The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  28:33 bells of gold. The sound of the tinkling bells sewn on the hem of the High-Priest’s robe signaled those waiting outside the Holy Place that their representative ministering before the Lord was still alive and moving about, fulfilling his duties.

  28:36–38 turban. The headdress carried the declaration essential to worship and priestly representation, namely the holiness of the Lord, and in so doing reminded the High-Priest and all others that their approach to God must be done with reverence.

  28:39 tunic…sash. An undergarment.

  28:40–43 The rest of the priests also had distinctive dress to wear, visually setting them apart from the ordinary citizen. Failure to comply with the dress regulations when serving in the sanctuary brought death. Such a severe consequence stressed the importance of their duties and should have motivated the priests not to consider their priestly role as a mundane, routine, and thankless task.

  Exodus 29

  29:1–18 hallow. The ones chosen to begin the priesthood could not enter into office without Moses’ conducting a solemn, 7-day investiture (vv. 4–35 and Lev. 8:1–36), involving washing, dressing, anointing, sacrificing, daubing and sprinkling with blood, and eating.

  29:19, 20 Daubing blood on the right ear, hand, and big toe symbolically sanctified the ear to hear the Word of God, the hand to do the work of God, and the foot to walk in the way of God.

  29:27, 28 wave offering…heave offering. See note on Lev. 7:30–32.

  29:40 ephah…hin. Four to six gallons and six to eight pints respectively.

  29:42 throughout your generations. Perhaps this phrase intends a prophetic reminder or confirmation of a long history for Israel.

  29:45 I will dwell. That He would be their God and they would be His people was one thing, but that He would also dwell or tabernacle with them was a very important reality in the experience of the new nation. They were to understand not only the transcendence of their God, whose dwelling place was in the heaven of heavens, but also the immanence of their God, whose dwelling place was with them. Their redemption from Egypt was for this purpose (v. 46).

  Exodus 30

  30:1–10 altar…incense. The design for this piece of furniture for the Holy Place was not given with the other two (25:23–40) but follows the instructions about the priesthood perhaps because it was the last piece to which the High-Priest came before he entered the Holy of Holies once a year. Right after Aaron’s consecration ceremony had been noted, his duties of 1) ensuring proper incense was offered continually upon this altar and that 2) he was also once a year to cleanse it with blood from the atonement offering (v. 10) received attention.

  30:6 before the veil. This places the altar outside of the “Holy of Holies” in the Holy Place. Heb. 9:3, 4 speaks of the altar in the “Holy of Holies” in the sense of its proximity to the ark and in relation to its cleansing on the Day of Atonement. The priests could not go beyond it on any other day.

  30:9 strange incense. See v. 38.

  30:12 census. The reason for the numbering of all males of military age (v. 14) was not stated, but its seriousness surfaces in the dire warning given about a plague and the use of the term “ransom” in connection with it (cf. 1 Chr. 21).

  30:13 shekel of the sanctuary. A shekel weighed about .4 oz. (cf. Lev. 5:15; 27:3, 25; Num. 3:47; 7:13ff.).

  30:18–21 laver of bronze. The washing of hands and feet was mandatory before engaging in priestly duties. Again, the seriousness of being ceremonially purified is seen in the warning of death if this washing is neglected. Nothing casual was being done in the sanctuary or out in the courtyard!

  30:22–33 Nothing was left to chance or to human ingenuity. The ingredients for making the anointing oil were carefully spelled out. Anything different was totally unacceptable and brought with it the penalty of death (v. 33). This was to be a unique blend! Using it for any other purpose also erased its holy status as set apart for use in the tabernacle and made it no different from the ordinary and the mundane.

  30:25, 35 art of the perfumer. The skill of the perfumer was obviously already well known in Israel, a trade which they undoubtedly observed in Egypt.

  30:34–38 incense. God also listed the ingredients for the unique blend of incense prescribed for use at the altar of incense. Making anything different would have been to make “strange incense” (v. 9) and would also result in death (v. 38). Personal use rendered its holy status null and void. Nadab and Abihu were executed for violating this command (cf. Lev. 10:1, 2).

  Exodus 31

  31:1–11 God identified two men by name as specially chosen and divinely endued with ability, or Spirit-filled, to make all He had revealed to Moses (cf. 28:3; 36:1). None of the craftsmen were left untouched by divinely bestowed understanding in the intricacy of their work. They were called “gifted artisans,” suggesting previously developed skill. They were to make all that is prescribed in Ex. 25–30.

  31:12–17 See note on 20:8.

  31:18 two tablets of the Testimony. See note on 25:16. written with the finger of God. A figurative way of attributing the law to God.

  Exodus 32

  32:1 make us gods. Such was the influence of the polytheistic world in which they lived that the Israelites, in a time of panic or impatience, succumbed to a pagan world view. What made it even more alarming was the rapidity with which pagan idolatry swept in despite recent real-life demonstrations of God’s greatness and goodness toward them. But they weren’t just requesting gods, but gods to lead them forward—”that shall go before us.” The pagan world view had robbed them of seeing God as having led them out of Egypt and instead they scornfully attributed the Exodus to Moses (cf. Acts. 7:40).

  32:4 a molded calf. The young bull, which Aaron caused to be fashioned, was a pagan religious symbol of virile power. A miniature form of the golden calf, although made of bronze and silver, was found at the site of the ancient Philistine city of Ashkelon. Since it dates to about 1550 B.C. it indicates that calf worship was known not only in Egypt, but also in Canaan prior to the time of Moses. In worshiping the calf, the Israelites violated the first 3 commandments (20:3–7).

  32:5 feast to the LORD. Syncretism brought about the ludicrous combination of an idol, an altar, and a festal celebration held in a bizarre attempt to honor the true God.

  32:6 rose up to play. The Heb. word allows for the inclusion of drunken and immoral activities so common to idolatrous fertility cults in their revelry (see the description in vv. 7, 25). Syncretism had robbed the people of all ethical alertness and moral discernment (cf. 1 Cor. 10:7).

  32:7 your people. In alerting Moses to the trouble in the camp, God designated Israel as Moses’ people, a change of possessive pronoun Moses could not have missed. Beforehand God had acknowledged them as “My people.” In pleading with God for Israel and in responding to God’s offer to make of him a great nation (v. 10), Moses maintained what he knew to be true, given the Exodus and the divine promises to the patriarchs (vv. 12, 13), and designated them correctly as “Your people” (v. 11).

  32:10 make of you a great nation. God could have consumed all the people and started over again with Moses, just like he had earlier with Abraham (Gen. 12).

  32:13 Israel. Another name for Jacob, which means “one who strives with God” (cf. Gen. 32:28).

  32:14 the LORD relented from the harm. Moses’ appeal for God to change His mind, to relent, succeeded because God had only threatened judgment, not decreed it. A divine intention is not an unchangeable divine decree. Decrees or sworn declarations (cf. Gen. 22:16–18; Ps. 110:4) or categorical statements of not changing or relenting (cf. Jer. 4:28; Ezek. 24:14; Zech. 8:14, 15) are unconditional and bind the speaker to the stated course of action regardless of the circumstances or reactions of the listeners. Intentions retain a conditional element and do not necessarily bind the speaker to a stated course of action (cf. Jer. 15:6; 18:8–10; 26:3, 13, 19; Joel 2:13; Jon. 3:9, 10; 4:2).

  32:19 broke them. Moses pictured the nation breaking God’s commandments by ac
tually breaking the tablets on which they were written.

  32:22–24 Aaron, held responsible by Moses for what had taken place in the camp (vv. 21, 25), endeavored to avoid responsibility for the people’s actions by shifting the blame to their propensity to do evil, and also for the presence of the golden calf by ridiculously representing it as having just popped out of the fire all by itself!

  32:23 See Acts. 7:40.

  32:26 Whoever is on the LORD’s side. Only the tribe of Levi responded to the call to take action in response to this situation which demanded judgment be inflicted. They had understood that neutrality could not exist in the open confrontation between good and evil. Family and national ties were superseded by submission to the Lord to do His will, which in this situation was to wield the sword of God’s judgment to preserve His honor and glory.

  32:28 They apparently killed those who persisted in idolatry and immorality (cf. Num. 25:6–9).

  32:32 blot me out of Your book. Nothing more strongly marked the love of Moses for his people than his sincere willingness to offer up his own life rather than see them disinherited and destroyed. The book to which Moses referred, the psalmist entitled “the book of the living” (Ps. 69:28). Untimely or premature death would constitute being blotted out of the book. The Apostle Paul displayed a similar passionate devotion for his kinsmen (Rom. 9:1–3).

  Exodus 33

  33:2–6 Good news included bad news! Entry into the Promised Land was not forfeited, but God’s presence on the way was withdrawn. What was a sworn covenant-promise to the patriarchs just could not be broken: what was assured—the divine presence on the way—could be set aside because of sin (cf. 23:20–23). Removal of their jewelry depicted outwardly the people’s sorrow of heart. It was a response analogous to donning sackcloth and ashes.

  33:2 See notes on 3:8.

  33:7 the tabernacle of meeting. In the time prior to the construction of the tabernacle, Moses’ tent became the special meeting place for Moses to talk intimately, “face to face” (v. 11), with God. No doubt the people watching from afar were reminded of the removal of God’s immediate presence.

  33:12–17 Again Moses entered earnestly and confidently into the role of intercessor before God for the nation whom he again referred to as “Your people” (vv. 13, 16). Moses clearly understood that without God’s presence they would not be a people set apart from other nations, so why travel any further? Moses’ favored standing before the Lord comes out in the positive response to his intercession (v. 17).

  33:18–23 Cautionary measures were needed for God to respond only in part to Moses’ request to see more of Him than he was already experiencing (cf. Num. 12:8)—otherwise he would die. Notwithstanding God’s being gracious and compassionate to whomever He chose, Moses could not see God’s face and live. Whatever he saw of God’s nature transformed into blazing light is referred to as “God’s back” and was never subsequently described by Moses (cf. John 1:18; 1 John 4:12).

  33:19 See Rom. 9:15.

  Exodus 34

  34:1 Cut two tablets of stone. Renewal of the covenant meant replacement of the broken original tablets on which God had personally written the Ten Commandments (cf. 32:19).

  34:2–28 Moses’ second period of 40 days and nights on Mt. Sinai (cf. chaps. 25–32).

  34:6, 7 Here is one of the testimonies to the character of God.

  34:7 See note on 20:5, 6.

  34:11 See note on 3:8.

  34:12–17 See note on 23:32. This time the admonition on international treaties included a warning of how idolatry could easily ensnare them by seemingly innocent invitations to join the festivities like a good neighbor or by intermarriage, because these events would require recognition of the contracting parties’ deities. Their future history demonstrated the urgency of such instruction and the disaster of disobeying it.

  34:18 See note on 12:14.

  34:19, 20 See note on 13:2.

  34:21 See note on 20:8.

  34:22, 23, 26 See note on 23:14–19.

  34:29–35 The first time on the mount (24:12—32:14), unlike the second, had not left Moses with a face which was reflecting some radiance associated with being in the presence of the Lord for an extended period of time. On the first occasion, mere mention was made of Moses’ being gone 40 days and nights (24:18). On the second, mention was made of the 40 day and night absence but adding that Moses had been there with the Lord, neither eating nor drinking (v. 28), appears to draw attention to the different nature of the second visit. It, in comparison with the first, was not interrupted by the Lord’s sending Moses away because of sin in the camp (32:7–10). A compliant and not defiant people feared the evidence of God’s presence. When not speaking to the Lord or authoritatively on His behalf to the people, Moses veiled his face. The Apostle Paul advised that the veil prevented the people from seeing a fading glory and related it to the inadequacy of the old covenant and the blindness of the Jews in his day (see notes on 2 Cor. 3:7–18).

  Exodus 35

  35:1—40:38 In this section, the Israelites constructed the tabernacle as God so prescribed in 25:1–31:18.

  35:1–3 See note on 20:8. This time, however, an extra admonition forbids the making of a fire on the Sabbath.

  35:4–9 See note on 25:2.

  35:10–19 See notes on 25:11—28:43.

  35:20–29 See note on 25:2.

  35:30—36:1 The Lord also gave the two named artisans skill in teaching their trades. This substantiates that they were most probably the supervisors or leaders of the construction teams. See notes on 28:3; 31:1–11.

  Exodus 36

  36:2–7 The people, stubborn and disobedient at times, nevertheless rose to the occasion and voluntarily brought much more than was needed for the building of the tabernacle. See note on 25:2.

  36:8—39:43 The report of the work done is repeated in the past tense. This report also highlighted how careful the workers were in carrying out the instructions and blueprints received. Note the repeated refrain on doing all just as the Lord had commanded Moses (39:1, 5, 7, 21, 26, 29, 31, 32, 42, 43 and 40:19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 32).

  36:8–37 See notes on chap. 26.

  Exodus 37

  37:1–9 See notes on 25:16, 17, 18.

  37:10–16 See note on 25:30.

  37:17–24 See note on 25:31.

  37:25–28 See note on 30:1–10.

  37:29 See notes on 30:22–33, 34–38.

  Exodus 38

  38:1–7 See note on 27:1.

  38:8 See note on 30:18–21.

  38:9–20 See notes on 27:9, 16.

  38:21–31 The inventory taken calculates out at half a shekel (cf. 30:13–16) per man 20 years old and up to equal 603,550 men (cf. Num. 1:46 and the first census). Talents were about 75 pounds and shekels about half an ounce.

  Exodus 39

  39:1, 2 they made…He made. The third-person plural, “they,” dominating the manufacturing report (vv. 2–31), is interrupted 4 times by the singular “he” (vv. 2, 7, 8, 22). The plural undoubtedly refers to Bezalel and/or his associates in operation, whereas the singular marks out what Bezalel worked on by himself.

  39:1 as the LORD had commanded Moses. This repetitive refrain (vv. 1, 5, 7, 21, 26, 29, 31), a quality-control statement, signals to the reader of every age, or to the listener in Israel back then, that God’s detailed instructions to Moses on the fabricating of the ephod (vv. 2–7), breastplate (vv. 8–21), and priestly garments (vv. 22–31) were followed to the letter. Obedience in every detail was taken seriously by Israel’s artisans.

  39:2 He made the ephod. See note on 28:5–13.

  39:3 they beat the gold into thin sheets and cut it into threads. The process adopted to get the delicate strips for braided chains or gold embroidery work conformed well with contemporary Egyptian methods of gold-working.

  39:8 he made the breastplate. See notes on 28:15–30. The Urim and Thummim were inserted into the breastplate and became an essential part of it, or were seen as a permanent connection with
it.

  39:22 He made the robe of the ephod. See note on 28:31–35.

  39:27 They made tunics…for Aaron and his sons. See notes on 28:39–43.

  39:30 they made the plate of the holy crown. See note on 28:36–38 on this special plate engraved with its message of God’s purity and separation from all the profane and impure.

  39:32 Thus all the work…was finished. Finally the moment arrived when all the different tasks assigned to different artisans were all completed, and the great task on which they embarked was ready for formal presentation to Israel’s leader. And the children of Israel. No individual artisan is singled out for special mention or award; instead the whole nation was represented as doing everything in accordance with the Lord’s instructions to Moses. so they did. In what is almost an offhanded aside, emphasis is placed on the strict attention paid to the official, divine specifications for all parts of the work for the tabernacle.

  39:33 And they brought the tabernacle to Moses. Attestations of obedience and accuracy provide, as it were, an envelope (vv. 32, 42, 43) for the concise inventory of all the parts included in that presentation to Moses. None of the individual parts listed, nor the sum of them, reflect just human ingenuity in designing something they wanted to have, but reflect instead just what their Lord required them to have. It was fully His architecture and His design at every level of the undertaking.

  39:42, 43 The double repetition of the same quality-control refrain found earlier in the chapter together with the 3 additional phrases emphasizing exact conformity (note “indeed,” or “behold,” and “just so”) to all specifications combine to formally mark the closing of these great God-initiated preparations for the place of His presence and the site of their worship. Israel’s skillful artisans had done their work with zero tolerance for error in mind!

  39:43 Then Moses looked over all the work. Fittingly enough, the one who had been with God on the mount and had passed on to the people the blueprints for everything connected with the Lord’s tabernacle personally inspected the work and confirmed its successful completion. The term “work” is to be taken as “the end result of professional and skilled craftsmen.” And Moses blessed them. By this act, Moses set his final and formal seal of approval on the outcome of their earnestness and diligence, and expressed his prayer-wish that good would result to them from their God. This is the only instance recorded in Exodus of Moses’ pronouncing a blessing upon his people. The other appearances of the verb “to bless” occur 3 times with God as the subject of the verb (20:11, 24; 23:25) and one time with Pharaoh requesting Moses to bless him (12:32).