The Book of Exodus: TBP (The Big Picture)

Thanks to Charlton Heston as Moses, Exodus is still familiar territory to most people. People who make this vow; “This year I’m reading the entire Bible!” – are still going strong.  But, they start to waver when they get to Chapter 20 (the 10 commandments), which is the start of many chapters of rules and regulations. Chapter 40, the last chapter, talks about arranging furniture in the Tabernacle. By then, most people have already given up on their New Year’s resolution.

Let me see if I understand this. God creates all that exists. He wants to communicate things to us about Him. So, he inspires some chosen folk to record His Word in a holy book. Isiah tells us that grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of God will stand forever.

So, why would God choose to include such enormous minutiae?  How is our knowledge of God improved by knowing that a goat shouldn’t be boiled in its mother’s milk? That’s what He wants us to know about Him? One would think there is much more useful information to preserve forever. On the other hand, count the many instances God is willing to kill people in this chapter for breaking various rules He instituted; such as, stoning to death children if they curse their parents (in which case I would have been dead by age 7). Perhaps the less we know about this angry God, the better?

I don’t have good answers. Maybe after you read Exodus, you can tell me.

Disclaimer For Easily Offended Snowflakes:

THIS IS A SUMMARY OF EXODUS (reducing the Exodus word count from 25,957 to just 7,867). MY SUMMARY IS NOT GOD’S WORD!  I HAVE RECEIVED NO VISIONS OR AUTHORITY FROM THE ALMIGHTY. THIS WORK IS SOLELY THE PRODUCT OF MY FEEBLE MIND. THIS IS NOT A COMMENTARY ON EXODUS. HOWEVER, THERE IS MINIMAL COMMENTARY, AND IT WILL BE IN BRACKETS. USE FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. THIS SUMMARY IS NEITHER A REPLACEMENT NOR A SUBSTITUTE FOR SCRIPTURE. TO STUDY EXODUS, PICK UP A BIBLE!

========= EXODUS: The Big Picture ==========

(Ch. 1)  The twelve brothers and the generation of the original 70 who went to Egypt are all dead. However, the Israelites became “exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly”, and they filled the whole land.

Egypt has a new king to whom Joseph means nothing.  He sees how numerous the Israelites have become and decides to treat them harshly.  The reason for this is political – “if war breaks out, (they) will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”

[The idea of Israelites being slaves in Egypt is introduced for the first time.] The Hebrew slaves build the store cities of Pithom and Rameses. Twice the text states that the slave masters treated the Israelites “ruthlessly”   But, the more they were oppressed, the more they spread and multiplied.

So, the king of Egypt ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill – manner unspecified – all the Hebrew boys. They didn’t. They told Pharaoh that Hebrew women are “vigorous”, and gave birth before they arrived. So, God gave the midwives families of their own.

Then Pharaoh gave an order to “all his people” to throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile.

 (Ch. 2)  A Levite woman gives birth to a son. She is able to hide him from Pharaoh for three months. Afterwards, she places the child in a papyrus basket which she places among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. The child’s sister watches. Along comes Pharaoh’s daughter. The child’s sister asks if she should get one of the Hebrew woman to nurse the child. Pharaoh’s daughter agrees to this. So, the sister went to get the child’s mother, who nursed the child until he grew older. She named him ‘Moses’ which means “I drew him out of the water.”  When Moses was weaned, the mother took him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 

Moses grows up.  One day he ventures out to where his own people were, and he sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. Moses checks his surroundings, sees no one, and kills the Egyptian. The next day Moses tries to break up a fight between two Hebrews.  The man doing the pummeling asks Moses if Moses intends to kill him also. This freaks out Moses … who then flees Pharaoh to live in Midian.

Moses is in Midian sitting by a well when seven shepherd women — daughters of a priest of Midian – stop by to water their sheep.  Other shepherds chased the women away but, then Moses chased those shepherds away, and he watered her flock. The daughters tell their story to dad, and he tells them to invite Moses over for dinner. It must have been an awesome dinner because the next thing we know is that Moses marries the daughter, Zipporah. Eventually, she gave birth to a son, Gershom which means – “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”

A long time passes. Pharaoh dies. The Israelites groan under their burden of slavery, and cry out to God for help.

(Ch. 3)  Moses is tending his father-in-law’s (Jethro) flocks when he comes to Horeb – the mountain of God.  The “angel of the Lord” appears to Moses in the form of flames of fire from a bush –but, the bush was not consumed. Moses is curious about the bush not burning up, and walks over when God calls out from the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

God commands Moses to take off his sandals for Moses is standing on holy ground. Moses is informed that this is the God of his father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses hides his face in fear. Then God tells Moses that He has heard the cry of help from His people, and He’s here to help. Moses is not sure if he’s up to the task.

—Moses: “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

—God:  “I am who I am.  This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.”

God then assures Moses that the elders of Israel will listen to him. Also, that Pharaoh will not let the Israelites go “unless a mighty hand compels him”, and that God will “strike the Egyptians.” When the time to leave does occur, then every woman will ask her Egyptian neighbor for silver, gold, and clothing … and the neighbor will give it to them. “And so you will plunder the Egyptians.”

(Ch. 4)  Moses is still afraid people won’t believe the Lord appeared to him.  So, the Lord gives Moses three visual aids.

First, when Moses throws his staff on the ground it will turn into a snake, and when he picks it up by the tail it will turn back into his staff.  Second, when Moses sticks his hand in his cloak his skin will be leprous, and when he sticks his hand in a second time it will become normal again. Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second.” But, just in case they still don’t believe, then there is a third visual aid. Moses is to take water from the Nile, pour it on the ground, and it will turn to blood.

Moses has another concern about his abilities; he claims he is slow of speech and tongue. The Lord assures Moses that He will help Moses speak and will teach him what to say. Moses responds with “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”. This makes the Lord angry. Nevertheless, the Lord will allow Moses’ brother, Aaron, to speak for Moses.

The Lord tells Moses to take his family from Midian and back to Egypt because everyone who wanted to kill him is dead. The Lord also tells Moses to perform all the wonders God gave him the power to do … the snake and leprosy thing.  It won’t actually work because God himself will harden Pharaoh’s heart, keeping him from letting the Israelites go. Then Moses is to say to Pharaoh that because he would not let the people go – “I will kill your firstborn son.”

On the way to Egypt, “the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him.” But, Moses’ wife, Zipporah, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. So, the Lord left Moses alone.

Aaron meets Moses at the mountain of God. Later, they gather all the elders of the Israelites, and Aaron tells them everything God told Moses previously. Moses performs the visual aids God gave him the power to do, and the people bowed down and worshiped.

(Ch. 5)  Moses and Aaron meet with Pharaoh. They tell him that the God of Israel says – “Let my people go.” Pharaoh refuses the request because he doesn’t know this God of Israel. Moses and Aaron repeat their request. This ticks off Pharaoh. He believes it’s just a ploy to keep the people from working. He accuses the people of being lazy. So, he orders the slave drivers to stop supplying straw for bricks … the Israelites are to gather their own straw. But, the quota of bricks still remains the same. Of course, the quota isn’t met, and the slave drivers beat and abuse the Israelites. The people complain to Moses who, in turn, complains to God accusing Him of “not rescuing your people at all.”

(Ch. 6)  The Lord basically responds — just wait and see what I’m going to do to Pharaoh! God reminds Moses about all the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God tells Moses to let the Israelites know that God will free them from the yoke of the Egyptians, and He will bring them to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses does as commanded but, the people do not listen to him. God instructs Moses to once again tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave the country. Moses says he has faltering lips, and that Pharaoh won’t listen to him.

The chapter concludes with a list of the heads of the Israelite families in Egypt, and also their offspring.

(Ch. 7)  God reassures Moses and lays out the plan [formula]; Moses and Aaron will meet with Pharaoh to tell him to let the people go, but God will harden Pharaoh’s heart, then God will lay His hand on Egypt with various mighty acts of judgment.

Pharaoh demands a miracle. Aaron throws down his staff and it becomes a snake. Pharaoh is not impressed. He calls his sorcerers and they perform the same miracle. However, Aaron’s snakes eat Pharaoh’s snakes. Pharaoh is still not impressed. Rather, his heart became hard.

[Plague 1: Water to blood] One morning Pharaoh is by the Nile where he is confronted. Moses informs Pharaoh that because he did not let the people go that some bad stuff is about to happen. This way Pharaoh will know who is Lord. Aaron strikes the Nile with his staff and the water “was changed to blood”. This killed the fish.  All the waters of Egypt; streams, canals, ponds, and reservoirs also turned to blood. The Egyptians had to dig along the Nile to get drinking water.

Pharaoh wasn’t concerned. He turns and goes back to his palace. Seven days pass.

(Ch. 8)  [Plague 2: Frogs] Moses again sees Pharaoh, tells him to let the people go but, if he does not, that frogs will cover Pharaoh’s palace, and in his bedroom and bed, and even into the ovens and kneading troughs.

And that’s exactly what happens. Frogs, frogs, everywhere. The text states that Pharaoh’s magicians also made frogs appear throughout Egypt [but, does not give the reason why they would do that]. Pharaoh asks Moses to make the frogs go away and then he will let the people go.  Moses agrees to getting rid of all the frogs … except the frogs in the Nile, they stay.  The Lord gets rid of all the frogs, but Pharaoh’s heart hardens and he reneges on the deal.

[Plague 3: Gnats] Then the Lord tells Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his staff and strike the dust of the ground. He did so, and all the dust throughout Egypt became gnats. They landed on people and animals everywhere.  The magicians tried to produce gnats but, could not. So, they said to Pharaoh – “This is the finger of God.” Pharaoh’s heart continued to harden.

[Plague 4: Flies] The Lord then sends dense swarms of flies throughout the land; even the ground was covered with them. But, flies were not sent to Goshen, where the Israelites lived.  Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron and lets them know the Israelites can offer sacrifices to God. Moses said that since their sacrifices are detestable to Egyptians, that they must make sacrifices three days journey from there. Pharaoh agrees and asks Moses to pray for him. The next day the flies leave; “not a fly remained”.  But, Pharaoh again hardened his heart and reneged on the deal.

(Ch. 9)  [Same formula:] God tells Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people go and, if he refuses, another plague will come. 

[Plague 5: Dead livestock] This time it’s livestock; horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats. All the Egyptian livestock died, while none of the Israelite livestock died.  Pharaoh’s heart was unyielding.

[Plague 6: Boils] Then Moses and Aaron stood before Pharaoh. They had handfuls of soot from a furnace, and threw it in the air. This became fine dust over the whole land of Egypt. Festering boils appeared on people and animals throughout the land. The Lord continued to harden Pharaoh’s heart. 

[Plague 7: Hail] [Same formula again:] But, this time God adds a little more vengeance; — “I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. ….. Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.”  And, so it happened.  The hail struck every growing thing in the fields, it stripped “every tree”, and struck down people and animals.  But, the hail did not strike Goshen, where the Israelites lived.

Pharaoh tells Moses he will let the people go if the hail stops. Moses stretched his hands towards the Lord. The hail stops. Pharaoh reneges again.

(Ch. 10)  [Plague 8: Locusts] [Same formula:]  This time its locusts. But, this time Pharaoh actually agrees to letting only the men go and make sacrifice in the wilderness. Not good enough, said Moses. So, the Lord sent so many locusts that they covered all the ground until it was black. “They devoured all that was left after the hail.”

Pharaoh tells Moses he will let the people go if the locusts go away. Moses prays. The Lord sends a strong wind which blows the locusts into the Red Sea. “Not a locust is left.” Pharaoh reneges again.

[Plague 9: Darkness] Then God sends the plague of darkness for three days … except where the Israelites lived. It was so dark that it “could be felt”.  This time Pharaoh agrees to let the men, women and children go to worship in the wilderness.  But, Moses insists that all the livestock must also be allowed to go because they are needed for the sacrificial offerings. This ticks off Pharaoh who tells Moses to get lost … and that Moses will die the next time he appears before Pharaoh’s face.

(Ch. 11)  The Lord tells Moses about the next plague. That, around midnight, He will go throughout Egypt killing the firstborn son — from a slave’s son to Pharaoh’s son. Oh, and even the firstborn of the cattle. After that, Pharaoh will let the people go. But, before they go, the Israelites are to ask their neighbors for silver and gold. 

(Ch. 12)  [Interlude] The Lord institutes two new holidays; Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread. Here are some of the details.

Passover;

— one year old male sheep or goat without defect, slaughtered at midnight

— roast them, don’t boil the meat or eat it raw; include the head, legs, and organs

— also serve bitter herbs and unleavened bread

— wear a cloak tucked in the belt, sandals, and a staff in your hand

— leftovers must be burned

— foreigners may eat with them, but first they must be circumcised

— take the blood and schmear some on the sides and tops of the doorframes. When God comes to strike down every firstborn in Egypt, when he sees a doorframe with blood then this will be a sign to Him that He should “pass over” that house, and not kill anyone in it.

The next holiday, the Festival of Unleavened bread is celebrated because on that “very day” the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt. It lasts seven days. On the very first day all yeast must be removed from the house. On the first and last day, hold a sacred assembly. Except for preparing food, no work is to be done all week. Only eat bread made without yeast for seven days. Anyone who eats yeasted bread will be cut off from Israel.

[Plague 10: Firstborn Death]  Midnight arrives. God strikes down every firstborn human child in Egypt. For good measure, the firstborn of  “all the livestock” is also struck down. There is very loud wailing throughout Egypt.

Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron and tells them to take all the people and livestock and to “worship the Lord” as they requested.  [Pharaoh fully expected them to come back after the worship service.] The Egyptians urged them to leave immediately lest “we all die”.  The people left so quickly that they “took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders”. The Israelites also asked for silver, gold, and clothing … which the Egyptians “favorably” gave them. The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth … about 600,000 men, not including women and children and “many other people”. They lived in Egypt exactly 430 years to the very day.

(Ch. 13)  The Lord tells Moses; — “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.” For example, every firstborn donkey is to be redeemed with a lamb … and if not, break the donkey’s neck. The day the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt is to be celebrated every year with a week-long feast … except they are not to eat bread made with yeast.

God led the people out of Egypt via the desert road by the Red Sea. The road through the Philistine country was shorter. But, God had a concern about the Israelites;  “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” During daytime, the Lord went ahead of the people “in a pillar of cloud” and, in the evening, “in a pillar of fire”.

(Ch. 14)  The Israelites make camp next to the Red Sea. Pharaoh is told that the Israelites have fled. This ticks him off because now the Egyptians have “lost their services”. He takes 600 of his best chariots, plus all the other chariots in Egypt, and all of his horses, horsemen, and troops and chases after the Israelites.

The Israelites are terrified and start criticizing and complaining to Moses saying such things as; “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?”.  And, “Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’?”  And, “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”

God assures Moses that he will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, that He will drown them, and He will do this for Pharaoh’s benefit; — “I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army …. the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” The angel of God and the pillar of cloud then moved between the armies of Egypt and Israel. God even “jammed  the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving.”

So, Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. God sent a strong east wind all night long to turn the sea into dry land. Once the waters were divided – a wall of water on the right, and a wall of water on the left – the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground.  Moses stretched out his hand over the sea a second time, and the waters flowed back to their place. The entire army of Pharaoh drowns;  “Not one of them survived”. When the Israelites saw the mighty hand of God, and all the Egyptians lying dead on the shore, then they put their trust in God and Moses.

(Ch. 15)  Moses and Israel sing a song to the Lord. It goes on for 21 verses; celebrating the drowning of Pharaoh’s army, anticipating similar victories over all their enemies in the future, and extolling God’s awesome glory and power.

Moses leads them into the desert after the singing. Three days pass.  They can’t find water to drink. And the formerly happy people begin to grumble against Moses. The Lord shows Moses a piece of wood, Moses throws it in the water, and the water becomes fit to drink.  God than issues a ruling; if the people obey Him and do what is right, then God won’t strike the Israelites with the diseases He brought on the Egyptians.

(Ch. 16)  The community is now in another desert. It is a community of whiners and grumblers, saying; — “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

Then the Lord said he will rain down bread from heaven. Moses tells the people that when they grumble against him, they are really grumbling against the Lord. Nevertheless, they will see the glory of the Lord when he sends all the bread they can eat in the morning. Moses then adds that the Lord will also send meat in the evening. That very evening quail flew in and covered the camp.

In the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. The dew turned into thin flakes like frost on the ground. Moses said this was bread from the Lord, and the people called it manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. The rules regarding manna;

— for 5 days take only as much as you need for that day. No hoarding! Some people did hoard, and the next day the manna smelled rotten and was covered with maggots.

— on the sixth day take twice as much … because they may not work on the Sabbath. The manna won’t be covered with maggots or smell rotten.

— you can bake it or boil it

— put some in a jar so that future generations can see how the Lord provided

The people ate manna for the next forty years, until they reached the border of Canaan.

(Ch. 17)  The Israelite community moves to another part of the desert. Once again, they are grumbling and complaining … almost to the point of stoning Moses. “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” Moses tells God that he’s getting really sick and tired of these people. God provides water by having Moses strike the rock at Horeb.

The Amalekites attack the Israelites. We are introduced to Joshua.  Moses tells Joshua to take some men and fight the Amalekites while Moses stands on top a nearby hill. So, Joshua fought the Amalekites. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning. When Moses lowered his hands the Amalekites were winning. So, Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands until sunset.  Joshua wins the battle, and the Lord promises to wipe out the name of Amalek from under heaven.

(Ch. 18)  Moses send for his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro, and their two sons; Gershom and Eliezer. Moses tells his father-in-law all that happened; what happened to the Egyptians, the hardships along the way, and how the Lord saved them. Jethro was thrilled. They made sacrifices to God, and all the elders of Israel gathered for a big party.

The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for all the people’s disputes. He was there from morning until evening.  Jethro told him this was nuts … that Moses would wear himself out. Jethro said that Moses needs to appoint officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. And Moses did exactly that.

(Ch. 19)  It is three months to the day since the Israelites left Egypt. They are in the Desert of Sinai in front of the mountain.

The Lord called Moses from the mountain and made a covenant with him; —  “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

Moses goes down the mountain to tell the people. The people agree to obey the Lord; “So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.” Then the Lord instructs Moses to tell the people that He is coming down Mount Sinai in three days.  In preparation they must wash their clothes. Also, they must not touch the mountain, or even approach it, until a ram’s horn sounds. People who disobey will be put to death; either by stoning or being shot with arrows. Moses tells all this to the people … and also adds that they may not have sex for the next three days.

Three days later, in the morning, there are severe weather conditions on the mountain. There is thunder, lightning, thick clouds, smoke like smoke from a furnace, and the entire mountain trembled violently. The Lord had descended like fire on top of the mountain.

 (Ch. 20)  God speaks [and gives the 10+ commandments].

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make idols because God is a jealous God.  He will punish the children of parents who sin for up to four generations. But if a parent loves God, then God will return love for up to a thousand generations.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet.

Also, when building an altar for the sacrifice of sheep, goats, and cattle – it is not to be built with dressed stones, because using a tool on the stone will defile it. Never go up to an alter on steps … because your “private  parts may be exposed”.

(Ch. 21)  [The rest of Exodus – 20 Chapters – will mostly deal with various rules, regulations, and building stuff. I will not include each and every minutiae law. I will include enough so that you get a “feel” for what is involved. It is tedious to read (imho) even in summary form.]

[Regs regarding Hebrew servants]

— Hebrew servants are to be set free in the seventh year

——– If he brings a wife, she goes free also.

——– However, if the master provides the wife while he was a servant, she does not go free, and neither do the children

—————- However, if the man loves his wife and children and does not want to go free, then the master will take him to a doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be a servant for the rest of his life.

— A daughter sold as a servant cannot be freed.  On the bright side, she can’t be sold to foreigners.

— If a man marries another woman, he must provide her with food, clothing, and sex. If he fails in any of these three things, she goes free.

[Personal Injury Regs]

— You kill someone, you die also.

——– However, if it was an accident, you can flee to a place which God will designate

— Attack your mom or dad, you die.

— Curse your mom or dad, you die.

— Kidnap someone, you die.

— If you beat a slave to death you must be punished.  However, if they recover within two days, there is no punishment at all, since you own them.

— If you punch someone out or hit them with a stone, you will not be held liable as long as they can still walk around with a staff

— If you smack around a pregnant woman, but there is no serious injury, you must pay a fine – whatever the husband wants and the court allows. However, if there is serious injury – “you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,  burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”

— If you knock out a slave’s tooth, you must free them.

[Bovine Bull Regs]

— If a bull gores someone to death, kill the bull, but don’t eat the meat.  The owner is not responsible.

——– However, if the bull is a multiple gorer, kill the bull, and the owner.

————— However, if the dead person’s family wants monetary payment, then the owner must pay, and he is not to be killed. The bull must be stoned to death.

— If a bull kills a slave, the payment is 30 shekels of silver to the slave’s owner. Stone the bull.

(Ch. 22)  [Thievery Regs]

— If you steal an ox and get caught, you must repay five oxen

— If you steal a sheep and get caught, you must repay four sheep

———– If you can’t make restitution, you must be sold to pay for your theft.

— If you are watching over your neighbor’s silver or other belongings and you steal it, you pay back double. If a thief stole it and is caught, they pay back double.

— If you are watching over your neighbor’s animal, and it gets sick, or dies, or is torn apart by wild animals, you get off scott free. But, if it was stolen, you must pay restitution.

[Various Social Regs]

 — If you seduce a virgin who is not engaged, you must pay the bride-price, and marry her …. unless the father refuses to let you marry her, but you must still pay up.

— If you are a sorceress, you die.

— If you have sex with an animal, you die.

— If you make a sacrifice to other gods, you die.

— If you take advantage of a widow or the fatherless, and if they cry out to God, then God will hear and strike you down with the sword.

— Do not eat meat of an animal torn apart by wild animals. Feed it to the dogs.

— If you lend money to a fellow Israelite, do not charge interest.

(Ch. 23)  [Courtroom Regs]

—  Don’t help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.

— Don’t spread false reports.

^—- When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.

— Do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit.

— Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

[Sabbath Regs]

— The fields, vineyards, and olive groves may be worked for six years. Leave the land unused in the seventh year.

— Work for six days, and take the seventh day off.

— Slaves should also get the seventh day off, so that they may be refreshed.

[Three New Festivals]

— Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread …  for seven days eat bread made without yeast.

— Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field.

— Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.

— Don’t offer God anything made with yeast, and don’t cook a young goat in its mothers milk.

— Don’t appear before God empty handed.

[Interlude: God’s Angel]

God will send an angel to guard the people and bring them to the place God intends to give them. God’s Name is in the angel. Obey Him. Do not rebel. The angel will wipe out all the people living in the land. They will be struck with terror. But, the angel won’t drive everyone out in the first year because then the land would become desolate and wild animals would take over. Rather, they will be driven out “little by little” until the Israelites can fully possess the land. The borders of this land will be from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates River.

 (Ch. 24) Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel are called to God’s mountain. They saw the God of Israel. Under God’s  feet was something like a pavement made of “lapis lazuli”. It was as blue as the sky.  They saw God, and they ate and drank, but God did not raise His hand against anyone. 

Then the Lord called Moses up the mountain, so that Moses can receive “tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written”. Clouds covered the mountain for six days “and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai.”. The glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire. Moses entered the cloud and stayed there for forty days and nights.

(Ch. 25)  [Imagine constructing a model airplane with 500 pieces. But, instead of pictures and diagrams you have only words. Imagine how long, detailed, and unwieldy that would be! This is the same situation we find ourselves in with most of the rest of Exodus; a detailed description of constructing the Ark of the Covenant and its utensils, and even the clothes the priests are to wear. It’s very difficult to summarize. Not to mention that in my humble opinion it really isn’t all that interesting, or even pertinent to what these Bible summaries hope to accomplish.  As such, I’ll be introducing a new format for these “building” sections;  I will sprinkle each chapter summary with some words and phrases from the text … just enough to give you a general feel of the contents.]

God tells Moses the people are to build a sanctuary for Him so that He can dwell among the people. God will give instructions on how to build the tabernacle, and they must be followed exactly.

These are the offerings for the tabernacle acceptable to God;  gold, silver, bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather, acacia wood; olive oil, spices, fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other gems.

[Building: Ark]

Made of acacia wood ….. 2.5 cubits x 1.5 cubits x 1.5 cubits ….. overlaid with pure gold inside and out ….. gold molding ….. gold rings ….. gold poles (poles are never to be removed) ….. add a covering of pure gold ….. make two golden cherubim, facing each other, with wings spread upward …………. the ten commandments are to be placed in the ark.

[Building: Table]

Made of acacia wood ….. 2 cubits x 1 cubits x 1.5 cubits ….. overlaid with pure gold inside and out ….. gold molding ….. gold rings …. gold plates, dishes, pitchers, and bowls ….. something called “the bread of the Presence” is to be on this table at all times.

[Building: Lampstand]

Made of a talent of pure hammered gold ….. has flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms ….. six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand ….. three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches.  [Following is from Chapter 27] Use clear oil of pressed olives ….. keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning, forever.

 (Ch. 26)  [Building: Tabernacle] 

Made with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim woven into them ….. 28 cubits x 4 cubits …. 50 loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain ….. goat hair also used ….. the sixth curtain is to be folded double at the front of the tent ….. 50 loops and 50 bronze clasps ….. make a covering of ram skins dyed red ….. make upright frames of acacia wood ….. two projections set parallel to each other ….. also make crossbars of acacia wood ….. the curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place ….. place the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it on the south side.

(Ch. 27)  [Building: Altar of Burnt Offering]   Acacia wood ….. “it is to be square, three cubits high, five cubits long and five cubits wide”  …. horns at each corner ….. pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans all made of bronze.

[Building: Courtyard] Courtyard to be 100 cubits x 50 cubits ….. curtains of finely twisted linen, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

 (Ch. 28)  [Clothing: Priestly Garments]

The sacred garments are; a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash ….. made for Aaron and his sons ….. who serve as priests …… garments are made of gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.

[Clothing: The Ephod]

Made of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen ….. has two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be fastened …… and a waistband ….. has two onyx stones engraved with the names of the sons of Israel, in the order of their birth, six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other ….. mounted in gold filigree settings.

[Clothing: The Breastpiece]

 “Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions” …… square, a span long by a span wide ….. four rows of precious stones … one for each son of Israel ….. first row; carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; ^…..  second row; turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald ….. third row; jacinth, agate and amethyst; fourth row; topaz, onyx and jasper …… with chains of pure gold like rope ….. the rings of the breastpiece are to be tied to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband, so that the breastpiece will not swing out from the ephod ….. it also has the Urim and the Thummim, so that Aaron “will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.”

[Clothing: Other Priestly Garments]

The robe of the ephod is to be made entirely of blue cloth ….. include pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe …. put gold bells between them. Aaron must wear this when he ministers. The gold bells are for is protection. — “The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.”

Make tunics, sashes and caps for Aaron’s sons to give them dignity and honor.

Make a plate of pure gold to put on Aarons forehead …… engrave on it the words “holy to the Lord” ….. fastened with a blue cord and attached to the turban ….. this is done so that Aaron “will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be.”

Linen undergarments are to be worn as a covering for the body, reaching from the waist to the thigh. Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they will not incur guilt and die

(Ch. 29)  [The entire chapter is about consecrating priests.]  First make fat round loaves of bread without yeast … mix in some olive oil ….. then make thin loaves ….. but brush on the olive oil ….. put them in a basket ….. give them to the Lord ….. wave the bread around as a wave offering to the Lord.

Then there is the clothing. But, first Aaron and his sons must be washed at the entrance of the tent. Then dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breastpiece. Fasten the ephod on him. Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred emblem to the turban. Pour anointing oil on his head.  Dress the sons in tunics, fasten caps on them, tie sashes on Aaron & Sons.

Then there is the sacrifice.  Slaughter a bull at the tent entrance ….. take your finger and rub some of the bull’s blood on the horns of the alter …… pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the alter ….. take all the fat on the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar ….. but burn the bull’s flesh and its hide and its intestines outside the camp …. for is a sin offering …… it is also a food offering because the Lord enjoys the pleasing aroma.

Do the same thing with the goat ….. except burn the whole goat …… splash the blood on the side of the alter …… take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet.

(Ch. 30)  [Building: Altar of Incense]

Acacia wood …… horns made of pure gold …. gold rings, gold molding ….. fragrant incense to be burned on the altar every morning and at twilight …… don’t use the altar for anything else.

[Atonement money] At the time of the census each Israelite must pay the Lord a ransom for his life at the time he is counted ….. that way God won’t send a plague on them. Everyone over twenty years old, rich or poor is to give a half shekel and it is to be used for the service of the tent of meeting.

[Building: Basin for Washing]  Make a bronze basin and stand. Whenever Aaron & Sons enter the tent of meeting, or present a food offering at the altar, they are to wash their hands and feet …. if they forget to wash, they will die.

[Anointing Oil]  This is how you make it; 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, 250 shekels of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant calamus, 500 shekels of cassia, and a gallon of olive oil. You pour it on pretty much everything in the tabernacle. Also pour it on Aaron & Sons. This formula is for sacred use only.  Those who make it and pour it on other people will be cut off from the people.

[Incense]  This is how you make it; Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, and add salt. This formula is for sacred use only. Whoever makes this incense for personal enjoyment will be cut off from the people.

(Ch. 31)  The Lord chooses Bezalel and Oholiab to be in charge of making everything. The Lord also provides them with skilled workers. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.”  Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death. When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

 (Ch. 32)  Moses is on that mountain for a long time and the people are literally wondering – “we don’t know what has happened to him”.  So, they ask Aaron to make gods. [Seems reasonable.]  So, Aaron tells the people to bring all the gold earrings. And he makes the calf; — “He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool.”  After he fashioned the idol he built an altar in front of it, and then the people ate, drank, and “indulged in revelry.”

God sees this and is angry, calling the Israelites “a stiff necked people”, and He tell Moses that He is going to “destroy them all”.  Moses then reminds God of all the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses also informs God that the Egyptians will mock saying ‘Ha, God brought the Israelites out of Egypt just to kill them in the mountains!’.  It was a solid argument as God relented and decided not to bring disaster on His people.

So, Moses goes down the mountain with the two tablets – which were directly inscribed by God Himself, front and back. Moses became enraged when he saw all the partying going on. He threw the stone tablets out of his hands breaking them to pieces. Then he threw the calf in the fire, then he ground it into powder, then he threw the ashes in the water and then he made the people drink it.

Moses asks Aaron why he made the calf and led the people into such great sin. [Aaron then gives the most ridiculous excuse in all of Scripture;] “They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. ‘So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and OUT CAME THIS CALF!” [Hilarious.]

Moses cries out; — “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” All the Levites came. He tells the Levites to strap on swords and to “Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.”. And, so they did, killing over 3,000 fellow Israelites. Moses said the Levites were “blessed” for what they did that day.  Then the Lord struck down more Israelites with a plague … and promised more punishment in the future “when the time comes”.

(Ch. 33)  The Lord tells Moses to head towards Canaan. However, the Lord won’t be with them because they are a “stiff necked” people, and “I might destroy you on the way.”

Moses erects a tent outside the camp and calls it the “tent of meeting”. A pillar of cloud would hover in front of the tent whenever Moses went inside to talk with the Lord. Once again, Moses is afraid the people won’t believe him and, so, he asks for a sign. Moses tell God “Show me your glory.”. God answers that no one can see His face and live.  However, he tells Moses to go stand in the cleft of a nearby rock. God will pass by and cover Moses’ eyes with His hand. Then God will remove His hand when He passes so that Moses can at least see His backsides.

(Ch. 34)  Moses chisels two new stone tablets and goes back up Mt. Sinai. The Lord wrote on them the same words which were on the first stone tablets.  The Lord makes a covenant with Moses – the same terms as with Abraham and others – about wiping out all the inhabitants of the lands promised to Abraham. The Lord repeats some of the commands already given about; idolatry, celebrating festivals, dedicating the firstborn of flocks and humans to God, Sabbath, not presenting bread offerings with yeast, and even mentioning again not to cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.  God also has this to say about Himself;

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

Moses comes down from Mt. Sinai and his face is “radiant” from meeting with the Lord … which freaked out the people — so, he put on a veil.

(Ch. 35)  [Everything in this chapter is a repeat of something written in the other chapters.  Here is why; all the rules, regulations, and construction details written previously were given directly by God to Moses while he was on the mountain. Moses is now giving those same instructions to the people.  That is why there is nothing new in this chapter.  Specifically, this chapter goes over Sabbath regulations, Tabernacle construction, and the builders named Bezalel and Oholiab. ]

(Ch. 36)  Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given skill and ability started the work of constructing the sanctuary. The people were bringing freewill offerings morning after morning.so much so that Moses had to order the people to stop giving.

[This rest of the chapter concerns Tabernacle construction.  Everything in this chapter is a repeat of something written in the other chapters.  See note in Ch. 35]

(Ch. 37)  [This chapter concerns construction of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, and the altar of incense.  Everything in this chapter is a repeat of something written in the other chapters.  See note in Ch. 35]

(Ch. 38)  [This first half of this chapter concerns construction of the altar of burnt offering, the basin for washing, and the courtyard.  All the instructions are a repeat of instructions written in the previous chapters.]

This is an accounting of materials used;

—– gold, 29 talents and 730 shekels

—– silver, 100 talents and 1,775 shekels ….. 603,550 men over the age of 20 contributed half a shekel each

—– bronze, 70 talents and 2,400 shekels

(Ch. 39)  [This chapter concerns construction of the ephod, the breastpiece, and other priestly garments All the instructions are a repeat of instructions written in the previous chapters.]

When the Israelites were finished Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

(Ch. 40)  It’s time to set up the Tabernacle.   

Place the ark of the covenant law in it and shield the ark with the curtain …. bring in the table and set out what belongs on it … then bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps … then place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the covenant law and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. [It continues like this for most of the rest of the chapter.]

After all the work was finished then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. The Israelites traveled whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle otherwise, they would stay put. Fire was in the cloud by night.

Author: Stucky

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