish this daily by doing and obeying the statutes, ordinances and precepts given forth in this law. Verse 7-9: Moses relays to the elders of the people the message God has just given him. The elders, in turn, pass this on to all the people, and the children of Israel respond by saying, “…All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.” (Exodus 4:31, 24:3, 7, Deuteronomy 5:27, 26:17) When Moses meets with God to give Him the people’s answer God then tells Moses He will appear before them as a thick cloud, and the Israelites will hear God’s voice when He speaks. (Exodus 24:15, Deuteronomy 4:11, Psalm 99:7, Matthew 17:5) The children of Israel were quick to pledge their obedience to God and His law, but they had no true understanding of their own sinfulness and depravity. D.L. Moody had this to say about verse 8: “Bold and self-confident language. The golden calf, the broken tablets, the neglected ordinances, the stoned messengers, the rejected and crucified Christ, are overwhelming evidences of man’s dishonored vows.” Verses 10-15: God then gives specific instructions to Moses about the manner in which the children of Israel are to prepare to receive the revelation of His law. For this day and tomorrow, they are to sanctify themselves by washing their clothes. (v.10) Though not stated directly, there is also an implied command here that the people are to wash and cleanse themselves. (Leviticus 11:44-45, Hebrews 10:22) Husbands and wives are also to abstain from sexual relations. (v.15) (I Corinthians 7:5) God makes clear to Moses the boundaries of the mountain and where the Israelites are to gather on the morning of the third day. God had declared Mount Sinai to be holy ground, and the people are to respect God’s holiness by not even coming near that ground which God makes clear is forbidden. (Exodus 3:5, 34:3, Hebrews 12:20-21) If anyone – man or beast – defies this command, they are to be immediately killed by stoning or shot with an arrow. In other words, no one can even go up on the mountain to execute that person or beast, lest they, too, violate the first directive. The obedience of the second directive had to be done from a safe distance. God concludes His instruction to Moses by saying that, at the sound of the trumpet on the third morning, the children of Israel are to come up to the designated assembly area on the mountain. Moses relays these instructions to the elders and all the people, and the Israelites obey. (v.14) Verses 16-25: On the morning of the third day, God descends upon Mount Sinai in a thick cloud, accompanied by lightning and thunder and the fanfare of the trumpet blast. (v.16) Moses calls the people forth to the designated area of the mountain where God instructed them to assemble. (v.17) (Deuteronomy 4:10) The whole mountain quakes, wreathed in fire and thick smoke. This, along with the constant thunder and lightning and the sustained trumpet blast, naturally causes great fear and awe among the children of Israel! (v.18) (Exodus 3:2, 24:17, Deuteronomy 4:11, 5:4, Judges 5:5, 1 Kings 19:12, 2 Chronicles 7:1, Psalm 68:8, 104:32, 144:5, Jeremiah 4:24, Hebrews 12:18, 26) So much so, in fact, that the people are too terrified to ascend the mountain to the designated meeting place. (v.17) So Moses ascends the rest of the way alone to meet with God by himself. (v.20) The reason for this grand and majestic manifestation of God’s presence is because of the oath the Israelites had just sworn to God three days earlier. (v.8) God needs to impress upon His chosen people the seriousness of His holiness and the gravity of the commitment they had just made to follow his law and obey Him. But because the people are too afraid to follow God’s first command to meet Him on the mountain, God gives a new instruction to Moses. (v.21-25) Instead of a nation of priests, the children of Israel will now be a nation with priests. God commands Moses to tell the people to return to camp, “…lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish.” (v.21) Only Moses, Aaron, and the priests may come further up the mountain to meet with the Lord, but God also repeats His command regarding sanctification of the priests before they return with Moses. (Leviticus 10:3, 21:6) NOTE: the term “priests” here most likely refers to the elders, or the heads of the families, or the firstborn males of each house. [Exodus 13:2, Job 1:5] The Levitical priesthood has not yet been officially established. Moses returns to the people to give them God’s latest instructions. The Israelites continue their journey, departing Rephidim in the third month of their exodus from Egypt and setting up camp in the wilderness of Sinai, at the base of the mount of God. (Exodus 19:1-2) This is the same location where Aaron was first reunited with Moses in Exodus 4:27, and where God told Moses he was to bring the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt. (Exodus 3:12) The events described here in chapter 18 actually take place shortly after the Israelites’ arrival at Sinai. The most likely reason for relating them here rather than the next chapter is because the narrative shifts in chapter 19 from the Israelites’ exodus out of Egypt to the giving of the law from God to His chosen people. (Exodus 19-24)
Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro (Exodus 2:16, 3:1), the high priest of Midian, has heard all that God has done for the children of Israel (Psalm 106:2, 8), and he now meets with Moses at Mount Sinai, bringing with him Zipporah and their two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. (v.2-4) (Exodus 4:20, Acts 7:29) The name Gershom means “stranger in a strange land” (v.3) and Eliezer means “God is my help”. (v.4) (Genesis 49:25) We can infer from these verses that Moses had left his family with Jethro in Midian after the incident regarding the circumcision of one of his sons. (Exodus 4:24-26) Verses 6-12: Moses’ reunion with his family and his father-in-law is a sweet and blessed one. Moses tells Jethro all that God has done for the children of Israel, starting with their deliverance from bondage in Egypt. (v.8) (Exodus 15: 6, 16, Psalm 81:7) Jethro rejoices at the testimony of God’s goodness and providence, giving a testimony of his own faith in the one, true God. (v.10-11) (Isaiah 63:7) He then performs a burnt offering and sacrifices for God in the presence of Moses, Aaron, and all the elders of Israel. (v.13) (Genesis 14:18, Job 1:5) Verses 13-27: The next day, as Jethro observes Moses performing his daily duty as a judge for all of Israel, he takes note of how the great responsibility – which occupies his son-in-law from sunrise to sunset – wearies Moses. (v.14) Jethro asks Moses why he performs this duty alone, and Moses responds that the people come to him to settle disputes as well as enquire of God. (v.15-16) Moses further explains that “I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.” This is another indication that the events of this chapter very likely take place sometime after God gave the law to Moses (Exodus 19), but probably before the incident of the golden calf (Exodus 32). “Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel…” Jethro says to Moses in verse 19. He then advises Moses to assume only the role of spiritual leader for the children of Israel. Moses should limit himself to just enquiring of God on behalf of the people as well as teaching the Israelites the ordinances and laws of God. (v.19-20) As for all the other legal matters and disputes that needed to be settled among the people on a daily basis, Moses should select “able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness…” to serve as judges. (v.21) Enough men should be selected so as to equally divide the workload among all the Israelites. Only the matters that were too great for the judges to handle would then be brought to Moses to resolve. (v.22) Jethro gives this advice with God’s blessing (v.23), and Moses wisely heeds it. (v.24) Jethro then returns to Midian. (v.27) Moses displayed two of the greatest qualities of a true leader and man of God: humility and teachability. He did not allow his pride or his ego to get in the way of wise counsel from an elder, and he demonstrated a teachable attitude here in that he was willing to accept rebuke and correction from another man of God. The man that we see in this chapter is not the same man that we first encountered in Exodus 2. Moses has come a long way in just a few months, another indicator of God’s power and ability to change the heart and character of those who willingly surrender to his sovereignty and authority. |
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