30: 11. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
12. "If you take a census of the descendants of Israel, to muster them, each one must give a ransom for his soul to YHWH; this way there will not be a striking-down among them when they are numbered.
Take a census: or accounting; literally, "lift up [thisa’] the heads". Ransom for his soul: Silver is often related to blood in Scripture. Although it is not a sin to kill someone ina defensive war, still a person's blood is where his soul dwells, and YHWH demands payment for it. (Gen. 9:5-6) If one did not bring the half-sheqel atonement and he killed someone in a war, he would not have a conscience clear of guilt. By recognizing that one is part of the whole army, it alleviates his guilt by reminding him that he is killing for the sake of something bigger than just himself. Striking-down: i.e., in the war for which they are mustered (v. 14)--or a plague. That is what did come upon King David when he took a census (2 Shmu’el 24), and the only thing that stayed the plague was his purchase of the Temple Mount (the threshing floor of Araunah) and construction of an altar there. But those whose heart was not right would not bring the half sheqel, so by this the leadership would know how many hearts were really with them. At first it appears that this levy was only taken at the time of a census. (Later it was taken every year to pay for the increased upkeep of the Temple as it was enlarged.) David must have skipped this step altogether. In the chapter immediately before 24, he listed numerous mighty men and their war stories and exploits. One of them could defeat a whole army! They were impressive individuals, but that is precisely the problem. The people were praising the men’s skill, not YHWH. He was focused on the warriors, not the army, as if individuals could do the job by themselves. No matter how many armed men he could muster, YHWH can accomplish His purposes with many or few. If they had paid the silver, they would have been YHWH’s army rather than just David’s.
13. "This is what everyone who crosses over in
regard to those who are counted [will bring]:
half a sheqel (by the sheqel of the sanctuary, [which
is] twenty gerahs to a sheqel); half a sheqel as an
offering to YHWH.
Crosses over: into the ranks of those counted. A gerah is a measure of a spherical piece of silver equal to the weight of 16 grains of barley or 4 to 5 carob beans, and one omer (a volume of dry measure equal to about two liters) is worth half a sheqel. (Hirsch). Half a sheqel of silver is worth about $19 now. A scale is a picture of judgment: there are ten gerahs (a complete round number) against you, and a half sheqel evens it out, or covers for you. It is not really a tax (though it came to be called that by Yeshua's day; see Mat. 17:24ff). It also symbolizes giving ourselves up to YHWH’s service. Why only half a sheqel? Because in a community, no one is whole without the others. Some are shinier or newer, but all are still half sheqels. The late Reuven Prager, the Levite who revived this practice, said the other half of a beggar might be the king, but no one knows who his other half is, so everyone in the community must bring his share. Alone one has little power, but many sheqels together can accomplish much. We need the strengths of the rest of Israel to be able to be our best for YHWH.
14. "Everyone who crosses over into [the ranks of] those who are counted, from twenty years of age and upward, shall give a contribution to YHWH.
Literally, "a son of twenty years", the way of expressing age in Hebrew. This was the age at which one could be required to serve in the army. One is not counted in Israel unless he is willing to fight for her. So this is a reckoning of who is really committed.
15. "The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a sheqel when giving the offering to YHWH to effect a covering for your souls.
Reuven Prager said the concept applies to richness in piety as well. Before YHWH, you are never less than half a sheqel, and I am never more.
16. "And you shall take the silver of atonement from the descendants of Israel, and give it to the service of the Tent of Appointment, and for the descendants of Israel it shall serve as a reminder before [the face of] YHWH, to make atonement for your souls."
What does this have to do with the incense altar in the earlier part of the chapter? It is because we cannot pray with the right perspective if we see ourselves as the end-all of our prayers rather than as only part of the whole community. What we ask for ourselves must only be what is also best for the rest of Israel. Service of the Tent: The collection could not accumulate from year to year, so by second Temple times, what was left over from this was used to repair the walls and streets of Yerushalayim (site of the sanctuary) and the roads that led there, to make the pilgrims' journey smoother. Once there is a temple treasury (as there now is), the temple as an entity has been established again.
17. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
18. "You shall also make a basin of bronze, its base also bronze, with which to wash oneself, and you shall set it between the Tent of Appointment and the altar, and you shall put water in it.
Washbasin: The one built for the third Temple looks
more like a large coffee urn with many spigots (see
photo), but several will be placed in a larger basin.
In Shlomo's temple, it was a large basin sitting on
twelve statues of bulls.
19. "And Aharon and his sons must wash their hands and feet from it.
King Uzziah invented a machine to pump water out of the Temple’s well to clean it out and siphon the water off; this one was not as big. The priests could walk into it, but it was not deep enough for a full immersion. They have already bathed their entire bodies and been rendered ritually pure--a picture of putting off their selfishness before daring to serve YHWH, but in their work of the temple service they will definitely soil their hands and their bare feet, and so must re-cleanse these before doing something especially holy. Yeshua alluded to this principle when Kefa (Peter) wanted him to wash more than just his feet. (Yochanan 13:8ff) He said we have already been cleansed by "the washing of the water of the Word", but even on our way to the Temple, our "hands" (works) and our "feet" (walk) can easily become stained by any non-Kingdom thing that clings to us, and must be dealt with, because our calling is to holiness. We must be cleansed of outside things before we come together to worship, since the purpose of our unity is to be a dwelling place for YHWH. Mirrors were made of bronze at that time, and this highly-polished bowl of water would be two mirrors in one. When the priests stood there to wash their feet, they could not help but examining themselves—another picture of judging ourselves rightly as we work for the Kingdom, so we will not be unaware of any “mud” that may be “on our faces”. Water symbolizes YHWH's word, and we both look into it to see what we really look like (Yaaqov/James 1:23-25; 2 Cor. 3:18; 1 Yochanan 3:2; Galatians 3:19) and use it to effect the changes we see that we need. (Eph. 5:26)
20. "As they enter the tent of appointment they shall wash with water, so that they may not die; or as they draw near to the altar to minister--to burn a fire-offering to YHWH,
No one may ascend to the Mountain of YHWH unless he has clean hands and a pure heart. (Psalm 24) Aside from the hygienic aspects that may have kept these men, who handled so much potential contaminatyion, alive literally, washing our hands and feet is a picture of repentance, because our selfishness and the evils that we have rubbed up against throughout the day must not be brought into His holy place. So the priests even built a private bridge from their homes to the Temple so they would not meet up with anyone who might be ritually unclean. We are called to be a set-apart people. The two times the laver was used were when the priest approached the altar (in service to the people’s mundane needs) and when he would come into the Tabernacle (to serve YHWH). Thus it is a picture of the Torah, which is where we find the instructions on how to be clean for both purposes.
21. "then they must wash their hands and feet, so that they may not die. And this shall be a never-ending statute for them--[that is,] to him and to his seed for their generations."
Not die: Could this be speaking about not contracting infection after touching all those dead animals?
22. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
23. "Now you, acquire spices for yourself--the best: 500 [sheqels] of pure myrrh and its half, 250 of aromatic cinnamon, and 50 of aromatic cane,
Aromatic cane: identified as calamus.
24. "and 500 of cassia, according to the sheqel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil.
Olive oil: representative of the Holy Spirit's illumination and Israel. The many spices together form the holy compound; no one alone can be holy, because it is in its natural form. Only in the combining of the many that make up the one Body can it be something uniquely orchestrated by YHWH. Each by itself may be very sweet or very useful, but together they form something greater than the sum of their parts. They are not mixed in equal proportions, for certain attributes are needed in larger numbers, and others are most beneficial when present only in small amounts, being possibly too caustic otherwise. One of the particular spices by itself does not smell very beautiful at all. A burning nose is an idiom for anger in Hebrew, and some members of the community bring our anger to the surface by their rebuke; this too is necessary to bring the community to completion. When each willingly mixes himself with the rest and submits to the tempering of the unified life, he becomes an integral part, and the combination is still beautiful, because each adds something uniquely necessary. The spices are used in powder form, so the first step is submission to being crushed by YHWH’s word and the compromises needed to live as a community. A hin is about 5 quarts or 6 liters.
25. "And you shall make it an oil of holy anointing, an ointment compound, the work of a perfumer; it shall be an oil of holy anointing,
Perfumer: or apothecary. This was a rare skill and one that was highly valued, so its practitioners became very wealthy. The home of the Bar Kathros family, who made this incense for the second Temple, has been excavated in Yerushalayim’s Old City. The olive oil was added to the fragrances to make it an anointing oil and not just incense. Oil comes from a word meaning “the best”. The fragrance come out more strongly when the sun is hot.
26. "and with it you shall anoint the tent of appointed time and the ark of the testimony,
27. "and the table [of the bread of the faces] and all its utensils, and the altar of incense,
28. "the altar of ascending, and all its utensils, and the washbasin and its base.
Everything that is a picture of something in the heavenlies (the Kingdom that is not yet revealed) must be anointed, which symbolizes YHWH’s choice of these particular items to teach us about them:
29. "Thus you shall set them apart, and they shall become most holy; everything that touches them must be holy.
Must be holy: could be read as, “shall become holy”, i.e., off-limits now, in a sense the opposite of contamination, but Haggai 2:12 and Yeshayahu 52:11 preclude this interpretation. What it means is that everyone who handles them must have already been set apart to the priestly position.
30. "When you have anointed Aharon and his sons, and set them apart to serve Me in the role of officiators,
31. "then you shall speak to the descendants of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a unique anointing oil to me for [all] your generations.
32. “‘It shall not be poured on the flesh of man, nor shall you make any like it in proportion. It is exclusive; it must be unique to you.
I.e., it is not to be used as a cologne. Even on Aharon, it was not to touch his flesh; it would be applied to his turban and would run down his beard and onto his other garments without ever touching his skin. (Psalm 133:2) Man: here, "Adam", thus emphasizing anything having to do with the fallen Adam, after he lost his covering of light and was given skin. Flesh (sometimes an idiom for what is mortal, per Yeshayahu 40:6; Yirmeyahu 12:12) cannot stand His presence; it must be altered before we can have full fellowship with Him. (Gen. 17:11ff) Flesh (or “muscle”) is considered something we are prone to trust in instead of YHWH (Yirm. 17:5), and this could also be saying YHWH will not place His anointing on the mere whims and desires of the natural man, even Aharon; it was his position (symbolized by his clothing) that received empowerment and authority from YHWH. Nor...any like it in proportion (or composition): These fragrances may be mixed only in a form that cannot be burned as incense. (Prager) Incense can be diffused without heat if air (wind or spirit) is drawn over it, but only when oil is added—a picture of the anointing of the spirit of holiness.
33. “‘Anyone who makes a compound like it or who gives any of it to an outsider, shall be cut off from his people.’"
Outsider: Aramaic, "a layman"—anyone who is not a priest. Not everyone may partake in every aspect of YHWH's blessing at will. Teaching from YHWH must not be co-opted for some other purpose. Shim'on the sorcerer thought the Holy Spirit was something that could be bought at some set price (Acts 8) --a wretched idea, for he was dealing with spiritual things in the “flesh” mode. It is not safe to use the tools YHWH gives us to use as a unified people for merely mundane purposes. This is probably where Y’shua got his teaching about casting pearls before swine and giving what is holy to dogs. (Mat. 7:6)
34. Then YHWH said to Moshe, "Take spices for yourself: stacte, onycha, and galbanum--sweet spices along with pure frankincense, part for [equal] part.
Stacte: Aram., "gum resin".
35. "And you shall make it incense, an ointment, the [art] work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.
Incense: Aramaic, "a fragrant blend of aromatic incense". All of these spices come from plants, and most from trees, which symbolize people--so they picture a people whose gifts are all joined together in the right proportions. Only four are mentioned here, but altogether eleven spices were used for this incense, based on nuances in other Scriptures. This salting was by a particular type of salt (only recently re-identified) that caused the smoke to rise straight upward each time, so this is a fifth ingredient. Another was very hard to acquire. Only one was of questionable identity, but those making preparations for the next Temple narrowed it down to only three possibilities. When a whole cave full of this mixture (hidden there when the Temple was destroyed) was found recently, chemical analysis identified it positively, and it was indeed one of these three. One other reason people might have wished to imitate this mixture was discovered when the discoverers obtained permission to burn a small amount to ensure that it still worked after 2,000 years. They did this near the Dead Sea, where there is a great abundance of insects, but after they burned this, there were no bugs around there for weeks—a natural repellant! So it would have kept flies away from the raw meat that was so abundant in the Temple Courts. It must have settled well into the stones there, because even today, the closer one gets to the Temple Mount in the open-air markets of the Muslim Quarter, the fewer insects there are. No proportions are given in the text, so not just anyone could figure it out and thus profane it. In Second Temple times, only one family, named Avtinas, knew the “recipe”, and they were often rebuked for not at least training one other family to make it, especially when most of them died within a short time. The high priest would go to their chamber in the Temple to memorize the liturgy for Yom Kippur since he needed to remember it perfectly, and smells bring things back to mind more effectively than anything else. The Messiah is said to have the breath of YHWH, and will not judge by what he sees or hears. (Yeshayahu 11:1-3) The rabbis say this means he will judge by his nose: Is this person one of these spices, or one that is foreign to the mixture YHWH wants?
36. "And you shall grind some of it fine, and put some of it in front of the testimony in the tent where I shall designate a time to meet you. It shall be most holy to you.
37. "And [any] incense which you make in its proportion, you shall not make for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for YHWH.
38. "Any man who makes anything like it, in order to [just enjoy the] smell of it, he shall be cut off from his people."
The beauty of holiness is found in the holy convocation of the community that forms YHWH's dwelling place, and this special blend of gifts that function when we are together cannot simply be "taken home" for personal use, though when burned at the Temple it could be smelled as far away as Y’rikho (about 15 miles), and even made the goats there sneeze! Smells can elevate the mind to a different level, or bring certain things back to our memory. YHWH wanted this aroma to be associated only with His dwelling place. Only His bride can understand the customs He prescribes, which seem foolish to an outsider, so they are kept in a holy place for the mature, whose senses are trained to discern the deeper meanings and to spot counterfeits (Heb. 5:14).
CHAPTER 31
1. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
2. "Take note: I have summoned by name B'tzal-El, the son of Uri, the son of Chuwr, of the branch of Yehudah,
By name: He was picked personally for this task, but he was also picked because of his name. It means "in the shadow of Elohim". He also was constructing something Renewed Covenant writers would call "a shadow" (outline) of heavenly things. (Heb. 8:4-5; 9:23) It is another reference to the pattern Moshe was shown (25:40; 26:30; 27:8)—essentially a blueprint, a two-dimensional plan that shows how to build something—in this case, the three-dimensional Tabernacle, which is in itself also represents the Kingdom—which has still more dimensions than the three or four that we usually walk in. All the implements described in these chapters are in-depth pictures of it. This word “shadow” stems from a word meaning “hovering over”, reminding us of a shade tree or the pillar of cloud and fire over the Tabernacle. It usually connotes a place of safety and protection, as of someone very big standing behind us. Uri means "my light" or "intense flame", Chuwr means "absolutely white", and Yehudah means "praise", but it comes from the root yadah, which means to put one’s hand to the task, as B’tzal-El certainly did. So his whole pedigree bespeaks his calling. His grandfather Chuwr was the one who, along with Aharon, upheld Moshe’s arms when Yehoshua was fighting Amaleq (17:11), and also made rulings in Moshe’s absence (24:14).
3. "and I have filled him with the spirit of Elohim in wisdom and in understanding and in knowledge, and in all [kinds of] craftsmanship
The first step in cultivating a heart of wisdom is knowledge. Hoshea 4:6 says YHWH’s people are destroyed because they lack not willing hearts, tithes, or morality—but knowledge. The priests themselves were rejecting knowledge because they forgot the Torah. Not knowing its actual words was what doomed them, for they were building without a foundation; the Holy Spirit cannot bring YHWH’s words to our remembrance (Yoch. 14:26) unless we actually know them! Without knowledge, we are only building an imaginary structure. We cannot follow our hearts, for they may lead us into very dark places. We need to put a leash on them with Torah-based knowledge. Proverbs 4:7 tells us, “Whatever you get, be sure you get knowledge!” The next step is understanding. One may know that a thermostat will make the room warmer, but this does not mean he understands the physics behind compressed gases, the transfer of heat energy, and how electricity is generated. Understanding (binah) is different from mere knowledge (da’at). It is the ability to distinguish—to see the purpose and meaning beyond the physical command. We need to have kingdom skills already partly in place before the Kingdom comes, because someone will need to be ready to carry them out when it arrives in its fullness. One day there will be a camp with possibly millions of Israelites again. They will not be taught miraculously, but as those who are prepared teach them. Israel is meant to be known as a wise and understanding people. (Deut. 4:5ff; compare Yeshayahu 33:6) B’tzal’El needed to understand how the things he was making pointed to something deeper, or else they would become idols just as the brass serpent did. (Num. 21:9; 2 Kings 18:4) The Tabernacle was not for YHWH to actually live in; He said to build it so He could dwell among His people. (25:8) The ritual objects He designs must not be profaned, but still they are merely illustrations meant to teach us something greater. Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge were necessary so they would know how what they were building was meant to affect the people, so they could keep it true to form. Wisdom (hokhmah, or simply “skill”) is putting our knowledge and understanding to work—surrendering to the picture and thus being able to operate in it and make it useful. One can have excellent diagrams and flow charts and even understanding on the level of an engineer, being able to explain how it all works, but that still will not heat the room. Someone must apply the knowledge --build and install the actual heating system; little will be accomplished if you do not know how to put what you know to use. (R. Webster)
4. "to devise plans, to work in gold and silver and bronze,
5. "and in cutting of stones for settings and carving of wood, to work with all craftsmanship.
Craftsmanship: a word meaning work as a representative of another. It is based on the word for "messenger"; i.e., B’tzal-El was one with a clear calling and responsibility. He was building a message. We, too, can prepare for the Kingdom even through our everyday jobs. There will be people to be taught and cases to be judged then, so we need to develop skills in all that we do so that they can carry over into it. B’tzal-El was a master stone-cutter in contrast to others who only knew how to break stones with hammers. He was given the know-how to accomplish a holy task, but this was not some other-worldly, supernatural thing. It did not just fall out of the sky; he had made room in himself for wisdom because he had already learned these things. He knew which tool to use at what angle and how hard to hit the stones to create facets, not just cracks. This was not something unfamiliar to him. He may have been a specially-apprenticed slave in Egypt, possibly even building one of Pharaoh’s hunting and war tents, which had a very similar design, according to recent archaeological finds. He proved faithful with these smaller things, so YHWH gave him greater skills. The Kingdom of YHWH, which eventually extends to all nations, can be built as we prepare our hearts to receive each detail, and as we tend what YHWH gives us. He empowers us to do more than we are capable of, but only when we have put all our hearts into it. How fully are we using what we have already been given? The more we invest in the Kingdom, the more of the Kingdom He invests in us. The more we fight for, the more He adds, and it becomes alive to us, but if we invest nothing, we will get no dividends. If we stop seeking and making room for more, He stops filling the receptacles and that is as far as we will get. We prepare a place both by study and by practicing what we learn—by doing something with what we have already received. Wisdom also comes from experience. In even the worst of situations, ask, “What can I learn from this?”, and you will start to understand. Then even mistakes will make you less likely to “mess up” the next time, and you can warn others so they can avoid the same pitfalls. Some of the things B’tzal-El accomplished, we do not even have the technology to do today. If we do all that we can and turn it over to YHWH, we will end up accomplishing more than was possible for us to do alone. Psalm 90 says a heart of wisdom can be gained by numbering our days (remembering the shortness of our lives, but also knowing YHWH's calendar). Wisdom comes from above, but we can prepare ourselves to contain it by the choices we make today.
6. "And notice, I have appointed to be with him Aholiav, the son of Akhisamakh, of the branch of Dan, and in the heart of everyone with a wise heart, I have put wisdom, so they can make all that I have commanded you:
Aholiav means "a father's tent"--exactly what they both were building! Akhisamakh means "my brother supports". These are names given in expectancy of what these sons would become, in hopes that they would live up to them. We have the name of Israel on us, and we must keep it honorable. We are fulfilling the prophecy that his offspring would one day say, “I belong to YHWH.” (Yeshayahu/Isa. 44:3ff) It is the name of a covenant people expected to strive with both Elohim and man—and prevail. (Gen. 38:28) If we give up the struggle, we can never prevail, and then we would no longer be Israel. Most of the time our struggle will involve feeding and healing people rather than destroying, but although we must indeed get the log out of our eye before we judge another, we are still responsible to get the speck of sawdust out of our brother’s eye. (Mat. 7:3-5) Branch: or tribe. Dan means "judgment". Everything in the Tabernacle is connected to judgment. It is necessary for the pattern to become a reality. We will be held responsible for how well we guarded what was put under our charge, since it is not only about us but about the generations to come. Aholiav’s ancestry and lineage is not as traceable as B’tzal’El’s, which is detailed in 1 Chronicles 2. But he joins himself to someone in Yehudah and builds a dwelling place for YHWH’s name. He is thus a picture of those from the Northern Kingdom who rejoin the heritage which has been preserved largely by Yehudah, in order to build YHWH’s Kingdom. He used one from each house of Israel to build the copy of His real dwelling-place; the same will hold true for the real thing.
7. "the Tent of Appointment, the ark of the testimony and its [atoning] cover which goes on top of it, and all the vessels of the tent,
8. "and the table with its utensils, and the pure menorah and all its instruments, and the altar of incense,
9. "and the altar of ascending and all its implements, and the washbasin and its base,
10. "and the woven garments, and the holy garments for Aharon the priest and the garments of his sons [in which] to minister as priests,
They would even need gold to make the garments.
11. "and the oil of anointing and the sweet incense for the sanctuary; according to all that I have commanded you, they shall do."
Such a task could seem an overwhelming responsibility, since this would not just involve sitting and telling others what to do, but very intense work. But they did not refuse this very great honor.
12. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
13. "You shall also speak to the descendants of Israel, saying, ‘You shall be sure to keep my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between Me and you for [all] your generations, [so that you will] know that I am YHWH, the one who sets you apart.
A contrast is drawn between this and the previous verses since they would be busy at this work, but even obeying His command to build these holy things could not override the Sabbath. The construction of the tabernacle was, after all, all about the “seventh day”—the Kingdom which the Sabbath foreshadows. You shall be sure: I.e., do not miss this! This is a strong term meaning “by every means at your disposal”, or “above all else”. I.e., check to see if we are really keeping it. Have we really built the fence? A sign: a distinguishing mark or token of an agreement. It is like a wedding ring, or a signet that seals YHWH's special relationship with Israel. Thus the Sabbath is often called a bride and a queen, for it is that beautiful to those who are weary from hard work.
14. " And you must guard the Sabbath, because for you it is set apart; anyone who treats it as ordinary must certainly be put to death, because every soul who does [any] work on it shall be cut off from among his people.
Building a hedge around the Sabbath so that no one will even come close to breaking it is part of living up to our name. Those who do not keep it have no part in the commonwealth of Israel. On it we must be set apart from all the other cares, priorities, and habits of the rest of the week. Refusing to participate in it is like the parable in which people gave excuses to not attend the wedding. Treats it as ordinary: profanes, desecrates, or defiles, or reduces in honor. Work: the type of work done for pay or for personal benefit (as in note on v. 5). The Sabbath is a sign that says we are open for Kingdom business only.
15. "Work may be done six days, but on the seventh day is a desisting for rest, [which is] dedicated to YHWH. Everyone who does work on the Sabbath must certainly be put to death.
The seriousness of this command is reiterated over and over, yet it is probably the command most often disobeyed by people who say they belong to YHWH, for saying the holiness moved from the last day of the week to the first leaves the last day with decreased honor. The word for "work" here is the same type that went into building the tabernacle. The construction stopped on the Sabbath, but the work of service in its courts continued on the Sabbath after it was built. For six days our work has to do with "laying up treasures on earth", which is necessary to some degree, but on the Sabbath we have the privilege of forgetting all that and spending time with our creator as if we were back in the Garden of Eden before the curse was placed on us. One day in seven we can "live in the Messianic Kingdom" before it comes. We must work while it is day, because the gates will one day be shut. Through our actions now we are building the houses we will live in later. (1 Cor. 3:12ff) Once the "seventh day"--the Kingdom—begins, nothing new can be added.
16. "Thus the descendants of Israel shall observe the Sabbath, in order to carry out the Sabbath for [all] their generations; it is a never-ending covenant.
Keep [it] ...to observe it: don't just do the action, but examine what it is meant to teach you. Do the Sabbath: or, make the Sabbath: Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel describes preparing our hearts for the Sabbath as "building a palace in time" and then quieting down to dwell in it, spending the time with YHWH. It is His way of extending the concept of holiness to the realm of time. He Himself keeps the Sabbath, so on it, we are participating in the same activity He is doing.
17. "It is a sign forever between Me and the descendants of Israel, because in six days YHWH made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed."
The Sabbath, as a sign, is on the same level as binding YHWH’s words on our hand. (Deut. 6:8) “Was refreshed" means "breathed in" or "withdrew into Himself". Even He stops to catch His breath on it; how much more do we need to? But first we must “breathe out” the other six days. But it has the same root as the word for "soul", and this forms the basis for the tradition that on the Sabbath one receives a second soul in order to be better able to perceive and internalize spiritual truths.
18. And when He finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moshe the two tablets of the testimony, slabs of stone inscribed by the finger of Elohim.
Two tablets of the testimony: What is on them is called the “ten words” or “ten items”. (34:28; Deut. 10:4) This “testimony” (witness) is to be placed inside the Ark of the Covenant. (Deut. 10:4ff) But the scroll of the Torah was to be put beside the Ark as a witness against us. (Deut. 31:26) If we are not doing what the stone tablets says (forming a dwelling-place for YHWH among us), the Torah accuses us. It is outside the Ark, guarding the true instructions for how to prepare for the Kingdom. We still have to come through it to get back to YHWH’s real intent, but as Yitzhaq Luria said, it is only the garment beneath which the true Man is found. Atop the Ark is an “atoning cover”. When YHWH does at last find His house fit to dwell in, His atonement will be fulfilled, and our sin will be not just covered up but gone. This is His doing (Ps. 118:22-23)--an act of His own hand. The last time the finger of Elohim was mentioned was the finger of judgment (8:19), when Pharaoh's magicians could no longer imitate Moshe's miracles. The connection is that if the Israelites now obey, the plagues of Egypt will not come upon us. (15:26) The phrase “the finger of Elohim” is used again by Y’shua of his casting out demons and thus proving the Kingdom had come in its initial form. (Luke 11:20) Each time a finger is mentioned in the Torah, something changes for the better: The priests dip their finger in the blood of slaughtered animals of various types to set apart the furniture and altar in the Tabernacle, to restore the whole nation’s relationship to YHWH, and to restore purity after someone has touched death. They dip it in oil to bring a cured leper back into the community. And the writing on these tablets brings back our right standing with YHWH. The Sabbath is here given as YHWH’s signature on the document written by His own finger. It is the last thing He mentions before giving Moshe what He has written in stone.
CHAPTER 32
1. When the people perceived that Moshe was delaying in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together against Aharon, and said to him, "Get up and make for us [an] elohim that can go before us; because [as for] this Moshe, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."
This foreshadows the servant in Y’shua's parable who says, "My Master has delayed" and behaves shamefully, doing his own pleasure. (Matt. 24:48; compare Prov. 7:19ff) But the term for “delaying” actually also means “disappointing [them]”. He was not living up to their ideas of how long he should be there, but he was on YHWH’s schedule. He would return when YHWH was ready for him to come back. Against Aharon: as if threatening him, which is probably one reason he acted as he did. The people called the assembly themselves rather than being called by the authorities, and an unlawful assembly is rebellion. Go before us: to the Land. The cloud that had led them had also disappeared, and to all appearances Moshe was dead, consumed by the fire on the mountain for all they knew. Their military leader, Y’hoshua, was also now missing as well. Aharon was designated leader in the meantime, but they seem to think they could influence him more easily. The people had been told they were being given a land, and thought it was their right to move on; they did not care to wait for anyone, even the leader YHWH had appointed. Moshe had already been told that the Ark was to go before them, but they did not wait long enough to hear this. Without the instruction he was yet to bring them, they were not ready to handle this journey. No one volunteered to venture into the fiery clouds to find out what, if anything, had befallen him; they used their ignorance—or even the command to stay back--as an excuse to do what they had really wanted all along. Psalm 25:20-21 appears to have been written in response to this verse.
2. So Aharon told them, "Tear off the gold rings that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.
He did not tell them to tear off their own earrings, although archaeology shows that at this time in history men wore much more adornment than women, except on their wedding day. The rest of their families had not come along to the assembly, and Aharon was probably trying to buy time in case Moshe might arrive before they did something he knew would be foolish, as this camp was several miles wide and it would take them quite some time to go get these things and come back.
3. So all the people tore off the rings of gold that were in their ears, and they brought them to Aharon,
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They did not follow his instruction, but gave their own earrings instead, so Aharon could not buy time after all. They probably thought they were being very generous and doing something their whole nation needed. Gold is a symbol of purity, but they were misusing it, and thus corrupting this “form of righteousness”.
4. and he took [the gold] from their hand and formed it with an engraving tool, and he made it a cast [metal] calf. And they said, "This is your elohim, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt."
If it was a poured-metal image, how could he form it before melting it down? He apparently engraved a model or a pattern for it. So he was an artisan too, but probably because of this incident, YHWH did not assign him a part in building the Tent of Appointment. Cast: molten, with a thin shell like a mask, and thus hollow inside—symbolic of this empty, impotent statue. Psalm 106:19ff calls it the “pattern of an ox that eats grass”, and says they exchanged what was very weighty for something so unthreatening—and very different from the pattern that Moshe was bringing down the mountain for them. Aharon seems to have been trying to communicate this by designing it as a calf instead of a full-grown bull like Ba’al, whom many in the region already worshipped. A calf is unlearned, weak, and helpless if not nursed, and this is exactly how the nation was acting at this point—immature and childish, which is summed up in the word “selfish”. Elohim is a plural word, but there was only one calf. It was as if the people had looked at Moshe as their “god”, since he had visibly delivered them, so it was Moshe that they felt they needed to replace. Moshe deserved much honor, but he never asked for this.
5. When Aharon saw [this], he built an altar in front of it, and Aharon called out and said, "Tomorrow is a feast to YHWH!"
As yet they had not celebrated the feast that they had told Pharaoh was their purpose for leaving. So Aharon wants to bring closure to this promise. And now they have a “logo” with which to associate YHWH, and they probably had it in mind to make all sorts of necklaces in the same style. They were not seeking to return to idolatry or polytheism. They had heard, “Have no other elohim.” So they decided to put His name on something they were used to. They thought they were making an image of the true Elohim, but they were wrong. They were applying His Name to other things. Their hearts may have been right—an excuse many use to think they can continue in their own ways. But those ways lead to death. (Prov. 14:12) He knows our heart because He tests it (Yirmeyahu 17:9-10), but they did not know His heart; they were doing exactly what He hates most—making a physical representation of Him—and putting Him in the same league as Hathor, the Egyptian cow-goddess. They were practicing a “form of Torah”, but their practices diminished the truth of who He is. Now they had an elohim they could touch and place where they wanted it. How often do we "make YHWH in our image" instead of allowing Him to teach us what He is really like?
6. So they rose early the next morning, and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings near. And the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to make merry.
Peace offerings: ones that would be shared with others, like a picnic. Make merry: based on the word for laughter. Israel is meant to be a celebratory, “partying” people; the reason they were leaving Egypt all along was to celebrate a feast to YHWH. The only problem was that they had this idol as its focus.
7. Then YHWH said to Moshe, "Go on down, because your people, whom you caused to ascend from Egypt, have become corrupt.
Your people: Moshe was held responsible to uphold what YHWH had done for them. He tests Moshe with the same kind of phrase we might hear one spouse say to the other: "YOUR child is misbehaving!" YHWH has disowned them! How could anything so beautiful as the worship of YHWH make Him respond this way? They are not calling it by the name of another deity. But they had not waited for any of the specific instructions Moshe was to bring back, so there is no way they could know what would please YHWH, no matter how well-intentioned the gesture was. We need to first find out how He wants to be worshipped. We have the advantage in that He has already told us this in the Torah and the psalms. Become corrupt: or spoiled, ruined. They had made the whole purpose of Moshe's stay on the mountain useless by making it impossible to carry on the relationship they had begun. (Hirsch)
8. "So quickly they have turned off the path which I commanded them; they have made for themselves a cast [metal] calf and bowed to it, and have offered sacrifices to it! And they have said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who caused you to ascend from the land of Egypt!'"
Turned off the path: They had already heard the command not to make idols, especially an image of YHWH. (Chapter 20) So quickly: A robust person can go without food for up to 40 days, but now he had reached that limit, so they gave up—seemingly as quickly as King Sha’ul did (1 Shmu'el 15), though Moshe was already on his way back. This may be particularly why the creed says, “I believe… in the coming of the Messiah, and even though He tarries, still I will wait.”
9. Then YHWH explained to Moshe, "I have watched this people, and they are a stiff-necked people.
Stiff-necked: opposed to a command due to being accustomed to other ways--old habits that have not been overcome. ("We've never done it that way before!") With a stiff neck, one can neither bow nor turn his head (either to repent or to see the "big picture", which would usually remove the cause for complaining); an animal that is led by the nose cannot turn either to the right or the left (to see others who are beside him). "Knowing one's right hand from his left" (cf. Jonah 4:11) is an idiom for understanding YHWH's instruction. If one will not allow himself to be instructed, he is practically asking others to coerce him, bribe him, beat him into submission, just like an animal--or destroy him. Interestingly, by tradition the bone on which the neck pivots, called the lutz, is indestructible, and from the surviving DNA in it, at the resurrection YHWH will reconstruct the bodies of those who did not have stiff necks. YHWH says, in effect, “I delivered Israel from the house of prostitution, yet she has gone and found a new boyfriend.” Why should He think they would ever change?
10. "So now [if you] leave it to Me, my nostrils will flare against them, in order that I may consume them, and I will make a great nation from you."
He knows Moshe would do things rightly and he already has two sons who could become a new nation. But "Leave it to Me" is an implied challenge to see if Moshe will intervene and convince Him to change His mind. It is a conditional decree that He leaves room to be talked out of. It would show Him what kind of shepherd Moshe really was. He hints that if he does not leave YHWH alone about this, His anger might not burn quite as hot. A great nation: the same promise He had given the patriarchs. He could not bless Moshe alone, but had to make another nation to replace this one, because only in community can YHWH be fully known. How would Moshe respond to this offer of personal glory?
11. But Moshe endeavored to persuade the face of YHWH, his Elohim, to condescend, by saying, "Why, O YHWH, should your nostrils flare against Your people, whom You caused to ascend from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
Persuade: or hinder by redirecting. (Hirsch) Moshe turns YHWH’s words around and says, "If they were indeed my children, You could do that to them. But they are YOUR children as well!" Only by looking out for YHWH’s reputation can one protect His people, and only by protecting His people can His reputation by saved. He has heard the hint of mercy in the wrath, so he addresses Him as YHWH (the one who will be all that His people need Him to be), not Elohim (the judge). "The prayer of the upright is [YHWH's] delight... He hears the prayer of the righteous. (Prov. 15:9, 29; compare Yaaqov/James 5:16.)
12. "Why should the Egyptians say, ‘For a malicious reason He caused them to ascend, in order to slaughter them among the mountains, and to utterly consume them from the face of the earth’? Relent from your fierce anger and turn Your intention away from harming Your people!
Hadn’t He invested too much in them already to just destroy them? All the animals and firstborn sons would have died for nothing, and the Egyptians would get the wrong idea, and never see that YHWH is loving and kind. They would think He likes human sacrifice. This would be like men who jest, saying, “He finally got a woman but couldn’t keep her!” He knew YHWH is jealous for His reputation. Why would He want to start all over again to build it? And why would He want to give ammunition to His enemies? And Moshe was wise to bring up the Egyptians, because they were a people who were at this point very repulsive to YHWH, and in contrast He might look more favorably on Israel if reminded of something far worse, like two brothers who are fighting, but who would fiercely defend one another if an outsider tried to harm one of them.
13. "Remember Avraham, Yitzhaq, and Israel, to whom You swore by Yourself and promised them, ‘I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and all this land which I have promised, I will give [it] to your seed, and they shall possess it eternally."
This was his “trump card”. Moshe appealed to the promise the way YHWH had actually stated it, showing that he had actually listened to Him. Remember Avraham: another who tried with audacity to persuade YHWH to relent. Yitzhaq: Had He preserved his life to no purpose? Israel: To mention him by the name of Yaaqov (the one who did not even look out for the reputation of his own daughter) would not have been as effective, but Israel is the name given to the man who “strove with Elohim and man and prevailed”. Now Moshe has done the same:
14. So YHWH allowed Himself to be moved to turn in pity from the harm that He had threatened to bring on His people.
Since YHWH did respond to him, we should pay careful attention to how he asked. YHWH relented. He did not say He would do nothing to them, for He would bring a plague. But He would not destroy the righteous along with the wicked, as Avraham had recognized.
15. Then Moshe turned and went down from the mountain, the two slabs of the testimony in his hand, tablets written on both of their sides--on this [side] and on that [side] they were written.
On this side and that side: Hirsch, "from one side through to the other side”. (More on v. 16.)
16. Both of the tablets were the workmanship of Elohim, and the writing was the writing of Elohim; it was engraved [unbroken] clean through the tablets.
This may be the only time a human being has held in his hands something directly written by YHWH. Engraved: inscribed or carved into. In the Talmud, Rabbi Y’hoshua ben Levi points out that “liberty” is spelled exactly the same as "engraved" in unpointed Hebrew. According to the Midrash, the tablets were made of sapphire and inscribed in normal lettering on one side and with the negative image (that which was cut out by the letters) on the other side so "what was between the lines" could be seen, suggesting "what else" YHWH wanted to say--the spirit behind the letter. Hirsch links these two concepts by saying that the Torah frees us from the mastery of the laws of nature, so that "humans who take upon themselves the spirit of this writing and make themselves representatives of this spirit, are raised, borne, and held...above the blind force of ‘you must', the lack of free will which clings to all matter --i.e., they become ‘free'." Yaaqov/James 1:25 calls it the "perfect law of liberty", and says we must live in light of the fact that we will be judged by it. (Yqv. 2:10ff) Many try to tell us there is freedom from the Torah, but that was the philosophy of these people here; rather, the freedom is found within it. If it is engraved on us, we can freely celebrate and dance and bring offerings in the right context, and it is upright. But if the context is selfish, we will end up full of death like those who had the calf “on their hands”.
17. Then Y’hoshua heard the noise of the people as they were shouting, and he said to Moshe, "[There's] a sound of war in the camp!"
Y’hoshua had been unmentioned this whole time, but, unlike the rest of the community, he waited patiently on his master for forty days.
18. But he said, "It is neither the shout of bravery nor the response to defeat that I am hearing, but the sound of bowing [themselves in worship].
Moshe has heard the sound of war from a mountain before; Y’hoshua has heard it only from the thick of battle. Shout of bravery: Aram., "sound of warriors who are victorious in battle"; LXX: "the voice of them that begin the battle". Bowing: Hirsch, "a sound which discourages us", i.e., "a disappointing sound" or "bad news".
19. And what took place was that, as he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moshe's anger grew hot, and he flung the tablets from his hand and shattered them beneath the mountain.
Literally, Moshe's nose flared--as Elohim's had earlier. Moshe’s own account of this incident, as he recounted it to the next generation, is found in Deut. 9:15ff. Thus far he has argued for YHWH to withhold His wrath only in theory, having only heard what they were doing; now that he sees for himself the extent of what is going on, the impact is different; he has the same reaction and does not blame YHWH. It is not just a few troublemakers who have restrained Aharon so he could not prevent it; no, Aharon himself is facilitating this. It was more than he could take. If YHWH had let him see what they were doing first, he might have said, after all, “Go ahead and kill them all!” and taken YHWH up on His offer to start all over. He had stuck his neck out for them, and they have betrayed him and YHWH. They have already broken the covenant, so why should its symbol not be broken as well? The tablets were the ketubah (betrothal contract)--but how could it be "signed" if the bride was already unfaithful? Underlying this action may also have been a hope that destroying the evidence against them might spare their lives.
20. And he took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire, and he ground it until it was fine powder, then scattered it on the surface of the water, and made the descendants of Israel drink it.
The people did not want to drink the pure water of YHWH, so they had to drink this instead. Some people will not change unless they actually feel threatened. He will teach them not to be so disloyal. This was not a good day for Israel, but its events were positive, because it would make them get their act together. The idol was destroyed quickly; the rest of this process would take some time. That their calf could not oppose him showed how little power it had. This gave them the foundation for a way back to sanity. (Hirsch) Compare the special drink required of a woman suspected of adultery (Numbers 5); this is exactly the case here, since idolatry is so often interchangeable in Scripture with the concept of unfaithfulness to YHWH.
21. Then Moshe said to Aharon, "What has this [group of] people done to you, that you have -brought on them [such] a great sin?"
The Midrash says Chuwr opposed the people’s intentions and was killed, so Aharon let them go ahead with their plan. But he was the one left behind to shepherd the nation, so he is the first one judged.
22. But Aharon said, "Don't let the anger of my master glow. You know how set this people is on evil,
But if Aharon already knew their tendencies, could he have been readier with a response?
23. "and they told me, ‘Make for us elohim who may go before us; as for Moshe, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'
24. "So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold, let them tear it off.' So they gave them to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!"
He changed the facts at several points. He was now saying, “I didn’t really have much to do with this myself.” But he apparently did not even try to stop them. It was a similar mistake—that he did not stop Moshe from striking the rock when he could have (Num. 20:10-11)—that would keep him from entering the Promised Land. He just stood by and let it occur, and for that he was held at least as accountable.
25. Then Moshe recognized that the people were throwing off their restraints because Aharon had been exposed to their whispered derision during their uprising.
"Throwing off restraints": Literally "let loose" or "neglected", even “naked”. He had put out the fire and surveyed what had survived; now it was time to inquire into the cause so it would not occur again. The fact that even Aharon no longer felt constrained to tell the truth showed Moshe where the real blame lay. The root meaning is “loosened”, and Yeshua later said that whoever loosed one of YHWH’s commands would be called least in the Kingdom. Yet that is exactly what Aharon, the man of weighty honor, did! He considered this a special situation, a “different dispensation”—the post-Moshe era! What to Aharon was just a desire for peace was in reality not standing up for what was right. Doing whatever the sheep want without question is not being a shepherd, for rarely is leaving them to their own preference profitable for them; sheep are not as intelligent as goats. He tried to teach them indirectly, through mere suggestion and nuance, but they did not take the hints. He did not take up either rod or staff, though he had Moshe’s. He removed their cover; they were vulnerable because they had torn down walls that YHWH wanted built for their spiritual protection. The serpent in the Garden, who saw that this was a pivotal time in Israel’s and the world’s redemptive history, had removed the boundaries again, and he used the one who was supposed to guard the gates.
26. So Moshe stood in the entrance [gate] to the camp and said, "Whoever is for YHWH, come [over] to me!" And all the sons of Levi moved over [and gathered] to him.
"For YHWH": In Hebrew this is phrased the same way as what was on the golden band on the high priest's turban as well as the lot that fell to the goat which was not sent into the wilderness on Yom Kippur. It bears a special sense of holiness, and this is the character of the Levite. He knows his own tribe is bloody; he himself has even killed a man, so he makes them choose sides.
27. Then he told them, "Thus says YHWH, [the] Elohim of Israel: Let each man put his sword on his thigh, and pass over back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each one kill his relative, and each one his companion, and each one his neighbor."
Neighbor—not the pagans or foreigners, but their friends and relatives. The Levites are not part of the army, but they own swords, for they are the defenders of the sanctuary. Those whom they killed were those who, when given the call to repent, did not do so. Tents do not have gates, so this is referring to the places of judgment. Apparently people were refusing to be judged by Moshe, and appealing to those who were closer to them. Levite judges were especially responsible for teaching the rest of Israel; so they were held to a higher standard, and they did not even admit they were guilty for not having restrained them or brought those they knew were guilty to justice.
28. So the descendants of Levi did according to the word of Moshe, and from among the people about three thousand men fell that day.
By tradition, the day on which Moshe brought the "ten words" to the descendants of Israel was what would later be the feast of Shavuoth (50 days after they came out of the Reed Sea). Ironically, it was, as Aharon had said, indeed intended to be a feast day to YHWH. The "repair" for this tragic forfeiture of souls came more than 1,400 years later on the first Shavuoth after Yeshua's resurrection, when "3,000 souls were added". (Acts 2:41). But why was Aharon not punished? Probably because he was a picture of perfection, and the weightiness of his position could not be compromised in the eyes of the people. But the other shoe did drop: he used fire to make it, and lost two of his sons to fire. It may be as a reminder of this incident that the high priest’s offering on Yom haKippurim is bovine. Idolatry remained a part of Israel’s history hereafter. Efrayim, whose name means “doubly fruitful” bore twice as much as this bad fruit; its first king erected two golden calves. (1 Kings 12)
29. And Moshe said, "Consecrate yourselves today unto YHWH, since each one has been against his son and against his brother, so that you may be given a blessing today.
Consecrate: literally, fill your hands—the terminology used for the inauguration of both the priests and the altar to their special tasks. They were to be rewarded for choosing YHWH's standards over familial relationships (compare Mat. 19:29), but only if they accept their permanent assignments as a tribe in subordination to Aharon for the right purposes.
30. And what took place on the next day [was that] Moshe said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin; and now I will go up to YHWH. Maybe I can effect a covering for your sin."
He made them stew in their guilt and fear of YHWH all night. Yet still he is fighting for them. He cannot forgive them, because their sin was against YHWH. But now that he has re-established his authority, and has also rested and eaten for the first time in 40 days, he has calmed down and offers to try to go fix what they have broken. This is the first time Moshe introduces this concept of a covering for sin.
31. So Moshe went back to YHWH and said, "I pray now, this people has committed a great sin, and have made an elohim of gold for themselves.
32. "Yet now, if you will, lift away their sin; and if it cannot be, then erase me now from the book which You have written."
I.e., the book of the righteous, or the Book of Life--or maybe even the Torah, which he was holding at this very time. Paul took the same attitude in regard to those of the House of Israel who had gone astray. (Romans 9:1-5) Moshe is asking YHWH to let him die for their sin, but even the New Testament says there is no atonement for willful sin. (Heb. 10:26)
33. Then YHWH said to Moshe, "Whoever has sinned against Me is the one I will blot out from My book.
Now YHWH reprimands Moshe; “You don’t get to tell Me who goes in this book. I’ll do it if I want to, but you don’t have a say in this.” Moshe’s death for the people would not be enough, because he had not committed the crime; we die for our own sins. (Y’hezq’el 18:4, 20) We cannot get away with sin just because Y’shua died. If an innocent man had not perished, we would have all kept ignoring things YHWH said. But it was not his death but his life that opened the door for our repentance. The Torah is about life, not death. His was an extreme example of dying to self, which is the path to a higher level of life and is what is necessary to overcome the next temptation. Those whom the master finds acting properly when he returns will receive a different treatment from those who act on the basis of his apparent delay, thinking he can get away with it because there is time left, and do not prepare. But those who walk in Torah will not be surprised when the Kingdom comes; they will be the ones bringing it! They are not idle while they wait, but do all they have been told, being glad for the time to practice at becoming even better. They wait for the next step, but run to it as soon as it is revealed, knowing the door will not remain open forever.
34. "But you go, lead the people to that which I have promised to you. Indeed, My messenger will go before your face, and on the day of my reckoning, I will attend to the sin that is on them."
Day of My reckoning: i.e., His review of the troops, or accounting for what men had done. He deferred judgment until then. I.e., "This is not over yet; I will decide whom to spare, but you go ahead and lead them; that's your job." They failed to wait for Moshe; now what they have to wait for is YHWH’s vengeance, and be held in suspense, not knowing what form it will take, and now His messenger will be more of a threat than a comfort.
35. Then YHWH sent a plague upon the people because they had made the calf, which Aharon had fashioned.
To the relief of some, He dealt with them sooner rather than later. They were held responsible for Aharon making the idol, and possibly for the assassination of Chuwr. Though their sins were "lifted away", they paid the price for them in part. They knew better than to do this, so it was willful sin (see Heb. 10:26-27). When YHWH is angry with the shepherd, the goats end up being punished. (Zkh. 10:3) Such a plague recurred every time the people rebelled (e.g., Num. 11:33; 14:37; 16:46; 25:8-9; 31:16) This particular plague was probably caused by them ingesting pulverized golden calf that he had put in the water. (32:20)
CHAPTER 33
1. Then YHWH told Moshe, "Go on, ascend from here--you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt--to the Land of which I swore to Avraham, Yitzhaq, and Yaaqov, saying, ‘I will give it to your seed'.
Moshe and the people were at an especially low place spiritually. YHWH had already sent them a plague for their disobedience, and He was still very upset. They needed to rise to a higher place! Sometimes it is necessary to leave behind the places—or people or ideas—that have caused us to stumble, whether they instill in us bad memories or unrighteous longings. We may need to change our context to see things from the right perspective. Though physically most of the set-apart Land is not higher than Mt. Sinai, spiritually it is. There He had met their ancestors, and He was loyal to them, but He wanted to see them living like their ancestors. So He takes them away from the place where the golden calf was made, and gives them a better goal to focus on:
2. "And I will send a messenger before your face (and I will drive out the Kanaanites--the Emorites, and the Chithites, and the P'rizzites, the Chiwites, and the Y'vusites)
YHWH would not literally come down with a sword Himself to drive these peoples out; His people would do it, but He would arrange circumstances to work to their advantage. He had already told us what that message was and who the messenger would be: “I will send the terror of Myself before you, and I will confuse all the people upon whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you [and flee].And I will send hornets before you, and they shall drive out the Chiwites, the Kanaanites, and the Chittites before you.” (23:27-28) Even the song Moshe sang after crossing the Reed Sea had foretold that the peoples around them would hear of what YHWH had done and be afraid. (15:14ff) So there must have been eyewitnesses to some of the events we have read about who went around to other nations and recounted them. Terror comes on someone suddenly, unlike fear, which may be the result of long reflection. One has no time to think straightly; the most skilled warrior will fall quickly if frightened, for confidence and courage are even more important in battle than skill is. That is why Moshe and YHWH kept telling Y’hoshua to be brave and strong. The shofar is a special tool YHWH gave Israel by which to strike fear in its enemies. (Deut. 2:25; Amos 3:6) We cannot, on the other hand, be fearful of anything besides YHWH and remain in His presence, for it is a place of safety and confidence. Today YHWH is re-establishing His Land as a truly holy place. What messengers is He sending now?
3. "to a Land flowing with milk and honey, because I will not go up among you, since otherwise I might consume you along the way, because you are a stiff-necked people!"
Flowing with milk and honey: This was long thought to have been limited to honey made from melting down fig and date preserves, but in 2007 archaeologist Amihai Mazar announced that evidence had been unearthed at Tel Rehov in Israel of a highly-organized beekeeping industry dating from around the time of King David. So literal honey was part of the fulfillment of this promise as well. YHWH knew that they were not holy enough for Him to dwell among. One would think that after drinking the idol-tainted water they would have repented, and He wondered if He could ever teach them how to demonstrate to all nations what righteousness and purity were. He had found them too immature for His direct presence. (Sforno) They had done things their own way. When their bluff was called, they had made no effort to change. They thought they should not be blamed for doing what they thought was right. They did not even ask Moshe what they could do to fix what they had broken. So why should they benefit from the presence of the One they had sinned against? He will not remain where the camp is defiled. And if He stayed among them, His very presence would kill them, so using a deputy was mercy on His part. Shutting one’s children out of one’s presence is sometimes very effective in making them come around to repentance. “The Father has committed all judgment to the son" since he has felt the pressures we undergo, yet overcame. (Yochanan 5:22) He, too, was sent on ahead of us, and brings us back to holiness so that we can someday be ready to meet the Father for ourselves.
4. When the people heard this disagreeable utterance, they lamented, and no man put on his ornaments.
Disagreeable utterance: Aram., "distressing matter", i.e., bad news. Yet the news was, in part, that Yeshua would come. This is supposed to be glad news! It is for us, who have fallen much further, but for those who had known YHWH’s direct presence, it was somewhat of a step backward.
5. So YHWH explained to Moshe, "Tell the descendants of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; in one instant I could come up into the midst of you and put an end to you. So take your ornaments down from yourselves now, so that I will know what to do with you.'"
If they did not put on their ornaments (v. 4), how could they take them off? What ornaments have Israelite men already been told to wear? Signs on their arms and between their eyes. (13:9, 16) The verses contained in these “ornaments” (known as t’fillin) command us to pass on the knowledge of YHWH to our sons in particular. Elsewhere the word for "ornament" here (Heb., adi) is used of a harness connected with the bit and bridle put on a horse or mule that lack understanding, and thus need to be pulled in the right direction. (Psalm 32:9 is quoted while wearing t’fillin.) The term also refers to bridal jewelry. (Yeshayahu 49:18; Yirmeyahu 2:32) In the t'fillin is the Shema', which states that YHWH alone is our Elohim. This is Israel's way of saying, "I do." The liturgy quoted when putting the t'fillin (phylacteries) on each day reveals that their purpose is to remind us of YHWH's bringing us out of Egypt and so that our hearts and our thoughts and senses will all be subjugated to His service. This is our responsibility as His bride. The hand t'fillin is also wrapped around the finger like a wedding ring, to recall His betrothal promises to us. So R. Webster theorizes that by not putting these on, they were confessing their infidelity. If we do not feel bridal on a given day, we have the "bridle" as an alternative way of being motivated. There is another clue in Israel's later history. Rob Miller has pointed out that when the Greeks entered the Land, they spoke of something on the Hebrews’ heads that made them think even the commoners were kings. It seems they wore the head t’fillin all the time, and put the hand t’fillin on and off since it is less practical to carry on one’s labors with them on. The Mishnah says the rabbis constantly wore t’fillin (some exaggerating them, Mat. 23:5). So though they had not put on their hand t’fillin, they may have still had their head t’fillin on. The Torah is what they are to remind Israel to preserve; it can give understanding to those who have none. (Psalm 119:99, 104, 130) By necessity, not everything we do with our hands will have direct Kingdom benefit, but the things we do with our minds can, if we see the pictures in everything around us. Here YHWH is telling them, "Get these off of yourselves, so I can decide more objectively what I should do with you. Whether I will spare you remains to be seen! You have not been genuinely seeking Me, so do not wear something that suggests you are." How would this help? He could see who would still love Him without the reminders. His judgment might be less harsh if they were not wearing the Shema', for it would witness against them. The word t’fillin (related to the term for prayer) comes from a root word meaning “to judge”. The way to keep YHWH’s negative judgment away is not through some magic, but because in order to properly pray, we must judge ourselves. (1 Cor. 11:31)
6. So the descendants of Israel stripped their ornaments off not far off from Mount Khorev.
Because of us the wedding would have to wait. The Hebrew bride does not know when the groom will come for her. She has to keep judging herself to make sure everything is ready at all times.
7. Then Moshe removed the Tent and pitched it outside the camp, far away from the camp, and he called it the Tent of Appointment, and everyone who was seeking after YHWH went out to the Tent of Appointment which was outside the camp.
The Tabernacle had thus far only been described, not built. Y’hoshua, who was not a priest, would not be able to stay in that (v. 11), and Aharon is not seen in this tent. He knew YHWH wanted a tent, but may have now wondered whether these people could build one, besides the fact that he has destroyed the plans and so cannot remember all the details about how to build it, so at this point he apparently declares his own tent to be the temporary place for meeting with YHWH. When people separate themselves from the Torah, it departs from them as well. They had taken YHWH’s presence for granted, so He distanced Himself from their wickedness, but not too far away for those who really desired fellowship with Him to make the extra effort to seek Him out. Those who “go the distance” when it is inconvenient are the ones who stand to receive a blessing.
8. And when Moshe went to the Tent, all the people would rise up and each man would stand at the entrance to his tent and pay attention, [gazing] after Moshe until he had gone [all the way] inside the Tent.
9. And whenever Moshe went to the Tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and remain at the entrance of the Tent while He spoke with Moshe.
It is as if YHWH told Moshe, "When you need to talk, go there, and I will meet you there--but I cannot stay in the midst of this people."
10. When all the people would see the pillar of cloud appearing at the entrance to the Tent, all the people would arise and bow themselves down, each one at the entrance to his tent.
YHWH was living with Moshe, but not among them. He was the only one willing to go up the mountain, so this way YHWH vividly demonstrates that they are not on the same level as Moshe. This would not only teach them to respect him more; they are showing signs of trying to learn from what he is doing—imitating him instead of doing things their own way. They were seeking the understanding they had proven to lack. They needed to get their own houses in order, but it would have been even better had they gone out to Moshe to seek the forgiveness of the one to whom they owed their survival.
11. And YHWH would speak to Moshe face to face, just as a man would speak to his friend, then he would return to the camp. But his attendant Y’hoshua, the son of Nun, [who was] a young man, did not depart from inside the Tent.
Y’hoshua was an absolutely loyal student to Moshe. Face to face: not that he saw His face, because then he could not survive (v. 20), but His tangible presence was very close and they conversed with one another (Aramaic, "literally"). But in this sense Y’hoshua surpassed Moshe. Moshe could lead the people to the edge of the Promised Land, but Y’hoshua (as a prototype of the later Y’hoshua/Yeshua) had to be the one to take them all the way in. Y’hoshua was from the tribe of Efrayim, and so was Shmuel, who stayed all the time in the Tabernacle before there was a Temple.
12. And Moshe said to YHWH, "Look, You are telling me, ‘Lead this people up', but You Yourself have not made known to me whom You will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have found favor in My eyes as well.'
Thus far only the Levites had declared that they were on His side. Which of these people are worth investing his time in? Which of them would be willing to go the whole distance with him? But the messenger he is alluding (32:34) to might be a supernatural being—an “angel”—or a human one, or even something else. YHWH told him He would send the fear (eymah) of Himself ahead of them (23:27). He had to send that on ahead, because YHWH does not inhabit fear, except awe and respect (but that is a different Hebrew word for fear). The inhabitants of Kanaan were indeed terrified of Israel by the time they arrived. (Y’hoshua 2:8) The tales of the exploits of Israel had preceded them. If the enemies were frightened, they would already be beaten before we even got there. So the messenger’s name is “Fear”. But this fear would also be carried to the enemies in the vessel of Y’hoshua, and indeed we see the people fearing Y’hoshua himself. (Y’hoshua 2:24; 4:14; 10:1) He was well-trained, for even Moshe left the Tent after speaking to YHWH face to face, Y’hoshua never left the tent. (v. 11) This man could not be shaken; he was hard on the heels of YHWH. He is what they fear because he is not afraid. So the messenger is also a man who is not afraid.
13. "So now, if I have [indeed] found favor in Your eyes, please let me see Your ways, and let me know You, so that I may find favor in Your eyes. Moreover, consider that this nation is [after all] Your people."
Moshe uses all the “social capital” and merit that he has gained, but he wanted to increase the favor he found in YHWH's eyes, not just rest on his laurels. He had earned YHWH’s respect by moving his own tent away from the people YHWH was not pleased with, and this predisposed YHWH even more to give him special consideration. But he knew that favor does not come automatically, and he did not want to be distant from YHWH, but to stay in His favor. Like a woman who is being courted, he wanted to know all he could about YHWH so he could anticipate what He would want. And he wanted to see them restored to favor through his teaching them the right way to view YHWH. In context, by saying “Your ways”, he was asking YHWH how He would do this. He knew how to shepherd sheep, but not stiff-necked people, and he needed to know how YHWH did it. If YHWH would not go with him, he could not find out how.
14. So He told him, "My presence will go [with you], and I will give you rest."
YHWH ends up saying, “Okay, we are friends, so I will go along.” This brings calm to Moshe’s fears, though this is not exactly the answer he wanted. It is an eternal answer, typical of YHWH, and He gives no specifics. There is no way that He could give one answer that would cover everything. Moshe will still have to judge on a case-by-case basis, for every one is different. But if YHWH goes along, he has no reason to sweat. If He is there, it will be all right. So for now, he is to take everyone along, even any who are left of those who donated their earrings to make the golden calf.
15. And he told Him, "If Your presence does not go, don't make us go up from here!
Moshe does not seem so sure YHWH will not change His mind yet again. So he is very bold, because so much is at stake here. They may have the terror of Him going with them, but this is not enough for every situation. Not only do we not have what it takes to survive there without Him; it will not work for a bride to show up there without her husband. His presence is necessary for Israel to be Israel. We cannot be what we need to be if we do not learn to live in His presence:
16. "And now, by what can it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your eyes? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we—I and Your people—are distinguished from all the nations that are on the surface of the earth?"
Moshe had access to YHWH’s presence, but the people would never be what they needed to be if they did not also learn to live in His presence. All they would learn is what pleased or displeased Moshe, and that would not give them what it takes to live in His Land; so what would be the use of going there without Him? The Passover is not just about leaving Egypt, but about learning to live in YHWH’s presence. Without Him there, we will be nothing special at all. What sets us apart, what defines Israel, is having YHWH with us. Yeshua said his people would be known by their love for one another (being "face to face" as in v. 11). His presence is the key to this taking place, but we see His "face" through His community (1 Yochn./Jn. 4:20). When we are fully united and YHWH is truly dwelling among us again, we will be like the Messiah in the eyes of other nations. Then his authority will increase as well. (Yeshayahu 30:26; 49:6)
17. So YHWH said to Moshe, "Even this thing that you have mentioned, I will do, because you have found favor in My eyes, and I know you by name."
How can we really say we know YHWH? But to be known (or recognized) by Him constitutes our salvation. (Galatians 4:9) Yeshua will say he never knew many who called him "Master" (Matt. 7:23). For YHWH to put someone out of His mind would cause them to cease to exist. Though He does not want to remain with the people, He will do so for Moshe’s sake. He no longer needs to act only on behalf of Avraham, Yitzhaq, and Yaaqov, for there is a man in this generation who merits a favor from Him.
18. And he said, "I beg You, show me Your [full] weight!"
Having received this assurance, still not content to "quit while he is ahead", he is emboldened to ask for yet another step in the knowledge of YHWH. He is asking YHWH to show him how this works, for he needs some reassurance. Weight: by extension, authority, for the one who carries the most weight is the most authoritative. Like Shlomoh, he needs wisdom to know how to rule these people, and is asking YHWH to teach him how to judge. He needs assurance, and wants to know how YHWH would do it—to know His way of doing things. (v. 13) Philip asked Yeshua in Yochanan 14 to show them the Father. Y’shua answers that everything he has done has been done in the Father’s authority—that is, a reflection of exactly what the Father is doing, so there was no other way to show anyone the invisible YHWH. (v. 20 here; compare Yoch. 1:18.) But he reinforced this with a promise like the one given to Moshe in v. 14: If you prove your love by keeping My commands, I will send another to share the load and not leave you as orphans. This was immediately after Y’shua had renewed the Covenant the Father had made here. (Mat. 26:28)
19. So He said, "I will cause all My goodness to pass over your face, and I will call out the name of YHWH in front of your face. But I will favor whomever I [wish to] favor, and I will have mercy on whomever I [wish to] have mercy.
He wants to see YHWH’s authority, so YHWH shows him that this is how leadership is to be done. He leads by treating the people rightly. And Moshe is to follow suit, proclaiming His Name to the people. Let them know that he is doing what he does for YHWH’s sake, not his own. This will, of course, make him careful about what he does. Then the people have to accept his rulings. It seems an overwhelming task to Moshe, but He cannot hand him a single formula, for some need mercy, and others need chastisement. If he puts what he needs to into each one without worrying about whether it seems fair until this actually presents a problem, he will be able to go with YHWH’s flow and handle the job as a whole.
20. But He said, "You are not able to see My face, because no man who sees Me survives."
21. Yet YHWH said, "Look here! There is a place with Me, and you can stand on the rock,
22. "and as My authority is passing by, what will occur is that I will put you in a crevice in the rock, and I will cover you with My palm until I have passed by,
This rock appears to have been right in Mt. Sinai, where Moshe seems to have stayed when the people moved on from there. Compare 1 Kings 19 where Eliyahu is in a cave while YHWH sends intense things past him.
23. "and I will remove My palm, and you shall see [the tail end of] My afterglow; but My face cannot be seen."
I.e., “I cannot teach you everything I know. I cannot let you know all of My secrets. No flesh (not even Moshe or Y’shua) can contain all you would see; you would be consumed. My full anger, wrath, and jealousy alone would crush you, but if you were to get beyond that to My love, compassion, and mercy which are even greater than this creation could comprehend—if you fully ascended, you could never descend again. If I let you enter fully into My presence, you would forget about these people and never want to go back to them to be the leader they need. Or you would judge yourself into oblivion because even you are nothing in comparison. All you can handle now is to see My hand—My actions. You can never compare to Me, but you can unite with Me and let My actions become yours. Through following My instruction (torah), you will get where I am going, even if you cannot now see where that is.” (Compare Psalm 27:8.) We can only “see” Him when He has already acted—the results of what He has done. Moshe gave us no details, because he probably could not really explain what this was like. But if we show up for His appointments, we, too, will be in His presence, and that is where there is fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11) Teach your children how to have YHWH’s priorities, and that will be enough.
CHAPTER 34
1. Then YHWH told Moshe, "Carve for yourself two slabs of stone like the first ones. Then I will write on these slabs the words which I wrote on the first slabs, which you shattered.
Unlike the first set, which YHWH had formed (32:16), Moshe had to make these tablets. Moshe has asked to know how to lead these people as YHWH would, since He has put them in his jurisdiction. This is part of His answer: First, repair what you broke, as an example to Israel of taking responsibility for one’s actions. What we carve out for ourselves will be more valuable to us than something that is just handed to us. When we dig out the truth for ourselves, it may be the same as what our teacher has said, but it will stay with us better, because we have invested ourselves in the search. However valid his motive for breaking them was, he now needs to prepare another place for the instruction to come forth. Like a child in kindergarten, a blank page is full of potential. Anything might end up on it. Every book started with a plain page and every beautiful painting started off with an empty canvas. If it is not prepared properly, we will not achieve the best results. It is primed so it will truly be painted on rather than just stained. Every time we are to be taught, we likewise need to prepare our hearts to hear. The way we prepare a place is to perform the actions prescribed in the Torah, then YHWH can write the instruction’s deeper meaning upon it. When YHWH says He will put the Torah in our minds and write it on our hearts (Yirm. 31:33), it does not mean He will magically do it all for us. Just because He writes it does not guarantee that we will obey. We have to study it and practice it (put it in our minds) before we can come to love it (for that is what it means to have something on our hearts). It has to sink in to the point where we could no longer imagine working on the Sabbath; that is engraving it—creating new channels for our inclinations to flow through. This is part of what it means to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Rom. 12:2) YHWH writes on what is prepared by Moshe (the Torah). Moshe was the one whom YHWH trusted to give shape to the truths He had revealed. On these slabs would be the directions for forging the unity required to form a dwelling-place for YHWH. The first step in bringing the Kingdom is having having Moshe (the Torah) define the Messiah’s shape.
2. "Now be prepared in the morning, and come up to Mount Sinai in the morning, and present yourself to Me there on the top of the mountain.
He had a time limit within which to have the slabs ready. Even if it took him all night, they needed to be ready by the next morning. He could not just come when he felt like it. And he had to start early, rather than doing other things first; YHWH had to be his priority. Come up: When entering YHWH’s presence, we should already be in an ascended state, having made things right with our brothers. (Compare Mat. 5:23)
3. "Not a man shall go up with you, nor shall any man be seen on all of the mountain. Also, do not let the flocks and herds feed toward the front of that mountain."
It was an extremely set-apart and dangerous place; what was coming on that side of the mountain would consume anything that was there.
4. So he cut out two tablets of stone like the former, and Moshe got up early in the morning and ascended to Mount Sinai, as YHWH had ordered him, and he took in his hand the two slabs of stone.
5. Then YHWH descended in the cloudy mass, and he presented himself to Him there, and called on the name of YHWH.
6. And YHWH passed by above his face and proclaimed, "YHWH! YHWH! Merciful El who shows pity, slow to anger and abundant in kindness and faithfulness [truth],
Muslims have a similar saying, and this must be whence they derived it. The very fact that YHWH allowed Moshe to replace the slabs he had broken was merciful.
7. "Faithfully guarding kindness for thousands, lifting off twistedness and transgression and sin, yet by no means considering them innocent--laying the iniquity of fathers on sons and grandsons as a charge to the third and fourth [generation]."
Faithfully guarding: Aram., "maintaining". Considering them innocent: leaving them entirely unpunished, or simply, not clearing (making them exempt). Some had been slain for the golden calf incident, while others were spared. Lifting off: carrying away; figuratively, forgiving. There are three categories in which we need His forgiveness. Twistedness is bending the truth or bending His words to fit our preferences or a different agenda. Transgression is revolting, rebelling, trespassing across a line, or simply breaking away from the holy community for our own selfish purposes. This was one of the key traits of the Northern Kingdom. Sin simply means “missing the target” or “wandering off track” --not living up to the standard He sets for us, or making a mistake in some details so that His building is no longer built according to the plans He provided. If a support wall is out of place, it will collapse. The first two—which are essentially moving the target (i.e., trading the Torah for generic morality, changing what it is that we are shooting for) and ignoring the target—are far worse than sin, which implies that one respects the true target and is trying to hit it, but does not fully succeed. His forgiveness is not automatic, but has the prerequisites of our confession, asking for His pardon, and turning away from continuing the same practice. He has not declared rebellion to be a clean thing just because He decided to forego the punishment a few times in His patience. Psalm 78:38-39 tells us that He forgave because He remembered that we were flesh; if He allowed His full fury against us, there would be nothing left of us. He looked on His people’s errors as we would a small child’s—needing correction for sure, but cognizant of the fact that they do not know as much as we do. We can be forgiven, but do not expect to get away with the same things again. Before we break His rules we need to consider whether we will be able to fix what we have broken. Forgiveness is a precious thing not to be had by those who will not learn, through the process, to stay away from the problem! While, like Hoshea, for the sake of her children He paid the debts His straying bride had run up while she cheated on Him, He is not preventing her from getting back into debt again. He takes her back, but expects her to be a decent mother. He took her out of the pit, but did not cover it up; she is responsible to not go back to it or, better yet, to build a fence around it. He gives her the tools, but she (read: we) must learn to hate the things that tempted her, changing her priorities so she will become the kind of person that such things no longer stick to. If she does not exercise this discipline, her children will end up with the same problems she had. Notice that it is only the twisting of His word that He says our children will inherit. What you treat as clean is what they will think “clean” is. Our fathers have inherited lies (Yirm. 16:19). It becomes almost genetic. Protestants repented for some things, but retained most of the distorted definitions of the Catholics they protested against.
8. Then Moshe hurried to bow [his head] toward the earth and prostrated himself [in worship].
Hurried: literally, became liquid! He put himself in a position to “flow” in whatever direction YHWH wanted, saying, in effect, “I am in submission; aim me, pour me wherever You wish, and I will fill that container.” Bow: He did not want to be mistaken for one of the "stiff-necked people" he mentions in the next verse! What moved him to do this may have been YHWH’s mention of kindness, because at root the word means “bowing one’s neck in courtesy and consideration” . Those who are stiff-necked look only straight ahead and are not considerate of those around them.
9. And he said, "If I have now found acceptance in Your eyes, O Master, please let Adonai walk in our very midst; since this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our twistedness and our sin, and take us as Your possession!"
Master: also Adonai. Stiff-necked: i.e., it takes a long time to get through to them. Moshe just showed that this was not true of him personally, yet he includes himself in the guilt, for they are one community. He is asking for a renewal of a covenant that was broken when the bride cheated on the groom before the honeymoon was even over. Forgive: Note that he does not include transgression (which YHWH had included in v. 7). This is because he knew that breaking away from the holy congregation was not a sin against YHWH as such, but a national problem—a sin against their own brothers, and thus he himself had to deal with it on that level, through discipline and legislation. (Compare Mat. 5:23) But he may also not want YHWH to take away their capacity to break away or rebel, because one day they would need it—not against Him (in which case it is wrong), but against the other nations that would subsume them (in which case stubbornness is righteous and necessary). Your possession: or inheritance; literally, place to flow, used of seasonal river beds. He is asking that YHWH again make Israel the earthly channel for His purposes, which cannot be fulfilled if there is no framework in which to carry them out.
10. So He said, "Look, I am cutting a covenant; I will do wonders before all your people, such as have not been created in all the earth and among any of the nations. And all the people in whose midst you are shall see the work of YHWH, because what I am about to do is awesome.
Cutting a covenant: again. The core commands would be carved in stone and unchanged, but as with the day-to-day relationship between spouses, the covenant would keep being amended for several decades with added clauses as they were needed for clarification due to situations like this. But we are not to add to it or take away from the finished product. (Deut. 4:2) "Do wonders": literally, make distinctions--i.e., distinguishing signs, deeds far different from normal, natural ones. The Torah was also given to teach us to make distinctions between holy and unholy things. (Lev. 10:10; 11:47) It was not necessarily a compliment that He did this for them, for it was an extra measure they needed just to overcome their stiff necks.
11. "Guard for yourself what I am commanding you today, and watch [as] I am about to drive out before your face the Emorites, the Kanaanites, the Hittites, the P'rizzites, the Hiwites, and the Y'vusites.
Build whatever fences are necessary to keep Israel from being negatively influenced again by other nations.
12. "Be on your guard [to be sure] that you do not cut a covenant with the people of the Land to which you are going, so that it will not be a snare in your midst.
Not cut a covenant: or make a treaty; Israel would do well to heed this command today as they have come back into the land, but are being ensnared by concessions to other, hostile inhabitants. In other words, He had taken care of their past guilt in regard to idolatry, but He warned them not to leave an opening for the same temptation to return. In your midst: the place where He is supposed to reside; letting someone else be there will only usurp His place. His covenant is not compatible with any other such agreement, just as one woman cannot be married to two men at once. So He actually set them at war with these people to preclude this from taking place. How can we see His wonders if we are asking help from His enemies?
13. "Instead, you shall tear down their altars, smash their images, and cut down their Asherah [poles].
Asherah poles: sacred "groves" since they looked like trees, or phallic symbols dedicated to a feminine deity. This is the historical root of what today is known as the Christmas tree. While when in exile they might have to exercise a “live and let live” policy to ensure their own survival, in His Land there is to be no peaceful coexistence. They cannot just avoid trouble from them; we are not to be on a witch hunt, but as we move into the territory He is now saying to take back, we will certainly encounter them, and when they are in our way, we must make war on them. To fail to expose falsehood is respecting it, which by definition is failure to respect (fear) YHWH:
14. "For you must not bow to another elohim (since YHWH, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous Elohim),"
We must not allow others to defile what He has made pure.
15. "lest when you make a pact with the dwellers on the Land, they play the whore after their elohim, and sacrifice to their elohim, and [someone] invite you [along], and you eat from his sacrifice,"
Making concessions only leads you to being drawn into their sins, eating their festive meals rather than YHWH's, and thus indirectly participating in the worship of other gods, even if one did not have this motive in one's heart, but only came because of a friendship they developed with someone who worshipped them. A case in point in our exile is the "meat offered to idols" issue in the Renewed Covenant. At first Paul did not think it was a problem, since the idol is not real (Rom. 14), so he said it was allowable to eat something that YHWH, had, after all, made. But he later realized it was better to not even want to go to any place with pagan connections—to change desires--and concurred with the other apostles’ ruling to eat only with those who shared the same dietary standards. (Acts 15:29; compare 1 Cor. 8, 10) Many festive meals of the pagans were plastered with a veneer of biblical names, justified because they had similar themes, and today have come to be thought of as innately associated with YHWH or Y’shua, when in fact it was simply participation by YHWH's people that ever gave them any perceived value to righteous people. The context immediately following this clearly applies to Easter.
16. "and you take [one] of their daughters [as a wife] for your son, and their daughters commit fornication [to] follow their elohim, and [then] they lead your sons to play the harlot after their elohim.
A covenant with the inhabitants of the Land did not have to be on the national level to be a hindrance to Israel; it could be on the personal level through intermarriage, but it would leaven the whole nation. Fornication: though they did not see it as unfaithfulness to their husbands, most pagan women did participate in sexual acts as part of their worship. The Greek nobility even regarded it as a great privilege if their virgin daughters were deflowered in the context of their temples. But any form of His people’s participation in pagan worship is seen as adultery by YHWH. It starts with a simple acceptance of an invitation to dinner, and ends up with your children as idolaters. So there is no room for “dating” pagans in any manner. If those daughters become Israelites and leave their old practices behind, intermarriage is allowed. (Deut. 21:10-14) But if any of their practices are mixed in, the nation we have will no longer truly be Israel.
17. "You must make for yourself no molten elohim.
There is to be no substitute for YHWH. Verses 18ff are antidotes to the poisons of which He has just spoken—the things that are effective in keeping us away from their Elohim:
18. "You must observe the festival-gathering of Unleavened Bread; you shall eat matzah for seven days--just as I have commanded you--in the month of the greening of the barley ears, because in [this] month of Aviv you came out from Egypt.
The antidote for eating at a pagan table is to eat matzah—a ritual that will teach us and confirm YHWH’s desires. He starts with Passover to repair the misunderstanding about who brought them out of Egypt. It was not that calf!
19. "Everyone who opens the womb is Mine, and of all your male livestock, a firstling of an ox or sheep.
20. "But the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; but if you do not redeem it, you must axe the back of its neck. You shall redeem every firstborn of your sons, and they shall not appear before Me empty [-handed].
“Your sons belong to me” is the antidote to them being allowed to belong to the daughters of pagans. The donkey is an unclean beast, but may be domesticated like clean beasts on this condition. It can be useful if YHWH is paid for it in this way. Even our natural inclinations can be redeemed if dedicated to YHWH, being redeemed by the “Lamb of Elohim”, but there is no option of keeping them for our selfish use once we are part of a people that belong to Him.
21. "You may work six days, but on the seventh day you must stop; even in plowing or harvesting time, you must stop.
The rain comes just after the harvest (v. 18), and one day can make a big difference in getting the whole harvest in before that. One day of rain could mean its ruin. But still YHWH says to cease for His Sabbath, because nothing matters more than keeping His commandments. He is what keeps us alive, not the means He usually uses as intermediaries. More immediately, when Moshe came down from the mountain and the people realized YHWH could not dwell among them again until the Tabernacle was finished, they would be likely to want to hurry and finish it quickly. But still no work even on this tent was to be done on the Sabbath.
22. "And you shall observe a Feast of [Seven] Weeks for yourself--the firstfruits of the harvest of wheat--and also the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
At the turn (or changing) of the year: Sukkoth is actually fifteen days into the civil new year, but in Hebraic thought, the end of one thing and the beginning of the next overlap. The LXX reads, "in the middle of the year", for on the calendar specific to Israel it is the seventh month.
23. "Three times during the year shall every one of your males appear before the Master YHWH, the Elohim of Israel,
The women are naturally ready to leave the house for a change of pace; the men are the ones who have to be talked into leaving their work. Times: repeated occasions; literally, rhythmic beats. Here is the third antidote to being at a dinner in honor of other mighty ones. During the “down times”, when there is less urgent work to do than at planting or harvest time, we would be more likely to have the leisure to yield to the temptation to go there, He summons us to meet with Him.
24. "because I will expel nations from before your face, and you will broaden your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up to appear before YHWH three times during the year.
Conventional wisdom would say it was unsafe for all the men to leave their homes, wives, and children (if they had to stay back with a newborn, etc.) and travel to Yerushalayim, especially right after the harvest was gathered in, but YHWH put their minds at ease--if they trusted Him--by saying that He would make sure all these things were kept safe while they journeyed in obedience to Him. No one would bother their families or possessions--a foreshadowing of the Kingdom, when "no one will make them afraid". (Yehezq'el 34:28; Micha 4:4; Tzefanyah 3:13) When we seek first YHWH's Kingdom, He makes sure the other things fall into place for us. (Mat. 6:33) He takes care of our livelihood if we keep His feasts, though not necessarily in ways we would expect. So this removes the last reason anyone would have to hold back.
25. "You may not offer up the blood of what You slaughter to Me along with anything leavened, neither may what is slaughtered for the festival-gathering of Passover be left over until the morning.
Anything leavened: see note on 23:18. There is no more bread in a leavened loaf than in matzah, so do not present to YHWH what looks like more than it really is. Left until the morning: Keeping some for later is putting too much emphasis on security. There will be something new tomorrow which He will have to hold back if we are still focused on what He gave yesterday. He might not want it or need it beyond that specified time. He cannot put the new blessing where there is something in the way, so make room for it. If the heart does not pump the blood back out, it will back up and burst.
26. "The very first [and choicest] of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of YHWH your Elohim; you shall not raise a kid to maturity on its mother's milk."
Kid: LXX, "lamb". Just as one must not delay to bring the firstfruits of the crop, one must not wait until he has had some enjoyment from the firstling of the flock before offering it to YHWH. Eight days of age is the limit. (22:29-30; see note on 23:19)
27. Then YHWH told Moshe, "Write down these words, because by the mouth of these words have I cut a covenant with you and with Israel."
YHWH had said He would write the words on the slabs (v. 1), but He tells Moshe to write something. YHWH would write what He had written the first time, but Moshe had to write down the additional commands mentioned since those—too much to fit on the slabs--to ensure that Israel is not influenced by the nations, especially concerning idolatry and the festivals, because these were the two areas in which they had done wrong already. He tells them how it is really meant to be done. Don’t just attend His feasts; participate in them. Put as much of yourself into them as you can, and we can fix what we have broken. Stay busy with what He has commanded, and you will not have time for idolatrous pursuits. Do not come empty-handed (v. 20). Bring your blank tablets and write on them what you learn. Make room for new wisdom and a new direction that He may take you in, just as He moved the camp of Israel closer and closer to the Promised Land. The mouth: He was to write them, but the force is stronger when read aloud. We are not only responsible to know His words, but to teach them to the rest of Israel as well. Don’t let them lie idly on the stones. Interact with them, for they are alive. Even if they are carved on the heart, they are still dead words if we do nothing with them. The edge of a sword is also called "the mouth" in Hebrew, so words have a cutting force; Paul calls the word of YHWH a sword. (Eph. 6:17;cf. Heb. 4:12). Out of Y’shua's mouth proceeds a two-edged sword (Rev. 1:16). His word is a fire. (Jer. 23:29) Our deeds will be tested by fire (1 Cor. 3), but if we listen to them now and judge ourselves by them, we will not need to be judged. (1 Cor. 11:31) A fire cannot burn in the same place twice. (Yochanan 12:47-48)
28. And he ended up being there with YHWH forty days and forty nights. He neither ate food nor drank water. And He wrote on the slabs the words of the covenant--the Ten Items.
Hirsch says this forty-day period was from the first of Elul until the tenth of the seventh month, the Day of Coverings, a period which now focuses us on repentance in preparation for that day. Food: literally, "bread", but the term can be more generic. (In Arabic it even means “meat”!) A healthy person can go forty days without food, but going more than three days without water is a miracle. But he was directly in YHWH’s presence, and needed no other sustenance. Y’shua told His disciples, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about: My food is to do the will of the One who sent Me, and to complete His work.” (Yochanan 4:32-33) He is bringing a new covenant here—or really the same one, but presented in a different order (as is the case with the Renewed Covenant we are re-entering). YHWH realized the people could not handle the ten words until we learned to be a set-apart people, so He begins with that this time before He ever says anything about the ten words, for as long as we think of the lives of the nations around us as normative, we can never understand His words.
29. Now as Moshe was descending from Mount Sinai, the two tablets of testimony being in his hand, when he came down from the mountain, Moshe did not realize that the skin of his face had become luminous through his speaking with [YHWH].
Tablets of testimony: What is on our hearts will bear witness either for or against us. Our hearts will be revealed by our words as well as our works. Now that he was in touch with YHWH’s words directly, they were not just rules anymore, but were alive in him, and it showed. This shining face was a validation that YHWH mercifully provided to the people. It proved to them that Moshe really had spoken with Him face to face, and that he was not making any of this up. It was evidence of his authority and made it overwhelmingly obvious that YHWH was with him.
30. And when Aharon and all the descendants of Israel saw Moshe, lo and behold, the skin of his face was shining! So they were afraid to come close to him.
Shining: denotes beams or projecting rays of light, but from the same word as an animal’s horn, which led some medieval artists to depict Moshe as having horns! When the true light of YHWH shines forth from us, anyone who has reason to fear being exposed will keep their distance.
31. But Moshe called to them, so Aharon and all the leaders of the congregation came back to him, and Moshe began to speak with them intensely.
Speak intensely: possibly rapidly, being so excited about the fact that YHWH was going to forgive them if they built the Tabernacle, and dwell among them after all. He had so much to tell them. But he may have also given the leaders the deeper meanings of what he would only “translate” or “boil down” into concrete terms for the rest:
32. Then after them all the descendants of Israel came close, and he gave in the form of commands all that YHWH had discussed with him on the mountain of Sinai.
After them: In addition to proper protocol, possibly, having seen that Aharon and the elders were not harmed by Moshe’s glowing face, they finally got up the courage to approach him as well.
33. When Moshe finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face,
34. and whenever Moshe would come in before YHWH to speak with Him, he would remove the veil until he went out, and he would go out and tell the descendants of Israel what he had been commanded.
We might think of the Torah as having been given all at once on Sinai, but here we see that it was given in increments, often as a particular situation dictated the need for a particular revelation to come forth.
35. But when the descendants of Israel would notice Moshe's face--that the skin of his face had become luminous--Moshe would put the veil back on his face until he went to speak with Him.
Being fully involved in YHWH and His work, Moshe was not only supernaturally sustained; not having fed his flesh for forty days, he began to look like the unfallen Adam, who was clothed with light that was later covered over with flesh. Moshe, representing the Torah--the "instruction" by which YHWH gave us a way to navigate safely through the perils of the world--was a picture of the restoration of the original Adam, who emanated light as he showed forth the true image of Elohim. This passage suggests that the light Adam expressed came from his having walked with YHWH in the garden day by day. Yeshua, “the Torah fleshed out”, who, through his perfect obedience where the first Adam failed, finally came to be called the Head, the firstborn of the restored image, and the Second Adam, also appeared the same way on the one occasion he was said to have met Moshe. (Mat. 17:2ff) Yet the reason for the veil, Paul tells us (in 2 Corinthians 3), is that the shining faded the longer it had been since he had been with YHWH—though this is not in Scripture; it may have been a rabbinic teaching he had heard. He had to replenish this luminescence. Had the people known that it was fading, they might have lost respect for Moshe. He did not want them to be discouraged, so he would only show his face when he had a fresh revelation for them. The Torah-made-flesh shows us the spirit behind the Torah—i.e., how it is meant to be read, and it becomes life to us again, as it was always intended to do (Deut. 32:47). As Moshe spoke with YHWH "face to face" (33:11), though no one can see His face. Nonetheless, the light of His face is reflected in the faces of those who spend tie with Him in purity and intensity. By gazing into Yeshua's face (as if it were in a mirror—which is what Yeshua’s brother Yaaqov called the Torah), as the moon reflects the sun, which is too bright to stare at, we too can be transformed back into that same image of Elohim "from one degree of brightness to another"! (2 Cor. 3:18) We, too, can become part of the restored Man. But after Yeshua was unveiled, some came along and re-veiled him with lies about what was behind the veil, but now the veil is being lifted again. Let us receive the encouragement and act on what we “see”.
TORAH PORTION
Ki-Thisa'
(Exodus 30:11-34:35)
INTRODUCTION: After the layout of the Dwelling Place has been shown to Moshe, YHWH tells him what kind of one-of-a-kind oil to anoint everything in it with—a perfumed oil that was not to be used for anything ordinary, the beginning lesson for Israel in how to be set-apart. YHWH then introduces how the santuary’s workmen will continue to be funded: the payment from warriors who pay a ransom for their souls since they will be, due to necessary evil, killing many people whose blood is owned by YHWH nonetheless. (Chapter 30) He then hand-picks two craftsmen whom He has gifted especially for this task. Another lesson in being set-apart, and the instructions about the Shabbat are more of the same. (Chapter 31)
But then the big one: the test of whether they will stick with what they promised or let doubts pull them back into the awful, but at least familiar, Egyptian ways of worship.
We do have a penchant for wandering. That is why the penalty for breaking the covenant before the “ink” has even dried was so severe, as a deterrent to those who don’t take this all-important nation He is building seriously enough. In chapter 34, after He leaves the camp in disgust, we see YHWH beginning to show mercy again, after making us sweat for a while and then several measures to help us avoid repeating the error, including gifts brought to His sanctuary, not another, and his singling out Moshe and Y’hoshua as very different from the rest of them, but an example to emulate and learn from.
In the meantime, though (chapter 33), YHWH puts Moshe through tests of his own. Even he is not sure he understands yet how YHWH operates, even if He has shown him favor. He wants to be sure He knows how to keep pleasing YHWH. So he asks for the biggest thing he can think of—to see YHWH face to face, if He says He is going to speak to him that way.
He doesn’t get all he asks for. Room always has to be left for faith or disbelief; otherwise it is no real test of “Who is on YHWH’s side?” (32:26) But he does get enough to work with, as anyone who really searches does. YHWH does let him know His ways, and the rest of the Torah is a catalog of what he did come to understand, taught to us in the form of legal rulings and rituals that drive home the points in ways that nothing else can.
“When YHWH Turns His Back”
We all fail sometimes. The Torah expects that, and makes provision for us to do something about it—even to the point of giving us a specific point of contact to dispel the guilt that individuals still feel though part of a collective army even when justifiably killing common enemies. (Exodus 30:11-16)
But this generation of our ancestors had just experienced YHWH’s deliverance of, dare we say, Biblical proportions. They had just seen a frightening display of His “weightiness” which did scare them, and was meant to—and it was accompanied by the command NOT to do what they “up and did” when the sweat it caused had barely dried on their faces.
At other times YHWH expressed His dislike for our complaining, but we never see Him quite as disappointed and both reeling with disgust and howling with inner pain as this very time. He is no less than a jilted lover, who has caught his wife in the act of an affair. “All of you, get out of My sight!” He fumes. (33:1) This was a holy place; He can’t stand to have someone like that around there anymore.
Moshe echoes the sentiment, being so overwhelmed with emotion that the most priceless, unique physical treasure ever seen on earth—slabs of precious stone engraved with the manuscript of Elohim Himself—get shattered. A replacement set is later made, but we get the feeling that they are not as valuable as the first. (34: 1, 28)
His next response is to think, “They’ll never change”, and He mercifully moves outside our camp to avoid totally consuming us in His fury. (32:9) But still we have a high price to pay that I fear is far more serious than we realize: the loss of His presence among us. That is really a scarier prospect than being killed outright for our wrongdoing. Possibly so we will get the point, He disappoints us back.
He rubbed in the fact that we had mud on our faces by giving Moshe, in contrast, a face that shone, bright with innocence, like Adam in the Garden. (34:20-35) His very life is sustained by being in YHWH’s presence, to that point that he does not even need to eat or drink.
Then the other shoe falls: yes, He will fulfill His minimal promises for our more righteous ancestors’ sake, but YHWH isn’t even going to accompany us the rest of the way to the Promised Land. He will send another guide to make sure we get there, but He won’t come with us. The only way He can foresee this stiff-necked people surviving is if they don’t get close to Him again—a bare live-and-let-live compromise like divorcees who have to tolerate each other from a distance to avoid traumatizing the children they both love any further.
It is only Moshe—and by extension Y’hoshua, who gets the awesome privilege of staying in YHWH’s home all the time—who turns the tide. This is one Israelite He actually wants to be close to, and so keeps alive in Him the hope that at least some of the others might be able to change. Moshe’s self-effacement (33:15) so moves His heart that He relents. And not only that; He is willing to keep teaching us and giving us solutions for the problem that most of those who survived the plague did show strong evidence of remorse for. (33:4, 8, 10)
Since we recognized our shortcoming, but didn’t seem to know what to do about it (a sentiment we all share at times), right away He gives us first aid for our proclivity toward idolatry: A set of legitimate festivals to keep us occupied. After all, a party is all many people are really after, whatever occasion may justify it. Aharon even tried to turn the focus of the people toward a feast (and even somehow keep YHWH’s name central) when they pressured him to build an “Elohim of gold”. (32:31) And many people today who know better about the origins of things like Christmas, Easter, or Valentine’s Day—or, for that matter, who are not even religious at all or are members of a different religion—will join right in because the feel-good festivities lighten their hearts. So YHWH delineated the boundaries of the real “feasts of YHWH” here (34:18-23), maybe, in part, just to keep us busy and out of trouble.
He even threw in the most amazing bonus benefit: as if we still weren’t sure we wanted to join in a lavish feast in which we would consume a full 10% of the whole year’s produce, He said that while we were gone, no one would even notice that our fields were abandoned and apparently up for grabs. No one would even desire to rob us of the possessions that we left behind unguarded! (24:24)
Isn’t that generous of someone who was just stabbed in the back by people who cared more about celebrating than what or Who they were celebrating? Since we have all done that to Him to one degree or another, what should our response to His continuing magnanimity be?
Study questions:
1. Why would YHWH strike down those who wanted to take a census of Israel? (Exodus 30:11) How did this play out for King David? (2 Shmu’el 24)
2. Why did each one who joined the army need to give a ransom for his soul? (Ex. 30:11-12)
3. Why do you think the rich are not permitted to give more? (30:15) What does this teach us about our relationship to the rest of Israel?
4. What does the fact that what stands at the entrance to the sanctuary is a washbasin (30:17-21) tell you about your approach to YHWH? How does Psalm 24:3-4 elaborate on what this means?
5. What does 30:29 tell you about how you should approach YHWH’s specially-anointed servants?
6. How would this special oil anoint Aharon yet not touch his flesh? (30:30-32; see Psalm 133 for a clue.)
7. Why would incense (30:34-38) be needed in the sanctuary and its environs? Why do you think YHWH did not want anyone to imitate it for use anywhere else? How does this help define what holiness is?
8. How did the craftsmen’s names even suit them for this special task? (31:2,6) Though they are the only ones called by name, does this mean the roles filled by any of the others who were gifted with wisdom (31:) were less significant? How does this make you feel in regard to your own calling?
9. Based on 31:16-17, would YHWH ever abrogated, cancel, or change the Sabbath to another day?
10. Did Aharon actually say anything that fostered idolatry? (32:2-5) Would that stand up in court, considering what he did and how the people took what he said?
11. YHWH declined Moshe’s offer to interpose himself for the people’s sins? (32:32) Why do you think He did not consider this? Does this mean He would refuse every such offer?
12. What idea(s) about Yeshua does 33:20 preclude as a possibility?
13. What parallels can you see between 34:28 and Yochanan 4:1-2?
14. What connections can you find between 34:29-35 and Matithyahu 17:1-9 and 2 Corinthians 3:7-4:2?
Companion Passage:
The Sidewalk
for Kids
In this Torah portion we see what occurred when the people who had just made big promises to YHWH started having their doubts because Moshe seemed to be taking too long on the mountain—longer than they expected, and they decided to do things their own way.
They didn’t say they were worshipping something else, but they tried to depict Him in a way they were familiar with—but by doing this they put limitations on Him. He is not just the Elohim of rain or wind or sun or crops, the way the Egyptians had such small deities to control just one thing. He is in control of everything, and can’t be pictured by just one part of His creation. And maybe this image made them feel that YHWH was something they could control. After all, what was an animal made of metal—which they had shaped—going to do to them?
YHWH did not like this at all. His response was very harsh.
Was He fair to punish them so strongly—Moshe making them drink the idol they’d made, which probably killed many of them, and the Levites directly killing many more—3,000 people? Was it really bad enough for that?
Well, they had just made YHWH a promise to do everything He said—AND He had just told them how NOT to worship Him and NOT to make an image. They were breaking their promises, or were at least not caring to do things the way He wanted, so He basically got up and left the camp. He couldn’t stand to stay there, the way they were acting.
And would it have been fair to let the people do what they wanted? A community or nation can’t work if everybody is going in their own direction. Look at the politicians nowadays. We pretty much have two countries in one. People can’t agree on the most important things, so how can we be one group? And it’s the same on the small level of the family.
Certain things you do require a very strong response from your parents, because we understand where certain ways of thinking and acting can take you. You can’t see it yet, but we have more experience and know where certain things usually lead, and we don’t want you to end up like that. Some things are more important even than our feelings for you which make us not want to spank you, because of course we know it hurts. But sometimes we don’t remember any other way. Sometimes it’s so important for you to learn that we have to take something away, like YHWH did. And the people slowly did get the message and did learn to do things the right way after they saw how it made YHWH feel.
So when you have privileges taken away, don’t get upset. Sit still and think about why you are being punished, and learn to stop yourself before you do the same thing again, and correct yourself, so that your parents don’t have to be the ones to correct you.
The Renewal of KI-THISA'
The Renewed Covenant continues to take us in the very same veins as the Torah, with further explanation:
“The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of YHWH, to make atonement for your souls.” (Exodus 30:15) That removes the guilt of killing in war, but for our deeper, underlying guilt, “there is no difference, for all have sinned…” (Romans 3:22-23) Rich or poor in deeds, we are still sinners. But “the ground is level at the foot of the cross”—the remedy--as well. “You were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Messiah.” (2 Kefa 1:18)
“You shall sanctify [the implements used in the service of the Tent], that they may be most holy.” (30:29) This is a picture of us as YHWH’s instruments: once purchased, “If a man purifies himself from these [errors], he will be a vessel of honor, set apart and fit for the Master’s use.” (2 Tim. 2:21)
About the special anointing oil, YHWH said it “must not be poured on the flesh of any man… It is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.” (Ex. 30:32) It was to run down his headpiece, his hair, and beard onto the garments, never touching his flesh. “Flesh” is symbolic of the corrupted, natural, unregenerated part of us: “It is the spirit that brings life; the flesh is of no help.” (Yochanan 6:63) “Having begun by the spirit, are you going to finish the job through the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3) “The one born according to the flesh persecuted the one born according to the spirit.” (Gal. 4:29) “The flesh sets its desire against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.” (Gal. 5:17) “When…fulfilling the desires of the flesh, we were naturally impulsive.” (Ephesians 2:3) Therefore, “make no provision for the flesh…” (Rom. 13:14)
“Keep the sabbath…because it is holy for you; every one who profanes it shall surely be put to death… Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, set apart for YHWH; whoever does any work on the sabbath day, that person shall surely be put to death.” (Ex. 31:14-15) That is a strong penalty. We must ask ourselves, do we take our Sabbath observance that seriously?
This is why: “He gave Moshe…the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of Elohim.” (31:18) Is that not significant? Yet the ones waiting for Moshe to come down from the mountain did not take it seriously, and about 3,000 of them did die—not for breaking the fourth commandment, but the second and third. (Chapter 32) Just because there is grace extended, do we consider that the norm? What about this? “If we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.”
That sounds like “that Old Testament God” that Yeshua “came to save us from”, doesn’t it? That must explain it, right? But, oh; wait a minute. What was the reference? Hebrews 10:26-27?! This is the Renewed Covenant! And it continues:
“He who despised Moshe’s law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, do you suppose, will he be considered worthy, who has trodden underfoot the Son of Elohim, and has considered the blood of the covenant, by which he was sanctified, a profane thing, and has treated the Spirit of grace spitefully? For we know Him who has said, ‘“Vengeance belongs unto me; I will repay”, says YHWH.” And again, ‘YHWH will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living Elohim!” (Heb. 10:28ff)
Maybe we need to rethink our definition of “grace”. Think of the everyday way we use it—an extension of time to pay what we owe, not an obliteration of our responsibility.
“Moses besought YHWH his Elohim, and said: 'O YHWH, why does Your wrath grow hot against Your people, that You have brought forth out of …Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? … Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this trouble [You plan to bring] against Your people!” (32:11-12)
“Yet now, if You will forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray, out of Your book which You have written.” (Ex. 32:32) We hear the very same thing from Paul: “I could wish that I myself were accursed from Messiah for the sake of my kinsmen…, the House of Israel.” (Romans 9:3) He wasn’t, but in some sense, Yeshua was (Psalm 22:1). “Everyone who sought YHWH went out unto the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp.” (Ex. 33:7) Sometimes we have to change what is set apart if what was holy gets dirty. “Yeshua… suffered for us outside the gate. So let’s go out to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach.” (Heb. 13:11-13) For us. But because he himself was guiltless, YHWH did not leave him there.
“They told me, ‘Make us a god…because as for this man Moshe, who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.’” (32:23) Do we treat “this man Yeshua” the same way? “In the last days, scoffers will come and say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? Because ever since the patriarchs fell asleep, everything continues the same as it was at Creation.’” (2 Kefa 3:4) Short-sighted!
“He said: 'Behold, I make a covenant… Observe that which I am commanding you this day.’” (Ex. 34:10-11) Already, before the “ink was even dry”, the covenant needed renewal. This was the first “renewed covenant”. We are now in another (Luke 22:20), and it appears there will be yet at least one more. (Jeremiah 31:31) “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread…” (Ex. 34:25) Yeshua was "unleavened".
“All the children of Israel came near, and he gave them in commandment all that YHWH had spoken with him on Mt. Sinai.” (Ex. 34:32) Where, then, is the “oral law” that some say was also given at Sinai?
Now the other side: “[YHWH] said: ‘You cannot see My face, for man cannot see Me and live.’” (Ex. 33:20) So how, as in some people’s interpretation, could Yeshua have been YHWH? His face was seen by many! Read carefully what Scripture actually says about him. Don’t carry it too far (1 Cor. 4:6), but also don’t diminish from the amazing things that are written of him. (Deut. 4:2). Here is one of them:
“And the children of Israel saw the face of Moshe, that the skin of Moshe's face sent forth beams; and Moses put the veil back upon his face...” (Ex. 34:35) “If the ministration of death,…engraved in stones, was glorious, so that…Israel could not steadfastly gaze at the face of Moses for its brightness, which glory would fade, how shall not the ministration of the spirit,…which remains, be…more glorious? …We all, with open face…are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by YHWH’s Spirit… YHWH, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of YHWH’s glory in the face of Yeshua the Messiah.” (2 Cor. 3:7-4:6)
Keep what is holy away from the flesh!
Holy Things, Flesh, and Images of Elohim
“When you take a census to number the descendants of Israel, each man must give a ransom for his soul to YHWH…so there will be no plague among them.“ (Ex. 30:12) When David took a census of his army (2 Samuel 24) , we’re never told he did this. That’s probably why there was a plague. Was it his ego that led him to do this?
Reuven Prager, the Jerusalem Levite who restored this practice before his recent death, called this command “the great equalizer”, in which all of us are on level ground: “The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than the half shekel, when they give the offering of YHWH.” (Ex. 30:15) Other commands seem like the opposite: YHWH recognizes and empowers individuals very specifically. (31:2, 6) But their selection (as experts) is still for the sake of the whole community, not to build up their own egos. Each is still flesh—a soul needing ransom.
The anointing compound must “not be poured on the flesh of man [even of the high priest!]…It must remain holy [set-apart].” (30:32) Nor is it for private use. (30:33) The same holds for the incense (30:37-38). It is tempting to replicate, now that we’ve found out it is a natural insect repellant, but YHWH has reserved it for a special use only; His premises can have that privilege, but He does not grant that relief from the curse in just any place.
Flesh is something YHWH does not cater to, for it is still fallen. “Flesh” is consistently a symbol of our tendency toward corruption (Gen. 6:12; Lev. 13:14-15), our mortality (Gen. 6:3; Psalm 75:39; Isaiah 40:6-7), a skewed sensuality (Ezek. 16:26; 23:30), and natural strength contrasted with YHWH’s special empowering. (2 Chron. 32:8; Jer. 17:5) It most specifically means “muscle” as opposed to skin or bone (Lamentations 3:4), but contrasts with what is spiritual (Isaiah 31:3; Daniel 2:11) and is thus a vivid reminder of our fallenness, possibly being what was most affected by the poisonous fruit in the Garden. So what is holy may not be applied to it.
Psalm 133 tells how it would avoid touching his flesh: “…for brothers to dwell together in unity…[is] like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard--Aharon’s beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments.”
If the priests did not wash at the laver, they could die. (30:20-21) Was this just because of the bacteria on the raw meat, or something more directly from YHWH? It may relate to “whatever touches [holy things] will [itself] become holy.” (Ex. 30:29) It is now dedicated to the sanctuary or belongs to the priests, even if it bumped against these holy items by accident; it can never be put to lesser use again. Once we have a "set-apart calling", we are remiss if we permanently turn back to lesser ambitions. (Heb. 6:4ff) But this also teaches us to be very circumspect in all that we do.
Mistakes can have dire unwanted results. If to profane the Shabbat (31:13-18) warrants a death penalty, shouldn’t we be very careful what we do on it? Yes, YHWH gave us free will, but consequences of the actions we choose do apply (34:7) with no respect of persons. (Colossians 3:25; Rom. 2:11)
Israel had very little of the Torah when Moshe went up the mountain, but they chose to violate one of those commands YHWH had already given (20:3-4), so they had no excuse. (32:4, 8) Aharon, of all people, should have known better. As a tikkun for his error, a calf was specifically what he himself had to bring as a sin offering for himself and his family before anything else when they were inaugurated as priests. (Lev. 9:2-8) Moshe was less patient when he saw for himself what YHWH told him they’d done! Those who did not repent also experienced a plague (32:35)--possibly from the “gold water” (evidence that this idol was powerless) that Moshe made them drink. (32:20) In His mercy (34:6), YHWH left the camp for a while (33:7) so He would not harm them in a bigger way.
We, of all people, must be mindful of this, for it was our Northern-Kingdom ancestors who again made golden calves later in our history. (1 Kings 12:28-29) It symbolized deliberate continuance of our nation’s breakup into two parts (12:26-27), and is especially antithetical to the spirit of reunion that is now afoot in YHWH’s agenda.
Aharon did not see himself as worshipping something else; his lifeless image was an attempt to represent YHWH (32:5), but He cannot be reduced to any static, stagnant shape. (Only a flame, which is ever-changing, “depicted” Him.—sort of. Deut. 4:15ff) Just because it was associated with YHWH did not make it any less an idol in His eyes. It is startling that any who consider Yeshua an incarnation of YHWH (rather than of His word, as John 1 actually says) would make pictures of him, especially a crucifix--a graven image!
While Adam initially bore Elohim’s image, his race lost it. (Contrast Gen. 1:27 with Gen. 5:3.) But Yeshua is himself “the image of the invisible Elohim, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15); YHWH wants no other representation of Himself, except the additional living, breathing humans who, rekindled from the flame kept alive in this one and only prototype (“firstborn among many”, Rom. 8:29), can again, though still in diminished flesh, come to exhibit this reconstitution of His image.
The Standard,
Our Track Record,
and Where We’re Headed
While Moshe was on the mountaintop living not by bread or water at all, but by the words of YHWH (Deut. 8:3) and learning His standards of holiness, His people at the foot of the mountain were building a golden calf! (32:1-6)
“The people were unrestrained because Aharon had been [openly] exposed to their whispered derision during their uprising.” (Ex. 32:25) Or it could be rendered “Aharon removed the restraints for their whispering…”
Was Aharon or the public more at fault? Moshe seems to suggest the latter, without excusing the former: “What did this people do to you, that you brought such a great sin upon them?” He recognized that they pressured him, but Aharon apparently did not have as much courage to thwart and mitigate blatant popular sin as his grandson Pin’has would (Num. 25:7), and they ended up getting their way and proceeding headlong into idolatry.
There is an interesting play on words in verse 25 above. “Unrestrained” and “exposed” are different forms of the same verb. The second, when the vowel points (which are not in the earliest texts anyway) are removed, is spelled exactly like “Pharaoh”! It is almost a reversal of that name: “ph’roah”. Is there a connection to be seen?
“Whoever sins is a slave to sin”, said Yeshua. (Yochanan 8:34) By removing the restraints and letting them follow their deceitful hearts (Jer. 17:9; Prov. 16:25), it was as if Aharon was bringing them back under Pharaoh’s tyranny —except the tyrants behind idols are demonic ones. What is sacrificed to idols “is sacrificed to demons and not to YHWH” (1 Corinthians 10:20), even though Aharon called the golden calf “YHWH”. (32:5) And demons are not even as merciful as Pharaoh, so it was “out of the frying pan and into the fire” by their own doing. This is not at all a stretch, for they would get to the point of wanting to appoint a leader to replace Moshe and take them back to Egypt! (Num. 14:4) Michael Card summarizes this series of backslidings: “They grew tired of bread from heaven, and of Moses and of God, and longed to live the life of slavery once again. So they muttered and they grumbled and they whimpered and they whined, and with each faithless word, sank deeper into sin.”
Because of how heinous this was, Moshe saw that this people was unworthy of the awesome gift he was coming down to deliver—the Ten Commands, no mere human invention, but written by YHWH’s own “finger”. (31:18; 32:16) He himself ended up carrying out the vengeance he had just persuaded YHWH to turn from! (32:9-14, 26-28) Not the whole nation, but those who actually committed the sin, did have to pay with their lives. This is serious business. There are more examples in this Torah portion of the stakes of forgetting our holy calling. If we copy the sacred incense for private enjoyment, we will be cut off from our people. (30:23-38) And profaning the Sabbath is a capital offense (31:12-17) If we take stock of our own strength and do not acknowledge that YHWH is really its source, a plague will come on us. (30:11-12) David proved this was no idle threat. (2 Samuel 24)
Despite the consequences both Moshe and YHWH brought on Israel, this tendency was not eradicated from our memory, will, or desire; it only went underground, for the latent motif re-emerged in the Northern Kingdom—my ancestors in particular! Jeroboam, the king from Ephraim, built two golden calves and became known as the one “who made Israel sin”. (2 Kgs 10:29) In addition he, like the once-and-future “eleventh king”, “changed the times and the laws.” (Dan. 7:24-25) His heirs, even after being offered mercy in exile, revived this latent sin and changed Shabbat to Sunday, Passover/Firstfruits to “Easter” (Ishtar), and Sukkoth to a nativity on the birthday not of Yeshua but of Mithras and Tammuz, yet, like those at the foot of the mountain, felt they were serving YHWH.
How easy it is to fall back atavistically into our parents’ sins! How easy it is to be deluded even when our aim is to worship YHWH. Might we be making “golden calves” and calling them “YHWH”? “Our fathers have inherited lies” (Jer. 16:19), so we must search out which parts of our heritage they comprise (for not all do); otherwise they will still enslave us.
Moshe’s glowing face reminded them of a higher reality where “man does not live by bread alone”. He offered a glimpse of what we lost in Eden and would forfeit forever if we refused it again. Again Michael Card notes that we, like Aharon and the people (34:30), still “tend to flee from shining faces; we see the glow and then we know that we’re undone. They shine His light into our emptiest of spaces.”
But dare to face it, for therein is the key to our liberty: there is a shining face which does not fade, that we can begin to mirror if we dare to gaze on, being reborn through a (non-demonic) spirit that can change us back into YHWH’s image as we confess our sin, turn, and follow the forerunner of the resurrected human race, the real later Y’hoshua, back to the Promised Land. (2 Cor. 3:13-18)
The Most Solid Rebuilding
of What Has Fallen
One of the items B’tzal-El and Aholiav were commissioned to build here is twice called “the altar of ascending”. (Ex. 31:9) That was its purpose, among all its uses. It was even anointed (30:28)—which relates it to the meaning of Messiah.
While preparing for a showdown with the northern King Akh’av’s 850 pagan priests at Mt. Karmel, our haftarah says Eliyahu “began to rebuild the altar of YHWH that had been torn down.” (1 Kings 18:30) Now King Sha’ul had set up a monument to himself at Mt. Karmel (1 Shmu’el 15:12). David’s wife Avigayil came from there (1 Shmu’el 25:40). There was later a school of the prophets there. (2 Kings 4:25) But there is no Scriptural record of an altar there prior to this.
So what was the altar referred to here? It only says he began to rebuild YHWH’s altar; it does not say he finished it. He did build an altar in YHWH’s name there but with just 12 stones. (18:31-32) And it was all consumed the same day when YHWH’s fire fell (v. 38), so that would have been a very short-lived accomplishment, if this is all he was rebuilding.
And YHWH’s altar was in Yerushalayim, not even Akh’av’s jurisdiction. It was not torn down; at this time, a very righteous king, Y’hoshaphat, reigned in Yehudah; his father served YHWH. too. (1 Kgs. 15:11) But the rest of the 12 tribes did not. Was this altar really about re-establishing the worship of YHWH by all 12 tribes, which had indeed been “torn down”?
Of course this reminds us of YHWH’s promise: “I will raise up the sukkah of David that is falling down…and rebuild it as in days long past.” (Amos 9 :11)
That “sukkah of David” is another thing we have not heard of before. The only sukkah mentioned before this in relation to David was the tents his army lived in. (2 Shmu’el 11:11) But David was not even out with the army that year. (11:1) So we need to look for this “falling sukkah” elsewhere, in less-obvious places.
But a sukkah is by definition temporary (Lev. 23:42ff), designed to be abandoned after it has served its purpose (Isa. 1:8), in contrast with a house, which can last for centuries, even millennia, if built rightly. So why is what was only meant essentially for a single use even being rebuilt if it? And how can a temporary dwelling be made permanent?
David had housed the ark of the covenant in an unguarded sanctuary, made only of curtains, in contrast to his own house of cedar. (1 Chron. 17:1) But YHWH said He had never asked for such a house. (2 Shmu’el 7:6-7) David wanted to build a house for YHWH’s name, but YHWH told him He would build a house for David instead! (7:11) And that “house” (in the sense of a family of which he was the patriarch, and more particularly, a dynasty) would “be established forever”. (7:16)
When Shlomoh (part of that dynasty) did build a stone house for YHWH’s name, what became of that house of curtains? Is that David’s sukkah, which “fell” into disuse?
YHWH Himself seemed to prefer the curtains—as in the Tabernacle He had asked for in this Torah portion. (Ex. 31:6-7) Sukkoth (the festival of the plural sukkah) is a picture of Messiah’s Kingdom, the “7th day [when] YHWH rested and was refreshed” (Ex. 31:17), for at that time curtains, not defense walls, are all that will be needed, as the enemy will be bound. (Rev. 20:2) We cannot truly rest in the age that requires walls. Yet in this vulnerable wilderness as we go from one temporary dwelling to another, YHWH says, “My presence will go with you and…give you rest.” (Ex. 33:14) “In the time of trouble He will hide me in His suk” (a variant of sukkah). (Ps. 27:5)
So maybe those “solid” buildings are really less of a protection than the ones made of mere cloth. Scripture sees things the opposite way than we do: “The things we can see are temporary; it’s the unseen things that are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18)
David’s sukkah would be rebuilt “as in days long past” (mi-yamey ‘olam). But that phrase also means “from days of eternity”. So this falling sukkah is being rebuilt according to an eternal design, one which thus can never fall again. The age to come is a circling back to the rest known ages ago, in Eden. But when that age (where, though diminished, sin is still possible) reaches its full end, we will move into the “8th day”—infinity, eternity, rest with no end. Though briefly challenged as the 7th day ends (Rev. 20:3, 7-10), the Anointed King from David’s house will indeed go on reigning forever.
The context of the rebuilt sukkah (Amos 9) is the return of that other fallen house--the House of Israel, the northern kingdom, the rest of the 12 tribes, whose “altar” of YHWH—an “altar of ascending”—our king Akh’av had torn down. (9:9, 14) So it’s very relevant for our own day, when this return is starting to come about. This is definitely ascending!
We might not complete the physical altar for YHWH’s yet-to-come sanctuary, to be used by His Anointed (Ezek. 45 & 46) in our lifetime. But like Eliyahu, we can start to rebuild it. Every step we take to ascend is another step in rebuilding it.
