Exo 30:11-31:11
Hebrew paragraph divisions:
30:11-16 {p} Atonement money (census) shall be for the service of the tabernacle
30:17-21 {p} The pattern for the laver of bronze: washing (the outer court is the transition from the world to place of YHVH’s presence)
30:22-33 {s} The pattern for the holy anointing oil: anointing in the Spirit
30:34-38 {s} The pattern for the holy incense: continual prayer of the saints
31:1-11 {p} Bezalel called and equipped: filled with the Spirit in all wisdom and understanding to make the tabernacle
The paragraph divisions neatly reveal the chiastic structure for this section of Scripture.
1A) 30:11-16 Atonement money shall be for the SERVICE OF THE TABERNACLE; {p}
1B) 30:17-21 The PATTERN for the laver of bronze, i.e., washing: transition from the world TO YHVH’S PRESENCE; {p}
CENTRAL AXIS) 30:22-33 THE PATTERN FOR THE HOLY ANOINTING OIL, I.E., ANOINTING TO SERVE AS MINISTER AND PRIEST; {s}
2B) 30:34-38 The PATTERN for the continual holy incense, i.e., prayer IN THE HOLY PLACE OF YHVH’S PRESENCE; {s}
2A) 31:1-11 Bezalel called and equipped by the Spirit to MAKE THE TABERNACLE. {p}
From the structure, a definite pattern emerges.
Atonement
Washing
Anointing
Prayer
Equipped by the Spirit for the work of the ministry
Did we not follow this very pattern when Messiah Yeshua called us to follow Him, trust in Him, and, forsaking the old man, receive new life in Him? First He makes atonement for us by His blood. When we receive His gift of grace, we are washed clean from our sins. This is basic salvation, or justification, that sets us in right-standing with the Father. Next comes the anointing oil of the Holy Spirit, or as Acts calls it, the baptism of the Spirit. The purpose of the baptism, Yeshua told us, is that we may receive power to serve as witnesses to Him to the ends of the earth.
“But you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.” Yeshua, Act 1:8
But someone might say, ‘Wait a minute. The holy anointing oil is reserved for the priests.’ Yes; in Messiah, we all serve as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
“ ‘And you shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak unto the children of Israel.” Exo 19:6
You also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Yeshua Messiah. 1 Pet 2:5
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Pet 2:9
Following the anointing oil of His Spirit, is continual prayer going up before God in the Holy Place. We just saw in Tetzaveh how the altar of incense foreshadows our daily relationship with Messiah Yeshua in prayer.
Now the believer, so prepared, is equipped with gifts for the work of the ministry.
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Messiah. Therefore He says, when He ascended up on high, ‘He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.’ … And He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Messiah. Eph 4:7-8, 11-12
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, if prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he who teaches, on teaching; or he who exhorts, on exhortation; he who gives, let him do it with sincerity; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Rom 12:6-8
Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man for the profit of all. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another diverse kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues; but all these that one and the selfsame Spirit works, dividing to every man individually as He will. 1 Cor 12:4-11
The structure reveals by prophetic type and foreshadow, our Spirit-filled worship and service in Messiah. Yes, charismatic Christians, Torah is speaking to you!
Exo 31:12-17
31:12-17 {s} The Sabbath commandment
This paragraph is at the beginning of a chiastic structure that crosses over into the next Torah portion. Rest—the Sabbath commandment—opens the structure, and closes the structure.
Rest paints the picture of a right relationship with God. In between, we have grievous sin and its consequence. But when there is recognition of sin, confession of sin, and repentance of sin, the mediator of the covenant, in this case Moses as a type of Messiah, intercedes on our behalf and restores us in covenant with YHVH our God.
1A) 31:12-17 SABBATH commandment; {s}
1B) 31:18A YHVH made an end of SPEAKING WITH MOSES;
1C) 31:18B YHVH gave Moses the TWO TABLETS OF THE TESTIMONY;
1D) 32:1-6 IDOLATRY committed and the COVENANT broken; {p}
1E) 32:7-20 MOSES INTERCEDES for the wrath of YHVH to turn from them;
1F) 32:21-29 Idolaters restrained at the ENTRANCE TO THEIR TENTS;
1G) 32:30-32 CONFESSION OF SIN and plea for forgiveness;
CENTRAL AXIS) 32:33-33:3 CONSEQUENCE FOR SIN = SEPARATION FROM YHVH’S PRESENCE;
2G) 33:4-6 REPENTANCE OF SIN;
2F) 33:7-11 Every man worshiped at the ENTRANCE TO THEIR TENTS; {p+p+s+p}
2E) 33:12-34:9 MOSES INTERCEDES for the Presence of YHVH to go with them;
2D) 34:10-27 IDOLATRY forbidden and the COVENANT renewed;
2C) 34:29A Moses came down from the mountain with the TWO TABLETS OF THE TESTIMONY;
2B) 34:29B-35 When YHVH SPOKE WITH MOSES his face shone; {px3+s}
2A) 35:1-3 SABBATH commandment.{p}
Who is he who condemns? It is Messiah who died, yes rather, who is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Rom 8:34
Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost those who come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them. Heb 7:25
That is the Gospel of grace preached from Torah.
Exo 31:18-32:35
31:18-32:6 {p} Aaron and the people make the golden calf
32:7-14 {p} The sin of Israel/ the mediation of Moses / the appeasement of YHVH’s wrath
32:15-35 {s} Moses and the Levites restrained the sin of the people / the mediation of Moses
“Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.” Exo 32:10
Was God really intending to destroy all of Israel and make a new nation of Moses, and but for Moses’ intervention we would have the children of Moses today instead of the children of Israel? I do not believe so. When we attempt to grasp the meaning of a passage, our understanding of that passage must align with other Scripture, if we want to be sure we have the correct understanding. Scripture is truth and truth does not contradict. So the understanding of one passage, if it is a correct understanding, will not contradict the correct understanding of another passage.
Remember that we learned from Genesis, that God fulfilled His word, even if He didn’t have any humans who believed Him. He promised a nation to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So now He is going to forget His word and forget His promise? That contradicts what we already know about YHVH, so I do not believe that is what the passage is teaching.
I am sure that Israel’s idolatry did not please Him, but we have to remember, this is the same YHVH who endured hundreds of years of idolatry from Israel before allowing judgment to come upon them. And He is going to lose His patience and lose control over one incident?
No—a prophetic picture is being painted here. Moses, remember, is a type of Messiah. The events of His life are teaching who Messiah is and what He will do when He comes. The big picture of chapter 32, is:
Man’s Sin;
God’s Wrath;
Messiah’s Intervention.
The intervention is in the form, not only of intercession, but listen to what Moses says:
Then Moses returned unto YHVH and said, “Oh, these people have sinned a great sin, and have made themselves gods of gold. Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—and if not, blot me, I pray, out of Your book which You have written.” Exo 32:31-32
Moses is asking to be made a substitute, so that the wrath of God will fall upon him and not on them. Does this sound familiar? This is exactly what Judah, another Messiah type, did in asking for Benjamin, and it is exactly what Yeshua has done in substituting Himself to drink the cup of God’s wrath for the sins of the world.
Exo 33:1-16
33:1-11 {p} The bad news: YHVH will not go up with them/ Moses made his personal tent the tabernacle of meeting
33:12-16 {p} Mediation of Moses: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest”
YHVH gives Moses the bad news, as the Scripture calls it, that His Presence will not go with them. This has been the bad news since the day of Adam’s fall. That I am exiled from the Presence of YHVH, that His Presence go not up with me, is the bad news. But then before we get to Moses’ intercession and the good news, Scripture interrupts our narrative with a seemingly unrelated detail, about where Moses pitched the tabernacle of meeting, and how YHVH talked with Moses face to face.
And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it outside the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass, that every one who sought YHVH went out unto the tabernacle of meeting, which was outside the camp. And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and YHVH talked with Moses. And all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose up and worshiped, every man in his tent door. And YHVH spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaks unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp; but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart out of the tabernacle. Exo 33:7-11
In fact, this is not an unrelated detail. In Hebrew, the phrase that is used here and throughout the rest of Torah, for tabernacle or tent of the congregation, is moed: the tabernacle of moed. Moed, in Hebrew, is an appointment, like an appointment on a calendar.
And YHVH spoke unto Moses, saying, “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘Concerning the feasts (moedim) of YHVH, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My feasts (moedim).” Lev 23:1-2
The festivals, or holy days, that is, holidays, of YHVH (not of the Jews) are His set times of appointment. But the vast majority of the time that moed occurs in Torah, it is as the tabernacle of moed—of meeting. From this we learn that moed is an appointed or set time, or an appointed or set place, that He has reserved in order to meet with His people. Therefore the English translation of “tabernacle of moed” is “tent of meeting” and not tent of appointment. The Hebrew reveals the purpose of the appointment, so that God may meet with man, to draw near to each other until they meet.
It is not an accident that the out of place detail about Moses pitching the tabernacle of meeting, is sandwiched between the bad news of God’s Presence separated from Israel, and the good news (“Gospel”) of “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest,” (Exo 33:14). The tabernacle of meeting is a prophetic picture of Messiah and the new birth, of God’s Presence dwelling with the believer through Messiah, and brings us to the good news.
This is not another example of Moses getting God to change His mind. Moses did not change God’s mind, for He is unchanging. But the way God interacted with Moses throughout this incident, He did purposely for our sakes, to paint a prophetic picture of the bad news, and the good news. And once again it is Moses’— Messiah’s—intervention that brings about the good news.
Exo 33:17-34:35
33:17-23 {p} The plea of Moses: show me Your glory
34:1-26 {p} The renewal of the covenant, the Ten Commandments
34:27-35 {s} The second set of tablets/ Moses’ face shown with the glory of YHVH whom he had seen
This section resolves into a chiastic structure with a Messianic prophecy in its central axis.
1A) 33:17-23 The plea of Moses: show me YOUR GLORY; {p}
1B) 34:1-4 Moses took up the SECOND SET OF TABLETS;
CENTRAL AXIS) 34:5-26 THE RENEWAL OF THE COVENANT MEANS KEEPING YHVH’S COMMANDMENTS; {p}
2B) 34:27-29 Moses brought down the SECOND SET OF TABLETS with the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments;
2A) 34:29B-35 Moses’ face shown with THE GLORY OF YHVH. {s}
Particularly,
And He said: “Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of YHVH. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.” Exo 34:10
Yeshua echoes this very thing when He says:
“Truly, truly, I say unto you, he who believes on Me, the works that I do he shall do also; and greater works than these he shall do, because I go unto My Father. And whatever you shall ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” Joh 14:12-14
The works Yeshua did were healing the sick, raising the dead, feeding thousands with five loaves and two fishes, walking on water, answering every question with wisdom, even trick questions designed to entrap Him: these are the things of the Spirit.
God anointed Yeshua of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him. Act 10:38
The believer in Messiah Yeshua will do greater works than Yeshua, because He went to His Father. What happened when He went to His Father? He poured out His Spirit on His disciples.
And, being assembled together with them, [He] commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, “Which,” He said, “you have heard from Me. For John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. … But you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.” Yeshua, Act 1:4-5, 8
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Act 2:4
In the structure, the comment of YHVH about the great works is in the central axis. Following it is the summary of His commandments which are originally found in Exo 20-23. And what surrounds it? Moses took up the second set of tablets, and he brought down the second set of tablets, inscribed with the words of the Ten Commandments. So you might say the central axis has at its heart, the prophecy of the miraculous works of the Spirit of God, enclosed and bounded by the commandments of God.
Now go back to Yeshua’s discourse in John chapter 14.
“Truly, truly, I say unto you, he who believes on Me, the works that I do he shall do also; and greater works than these he shall do, because I go unto My Father. And whatever you shall ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees Him not, neither knows Him; but you know Him; for He dwells with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.” Joh 14:12-18
John 14:15 is at the heart: “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” This admonition is enclosed and bounded by the prophecy of the miraculous works of the Spirit. Yeshua is repeating the same message that Moses heard on Mount Sinai at the renewal of the covenant, but in reverse order.
EXODUS 30:11-34:35 ANNUAL KI TISA “WHEN YOU TAKE” OUTLINE | EXODUS in CHIASTIC STRUCTURE
FINDING MESSIAH in TORAH: A MESSIANIC DISCOVERY THROUGH the TORAH PORTIONS
THE LAW of LOVE: THE GOSPEL of GRACE REVEALED in the COMMANDMENTS OF GOD
Leave a Reply