Exodus 31
The last several chapters have dealt with God instructing Moses on how to build and furnish the tabernacle and the items that were to go in the place where the LORD would dwell. If you were in Moses’s sandals, would you feel overwhelmed at the thought of all that was just conveyed to you, thinking how in the world you could lead the people to accomplish such a feat? I mean, who could possibly work with such precision to erect this structure and its elements just as God had commanded? Well, it has been my experience that when God calls a person or group to a task, He also equips them with the needed resources to accomplish the mission at hand.
Through previous readings, we have established that God had provided the necessary materials when the Israelites plundered Egypt on their way out of that land. And in Exodus 31, we learn how God equipped specific people to do all that God commanded: “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you” (vv. 2-6). Have you been asked by God to do something massive in scope? Look to Him to provide what is needed to do all He has called you to.
Today’s reading includes yet another mention of the Sabbath. “You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people” (v. 14). Are you beginning to see how important this is to God? Granted, under the New Covenant, we are not obligated to keep the Sabbath, but have you noticed how weary you are (spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally) when you don’t make intentional time for rest? Now a few years into practicing the Sabbath, I firmly believe God designed our bodies for six days of work and one day of rest. Even after the longest week of work, my soul is refreshed when I spend one day a week resting. But when I don’t make time for this important spiritual discipline, my body, mind, and emotions are all out of sorts.
To that end, I think you will find that the more you practice the Sabbath, the more you will yearn for true Sabbath rest on the other six days of the week. You’ll more easily sense when your body and soul are getting overwhelmed, stressed, or burdened, and to the best of your ability, take whatever actions are necessary to remedy yourself of those negative feelings. You’ll be more intentional about structuring your daily schedule so you aren’t moving from one meeting to another without taking a breath. And you’ll long for the consistent presence of God, so much so that you may begin blocking off specific times of the day when you can pause, pray, and cast all your cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). In other words, Sabbath rest won’t be something you do, but rather something you become.
Chapter 31 closes with the following statement about God: “he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God” (v. 18; emphasis added). Lest it be said that these commandments Moses was to share with the Israelites were misinterpreted by God’s chosen spokesman, it was God who engraved them on the stone. There may be disagreement among the hearers about obeying what was commanded, but there could not be any doubt about who was the One doing the commanding.
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Journal responses to the following prompts:
· When asked by God to accomplish a task, is your tendency to look inward at your own abilities and resources or to Him for His boundless provisions for the job?
· How do you feel when you haven’t had a break from work for some time? How do you feel when you have had a chance to rest? Wouldn’t you like to feel more rested (not just physically) more often?
Exodus 32
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love…” These words to the famous hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” were written by Robert Robinson in the mid-1700s,[i] but they seem so appropriate to the plight of the Israelites, particularly in our reading today. (By the way, could it be that one reason God provided such detailed accounts of the Israelites’ spiritual journey with Him was so we can see so many parallels to our own walks in the present?)
Quickly growing impatient with how long it was taking Moses to come down from the mountain, the people demanded that Aaron make them gods to worship. Rather than courageously taking a stand against such overt idolatry, Aaron instructs the people to gather all their gold jewelry and fashions together a golden calf with their contributions. “And they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” (v. 4). A few quick thoughts before we move past this infuriating act:
· Moses had been on the mountain for forty days, leaving the people at the base of Sinai just after they had committed to obeying the Ten Commandments and all other statutes God had given them. Yet within weeks, they drifted back to their previous Egyptian lifestyle, trusting in the works of their own hands (Acts 7:39-41). For us, although we have submitted to Christ Jesus as Lord and are new creations in Him, let us not think that our flesh will never attempt to pull us back to our old ways of idol worship. As long as we have breath in this fallen world, there will be a battle between the Spirit and the flesh (Galatians 5:17). Be on guard, lest you fall into worshipping your own golden calf.
· Although they were unaware of His instructions for the tabernacle, isn’t it sad to think that the very material (gold) that would be used to construct this pagan idol could have been used to form the finest and holiest of furnishings for the place where God would dwell? Friends, how often do we use what our Creator has entrusted to us to build up our own kingdoms instead of utilizing those resources to help bring His Kingdom to earth?
God sees this heinous idol worship, and His ire rages against His people. He tells Moses to “let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you” (v. 10). Rather than jump at the opportunity for self-promotion, Moses pleads with God to remember His covenant promises and relent of the disaster that He planned against the people, to which God responds favorably (vv. 13-14). Warren Wiersbe says that “Moses wasn’t worried about his own future; he was concerned about God’s reputation. What would the Egyptians say about God if they heard the whole nation of Israel had been destroyed at Sinai?”[ii] Oh, how much more would God be magnified if I focused more on His reputation than my own!
As Moses “went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand” (v. 15), he heard the Israelites singing and saw them dancing. And when he noticed the object of their jubilation, his “anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain” (v. 19). In doing so, Moses’s act symbolized how the people had broken their covenant with God by disobeying His commandments.
God’s chosen servant then turned his attention to Aaron, questioning his brother as to why he brought such a great sin on the people (v. 21). Aaron responds with a rather paltry excuse, first blaming the people, then stating that all he did was throw the gold into the fire and out popped a calf (v. 24). How ridiculous our rationale for sin often sounds to every ear but our own.
After Moses asks the people to declare their allegiance to the LORD (of which only the sons of Levi affirmed their loyalty), he orders those on God’s side to “Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor” (v. 27). About 3,000 men died that day, as God’s law demanded death for idol worship (Exodus 22:20). To be sure, God is just, yet as we read the last few verses of Exodus 32, we see Moses calling upon the grace and mercy of God’s heart, even willing to sacrifice his own life so that the lives of the Israelites can be atoned for. David Guzik comments, “Moses felt that Israel had sinned so terribly that the blood of a goat or an ox couldn’t cover it; it had to be a man who suffered in their place. Therefore, he offered to be blotted out of God’s book if it could somehow rescue the people. God said ‘no’ to the request of Moses; yet we can say that God looked ahead to the sacrifice of One greater than Moses who would give Himself for the people, bringing full and complete atonement.”[iii] Have you told God how thankful you are for the blood of Jesus today?
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Journal responses to the following prompts:
· What golden calves leave you “prone to wander” from worshipping God alone?
· Are you more concerned about your reputation or protecting God’s great name?
[i] Chapman, D. (n.d.) The story behind: Come thou fount of every blessing. HymnCharts. https://hymncharts.com/the-story-behind-come-thou-fount-of-every-blessing/
[ii] Wiersbe, W. W. (2001). The Bible exposition commentary: The Pentateuch. David C. Cook. p. 245.
[iii] Study Guide for Exodus 32. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved March 24, 2026, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/exodus/exodus-32.cfm