OVERVIEW:
God commands the people to go to Canaan; Moses asks God to reestablish His presence with Israel; God rewrites the tables of stone that Moses had broken; God reaffirms His special relationship with Israel; Moses reveals the tabernacle plans and the people respond obediently.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
As we begin today’s reading, God has very simply had “ENOUGH!” He reiterates His promise to give the children of Israel the land of Canaan, but lets them know they’d be making the journey to get there without Him. He informs them, however, that though His personal presence would not be with them, He would see to it that “an angel” would provide the strength and guidance He knew they would need to overcome the enemies that would attempt to keep them from taking the land. (33:2) Notice though, that the angel that is promised here (“an angel”) is different than the angel (“mine Angel”) mentioned in Exodus 23:23 and 32:34, which was the “Angel of the Lord”. (See the “Highlights & Insights” section of Week 5, Day 1.) God also informs them that His decision to not go with them was actually for their own good, saying, “lest I consume thee in the way.” (33:3) God tells them, “for thou art a STIFFNECKED people.” Wow! What an indictment!
The word “stiffnecked” appears six times in the Old Testament and one time in the New Testament. It is used to refer to the children of Israel all seven times. By observing my own spiritual journey, as well as the journey of others, something tells me that the last of the “stiffnecked people” God has had to put up with didn’t end with the children of Israel in the wilderness! When God’s plan for our lives doesn’t line up with our own plans, or when God is trying to use the circumstances of our lives (trials) to conform us into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29), our reaction is often much like that of our spiritual forefathers in the book of Exodus; we tend to resist, to become stubborn and obstinate, or to “stiffen” our “neck”.
Notice in today’s reading that there is an interesting contrast found between those God describes as having a “STIFFENED NECK”, (33:3, 5; 34:9) and those who have a “WILLING HEART” (35:5, 21, 29); a “STIRRED HEART” (35:21, 26; 36:2) and a “WILLING SPIRIT”. (35:21) Based on your spiritual walk in the last six months, which term do you think God would use to describe you? Very simply, have you had a “STIRRED” and “WILLING HEART/ SPIRIT”, or have you had a “STIFFENED NECK.” Obviously, the two are mutually exclusive.
It is interesting, however, that even though the children of Israel were a “stiffnecked people”, the thought of not having the Lord’s presence with them was extremely disturbing to them. Verse 4 of chapter 33 says that when they heard that the Lord wouldn’t be going with them, “they MOURNED”. Their reaction made me wonder what our reaction would be if the Lord were to tell us that He would still take us to heaven when we die, but rather than having His presence in and on our lives, “an angel” would be guiding us in the remainder of our journey. Would we be content, or satisfied with the angel, simply being in proximity to the things of God, or would we mourn because we are passionate for GOD HIMSELF, and having HIS HOLY PRESENCE with us? Would our reaction be like Moses’ in 33:15, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence”?
Other practical gleanings to note in today’s reading:
After the 40 days with him on the mountain, God begins to talk to Moses about His plans for the second building project: the tabernacle. Obviously, the Divine Architect, the Designer and Builder of the universe could have simply spoken the tabernacle into existence, but in His sovereignty, He chose to permit the people to enjoy a sense of ownership in the project by allowing them to provide both the funding and the craftsmanship for the project. As the old saying goes, “People regard that which costs them nothing as having little or no value.” Obviously, God knows that about we humans, and certainly wanted to be sure that the people of Israel never felt that way about the tabernacle, because it would serve as “God’s mobile worship center” as they made their way through the wilderness and into the land that was promised. It was virtually a tent that was used as a sanctuary to house the ark of the covenant by the Israelites after the exodus and until the construction of the temple (approximately 400 years!)
The reason God was so explicit about how the tabernacle was to be constructed is because it was to be the earthly representation of the true tabernacle in heaven. (Exodus 25:9; Hebrews 8:5) Just as there were three parts of the tabernacle, there are three heavens; just as God’s presence was beyond the veil in the third part of the tabernacle, the “Holy of Holies”, God’s presence is beyond the veil identified as “the deep” in the third heaven; and perhaps most importantly, the instructions concerning the tabernacle were so explicit because it was also a picture of Christ.
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
In the TABERNACLE – Exodus 35 (Hebrews 9:1-14)
The SINGLE DOOR into the tabernacle – Exodus 35:15 (John 10:1–2, 7, 9)
The “HOLY OF HOLIES” into which only the high priest could enter – Exodus 35:19 (Hebrews 9:12)