To Workers For Jesus Online Bible Study Table of Contents

About this Bible Study........The King James Version of the Bible is written in a beautiful form of the English language. It can be hard for modern English readers to understand.  In this study, you will find notes and summaries in brown just above the the verses from the Bible. We recommend that you read the notes and summaries first, and then read the verses in their KJV form. 


The book of Exodus was written by Moses.  The word "exodus" means to "go out" or "leave".  This book is about the Israelites leaving Egypt and going back to Canaan. Exodus begins about 350 after Joseph died.  The date that the Israelites leave Egypt is about  1445 B.C. (1, 445 years before Jesus Christ was born).

Exodus 32 - 34
The Israelites sin and worship a statue.
Moses breaks the tablets with the Ten Commandments.
God gives Moses some laws and makes new tablets.


Exodus 32

The Israelites worship a statue of a calf

Moses was still up on the mountain talking to God. God was giving him the instructions for the tabernacle and the priests and the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments. The Israelites  were worried and thought Moses wasn't coming back.
[1] And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.


Aaron told the people to take off their gold earrings and bring them to him. The people followed Aaron and brought their gold earrings to him.

[2] And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
[3] And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.


Aaron took the earrings, melted them, and then made the gold into a calf (baby cow).
[4] And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.


Aaron made an altar in front of the gold calf. He said that the next day there would be a celebration.

[5] And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.
 

"The Golden Calf"
By J. James Tissot
From Biblical Art on the WWW


The next morning, the people got up and made sacrifices and offerings to the calf.  They had a big dinner and celebrated.

[6] And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.


God knew what the Israelites were doing, and He told Moses to go down the mountain. God was very angry with the Israelites, and He called them "stiffnecked" (stubborn) people. God told Moses about the gold calf. He told him that the people were saying that the calf helped them to leave Egypt. God told Moses that He was so mad at the Israelites that He might kill them all. But He said He would make Moses' descendants a great nation.

[7] And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
[8] They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
[9] And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
[10] Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.


Moses talked to God. Moses asked God not to kill all the Israelites. Moses said that if God killed the Israelites, the Egyptians would say that God's reason for taking the Israelites out of Egypt was to kill them.
[11] And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
[12] Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.


Moses reminded God of his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give them the land of Canaan.

[13] Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

God changed His mind. He would not kill the Israelites.
[14] And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.



Moses comes down from the mountain and sees the statue of the calf
 

"Moses Receives the Ten Commandments"
From Treasures of the Bible
Henry Davenport Northrop, D.D.
published by International Publishing Company, 1894

From the
La Vista Church of Christ web site
 


Moses went down the mountain. He was carrying the two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments on them. God had written the Ten Commandments on the stone tablets. 
[15] And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.
[16] And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.


As Moses and Joshua got closer to the Israelites' camp, they heard them. Joshua thought it was a war going on.  But Moses told Joshua that there was no war. They were hearing the Israelites singing.

[17] And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.
[18] And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.


When Moses arrived at the camp, he saw the gold calf and the Israelites dancing. Moses was very, very angry.  He threw the stone tablets down on the ground.  The tablets broke.

[19] And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.


Moses burned the gold calf. Then he made it into small pieces of powder.  He put the powder in water and made the Israelites drink it.

[20] And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.


Moses talked to Aaron. He asked Aaron what the people had done to him; why Aaron had caused them to sin. Aaron did not accept responsibility.  He blamed the Israelites. He said that the Israelites wanted to do something bad and evil. 

[21] And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?
[22] And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.


Aaron said that the Israelites didn't know why Moses was on the mountain for so long. They asked Aaron to make them a god.  Aaron said that he asked for everyone to give him their gold. He said he threw the gold into the fire, and the calf made itself.

[23] For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
[24] And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.


Moses saw that the Israelites were out of control, and they were making fools of themselves in front of their enemies.

[25] And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies)



The Israelites are punished for worshipping the calf statue.



Moses stood in the gate of the camp.  He asked, "Who is on the Lord's side?" He wanted anyone who was on the Lord's side to go to him. All of the Levites (from the tribe of Jacob's son, Levi) went to Moses.
[26] Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.


Moses told the Levites to go and kill the Israelites who were involved in making and worshipping the gold calf.  The Levites obeyed, and they killed 3,000 people.

[27] And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God 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.


Moses told the Levites that the Lord blessed them for what they did.  He said they were now holy.

[29] For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.


Moses talked to the Israelites. He told them that making and worshipping the gold calf was a bad sin. Moses said that he would go up to talk to God about it. He would ask God to forgive them.
[30] And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.



Moses goes back up on Mt. Sinai and talks to God.



Moses went back up on the mountain and talked to God. He asked God to forgive the Israelites for making and worshipping the gold calf. He said that if God did not forgive them, he wanted God to take his name out of the book where God had written the names of His people.
[31] And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
[32] Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

God told Moses that He would take out the names of the people who had sinned.
[33] And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.


God told Moses to take the Israelites to the place that He told him about (Canaan).  God said that an angel would lead them.   But someday, God would punish them for making and worshipping the gold calf.
[34] Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.


God sent a plague (disease) to the Israelites, and the disease made them sick.
[35] And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.



Exodus 33


God is angry with the Israelites.


God told Moses to take the Israelites and continue to travel to Canaan. God reminded Moses that the groups of people living in Canaan now would have to leave.  God said that the angel would make them leave. He also reminded him that Canaan was a very good place.  But God would not go with the Israelites. He said if He traveled with them, He might kill them because they were stubborn people. 
[1] And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it:
[2] And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:
[3] Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.


The Israelites mourned (were sad) about this. They knew that God had told Moses that they were very stubborn and that he might kill them.  God told Moses that the Israelites should take off their fancy jewelry. They obeyed and took off their jewelry.
[4] And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.
[5] For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.
[6] And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.


Moses meets with God in the tabernacle.

 Moses set up the tabernacle. The tabernacle was not near the Israelites' tents.  Moses called the tabernacle the Tabernacle of the Congregation. It was the place where people went to ask God about things.
[7] And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.
 

The Illustrated Parallel Bible (1872) by Jones
From
Blue Letter Bible.com


Every time that Moses went to the tabernacle, the people stood in the doors of their tents. They watched Moses until he went into the tabernacle.  When Moses went into the tabernacle, the pillar of cloud came down. The pillar of cloud stayed by the door of the tabernacle.

[8] 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.
[9] And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.



When the people saw the pillar of cloud, they knew God was talking to Moses. They worshipped God in the doors of their tents.
[10] And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.


God talked to Moses face to face, the same as a man talks to his friend.  When Moses left the tabernacle, he walked back to the camp.  But his assistant, Joshua, stayed in the tabernacle.
[11] And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.


Moses was talking to God. 
Moses said that Gold told him to lead the Israelites. But Moses said that God had not told him who his assistant would be. Moses said that God said that He was happy with  Moses. Moses said that if God was happy with him, He should tell him His plans.  Moses reminded God that the Israelites were His people.
[12] And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.
[13] Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.


God said that He would go with the Israelites. Moses said that if God would not go with them, he did not want the Israelites to leave that place. Moses said that God's presence with them made them special. It made them different from the other people. 
[14] And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
[15] And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
[16] For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.


God said He would do what Moses asked because He was Moses' friend, and He was happy with Moses.
[17] And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.


Moses wanted to see God's glory (light). God said that He would pass by Moses and say His (God's) name. God said He shows compassion and pity on the people He chooses. But Moses would not be allowed to see God's face.  If anyone saw God's face, that person would die. 

[18] And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
[19] And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
[20] And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.


God told Moses to stand on a rock.  He said that when He passed by, He would put Moses in a crack in the rock. He would cover Moses' eyes with His hand while he passed by.  Then He would take His hand away.  Moses would see God's back, but not His face.

[21] And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
[22] And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
[23] And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.


Exodus 34

Moses meets with God on Mt. Sinai and gets the new Ten Commandments tablets.

God told Moses to make 2 new tablets of stone (flat rocks to write on) the same as the ones he broke.  God would write the Ten Commandments on the new tablets.
[1] And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.


Moses should go up on Mount Sinai the next morning.  Moses was supposed to go by himself. No one could go with him. No animals were allowed to eat grass on any part of the mountain.

[2] And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.
[3] And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.


Moses made two new stone tablets. In the morning, Moses went up on Mount Sinai. He took the tablets with him.
[4] And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.


God came down in a cloud. He stood with Moses and said his holy name, The Lord. God passed in front of Moses. As he passed, He said that The Lord is good and patient and has mercy on people. The Lord has much good and truth. 
[5] And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
[6] And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,


The Lord said that He forgives sins and has mercy on people. He will punish the guilty people. He will also punish the children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and the great great grandchildren of the people who are guilty.

[7] Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.


Moses bowed (lowered) his head and worshipped God. He wanted God to go with them to Canaan. He prayed that if God was happy with him (Moses), He would go with them.  Moses said he knew that the Israelites were stubborn people. But he asked God to forgive their sins and let them be His people.

[8] And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.
[9] And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.


God made a promise. God said that He would work miracles. The miracles would be things that had never been seen anywhere in any country on earth.  The people living in Canaan would see the miracles. They would know that God was very powerful.
[10] And he said, 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.

God talked about the people living in Canaan now. They were groups or tribes of people. Their names were the Amorites, the Hittites. the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. God said He would make them all leave Canaan. 
[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.


God warned Moses. He said that the Israelites should not make promises or deals with the people who lived in Canaan. He said it would be like a trap.  The people in Canaan did not worship God. They worshipped a false god named Asherah.  They made statues and altars to worship Asherah. God told the Israelites that they should destroy all of these statues and altars.
[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:


God wanted the Israelites to worship only Him. They should not worship any other gods.

[14] For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:


The Israelites should not make deals or promises with the people in Canaan. The Canaanite people worship false gods and make sacrifices to the false gods. They will want the Israelites to do the same with them.  They will want the Israelites to eat the food they offered to their false gods.
[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;


The Israelites might want to marry Canaanite women. The Canaanite women would make them follow their false gods.
[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.

God said that the Israelites should not make metal statues of gods.
[17] Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.


God said that the Israelites should celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. They should eat unleavened bread for 7 days in the month of Abib.  It was in the month of Abib that the Israelites left Egypt.

[18] The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.


God said that the oldest son in a family (the firstborn son) belongs to Him. Also, the firstborn animals--ox, sheep, and cows--belong to Him.

[19] All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.


Oxen, sheep, and cattle were considered clean animals.  But donkeys were considered dirty animals.  If a man had a firstborn donkey, he should give the priest a lamb instead of giving him the donkey.  If he did not give the priest a lamb, he should break the donkey's neck.  All firstborn males belonged to God. No one should go to God without an offering.

[20] But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.


The Israelites should always rest on the Sabbath, the seventh day.  They could work for 6 days, but on the 7th day they must rest. This was the rule always, no matter if it was plowing time or harvest time (the time to pick the food from the garden).

[21] Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.


God said that they should have 2 special celebrations:  the Feast of Weeks to celebrate when the wheat started to grow, and the Feast of Ingathering to celebrate harvesting the food.
 
[22] And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.

Three times a year, all the males should go to worship God. While they were gone from their homes, no one would try to take their land.  All of the people living in Canaan now would be gone by then, and the Israelites would have a lot of land.
[23] Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.
[24] For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.


They should not offer sacrifices with bread made with yeast.  The sacrifice for Passover should not be left until the morning.
[25] Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.


They should bring the first things that grew that year on their land to the tabernacle.  They should not boil a baby goat in his mother's milk.

[26] The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.


God told Moses to write down these laws. They were part of the promise God made to the Israelites.

[27] And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.


Moses stayed on the mountain with God for 40 days and 40 nights.  He did not eat or drink anything.  He wrote down the laws and the Ten Commandments.

[28] And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

 

"Moses mit den Gesetzestafeln" by Rembrandt, 1659
From
Wikipedia


After 40 days and 40 nights, Moses went back down to the Israelites.  The Israelites were afraid of Moses because his face was shining. His face was shining because he had been talking to God.  But Moses didn't know that his face was shining.

[29] And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
[30] And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.


Moses called to the people, and Aaron and the leaders of the Israelites went and talked to him.

[31] And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.

Then all of the Israelites came to Moses. He gave them the laws and commandments that God told him on the mountain.   After Moses finished talking to the Israelites, he put a veil (covering) on his face.
[32] And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai.
[33] And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.


When Moses went in to talk to God, he took the covering off his face. When he came back out, the Israelites saw his face. They saw that his face was very shiny.  Then Moses covered his face again.

[34] But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.
[35] And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

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