Day 7 - Exodus 29:1 - 40:38

In today's section, we read about:

Instructions for the dedication of the priests
More detailed instructions for the tabernacle furniture
The golden calf
Moses pleading with God and seeing God's glory, and then receiving a new copy of the covenant
Instructions for the Sabbath
The tabernacle and all its contents and accessories completed
The glory of God filling the tabernacle

Some thoughts that struck me:

Does Moses really make God change his mind? Ex 32:14 says “God changed his mind, but how does this square with Mal 3:6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change”? We are comfortable generally with the idea that prayer changes the person praying, but can prayer change God?

The name of God 34:6-7 “Yahweh!The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy!/I am slow to anger/and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations./I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty./I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;/the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.”

Who can approach God? 33:3

The plague God sends in 32:35 is in contrast to the promise in 15:26
Aaron's excuses are pathetic "When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!” - yeah, right! It also is very similar in tone to Gen 3:12 and the excuses Adam made to God then, and just as convincing! Aaron's weakness and letting them run riot comes just after God has set out his special plans and purposes for Aaron as his priests.

Repeated instruction to obey the Sabbath. Yes, it is holy and set apart for God, but it is complete rest for our benefit as well

All are ransomed by God for the same price (31:35) - the individual's wealth is totally irrelevant. How can our wealth compare with God's riches, and all things come from Him in any case?

All have to have an offering when they appear before God - what do we offer now?
God stirred the people to give - so much so, that they brought more than they needed and they were told to stop bringing their offerings

Moses' shining face is the result of his amazingly close and intimate relationship with God - 33:11 is amazing “Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend” and recalls Enoch in Gen 5:24

Levites proved themselves fit for God's service by being willing to kill their own families - quite a frightening thought

Ex 34:15-17 is a reminder on the need to be on our guard to keep ourselves from being seduced into following other idols.

God equips people with special gifts, but it is for his purposes not that of the individuals - cf Eph 4:11-12

Contrast between 33:8-9 when Moses went into the Tent of Meeting and the pillar of cloud hovered at the entrance and 40:34-35 "Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle."

The end of ch 40 tells us that the Israelites had incredibly clear guidance of when to set out or stay. And in spite of all they had seen, they still grumbled and doubted.