Day 21: September 25, 2025: Exodus 33-38

I have to be honest with all of you and say that during this reading my mind did wander a bit. I imagined what it might have been like to get these types of details for a temporary shelter for the ark of the covenant and the logistics that it took to ensure that everything was in place that needed to be in place in order for God’s commands to be executed. What caught my attention was that at a certain point they were asking for offerings in order to pay the workers for what they were doing and then all of a sudden we read in 36:5 that “the people are bringing much more than enough.” He commanded them to stop bringing in their offerings because they were being too generous. That’s pretty exceptional and something that I feel FPC is able to understand. We have the type of generosity that we would never want to stop or to bring to a halt, but it is quiet extraordinary.

To begin our reading we see that the covenant with Moses and the people is renewed. God is a bit hesitant at first. At first he told Moses and the people to go on ahead and enter into the promised land without him, because if he came alongside of them he would consume them. His anger was still, well, hot. But then eventually we see Moses talk God off the edge and God accompanies Moses and the people of Israel as they begin to make their way to conquer the people who were currently residing in the promised land. That is somewhat problematic but we will get there with Joshua once he starts to enter into the promised land and conquer the people there. At this point the Israelites are not wandering, they have renewed their covenant with the Lord and are making their way into the promised land.