Read Exodus 35:1-38:20 at Bible Gateway.
exo 35:1-40:28, vayakhel + pekudei chiastic structures 2012 mar 17
exo 35-36, sabbath rest even from kingdom work 2011 feb 13
exo 37-38, the covenant of grace under moses 2011 feb 14
I was once again not wise enough to find the single chiastic structure formed by vayakhel, so I focused in on vayakhel‘s strong themes:
Exo 34:27-35:1-3 {s+s+p} Moses reflected God’s glory (His presence + His words), encompassed by obedience
Exo 35:4-29 {p} Freewill offering for the work of the tabernacle commanded + children of Israel brought
Exo 35:30-36:13 {s+p} Called, equipped, provided, made the fine linen curtains for the tabernacle
Exo 36:14-36:38 {s+p} He made the coverings, frame, veil and screen for the tabernacle
Exo 37:1-9 {p} He made the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat
Exo 37:10-16 {p} He made the table of showbread and its utensils
Exo 37:17-24 {p} He made the lampstand and its utensils
Exo 37:25-39:1 {s+s+s+s+s+p} … still working on this one …
Because of the way the strong and weak paragraphs divide, the strong themes of vayakhel extend forward and backward from this parashah. I concentrated on the opening and closing strong themes this year, the ones that crossed the boundaries of the parashah.
Exo 34:27-35:1-3
1a) Exo 34:27-28, The words of the covenant with the Lord are the Ten Commandments:
–> 1a) Exo 34:27, The Lord said to Moses, “Write these words, for according to these words I have made a covenant with you;”
–> central axis) Exo 34:28a, So he was there with the Lord forty days + nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water;
–> 2a) Exo 34:28b, And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
1b) Exo 34:29-31, They saw the skin of Moses’ face shone/they were afraid, but he called to them + talked with them;
1c) Exo 34:32, Moses gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai;
central axis) Exo 34:33-34a, Then he put a veil on his face, but when Moses went in before the Lord, he would take the veil off;
2c) Exo 34:34b, And he would come out + speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded;
2b) Exo 34:35 {s} When they saw the skin of Moses’ face shone, he would put on the veil, until he went in to speak with Him;
2a) Exo 35:1-3 {p} Moses said to Israel, “These are the words which the Lord has commanded: the Sabbath is holy.”
I was struck by the fact that the glory of the Lord, with which Moses’ face shown, was evident to others, as a witness. Moses shone with God’s glory from being in the presence of the Lord (something the Spirit- filled or charismatic branch of the church would relate to); and also, receiving His word, and obeying His commandments (something the Baptist – as the greatest representative sample – branch of the church would relate to). In other words, beloved, can we see that with the Lord, it is not either/ or, the Spirit or the Word, but it is both/ and, the Spirit and the Word?
Interestingly enough, this strong theme from Exodus seems to be thematically connected to an incident in the life of Jesus (Moses is a type of Messiah after all):
Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Mat 17:1-3
Wow, there is the top of a high mountain again. Jesus’ face shone like the sun. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Moses represents the Word or the Commandment, and also, obedience to the Word (and Judah or the Jews), and Elijah represents the Spirit, His gifts, and the presence of the Lord (and Ephraim or the Christians, please see Mat 17, the transfiguration, and Rev 11, the two witnesses). Beloved, with the Lord, it is not either/ or, the Spirit or the Word, it is both/ and, the Spirit and the Word.
There are commandment- obedient folks out there who love the Lord, and reject the charismatic craziness; and there are Spirit- filled folks out there who love the Lord, and reject obedience to commandments. They both love God, and He loves them, but He wants one people as He is one God. There is, after all, “one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all,” (Eph 4:4-6). Until we see that with the Lord, it is both/ and, and embrace the other side that we have perhaps dismissed, we will not shine with the glory of the Lord.
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