What does it mean to be “a statute forever” when the Tabernacle and Temple haven’t been standing in a long time? We are told that all the elements of the Tabernacle made after a pattern shown in Heaven. How do the stones representing the tribes of Israel, who lived on earth, have a pattern in Heaven? These patterns reveal things about the returning Messiah.
When I look at how and why the Tabernacle was made, I think, This is what it took for His Son to bring us home. This is what it took for God to teach us about His home.
Moshe (Moses) was told to make a place for God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, to dwell with His people. The Tabernacle is a dwelling place. This is not merely a tent.
There are those who teach that God is not “picky,” that we can “come as we are” to Him, anytime we want, any way we want. But is that the lesson of all Scripture? The further you read into Exodus, the more you see how “picky” God really is.
From this point on, the point of the book of Exodus is about the Tabernacle. It was revealed to Moses over the course of the 40 days on the mountain, yet God also inspired craftsmen and craftswomen who were not on the mountain with knowledge of God’s design as well.
God is “picky” — about anyone coming into His presence via any other means than by the High Priest. That one, Who is over all, is Yeshua (Jesus).
In Exodus 24, we read that after the revelation of the 10 Commandments, God wanted to reveal more information to Moshe (Moses) but for part of that journey, he brought an entourage. God told Moshe to appear before Him but God also called for Aharon (Aaron), Nadab ben Aharon, Abihu ben Aharon, and 70 of the elders of Israel to meet with Him on the mountain first for a seven-day feast, and they did meet Him. They saw Yeshua (Jesus), the Word, the Logos of the Father. That’s why Abraham as well as Moshe, Aharon, Aharon’s two oldest sons and the 70 elders could see God, eat a meal with Him, yet live to talk about it.
The judgments that God gave Moshe (Moses) to teach the Israelite people tell us a lot about God’s character and personality. We learn how God sees us as well. It’s a difficult section to go through because these judgements cover so many issues that aren’t related directly to one another but these things have been written down for us to learn. These judgements are written for us so we can avoid incurring them on ourselves.
Yeshua told us that the second greatest commandment was to “love your neighbor as yourself.” How do we go from loving our neighbors on a theoretical level to a practical level? Exodus 21 doesn’t just show us how people should treat people. It also teaches us how God treats people.
God is going to treat you the same way you treat others. If you abuse people, God will allow abuse to come to you. If you are kind to others, God will be kind to you.
There are so many sermons, books and testimonies out there about practical application of the 10 Commandments. In one way, there isn’t much that hasn’t already been said, but in another way, there’s so much here that there isn’t enough time in the universe to dwell upon all the applications and ramifications of these simple commandments. This simple list of 10 basic commandments give us insight into how God views us, our political institutions and our families.