Weekly Bible Study

Exodus 30-33

Plans for the Incense Altar

30 "Then make another altar of acacia wood for burning incense. 2 Make it 18
inches square and 36 inches high,* with horns at the corners carved from the same
piece of wood as the altar itself. 3 Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with
pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar. 4 Make two gold rings, and
attach them on opposite sides of the altar below the gold molding to hold the carrying
poles. 5 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 Place the
incense altar just outside the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant,* in
front of the Ark's cover—the place of atonement—that covers the tablets inscribed
with the terms of the covenant.* I will meet with you there.
7 "Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on
the altar. 8 And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense
in the Lord 's presence. This must be done from generation to generation. 9 Do not
offer any unholy incense on this altar, or any burnt offerings, grain offerings, or liquid
offerings.10 "Once a year Aaron must purify* the altar by smearing its horns with
blood from the offering made to purify the people from their sin. This will be a regular,
annual event from generation to generation, for this is the Lord 's most holy altar."
Money for the Tabernacle
11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 "Whenever you take a census of the people of
Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself to the Lord . Then no
plague will strike the people as you count them. 13 Each person who is counted must
give a small piece of silver as a sacred offering to the Lord . (This payment is half a
shekel,* based on the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs.) 14 All who
have reached their twentieth birthday must give this sacred offering to the Lord . 15
When this offering is given to the Lord to purify your lives, making you right with him,*
the rich must not give more than the specified amount, and the poor must not give
less. 16 Receive this ransom money from the Israelites, and use it for the care of the
Tabernacle.* It will bring the Israelites to the Lord 's attention, and it will purify your
lives."
Plans for the Washbasin
17 Then the Lord said to Moses, 18 "Make a bronze washbasin with a bronze stand.
Place it between the Tabernacle and the altar, and fill it with water. 19 Aaron and his
sons will wash their hands and feet there. 20 They must wash with water whenever
they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the Lord and when they approach the
altar to burn up their special gifts to the Lord —or they will die! 21 They must always
wash their hands and feet, or they will die. This is a permanent law for Aaron and his
descendants, to be observed from generation to generation."
The Anointing Oil
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 "Collect choice spices—12½ pounds of pure
myrrh, 6¼ pounds of fragrant cinnamon, 6¼ pounds of fragrant calamus,* 24 and
12½ pounds of cassia*—as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. Also
get one gallon of olive oil.* 25 Like a skilled incense maker, blend these ingredients
to make a holy anointing oil. 26 Use this sacred oil to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark
of the Covenant, 27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and all its
accessories, the incense altar, 28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and
the washbasin with its stand. 29 Consecrate them to make them absolutely holy.
After this, whatever touches them will also become holy.
30 "Anoint Aaron and his sons also, consecrating them to serve me as priests. 31
And say to the people of Israel, 'This holy anointing oil is reserved for me from
generation to generation. 32 It must never be used to anoint anyone else, and you
must never make any blend like it for yourselves. It is holy, and you must treat it as
holy. 33 Anyone who makes a blend like it or anoints someone other than a priest will
be cut off from the community.'"
The Incense
34 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Gather fragrant spices—resin droplets, mollusk
shell, and galbanum—and mix these fragrant spices with pure frankincense, weighed
out in equal amounts. 35 Using the usual techniques of the incense maker, blend the
spices together and sprinkle them with salt to produce a pure and holy incense. 36
Grind some of the mixture into a very fine powder and put it in front of the Ark of the
Covenant,* where I will meet with you in the Tabernacle. You must treat this incense
as most holy. 37 Never use this formula to make this incense for yourselves. It is
reserved for the Lord , and you must treat it as holy. 38 Anyone who makes incense
like this for personal use will be cut off from the community."
Craftsmen: Bezalel and Oholiab
31 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 "Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of
Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God,
giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. 4 He is a master
craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. 5 He is skilled in engraving
and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft!
6 "And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to
be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so
they can make all the things I have commanded you to make:
7 the Tabernacle;*
the Ark of the Covenant;*
the Ark's cover—the place of atonement;
all the furnishings of the Tabernacle;
8 the table and its utensils;
the pure gold lampstand with all its accessories;
the incense altar;
9 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils;
the washbasin with its stand;
10 the beautifully stitched garments—the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and
the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests;
11 the anointing oil;
the fragrant incense for the Holy Place.
The craftsmen must make everything as I have commanded you."
Instructions for the Sabbath
12 The Lord then gave these instructions to Moses: 13 "Tell the people of Israel: 'Be
careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between
me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the
Lord , who makes you holy. 14 You must keep the Sabbath day, for it is a holy day for
you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; anyone who works on that day
will be cut off from the community. 15 You have six days each week for your ordinary
work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day
dedicated to the Lord . Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death. 16
The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day by observing it from generation to
generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time. 17 It is a permanent sign of my
covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth,
but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.'"18 When the Lord
finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets
inscribed with the terms of the covenant,* written by the finger of God.
The Gold Calf
32 When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the
mountain, they gathered around Aaron. "Come on," they said, "make us some gods
who can lead us. We don't know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us
here from the land of Egypt." So Aaron said, "Take the gold rings from the ears of
your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me."3 All the people took the
gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 Then Aaron took the gold,
melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they
exclaimed, "O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!"5
Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then
he announced, "Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord !"6 The people got up early
the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they
celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.
7 The Lord told Moses, "Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you
brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 How quickly they have
turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold
and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying,
'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.'"9 Then the
Lord said, "I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. 10 Now leave
me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I
will make you, Moses, into a great nation."
11 But Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God. "O Lord !" he said. "Why are you so
angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great
power and such a strong hand? 12 Why let the Egyptians say, 'Their God rescued
them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them
from the face of the earth'? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind
about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! 13 Remember
your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.* You bound yourself with an oath to them,
saying, 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will
give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will
possess it forever.'"
14 So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to
bring on his people.15 Then Moses turned and went down the mountain. He held in
his hands the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant.* They were
inscribed on both sides, front and back. 16 These tablets were God's work; the
words on them were written by God himself.17 When Joshua heard the boisterous
noise of the people shouting below them, he exclaimed to Moses, "It sounds like war
in the camp!"18 But Moses replied, "No, it's not a shout of victory nor the wailing of
defeat. I hear the sound of a celebration."
19 When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and the dancing, and he
burned with anger. He threw the stone tablets to the ground, smashing them at the
foot of the mountain. 20 He took the calf they had made and burned it. Then he
ground it into powder, threw it into the water, and forced the people to drink it.21
Finally, he turned to Aaron and demanded, "What did these people do to you to
make you bring such terrible sin upon them?"22 "Don't get so upset, my lord," Aaron
replied. "You yourself know how evil these people are. 23 They said to me, 'Make us
gods who will lead us. We don't know what happened to this fellow Moses, who
brought us here from the land of Egypt.' 24 So I told them, 'Whoever has gold jewelry,
take it off.' When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came
this calf!"
25 Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to
the amusement of their enemies.* 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and
shouted, "All of you who are on the Lord 's side, come here and join me." And all the
Levites gathered around him.27 Moses told them, "This is what the Lord , the God of
Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the
camp to the other. Kill everyone—even your brothers, friends, and neighbors." 28
The Levites obeyed Moses' command, and about 3,000 people died that day.29
Then Moses told the Levites, "Today you have ordained yourselves* for the service of
the Lord , for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and
brothers. Today you have earned a blessing."
Moses Intercedes for Israel
30 The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a terrible sin, but I
will go back up to the Lord on the mountain. Perhaps I will be able to obtain
forgiveness* for your sin."31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Oh, what a
terrible sin these people have committed. They have made gods of gold for
themselves. 32 But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, erase my name
from the record you have written!"33 But the Lord replied to Moses, "No, I will erase
the name of everyone who has sinned against me. 34 Now go, lead the people to the
place I told you about. Look! My angel will lead the way before you. And when I come
to call the people to account, I will certainly hold them responsible for their sins."
35 Then the Lord sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped
the calf Aaron had made.
33 The Lord said to Moses, "Get going, you and the people you brought up from the
land of Egypt. Go up to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I told
them, 'I will give this land to your descendants.' 2 And I will send an angel before you
to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 3
Go up to this land that flows with milk and honey. But I will not travel among you, for
you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I did, I would surely destroy you along the
way."
4 When the people heard these stern words, they went into mourning and stopped
wearing their jewelry and fine clothes. 5 For the Lord had told Moses to tell them,
"You are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I were to travel with you for even a
moment, I would destroy you. Remove your jewelry and fine clothes while I decide
what to do with you." 6 So from the time they left Mount Sinai,* the Israelites wore no
more jewelry or fine clothes.7 It was Moses' practice to take the Tent of Meeting* and
set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of
the Lord would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp.
8 Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and
stand in the entrances of their own tents. They would all watch Moses until he
disappeared inside. 9 As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down
and hover at its entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 When the people saw
the cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they would stand and bow down in front
of their own tents. 11 Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses
face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp,
but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the
Tent of Meeting.
Moses Sees the LORD's Glory
12 One day Moses said to the Lord , "You have been telling me, 'Take these people
up to the Promised Land.' But you haven't told me whom you will send with me. You
have told me, 'I know you by name, and I look favorably on you.' 13 If it is true that you
look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and
continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people."
14 The Lord replied, "I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—
everything will be fine for you."
15 Then Moses said, "If you don't personally go with us, don't make us leave this
place. 16 How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your
people—if you don't go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and
me apart from all other people on the earth."17 The Lord replied to Moses, "I will
indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name."
18 Moses responded, "Then show me your glorious presence."
19 The Lord replied, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out
my name, Yahweh,* before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will
show compassion to anyone I choose. 20 But you may not look directly at my face,
for no one may see me and live." 21 The Lord continued, "Look, stand near me on
this rock. 22 As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the
rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my
hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen."