Numbers 3:1-13, Numbers 8:5-26, Numbers 7, Numbers 8:1-4
Num. 3:11-13, Num. 8:16-18 – A trade. How did it feel to be a Levite and set apart by God like this? On one hand, encouraging, to be chosen by God! On the other hand – no freedom. Certainly they could walk away from their duties, but wouldn’t that mean walking away from God and Isreal too?
Num. 8:5-13 – Shave their whole bodies! Ouch.
Num. 8:23-26 – Cool – you get 25 years free of obligation and manditory retirement at 50.
Num. 7:10-88 – I wonder why the Bible repeats the same offering 12 times? Why not just say “Each tribe gave …” It seems like you could just skip to Num. 7:84-88 (and I did) and get teh whole picture. Is the repetition supposed to mean something to me?

Leviticus 8-10
Lev. 8:14, 18, 21 – Imagine layig your hands on the heads of three animals as they’re killed.
Lev. 10:1-3 – Serious and somber. God wanted the people to understand that to worship Him is not trivial but holy. It must be done with respect.
Lev. 10:8-11 – Separate the holy and the common.

Exodus 39:2-43, Exodus 40:1-33
Ex. 39:32-43 – I think it’s nojust my 20th century culture, but all of this seems so trivial. Curtains, poles, tables, etc. blah, blah, blah. It’s hard to put myself in their shoes and understand the importance. But these were the articles that they would use for centuries to connect with and worship God. How sacred would you find the first articles of worship? You were finally your own, independant people with your own God and He had given you instructions to build articles to worship Him with. How awesome, inspiring, solemn.
Ex. 40:1-33 – Imagine the anticipation as they set up the first house for God to dwell among them ….
Ex. 40:34-35 – Kinda anti-climatic.

Exodus 35:4-35, Exodus 36-38, Exodus 39:1
Ex. 35:5 – Everyone who is willing.
Ex. 25:20 – Everyone who is willing and who’s heart moved him.
Ex. 36:2-7 – They had to hold them back, they had too much.

Exodus 32-33, Exodus 34:1-16, Exodus 34:27-35
Ex. 32:1-7 – Aaron is so quick to agree! Myour people have done.”
Ex. 32:11-14 – Moses isn’t biting, still calls them God’s people. And look at Moses reminding God that it’s in His best interest to forgive, reminding God of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Isreal.
I wonder if God was only looking to reveal Moses’ heart? Would He really have followed through? If so, then here it was the heart of man moving the heart of God. What was Moses’ heart? Concern for God’s honor and name and the people. And God’s heart? Respect for Moses to turn from His anger and alter His plans.
God was active in the world at this time, but His actions were changed by one man’s heart and “prayer.”
Ex. 32:15-20 – Interesting how he was very comassionate until he actually saw what was going on. Then he was furious. Angry enough to break the tablets from God.
Ex. 32:21-24 – Back in Ex. 32:4 he’s using a tool, now here it’s magic!
Ex. 32:25 – Moses is not fooled, like a parent.
Ex. 32:29 – Set aprt for putting God above all, even their own brothers.
Ex. 32:30-35 – “Holy smokes, did you see what they did! Now please forgive them.” 🙂 But look, Moses cares enough to tie his fate with theirs.
Ex. 33:1-3 – Still ready to do what he said and give them the promised land, even if He is discusted with them.
Ex. 33:11 – I have always loved this picture of Moses’ business with God being done but Joshua hanging out with God some more.
Ex. 33:12-16 – Moses’ desire and passion to know God, more than God has allowed and he pleads with God to go with them – for His sake not theirs, and in Ex. 33:17 he wins God’s heart.
Ex. 33:17-23 – After winning God over, he still asks or more! (And gets it)
Ex. 34:1-7 – New tablets, chisled by Moses this time, not God.
Ex. 34:8-10 – Before it was a covenent with Abraham, Isaac and Isreal. Now it’s Moses too.
Ex. 34:27-28 – Another 40 days, no calf this time.

Exodus 29-30, Exodus 31:1-11, 18
Ex. 29:1-34 – All this to concecrate the priests. I bet that many priests and ministers today are glad that theyy don’t have to do this.
Ex. 29:35-37 – Seven bulls for a sin offereing. Despite his grace and tolerance, sin is clearly a big deal to God. I imagine that this is bigger than what the average Joe must do.
Ex.29:38-46 – Two lambs a day for “generations to come”. Do I read that right?
EEx. 30:11-16 – Is this why David was in such troublke for taking a census?

Exodus 25-28
Ex. 25:1 – First recorded commanded offering
Ex. 25:10-16 – Notice the rings and poles. Later, a man will die for reaching out to steady the ark in transit. In that passage (1 Chronicles 13
), however, the poles are absent and the ark is being carried on a cart.
This is tedious reading. So many cubits by o many cubits and on and on and on in detail. For all this detail, I bet if you gave these instructions to two teams, you’d get two very different sets of items.
Ex. 28:1-43 – Ephod and stones.
It’s all about Isreal/Jacob and God’s promise to him. Truly, his blessing extended generations. What a promise a I contemplate what my kids will become after I’m gone.
What point is God making with all this? That he is to be honored and revered above all else. That he is of supreme importance. That their relationship with him is not like their relationships with each other, but must be treated with the utmost respect. Holiness. Set apart. Special. Awesome.

I plan on entering my quiet time notes since January over the next few days and weeks. Then I’ll try to enter them each day as I read. I’ll try to put in Bible Gateway lnks to the scriptures as well.
I decided to start back through my chronological Bible again this year. You’re supposed to be able to get through the Bible in a year, but it took me 2 years last time. I hope to do better, but I’m not worried about it.
I’m focusing on God’s heart throughout my reading. In other words, what does the passage tell me about what’s important to God, at least in this situation? What can I learn about His priorities? I’ve learned a lot already, I hope it spurs your thinking too.

Exodus 19, Exodus 20, Exodus 23:20-33, Exodus 24
Ex. 19:3-9 – I never saw this as a proposal from God. He could have picked any nation, bu chose them to be His ‘Holy Nation’. INterestingly, the could have refused! I wonder how history would be different if they had.
Ex. 19:15 – No secks. Don’t remember many other times this command was given.
Ex. 19:12-25 – Why this ‘break out against’ them? Was it just a test of loyalty and obedience?
Ex. 20:1-17 – The contract.
Punishmen for 3-4 generations, love for 1,000 generations!
Ex. 19-20, Ex. 23:20-33 – All of this fanfare & fury to drive home the point of how hol and revered God ought to be. IN the end of this section God commits them to drive everyone out of Canaan lest they be snared away. They will forget this.
Ex. 24:3-4 – After hearing the contract and seeing the fire and smoke and even in fear, they agreed.
Ex. 24:5-8 – Blood of teh covenent. The contract was sealed with blood – a bulls blood.
Ex. 24:12-14 – Joshua got to go! Moses knew he would be gone a while. Why else would he give instructions to Aaron and Hur to settle disputes?
Ex. 24:15-18 – 90 days and nights to hang with God!