Exodus 35 -40  Moses returns from the mountain for the second time carrying the stone tablets.  This time the people are waiting to hear him.  He conveys the Word of God, " These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do."  Foremost, is the keeping of the sabbath day, the sign of their covenant with God .

Then Moses gives the directions for the making of the tabernacle and the tent that covered it.  He told the people to bring contributions according to their "willing hearts".   And " everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the Lord's contribution for the work.... then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought... an offering of gold." ( verses 21-22)   Not only did they bring materials, but they brought their skills... " all the skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they spun.... and all the women whose heart stirred with a skill spun the goats' hair." ( verses 25-26)

God filled Bezalel with His Spirit and gave him wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and "all craftsmanship".  "He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab..." ( verse34)  " He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer.... and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs."

Hearts were stirred and became willing to give and to serve.  Skills were given and performed.  The people brought so much that Moses had to issue an order for them to stop. Everything was made exactly as God had commanded. On the first day of the first month of their second year, the tabernacle was erected.  Everything was anointed and consecrated and the work was completed.

Then, the Lord showed His approval by covering the tent with a cloud and filling the tabernacle with His glory.   The cloud by day and the fire by night were visible to the whole house of Israel throughout their journey to the promised land.

The people of Israel, who before had  been obstinate and stiff-necked,  now had willing hearts and stirred spirits.   Moses had prayed, " If now I have found favor in Thy sight, O Lord, I pray let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate; and do Thous pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Thine own possession." ( 34:9)  The covenant had been renewed. And the people had changed.  Their hearts were changed... transformed.

We can learn several things from this passage.  One, hearts are changed by the prayers of intercession.   Don't we all have this same issue- obstinate hearts?   Unwilling, proud, selfish, and stubborn hearts.  Wanting to fashion God into our own idea of who He should be?  Until someone prays for us, until we become aware of our sinfulness and false ideas, and we repent and bow before Him.   Thankfully, someone prayed for me when my neck was stiff and my heart hardened.  Thankfully, God hears and answers our prayers as we lift up those we know who are in that same condition.  We must pray!!!

Secondly, we can learn about giving.  God commands us to give as our hearts are willing. And then He gives us willing hearts as we look to Him.  Our spirits and hearts are moved by His Spirit in us.  We can bring offerings of silver and gold, or offerings of skills and abilities.  No matter which, they have come from Him in the first place... and He wants us to give cheerfully to the work of the ministry.  To His Work.

If the tabernacle was being constructed today, would we complain at the elaborate materials... pure gold?  Precious stones?  Or would we have willing hearts to give of our best, of that which the Lord had graciously provided?  Do we give that way now?  He wants us to give willingly, generously, joyfully, and according to our hearts leading.  Let us not be obstinate.  Let us not reason, as the Pharisees, but let us listen to our hearts and be stirred by His Spirit, and simply give.

Father, lead us in these truths to do all that You have commanded. To pray and to give.  We pray in the Name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Exodus 34  Moses goes back up the mountain, taking with him 2 stone tablets to replace the ones he broke.  "  And the Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord."  Here God Himself gives us a clear and precise revelation of Who He is:

" The Lord, the Lord God, 

compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger,

and abounding in lovingkindness and truth:

Who keeps lovingkindness for thousands,

who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin;

yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished,

visiting the iniquity of fathers on their children and

on their grandchildren to the third and fourth generation."

(verses 6-7)

The Lord also tells Moses in this face to face meeting that His Name is "Jealous", that He is a jealous God.  He will not tolerate idolatry.  His covenant with Israel is renewed.  He will go with them, but they are to observe His commands,  make no other covenants with the inhabitants of the land, and to keep the feasts that He has given them.   He will perform miracles, He will drive out the nations,  He will enlarge their borders. He will be their God. 

Moses' face shines as he comes down from the mountain after 40 days.  It shines every time he meets with the Lord.  He puts the veil on after he tells the people what the Lord has said.  He then takes it back off when he goes in to talk to the Lord again. 

Paul talks about this in II Corinthians 3:7-18: 

" But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how shall the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?  For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory.   For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory on account of the glory that surpasses it.  For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. 

Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and are not as Moses, who used to put a veil over his face that the sons of Israel might not look intently at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted because it is removed in Christ.  But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart. but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." 

God meets with Moses and reveals Himself and His glory - so much so that Moses' face shines. 

Paul calls this "shine" - "glory";  but fading glory.   Moses' face is physically transformed while he is in God's Presence, but it begins to fade as he comes out.  The veil covers this fading glory.  It is too much for the people.  They couldn't look at Moses' face.  They wanted the veil.  Paul says that because of hardened minds and hearts, the veil, hiding the glory of God, remains. 

 But, in Christ, the veil is removed! When we turn to the Lord, He removes the veil.  He frees us to see the glory of the Lord! And that Glory never fades!  And more than that, as we look at Him and see His glory, we are transformed into the same glory.  As Moses' face was transformed physically, we are transformed spiritually.  His glory is reflected in us.   " For God, who said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness' is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (II Cor. 4:6) 

According to II Corinthians 4:4, the one who wants us blinded or veiled from seeing the "light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God,"  is the "god of this world", Satan.   He wants us to keep us unbelieving,  with hardened hearts and minds.   Only as we turn to the Lord, putting our faith in Jesus Christ, are we able to see His Glory.  And only when we see Him, in the fullness of His Glory will we be transformed into His image.... Which takes us back to Exodus 34, where God reveals Himself as - compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and truth. These attributes of God are fruits of His Spirit - His image, His glory, that He pours into us as we behold Him.  As we "live by the Spirit" and "walk by the Spirit".  As we spend time with the Lord, and as we are kept continually filled with His Spirit, we are transformed by His glory into glory - and that glory is seen in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

Father in heaven, remove every veil!  Take away every hard heart and obstinate mind.  Fill us with Your Spirit and transform us into the image of Christ in glory! Thank You for being compassionate and gracious. Thank You for forgiving all of our sins.  Thank  You for removing the veil through Christ Jesus our Lord.  We love You and seek Your face, to stand in awe before You.  

Be exalted O God! 

Amen

Exodus 33  The Lord tells Moses to take the people on to the promised land, but that He will not go with them, lest He destroy them.   They are "an obstinate people".   The KJV uses the word "stiff-necked".  Stubborn, hard-hearted, sore, or even cruel.   One with a stiff neck is unable to bow his head, refuses to submit and surrender to God's direction.   The Lord is not pleased when we stiffen our necks and refuse to obey His Word or when we harden our hearts against His authority over us.

In a right response to this word, the people of Israel went into mourning.  They took off their "ornaments".  This refers to finery or outfits.  They had been partying before the golden calf, so perhaps this means they took off their party clothes... To never put them on again.   They watched Moses go to the tent of meeting.  " And it came about, whenever Moses went to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent."   They watched as the pillar of cloud came down to the entrance of the tent.  They worshipped as the Lord spoke to Moses.  There is a solemnness to this description.  The picture that comes to my mind is of the thousands of people standing in absolute silence... with every eye towards Moses as he goes to meet with the Lord.

There was a change that came over the people.  Their hearts were softening.  Their necks were bending.  They had a more realistic view of God.  They had a greater fear of Him.  But they also had a long way to go, and have still not become the people of God that He wants them to be.

Verses 12-23 record a personal encounter between Moses and the Lord.  Moses, who has met God in a way that no one ever had before, desires more! His prayer is " Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found favor in Thy sight, let me know Thy ways, that I may know Thee, so that I may find favor in Thy sight. Consider too, that this nation is Thy people." 
God assures Moses that he has found favor and that He will go with them.  " .. .and I have known you by name."  

Moses asks to see God's glory and God allows him to see His back, but not His face.  "I Myself will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." 

The Lord is answering Moses' request by showing and telling him more about His ways and His attributes.  Moses has found favor in His sight - because he is seeking to know God's ways and to know God more.   Tozer writes, " What is God like? What kind of God is He?.... When asked in reverence and their answers sought in humility, these are questions that cannot be but pleasing to our Father which art in heaven."  God does want us to want to know Him more!  He has revealed Himself in nature and in His Word and by His Son..... it is His will and purpose that we KNOW Him.  And when we seek to know Him, like Moses, we find favor in His sight.

God reveals several things to Moses that He wants us to know too.
1. He knows us by name.   He knows us individually.  He knows us perfectly, inside and out.
2. He is good. All of God is good and glorious.   As He places Moses in the cleft and passes by,  He identifies Himself saying "all My goodness" will pass before you ( v19) and "while My glory is passing by".  (v22).  
3.  God is sovereign.  He decides who He will be gracious to; and to whom He will show compassion.

The Lord our God reveals His attributes of omniscience, goodness, and goodness.  We need to be like Moses and ask " I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!"   To seek Him with reverence and humility.  To desire Him more than anything or anyone.  He promises that when we seek Him, we will find Him, if we seek with all our hearts.  We also need to make the right response to His revelations -believe and obey.

Oh, Father in Heaven,  give us softened and surrendered hearts.  Make our stiff necks able to bow and remove stubbornness from us.  That we can seek You fully and know You more and more.  Open our eyes and ears.  Fill us with  Your Spirit.   We want to see You,  to see Your glory and Your goodness.
Forgive us for being obstinate.  Change our hearts. Lead us in Your ways.  Help us to obey.  We ask this in Jesus Name.  Amen

Exodus 32  Moses is on the mountain with God and the people become restless.  They want a "god".  An idol that they can worship, that they can see and touch and offer sacrifices to.  So Aaron makes a golden calf.  "... and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play."  To play - verse 18 tells us that they heard singing;  verse 19 tells us that there was dancing; and verse 25 tells us that they were "out of control" or let loose....   They stood at the bottom of the mountain, where fire and smoke, thunder and lightning had shown them the manifest presence of God, where they had heard His voice and sworn a covenant with Him... and partied.  Uncontrolled revelry.  Unashamed sinfulness.  Complete rebellion and idolatry.

God tells Moses that he wants to destroy all the people and build a nation just from him.   But Moses intercedes for the nation. He reminds God of His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  And "the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people."

Still when Moses goes down and sees what the people are doing, he becomes angry.  He throws down the tablets of stone that God had written on.  He confronts Aaron, who lies to cover up his part in this.
He calls for "Whoever is for the Lord.." to come and the Levites join him.  He sends them out through the people to kill those who are still rebelling.  And 3000 men die at the hand of the Levites.

Moses asks for the Lord to forgive the people, or to blot his own name out of His book.  " And the Lord said to Moses, Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book."  Moses is to lead, but he cannot dictate to God what He will do.

What can we learn from this?  What does the Shepherd say to us?

Israel was in the Presence of God and did not grasp Who He is.  As Tozer writes, 

" Left to ourselves we tend  immediately to reduce God to manageable terms.  We want to get Him where we can use Him, or at least know where He is when we need Him. We want a God we can in some measure control. We need the feeling of security that comes from knowing what God is like, and what He is like is of course a composite of all the religious pictures we have seen, all the best people we have known or heard about, and all the sublime ideas we have entertained."  

 They reduced God to a calf of metal.  But, are we any different?  

Again Tozer says, " If all this sounds strange to modern ears, it is only because we have for a full half century ( and more)  taken God for granted. The glory of God had not been revealed to this generation of men."   The incomprehensible and unapproachable God - has been reduced to a likeness of mythology.   When the reality is far above anything our minds can grasp!
Tozer quotes Richard Rolle, saying " Verily God is of infinite greatness, more than we can think;... unknowable by created things; and can never be comprehended by us as He is in Himself. "
Only in Jesus Christ, through faith, can we know the unknowable.... He has revealed Himself to those who believe.  He gives us His own Holy Spirit so that we can enter into His Presence.  We have come closer to Him than the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, for He dwells in us through Christ .
So, do we also lose control, sing and dance, party...and reduce Him to our own terms?  Are we more like the Israelites than we realize?   Heaven forbid!  Let us be still and know Him... in all His revealed glory - the self-existent, self sufficient, eternal God; infinite, immutable, omniscient, omnipotent, wise, transcendent, faithful, good, just, merciful, gracious, holy, sovereign God. 

The second thing that we can learn from this situation is - intercession is vital and real and necessary!
Moses pleaded with God and God changed His mind.  That is amazing!  Did God want to change His mind anyway?  He knew He would... but He waited on Moses to intercede.   He desires us to be intercessors for those who are living in sin and rebellion.  He will hear our pleas and He will answer those prayers.  Sin always results in the wrath of God, for God hates sin.  But, He will save the sinner, He will forgive those who repent, who turn back to Him.  Our prayers of intercession are vital in that process.   May our hearts be as tender as Moses' for the sake of God's people.

The third thing I hear from this passage is that every man must make a choice.  The Levites chose to be on the Lord's side.  They became a select group that would be ordained to serve in the tabernacle, set apart for the Lord.  Those who chose to keep rebelling were destroyed.   The psalmist wrote, " The Lord keeps all who love Him; but all the wicked He will destroy." ( Psalm 145:20)  God is perfectly just.  He gives us every opportunity to repent and obey.  He gives us all we need to stand in Him.  But if we refuse, we will be destroyed. An everlasting state of destruction.  We must take that seriously.

The final thing that I see in this passage is that, like Moses, we cannot substitute ourselves for others.  Only Jesus could do that.  We cannot manipulated God into saving our loved ones.. even though our hearts break for them, even though we wish we could make the choices for them.  Each person  must stand before God and give account for his or her own decisions.  Each must choose to be either in the kingdom of darkness or the kingdom of Light.

Father in heaven,  You are holy and far above our understanding in every way.  We bless and praise You for Who You are.  Of infinite power and of infinite mercy, You bring us into Your Kingdom by the work of the cross of Jesus Christ.  Oh how we thank You.  Bring us fully into Your Kingdom, Lord.  May we be filled with the knowledge of Your will, in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that we can be worthy of Your calling, so that we can please You and bear fruit and increase in our knowledge of You.  We ask that You strengthen us with Your power, according to Your glorious might, to the attaining of steadfastness and patience.  And we give You thanks for it is You, Father Who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.
Father, we ask that You would forgive the sins of our loved ones, that You would open their eyes and hearts to receive the redemption purchased by the blood of our dear Savior.  Turn their thoughts and hearts back to You.  We ask this in the Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Exodus 31:12-18  Four times in these 7 verses God commands Israel to observe His sabbaths.

v13 Observe My Sabbaths - for this is a sign between Me and you;  so that you can know that the Lord sanctifies you
v14 Observe the Sabbath - for it is holy to you; it is a matter of life and death; it is a matter of community
v15 Observe the sabbath - with complete rest; no work is to be done;
v16 Observe the sabbath- to celebrate an ongoing covenant with God
v17 Observe the sabbath - as an eternal sign between Israel and God;  for it is a copy of the pattern that God Himself set during creation.

God comes again to this commandment, a re-emphasis on this one particular requirement of the Law; a final reminder to Moses before He hands over the stone tablets.  Why?
Why not a reminder to have only one God?
Why not a reminder to love?
Why is such emphasis put on the observation of a day of rest?

Genesis 1:31- 2:3  " And God saw all that He had made and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts; And by the seventh day God completed His work which he had done; and he rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."

God sanctified the seventh day, He set it apart and consecrated it as something holy.  In keeping this day separate from the everyday, by ceasing from work, the people of Israel would honor the covenant that they had made with God.  It would be a sign that they were still "in it" with Him.  A sign that they were still "set apart" or sanctified too.   It was an outward acknowledgement of an inward commitment to live in covenant relationship with the Holy One.  It was a  precious gift....and  was to be celebrated as such.

I know that some believe that we should still observe the sabbath.  I know the reasoning for both sides of the argument.  I know also that we are no longer under the Law.  And I know that Hebrews teaches us that Jesus IS our sabbath rest.  That even this sacred day points to Him. I know that everything that Moses received on the mountain was just a "copy and shadow of the heavenly things.." ( Hebrews 8:4)

So, is it safe to say that when we enter into covenant with Jesus,  when we "rest" in His Work, the work of redemption that He accomplished for us by His death on the cross, that we are observing the "sabbath" in a new way? We have entered into an eternal sabbath... an eternal rest, which is holy and blessed, sanctified by God.  We cease from our labors - for we cannot add to anything that Christ alone has done.  Just as we cannot add to God's work of creation... we cannot add to Christ's work of redemption.  We must rest in it.  Observe it. Keep it holy. Know that it is the Lord that sanctifies us as we rest in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Oh Father in heaven, You are Holy and all Your ways are holy!  We cannot accomplish the work of sanctification by our own self-efforts.  We come to the One Who makes us stop our labor and struggling... and rest in the True Sabbath, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Open our eyes to see and our ears to hear, Lord of the Sabbath.  Fill our hearts with Truth.  Let Your Word be a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths.  We need You and You alone. We are weary in our own labors... we come to You, Whose yoke is easy and burden is light. Amen.

Exodus 31  The Lord gave Moses all the particulars for the tent of meeting and everything in it and involved with it.  Then He appointed men, whom He would fill with His Spirit, to do the craftsmanship,  to complete the work.   Bezalel, from the tribe of Judah, and Oholiab, from the tribe of Dan were chosen, along with others.  " And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs, for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze....  and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you;" Verses 3-6

Once again, God provided for what He commanded.  That was true in the provision of all the materials needed for the building of the tent of meeting.  And it is again true in the equipping of the men with skill to accomplish the work.   This is the way God works.  

Ephesians 4:11 - 13 "And He gave some as apostles and some as prophets, and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ; until we attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ." 

In the Old Testament, the Lord equipped men to craft a physical structure for the service of God. A place where God would meet with His people. Where He would dwell among them.
In the New Testament, He equips men to craft, as it were, a spiritual body, the Church, the Body of Christ, for the service of God.  A place... but more than that... a family, a people, a kingdom, a body - where Jesus Christ is PRESENT. Wholly and fully completely dwelling in us.

It is the same Spirit of God Who fills particular men (and women) for particular functions, for the completion of His Design.  It was true then and it is true now.... God provides to each of us "a measure of faith" ( Romans 12:3) and "gifts that differ according to the grace given to us" ( v5) - to serve Him.  To be His Temple, where He dwells with us and in us, in holiness and glory and power.  This is His design for the church.

The men in the OT had to yield to the filling of the Holy Spirit.  They had to surrender their bodies and do the work that God, Himself chose and  enabled them to do.   We, likewise, must present our bodies, "living and holy sacrifices, acceptable to God"  for  the service He chooses for us.   We must allow Him to "transform us by the renewing of our mind" - allow Him to renovate our thinking - refashion us into His pattern instead of the world's pattern.  Only then can we discern and know what is pleasing to Him, acceptable, good, perfect - His will.  ( Romans 12)

Oh Father , help us to grasp this and to surrender ourselves completely to You. For all that You choose for us, for all that You equip us to do.  Have Your own way, Lord God.  Today and forever.
In the Name of Jesus only do we plead.  Amen.

Exodus 30  Moses receives detailed instructions for every part of the tent of meeting,  every piece of furniture, everything that will be used in ministry by the priests and every aspect of "worship".

Verses 1-10 describe and altar of incense.  It would stand inside the curtain, but outside of the veil that separated the ark and mercy seat.  Every morning and every evening fragrant incense was to be burned.  Nothing else would ever be presented on that table.  Verses34-38 give the instructions for making the incense.  The spices used are stacte, onycha and galbanum, with pure frankincense.  Never heard of the first 3, but we recognize the last ingredient.   God instructs Moses that this particular incense could never be used by anyone else.  It was to be unique, separate, holy to the Lord.   "There shall be perpetual incense before the Lord though out your generations."  

(A "fragrant incense" that continually burns before the Lord..... isn't it interesting that God likes smells?   The soothing aroma of burnt mutton... and the fragrant aroma of spices.... )

Revelation 5: 8 " And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."  And, Revelation 8:3-4  " And another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, that he might add it to the prayers of the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.  And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand. "    Here we are given a picture of the original... of which Moses' was a copy.   Here we learn that the incense is connected to prayers of the saints.

David wrote in Psalm 141: 2 " May my prayer be counted as incense before Thee; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering."   David's prayer is for himself,  for sanctification and protection.
He offers it up as a fragrant incense before God.  Pleasing to the Lord.   And it is pleasing to Him when we offer such a prayer from our hearts.  It is an aroma that He desires. 

One more thought regarding this subject, in II Corinthians 2:14-16  " But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma of death, to the other an aroma from life to life..."

Everything that God gave to Moses for the tabernacle, points to Christ.  The incense with its fragrant aroma filled the tent where God met with His people.  The fragrant aroma of our prayers are offered before the throne of God in Heaven .  The knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and Coming King is a sweet fragrance of life to those who call upon Him and are saved.

Father in heaven, we call to You and we ask that You would hear our prayers and that they would be a  beautiful and pleasing aroma, like incense before You.   We present our bodies, a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to You,  in spiritual service, in worship to You, our merciful God.   Like David, we ask that You set a guard over our mouths.  That our words would be sweet and filled with grace and love through Jesus, our King.   We ask that You would keep our hearts from all evil and wickedness.  Deliver us from evil, Lord.  From all those in this world who want us to follow their deeds.  Do not lead us into temptation... and as David said, " do not let me eat of their delicacies."  Instead, Lord, let us hear the reproof from those who are righteous, those who are godly.  "Do not let my head refuse it."  Our eyes are on You, Lord God.  We take refuge in You. Teach us to walk in Your ways. Make us fragrant aromas in this world of rotting, sin filled lives.
I ask this in Your Name, Jesus... the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning star, the Fairest of ten thousand... beautiful beyond description...our all in all,
Amen

Exodus 29  To consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests to the Lord took seven days and many sacrifices. "qadash" - the Hebrew word for consecrate means to made clean, or pronounce clean - to dedicate, prepare, sanctify, ( wholly holy).   Every part of their lives would now be completely given over to the worship of God, to serving Him.  They were called to this ministry, and it certainly was a privilege , but it also would consume their whole lives.  Every day they would be required to sacrifice at least 2 lambs and grain/oil offerings.  That was minimum.  For there would be burnt offerings, peace offerings, wave offerings, guilt offerings, heave offerings, etc. etc.  Besides that, there were special feast times when thousands of offerings would be presented.  Would this be a position that we would freely choose?   It never tells us whether Aaron or his sons were asked if they wanted to serve God in this capacity... they were elected to this by God Himself.

Note the instructions to Moses regarding the consecration of Aaron and his sons:
v. 4  He was to bring them to the doorway of the tent.
v 4  He was to wash them.
v. 5  He was to dress them.
v. 7 He was to anoint them.
v 9  This was to ordain them - ordain - "to fill the hand" - to charge, to give power or means..


There were 3 sacrifices offered each day for 7 days.
A bull - for a sin offering
A ram - for a burnt offering
Another ram - for a a wave and heave offering
God ordained that part of the heave offering would be food for the priests.  It was to be eaten only by them and only in a special place.

I always stop and ponder the thought that the burnt offerings are a "soothing aroma before the Lord".
Why? Why does this "soothe" the Lord?  It will be a question I will ask Him some day when I get to heaven...

The most important words in this chapter come in verses 42-26  " It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.  And I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated by My glory. .... And I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God.  And they shall know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the Lord their God. "

God, Himself, chose, prepared, anointed, and set apart priests to serve Him.  He made a way for the people of Israel to KNOW Him.  He came to dwell with them in a way that had not happened since the day that Adam and Eve left the garden.  It was elaborate and detailed and perfectly executed.  This was HIS desire.... to come and dwell among them.  They had not pursued this , they couldn't have even imagined it.... but God arranged it all.  He devised a way to deal with sin.  He did it because He had chosen to love them, these children of Abraham, God's friend; descendants of Isaac, the son of promise; the family of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel.  

All they had to do was believe and obey.  Which we know they failed to do... So He made a better way... Jesus!

Father in Heaven, How Holy and wonderful You are! We are so thankful that You have made a way for us to know You.  To speak to You and to hear Your voice.  You have forever dealt with our sins through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We have no need of bulls and rams.  We have been washed, clothed, anointed, and consecrated in Jesus, the Lamb of God.  Amazing grace.  Your Works are wonderful.  Your acts are awesome and we cannot even begin to fathom the depths of Your love.
Open our eyes to see Your glory, Lord God.  Will You help us to understand and know the fullness of Your salvation?  Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us,  has come and we are Your people. The sheep of Your pasture.  Yet, we even now, forget or fail to trust , to truly believe, and to obey Your Word.  Oh, forgive us Father and sanctify us through and through.  You are the Lord our God.  We worship You alone, surrendering all to You. Consume our lives in service to You.  Be our all in all.  In Christ's name.  Amen

Exodus 28  The priests garments are described here.  Every part of Aaron's garments had purpose and meaning.  The names of the 12 tribes were inscribed on stones.. as a memorial.  12 different stones were on the breastplate, again a memorial to the 12 tribes.  On the headpiece was a gold piece inscribed with the words, " Holy to the Lord".   There were bells attached on the  bottom of the robe so he could be heard coming and going into the Holy place.  There were linen breeches to keep everything covered properly.

Aaron and his 4 sons were the first official priests.  Set apart by God's decree.  Set apart by the garments they would wear to serve.

We are told in Peter's letter that we are to be "like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.' "  ( I Peter 1:15-16)
We are to be a nation of priests. Like Aaron, we are to be "Holy to the Lord".    We can only do this through Christ.  And it is only when we are living in this state of holiness, that we can carry others into His Presence.  This is our purpose.

Romans 12:1 " Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God,  to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."  ( working on memorizing this chapter)... but think about this.  Worship,  which Aaron was appointed to, is what we are called to, also.  Aaron was set apart and presented himself before the Lord,  in an acceptable garment.  We are to present ourselves... our whole selves.. in an acceptable garment... by the mercies of God.  Only through the "garment" of Jesus Christ our Savior, can we do this.  And this is what He calls us to do - present ourselves to Him,  alive in Christ and holy through the cleansing of His blood shed on the cross for us.  

Father in heaven,  lead us into your holiness.  Cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  We are yours and yours alone.  We give ourselves to you.  Yielding our whole body, soul, spirit, and mind to your service.  To the glory of Your Name.  Amen

Exodus 27  The court of the tabernacle was set up with hangings... 100 cubits by 50 cubits.  A gate was made with more hangings - 15 by 3 cubits on each side.  And then a screen of 20 cubits of the blue, purple and scarlet material was made.  Here is where the altar would be placed.  The constant sacrifices would be presented.  Atonement made.

 Can't help but think of Psalm 100:4  " Enter His gates with thanksgiving , and His courts with praise.  Give thanks to Him; bless His Name."

Come in... He tells us!  Come to the place I have provided, where sin can be forgiven, where atonement is made.  Come with thanksgiving.  Come with joy and praise.  Come with singing and joyful shouting! Serve Him with gladness.   " Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture;.... For the Lord is good. His lovingkindness is everlasting.  And His faithfulness to all generations." 

The tabernacle was not a place of sadness... but a place of joy.  Sadness is when we hold on to our sins and have no hope. It is a place where we are under the dominion of darkness.  Joy comes in the morning.  It comes when we enter into His Presence!  The atonement has been made - once for all in Jesus Christ!  Come in! Know that He is God.  Know that He made us!  Know that He is good!

Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name!  We bless You.  We praise You.  We are not kept under the domination of sin and evil, but we have been cleansed, set free, by the blood of the Lamb.  Thank You for saving us.  Thank You for being patient with us and for inviting us into Your Presence.  May we follow You faithfully.  May we trust You ever.  In Jesus we pray. Amen!

Exodus 26  The Lord gives Moses detailed instructions for the construction of the tabernacle.  It was to be beautiful, portable, and holy.  It was unique from every other tent or structure that they used.  And ... He had already provided everything needed for its completion, including linen, dye, goats hair, porpoise skins, ram skins, acacia wood, gold, silver, and bronze.   Pretty amazing!

I don't think I have ever really thought about how colorful this building was.  The main walls were blue and purple and red, adorned with cherubim.   This would be seen only from the inside, and only by the priests. The outside walls would be made of goats hair... gray or white?  Maybe some brown or black?  The roof was ram skins dyed red, covered over by porpoise skins- gray?  So from the inside you would see red, blue, and purple.  On the outside, grays and tans.  The clasps on the outside were bronze, but on the inside were gold.

The holy of holies, inside the tabernacle, was constructed with the blue and purple and scarlet material with cherubim . The ark of the covenant went inside there.  The table and lamp stand were outside of that.  There was also a screen for the doorway made of the blue, purple and scarlet material.

It was made to be taken apart and put back together as they moved from one place to another. It was made to be carried by poles, without anyone touching the holy parts.  It was made for one purpose - not for the people to come in, but for God to dwell among them.  Here is where His Presence would come, where His voice would be heard, and where the Word, the Bread, and the Light could always be found.... as long as Israel remained obedient to the covenant.

Father in Heaven,  we are so thankful that You are Present here, not in a tent, but in our hearts.  That You have come to live in us, through Christ Jesus.  We love You. Teach us Your ways.  Let us see Your beauty and grace. Let us hear Your voice. The veil has been removed and we are able to come to the Mercy seat to receive healing and restoration. Blessed Redeemer. Open our eyes to the beauty of Your Presence.  To Your Holiness.  Help us to honor You in all we do and say.  For God IS with us.
Amen.

Exodus 25  Moses spends 40 days and nights on Mount Sinai, alone with God. While he is there, he is shown amazing things.  One of those things is the pattern which he will use to make everything for the tabernacle.  He is shown the real, holy, heavenly tabernacle... he is to carefully construct an earthly copy, for the purpose of God's Presence among the people. 

Detailed instructions are given for the building, the furniture, the provisions, and the garments of the priests who will serve there.  Every part is consecrated, made holy and pure.  This is a set apart place - with a set apart use; attended by set apart servers .  God had already provided the materials for the tabernacle by having the Egyptians give the Hebrews items as they were leaving Egypt.  What they received, now they were asked to give, " Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution."  

God had blessed the Hebrews with abundance - gold, silver, and bronze; linen and goat hair material; oil and spices; precious stones:  everything that He would require from them - He had already provided for them!  But even with that, He asks only that they give what their heart moves them to give! This principle is true still - "Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under  compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything , you may have an abundance for every good deed" II Corinthians 9:7-8   God is the provider and He asks us to be ready to let those provision "overflow" to others.  II Corinthians 8:12 " For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have."

The "readiness" is the moved heart - the giving according to what we have - is what God has already provided. Notice that God does not ask for 10% at this time.  He asks for generous giving from the heart. When we have given ourselves to the Lord, then we will have hearts that will overflow and we will give generously to the Lord, whatever He desires.  Whether it is gold or silver - offerings for the use of the Church; or gifts for those in need around us.  What God has provided, we can freely give.


The Ark of the Covenant, The Table of Shewbread, and the Golden Lampstands, are described in this section.
 The Ark is covered by a Mercy Seat and the purpose is " .. there I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel."

The Table's purpose was to hold "the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times."
The Lampstands were used to shed light. 

Here in the heart of the tabernacle we find - the Word; The Bread; and the Light.  God gave Israel physical representations of heavenly realities.  And it all points to Jesus, the Living Word; the Bread of life; and the Light of the World. 

Heavenly Father, You are the Giver of Life.  You have given us the Word, the Bread, and the Light.  Thank You for sending Jesus to be our all in all.  In Him, we meet with You.  In Him, we are in Your Presence; in Him we have Light, the Kingdom of light where there is no more darkness.  Father, thank You for providing for us all that we need.  Our daily bread is from Your Hands, give us today all that we need.  May our hearts be generous and ready to give freely, overflowing for the needs of Your Church and for the needs of those around us.  Teach us Your ways, Your commands, and lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from all evil. We pray this in the Name of Jesus, so that Your Name will be honored, Your Kingdom will be expanded, and that Your Will will be done.  Amen

Exodus 23-24  The Lord is preparing the people of Israel for the land He has promised, so that they can be the nation that He desires them to be.   He has given them the Laws and some ordinances.  He is making a covenant with them... promises that He will keep if they will obey.  23:20-33 gives a list of God's promises to Israel:
"But if you will truly obey His voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries." v22
"My angel will go before you..... and I will completely destroy them."( the wicked who occupy the land)
"... and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst." v25
"There shall be no one miscarrying or barren"  and " I will fulfill the number of your days."  v26
" I will send My terror ahead of you..."
" I will... drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you.." v 29
" I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land." v30


The promises to Israel were conditional.  They had to agree to God's terms.   They had to " obey His voice; do not be rebellious toward Him... truly obey... serve the Lord your God... make no covenant with them ( the enemy)"  ( verses21, 22, 25, and 32)  Most importantly they needed to have nothing to do with the idols, but to get rid of them completely. ( v24, 33)

This covenant was agreed upon by all Israel.   " All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient." ( 24:7)  This was sealed by the blood of sacrifices - half sprinkled on the altar and half sprinkled on the people. 
God allowed Moses, Aaron and his sons ( the priests), and 70 elders to come close enough to see Him,  " and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.  Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they beheld God and they ate and drank."

Moses went up further on the mountain after that, alone.  God's glory rested on the Mount and covered it for 6 days.  On the 7th day He called to Moses.  The top of Mount Sinai appeared like a fire to the people.  Moses stayed there 40 days and nights.

This is what Israel was supposed to be - a kingdom of peace and prosperity, a place of purity and justice and compassion and faith that was daily lived out in relationship with the Lord God.  They had to obey His commands and He would do all the rest.  They had every opportunity to succeed.  But, we know that they couldn't do it, they failed over and over and over again.  Thankfully, our God has not given up on His people.  He prepared a New Covenant.  He sealed it in the blood of His Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.   The New Covenant was prophesied by Jeremiah and fulfilled in Christ.  Hebrews 8 :10-12 " For this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days, says the Lord; I will put My Laws into their minds, and I will write them upon their hearts. And I will be their God and they shall be My people. And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen, and everyone his brother, saying 'Know the Lord', for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their iniquities and I will remember their sins no more."
The New Covenant, sealed in the blood of Jesus,  had better promises - redemption, forgiveness of sins,  cleansed consciences,  " a new and living way",  a better and abiding possession, an "unshakable Kingdom".
This New Covenant is not limited to Israel.  It is a covenant for any and all who believe in Jesus Christ and live in relationship to Him.  It is for us.  We must only agree to the terms and obey.  He has done all the rest! What marvelous grace!

"Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His Name."

Amen

Exodus 24:10 - Exodus 25

The people of Israel are at Mount Sinai, a relatively short distance from Egypt, and not yet in the Promised Land that God is preparing for them.  The Lord is also preparing them for the Land He is leading them to. 24:10-12 gives a reminder about the observance of the Sabbath, the day of rest.   It adds the command to allow the land to rest every 7th year.  Obedience to this command will help the needy to eat and provide for the beast of the field.   The seventh day is to give rest to the animals as well as the people... all  people, even the littlest child of a servant.
Verse 13 starts like this, " Now, concerning everything I have said to you , be on your guard; ...
This admonition is repeated in verse 21, " Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him,..."  

As the people of Israel were heading towards their new home land, they were to be God's people; separate from the world and set apart for the Lord.  Their every day life would be marked by a new transformed attitude;  their yearly existence was saturated with reminders that all things belonged to the Lord and came from His Hands.   God's Presence and provisions were promised as long as they kept their promises to Him.  And they agreed whole-heartedly.

There were 3 times of the year that all of Israel were to meet together in Holy Feasts to celebrate the Lord .  
1 - The passover - celebrated the first month - a New Year's celebration of the deliverance God gave the Israelites.
2- The feast of the Harvest - a celebration of the first fruits of their labor from their fields.
3 - The Feast of the Ingathering - a celebration of the end of the harvest season.
These yearly celebrations were to be wonderful times of community gatherings, remembering what God had done in the past and what He was doing right now... A holy and powerful time of corporate worship and thanksgiving before the Lord God.

Do we celebrate these kinds of things at all?  We celebrate New Year's Day... but we never associate it with God, do we?  We don't understand, unless we are farmers,  how important it is to see the fruit of our crops begin to ripen and be ready for harvesting, or how satisfying it is when the hard work of the harvest is completed.   Yet there are ways that we also should remember to "Be on your guard" - to remember that it is God who delivered us from captivity to sin;  It is God Who blesses our labor and grants us food for our bodies and food for our souls; It is God Who satisfies and will bring us to the end of our lives or the end of this age.  We need to find times to celebrate Him! To come into His Presence and remember and celebrate what He has done in the past and what He is doing now!

Father in Heaven, You are our Deliverer.  You have ransomed us by the blood of the Perfect Lamb of God, Your Son, Jesus.   We celebrate You, we honor You!  We are so thankful!  You are our Provider. We labor in vain unless You bless our hands and our work.  It is for nothing that some work... to spend on material things that can not satisfy.  We offer ourselves to You, we are Your servants, and whether we eat or drink, we want to do all things to the glory of Your Name.  Father, You are sending Jesus as the Coming King. He will be the Ingatherer, Who will come at the end of the age, or at the end of our lives; He will come and gather us who believe in Him, to live with You for eternity.   We look forward to that glorious day.  Make us ready, Lord.  May we be ever on our guard to live in obedience to Your voice.  Help us to keep our eyes on You and celebrate You every day.   We ask this in Jesus' Name,  Amen

Exodus 23:1-9  As I read through these verses, I can hear the voice of Jesus... love your neighbor... love your enemy.. do good to those who do evil... do unto others...   In a new way I am realizing just how much Jesus was teaching from the Old Testament book of the Law.  He was leading Israel back to what they should have already known...that they might do it, not just read it... Repent, He told them... repent, turn around and start doing the things that are important, the things God has called you to do.

Do not bear a false report.. don't become part of a conspiracy against the innocent.
Don't go with the crowd and pervert justice.
Don't discriminate for or against someone for the wrong reasons.
Do good to your enemy - if you find something that belongs to him, return it. If you see he needs help, help him.
Don't take a bribe.
Most of all, don't oppress a stranger, " since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt".

Micah said it this way, " ... and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." ( Micah 6:8)

There is the same attitude in these laws that Jesus taught on the Mount.... "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

To have the same attitude as You, Father in Heaven,  is impossible in our own power.  We must have Your righteousness... We must have Your Son.  It is hard for us, in our flesh, to forgive.. to do good for those who have harmed us intentionally.  To not want vengeance or retaliation.  How can we love them and do good to them?  Only by Your Spirit in us, filling us with Holy Love.  You have forgiven us from our sins, through the precious sacrifice, the Lamb of God, who was slain; We are washed clean and made Your children when we believe on Him.  We repent of our unforgiving hearts. For our false reports, for our failure to stand up for what is right and true. For our failure to do justice, to be merciful, and to walk humbly before You.   We are strangers in this foreign land and citizens of Heaven.  May we show Your love and truth to those who are strangers among us.  May we truly act as sons and daughters of our heavenly Father.  All honor and glory be to Your Holy Name.
Amen

Exodus 22
Verses 1- 15 have to do with making restitution for harm done to another... everything from stealing an ox to borrowing something that gets lost or broken.  The situations vary, but in every case the person harmed is repaid for what he loses plus more.  For example, the one who steals an ox and slaughters it is required to repay 5 oxen.   If it is stolen and found alive, the repayment is double.
How would that look in today's world?  Some guy steals his neighbor's car and wrecks it... then has to make restitution by buying him 5 cars!  Or the equivalent of 5 cars.  Sounds fair to me!  Bet there would be a lot less carjackings...

Verses16-31 have to do with a variety of situations.  The main emphasis is relationships.  God desires us to treat each other with kindness and love.  If we cause affliction to others and they cry out to Him, He will repay.  In particular He mentions widows and orphans, strangers,  and the poor.  Over and over in Scripture we find this emphasis.
Deuteronomy 24:17 states it this way, " You shall not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan, nor take a widow's garment in pledge. But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am  commanding you to do this thing."

Proverbs 23:10b-11 " ..or go into the fields of the fatherless; For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you."

Jeremiah 5:28-29 " They are fat, they are sleek, They also excel in deeds of wickedness; They do not plead the cause, the cause of the orphan, that they may prosper; and they do not defend the rights of the poor. Shall I not punish these people? declares the Lord, On a nation such as this Shall I not avenge Myself?"
So not only do we sin if we afflict the widow, orphan, alien, or poor... but if we fail to intervene on their behalf.. we are sinning.   Jeremiah went on to proclaim this, " Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place.  Do not trust in deceptive words saying, 'This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.' For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will dwell in this place, ...." 

The Lord sees... He goes on to tell them through Jeremiah... He sees and He is going to cast them out of Jerusalem and destroy their temple, because they were doing wicked things and then coming to the temple and declaring themselves "delivered".    This was also the message that James wrote, " If any one thinks himself to be religious and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless.  This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world."  ( James 1:26-27)  
In other words, true faith and discipleship in Jesus Christ leads to actions that are in keeping with God's Word... doing what pleases Him, and how we treat those in need, especially the widow and orphan will reveal whether or not our faith is real - whether we have "pure and undefiled religion".
If we just come to church and pretend to be religious.. declaring ourselves righteous, but can't even control our own tongues...  let alone treat others in accordance with His Word... we are deceived.
" Behold, you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail." ( Jeremiah 7:8)

Father in Heaven, You are gracious.  You hear the cries of those who are afflicted and oppressed.  Those who have no hope but You.  Thank You for Your Word that reveals to us Your Heart of compassion and grace of those in need.  Father, forgive us for ignoring or failing to help those in need. Open our eyes and our hearts to reach out to others.. to the widow, the orphan, to the poor.  To defend them and to help them as You direct us to do.  May the religion we practice be pure and undefiled.. in Your sight.  We don't want to listen to the deceptive words of this world.  We don't want to lie to our ourselves. We don't want to have a worthless religion.   We want to trust and obey You with all of our hearts.  For the sake of Your Holy Name and the glory and honor of Your Son, Jesus Christ.  In His Name we pray.  Amen.

Exodus 21:12-36  In this section, Moses records God's verdicts/ordinances in situations of life and death.    I know that some think that the Old Testament laws are no longer needed - we have the law of grace.  But,  Jesus said that He came to fulfill the Law, not to void it.   Yesterday's look into how slaves/servants were to be treated is still relevant today, isn't it?  To treat needy people with fairness and generosity.  To help and not harm those in desperate situations.   These ordinances that we approach today reveal God's justice and righteousness - His outlook on sin.  We need to take this seriously, as children of the Mighty King and Judge of all the earth.

The death penalty was commanded for the following situations:
Striking a man so that he dies.
Stalking someone so as to kill him.
Striking a parent.
Kidnapping a man.
Cursing a parent.

Think about Moses, standing there before God, receiving these instructions... what would he be thinking?  Moses struck an Egyptian man and hid his body.   He deserved death!   But then, don't we all? "For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23... and "..all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." ( Romans 3:23).  We are all accountable before God, including Moses.   Maybe we haven't killed someone with our hands, but we have hated them in our hearts, or were angry at them... and Jesus tells us that we are just as guilty as the one who followed through.
No wonder Moses was such a humble man.  He stood on a mountain top with God and lived....  A sinner saved by grace... and he knew it with every ounce of his being.
We need to know that too...  Really KNOW it!

Instructions for punishment for specific transgressions are given here -
Men who quarrel and one gets hurt.
A person who hits his slave.
A struggle that ends up hurting a woman and causing a miscarriage.
Injuries from people.
Injuries caused by animals.
Injuries caused by carelessness.

In every case restitution is needed.  In some cases ransom is needed and redemption is demanded.

In this chapter we find the well known quote, " eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise." ( verses 24-25)  These are the penalties for deliberate injury - and this also includes, "life for life".  Imagine this kind of justice done right!
People would be a lot less likely to hurt someone else, don't you think?  Instead of long rap sheets and going in and out of jail... maybe, just maybe that vicious cycle could be broken?

God also makes a provision for accidents or other situations where a death occurs.  Verse 13, " But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee."  This will be given later when the rules for the cities of refuge are given.

Father in heaven,  You gave the Law so that we could know what Your righteousness is.. and that we would know how far short of that righteousness we really are.  We are each accountable to You.  We know that we are sinners who deserve death.  Oh, how we thank You for Jesus Christ who has redeemed us from all sin.  And through Whom we are justified by His Grace when we place our faith in Him.   Oh how we thank You gave Your Son, Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for us.  That through the Lord, Jesus Christ we have peace with You.   You do not demand and eye for an eye from us, for  Jesus paid our penalty.  He was " pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him." ( Isaiah 53:5-6)  Help us to walk in this way, even as our Lord taught that we should turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, love our enemy, forgive those who sin against us. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit that we might be "strengthened with all power according to (Your) glorious might for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience..." Col.1:11.  We ask this in His Name, which is above all names. Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.