Old Testament Lesson 14

Exodus 15-20, 32-34

Gospel Doctrine Lesson #14, Ye Shall be a Peculiar Treasure unto me

 

Background: From Abraham down to Jacob and his sons, the covenants and promises made by Jehovah to them were in their formative stages. During the patriarchal era, being a "father of many nations" meant being a family man with hopes of nations to be fulfilled in the distant future. According to Exodus, in Moses' day, Israel had grown to 600,000 people! The once small family was now the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. 

With the Exodus, Jehovah demonstrated he was more powerful than all the gods of Egypt. Even Pharaoh, who was considered god incarnate, sees his divine power and authority destroyed with his army in the Red Sea.

With their enemies behind them, Israel was ready to stand in the presence of the Lord.

Sing Ye To The Lord
Exodus 15

Many Bible scholars believe that the 5 books of Moses as we currently have them, were composed centuries after Moses, compiled from several main sources, which may have retained some of the oldest teachings through oral traditions passed down as songs or hymns. History shared as songs ensured the history stayed very accurate from generation to generation.

Here we find two hymns are prepared, one by Moses and another by his sister Miriam. They were written and sung to ensure the defeat of the Egyptians by Jehovah at the Red Sea would not be forgotten. Many scholars believe that the hymns of Moses and Miriam are their original words passed down and recorded verbatim centuries later. Hymns are a musical mnemonic, a key to remembering and understanding ancient history.

Why do we sing hymns today? They remind us of holy and good truths that are important to remember. A child can long remember the words to "I am a child of God" or "Follow the prophet" easier than memorizing and remembering scripture.

Note that the term "Lord" is a place holder for the name "Jehovah." His name was considered too sacred to speak or even write down, except in holy places (Sinai, Tabernacle, Temple). 

But keep in mind with this…there are times that translators could change the meaning of scriptures by elminating proper names, especially the name of God (more on that later).  So while this is often given as an “explanation”, it can often be the culprit in the change. 

Think about what it means to proclaim: "The Lord is my strength and song." Israel has escaped slavery and has just seen their armed captors drowned in the sea. Ancient peoples sang hymns to worship and remember. Not only would they sing to Jehovah, the Lord was THE Song. 

15 Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying:

“I will sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!
² The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
He is my God, and I will praise Him;[D1] 
My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.[D2] 
³ The Lord is a man of war;
The Lord is His name.
⁴ Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;
His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.
⁵ The depths have covered them;
They sank to the bottom like a stone.

⁶ “Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power;
Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces.
⁷ And in the greatness of Your excellence
You have overthrown those who rose against You;
You sent forth Your wrath;
It consumed them like stubble.
⁸ And with the blast of Your nostrils
The waters were gathered together;
The floods stood upright like a heap;
The depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
⁹ The enemy said, ‘I will pursue,
I will overtake,
I will divide the spoil;
My desire shall be satisfied on them.
I will draw my sword,
My hand shall destroy them.’
¹⁰ You blew with Your wind,
The sea covered them;
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

[D3] ¹¹ “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like You, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
¹² You stretched out Your right hand;
The earth swallowed them.
¹³ You in Your mercy have led forth
The people whom You have redeemed;
You have guided them in Your strength
To Your holy habitation.[D4] 

¹⁴ “The people will hear and be afraid;
Sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.
¹⁵ Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed;
The mighty men of Moab,
Trembling will take hold of them;
All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away.
¹⁶ Fear and dread will fall on them;
By the greatness of Your arm
They will be as still as a stone,
Till Your people pass over, O Lord,
Till the people pass over
Whom You have purchased.
¹⁷ You will bring them in and plant them
In the mountain of Your inheritance,
In the place, O Lord, which You have made
For Your own dwelling,
The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.

¹⁸ “The Lord shall reign forever and ever.”

[D5] 

Miriam’s Song

²⁰ Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. ²¹ And Miriam answered them:

“Sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!”

Waters of Marah

Exodus 15 ²³ Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah.^[a]24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” ²⁵ So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.

There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, ²⁶ and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lordyour God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

With this assistance came the first part of the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. If Israel would be obedient, Jehovah would prosper them in the land, protecting them from plagues, famine and disease,

Flesh Pots of Egypt/Bread of Life

Exodus 16 ³ And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meatand when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. ⁵ And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”

Desert life is difficult at best, deadly at worst. A small group can manage a flock of animals and perhaps a little agriculture by an oasis. 

However, 600,000 people cannot survive wandering in the wilderness together, especially not slaves who are accustomed to city life and the flesh pots of Egypt. 

Therefore, Jehovah provides what they cannot provide for themselves. God could have just made their stomachs continuously full, or had baked loaves of bread waiting on their plates each day, but he didn't. Instead, he provided quail and manna, but Israel still had to gather and prepare the food. This ties in nicely with the LDS Church’s welfare program, where we are expected to be as self-sufficient as possible, but given liberally when we cannot help ourselves.

We find, though, that with the manna comes a specific guideline. Gather up just enough for that day’s meals, and twice as much the day before the Sabbath to cover two days. Even with such command from God, greed set in and many attempted to store more than a day’s worth. Once they found the manna would spoil and be filled with maggots, they obeyed. Again, some doubted that the manna would last two days and went out on the Sabbath to collect, only to find it was not there. Why is it that we just have to test the limits? God commands and we look for the loopholes, rather than just obey. Of course, for each of us, we have our own particular commandment(s) that we seek to find a way around.

The manna represents the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ (John 6:35). Christ, our daily bread, is life sustaining, and the only real spiritual food available in the entire desert of life. The manna is freely given, but each person must prepare and use it properly, otherwise it is of no good use. If we attempt to obtain salvation on the cheap by looking for loopholes, the atoning sacrifice of Christ will be as the rotting maggot-infested manna.  

D&C 89 11 Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with ^aprudence and ^bthanksgiving.

While today it does not seem as obvious how God brings forth physical food for us, we read:

“Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; 
“Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul. 
“And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion. 
“And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments” (D&C 59:18-21).

Our bread of life, whether physical or spiritual, must not used in excess, and God’s hand recognized in all of it.

The first few verses of Exodus 17 repeats this problem with water.  The Israelites complain at the lack of water,

Exodus 17 ⁵ And the Lord said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go.⁶ Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”

The First Battle
Exodus 17

The Amalekite nation worries about Israel’s approaching, and meets them on the battlefield. Moses has Joshua organize their forces, men who were trained as slaves, not warriors, to go out to battle with Amalek.

⁸ Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. ⁹ And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” ¹⁰ So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹ And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. ¹² But Moses’ handsbecame heavy; so they took a stone and putit under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.¹³ So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

We see a battle not just of nations, but of the strength of their gods. I can imagine the king of the Amalekites sitting on a distant hill raising his hands and chanting incantations to his god to contradict the power of Moses’ God, Jehovah.

Aaron and Hur grasp Moses’ arms and hold them steady so that the victory goes to Israel. In this event, Moses represents Jesus/Jehovah. His arms are spread out like Jesus’ arms on the cross. During his atoning sacrifice, Jesus grew weary. In Gethsemane, he prayed that God would take away his cup. Later on the cross, Jesus would ask God, “Why hast thou forsaken me?” Yet in his weariness, he overcame the enemy for all of us. Israel conquers because their God is Jehovah, even Jesus the Christ.

Jethro the high priest
Exodus 18

Israel’s fame quickly spreads abroad, and Jethro/Reul the Midianite, hears about his son-in-law’s triumph against Egypt. Jethro comes to him, bringing Moses’ wife and children. In hearing about their successes and miracles, Jethro truly is amazed at Jehovah’s great power over Egypt’s gods and proclaims:

“And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 
“Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. 
“And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father in law before God (Ex 18:10-12).

Jethro becomes a counselor to Moses as he sojourns in the area. Watching Moses spend countless hours judging menial problems, Jethro advises him to stop before he kills himself. Jethro tells Moses to select judges to rule over the people in their daily issues. Only the big matters should ever come to Moses.

Exodus 18 ⁷ So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him. And they asked each other about their well-being, and they went into the tent. ⁸ And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. ⁹ Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the Lord had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰ And Jethro said, “Blessed be theLord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh,and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

Exodus 18:17-21

The beginning of the Judges of Israel starts here. These are to be “rulers” over various numbers of people: thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. If a decision could not be made on a certain level, it was sent up to the next level. This allowed decisions to be made at the lowest level possible, avoiding the huge top-heavy bureaucracies many ancient and modern governments struggle with. One size does not always fit all when it comes to human affairs. Should all killers be sentenced to death? How about killing in self defense? We shall see that God gives general guidelines through his head prophets and rulers, and allows for a wider level of interpretation and consideration the closer one gets to the lowest level of judges.

A Peculiar Treasure
Exodus 19

Arriving at Sinai, the Lord calls Moses forth to counsel him. As they speak, Israel can hear and see the tumult that the Lord’s glory casts upon the mountain. Jehovah tells Moses, “if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Ex 18:5-6).

If they will accept Jehovah as their one and only God, they will become a special people in all the earth. They would not be like others who worshiped Jehovah as just another tribal god, but be placed above all others on earth. Jehovah was El Elyon’s chief son and given the prized possession of Israel as His inheritance. After centuries of preparation, Jehovah is now ready to accept Israel as his people, a “kingdom of priests and an holy nation.”

The people agree and pledge, “All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.” They are commanded to wash their clothes, cleanse themselves, be abstinent, and prepare to see God on the third day. On that day, the Lord’s glory caused thunder and lightning to explode around them. The angel of the Lord blew loudly on his trumpet for all Israel to hear, and it caused them to tremble. God descends to the mount, and calls forth Moses to speak with him, warning him to not allow any others except Aaron to ascend Mount Sinai at that time;

Exodus 19 ¹⁷ And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain^[a] quaked greatly.¹⁹ And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.²⁰ Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

The Ten Commandments
Exodus 20

Any Christian who has grown up since the early 1960s can describe Moses as looking like Charlton Heston, and that Jehovah speaks with a deep and long drawn out voice. Many can recite the Ten Commandments because they have watched the movie by that name annually during the Passover/Easter season for the last 50 years (it came out in 1956).

These were not the earliest set of written laws or commandments given to men.  Hammurabi lived several centuries before Moses and put forth a set of laws that are often complimentary to the Ten Commandments. 

The Ten Commandments were given to the nation. Israel is a “holy nation” and a “kingdom of priests”, not just individuals. These commandments were given to ensure the nation as a whole remained pure and holy, so that they could retain the blessings of God and be a city on the hill for other nations to see and contemplate.

The 10 Commandments are divided up into two main sections: how we are to deal with God, and how we are to deal with mankind. The first four deal with God, with six commandments dealing with our fellow beings.

Many people think the first two commandments are directly related, but they are not. One discusses actual gods, while the second discusses false/fake idols. 

1. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” means that there were other gods, real gods. However, Jehovah would be the premier and chief God, the only one Israel was to worship. We will see this later in the lessons as we find that Israel recognized other gods and goddesses, such as Asherah, who was Jehovah’s consort/wife, but were not to worship them. Ancient Israel believed in monolatry, the worship of one god, while believing there are other real gods as well.

2. As mentioned, the second commandment refers directly towards graven images or idols. We are not to make nor worship the image of anything, whether it be a god or anything else. This is especially true in our day, when humans in the modern world tend to be extremely materialistic and humanist. Yes, we believe in God, but not enough to eschew our sins and vices.

3. Taking the Lord’s name in vain means more than just using his name as a swear word. It means anything that could be considered sacrilegious or blasphemous.  The worse thing is to do evil in the name of God.  This is truly taking the name of God in vain.

4. Keeping the Sabbath day holy becomes one of the major commandments for Israel. Under the Mosaic Law, not only is a person stoned to death for murder, but he is also stoned to death for breaking the law of the Sabbath Day! One is equally as important as the other. Why? Because the Sabbath day becomes the symbolic day when we lay aside the worldly things and enter into God’s holy sphere. It becomes a day of spiritual rest, when we enter into the Lord’s rest/presence by anointing all things in our lives and setting it apart for one day to holy worship. Separation from God equals spiritual death, and the person who breaks the Sabbath is separating him/herself spiritually from God. In Israel, the person has contaminated the purity and sanctity of the nation, and the contamination must be removed if the nation is to survive.

5. Honor thy father and thy mother. This commandment comes with a promise of long life. Under the Mosaic Law, a rebellious child could be taken before the elders of Israel and condemned. Such children would be stoned to death, in order to keep the nation pure and holy. We will see that rebellion against parents and the Lord’s anointed prophet will be among Israel’s biggest challenges. It also represented a long spiritual life when a person honored their parents, as the earthly representatives of their heavenly parents.

6. Thou shalt not murder. The Hebrew doesn’t mean kill, it means murder.  Life was to be considered sacred. Only God could take life, and man could only do so under God’s command.  If one commits a wrong, then the wrong must be made right.  There is no way to gain forgiveness from someone you have murdered. 

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. The history Abraham’s family contains a long line of men with unrighteous sexual desires. Ishmael and Esau married outside of the covenant family. Reuben slept with his stepmother. Judah slept with his daughter-in-law. Levi and Simeon massacre the city of Shechem because a young man slept with their sister. Only a few, such as Jacob and Joseph are shown to be chaste and righteous in this history. For God, fidelity is necessary. If a man could not be faithful to his wife, how could he ever be faithful to God?

8. Thou shalt not steal, is a very simple command that covered any and all forms of theft, including gossip, which is the theft of reputation.

9. Bearing false witness against one’s neighbor opened the door for a nation’s destruction. If lies spread about, then who can be trusted? During the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, anyone who had a problem with his neighbor could falsely claim against that individual and have him found guilty in a kangaroo court. Lies, gossip, and false innuendo can bring chaos. And if a person will lie about their neighbors, they will lie to their God, as well.

10. Thou shalt not covet anything. This is an amazing commandment at this time and period of history. To command that people not be greedy advanced Israel’s society. It ensured that the nation worked as a group, and not be threatened with breaking up into small groups or individuals who would seek to get gain at the expense of the nation.

The People Reject God’s Presence

Moses returns to give the commandments to the people, and to bring them up the mount with him. However, the people “saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was” (Ex 20:18-20).

In other words, the people told Moses they were not interested in entering into God’s presence. They were happy to listen to the prophet, but were too frightened of God and his power. 

In modern revelation, we come to understand this event better:

19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. 
20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest. 
21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; 
22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live. 
23 Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God; 
24 But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory. 
25 Therefore, he took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also; 
26 And the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel; 
27 Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb (D&C 84:19-27).

The Melchizedek Priesthood, which Moses held, contained the keys to the knowledge of God. This is the literal knowledge of God, to see His face and behold His glory. But Israel, when given the chance, as a body, rejected God’s offer. They were not ready for a Celestial experience. And so God gave them the lesser priesthood of Aaron with its carnal commandments (the Mosaic Law) and with a preparatory set of ordinances. This set of ordinances would not exalt them, but could prepare them for the day when they would be ready for the fullness of the gospel, the fullness of the priesthood, and to receive the fullness of God’s presence.

This is the goal of every prophet, to take his people into the presence of God. This event on Mt Sinai was equivalent to the LDS endowment, as we practice in our holy mount, the temple, to cleanse ourselves and enter into the Lord’s presence. Everything in the gospel points toward Israel as a nation, ancient and modern, entering into God’s presence.

Face

Numbers 6 says this:

²⁴ “The Lord bless you and keep you;
²⁵ The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
²⁶ The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’

Deuteronomists.  This is the group, led by King Josiah who will “remake” or “retranslate” or “find anew” the scriptures.  But what we know from modern scholars is that they made many subtle changes to the scriptures, words, thoughts, ideas. 

How do we know this?  The Qumran texts, also called the Dead Sea Scrolls.  These contain copies of many of the original documents that show how the text looked before it was altered. 

How hard was it to alter the text?  In Hebrew, the text is completely written in consonants.  There are no vowels.  There are consonants and accent marks.  Vowels are added in when speaking the text, but don’t appear originally.  This is a prime area for easy changes for the Deuteronomists[1]

Justin said this:

Chapter LXXI.—The Jews reject the interpretation of the LXX., from which, moreover, they have taken away some passages.

“But I am far from putting reliance in your teachers, who refuse to admit that the interpretation made by the seventy elders who were with Ptolemy [king] of the Egyptians is a correct one; and they attempt to frame another. And I wish you to observe, that they have altogether taken away many Scriptures from the translations effected by those seventy elders who were with Ptolemy, and by which this very man who was crucified is proved to have been set forth expressly as God, and man, and as being crucified, and as dying; but since I am aware that this is denied by all of your nation, I do not address myself to these points, but I proceed²²¹⁷ to carry on my discussions by means of those passages which are still admitted by you. For you assent to those which I have brought before your attention, except that you contradict the statement, ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive,’ and say it ought to be read, ‘Behold, the young woman shall conceive.’ And I promised to prove that the prophecy referred, not, as you were taught, to Hezekiah, but to this Christ of mine: and now I shall go to the proof.”

Genesis 12 ⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 

Exodus 24 ⁹ Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,¹⁰ and they saw the God of Israel.

But then you get to Deuteronomy which indicates NO ONE has seen God, face or not.

Deuteronomy 4 ¹² And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice. 

The Deuteronomists did not like the references to god having a body, so in 4:12 above, it is gone.  Only a voice.  They also don’t like the idea of atonement, that one can atone for another.  

In Deuteronomy 10:1-5 you have Moses going back for more tablets, the first set has been broken.  The tablets are repeated as before and the text moves on.  But in the Exodus version…

In the fuller version, Exodus 32:30 Moses attempts to atone for the people.  ³⁰ Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” ³¹ Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! 

Why is this important?  What is one of the greatest theological disputes that continues to this day?  Does God have a body?  Scripture is contradictory.  Deuteronomy has no mention anywhere of God’s face, body, transfiguration, nothing.  Others of the Torah have mention of all of these things.  The Qumran texts show where many changes were made in translation.  Which do you follow?  Which is right?  This is the question that Joseph Smith faced that led him to the grove. 

Most religions of today worship a difficult to comprehend Tri-God.  Christ with a body, the Father disembodies, the Holy Ghost.  The great truths are only known BY THE SPIRIT.  Having a living prophet is helpful, having scripture, ancient an modern is helpful, but only BY THE SPIRIT can we know the truth. 

Beware the contradictions. 

The Mosaic Law

As just mentioned, the Mosaic Law was given as a preparatory law. The Israelites were not ready nor willing to live Christ’s higher law of love and obedience, and so were given a law of carnal commandments and ordinances. They were a major step above the expectations they had as slaves in Egypt, but still less than the greatest blessings God hoped to bestow upon them. These laws are enumerated in Exodus 21-31, including an “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” which may seem awful today, but was much better than the previous practice of if you take my eye, I’ll kill your entire family.

Later, some of the elders of Israel DID prepare themselves to see God. In Exodus 24, we read,

“Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink” (Exodus 24:9-11).

What do we find out from this experience? First, Man CAN see God and live! The requirements are that they are clean and holy, and they are brought forth through the power and keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood to see God. Second, God is man-like. If the elders saw God’s feet, then we are describing anthropomorphic features of God.

The Tabernacle
Exodus 25-27

As Israel prepares to leave the holy mountain, God commands them to take a portable sacred space with them, the Tabernacle. Prior to this time, Jehovah’s “temples” were solitary places made holy by prophets anointing them, such as Jacob at Bethel. Israel was now a nation, and required God’s sanctuary to go with them. The Tabernacle was made of curtains and rods, making the various rooms and sections to perform various ordinances of the Aaronic Priesthood. 

The innermost room was the Holy of Holies, where God’s presence dwelt. It was separated from the rest of the Tabernacle by a sacred veil. Inside the Holy of Holies would be the Ark of the Covenant. This was a golden box with the Mercy Seat of God on top. The seat was shrouded by the wings of two golden cherubim, warrior-angels of God. Unlike the Egyptian temples, there were no statues of God in the Tabernacle, as God’s likeness was not to be reproduced for worship. Instead, Israel was to worship the “invisible” God, who sat between the cherubim on the Mercy Seat.

In the room outside the Holy of Holies stood other sacred items: the table of shewbread and the candlestick or Menorah. Today, we see that the table of shewbread represents the Savior Jesus Christ, and his sacrifice. The bread represents both the Bread of Life manna that God gave to the people, and the Bread of Life Christ, who saves all mankind. We partake of the Sacrament/communion bread today in memory of Jesus’ sacrifice. The Menorah represents the light of the Holy Ghost. As we approach nearer to God, it lightens the way for us, preparing us to enter into God’s full presence.

So, the Tabernacle is representative of the Godhead members and our entrance into their presence as we prepare ourselves.

The Tabernacle/Temple Clothing
Exodus 28

The Levites, and specifically Aaron and his sons, were chosen to be the acting priests in this kingdom of priests. Their sole responsibility would be to manage the Tabernacle and the worship therein. 

Holy garments are made for Aaron and his sons: “these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office” (Ex 28:4). Let’s break this down.

Breastplate was an ornamental metal piece worn over the breast. Wikipedia explains:

“A breastplate is a device worn over the torso either to protect the torso from injury, or as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. A breastplate was sometimes worn by mythological beings as a distinctive item of clothing.”

In this instance, the breastplate on Aaron’s garment held 12 stones which represented the Tribes of Israel, and together made the Urim and Thummim. Aaron and his sons would have to be in the temple and wearing their holy garment in order to receive revelation via the Urim and Thummim.

“And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually” (Ex 28:30).

The ephod was a linen apron. While most would imagine that all of the priest’s clothing would be white, the ephod or apron was not: “ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work” (Ex 28:6). The girdle was a long rope of linen that wrapped around the waste to hold the ephod and robe in place. Linen breeches were made as an under garment, “thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach” (Ex 28:42).

The main outfit included the robe and a embroidered outer coat. The mitre was a hat or bonnet that represented a crown, and had Jehovah’s name written in it. Over the years, the mitre used in the Catholic Church has evolved into the one worn by the Pope today.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Mitre_evolution.gif

Aaron’s robes did not just represent all of Israel, but according to the Wisdom of Solomon "upon Aaron's garment was the whole universe" (Wis.18:24).

The historian, Philo taught,

"Now such was the raiment of the high priest; and both it and its parts have a meaning which must not be passed over in silence. For the whole is in fact a representation and copy of the cosmos, and the parts are representations of its several portions" (Philo, Life of Moses II.117).

Josephus explained that

"the tunic of the high priest signifies the earth since it is made of linen, and the blue color signifies the vault of heaven… And I believe that the ephod represents the nature of the universe which God thought good to make of four components; it was woven with gold signifying sunlight which beams upon all things. And he arranged the breastplate in the midst of the ephod after the manner of the earth, for it also has the most central place. And he surrounded it with a girdle, thereby signifying the ocean, for this too comprehends everything (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, III.184).

The Washing and Anointing of Aaron and his sons
Exodus 29

Aaron and his sons are washed in the large basin, built for washing/cleansing the physical body prior to entering into the Tabernacle. This was placed in the outer court, where all the people could cleanse themselves prior to entering the holy sanctuary.

Once washed, they were clothed with the garments of the Tabernacle, and then anointed with oil. 

Once they were prepared, the first animal sacrifices were made. In specific order, the Prophet Moses and the priests of Aaron performed the following sacrifices: a Sin offering, a Burnt offering, a Consecration offering, a Heave offering, and a Peace offering.

The Stone Calf and the Garden of Eden
Exodus 32-33

Moses spent 40 days on Sinai receiving instruction from God. Upon receiving the stone tablets, Moses discovers that Israel has already broken all 10 of the Commandments he has already given them orally. The people feared Moses was dead. Had they not feared to go into God’s presence themselves? And now Moses was long delayed, over a month. The slaves reverted to what they knew: the gods of Egypt.

Among the gods they created was a molten calf. There were others, as they declare, “these by thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt” (Ex 32:4). The molten calf is singled out because it is more representative of the gods of the Canaanites, the people Israel will soon seek to throw out of the Promised Land. The Canaanites worshiped a pantheon of gods, including Baal and his father, El Elyon. Both Baal (which means “Lord”) and El Elyon were represented figuratively by the calf or bull. It represented strength and power, as well as fertility. Jehovah was also a divine son of El Elyon, but his kingdom was Israel. They were not to worship other gods. They were not to make idols of gold or silver.

Interestingly, upon making the idols, Aaron proclaims a festival. “To morrow is a feast to the Lord” (Ex 32:5). This is not a feast for the Egyptian gods that they claimed saved them from Egypt, but a feast to the Lord, with the golden calf as representative of Him! They were replacing the worship of Jehovah with the older worship of El, or perhaps the Canaanite worship of Baal, perhaps in hopes of having the head gods of the land of Canaan accept them and allow them into their Promised Land.

Exodus 32 ¹⁹ So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰ Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. ²¹ And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”

²² So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. ²³ For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as forthis Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ ²⁴ And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

 The Levite priests run through the population, killing people as they go. Jehovah is a jealous god, and will not tolerate rebellion. If they are to be a holy nation and kingdom of priests, they must be focused solely on Jehovah as God.

Exodus 32 ²⁷ And he said unto them, Thus saith the LordGod of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. ²⁸ And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

This story is symbolic of the story of Adam and Eve in Eden. God was with them for a while, and then left. While he was gone, they listened to the serpent and disobeyed God. When God returned, he had no choice but to chastise them, pronouncing spiritual death upon them. Moses is representative of Jehovah before the people. He is in many ways their god (with a little “g”). Jehovah even told Moses that Moses would be as god, and Aaron his prophet. But as with Adam, Aaron listened to the wrong voice, was deceived into thinking that God/Moses was delayed or would not come back, and tried a solution he was already warned not to do (don’t eat of the fruit/ do not make idols).

As God put the serpent and his followers in their place; Moses put the calf and its followers in their place as well. God sends a plague upon Israel, and moves his Tabernacle out from the middle of the congregation. They are spiritually dead and cast out, even as Adam was cast out of the Garden. Even Moses, who once spoke with God face to face, can now only hear his voice and see his back parts, but not see his face or glory.

Returning to God’s presence
Exodus 34

After a long period of repentance, God begins to forgive Israel for their rebellion. He commands Moses to hew a new set of stones to put the commandments on. These are different than the first. Moses makes this set, while God made the first with his own hands. Moses ascends the mount, where the Lord reappears to Moses, proclaims his holy name, and makes a new covenant with Israel. They are no longer cast out of His presence, but have been redeemed through their repentance and His forgiveness.

The Lord proclaims, “Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee. 

11 Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 
12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: 
13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: 
14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 
15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; 
16 And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. 
17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods (Ex 34:10-17).

The Lord restates the Ten Commandments and adds a few more requirements to prevent Israel from rebelling again. If Israel accepts the Canaanite culture, they will fall. They aren’t to accept that culture, intermarry, or allow their gods and idols to exist.

With the renewed covenant and return to God’s Presence, Israel is ready to meet their destiny in the Land of Promise.

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[1] See Margaret Barker, Temple Mysticism

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 [D1]Israel forsakes all other gods: "he is my God." Moses' hymn foresees the building of a habitation, a tabernacle, a temple, a house of the Lord.

 [D2]"My father's God" reminds us that this is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel dwelt 400 years in Egypt, surrounded by their pantheon of gods, majestic temples, and personal house idols of these gods. With a plan to return to the promised land came a return to the worship of Jehovah.

 [D3]The waters represent chaos being brought into order (Exodus 15:8-10).

 [D4]The people of God are "redeemed" and brought back to his presence in his "holy habitation," in "the Sanctuary" of God's mountain

 [D5]As with the war in heaven (Abr 3, Moses 4, Rev 12:7-9), the Lord vanquishes his enemies and chaos.