Exodus
Exo 1:11 Now
Historically, Exodus continues Genesis; however, Exodus portrays the corporate aspect of the spiritual experience of God’s people, whereas Genesis portrays primarily the individual aspect. These two aspects represent the complete spiritual experience of God’s people.
Exo 1:1a names vv. 1-4: cf. Gen. 35:23-26; 46:8-26
Exo 1:12 Egypt
Egypt typifies the world full of fleshly enjoyment, which brings God’s people into slavery and bondage under Satan, the ruler of the world (John 12:31; Eph. 2:2), typified by Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.
Exo 1:51 persons
Lit., souls.
Exo 1:5a seventy Gen. 46:27; Deut. 10:22
Exo 1:61a died Gen. 50:26; Acts 7:15
The book of Genesis concludes with a dead man in a coffin in Egypt (Gen. 50:26). This indicates that God’s chosen people were in a situation of death in Egypt. Although they were in death, they were very living and active (cf. v. 7). While they were making a living in Egypt and were enjoying the pleasures of Egypt, they were usurped and enslaved by Pharaoh to serve him with harshness (vv. 10-14; 2:23; 5:6-18). Thus they were detained from fulfilling the purpose for which God had created and chosen them. The situation of the children of Israel in Egypt under Pharaoh’s tyranny is a full picture of the life of fallen mankind in the world under the usurping and enslaving hand of Satan and his evil power of darkness. See Eph. 2:1-3 and notes.
Exo 1:7a fruitful Deut. 10:22; 26:5; Psa. 105:24; Acts 7:17
Exo 1:9a stronger Psa. 105:24
Exo 1:10a wisely Psa. 105:25; Acts 7:19
Exo 1:11a afflict Gen. 15:13; Exo. 3:7; Deut. 26:6; Acts 7:6, 19
Exo 1:11b burdens Exo. 2:11; 5:4-5; 6:6-7
Exo 1:111 Pithom
In Hebrew the two names mean, respectively, mouth of integrity and thunder of the standard. These names indicate that the cities were built for pride and boastful display.
Exo 1:111c Raamses Gen. 47:11; Exo. 12:37
See note 111.
Exo 1:12a multiplied Acts 7:17
Exo 1:141 mortar
Cf. Gen. 11:3 and note.
Exo 1:16a When Acts 7:19; Heb. 11:23
Exo 1:161 birthstool
Lit., stones.
Exo 1:162 son
According to the Bible the male life represents the life that is for God’s purpose (cf. Gen. 1:26; 1 Cor. 11:7a; Eph. 2:15; Rev. 12:5) and the female life, especially among the fallen people, represents the life that is for man’s pleasure (cf. Gen. 2:18; 1 Cor. 11:9). Pharaoh’s intention to kill the sons and spare the daughters typifies Satan’s strategy to destroy the life that is for God’s purpose and preserve the life that is for man’s pleasure.
Exo 1:171 feared
At the beginning of the Old Testament, Satan visited a female, Eve, and used her to deaden the male life (Gen. 3:1-6), but at the beginning of the New Testament, God visited the virgin Mary and used her to bring in His salvation (Luke 1:26-38; 2:30). In the same principle, Pharaoh attempted to use the midwives to kill the male life, but God used them to keep alive the life that is for His purpose.
Exo 1:17a did cf. Dan. 3:18; Acts 5:29
Exo 1:22a son Acts 7:19; Heb. 11:23
Exo 1:221
Some ancient versions add, to the Hebrews.
Exo 1:222 River
I.e., the Nile. So also throughout the book.
Exo 2:1a wife cf. Exo. 6:20; Num. 26:59
Exo 2:21 hid
In ch. 1 God used the female life to preserve His people (see note 171 there), and in this chapter He used the female life to prepare a savior for His people, whom He had preserved for His purpose. In preparing Moses as a savior for Israel, God used three women—Moses’ mother, Moses’ sister, and Pharaoh’s daughter—to give him birth, to nurse him, to rescue him, to raise him, and to train him for His purpose (vv. 2-10; Acts 7:20-22). God’s use of these women reveals that during critical times the only life that can be used by God is the female life, signifying the life that stands with God and is dependent on Him. See note 211, par. 2.
Exo 2:2a three Heb. 11:23
Exo 2:4a sister Exo. 15:20; Num. 26:59; 1 Chron. 6:3
Exo 2:10a son Acts 7:21; cf. Heb. 11:24
Exo 2:101 Moses
Meaning drawn out.
Exo 2:11a And vv. 11-14: Acts 7:23-28
Exo 2:141 frightened
This word apparently contradicts Heb. 11:27. Outwardly, Moses was afraid and sought to escape; inwardly, he considered the cost and voluntarily chose to identify himself with the people of God (Heb. 11:24-26).
Exo 2:15a fled Acts 7:29; Heb. 11:27
Exo 2:211 stay
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 2:211 [1] Moses remained in Midian for forty years (Acts 7:30). God used the first forty years of Moses’ life to build up a man who was strong in the natural life (Acts 7:22; vv. 11-13). Then, in order to strip Moses of his natural ability, God arranged to have him work as a shepherd in the land of Midian for another forty years (3:1). God’s work to perfect Moses made him a useful vessel for God’s purpose.
Exo 2:211 [2] According to Exodus, being useful to God is related to building up His dwelling place and to fighting for His interests on earth. Chapters 1 and 2 show that the life useful to God in these matters is the life signified by the female life. In the Bible a male signifies an independent life, whereas a female signifies a life that depends on God (cf. Luke 1:26-38). The unique male is God in Christ; only He has an independent life. In their relationship to God all God’s people, both men and women, are “females,” components of His wife (Isa. 54:5; John 3:29). As such, they must live a life that depends on Him for everything and is under His headship (John 15:5; 1 Cor. 11:3). At the age of forty Moses lived an independent life, taking the position of a “male” before God by exercising his natural strength to strike an Egyptian (vv. 11-12). In the second forty years of his life Moses was trained by God not to rely on his natural life, and in his third forty years he lived the life of a “female,” a life dependent on God. This is the life God can use for the fulfillment of His purpose.
Exo 2:21a Zipporah Exo. 4:25; 18:2
Exo 2:221a Gershom Exo. 18:3
Meaning a sojourner there.
Exo 2:22b sojourner Acts 7:29, 6; Heb. 11:13-14
Exo 2:23a bondage Exo. 1:14; Deut. 26:6
Exo 2:23b cry Exo. 3:9; cf. Gen. 18:20-21; James 5:4
Exo 2:24a heard Exo. 6:5; Deut. 26:7; Acts 7:34
Exo 2:24b remembered Psa. 105:8; 106:45; Gen. 9:15
Exo 2:24c covenant Gen. 15:18; Exo. 6:4-5
Exo 2:25a looked Gen. 50:24-25; Exo. 4:31
Exo 3:11 Moses
Moses was the first fully qualified servant of God in the Bible, and God’s calling of Moses is the standard of His calling of all His servants. As one who was called and sent by God to His people, Moses typifies Christ as the Apostle sent to us from God and with God (John 6:46; 8:16, 29; Heb. 3:1-6).
Exo 3:1a mountain Exo. 4:27; 18:5; 24:13; 1 Kings 19:8; cf. Num. 10:33
Exo 3:2a And vv. 2-8: cf. Acts 7:30-35; Exo. 3:16; 4:5; Heb. 11:27
Exo 3:21b Angel Gen. 22:11-12; Judg. 6:11-24; Acts 7:35; cf. Exo. 14:19
The title the Angel of Jehovah refers mainly to Christ, the Son of God, as the One sent by God (cf. John 8:42) to save His people from their situation of suffering (cf. Judg. 6:12-22; 13:3-22). According to vv. 2 and 6, the Angel of Jehovah, the sent One, was Jehovah Himself, the sending One (cf. Zech. 2:6-11), and Jehovah is the Triune God (vv. 6, 15). For the purpose of calling and sending Moses, God, the sending One, appeared to him as the sent One (cf. John 20:21). See Acts 7:30-31 and notes.
Exo 3:22 flame
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 3:22 [1] The flame of fire denotes the glory of God’s holiness, which excluded fallen man from direct contact with God as the tree of life (Gen. 3:24 and note). According to Gen. 3:17-19 thorns were part of the curse that came because of man’s sin. Hence, thorns are a symbol of fallen man under the curse. The thornbush here represents Moses himself as a redeemed sinner. The flame of fire burning within the thornbush signifies that the glory of God’s holiness would burn within and upon Moses, God’s called one, even though he was a sinner under God’s curse. This was possible because of Christ’s redemption (Gen. 3:21; 4:4), which satisfied the requirements of God’s holiness and removed the curse, allowing the divine fire (the Spirit) to visit and to indwell the thornbush (the redeemed sinner), making the fire one with the thornbush (Gal. 3:13-14). The fact that the fire burned in the thornbush without consuming it indicates that God Himself, not Moses, would be the “fuel” for the burning (cf. Rom. 12:11; 2 Tim. 1:7; Phil. 4:13; Col. 1:29). Moses would be only a vessel, a channel, through which the glory of God’s holiness would be manifested (cf. 2 Cor. 4:7). See note 111.
Exo 3:22 [2] According to Deut. 33:16, the thornbush was God’s dwelling place. Since God’s corporate people are His actual dwelling place (Heb. 3:6 and note), this implies that the thornbush refers also to God’s redeemed people as a corporate entity. After the tabernacle, a symbol of the children of Israel as God’s dwelling place, was built up, at night the cloud of God’s glory upon it had the appearance of fire (Num. 9:15-16). The fire burning upon the tabernacle signified that the people of Israel were a corporate burning thornbush. The church as God’s dwelling place is also a burning thornbush—the Triune God burning within and upon a redeemed humanity (Luke 12:49; Acts 2:3-4). Through the burning of the holy divine fire, the once cursed and redeemed thornbush is transformed to be God’s dwelling place. This is God’s economy.
Exo 3:22c thornbush Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37
See note 22.
Exo 3:4b thornbush Deut. 33:16
Exo 3:5a sandals Josh. 5:15
Exo 3:5b holy cf. 2 Pet. 1:18
Exo 3:61a God Gen. 28:13; Exo. 4:5; 1 Kings 18:36; Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37
The revelation of God’s name in this chapter (vv. 6, 14-16, 18) was actually the revelation of God Himself. By such a revelation Moses came to know the One who was calling and sending him to carry out His commission. The divine title in this verse indicates that God is the covenanting God (2:24) and also implies that He is the God of resurrection (Matt. 22:31-32 and note; Acts 3:13). Furthermore, that God is the God of three persons (cf. v. 15) implies that He is the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (Matt. 28:19). See note 11, par. 2, in Gen. 12.
Exo 3:7a affliction Exo. 2:23-25; Neh. 9:9
Exo 3:7b taskmasters Exo. 5:13-14
Exo 3:8a come Gen. 11:5, 7; 18:21
Exo 3:81b deliver Exo. 6:6
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 3:81 [1] The purpose of God’s calling of Moses was, negatively, to deliver the children of Israel out of the usurpation and tyranny of Pharaoh and Egypt, and, positively, to bring them into Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey (Deut. 8:7-9), where they could establish God’s kingdom (19:6; 2 Sam. 5:12; 7:12, 16) and build up His dwelling place on earth (2 Sam. 7:13). In typology, this signifies delivering people out of the usurpation and tyranny of Satan and the world, and bringing people into Christ, the all-inclusive One typified by the land of Canaan (see note 71 in Deut. 8), for the building up of the church as God’s kingdom and God’s dwelling place on earth (Rom. 14:17; Eph. 2:20-22; 4:12).
Exo 3:81 [2] As revealed in this chapter, in fulfilling God’s purpose the children of Israel passed through three stations: the wilderness (v. 18), the mountain (v. 12), and the good land (vv. 8, 17). By the passover (12:11, 31-41) and the crossing of the Red Sea (14:21-30) the children of Israel came out of Egypt and into the wilderness. Then, they were brought to the mountain by means of the tree which made the bitter waters sweet (15:23-25), by means of the twelve springs at Elim (15:27), by means of the manna from heaven (16:14-15, 31-32, 35), by means of the living water from the cleft rock (17:6), and by means of the victory over Amalek (17:8-16). At the mountain they received a revelation of what God is, of the life they should live according to God’s attributes, and of the desire of God’s heart to have a dwelling place on earth among His people (chs. 19—34). They also built the tabernacle as God’s temporary dwelling place on earth (chs. 35—40). Finally, by the Ark with the tabernacle the children of Israel entered into the good land (Josh. 3:3, 6, 8, 13-17; 4:10-19). There, through the enjoyment of the rich produce of the land, they defeated the Canaanites, who occupied the land, and built the temple as God’s permanent dwelling on earth (1 Kings 6). Such a history of the children of Israel is a portrait of a believer’s full salvation.
Exo 3:81c bring Gen. 50:24; Exo. 12:51
See note 81.
Exo 3:8d good Deut. 1:25; 8:7-9
Exo 3:82e milk Exo. 3:17; 13:5; 33:3; Lev. 20:24; Num. 13:27; 14:8; Deut. 26:9, 15; Jer. 11:5; 32:22; Ezek. 20:6
Both milk and honey are products of the combination of two kinds of lives—the animal life and the vegetable life. Milk is produced by cattle that feed on grass, and honey is made by bees from the nectar of flowers. Milk and honey signify the riches of Christ, which come from the two aspects of His life—His redeeming life, typified by the animal life (John 1:29), and His generating life, typified by the vegetable life (John 12:24).
Exo 3:8f Canaanites Gen. 15:18-21; Exo. 13:5; 23:23; 33:2; Deut. 7:1
Exo 3:9b oppression Exo. 1:11-14
Exo 3:10a send Psa. 105:26; cf. Micah 6:4
Exo 3:111a Who 1 Sam. 18:18; Isa. 6:5; Jer. 1:6
When he was forty years old, Moses received the burden to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage (2:11-12). However, God disciplined Moses for forty years (Acts 7:30) and did not call him until he had lost all confidence in himself (cf. 4:10 and note). Moses had to learn to cooperate with God without using his natural ability and strength.
Exo 3:12a with Josh. 1:5; Deut. 31:8, 23
Exo 3:121 mountain
God’s intention was not merely to rescue His people from persecution in Egypt; it was to bring them to Himself at the mountain of God that He might infuse them with Himself to make them His personal treasure, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (19:4-6).
Exo 3:141a I Isa. 44:6; Rev. 1:4, 8, 17; 4:8; cf. Exo. 6:3
Or, I will be who I will be; or, I will become who I will become. The divine title i am denotes that God is the One who is self-existing and ever-existing and who depends on nothing apart from Himself (cf. John 8:24, 28, 58 and note 241). As the I Am, He is the all-inclusive One, the reality of every positive thing and of whatever His called and sent ones need.
Exo 3:14b I John 8:24, 28, 58; 18:5-6
Exo 3:151 Jehovah
See note 44 in Gen. 2. This was the first time God made Himself known to His people by the name Jehovah (6:3). See note 61.
Exo 3:15b name Exo. 6:3; Psa. 68:4
Exo 3:15c memorial Psa. 135:13; Hosea 12:5
Exo 3:16c visited Exo. 4:31; Luke 1:68
Exo 3:18a Jehovah Exo. 5:3; 7:16; 9:1, 13; 10:3; Jonah 1:9
Exo 3:181 Hebrews
See note 12, par. 2, in Heb. 1. God is the God of the river crossers, the people who are separated from the world unto the fulfillment of His purpose.
Exo 3:182 three
See note 221 in ch. 15.
Exo 3:18b sacrifice Exo. 5:3, 8, 17; 8:8, 25-29; 10:25; cf. Exo. 5:1
Exo 3:19a not Exo. 4:21; 5:2; 7:14; 8:32; 9:7, 17, 35; 10:20, 27; 11:10; 13:15
Exo 3:19b mighty Exo. 6:1; 13:3
Exo 3:20a wonders Exo. 4:21; 7:3; Deut. 6:22; 7:19; Neh. 9:10; Psa. 105:27; 135:9; Jer. 32:20; Acts 7:36
Exo 3:20b let Exo. 11:1; 12:31
Exo 3:21a favor Exo. 11:3; 12:36
Exo 3:22a articles Exo. 11:2; 12:35; Psa. 105:37
Exo 3:221b plunder Gen. 15:14; Exo. 12:36
See note 361 in ch. 12.
Exo 4:2a staff Exo. 4:17, 20; 7:9, 15; 8:5, 16; 9:23; 10:13; 14:16; 17:5
Exo 4:31 serpent
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 4:31 [1] In chapter 3 God gave Moses the sign of the thornbush (3:2-3). In this chapter God gave Moses three additional signs as evidence that he had truly been called and sent by God. The meaning of the first sign, the sign of the staff becoming a serpent (vv. 2-4), is that anything we rely on apart from God—our education, our occupation, etc.—is actually the hiding place of Satan, the usurping serpent. However, when at God’s word we throw it down and then take it up again “by the tail,” i.e., in the way opposite to the practice of the worldly people, using it for God’s purpose and not for ourselves, it becomes a staff of authority (vv. 4, 17; Luke 10:19). In the second sign, the sign of the hand becoming leprous (vv. 6-7), the bosom signifies what is within us, and leprosy signifies sin. This sign shows that our flesh is the embodiment of leprosy; in it there is nothing good, nothing but sin, corruption, and uncleanness (Rom. 7:17-18; cf. Isa. 6:5). Nevertheless, when we obey the Lord by keeping His word, His cleansing power is able to make us clean (cf. 2 Kings 5:1-14). The meaning of the third sign, the sign of the water becoming blood (v. 9), is that in the eyes of God all the earthly supply and worldly enjoyment (the water of the Nile) are nothing but death (blood). When they are poured out on that which produces life (the ground), immediately the death is exposed.
Exo 4:31 [2] Satan is against Christ (1 John 3:8); the flesh is against the Spirit (Gal. 5:17); and the world is against the Father (1 John 2:15). Hence, these three negative things are opposed to the Triune God and His economy. In one whom God has called, Satan, the flesh, and the world have lost their ground (cf. John 14:30; Gal. 5:24; 6:14).
Exo 4:5a believe Exo. 4:31; 19:9
Exo 4:6a leprous Num. 12:10; 2 Kings 5:27
Exo 4:7a flesh cf. 2 Kings 5:14
Exo 4:81 heed
Lit., listen to the voice of.
Exo 4:82 believe
Lit., believe the voice of.
Exo 4:101a slow cf. Exo. 6:12, 30
Lit., heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue. In Acts 7:22 Moses is said to have been “powerful in his words.” This applied to him at the age of forty, when he relied on his natural strength and boldness (2:11-13). Moses spoke the word in this verse at the age of eighty, when he considered himself ready for death (Psa. 90:10a), indicating that he had no confidence in his natural strength (cf. Phil. 3:3).
Exo 4:12a mouth Exo. 4:15; cf. Ezek. 33:22
Exo 4:12b teach Matt. 10:19-20; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11-12; 21:15
Exo 4:141 Aaron
In keeping with the New Testament principle of the Body of Christ, God would not allow Moses to be individualistic in his service to God. Hence, God gave Aaron to Moses as a match for him (cf. Matt. 10:2-5; Luke 10:1; 1 Cor. 1:1 and note 3). According to v. 16, the position each occupied in the matching relationship was determined entirely by God’s arrangement, not by man’s maneuvering.
Exo 4:15b put Num. 22:38; 23:5, 12, 16; Deut. 18:18; Isa. 51:16; Jer. 1:9
Exo 4:19a seeking Exo. 2:23; cf. Matt. 2:20
Exo 4:20a sons Exo. 18:2-4; Acts 7:29
Exo 4:20b staff Exo. 4:2; 17:9
Exo 4:21b harden Exo. 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8; Rom. 9:17-18; cf. Exo. 7:13; 8:15; Deut. 2:30; Josh. 11:20; Isa. 63:17; John 12:40
Exo 4:22a son Hosea 11:1; Matt. 2:15; Rom. 9:4
Exo 4:221b firstborn Jer. 31:9
See note 311 in Matt. 21.
Exo 4:23a serve Exo. 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3
Exo 4:23b slay Exo. 12:29
Exo 4:23c firstborn Exo. 12:29
Exo 4:251 cut
God’s seeking to kill Moses (v. 24) compelled Zipporah, Moses’ Gentile wife, to circumcise her son. This circumcising signified the cutting off of the natural life (see note 101 in Gen. 17). This was required by God to usher Moses into his ministry, for an uncircumcised person, one who still lives in the flesh or the natural life, could have no part in God’s ministry or in the covenant God made with Abraham regarding the inheriting of the good land (Gen. 17:9-15). Those who would be used by God must bear the sign of having been “cut” subjectively in their natural life. After the matching by Aaron (vv. 14-16) and the cutting by Zipporah, God’s calling of Moses was complete.
Exo 4:252 bridegroom
The expression bridegroom of blood implies that in the eyes of Zipporah, circumcision meant that her husband, Moses, was under the sentence of death (cf. 2 Cor. 1:9; 4:10-12).
Exo 4:27b mountain Exo. 3:1; 18:5
Exo 4:31a believed Exo. 4:5; 19:9
Exo 4:31b visited Exo. 3:16; Luke 1:68; 7:16
Exo 4:31c bowed Gen. 24:26; Exo. 12:27; 1 Chron. 29:20
Exo 5:11 Pharaoh
The book of Exodus describes twelve conflicts between Jehovah and Pharaoh (5:1—11:10; 12:29-36). God’s people had fallen into a worldly life under Pharaoh’s usurpation. God’s desire is that His people would be His dwelling place on earth; however, this desire cannot be fulfilled unless His people are delivered from the world and separated to Him. God’s purpose in the twelve conflicts with Pharaoh was to execute His judgment on the world and its ruler, and to expose to His people the nature, meaning, and result of life in the world under Pharaoh’s usurpation, so that they would hate that life (cf. 1 John 2:15-17), flee from it, and be gathered to the Lord at the mountain of God to receive the revelation concerning God and His dwelling place (19:1—34:35).
Exo 5:12 Jehovah
In dealing with Pharaoh, a type of Satan as the persecutor and usurper of His people, God told him that He was Jehovah, the unique self-existing One; the God of Israel, the God of a transformed, victorious, and kingly people; and the God of the Hebrews (v. 3), the God of the river crossers. See notes 44 in Gen. 2, 131 in Gen. 28, and 181 in Exo. 3.
Exo 5:1a Let Exo. 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3; cf. Exo. 3:18
Exo 5:13b feast Exo. 10:9
To hold a feast to the Lord is to worship Him with the worship that He desires, by enjoying Him in His presence. This worship involves sacrificing to Him (v. 3; Heb. 13:15). The worship God desires is that in which we enjoy God as our provision through His dispensing of Himself into us, and then rest with Him in what we enjoy of Him (John 4:24 and notes).
Exo 5:21 Who
Pharaoh, who signifies Satan and also the self and the natural man, was subtle (cf. Gen. 3:1). Although Pharaoh should have known of Jehovah’s existence, here he subtly denied knowing God and ignored His demand. As God sent plague after plague on Egypt, Pharaoh subtly bargained with God five times (5:2; 8:25, 28; 10:8-11, 24). However, God was insistent, never changing His demand. In response to each of Pharaoh’s subtle bargainings, God dealt with him by means of another plague.
Exo 5:31 three
See note 221 in ch. 15.
Exo 5:3b sacrifice Exo. 3:18; 5:8, 17
Exo 5:61b officers Exo. 5:14-15, 19
Or, scribes. So also throughout the chapter.
Exo 5:8a sacrifice Exo. 3:18; 5:3
Exo 5:13a taskmasters Exo. 3:7
Exo 5:17a sacrifice Exo. 3:18; 5:3
Exo 6:11 Jehovah
After Moses expressed his discouragement and bewilderment to the Lord (5:22-23), Jehovah God came in to reconfirm His name and His covenant (vv. 1-8). He also gave Moses further training concerning six matters: (1) God’s word of assurance (vv. 1, 6-8, 26; 7:4-5); (2) the unbelief of the children of Israel (vv. 9, 12); (3) Pharaoh’s stubbornness (7:3-4); (4) Moses’ natural concept in cleaving to his uncircumcised lips (vv. 12, 30); (5) God’s ordaining of Moses to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt (vv. 26-29); and (6) God’s strong hand and His great acts of judgment (7:4), which back up His name, His covenant, and His word of assurance.
Exo 6:1a mighty Exo. 3:19; 13:3, 9
Exo 6:1b drive Exo. 12:33
Exo 6:31a All-sufficient Gen. 17:1
Heb. El Shaddai. See note 12 in Gen. 17.
Exo 6:3b name Exo. 3:13-15; 15:3; Psa. 68:4; 83:18
Exo 6:32 Jehovah
As El Shaddai, God is the supplying God (Gen. 17:1; 28:3) and the promising God (Gen. 35:11). As Jehovah He is the existing God (3:14) and the fulfilling God (6:6-8). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob experienced God as El Shaddai, but they did not experience Him as Jehovah, for they died in faith without receiving the fulfillment of God’s promise (Heb. 11:13; cf. Gen. 15:13-16a). Here, God came not to promise something to Moses but to fulfill the promise He had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Thus, He came not as El Shaddai but as Jehovah, the One who is and who will fulfill all that He has promised.
Exo 6:4a covenant Gen. 15:18; Exo. 2:24
Exo 6:4b sojournings Gen. 17:8; 28:4; 37:1
Exo 6:6a redeem Exo. 15:13; Deut. 7:8; 1 Chron. 17:21; Neh. 1:10
Exo 6:6b outstretched Deut. 4:34; 26:8; 2 Kings 17:36; Psa. 136:12
Exo 6:7a people Deut. 4:20; 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; 2 Sam. 7:24; 1 Pet. 2:9
Exo 6:7b God Gen. 17:8; Exo. 29:45-46; Lev. 22:33; Deut. 29:13
Exo 6:7c know Exo. 10:2; 16:12; 29:46; 31:13; Deut. 29:6; cf. Exo. 7:5
Exo 6:7d burdens Exo. 5:4-5; Psa. 81:6
Exo 6:81a swore Gen. 26:3; Exo. 32:13; Ezek. 20:6; 47:14
Lit., lifted up My hand; i.e., made an oath, swore (Heb. 6:13-17).
Exo 6:9a harsh Exo. 1:14; 2:23
Exo 6:12a uncircumcised Exo. 6:30; 4:10
Exo 6:141 These
The record in vv. 14-25 is not a full genealogy of Israel’s twelve sons but a record of God’s selection, showing that God had chosen and ordained Moses and Aaron long before they were born (cf. Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:2). This should have given Moses the assurance that the commission God gave to Moses would be accomplished.
Exo 6:14a Reuben Gen. 46:9; 1 Chron. 5:3
Exo 6:15a Simeon Gen. 46:10; 1 Chron. 4:24
Exo 6:16a Levi vv. 16-19: Gen. 46:11; Num. 3:17-20; 1 Chron. 6:1-2, 16-19; 23:6-7, 12, 21
Exo 6:21a Korah Num. 16:1; 1 Chron. 6:37-38
Exo 6:22a Uzziel Lev. 10:4; Num. 3:30
Exo 6:23a Amminadab Ruth 4:19-20; 1 Chron. 2:10; Matt. 1:4; Luke 3:33
Exo 6:23b Nahshon Num. 1:7; 2:3; 7:12, 17; 10:14; Matt. 1:4; Luke 3:32
Exo 6:23c Nadab Lev. 10:1; Num. 3:2; 1 Chron. 6:3; 24:1
Exo 6:24a Assir 1 Chron. 6:22-23
Exo 6:25a Phinehas Num. 25:7, 11; Josh. 24:33; Psa. 106:30
Exo 6:26a Bring Exo. 7:4; 12:17, 51; Acts 13:17
Exo 6:26b armies Exo. 7:4; 12:17, 41, 51
Exo 6:30a uncircumcised Exo. 6:12
Exo 7:11a prophet Exo. 4:16
A prophet is not mainly one who predicts the future but one who speaks for another, as Aaron spoke for Moses (v. 2). On prophesying, see 1 Cor. 14:1, 3-5, 24-25, 31 and notes 13, 241, 251, and 311.
Exo 7:5a know Exo. 7:17; 8:10, 22; 14:4, 18; cf. Exo. 6:7
Exo 7:91 serpent
The significance of this miracle was to expose the true nature of the Egyptian living, i.e., that the fallen life in Egypt was under Satan the serpent’s usurping hand (cf. Eph. 2:2; 1 John 5:19).
Exo 7:11a wise cf. 2 Tim. 3:8
Exo 7:111 magicians
The magicians of Egypt can be compared to the philosophers of the world. The worldly philosophers may teach things similar to what is preached in the gospel and may also expose that life in the world issues in death (v. 22; see note 171), but they are not able to remove the death; only the gospel can do this (cf. 8:8-13). Just as Aaron’s staff swallowed up the magicians’ staffs (v. 12), the gospel swallows up all the philosophies of the world.
Exo 7:11b did Exo. 7:22; 8:7, 18
Exo 7:13a hardened Exo. 7:22; 8:19; 9:35; cf. Exo. 4:21; 7:14; 8:15
Exo 7:14a stubborn Exo. 9:7; cf. Exo. 7:13
Exo 7:151 Pharaoh
After the first two conflicts with Pharaoh, God used ten plagues to punish the Egyptians so that they might release His people, and to educate both the Egyptians and His people concerning the nature of the life in the world that they might be willing to forsake the worldly life. The ten plagues can be grouped into four categories. The first group includes the plagues of blood, frogs, and lice (7:15—8:19); the second group, the plagues of flies, pestilence, and boils (8:20—9:12); the third group, the plagues of hail, locusts, and darkness (9:13—10:29); and the fourth group, the plague of the killing of the firstborn (11:1-10; 12:29-30). The plagues in the first group were troublesome but not injurious; the plagues in the second group caused harm both to beasts and to men; the plagues in the third group destroyed the environment; and the last plague terminated the worldly life. By means of the ten plagues God was able to accomplish the exodus of His chosen people from Egypt and fully expose the nature and result of the life in the world (cf. Rev. 16:1-21).
Exo 7:15a morning Exo. 8:20; 9:13
Exo 7:16c serve Exo. 4:23; cf. Exo. 3:18; 5:1
Exo 7:171b blood vv. 17-21: Exo. 4:9; cf. Rev. 8:8; 11:6; 16:3-4
The waters of Egypt signify the worldly supply and enjoyment, and blood represents death, the issue of a life of sin (Rom. 6:23a). The significance of this first plague is that under the wrath of God’s judgment the life of Egypt, i.e., the life of the world, issues in nothing but death. The death signified by the blood exposes the nature and significance of the life in the world.
Exo 7:20a blood Psa. 78:44; 105:29
Exo 7:22a magicians 2 Tim. 3:8
Exo 8:21 frogs
The plague of frogs revealed to the Egyptians that everything they gained from the Nile, the source of Egypt’s supply, was not an enjoyment to them but a “frog,” a nuisance, a cause of trouble. This is the meaning of the living in the world.
Exo 8:6a frogs Psa. 78:45; 105:30; cf. Rev. 16:13
Exo 8:7a magicians 2 Tim. 3:8
Exo 8:8a Entreat Exo. 8:28; 9:28; 10:17
Exo 8:10b like Exo. 9:14; cf. Deut. 33:26; 2 Sam. 7:22; 1 Chron. 17:20; Psa. 86:8; Isa. 46:9; Jer. 10:6-7
Exo 8:151a hardened Exo. 8:32; 9:34; cf. Exo. 4:21; 7:13; 13:15; 2 Chron. 36:13
See note 121 in ch. 9.
Exo 8:161b lice Psa. 105:31
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 8:161 [1] Formerly, the dust (soil) of Egypt produced grain that could be used for food, but in this plague the dust became lice that caused great discomfort to the Egyptians. This indicates that the source of the supply of the living in the world eventually becomes a cause of irritation.
Exo 8:161 [2] In the first group of three plagues God exposed the nature of the fallen life of mankind. As He did so, He showed that the resources of man’s livelihood—the water and the earth—issue in death, trouble, and irritation.
Exo 8:18a magicians 2 Tim. 3:8
Exo 8:18b did Exo. 7:11, 22; 8:7
Exo 8:18c they cf. 2 Tim. 3:9
Exo 8:191a finger Psa. 8:3; Exo. 31:18; Deut. 9:10; Luke 11:20
See note 201 in Luke 11.
Exo 8:20a morning Exo. 7:15; 9:13
Exo 8:211 flies
The second group of three plagues dealt mainly with the air, another necessity for man’s life. The swarms of flies signify the pollution in the moral atmosphere of the world. The “air” in the world is filled with all manner of unclean and evil things.
Exo 8:22a set Exo. 9:4; 11:7; cf. Mal. 3:18
Exo 8:231a redemption Psa. 111:9
The redemption in this verse looks forward to the redemption accomplished by Christ. According to His righteousness God should have judged the heavens and the earth immediately after the fall of Adam. However, in order to fulfill His purpose to have a dwelling place among men, God put the universe under the redemption of Christ, which in His eternal view was foreordained before the foundation of the world (1 Pet. 1:19-20 and note 201; Heb. 2:9 and note 3). Hence, God has the freedom to either preserve the universe or to judge it and destroy it. Today, God extends His mercy by viewing all the people of the world under the redemption of Christ so that they might have the opportunity to repent and receive His redemption (cf. John 3:18). Pharaoh and the Egyptians rejected the redemption ordained by God and thus exposed themselves to God’s judgment (cf. 1 John 2:2 and note 2). Because God covered the children of Israel with Christ’s redemption, God’s judgment did not touch them (12:23).
Exo 8:24a flies Psa. 78:45; 105:31; cf. Isa. 7:18
Exo 8:251 land
I.e., in Egypt. See note 21 in ch. 5.
Exo 8:26a abomination Gen. 46:34
Exo 9:3a hand Exo. 3:20; 7:4-5; 9:15; 13:14; Acts 13:11; cf. Exo. 16:3
Exo 9:31b pestilence Psa. 78:50
The animals killed by this plague were used for both transportation and food. Thus, through this plague God judged both the transportation and the food in Egypt, indicating that the means of transportation and the way of eating in the world will be judged by God. Because the livestock belonged to the Egyptians, they were implicated in the sin of the Egyptians; hence, the livestock of the Egyptians were also subject to the righteous judgment of God.
Exo 9:41a distinction Exo. 8:22-23; 11:7
When He comes in to judge the world according to His righteousness, God still takes care of His people in order to fulfill His desire to have a dwelling place on earth (v. 26; 11:7; 12:13, 23; cf. Rev. 7).
Exo 9:81 ashes
At the end of the fifth plague all the resources of Egypt had been judged by God. Nevertheless, the ashes, the remainder of things burned, still had to be dealt with. This indicates that anything that remains of our fallen life must be judged by God. When the ashes were sprinkled into the air by Moses and Aaron, they became dust that caused boils. In the eyes of God, everything related to the Egyptian living, the living of the world, must be exposed and judged thoroughly. Even the “ashes,” the remains of sinful things, must be judged. Nothing of the life of the world should remain.
Exo 9:10a boils Deut. 28:27; Job 2:7; Isa. 38:21; Rev. 16:2
Exo 9:11a stand cf. 2 Tim. 3:9
Exo 9:121a hardened Exo. 4:21
On the one hand, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8); on the other hand, Pharaoh himself hardened his heart (8:15, 32; 9:34). This indicates both that God is sovereign (Rom. 9:14-24) and that man has a free will created by God and is therefore responsible for his actions. God’s sovereignty and man’s free will correspond and are not contradictory. God first hardened Pharaoh’s heart in His sovereignty (4:21), and Pharaoh carried out this hardening through his own free will. Because Pharaoh hardened his heart, eventually his heart hardened, i.e., became hard, and remained hard (7:13, 22; 8:19; 9:35).
Exo 9:141 you
Lit., your heart.
Exo 9:161 made
On the one hand, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart; on the other hand, He made Pharaoh stand. Because God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, Pharaoh would not submit to God’s dealings. Furthermore, realizing that Pharaoh, in himself, was not strong enough to stand against Him, God made him stand that He might have the opportunity to show His power and have His name proclaimed throughout all the earth (cf. Rom. 9:17). Pharaoh was never fully subdued by God; however, he was sovereignly used by God to fulfill God’s purpose. See note 41 in ch. 14.
Exo 9:16b show cf. Exo. 10:1-2; 14:17
Exo 9:16c name cf. Neh. 9:10; Psa. 83:18; Isa. 63:12
Exo 9:181a hail Josh. 10:11; Psa. 18:13; 78:47-48; 105:32; 148:8; Isa. 30:30; Ezek. 38:22; Rev. 8:7; 16:21
In the third group of three plagues, God altered some of the principles of nature. In this, the seventh, plague He changed the function of the rain so that it no longer watered the earth to produce life but became hail to damage the produce of the earth, and it no longer quenched people’s thirst but killed them. Moreover, the hail was mingled with fire (v. 24), indicating again that God had changed one of the natural principles that govern the earth.
Exo 9:25a hail Psa. 78:47; 105:32-33
Exo 9:26a children Exo. 8:22; 9:4, 6; 10:23; 11:7
Exo 9:27a sinned Exo. 10:16
Exo 9:27b righteous 2 Chron. 12:6; Psa. 129:4; 145:17; Lam. 1:18; Dan. 9:14
Exo 9:281 I
See note 21 in ch. 5.
Exo 9:29a hands 1 Kings 8:22, 38; Psa. 143:6; Isa. 1:15
Exo 9:29c earth cf. Deut. 10:14; Psa. 24:1; 1 Cor. 10:26
Exo 10:2a recount Exo. 13:8; Deut. 4:9; Psa. 78:5; Joel 1:3
Exo 10:3b humble 1 Kings 21:29; 2 Chron. 7:14; 34:27
Exo 10:4a locusts Lev. 11:22; Prov. 30:27; Joel 1:4; Rev. 9:3
Exo 10:81 Go
See note 21 in ch. 5.
Exo 10:9a flocks cf. Exo. 10:24
Exo 10:101 you
Lit., for evil is before your face.
Exo 10:12a Stretch cf. Exo. 7:19
Exo 10:13a staff Exo. 4:2
Exo 10:131 wind
In the eighth plague God changed the function of the wind so that it no longer supplied fresh air to support life but caused locusts to appear, which devoured what remained after the plague of the hail (vv. 5, 15).
Exo 10:13b locusts Psa. 78:46; 105:34
Exo 10:14a never Joel 2:2
Exo 10:15a vegetation Psa. 105:35
Exo 10:16a sinned Exo. 9:27
Exo 10:17a entreat Exo. 8:8
Exo 10:20a hardened Exo. 4:21
Exo 10:20b not Exo. 3:19
Exo 10:21a Stretch Exo. 9:22
Exo 10:211b darkness Psa. 105:28; Rev. 8:12; 16:10
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 10:211 [1] In the ninth plague God changed the function of the sun by bringing a thick darkness over the land of Egypt for three days (v. 22). The plagues of the hail (9:13-35), the locusts (10:1-20), and the thick darkness indicate that the very atmosphere over Egypt was no longer suitable for human life.
Exo 10:211 [2] Both the blood of the first plague (7:15-25) and the darkness of the ninth plague signify death. Hence, the first nine plagues went on from death to death, showing that the life of the world is altogether a matter of death (cf. Eph. 2:1-3).
Exo 10:23a Israel Exo. 9:4, 6, 26
Exo 10:241 Go
See note 21 in ch. 5.
Exo 10:24a flocks Exo. 10:9
Exo 10:25a sacrifice Exo. 3:18
Exo 10:27a hardened Exo. 4:21
Exo 10:27b not Exo. 3:19
Exo 11:1a plague cf. Exo. 4:23
Exo 11:1b drive Exo. 12:33, 39
Exo 11:3a favor Exo. 3:21; 12:36
Exo 11:4a midnight Exo. 12:29; Job 34:20
Exo 11:5a firstborn Exo. 12:29
Exo 11:5b millstones cf. Matt. 24:41; Luke 17:35
Exo 11:6a cry Exo. 12:30; Amos 5:16-17
Exo 11:7b distinction Exo. 8:22; 9:4
Exo 11:8a Get Exo. 12:33
Exo 11:10a hardened Exo. 4:21
Exo 11:10b not Exo. 3:19
Exo 12:21a beginning Exo. 40:2
The Hebrew people had two calendars, a civil calendar and a sacred calendar related to God’s salvation. This corresponds with the fact that God’s people have two births, two beginnings: a physical birth with a physical beginning and a spiritual birth with a spiritual beginning (cf. John 3:3-6). The Passover, a new beginning for the children of Israel, was held in the first month of the sacred year, the month of Abib (13:4 and note).
Exo 12:31a lamb Exo. 12:21; cf. John 1:29, 36; 1 Cor. 5:7
Exodus is a book of pictures that portray God’s salvation as revealed in the New Testament. The passover portrayed in this chapter is an all-inclusive type of Christ as our redemption to begin our experience of God’s salvation. It is a full development of Christ’s redemption first indicated in Gen. 3:21 (see notes there). The entire passover is a type of Christ (1 Cor. 5:7); Christ is not only the lamb of the passover (John 1:29) but also every aspect of the passover. See notes in this chapter and notes 41 in John 6 and 72 in 1 Cor. 5.
Exo 12:32 household
See note 311 in Acts 16.
Exo 12:41 neighbor
This shows that we should not only bring our own family to receive God’s salvation but also lead the families of our neighbors to share in God’s rich and boundless salvation, which our family cannot exhaust.
Exo 12:42 persons
That a household could be too small for the lamb, that the lamb was taken according to the number of persons, and that the count for the lamb was made according to the eating of each man indicate that as the Passover lamb, Christ is all-sufficient. The extent to which He can be enjoyed is both according to the number of people and according to our capacity to partake of Him.
Exo 12:5a blemish Lev. 22:19-21; Deut. 17:1; Mal. 1:14; cf. Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. 1:19
Exo 12:51 year-old
Signifying that the Lord Jesus as God’s redeeming Lamb was fresh and not used for any other purpose (Heb. 10:5-10).
Exo 12:52 sheep
According to Matt. 25:32-46, sheep signify those who are good, and goats, those who are evil. At the time of His crucifixion Christ was both a sheep and a goat: in Himself He was altogether good, but as our Substitute He was a sinner, in that He was made sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21).
Exo 12:61a fourteenth Exo. 12:18; Lev. 23:5; Num. 9:3; 28:16; Josh. 5:10; Ezra 6:19; Ezek. 45:21
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 12:61 [1] The passover lamb was taken on the tenth day of the month (v. 3) and was examined for four days to confirm that it was unblemished (v. 5); then it was killed on the fourteenth day. In the same way, the Lord Jesus as the real Passover lamb was examined for four days and was found to be perfect, without fault (John 8:46; 18:38; 19:4, 6), before He was killed on the day of the Passover (Luke 22:7-8, 14-15; John 18:28). See notes 11 in Mark 10, 371 in Mark 12, and 122 in Mark 14.
Exo 12:61 [2] In the Bible seven days signifies a period of completion, and the end of a week denotes the end of life. The fact that the passover lamb was killed on the fourteenth day of the month, the end of two complete weeks, signifies that Christ’s death terminated the entire history of our old life.
Exo 12:62 whole
As the Passover lamb, Christ was killed by all God’s people. Cf. note 201 in John 19.
Exo 12:63 at
Lit., between the two evenings; probably referring to the time interval between sunset and darkness. So also in 16:12; 29:39, 41; and 30:8.
Exo 12:6b twilight Exo. 16:12
Exo 12:71a blood Exo. 12:22; cf. John 19:34
The blood put on the doorposts and the lintel of the houses typifies the redeeming blood of Christ (Matt. 26:28; John 19:34; 1 Pet. 1:18-19). This blood opened the way for the redeemed ones to enter into the houses, implying that the blood of Christ opens the way for us to enter into Christ, who is typified by the house (Heb. 10:19). The same blood closed the way to the destroyer, thereby guarding the redeemed from judgment (v. 23).
Exo 12:72 houses
The houses in which the children of Israel ate the passover lamb typify Christ. The lamb was the means of redemption, and the house was the means of preserving the redeemed ones. As the redeeming one, Christ is the lamb, and as the keeping one, He is the house. The blood of the lamb was on the door, and the flesh of the lamb was in the house. The lamb, the house, and those who enjoyed the passover thus became one. This is a picture of the identification of the redeemed ones with Christ. See note 222.
Exo 12:81 flesh
The blood of the passover lamb was for redemption, to redeem the children of Israel out of God’s death-judgment, and the flesh of the lamb was for life supply, to strengthen the people to move out of Egypt. The flesh of the lamb signifies the crucified and resurrected life of Christ as the supply for God’s redeemed people. Through Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection His flesh has become the food of God’s redeemed. In the reality of the passover, Christ’s blood is drinkable, Christ’s flesh is eatable, and Christ in totality is eatable (John 6:51-57, 63 and notes).
Exo 12:82a unleavened Exo. 13:3, 6; Num. 9:11; Deut. 16:3; 1 Cor. 5:8
In the Scriptures leaven signifies what is sinful, evil, corrupt, and unclean in the eyes of God (1 Cor. 5:6, 8). To eat with unleavened bread means to eliminate all sinful things (see note 152). To eat with bitter herbs means to regret and repent, to experience a bitter taste regarding sinful things.
Exo 12:91 raw
To eat Christ “raw” is to regard Christ not as the Redeemer but only as a model or example of human living to be imitated. To eat Christ as if He were boiled with water is to regard His death on the cross merely as martyrdom under man’s persecution, not as death for our redemption. To eat Christ “roasted with fire” is to believe that on the cross Christ suffered for us under God’s holy wrath exercised in His judgment, as signified by the fire here (Heb. 12:29).
Exo 12:91a roasted Deut. 16:7; 2 Chron. 35:13
See note 91.
Exo 12:92 head
The head signifies wisdom, the legs signify activity and move, and the inward parts signify the inward parts of Christ’s being, including His mind, emotion, will, and heart with all their functions. Eating the passover lamb with the head, legs, and inward parts signifies taking Christ in His entirety, in His wisdom, activities, move, and inward parts (John 6:57; 1 Cor. 1:24; Rev. 14:4b; Phil. 1:8).
Exo 12:101 remain
Not to let anything of the lamb remain until morning signifies that we must receive Christ in a full way, not partially.
Exo 12:10a morning Exo. 23:18; 29:34; 34:25; Lev. 7:15; Deut. 16:4
Exo 12:111 with
The children of Israel applied the passover in such a way that they could become God’s army (vv. 17, 41, 51). Both their girding their loins and their putting sandals on their feet were their preparation for fighting (cf. Eph. 6:14a, 15). The girdle, the sandals, and the staff were all for their journey out of Egypt, a journey of warfare (13:18). Because the battle was imminent, they ate the passover lamb in haste. Their eating of the lamb equipped them for the battle.
Exo 12:11a girded cf. Luke 12:35; Eph. 6:14
Exo 12:112b passover Exo. 12:27; Lev. 23:5; Deut. 16:5; cf. 1 Cor. 5:7
The noun passover, from the verb pass over (v. 13), indicates that the judgment of God passes over us because of the blood of Christ, the real Passover lamb (John 1:29).
Exo 12:12a pass Exo. 11:4-5; 12:23
Exo 12:121b firstborn Exo. 12:29
The firstborn here signifies the natural man, the old man in Adam. Since Adam was the first man (1 Cor. 15:45a), the firstborn includes everyone who is in Adam (cf. 1 Cor. 15:22a). The redeeming blood of Christ is not effective for those who remain in Adam (see note 22 in 1 John 2; cf. note 222 in this chapter). Furthermore, to apply Christ as the Passover in a complete and adequate way, we must condemn everything within us that is related to the firstborn, that is, to Adam (1 Cor. 5:6-8; Eph. 4:22).
Exo 12:122 gods
The firstborn were the constituents of Egypt, whereas the gods were components of Satan’s kingdom. During the passover both were judged. Behind all the gods of Egypt were Satan and the demons (cf. 1 Cor. 10:20). Therefore, on the night of the passover, Satan and all the demons also were judged. In the fulfillment of the passover, both the world and Satan with his evil power of darkness were judged by God through Christ’s death on the cross (John 12:31; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14).
Exo 12:12c Jehovah Exo. 6:2; Isa. 43:11
Exo 12:13a blood Heb. 11:28
Exo 12:13b sign Exo. 13:9
Exo 12:141 memorial
This indicates that we should remember Christ’s redemption perpetually in a specific and detailed way.
Exo 12:14a keep Exo. 12:17; Deut. 16:1; 2 Kings 23:21
Exo 12:142 feast
The Passover was to be kept as a feast to Jehovah; i.e., it was to be eaten with enjoyment both for Jehovah and with Jehovah. The emphasis in the Passover is on the eating of the passover (vv. 8-11; Luke 22:11, 15). The significance of eating is that we live by what we eat (John 6:57).
Exo 12:151 Seven
The Passover itself, held on the fourteenth day of the first month (vv. 2, 6), lasted only one day. Continuing from the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasted seven days (vv. 15-20; 13:6-7). See notes 171 in Matt. 26 and 81 in 1 Cor. 5.
Exo 12:152a unleavened Exo. 13:6-7; 23:15; 34:18; Lev. 23:6; Num. 28:17; Deut. 16:3, 8; cf. 1 Cor. 5:7-8
In the Feast of the Passover the lamb was to be eaten with unleavened bread (v. 8 and note 2). In the continuation of the Passover the eating of unleavened bread for seven days (a full course of time) signifies that for our entire Christian life, from the time we receive Christ and are saved, we should continue our enjoyment by eliminating everything sinful. During the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, no leaven was to be found in the houses (v. 19), and no leaven was to be seen among the people of Israel (13:7). This signifies that, although it is impossible for us to be completely without sin, we must eliminate any sin that is seen; i.e., we must forsake the sin of which we are conscious (cf. Heb. 12:1). To deal with manifested sin is to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (1 Cor. 5:7-8). If we tolerate sin once it is exposed, we will lose the enjoyment of the fellowship of God’s people (v. 19; 1 Cor. 5:13). The only way to eliminate sin is to daily eat Christ as the crucified, resurrected, and sinless life, signified by the unleavened bread.
Exo 12:153 person
Lit., soul. So also elsewhere in this chapter.
Exo 12:15b cut cf. Num. 9:13; Gen. 17:14
Exo 12:16a holy Lev. 23:7-8; Num. 28:18, 25
Exo 12:161 No
This signifies that in partaking of God’s salvation there is place only for eating, for enjoyment, not for any human work (cf. Rom. 3:20).
Exo 12:17a brought Exo. 7:4; 12:51
Exo 12:17b armies Exo. 6:26
Exo 12:18a fourteenth Exo. 12:6
Exo 12:18b unleavened Exo. 12:15
Exo 12:21a lambs Exo. 12:3
Exo 12:221a hyssop Lev. 14:6; Num. 19:18; Psa. 51:7; Heb. 9:19
Hyssop was among the smallest of the plants (1 Kings 4:33). Here it signifies our faith, which God does not require to be great (Matt. 17:20). The blood of Christ, the Passover lamb, is applied not by great faith but by a small amount of faith. Even a little faith is sufficient for us to apply the blood of Christ that we may enter into Him as the house and have a full enjoyment of the Passover.
Exo 12:22b blood Exo. 12:7; Heb. 11:28
Exo 12:222 outside
To participate in the passover, the children of Israel had to enter into and remain in the houses that had been sprinkled with the blood (vv. 13, 22-23). In the same principle, to participate in Christ and His redemption, we must be identified with Christ by entering into Him and remaining in Him (Eph. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:30; John 15:4; cf. Gal. 5:2, 4). The house and the blood were inseparable; likewise, Christ and His redemption are one. See notes 212 in Gen. 3, 143 in Gen. 6, and 181, par. 2, in Gen. 8.
Exo 12:22c entrance cf. Isa. 26:20
Exo 12:23a pass Exo. 12:12-13
Exo 12:25a promised cf. Exo. 3:8, 17
Exo 12:26a children Exo. 13:8, 14; Deut. 6:20
Exo 12:27a passover Exo. 12:11, 23
Exo 12:27b bowed Exo. 4:31
Exo 12:29a midnight Exo. 11:4
Exo 12:291b struck Exo. 4:23; 11:5; 12:12; 13:15; Num. 3:13; 8:17; 33:4; Psa. 78:51; 105:36; 135:8; 136:10
In the tenth and final plague, the firstborn of the Egyptians and even the firstborn of their beasts were killed (see note 121). This was done by God to display His sovereignty, i.e., His absolute right, authority, and power, in relation to Pharaoh and His mercy in relation to Israel (Rom. 9:14-24). By this last plague Pharaoh was subdued (11:1; 12:21-30, 33), albeit only temporarily.
Exo 12:30a cry Exo. 11:6
Exo 12:32a flocks cf. Exo. 10:9-11, 24-26
Exo 12:331a urged Exo. 6:1; 11:1; 12:39; cf. Psa. 105:38
In order to accomplish the salvation of His people, God subdued Pharaoh and all the Egyptians by the strength of His hand (13:3, 14) so that they drove the people out of Egypt (v. 39; 11:1). The blood of the passover lamb saved God’s people from His judgment, but the subduing of the environment by God’s hand was required to save them from Pharaoh’s usurpation. This portrays the way in which the almighty saving God saves His redeemed people from Satan and the world.
Exo 12:341 leavened
Because the children of Israel were driven out of Egypt, they had no time to bring leavened food (vv. 34, 39). Thus, they left Egypt in a pure way, with no leaven. See note 82.
Exo 12:35a articles Exo. 3:22
Exo 12:36a favor Exo. 3:21; 11:3
Exo 12:361b plundered Gen. 15:14
This was not a robbery but a belated and righteous payment for a long period of slave labor. The silver, gold, and clothing (v. 35) given to the children of Israel by the Egyptians were used not for the enrichment of God’s people but for the building of the tabernacle (25:2-8; 35:4-9). To plunder the world is not to take anything from the world unrighteously; it is to labor in the world and use the gain from our labor for the building of God’s dwelling place, God’s testimony on earth.
Exo 12:37a Rameses Gen. 47:11; Exo. 1:11; Num. 33:3, 5
Exo 12:37b six Num. 11:21; cf. Exo. 38:26; Num. 1:46
Exo 12:381a mixed Num. 11:4; Neh. 13:3
In making an absolute exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel brought all their possessions with them. They were so prevailing that a mixed multitude, some who were not Israelites, were willing to follow them. This is the kind of departure from the world that is ordained by God.
Exo 12:39a driven Exo. 12:33
Exo 12:401 Egypt
The Septuagint adds, and in the land of Canaan.
Exo 12:402a four Gal. 3:17; cf. Gen. 15:13; Acts 7:6
See note 173 in Gal. 3.
Exo 12:41a armies Exo. 6:26
Exo 12:41b went Acts 7:36
Exo 12:421 watching
During the night of the passover God was watching over His people in order to bring them out of the world, and they cooperated with Him by watching with Him and to Him. In order to make an exodus from the world, we should not “sleep” but should be watchful, vigilant, and alert (Rom. 13:11-13a; 1 Thes. 5:5-7).
Exo 12:431 foreigner
A foreigner signifies both an unbeliever and the natural man, who is no different from an unbeliever. A hired servant (v. 45) signifies the natural man who works for God in the natural life in order to receive compensation (Rom. 4:4-5 and notes 41 and 42). A purchased servant (v. 44) signifies one who has been redeemed by the Lord and serves Him as a slave (Rom. 1:1 and note 2). Such a redeemed one must also be circumcised (vv. 44, 48); i.e., his natural life must be cut off through the cross (Phil. 3:3; Col. 2:11). Only the redeemed and circumcised ones are qualified to partake of Christ as God’s Passover.
Exo 12:44a circumcised cf. Gen. 17:12-13
Exo 12:45a sojourner Lev. 22:10
Exo 12:461a bones Num. 9:12; John 19:36
When Christ was crucified, His legs were not broken (John 19:33, 36). Christ’s unbroken bone signifies His unbreakable and indestructible eternal life that imparts life into us. See notes 212 in Gen. 2 and 362 in John 19.
Exo 12:48a stranger Num. 9:14
Exo 12:49a law Num. 9:14; 15:15
Exo 12:51a brought Exo. 12:17; 13:3, 14; Acts 13:17
Exo 12:511b armies Exo. 6:26
God’s people left Egypt as an army arrayed for battle (13:18). God’s complete redemption produces an army to fight for His interests on earth (cf. Eph. 6:10-20).
Exo 13:21 Sanctify
The purpose of the exodus of God’s people from the world is to be sanctified to the Lord. Sanctification is based on redemption. The Lord required only the firstborn (vv. 2, 12-13) to be sanctified because they were the redeemed ones (12:12-13). According to the divine requirement, all who are redeemed must also be sanctified. Redemption is for the security of God’s people; sanctification is for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. See Rom. 6:19, 22 and note 192.
Exo 13:2a firstborn Exo. 13:12-13, 15; 22:29-30; 34:19; Num. 3:13; 8:16-17; 18:15, 17; Deut. 15:19; Luke 2:23
Exo 13:3a Remember Deut. 16:3
Exo 13:3b slave Exo. 13:14; Deut. 7:8; 13:5; Josh. 24:17; Judg. 6:8; Micah 6:4
Exo 13:31c strength Exo. 3:19; 6:1
See note 331 in ch. 12.
Exo 13:3d brought Exo. 12:51; 20:2
Exo 13:3e leavened cf. Exo. 34:25
Exo 13:41a Abib Exo. 23:15; 34:18; Deut. 16:1
Meaning sprouting, budding and denoting a new beginning of life. This is required for God’s people to be sanctified to Him for His satisfaction. In this new beginning there must be no leaven (vv. 6-7; see note 152 in ch. 12).
Exo 13:5a Canaanites Exo. 3:8; 23:23; 33:2-3; 34:11; Josh. 12:8; 24:11; Judg. 3:5
Exo 13:5c milk Exo. 3:8; Deut. 26:9, 15
Exo 13:5d service Exo. 12:25
Exo 13:6a unleavened Exo. 12:15-16
Exo 13:8a son Exo. 12:26-27
Exo 13:9a sign Exo. 13:16; Deut. 6:8; 11:18
Exo 13:91 memorial
Those who are sanctified by taking Christ as their Substitute (v. 2), who have a new beginning of life (v. 4), and who eliminate all exposed sin (vv. 6-7) will have a daily living that is worthy of being a memorial, an eternal remembrance.
Exo 13:92 law
Or, teaching.
Exo 13:10a keep Exo. 12:14, 17, 24, 42
Exo 13:12a opens Exo. 13:2
Exo 13:131 first
In order to be saved from God’s judgment, the firstborn of both man and beast had to be redeemed by the passover lamb (12:12-13). Here, in order to be sanctified to God, the firstborn of both a donkey and a man had to be redeemed with a lamb. This is because both a donkey and a man are unclean in the eyes of God and cannot be offered to God for His satisfaction (Lev. 11:1-8; 12:1-8). Hence, both a donkey and a man had to be redeemed again in sanctification. This shows that our natural life must be replaced by Christ. For both our salvation and our sanctification, we need Christ to be our Substitute (1 Pet. 3:18a; Gal. 2:20).
Exo 13:13a lamb Exo. 34:20
Exo 13:13b redeem Num. 3:46-47; 18:15-16
Exo 13:14a son Exo. 12:26
Exo 13:14b brought Exo. 13:3; 20:2; Deut. 5:6; 6:12; 8:14; 13:5, 10; Josh. 24:17; Judg. 6:8; Acts 13:17
Exo 13:14c slave Exo. 13:3
Exo 13:15a hardened cf. Exo. 4:21; 7:13; 8:15
Exo 13:15b against Exo. 3:19
Exo 13:15c slew Exo. 12:29
Exo 13:15d firstborn Exo. 13:2
Exo 13:16a sign Exo. 13:9
Exo 13:16b brought Exo. 13:14; Acts 13:17
Exo 13:171 lead
God’s people had God’s command concerning the exodus from Egypt (12:21-27), but they needed the Lord’s leading as well as His command. The Lord’s leading is conditional. According to this chapter, in order to have God’s leading, God’s people need to be sanctified (v. 2), to have a new beginning of a sinless life (vv. 4-7), and to be in resurrection (v. 19).
Exo 13:17a return Num. 14:1-4; Neh. 9:17
Exo 13:181a around cf. Num. 33:6-10
Because of the possibility of war with the Philistines, God did not lead the children of Israel in a straight way to the good land (v. 17). Instead, He turned them around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea, leading them seemingly to a dead end (14:2-3). This tempted Pharaoh to pursue them and produced an ideal environment for God to baptize His people and bury Pharaoh and his army (ch. 14).
Exo 13:191 bones
A bone signifies an unbreakable life, a life in resurrection (Gen. 2:21 and note 2; John 19:33, 36). Thus, the bringing of Joseph’s bones out of Egypt into the good land signifies resurrection and indicates that those who share in the kingdom of God will no longer be in the natural life, signified by flesh and blood, but in the resurrection life, signified by Joseph’s bones (1 Cor. 15:50). In the eyes of God all the children of Israel had been dead and buried in Egypt (see note 61 in ch. 1). The exodus from Egypt, therefore, was actually a resurrection. The exodus from the world, the genuine sanctification to the Lord (v. 2), and a new beginning of a sinless life (vv. 4-7) can be accomplished only by the resurrection life.
Exo 13:19a God Gen. 50:25
Exo 13:19b bones Josh. 24:32; Heb. 11:22
Exo 13:20a Succoth Exo. 12:37; Num. 33:6
Exo 13:211a cloud Exo. 14:19-24; 40:38; Num. 9:15-23; 14:14; Deut. 1:33; Neh. 9:12, 19; Psa. 78:14; 99:7; 105:39; Isa. 4:5; 1 Cor. 10:1; cf. Heb. 12:1
In typology the cloud signifies the Spirit (1 Cor. 10:1-2 and notes 14 and 23), and the fire, for enlightening, signifies the Word of God (Psa. 119:105). Hence, the instant, living leading from God comes through either the Spirit or the Word. The two pillars symbolize God Himself, for He is both the Spirit and the Word (John 4:24; 1:1). Furthermore, the Word is also the Spirit (John 6:63; Eph. 6:17). Thus, God, the Word, and the Spirit are one to lead and guide us continually, whether by day or by night. In the Christian life there is no difference between day and night, for the light from the pillar of fire causes the night to become day.
Exo 14:2a Pi-hahiroth Num. 33:7-8
Exo 14:3a wandering Exo. 13:18
Exo 14:41a harden Exo. 4:21
See note 121 in ch. 9. God used Pharaoh to glorify Himself and to carry out His salvation for His chosen people. Pharaoh’s opposition created an environment that made the passover, the exodus, and the crossing of the Red Sea possible. In the same principle, God uses Satan’s opposition for the accomplishing of His people’s salvation (cf. note 63 in Job 1).
Exo 14:4b glorify Exo. 14:17
Exo 14:5a heart cf. Psa. 105:25
Exo 14:8b going Num. 33:3; cf. Exo. 6:1; 13:3, 9, 16; Deut. 26:8
Exo 14:81 boldly
Lit., with a high hand.
Exo 14:10a cried Josh. 24:7; Neh. 9:9
Exo 14:11a die Exo. 16:3; 17:3
Exo 14:12a better Exo. 16:3; Num. 11:5; 14:3-4; Acts 7:39
Exo 14:13a salvation 2 Chron. 20:17; Gen. 49:18; Psa. 3:8; Isa. 12:2; Jer. 3:23; Lam. 3:26; Jonah 2:9
Exo 14:14a fight Deut. 1:30; 3:22; 20:4; Josh. 10:14; 23:3; Neh. 4:20
Exo 14:141 still
Or, silent.
Exo 14:16a staff Exo. 4:2
Exo 14:17a harden cf. Exo. 4:21
Exo 14:17b glorify Exo. 14:4
Exo 14:18a know Exo. 7:5
Exo 14:191a Angel Exo. 23:20; 32:34; Num. 20:16; Isa. 63:9
The Angel of God here is the Angel of Jehovah who called Moses (3:2, 4 and note 21). The Angel of Jehovah is Christ as God’s sent One. The fact that God’s sent One went before the camp of Israel indicates that Christ was the One who was leading the people. When the Angel of God moved, the pillar moved also, showing that the Angel and the pillar were one. Christ and the leading Spirit cannot be separated (John 14:17-20; 16:13; 2 Cor. 3:17; Rev. 5:6).
Exo 14:201 darkness
Whenever those who follow the Lord face opposition, the guiding light spontaneously becomes the protecting light; however, to the opposers the protecting light becomes darkness.
Exo 14:21a dry Josh. 4:23; Psa. 66:6; 106:9
Exo 14:21b divided Neh. 9:11; Psa. 74:13; 78:13; Isa. 51:15; 63:12
Exo 14:221 went
The children of Israel crossed the Red Sea by faith (Heb. 11:29). In v. 11 they had no faith at all, but after God spoke to Moses in vv. 15-16, spontaneously they had the faith to walk into the sea (cf. Rom. 10:17). Likewise, at their baptism new believers should be encouraged to exercise faith in God as the One who operates in baptism (Col. 2:12 and note 3). See note 301.
Exo 14:22a dry Exo. 14:29; 15:19; Heb. 11:29
Exo 14:24a fire Exo. 13:21-22; cf. Isa. 4:5-6
Exo 14:251 He
Or, He took off their chariot wheels. Some ancient versions translate, He bound their chariot wheels.
Exo 14:27a returned cf. Josh. 4:18
Exo 14:281a covered Exo. 15:5, 10; Deut. 11:4; Neh. 9:11; Psa. 78:53; 106:11
Pharaoh and his army were terminated and buried in the Red Sea. This signifies that Satan and the world were judged and buried in baptism (Rom. 6:3-4a; John 12:31; Heb. 2:14).
Exo 14:29a walked Exo. 14:22; 1 Cor. 10:1
Exo 14:301a saved Psa. 106:8, 10
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 14:301 [1] Like the passing of Noah’s ark through the waters of the flood, the crossing of the Red Sea was a type of baptism (1 Cor. 10:1-2 and notes 14 through 23; Gen. 7:17-23 and note 171). The waters of the Red Sea were used by God to save His people and separate them from Pharaoh and Egypt. The children of Israel were saved through the Red Sea into the wilderness, a realm of resurrection and separation (15:22 and note 1), where they were free from all bondage and slavery to fulfill God’s purpose by building the tabernacle as God’s dwelling place on earth. Likewise, through baptism the New Testament believers are saved from Satan and the world into a realm of resurrection (Rom. 6:3-5) and separation (Acts 2:40-41), in which they are free to accomplish God’s purpose by building up the church as the dwelling place of God.
Exo 14:301 [2] This marked the completion of the first stage of God’s complete salvation of His chosen people, a stage that included the passover, the exodus from Egypt, and the crossing of the Red Sea. The passover, typifying Christ with His redemption, was sufficient to save God’s people from God’s righteous judgment (12:12-13). However, in order to be saved absolutely from the tyranny of Pharaoh and the enslavement in Egypt, the children of Israel needed the exodus and the crossing of the Red Sea. Likewise, after enjoying Christ’s redemption to be saved from God’s judgment, the New Testament believers need to leave the world and be baptized (cf. Mark 16:16a and note 1).
Exo 14:31a believed Psa. 106:12; Exo. 4:31; cf. John 2:11; 11:45
Exo 14:311 Moses
According to 1 Cor. 10:2, the children of Israel were “baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” Moses was a type of Christ and a representative of Christ (Heb. 3:1-6). Hence, by being baptized unto Moses, the children of Israel were actually baptized unto Christ, who was their real Leader (v. 19 and note; 23:20 and note). In the cloud and in the sea signify in the Spirit and into the death of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 6:3-4 and notes 33 through 42). Just as the cloud and the sea were one, so the Spirit and the death of Christ are one (Rom. 8:13).
Exo 15:1a sang Psa. 106:12; cf. Rev. 15:3; Judg. 5:1
Exo 15:11 song
See note 31 in Rev. 15.
Exo 15:12 He
Or, He is highly exalted. So also in v. 21.
Exo 15:21 Jah
A shortened form of Jehovah.
Exo 15:2a strength Isa. 12:2; Psa. 118:14; 18:1-2; 59:17; 140:7
Exo 15:22b salvation Exo. 14:13
In vv. 1-12 the children of Israel praised God for His salvation and His victory (v. 1b). Salvation is related to God’s people, and victory, to God’s enemy. At the time God defeated the enemy, He also saved His people (cf. Heb. 2:14-15).
Exo 15:2c praise Deut. 10:21; Psa. 109:1
Exo 15:2d exalt 2 Sam. 22:47; Psa. 18:46; 99:5, 9; 145:1; Isa. 25:1
Exo 15:3a war cf. Psa. 24:8; Rev. 19:11
Exo 15:3b name Exo. 3:15; 6:3; Psa. 83:18; Isa. 42:8
Exo 15:4a chariots Exo. 14:6, 9, 23, 26-28
Exo 15:5a cover Exo. 14:28; 15:10
Exo 15:6a right Psa. 118:15-16
Exo 15:7a stubble Isa. 5:24; 47:14; Mal. 4:1
Exo 15:8a blast 2 Sam. 22:16; Psa. 18:15
Exo 15:8b heap Psa. 78:13; cf. Josh. 3:16
Exo 15:10a covered Exo. 14:28; 15:5
Exo 15:11a like Deut. 3:24; 1 Sam. 2:2; Psa. 71:19; 89:6
Exo 15:11b holiness Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8
Exo 15:11c praises Psa. 22:3; 78:4; Isa. 60:6; 63:7
Exo 15:11d wonders Psa. 77:14
Exo 15:13a redeemed 2 Sam. 7:23; 1 Chron. 17:21; Neh. 1:10; Psa. 77:15
Exo 15:13b guided Psa. 77:20; 78:52-54
Exo 15:131 holy
This verse speaks of God’s habitation, even though the temple as God’s dwelling place was not built until centuries later. God’s habitation was first the tabernacle and then the temple, both of which typify the church (cf. note 92 in ch. 25). The tabernacle was constructed within a year after the exodus from Egypt (13:4; 40:17), and it remained with the people until the temple was built (1 Kings 5—7). The mention of God’s habitation here indicates that baptism leads to the church life (Acts 2:38-47).
Exo 15:141 peoples
In poetic form vv. 14-15 are a prophecy that the children of Israel would defeat God’s enemies and take possession of the good land. The peoples signify the unbelievers, the heathen: the Philistines, who lived between Egypt and the good land, signify the people of the religious world (1 Sam. 6:1-18 and note 41); the Edomites, the descendants of Esau (Gen. 36:1), signify those who are natural, those who are not chosen, redeemed, regenerated, and transformed (Rom. 9:10-13); the descendants of Lot, the Moabites, signify the fleshly ones, for their source was an act of incest (Gen. 19:30-38); and the Canaanites are related to the evil powers in the heavenlies (Eph. 6:12). The intention of all the enemies was to keep God’s people from reaching His goal—the building of His dwelling place for the fulfillment of His purpose. Nevertheless, in the eyes of God His goal has already been achieved. Thus, Moses used the perfect tense when speaking of God’s habitation (vv. 13, 17) and the apostle John used the past tense in describing the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2—22:5).
Exo 15:15a Edom cf. Deut. 2:4
Exo 15:15b Moab cf. Num. 22:3
Exo 15:15c melted Josh. 2:9, 11, 24; 5:1
Exo 15:16a Terror Deut. 2:25; 11:25
Exo 15:16b stone 1 Sam. 25:37
Exo 15:16c purchased Psa. 74:2
Exo 15:17a plant Psa. 80:8; Jer. 32:41
Exo 15:17b mountain Psa. 78:54
Exo 15:181a reign Psa. 10:16; 29:10; 146:10; Dan. 2:44; Rev. 11:15
God’s habitation, God’s house, brings in God’s kingdom, God’s reign. Today the church is first God’s house and then His kingdom (1 Tim. 3:15; Rom. 14:17). The church brings in God’s kingdom to the earth (Eph. 2:19; Matt. 16:18-19). Thus, vv. 1-18 indicate that the goal of God’s salvation is the building of His dwelling place for the establishing of His kingdom.
Exo 15:19a sea Exo. 14:23
Exo 15:19b upon Exo. 14:28-29
Exo 15:20a Miriam Num. 26:59; Micah 6:4
Exo 15:20b prophetess Judg. 4:4; 2 Kings 22:14; Luke 2:36; Acts 21:9
Exo 15:211 responded
Or, sang to them.
Exo 15:21a Sing Exo. 15:1
Exo 15:221 three
Three days signifies resurrection (Matt. 16:21; Acts 10:40; 1 Cor. 15:4). This indicates that it was in resurrection that the people of God were separated from Egypt. Negatively, the wilderness signifies a place of wandering (Num. 14:33), but here it signifies, positively, a place of separation from the world. A journey of three days corresponds to baptism, which brings people out of the world through Christ’s death and into a wilderness, a realm of separation, in Christ’s resurrection (Rom. 6:3-5). See notes 301 in ch. 14 and 171 in Gen. 7.
Exo 15:222 no
This signifies that in the realm of resurrection there is no natural water, no natural supply.
Exo 15:231a Marah cf. Ruth 1:20
Meaning bitterness. The bitter waters of Marah signify the bitter circumstances encountered by God’s people as they walk in the realm of resurrection under God’s leading and find that there is no natural supply for their need.
Exo 15:24a murmured Exo. 16:2; 17:3
Exo 15:251 tree
The tree that healed the bitter waters signifies the cross of Christ, which is a healing cross (1 Pet. 2:24). As Moses saw a vision of a tree and cast the tree into the bitter waters, we need to see a vision of the crucified Christ and apply the cross of Christ to our bitter situations. The experience of Christ’s death in the realm of resurrection (Phil. 3:10) will cause our bitter situations to become sweet.
Exo 15:25a waters cf. 2 Kings 2:21
Exo 15:252b tested Exo. 16:4; Deut. 8:2, 16; Judg. 2:22; 3:1, 4; Psa. 66:10
God uses our experience of the cross in bitter circumstances to test us and expose us.
Exo 15:26a diseases Exo. 23:25; Deut. 7:15; cf. Deut. 28:60
Exo 15:261 Jehovah
Or, Jehovah your Healer. The fact that Jehovah was their Healer indicates that the children of Israel were sick (Matt. 9:12 and notes). This signifies that not only the waters of our circumstances are sometimes bitter (see note 231), but we ourselves also are bitter (i.e., sick) and in need of healing (cf. v. 24). As we experience the cross of Christ and live a crucified life, Christ’s resurrection life becomes our healing power and the Lord becomes our Healer. Cf. notes 43 in Isa. 53, 171 in Matt. 8, and 247 in 1 Pet. 2.
Exo 15:26b heals Psa. 103:3; 147:3; Hosea 6:1
Exo 15:271a Elim Num. 33:9
Meaning mighty ones, strong ones, or great trees.
Exo 15:272 twelve
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 15:272 [1] Israel’s experience at Elim is a picture of the experience of resurrection life, which issues from the experience of the cross at Marah. At Elim there were twelve springs flowing and seventy palm trees growing. In the Bible a spring signifies life that flows out of God in resurrection into His chosen people (John 4:10, 14; 7:37-39; Rev. 22:1), and palm trees signify life that is flourishing (Psa. 92:12), rejoicing in satisfaction (Lev. 23:40; Neh. 8:15), and victorious over tribulation (John 12:13; Rev. 7:9). The number twelve signifies the mingling of divinity with humanity for the complete and perfect carrying out of God’s administration eternally (see notes 122 and 131 in Rev. 21 and note 24 in Rev. 22). Seventy equals seven times ten. The number seven signifies completion and perfection in God’s dispensational move (see note 291 in Rev. 2), and the number ten signifies fullness (see note 102 in Rev. 2). Hence, the number seventy signifies completion and perfection temporally for God’s dispensational move in full. Thus, the twelve springs at Elim signify God as living water flowing into His chosen people to be mingled with them for the accomplishing of His eternal administration, and the seventy palm trees signify God as life growing in His people to carry out His administration dispensationally to express the riches of the divine life and its victory.
Exo 15:272 [2] When used together, the numbers twelve and seventy signify that God’s people are to carry out His ministry (24:1, 4; Luke 9:1; 10:1) by the flowing life signified by the twelve springs and the growing life signified by the seventy palm trees.
Exo 16:21a murmured Exo. 15:24; 17:3; 1 Cor. 10:10
Murmuring is an expression of the flesh, the totality of man’s fallen being (cf. Phil. 2:14). Although the thirst of the people had been quenched by the twelve springs at Elim (15:27), the people were still hungry because of the lack of food. In such a situation the flesh of God’s people was exposed. This shows that the shortage of Christ as our spiritual nourishment will always cause our flesh with its lusts to be exposed. After the flesh was exposed, God sent manna to nourish His people (vv. 13-15). God’s way of dealing with the flesh of His people is to change their diet. The only way to conquer the flesh is to be filled with Christ by enjoying Him daily as the heavenly life supply, signified by manna (see notes 41 and 151).
Exo 16:3a died cf. Num. 20:2-5
Exo 16:31b fleshpots Num. 11:4-5; cf. Acts 7:39
The Egyptian diet denotes the worldly things and amusements that people feed on in order to find satisfaction. In Egypt the children of Israel had eaten only Egyptian food; hence, they had become Egyptian in both their constitution and their appetite. Their desire here for Egyptian food indicates that their experience of redemption through the passover lamb and the exodus from Egypt with the crossing of the Red Sea had not changed their inward constitution and worldly taste (Num. 11:4-5). Contrary to God’s desire, the people wanted to live the same way as they had lived in Egypt (cf. 1 Pet. 1:18 and note 2).
Exo 16:3c kill Exo. 14:11; 17:3
Exo 16:41 bread
This was manna (vv. 15, 31), a type of Christ as the unique, heavenly food for God’s people (John 6:31-35). By giving them manna to eat, God indicated that His intention was to change the nature of His people, to change their very constitution, for the accomplishing of His purpose. Because the children of Israel were still constituted with the Egyptian element and were thus the same as the Egyptians, they were not qualified to build up the tabernacle as God’s habitation on earth. For forty years God gave the children of Israel nothing to eat but manna (v. 35; Num. 11:6). This shows that God’s intention in His salvation is to work Himself into the believers in Christ and to change their constitution by feeding them with Christ as their unique heavenly food, thereby reconstituting them with Christ in order to qualify them to build up the church as God’s dwelling place. In fact, after being reconstituted with Christ, the believers themselves become the dwelling place of God (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16; 1 Tim. 3:15; Heb. 3:6; Rev. 21:2-3).
Exo 16:4a heaven Neh. 9:15; Psa. 78:24-25; 105:40; John 6:31-32; 1 Cor. 10:3
Exo 16:4b test Exo. 15:25
Exo 16:42 in
Or, according to My instruction. The regulations concerning the gathering of manna (vv. 4-5, 16-30) were a test to prove whether or not God’s people corresponded to Him. Eating manna regulated God’s people and caused them to live, behave, and walk according to God. By contrast, the eating of quails was wild and without restriction (v. 13a; Num. 11:31-33a), corresponding to the Egyptian style, fashion, and manner.
Exo 16:6a know Exo. 6:7; 16:12; cf. Num. 16:28-31
Exo 16:7a glory Exo. 16:10
Exo 16:7b hears Num. 14:27
Exo 16:7c murmur Num. 16:11
Exo 16:8a against Num. 14:27; 17:5; 1 Sam. 8:7; cf. Luke 10:16
Exo 16:9a Aaron cf. Exo. 4:14-16
Exo 16:9b before Num. 16:16
Exo 16:101a glory Exo. 16:7; 24:16; 29:43; 40:34; Lev. 9:23; Num. 14:10; 16:19; 1 Kings 8:10-11; 2 Chron. 5:14; 7:1-3; Isa. 6:3-4; Ezek. 43:5; Hag. 2:7, 9; Rom. 9:4; Rev. 15:8; 21:23
God dealt with His people’s flesh by showing them His glory. God’s glory appeared for the purpose of rescuing His people from their murmuring by condemning them.
Exo 16:12a twilight cf. Exo. 12:6
Exo 16:12b know Exo. 6:7
Exo 16:131a quails Num. 11:31; Psa. 78:27; 105:40
God sent quails (cf. Num. 11:31) to satisfy the lust of the people in their eating (v. 12; cf. Num. 11:18, 32), to show them His sufficiency, and to discipline them with His anger (cf. Num. 11:19-20, 33-34). The Egyptian diet corresponded to the lust of the people’s flesh and nourished it, causing the people to become more fleshly. Manna, on the contrary, came from heaven (v. 4) and caused those who ate it to become heavenly.
Exo 16:132b dew Num. 11:9
The quails that satisfied the lust of the people came in the evening, but manna was always sent in the morning, causing the people to have a new beginning each day. Furthermore, it was sent with the dew (v. 14; Num. 11:9), which signifies the Lord’s refreshing and watering grace brought in by His fresh compassions (cf. Psa. 133:3; Prov. 19:12; Lam. 3:22-23). Grace is God reaching us to refresh us and water us. Christ as our daily manna always comes by means of this grace.
Exo 16:151 What
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 16:151 [1] Heb. man hu, from which the word manna derives. Manna is a type of Christ as the heavenly food that enables God’s people to go His way (John 6:31-35, 48-51, 57-58). According to God’s economy, Christ should be the unique diet, the only food, strength, satisfaction, and sustenance, of God’s chosen people, and they should live by Him alone (Num. 11:6; John 6:57). In order to be food to us, Christ was incarnated, crucified, and resurrected to become the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit to indwell our spirit (John 6:63 and notes).
Exo 16:151 [2] Although it is known that manna came from heaven (v. 4), the element and essence of manna are a mystery. Manna did not belong to the old creation; nevertheless, it could nourish man’s physical body. Thus, it must have contained certain elements and minerals that were a part of the old creation. As the real manna, Christ also is mysterious. In resurrection He became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45), yet He has a body that can be seen and touched (Luke 24:36-43). Thus, it is difficult to say whether Christ is spiritual or material.
Exo 16:15a bread Exo. 16:4; Deut. 8:3; Neh. 9:15; John 6:31; cf. Rev. 2:17
Exo 16:16a omer Exo. 16:36
Exo 16:191 leave
Manna was sent every morning and had to be gathered every morning (v. 21). This indicates that we cannot store up the supply of Christ. The experience of Christ as our life supply must be daily, morning by morning (cf. Matt. 6:34).
Exo 16:201a worms cf. Exo. 16:24
The manna that was stored up by the people bred worms and stank, and the manna left in the hot sun melted (v. 21). However, the manna gathered on the sixth day and the manna preserved in the golden pot did not spoil or melt (vv. 22-24, 32-34). This shows that everything related to manna was miraculous and that manna was collected, enjoyed, and kept according to God’s regulations, not man’s. The same is true with respect to our experience of Christ as our life supply.
Exo 16:22a twice Exo. 16:5
Exo 16:231a Sabbath Gen. 2:3; Exo. 20:8-11; 31:14-17; 35:2-3; Lev. 23:3
Meaning a rest; from the verb meaning to cease.
Exo 16:24a worm cf. Exo. 16:2
Exo 16:281 laws
Or, instructions.
Exo 16:31a manna Num. 11:7-8; John 6:31
Exo 16:311 coriander
The characteristics of manna portray the characteristics of Christ as the heavenly food of God’s people. Manna was fine (v. 14), indicating that Christ is even and balanced and that He became small enough for us to eat; round (v. 14), indicating that as our food Christ is eternal, perfect, and full, without shortage or defect; white (v. 31), showing that Christ is clean and pure, without any mixture; like frost (v. 14), signifying that Christ as our heavenly food not only cools and refreshes us but also kills the negative things within us; like coriander seed (v. 31), indicating that Christ is full of life that grows in us and multiplies; solid (implied in the fact that the people “ground it between two millstones or beat it in a mortar, then they boiled it in pots”—Num. 11:8), signifying that after gathering Christ as manna, we must prepare Him for our eating by “grinding, beating, and boiling” Him in the situations and circumstances of our daily living; like bdellium in appearance (Num. 11:7), indicating the brightness and transparency of Christ; in its taste like the taste of cakes baked in oil (Num. 11:8), signifying the fragrance of the Holy Spirit in the taste of Christ; in its taste like wafers made with honey (v. 31), signifying the sweetness of the taste of Christ; and good for making cakes (Num. 11:8), indicating that Christ is like fine cakes rich in nourishment.
Exo 16:321 omerful
The open manna, the manna that lay on the ground every morning, was for the enjoyment of God’s people in a public way. However, the omer of manna placed in a pot (v. 33) was hidden and was not for the congregation in a public way. The amount of manna kept in a pot before Jehovah was one omer, the same as the amount gathered and eaten by the people (vv. 16-18). In spiritual experience, this indicates that the amount of Christ we eat is the amount we can preserve. The Christ whom we eat as open manna spontaneously becomes hidden manna by being digested and assimilated into our inner being. Furthermore, whatever we eat of Christ will become a memorial in generations to come. The Christ whom we eat and enjoy will be an eternal memorial, because such a Christ becomes our very constitution, enabling us to build up and even to become God’s dwelling place in the universe.
Exo 16:331a pot Heb. 9:4; cf. Rev. 2:17
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 16:331 [1] According to Heb. 9:3-4, the manna was kept in a golden pot in the Ark of the Testimony, which was in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle. In the Bible gold signifies the divine nature. The manna in the golden pot signifies that the Christ whom we enjoy as our life supply is preserved within us in the divine nature, which we received through regeneration (2 Pet. 1:4). The Ark, in which the golden pot with the manna was kept, typifies Christ. Christ as the hidden manna is preserved in the divine nature, and the divine nature is in Christ, typified by the Ark. This Christ is in our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22), which in our experience is the Holy of Holies (see note 191 in Heb. 10). The manna preserved in the golden pot was the center of the tabernacle, God’s dwelling place in the Old Testament; likewise, the Christ whom we have eaten, digested, and assimilated is the center of our being as a part of the church, God’s dwelling place today (2 Tim. 4:22; Eph. 2:22).
Exo 16:331 [2] Revelation 2:17 indicates that the overcomers, who overcome the degradation of the worldly church, will be given to eat the hidden manna and will be given a white stone (see notes 172 and 173 in Rev. 2). This indicates that as we eat Christ and preserve Him as the hidden manna within us, He makes us overcomers and also transforms us into white stones for the building of God’s dwelling place, which will consummate in the New Jerusalem.
Exo 16:341a testimony cf. Exo. 25:16, 21; 26:33-34; 30:26, 36; 40:20
Since the golden pot with the manna was in the Ark (Heb. 9:4), the testimony here must refer not to the Ark but to the tablets of the law that were in the Ark (34:1, 29; 25:21; 40:20). The law is a testimony of what God is (see note 11 in ch. 20). Hence, the fact that the manna in the golden pot was placed before the testimony indicates that manna corresponds to God’s testimony, God’s law, and meets its requirements. When we take Christ as our heavenly life supply, Christ as the hidden manna preserved in the divine nature within us causes us to correspond to God’s testimony and to fulfill its requirements (Rom. 8:4), thereby making us God’s expression.
Exo 16:35a forty Deut. 8:2-3; Neh. 9:20-21; Acts 7:36; 13:18
Exo 16:351 ate
See note 121 in Josh. 5.
Exo 16:35b Canaan Josh. 5:12
Exo 17:11 stages
Lit., journeys.
Exo 17:1a Rephidim Num. 33:12-14; Exo. 17:8
Exo 17:12 no
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 17:12 [1] After the children of Israel had eaten the manna to satisfy their hunger (ch. 16), they needed to drink the living water to quench their thirst. In both physical life and spiritual life eating and drinking should always go together. At the beginning of the Bible, the tree of life and the manna are mentioned before the water of life (Gen. 2:9-10; Exo. 16:4, 14-15; 17:6; cf. John 6:31-35; 7:37-39), indicating that in the beginning of our spiritual life our eating of Christ in His word (Jer. 15:16; Matt. 4:4; John 6:63) issues in the flowing of the Spirit as the living water within us. However, at the end of the Bible the river of water of life is mentioned before the tree of life (Rev. 22:1-2), and the tree of life grows in (i.e., is conveyed in) the river, indicating that as we progress in spiritual experience, the Spirit as the flowing river brings us the supply of the word, the manna. This implies that ultimately in the divine concept eating is included in drinking and drinking is more important than eating.
Exo 17:12 [2] In the Bible the basic principle concerning man’s relationship with God is that man needs to eat and drink of God. It is by eating and drinking that we, God’s chosen people, take God into us, and it is through our eating and drinking Him that God works Himself into us to be one with us organically.
Exo 17:21a contended Num. 20:3-4
The children of Israel had seen God’s miraculous acts on their behalf, but they did not know God’s ways (Psa. 103:7). Hence, they contended with Moses and even questioned whether or not the Lord was among them (vv. 2-3, 7).
Exo 17:2b test Deut. 6:16; Psa. 78:18, 41; 95:9; Matt. 4:7; 1 Cor. 10:9; Heb. 3:8-9; cf. Isa. 7:12
Exo 17:3a murmured Exo. 15:24; 16:2
Exo 17:41 A
It is difficult to tell whether Moses was praying here or making an accusation. Moses’ reaction to the people’s complaining shows that under God’s testing Moses was a failure. See note 71.
Exo 17:5a staff Exo. 4:2; 7:19-20
Exo 17:61 rock
According to Paul’s word in 1 Cor. 10:4, the rock here was Christ. Furthermore, it was a spiritual rock that followed the children of Israel in their journeys (cf. Num. 20:8-11). See note 42 in 1 Cor. 10.
Exo 17:62 strike
The striking of the rock is a clear, complete, and full picture of Christ’s crucifixion. The rock was struck by the staff of Moses (v. 5). In this type, Moses signifies the law, and the staff represents the power and authority of the law. Hence, the striking of the rock by Moses’ staff signifies that Christ was put to death on the cross by the authority of God’s law (cf. Gal. 2:19-20a; 3:13).
Exo 17:6a rock Num. 20:8-11; Deut. 8:15; Neh. 9:15; Psa. 78:15-16, 20; 105:41; 114:8; Isa. 48:21; 1 Cor. 10:4
Exo 17:63 water
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 17:63 [1] The water flowing out of the smitten rock typifies the Spirit (John 7:37-39). Through incarnation Christ came to the earth as a rock. On the cross He was smitten by the authority of God’s righteous law to accomplish God’s redemption. His side was pierced, and living water flowed out for God’s people to drink (John 19:34 and note). This living water is the water of life in resurrection, the all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit as the ultimate issue of the Triune God (1 Cor. 15:45; see note 391 in John 7). The source of the water of life is the throne of God and of the Lamb—the redeeming God (Rev. 22:1). Hence, the water of life is the Triune God flowing out to be our life. The flow of the living water began from the throne in eternity, continued through the incarnation, human living, and crucifixion of Christ (John 4:10, 14; 19:34), and now flows on in resurrection to supply God’s people with all the riches of the divine life (Rev. 22:1-2). When we identify ourselves with the smitten Christ, the divine life as the living water flows out of us (John 7:38). The flowing of the water of life in resurrection is for the building up of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13) and the preparation of the bride of Christ (Rev. 19:7), both of which will consummate in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:9-10; cf. Eph. 5:23, 28-30).
Exo 17:63 [2] To drink of the water of life, we first need to be positioned to drink (1 Cor. 12:13), and we also need to be thirsty (John 7:37; Rev. 21:6). Then we need to come to the Lord (John 7:37; Rev. 22:17), to ask of the Lord (John 4:10), to believe in the Lord (John 7:38), and to call on the name of the Lord (Isa. 12:3-4; Acts 2:21).
Exo 17:71a Massah Deut. 6:16; Psa. 95:8
Meaning test. At Massah God tested both Israel (Psa. 81:7) and Moses, the leader among His people, and Israel also tested God (vv. 2, 7). The shortage of water was a test to both God and His people. Whenever we are short of Christ as the living water, we are spontaneously subject to God’s test. As was the case at Massah, only God is able to pass such a test. Cf. Num. 20:2-13 and notes.
Exo 17:72b Meribah Num. 20:13; Psa. 81:7; Heb. 3:9
Meaning strife, or contention.
Exo 17:81a Amalek Num. 14:45; Deut. 25:17; Judg. 3:13; 6:3, 33; 10:12; 1 Sam. 15:2
Meaning warlike. Amalek typifies the flesh, which is the totality of the fallen old man (Gal. 2:16; see notes 32 in Gal. 3 and 191 in Gal. 5). The fighting between Amalek and Israel depicts the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit within the believers (Gal. 5:17; cf. 1 Pet. 2:11). Amalek was a descendant of Esau (Gen. 36:12), Jacob’s twin brother. This indicates that the flesh is very close to our regenerated being, signified by Jacob. Esau was born first and Jacob second, indicating that the flesh is of the first man, the old man.
Exo 17:82 fought
Amalek was the first enemy encountered by the children of Israel on the way to the good land (Deut. 25:17-18; 1 Sam. 15:2). This indicates that our flesh is the first among all our enemies. The flesh, sin, the world, and Satan are all related, but the most prominent among them in fighting against the believers is the flesh (Gal. 5:17). When in our experience the flesh is put to death (Gal. 5:24; Rom. 8:13), the world cannot hold us, sin cannot operate in us, and Satan is powerless to work on us. Amalek’s purpose in attacking Israel was to frustrate them from entering the good land. Likewise, Satan’s aim in stirring up the flesh to fight against us is to keep us from entering into the full enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ as our good land (see note 71 in Deut. 8).
Exo 17:91a Joshua Exo. 24:13; 33:11; Num. 13:16; 27:18; Deut. 34:9; Josh. 1:1
Meaning Jehovah Savior, or the salvation of Jehovah. Jesus is from the Greek form of the name. See note 211 in Matt. 1.
Exo 17:10a Hur Exo. 17:12; 24:14; 31:2; 1 Chron. 2:20
Exo 17:111 lifted
While Moses lifted up his hand, Joshua fought for the people and prevailed. Moses lifting up his hand on the mountaintop typifies the ascended Christ interceding in the heavens (Rom. 8:34b; Heb. 7:25; cf. 1 Tim. 2:8), and Joshua typifies Christ as the indwelling Spirit fighting against the flesh (Rom. 8:9-11; Gal. 5:16-17). Amalek was defeated by Israel through the supply of the manna (ch. 16) and the living water (vv. 1-6) and by the lifting up of Moses’ hands and the fighting of Joshua. Likewise, we are victorious over the flesh by eating and drinking Christ as our life supply and by praying with the interceding Christ and putting the flesh to death with Christ as the fighting Spirit (Rom. 8:13 and note 2; Gal. 5:24 and note 2).
Exo 17:121 heavy
As the one praying on the mountaintop, Moses typifies Christ, but as the one whose hands became heavy, Moses represents us. This signifies that while Christ is praying in the heavens, we too need to pray on earth (1 Tim. 2:8). Because the flesh never changes or improves, in order to prevail against the flesh, we need to pray without ceasing (1 Thes. 5:17; Col. 4:2), joining ourselves to Christ in His intercession. However, often our praying hands become heavy. Thus, we need a stone to support us, and we need the help of Aaron and Hur. The stone, a solid base for our prayer life, refers to our realization that in ourselves we are weak and that in order to sustain our prayer, we need Christ to be our support (cf. John 15:5b). Aaron, the high priest (28:1; Heb. 5:1, 4), signifies the priesthood, and Hur, who was of the tribe of Judah (31:2), signifies the kingship (Gen. 49:10). The priesthood is related to the Holy of Holies, which in our experience is always related to our spirit (Heb. 10:19 and note). Hence, to sustain our prayer and to thus defeat the flesh, we need the priesthood to strengthen our spirit. We also need to be obedient to the Lord under His authority, the kingship. Furthermore, Hur is related to the building of the tabernacle (31:2-5), and the direction of Exodus is toward this goal. This indicates that we need to take the building of the church as the goal of our prayer.
Exo 17:141 recite
Lit., place it in the ears of.
Exo 17:142 blot
The flesh is God’s enemy. It has neither the intention nor the ability to obey God (Rom. 8:7-8). Hence, the destiny of the flesh is to be blotted out. This will take place during the kingdom age in the millennium (Rev. 20:7-9 and note 82).
Exo 17:14a Amalek Deut. 25:19; cf. Num. 24:20; 1 Sam. 15:3
Exo 17:15a altar cf. Judg. 6:24
Exo 17:151 Jehovah-nissi
Meaning Jehovah is my banner. The altar built and named by Moses signifies the cross as a memorial of our victory over the flesh (Gal. 5:24; 6:14). Through the cross we enjoy the Lord as our banner, our victory.
Exo 17:161 hand
Amalek was a hand against God’s throne, signifying that the flesh is in rebellion against God and is against His throne, His governmental administration. Every aspect of the flesh, whether good or evil, is an enemy of God’s authority (Rom. 8:7). Hence, God has decided to war against the flesh continually (cf. Judg. 3:13-15; 5:14; 6:3; 7:12-14; 1 Sam. 15:2-9, 32-33; 27:8; 30:1-17; 2 Sam. 8:12; 1 Chron. 4:42-43; Esth. 3:1-6; 9:7-10) until it is blotted out (v. 14).
Exo 17:162 Jah
A shortened form of Jehovah.
Exo 18:11 Now
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 18:11 [1] Exodus 18 presents a type, a portrait, of the kingdom of God, in which the tabernacle, God’s dwelling place, was built. The fact that this portrait is presented after the war against Amalek signifies that when the flesh as God’s enemy is dealt with, the kingdom with the kingship immediately comes in (cf. Gal. 5:17-25), and the church as the Body of Christ is built up (cf. 1 Kings 1—8). In order to realize the kingdom with the building of the church, we must utterly repudiate the flesh in both its good and evil aspects (cf. Phil. 3:3-10). Saul lost the kingship because he did not utterly destroy Amalek but spared the best of what was to be destroyed (1 Sam. 15 and notes).
Exo 18:11 [2] According to historical sequence, the events described in ch. 18 took place after the building of the tabernacle and not long before the children of Israel began their journey with the tabernacle toward the good land (Deut. 1:6-18). Under divine inspiration Moses inserted these events after ch. 17 to show that in the experience of God’s full salvation the kingdom comes after God’s people have been delivered from Satan (Pharaoh) and the world (Egypt), and after the flesh (Amalek) has been defeated and subdued. After the defeat of Amalek, the kingdom is needed as the sphere, the environment, for the building up of God’s dwelling place on earth.
Exo 18:12a Jethro Exo. 2:16; 3:1; 4:18
Jethro, a priest of Midian (vv. 1, 5, 10-12), represents the Gentiles who turn to God and become seekers of God in the kingdom (Isa. 2:2-3; Zech. 8:20-23).
Exo 18:21 Zipporah
Zipporah, the Gentile wife of Moses secured by him during his period of rejection by Israel (2:13-22), typifies the Gentile church gained by Christ as His wife during the time of His rejection by the children of Israel (Rom. 11:11-25; cf. note 452 in Gen. 41). When the kingdom comes, the overcomers in the church participate in the kingdom as the ruling authority in the kingdom (Rev. 2:26-27; 20:4, 6).
Exo 18:3a sons Exo. 4:20; Acts 7:29
Exo 18:31 Gershom
Meaning a sojourner there.
Exo 18:32 Moses
Lit., he.
Exo 18:3b sojourner Exo. 2:22; Psa. 39:12; Heb. 11:13
Exo 18:41 Eliezer
Meaning my God is [my] help.
Exo 18:4a delivered Heb. 11:34
Exo 18:5a mount Exo. 3:1; 24:13
Exo 18:10a Blessed Gen. 14:20; 2 Sam. 18:28; Luke 1:68
Exo 18:11a greater 1 Chron. 16:25; 2 Chron. 2:5; Psa. 95:3; 135:5
Exo 18:11b proudly Neh. 9:10; Luke 1:51
Exo 18:111 people
Lit., them.
Exo 18:12a burnt Gen. 8:20; Exo. 24:5; Job 1:5; 42:8
Exo 18:12b eat Deut. 12:7; 14:26; 1 Chron. 29:22
Exo 18:131 Moses
Verses 13-26 portray the authority and order of the kingdom. Christ, signified by Moses, is the Head of authority, and under the headship of Christ everything is in a proper order.
Exo 18:16a judge cf. Exo. 24:14; Deut. 17:8; 2 Sam. 15:2-3; 1 Cor. 6:1
Exo 18:16b statutes Deut. 4:5; 5:1
Exo 18:18a by Num. 11:14-17; Deut. 1:9, 12
Exo 18:19a matters Num. 27:5
Exo 18:20a walk Deut. 1:18; Psa. 143:8
Exo 18:21a able Deut. 1:13, 15
Exo 18:211 leaders
The leaders here and in Deut. 1:15 were appointed to maintain a good order among God’s people in their daily relationships with one another in His kingdom. They are different from the seventy elders in Num. 11, who were appointed to take care of the relationship between God’s people and God.
Exo 18:22a judge Deut. 16:18; 2 Chron. 19:5-7
Exo 18:22b bring Exo. 18:26; Deut. 1:17
Exo 18:22c bear Num. 11:17
Exo 18:27a own cf. Num. 10:29-30
Exo 19:1a Sinai Num. 33:15
Exo 19:31 went
The book of Exodus was written to show God’s full salvation for the building up of His dwelling place. Chapters 1—18 portray God’s redemption and salvation (1:1—14:31), God’s provision (15:1—17:7), the victory over the flesh (17:8-16), and a picture of the kingdom (18:1-27), inserted by Moses to show the issue, the result, of the foregoing items. After the experiences recorded in these chapters, the children of Israel were brought into God’s direct presence at the mountain of God (3:1; 18:5) to have fellowship with God. There God appeared to His people and spoke to them (vv. 3-6, 11) to give them the knowledge of Himself (chs. 20—24) and the vision of the pattern of His dwelling place (chs. 25—30) so that they might build it according to that vision (chs. 35—40). See note 81, par. 2, in ch. 3.
Exo 19:3a called cf. Exo. 3:4; Lev. 1:1
Exo 19:4a seen Deut. 29:2-3
Exo 19:41b eagles’ Deut. 32:11-12; Rev. 12:14; cf. Luke 13:34
The eagles’ wings signify the grace and power of God in Christ applied to us (1 Cor. 15:10; 2 Cor. 12:9; Eph. 1:19). In the fellowship of God we first come to know the grace of God, which accomplishes everything for us and carries us onward with God. Cf. Isa. 40:31; Ezek. 1:6, 8-11.
Exo 19:5a covenant Exo. 24:7-8; 34:27-28; Deut. 5:2
Exo 19:51b personal Deut. 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Psa. 135:4; Titus 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:9
The Hebrew word has a double meaning; it means both personal possession and peculiar treasure. Cf. Titus 2:14. This shows that an intimate affection exists in the fellowship of God with His redeemed people (see note 62 in ch. 20).
Exo 19:5c all Exo. 9:29; Job 41:11; Psa. 24:1; 50:12
Exo 19:61 kingdom
As God’s people remain in His presence, they become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 1 Pet. 2:9). As priests, God’s people live in God’s presence, enjoying Him as their portion, even as He enjoys them as His treasure (v. 5). The mutual enjoyment between God and His people separates His people unto Himself from everything other than Him, making them a holy nation.
Exo 19:6a priests 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6
Exo 19:61b holy Deut. 7:6; 14:21; 26:19; 28:9; Isa. 62:12; 1 Pet. 2:9
See note 61.
Exo 19:81 All
[ par. 1 2 3 ]
Exo 19:81 [1] This seemingly positive answer, given here and in 24:3, 7, was offensive to God, for it indicated that the children of Israel knew neither God nor themselves and did not have a heart for God (cf. Matt. 15:8). They presumed that they could do whatever God required, not knowing that they were unable to fulfill His commandments and that they stood in need of His mercy. Even before the decree of the law had been completed, the people fell into the sin of idolatry, breaking at least the first three of the Ten Commandments (20:2-7; 32:1-6 and notes). After the people spoke this word, God changed His attitude toward them and also caused a change of atmosphere (vv. 9, 12-13, 16-25; 20:18-19; cf. 19:3-6).
Exo 19:81 [2] God’s eternal purpose is to have a people to be His counterpart, His expression, and His dwelling place. In order to fulfill this purpose, God must impart Himself as life into His chosen people and work Himself into them. From the very beginning it was not God’s intention to give man commandments to keep or to have man do things for Him (see note 171 in Gen. 2). Likewise, in bringing the children of Israel to the mountain of God, it was not God’s intention to give them a list of divine commandments as requirements for them to fulfill. Rather, His intention was to bring His people into His presence so that He could reveal Himself to them and impart Himself into them through His speaking to them (cf. 34:28-29 and note 291). God’s people, however, did not understand His intention. Their natural, fallen, and religious concept was that God wanted them to do certain things for Him, and they thought they were able to do these things. Since this was their concept, it was necessary for God to give them commandments to show them how high His requirements are and how unable to fulfill these requirements they were (Rom. 8:3a, 7-8).
Exo 19:81 [3] The law decreed by God on Mount Sinai has both a positive and a negative function. On the positive side the law functions as God’s testimony, revealing God to His people (see note 11 in ch. 20). The law is also God’s living word as His breath (2 Tim. 3:16) to infuse His element into His loving seekers (see note 31 in Deut. 8). On the negative side, the function of the law is to expose sin (Rom. 3:20; 5:20; 7:7-8, 13), to subdue sinners (Rom. 3:19), and to guard God’s chosen people and bring them to Christ (Gal. 3:23-24). Whether in our experience the law is positive or negative depends on the condition of our heart in receiving the law. If we love God, humble ourselves, and regard the law as His living word through which we contact Him and abide in Him, the law will become a channel through which the divine life and substance are conveyed to us for our supply and nourishment. Being infused with God’s substance through the law as God’s word, we will become one with God in life, nature, and expression and will spontaneously live a life that expresses God and corresponds to His law (Rom. 8:4; Phil. 1:21a). However, if in coming to the law we do not seek God in love but rather separate the law from the living God as the source of life (cf. John 5:39-40), the law, which was intended to result in life (Rom. 7:10) but cannot give life of itself (Gal. 3:21 and note 1), will become a condemning and killing element to us (Rom. 7:11; 2 Cor. 3:6-7, 9). See note 22, par. 1, in Psa. 119.
Exo 19:8a we Exo. 24:3; Deut. 5:27
Exo 19:9a cloud Deut. 4:11; Psa. 97:2
Exo 19:9b hear Deut. 4:12, 36; cf. John 12:28-29
Exo 19:9c believe Exo. 14:31
Exo 19:101a sanctify Exo. 19:14; Lev. 20:7; Num. 11:18; Josh. 3:5; 7:13; 1 Sam. 16:5; cf. Gen. 35:2
To be sanctified is to be separated from the world unto God (see note 171 in John 17). Through such a sanctification God’s people can have fellowship with Him. See note 121.
Exo 19:111 third
The third day signifies resurrection (1 Cor. 15:4). God’s people were brought into His presence in resurrection. To be in resurrection means that everything of the old creation, which is altogether natural, has been terminated, and the new creation, which is altogether in resurrection, is germinated (2 Cor. 5:17).
Exo 19:11a come Exo. 34:5; Num. 11:25
Exo 19:112 Mount
The mountain where the law was given has a twofold significance. First, as Mount Horeb, it is the mountain of God (3:1, 12; 4:27; 18:5; 24:13; Num. 10:33; 1 Kings 19:8), the place for God’s seekers to meet with one another (4:27; 18:5), to meet with God (24:13, 15-18; 1 Kings 19:8), to serve God (3:12), to receive God’s revelation and vision (3:1-3; 24:12-13; 1 Kings 19:8-9), and to be infused with God’s substance (34:28-29). Second, as Mount Sinai (vv. 11, 18, 20-24; 34:2-4; Gal. 4:24-25), it is the place where the sinfulness of God’s people is exposed and the boundary of God’s holiness is revealed (vv. 12-13, 21-24; Heb. 12:18-21).
Exo 19:121 limits
In fellowship with God we know not only His grace (v. 4) but also His holiness. Mount Sinai was a holy mountain because God descended upon it (v. 20; cf. 3:5). Thus, a boundary was set which the children of Israel were not permitted to cross (vv. 12-13, 21-24). If we as God’s people would remain in His presence in fellowship with Him, we must sanctify ourselves and everything related to us (vv. 10, 14, 22; cf. Heb. 12:14). To be sanctified is to honor the boundary of God’s holiness. Sanctification is the experiential aspect of holiness. When God’s holiness becomes our experience, that is sanctification. See notes 141 in Heb. 12 and 192 in Rom. 6.
Exo 19:12a mountain Heb. 12:20
Exo 19:13a stoned Heb. 12:20
Exo 19:13b trumpet Heb. 12:19
Exo 19:15a near cf. 1 Sam. 21:4-5; 1 Cor. 7:1
Exo 19:16a thunder Rev. 4:5; 8:5; 11:19
Exo 19:16b cloud Exo. 19:9; Heb. 12:18
Exo 19:16c trumpet Exo. 20:18; Heb. 12:19; cf. Rev. 1:10
Exo 19:18a fire Exo. 24:17; Deut. 4:11; Heb. 12:18
Exo 19:18b smoke Psa. 144:5; Rev. 15:8
Exo 19:18c shook Psa. 68:8; Heb. 12:26; Judg. 5:5
Exo 19:19a answered Psa. 81:7; Heb. 12:19
Exo 19:191 in
Or, in a voice.
Exo 19:20a Mount cf. Acts 7:38; Gal. 4:24
Exo 19:21a look cf. Exo. 3:6; 1 Sam. 6:19; cf. Exo. 33:20
Exo 19:22a near Lev. 10:3
Exo 19:22b break 2 Sam. 6:8; 1 Chron. 13:11
Exo 20:1a And vv. 1-17: Deut. 5:4-21
Exo 20:11 words
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 20:11 [1] The law of God is God’s word (in 34:28 the Ten Commandments, the main contents of the law, are called “the ten words”—see note there). As such, the law is God’s testimony (16:34; 31:18; 32:15; 40:20; Psa. 19:7), God’s expression, a revelation of God to His people (see notes 12 in John 1 and 11, par. 1, in Heb. 1). The law of God reveals God’s attributes, showing that He is jealous (vv. 4-6; cf. 2 Cor. 11:2), holy (vv. 7-11), loving (vv. 6, 12-15; cf. Rom. 13:8-10; Gal. 5:14), righteous (v. 5), truthful (v. 16; cf. 1 John 1:5-6), and pure (vv. 2-3; 17). As the word of God and the testimony, the expression, of God, the law is a type of Christ as God’s Word and God’s testimony, God’s expression (John 1:1, 18; Rev. 19:13; 1:5; Col. 1:15).
Exo 20:11 [2] The reality of keeping the law is to live God and express God. Such a living, a living in the eternal economy of God, is the living of a God-man, a life of continually denying the self and being crucified to live Christ, who is God’s testimony, by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ for the enlarged and expanded expression of God (Matt. 16:24; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 1:19-21a; Rom. 8:4).
Exo 20:21a Jehovah Lev. 26:13; Psa. 81:10
The title Jehovah your God appears in the first five commandments (vv. 2-3, 4-6, 7, 8-11, 12) but not in the last five (vv. 13-17), indicating that the Ten Commandments are divided into two groups of five, the first group being related to God and the second group, to man (see note 121).
Exo 20:2b brought Exo. 12:51
Exo 20:3a other 2 Kings 17:35; Isa. 45:21; Jer. 25:6; 35:15; Hosea 13:4
Exo 20:31 before
Or, besides, in addition to. The first three commandments require man not to have any idols, any other beloved (see note 62), besides God (34:14-17; cf. note 213, par. 1, in 1 John 5 and notes 41 and 51 in James 4).
Exo 20:4a make Lev. 26:1; Deut. 5:8; 27:15; Psa. 97:7; Acts 17:29
Exo 20:41 idol
Or, graven image.
Exo 20:42 form
Or, likeness.
Exo 20:5a serve Deut. 5:9; Exo. 23:24; Josh. 23:7
Exo 20:5b jealous Exo. 34:14; Deut. 4:24; 6:15; Josh. 24:19; Nahum 1:2; 1 Cor. 10:22; 2 Cor. 11:2
Exo 20:5c visiting Exo. 34:7; Num. 14:18
Exo 20:6a lovingkindness Deut. 7:9; Jer. 32:18
Exo 20:61 thousands
The number one thousand denotes fullness (cf. Psa. 84:10). To enjoy God’s lovingkindness to the fullest is to enjoy it for eternity. Although God’s anger can be counted (v. 5), His lovingkindness is beyond counting.
Exo 20:62 love
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 20:62 [1] The mentioning of love here indicates that God’s intention in giving His law to His chosen people was that they become His lovers (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:35-38; Mark 12:28-30). In bringing His people out of Egypt and giving His law to them, God was courting them, wooing them, and seeking to win their affection. Jeremiah 2:2; 31:32; and Ezekiel 16:8 indicate that the covenant enacted at the mountain of God through the giving of the law (24:7-8; 34:27-28) was an engagement covenant, in which God betrothed the children of Israel to Himself (cf. 2 Cor. 11:2). The Ten Commandments, especially the first five, gave the terms of the engagement between God and His people. The highest function of the law is to bring God’s chosen people into oneness with Him, as a wife is brought into oneness with her husband (cf. Gen. 2:24; Rev. 22:17). In order for God and His people to be one, there must be a mutual love between them (John 14:21, 23). The love between God and His people unfolded in the Bible is primarily like the affectionate love between a man and a woman (Jer. 2:2; 31:3). As God’s people love God and spend time to fellowship with Him in His word, God infuses them with His divine element, making them one with Him as His spouse, the same as He is in life, nature, and expression (Gen. 2:18-25 and notes). See note 81, pars. 2 and 3, in ch. 19.
Exo 20:62 [2] The entire Bible is a divine romance, a record of how God courts His chosen people and eventually marries them (Gen. 2:21-24; S.S. 1:2-4; Isa. 54:5; 62:5; Jer. 2:2; 3:1, 14; 31:32; Ezek. 16:8; 23:5; Hosea 2:7, 19; Matt. 9:15; John 3:29; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:25-32; Rev. 19:7; 21:2, 9-10; 22:17). When we as God’s people enter into a love relationship with God, we receive His life, just as Eve received the life of Adam (Gen. 2:21-22). It is this life that enables us to become one with God and makes Him one with us. We keep the law not by exercising our mind and will (cf. Rom. 7:18-25) but by loving the Lord as our Husband and thereby partaking of His life and nature to become one with Him as His enlargement and expression.
Exo 20:7a name Lev. 19:12
Exo 20:81a Sabbath Exo. 31:13-17
See note 231 in ch. 16. The Sabbath signifies that God has done everything, completed everything, and prepared everything and that man must stop all his work. To keep the Sabbath is to stop our work and to take God and all that He has accomplished for us as our enjoyment, rest, and satisfaction. This is God’s economy. See note 21 in Gen. 2.
Exo 20:9a Six Exo. 23:12; 34:21; 35:2; Lev. 23:3; Luke 13:14
Exo 20:10a seventh Exo. 16:26; 31:15; Ezek. 20:12; cf. Num. 15:32-36
Exo 20:101 to
Like an engagement ring, the Sabbath was a sign that God’s people were sanctified, separated unto Him, to belong only to Him.
Exo 20:11a six Exo. 31:17; Gen. 1:31–2:3
Exo 20:12a Honor Matt. 15:4; 19:19; Mark 7:10; 10:19; Luke 18:20; Eph. 6:2-3; Heb. 12:9; cf. Lev. 19:3
Exo 20:121 Jehovah
The title Jehovah your God in this verse indicates that the fifth commandment, related to the honoring of parents, is ranked with the first four commandments, related to God. The reason is that by honoring our parents we honor our source, which ultimately is God Himself (Luke 3:23-38).
Exo 20:131a You vv. 13-16: Matt. 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; Rom. 13:9
The sixth through tenth commandments (vv. 13-17) require man to live out the virtues that express God’s attributes, the main ones of which are holiness, righteousness, love, and light (cf. note 11).
Exo 20:13b kill Matt. 5:21; Mark 7:21; cf. Gen. 9:5-6
Exo 20:14a You Deut. 22:22; Matt. 5:27; Mark 7:22; James 2:11
Exo 20:15a You Lev. 19:11; Eph. 4:28
Exo 20:16a You Exo. 23:1; Deut. 19:15-21; Prov. 19:5, 9; 21:28; 24:28; 25:18
Exo 20:171a covet Micah 2:2; Luke 12:15; Rom. 7:7; 13:9; Eph. 5:3, 5; Col. 3:5; Heb. 13:5
See note 73 in Rom. 7.
Exo 20:18a trumpet Exo. 19:16
Exo 20:181 trembled
See note 131 in ch. 24.
Exo 20:19a You cf. Gal. 3:19
Exo 20:19b die Deut. 5:25; 18:16
Exo 20:20a test Gen. 22:1; Deut. 13:3
Exo 20:20b fear Deut. 4:10; 10:12
Exo 20:21a darkness Deut. 4:11; 1 Kings 8:12; Psa. 97:2; Heb. 12:18
Exo 20:221 Thus
The moral section of the law of God (see note 11 in ch. 25) is composed mainly of the Ten Commandments (vv. 2-17) and also of the statutes (vv. 22-26) and the ordinances (21:1—23:19), which supplement the Ten Commandments or add details to them (see note 64 in Luke 1). The statutes in vv. 22-26, concerning the way to worship God, supplement the second and third commandments and add details to these commandments.
Exo 20:222a spoken Deut. 4:36; Neh. 9:13; Heb. 12:25
This word indicates that God is the speaking God (Heb. 1:1-2), in contrast to idols, which are dumb (Hab. 2:18-19; 1 Cor. 12:2).
Exo 20:231 silver
In the worship of God no place should be given to riches, signified here by silver and gold (cf. Acts 3:6; 1 Tim. 6:17). We cannot serve God and mammon (Matt. 6:24).
Exo 20:23a gods cf. Exo. 32:31
Exo 20:241 altar
The altar and the sacrifices for the worship of God provide a gateway for fallen man to enter into the economy of God. They indicate that in order to worship God, fallen man must be redeemed and terminated by the cross and replaced by Christ in resurrection. The worship God desires is through the altar and by the sacrifices, i.e., through the cross (Heb. 13:10) and by Christ as the reality of the sacrifices (Heb. 10:5-10). A true worshipper is one who worships God in the virtue of Christ as the burnt offering (Lev. 1) for God’s satisfaction and the peace offering (Lev. 3) for the mutual satisfaction with God and with his fellow worshippers (John 4:23-24 and note 244).
Exo 20:242 earth
According to vv. 24-26, the altar God requires for His worship is primitive and uncultured in the eyes of man and offers no place for man’s wisdom and power (1 Cor. 1:17-25). It was to be erected with materials created by God, either earth or unhewn stone (v. 25). This indicates that the cross has been prepared entirely by the work of God, with no place given to man’s work. Thus, to erect an altar in this way means to receive what God has prepared, with no human work added. An altar made of earth or stone also points to the availability of the cross.
Exo 20:243a name Deut. 12:5, 11; 14:23; 16:6, 11; 26:2; 1 Kings 8:29; 2 Chron. 6:6; 7:16; 12:13; Ezra 6:12; Neh. 1:9; Jer. 7:10, 12
In the proper worship of God there should be no name other than the name of the Lord (23:13; see note 101 in 1 Cor. 1).
Exo 20:244 come
The proper worship of God invites God’s visitation and blessing.
Exo 20:244b bless 2 Chron. 7:1-3
See note 244.
Exo 20:25a stone Deut. 27:5-6; Josh. 8:31
Exo 20:251 polluted
To add man’s work to the worship of God is to bring in pollution. Because fallen man himself is sin, pollution, in the eyes of God (Psa. 51:5; 2 Cor. 5:21), no work of man is acceptable to Him (cf. Gen. 4:3-5; Gal. 2:16). Thus, every fallen man who worships God must be terminated, with all his works and ways.
Exo 20:261 steps
Steps refer to man’s way, which promotes achievement by natural ability and creates different levels of attainment among God’s people. The altar (cross) prepared by God is not elevated but is close to the ground, eliminating the need for steps and making it possible for anyone to approach it.
Exo 20:262 nakedness
Man’s nakedness denotes the shame of fallen man (Gen. 3:7). God’s salvation clothes man with Christ as his righteousness (Gen. 3:21; Luke 15:22; 1 Cor. 1:30; Phil. 3:9), but man’s way uncovers the nakedness of his fallen nature. In principle, the exercise of man’s wisdom in building an altar with steps puts Christ aside and causes man’s fallen nature to be exposed. Instead of exercising our wisdom in things pertaining to God, we should fully trust in Christ and thereby remain under Christ as our covering.
Exo 21:11 ordinances
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 21:11 [1] On the negative side, the law with its ordinances indicates that man is fallen, is living in the fall, and is involved with Satan, related to demons, and enslaved to indwelling sin. On the positive side, the ordinances of the law reveal that God is kind, gracious, and loving, and that He cares for mankind, including servants, widows, orphans, and sojourners. Furthermore, Christ, the cross, redemption, and the economy of God are indicated, implied, and signified in the ordinances.
Exo 21:11 [2] The ordinances of the law require man to preserve human life; to honor parents; to keep marriage pure; to be just, fair, honest, faithful, trustworthy and kind; to care for the needy; not to be greedy for base gain but to be willing to give; and to be a holy man unto God, submitting to Him and His authority and serving Him through the offerings that he may feast with God in God’s presence regularly.
Exo 21:2a Hebrew Deut. 15:12; Jer. 34:14
Exo 21:21 servant
The first ordinance concerning man’s relationship with others is an ordinance concerning a master and his slave. This indicates that in order to fulfill the ordinances of the law, we must be willing to sacrifice ourselves to serve others. Keeping the law requires the spirit, the love, and the obedience of a slave (Matt. 20:26-27; 22:36-40; John 14:31; Rom. 13:8-10; Gal. 5:13-14). The servant in these verses is a type of Christ, who emptied Himself, took the form of a slave, humbled Himself, and sacrificed Himself to serve God and God’s people (Phil. 2:5-8; Matt. 20:28; Eph. 5:2, 25).
Exo 21:22b free cf. 1 Cor. 7:21
The freeing of a slave in a sabbatical year signifies that fallen man under bondage to sin (Rom. 7:14) may be freed by Christ as God’s rest (John 8:36; see note 91 in Heb. 4).
Exo 21:51a love vv. 5-6: Deut. 15:16-17
Love is the motive and prerequisite for a slave’s continued service. The Lord Jesus loved the Father (His Master—John 14:31), the church (His wife—Eph. 5:25), and all the believers (His children—Gal. 2:20b; Eph. 5:2). Motivated by such a love, He was willing to be a slave. All who believe in Christ, belong to Him, and have His serving life should take Him as their pattern (Matt. 20:26-28; Rom. 1:1; Phil. 2:5-8; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 5:2).
Exo 21:5b I cf. 1 Cor. 7:21
Exo 21:61a God Exo. 22:8-9
Others translate, the judges.
Exo 21:62b ear Rev. 2:7
A slave should stand in the position of doing nothing on his own but acting only according to the word of his master and should have his ear open to hear the voice of his master (John 5:30; Psa. 40:6; Isa. 50:4-5).
Exo 21:71 And
The ordinances in vv. 7-11, 16, 33-36; 22:21-25; and 23:4-5, 9-11 are supplements to the law concerning man’s relationship with others, and the ordinances in 22:28-30 and 23:14-19 are supplements concerning man’s relationship with God.
Exo 21:121 strikes
The ordinances in vv. 12-14, 18-32 contain details related to the sixth commandment, forbidding murder (20:13).
Exo 21:12a dies Lev. 24:17; Num. 35:30-31; cf. Gen. 9:6; Matt. 26:52
Exo 21:13a lie Num. 35:22-25
Exo 21:131b place Num. 35:10-15; Deut. 4:41-43; 19:2-3; Josh. 20:2-9
According to Num. 35:6, 9-15, these were the cities of refuge, to which one who killed another by mistake could flee. See note 61 in Num. 35.
Exo 21:141 slay
The murder and lies within man signify that the devil, the source of murder and the father of lies, is working in fallen man (v. 14; 23:1-2; John 8:44; 1 John 3:12).
Exo 21:14a altar cf. 1 Kings 2:28-34
Exo 21:15a strikes cf. 1 Tim. 1:9
Exo 21:151 father
The ordinances in vv. 15 and 17 give details related to the fifth commandment, concerning the honoring of one’s father and mother (20:12).
Exo 21:16a kidnaps cf. Deut. 24:7; cf. 1 Tim. 1:10
Exo 21:17a curses Lev. 20:9; Prov. 20:20; Matt. 15:4; Mark 7:10
Exo 21:181 remains
Lit., falls.
Exo 21:201 servant
Lit., he.
Exo 21:211 property
Lit., money.
Exo 21:23a life Deut. 19:21
Exo 21:24a eye Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21; Matt. 5:38
Exo 21:28a gores cf. Gen. 9:5
Exo 21:301 owner
Lit., him.
Exo 22:11 steals
In vv. 1-6 there are many details related to the eighth commandment, forbidding stealing (20:15). Stealing signifies that fallen man, like Satan, is not satisfied with God’s sovereign arrangement but tries to make base gain by transgressing God’s regulation (Isa. 14:12-14; cf. 1 Cor. 7:17, 20-24; 1 Tim. 6:6-10).
Exo 22:1a four 2 Sam. 12:6; Luke 19:8; cf. Prov. 6:31
Exo 22:81a God Exo. 21:6
Or, the judges; Heb. elohim. So also in v. 9.
Exo 22:82 neighbor’s
In vv. 7-15 the details related to the tenth commandment, forbidding coveting (20:17), indicate that coveting is a matter of greed and signify that Satan’s lusting nature has become the indwelling sin within fallen man to deaden his body (Rom. 7:8, 17, 20, 24).
Exo 22:11a oath cf. Heb. 6:16
Exo 22:151 only
Lit., it came for its hire.
Exo 22:161 seduces
The ordinances in vv. 16-17, 19 are related to the seventh commandment, which forbids adultery (20:14). These ordinances signify that Satan’s sinful nature works in man to corrupt him by confusing him in his breaking of God’s regulations concerning the relationships man should have with God, with people, and with other things (cf. James 4:4; Rev. 17:1-5).
Exo 22:16a virgin Deut. 22:28-29
Exo 22:181 You
The ordinances in vv. 18, 20, and 23:13 give details to the first and second commandments (20:2-6).
Exo 22:182a sorceress Lev. 20:27; Deut. 18:10-11; cf. 1 Sam. 28:3, 9
Sorcery involves contact with demons.
Exo 22:19a animal Lev. 18:23; 20:15; Deut. 27:21
Exo 22:20a god cf. Num. 25:2; Deut. 13:6-15; 17:2-5; Josh. 23:16
Exo 22:211a sojourner Exo. 23:9; Deut. 10:19; Jer. 7:6; Zech. 7:10; Mal. 3:5
The ordinance concerning sojourners, widows, orphans, and the poor (vv. 21-27; 23:9) signify that God is a God who cares for fallen man, who has become a stranger to God’s blessing, a widow without Christ as the husband, an orphan without God as the Father, and the poor deprived of the riches of God (cf. Eph. 2:12, 19; Matt. 11:5 and note 6).
Exo 22:22a widow Deut. 24:17; 27:19; Psa. 94:6; Isa. 1:17, 23; 10:2; Ezek. 22:7; Zech. 7:10; James 1:27
Exo 22:23a hear Psa. 18:6; 145:19; Job 34:28
Exo 22:25a interest Lev. 25:35-37; Deut. 23:19-20; Neh. 5:7
Exo 22:26a pledge Deut. 24:13, 17
Exo 22:27a gracious Psa. 106:4; 111:4
Exo 22:281 God
Submission to God and His authority signifies the subduing of the rebellious nature of Satan within man.
Exo 22:28a curse Acts 23:5; Jude 8
Exo 22:291 outflow
The fullness of the harvest signifies the produce, the reaping of the rich experiences of Christ, gained from growing Christ by laboring on Him as the good land (see note 71 in Deut. 8), and the tears, the outflow of the wine and oil from the presses (see note 361 in Matt. 26), signify the overflow from our experience of Christ through the suffering of the cross, which produces wine to cheer God and man and oil to please God (cf. 2 Cor. 4:7-12; Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6). These should be offered to God for His enjoyment without delay.
Exo 22:292a firstborn Exo. 13:2
The firstborn of the sons and the cattle (v. 30) were to be given to God (to be separated to God and to become holy to Him) because the firstborn had been redeemed, purchased, by the passover lamb and belonged to God (12:12-13; 13:2 and note; cf. 1 Cor. 6:19).
Exo 22:301a eighth Lev. 22:27; Luke 2:21
The eighth day is the first day of a new week. Hence, on the eighth day signifies in resurrection (Matt. 28:1).
Exo 22:311a holy Exo. 19:6; Lev. 11:44-45
To be holy men to God, according to the Bible as a whole, especially the New Testament, indicates that God’s chosen people should be saturated by Christ and with Christ as their holiness before God (1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 6:19 and note 2).
Exo 22:312 eat
Flesh torn by beasts signifies things that bear the nature of death, and dogs signify unclean persons (Matt. 7:6 and note 2; Phil. 3:2 and note 2). This ordinance signifies that we should eat only Christ as our life supply, not anything of death. Cf. notes 71 in Gen. 8 and 311 in Lev. 11.
Exo 22:31b torn Lev. 7:24; 22:8; Ezek. 4:14; 44:31
Exo 23:11 false
In vv. 1-3, 6-8 there are details related to the ninth commandment, dealing with false testimony (20:16).
Exo 23:1a malicious Deut. 19:16-18; Matt. 26:59-61
Exo 23:2a multitude cf. Exo. 32:1-2; Matt. 27:24
Exo 23:3a partial Lev. 19:15
Exo 23:41a enemy’s cf. Prov. 25:21; Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:27; Rom. 12:20
Bringing the lost ox to the enemy and releasing the burdened donkey of one who hates us (v. 5) signify Christ bringing the lost things of life (livestock) to fallen man and helping him in releasing his burden (John 10:10b; Matt. 11:28-29). These ordinances also signify that, as far as it depends on us, we should reconcile ourselves, by the life of Christ, to our enemies and those who hate us (Matt. 5:23-26, 43-48; 18:15-35; Rom. 12:17-21).
Exo 23:4b bring Deut. 22:1, 4
Exo 23:6a pervert Deut. 27:19; Isa. 10:1-2; Mal. 3:5
Exo 23:7a innocent Deut. 27:25
Exo 23:8a bribe Deut. 16:19; cf. 1 Sam. 8:3; Psa. 26:10; Prov. 17:23; Isa. 1:23; 5:23; Acts 24:26
Exo 23:9a sojourner Exo. 22:21
Exo 23:10a sow Lev. 25:3-4
Exo 23:111 seventh
Keeping the Sabbath day (v. 12) that the cattle may rest and that the son of the female servant and the sojourner may be refreshed typifies taking Christ as our rest that others may be benefited. Keeping the Sabbath year that the needy and the animals of the field may eat typifies taking Christ as our rest to a fuller extent that others may have food.
Exo 23:12a Six Exo. 20:9
Exo 23:13a name Josh. 23:7; Psa. 16:4; Hosea 2:17; cf. Zech. 13:2
Exo 23:141a Three vv. 14-17: Exo. 34:23; Deut. 16:16; Lev. 23:5-6, 16, 34
Keeping feasts unto God three times a year typifies the full enjoyment of the Triune God in Christ. This is the ultimate significance of all the ordinances of the law. See notes on vv. 15-16.
Exo 23:151a Feast Exo. 12:17; 34:18
Keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Deut. 16:1-8) typifies the purging away of all sinful things through the enjoyment of Christ as the sinless life supply. See notes 82, 151, and 152 in ch. 12. This feast was a continuation of the Passover.
Exo 23:15b unleavened Exo. 12:15; cf. 1 Cor. 5:8
Exo 23:15c Abib Exo. 13:4
Exo 23:15d empty Exo. 34:20; Deut. 16:16
Exo 23:161a Feast Exo. 34:22; cf. Lev. 23:9-22
I.e., the Feast of Weeks (Deut. 16:9-12), or the Feast of Pentecost. This feast typifies the enjoyment of the firstfruits of the Spirit of the resurrected Christ (Rom. 8:23 and note 1). In the Old Testament type the firstfruits signify the resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 15:20, 23 and note 202) offered to God on the day of His resurrection (John 20:17), typified in Lev. 23:10-11 by the firstfruits offered to God on the day after the Sabbath, the day of resurrection (Matt. 28:1). The day of Pentecost was exactly fifty days from the day of Christ’s resurrection. On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit as the full issue of the resurrected Christ was poured out on the church (Acts 2:1-4). This indicates that the resurrected Christ became the Spirit poured out on His believers for their full enjoyment (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17). See note 11 in Acts 2 and note 161 in Lev. 23.
Exo 23:162b Feast Exo. 34:22; Deut. 16:13; cf. Lev. 23:34-44
I.e., the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:34; Deut. 16:13-15). As the consummation of the harvest, the Feast of Tabernacles typifies, first, the coming millennium as a dispensational, joyful blessing for God’s redeemed people, including the overcomers and the saved Israelites, to enjoy with God for one thousand years on the restored earth. Ultimately, the eternal Feast of Tabernacles will be the enjoyment of the New Jerusalem, the eternal tabernacle (Rev. 21:2-3), in the new heaven and new earth by all God’s people as the consummation of the harvest of their experience of God. See Lev. 23:33-44 and notes.
Exo 23:181 blood
The blood of the sacrifice signifies the redemption of Christ, and leaven signifies our sinful life. These two things must never be mixed. In order to enjoy Christ’s redemption, we must be separated from our sinful life (1 Cor. 5:6-8).
Exo 23:18a leavened Exo. 34:25; Lev. 2:11
Exo 23:182 fat
This signifies that in keeping God’s feasts we should enjoy the fat, the sweetest part of Christ, with God today and not wait until tomorrow.
Exo 23:191 first
The first of the firstfruits typifies the topmost of the top experiences of Christ as the firstfruits (1 Cor. 15:20, 23). These should be brought to God’s dwelling place, the church meetings, to be offered directly to God for His satisfaction (cf. John 20:17 and note 1).
Exo 23:19a firstfruits Exo. 34:26; Lev. 2:12; 23:10, 17; Num. 18:12-13; Deut. 26:2, 10; Neh. 10:35; Ezek. 44:30; Rev. 14:4
Exo 23:192b boil Exo. 34:26; Deut. 14:21
This typifies that the milk of the word of God, the life supply of Christ, should be used to nourish new believers in Christ (1 Pet. 2:2; Heb. 5:12-13; 1 Cor. 3:2) and not to “kill” them (2 Cor. 3:6—“the letter kills”). See 1 Thes. 2:7-8 and notes.
Exo 23:201a Angel Exo. 14:19; 33:2; Isa. 63:9
That the decree of the law concludes with a portion regarding the Angel and the good land indicates that the purpose of the decree of the law is that those who received the law would enter into the good land. The Angel of Jehovah typifies Christ as the One sent by God to keep His people in the way and to bring them into the good land (14:19 and note), and the good land typifies Christ in His all-inclusiveness as the allotted portion of God’s people (see note 71 in Deut. 8). Thus, Christ as the sent One brings God’s people into Himself as the good land. The goal in God’s purpose is to bring His people into the full enjoyment of Christ as the all-inclusive land.
Exo 23:211 listen
Or, obey. So also in v. 22. Christ, the sent One of God, speaks for God within us (cf. John 10:3, 16, 27). If we would take possession of Him, we must learn to obey His voice.
Exo 23:212 name
The name of Jehovah is identical to His person, indicating that the Angel of Jehovah is Jehovah Himself.
Exo 23:221 His
That the Angel’s voice was Jehovah’s speaking proves strongly that the Angel and Jehovah are one.
Exo 23:22a enemy Deut. 30:7; cf. Gen. 12:3; Jer. 30:20
Exo 23:231a Amorites Exo. 13:5
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 23:231 [1] The various pagan tribes that occupied the land signify the different aspects of our natural life. The gods (idols) of the pagan tribes (v. 24), with the demons behind them (cf. 1 Cor. 10:20), represent the spiritual forces of evil (Eph. 6:12). Behind our natural life are the forces of evil (cf. Matt. 16:23 and note 1), who utilize, manipulate, and direct the aspects of our natural life to frustrate us from taking possession of the all-inclusive Christ and enjoying His riches.
Exo 23:231 [2] History shows that the pagan tribes in the land were the source of Israel’s sin against God (cf. v. 33). This indicates that our natural life is the source of our sins. In the sight of God, those who live according to the natural life are sinning continually, whether they do good or evil. Because the natural life frustrates us from possessing Christ and enjoying Him, we must hate it (Luke 14:26) and, as we grow in Christ, be willing to drive it out. See notes 291 and 313.
Exo 23:24a serve Exo. 20:5
Exo 23:24b do Lev. 18:3; cf. Deut. 12:4, 30, 31
Exo 23:24c overthrow Exo. 34:13; Num. 33:52; Deut. 7:5; 12:3
Exo 23:25a serve Deut. 6:13; 10:20; 11:13; 13:4; Josh. 22:5; Matt. 4:10
Exo 23:251b bless Deut. 7:13; 28:8
The blessings here and in v. 26 signify spiritually that God will give us bread (the Word—Matt. 4:4) to nourish us and water (the Spirit—John 7:37-39) to satisfy us, will cause us to grow and be fruitful, and will take away our sicknesses that we would not suffer a premature death (cf. 1 Cor. 11:30; 1 John 5:16) but would grow in the divine life to maturity, to full age (Eph. 4:13; Col. 1:28), in order to gain the all-inclusive Christ as our possession for our enjoyment (Phil. 3:8).
Exo 23:25c sickness Exo. 15:26; Deut. 7:15
Exo 23:26a barren Deut. 7:14
Exo 23:27a terror Gen. 35:5; Deut. 2:25; Josh. 2:9
Exo 23:28a hornets Deut. 7:20; Josh. 24:12
Exo 23:29a drive cf. 2 Sam. 7:1
Exo 23:291 one
God will not cut off our natural life, signified by the pagan tribes (see note 231), all at once, because this would leave us inwardly vacant and in danger of being taken over by demons, signified by the animals of the field (cf. Matt. 12:43-45). God cuts off our natural life gradually, little by little, according to the degree of our growth in the divine life (v. 30). The more Christ increases in us, the more He will replace our natural life.
Exo 23:29b animals Deut. 7:22
Exo 23:311 sea
I.e., the Mediterranean Sea. The seas and the river here signify the waters of death, and the wilderness signifies barrenness. That the promised land, an elevated land full of life and the abundance of fruit (Deut. 8:7-8), was surrounded by water and wilderness indicates that outside of Christ, the reality of the good land (see note 71 in Deut. 8), there is nothing but death and barrenness.
Exo 23:312a River Gen. 15:18; Deut. 11:24; Josh. 1:4; Psa. 72:8
I.e., the Euphrates.
Exo 23:31b hand Josh. 21:44; Judg. 1:4; 11:21
Exo 23:313 you
God promised to drive out the pagan tribes (vv. 29-30), but God’s people had to cooperate with Him by taking the initiative in destroying them (vv. 31-33; cf. Rom. 8:13; Gal. 5:24; Col. 3:5; Phil. 2:12-13). The more Christ increases in us, the more we will be able to cooperate with God in driving out the natural life. See note 291.
Exo 23:321a covenant Exo. 34:12; Deut. 7:2
Making a covenant with the pagan tribes signifies compromising with, tolerating, our natural life.
Exo 23:33a snare Exo. 34:12; Deut. 7:16; Josh. 23:13; Judg. 2:3; Psa. 106:36
Exo 24:11 Come
After giving His people a revelation of Himself and His economy through the law, God charged Moses to bring the leaders of Israel up to the mountain to stay with Him that He might reveal to them His heart’s desire and might show them the design of the tabernacle, which they were to build as God’s dwelling place on earth (chs. 25—40).
Exo 24:1a seventy Num. 11:16, 24
Exo 24:31 All
See note 81 in ch. 19.
Exo 24:3a do Exo. 19:8; Deut. 5:27
Exo 24:4a wrote Deut. 31:9; cf. Josh. 24:26
Exo 24:41 altar
Although the law had been decreed on the mountain of God, there was still the need for the law with its ordinances to be enacted as a covenant. Instead of commanding the people to keep the law, Moses enacted the covenant by means of an altar, twelve pillars, sacrifices of burnt offerings and peace offerings, and blood (vv. 4-8; cf. Heb. 9:18-20). The altar, symbolizing the cross of Christ (Heb. 13:10), indicates that as fallen and sinful people, we cannot possibly keep the law of God; hence, we need to be redeemed, terminated, and replaced by Christ through the cross.
Exo 24:42b pillars Gen. 28:18; 31:45
A pillar signifies a testimony (cf. 1 Kings 7:21; 1 Tim. 3:15). The twelve pillars, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, indicate that in the sight of God the twelve tribes should be pillars as a testimony of God, a reflection of what God is in His virtues and attributes as portrayed in the law. The law was not given for God’s people to keep or observe; it was given that the people might become God’s testimony by being redeemed, terminated, replaced, and reconstituted by Christ through the cross (cf. Rom. 8:3-4).
Exo 24:51 burnt
The cross of Christ, signified by the altar, redeems us through Christ’s blood and terminates us. As the reality of the offerings (see notes on Lev. 1—7), Christ was offered to God on the cross to be our Redeemer and our Substitute. As we experience Christ and the cross, Christ becomes our replacement to reconstitute us with Himself and transform us, the fallen sinners, into pillars, a living testimony of God in Christ (2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 1:19-21a). This is God’s economy.
Exo 24:6a blood vv. 6-8: Heb. 9:18-20
Exo 24:7a covenant Exo. 19:5; Deut. 5:2
Exo 24:71 All
See note 81 in ch. 19.
Exo 24:8a sprinkled 1 Pet. 1:2; Heb. 12:24
Exo 24:81 people
The sprinkling of the blood on the people indicates that one party of the covenant, the children of Israel, was sinful and the other party, God, was willing to forgive (cf. Heb. 8:12; 9:22).
Exo 24:82b blood cf. Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20
In vv. 6 and 8 the blood from the sacrifices offered on the altar (v. 5), typifying the blood of Christ, was for redemption and for the forgiveness and cleansing of sins (Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Matt. 26:28; Heb. 9:22; 1 John 1:7, 9). This blood also enacted the covenant between God and His people. Hence, the blood is referred to here as “the blood of the covenant.” The blood made it possible for God’s people, as fallen and sinful persons who had been redeemed, forgiven, and cleansed, to enter into God’s presence, i.e., into God Himself, and remain there to be infused with Him and thereby be constituted pillars as a living testimony, a living portrait, of what God is (vv. 9-18; 34:28-29; Lev. 16:11-16; cf. Heb. 10:19-20). Eventually, the blood of Christ as the blood of the new covenant (Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20) ushers God’s people into the better things of the new covenant, in which God gives His people a new heart, a new spirit, His Spirit, and the inner law of life, denoting God Himself with His nature, life, attributes, and virtues (Jer. 31:33-34; Ezek. 36:26-27; Heb. 8:10-12). Ultimately, the blood of the new covenant, the eternal covenant (Heb. 13:20), leads God’s people into the full enjoyment of God as the tree of life and the water of life both now and for eternity (Rev. 7:14, 17; 22:1-2, 14, 17).
Exo 24:8c covenant Heb. 8:7, 13
Exo 24:101a saw Gen. 32:30; Judg. 13:22; Isa. 6:1, 5; cf. Exo. 33:20, 23; John 1:18; 1 Tim. 6:16; 1 John 4:12, 20
In a tranquil atmosphere and under a transparent and clear sky brought in by the blood of the covenant, Moses and the leaders of Israel entered into fellowship with God, in which they saw God (cf. Matt. 5:8; 2 Cor. 3:18). It was in such a setting, in contrast to the setting in which the law was decreed (19:8-25; 20:18, 21), that God revealed to Moses the pattern of the tabernacle.
Exo 24:102 paved
Or, a work of transparent sapphire.
Exo 24:10b sapphire Ezek. 1:26; 10:1
Exo 24:111 beheld
To behold God and to eat and drink is to worship God (cf. v. 1) with the worship that He desires (see note 241 in ch. 20).
Exo 24:12a tablets Exo. 31:18; Deut. 4:13; 5:22; 9:10-11; cf. 2 Cor. 3:3
Exo 24:131 Moses
There were at least three classes of people who stood at different distances in relation to Mount Horeb: Moses, perhaps accompanied by Joshua, was on the mountaintop being infused with God under His glory and receiving the vision of the tabernacle as God’s dwelling place on earth (vv. 13, 16a; 34:29; 25:1—30:38); Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders were on the mountain worshipping at a distance and watching (vv. 1, 9); and the majority of the children of Israel were at the bottom of the mountain standing at a distance and trembling (20:18). These three locations, corresponding to the three parts of the tabernacle—the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies—illustrate the fact that among God’s people there are different degrees of fellowship with Him. See note 43 in Heb. 9.
Exo 24:13a Joshua Exo. 17:9-10; 33:11
Exo 24:13b mountain Exo. 3:1; 4:27; 18:5
Exo 24:14a Hur Exo. 17:10
Exo 24:15a cloud Num. 16:42; Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:34
Exo 24:16a glory Exo. 16:10
Exo 24:17a fire Deut. 4:36; Heb. 12:29
Exo 24:181a forty Exo. 34:28; Deut. 9:9, 18, 25; 10:10
In the Bible the number forty signifies tests or trials (cf. Deut. 8:2; Luke 4:1). It took Moses forty days and forty nights to see the revelation of God’s dwelling place. This indicates that receiving revelation from God requires a long period of time, which is a trial or a test to us.
Exo 25:11 Then
[ par. 1 2 3 ]
Exo 25:11 [1] The law of God comprises the moral law (Exo. 20—23) and the ceremonial law (Exo. 25—Lev. 27). The moral law, as God’s testimony based on His divine attributes, is composed of the Ten Commandments (20:2-17), the statutes (20:22-26), and the ordinances (21:1—23:19) and typifies Christ as God’s testimony, God’s expression (see note 11 in ch. 20). The ceremonial law was composed of the laws of the tabernacle, the offerings, the priesthood, and the feasts. The tabernacle typifies Christ as the embodiment of God (Col. 2:9; John 1:14) for God’s people to contact Him and to enter into Him for their enjoyment; the offerings typify Christ as all kinds of sacrifices (Lev. 1—7; Heb. 10:5-12) to meet the need of God toward His people and the need of His people before Him; the priesthood typifies Christ as the High Priest (Heb. 8:1), who takes care of God’s chosen people before God; and the feasts typify Christ as the bountiful enjoyment in every aspect assigned by God to His chosen people (Col. 2:16-17; Phil. 1:19).
Exo 25:11 [2] God knew that no man could keep the Ten Commandments, the moral section of His law, to be justified by Him (Rom. 3:20). Hence, by His grace and according to His economy He also gave His people the ceremonial section of His law that through the priesthood and the offerings the condemned sinners, the breakers of the moral law of God, could be saved from the condemnation under the moral law and could contact God and enter into Him to enjoy Him as their everything. In this way sinners could be justified by God to be righteous men (cf. Matt. 1:19a; Luke 1:6, 75; 2:25; 23:50) and could have fellowship with God.
Exo 25:11 [3] The entire law of God was decreed by God to His people with the intention of exposing and convicting His people by the moral section of His law, that they would be conducted to the ceremonial section of His law, signifying that God’s people should be conducted to the all-inclusive Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God for their redemption, salvation, and bountiful enjoyment in every aspect (Gal. 3:23-24) through all the ages unto eternity.
Exo 25:2a Tell vv. 2-8: Exo. 35:5-9
Exo 25:21 heave
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 25:21 [1] To heave is to lift up. The heave offering typifies the uplifted Christ, the Christ who was lifted up in His ascension (Acts 1:9); it was often accompanied by the wave offering, a type of the resurrected Christ (29:26-28; Lev. 7:30-32; Num. 18:11). The fact that the materials for the building of the tabernacle were offered to God by His people as a heave offering signifies that the church is built up not with any natural materials but with the very Christ who has been gained, possessed, enjoyed, and experienced by God’s people in resurrection and in the heavenlies (Phil. 3:7-14; Eph. 3:8; 2:5-6). Cf. 1 Cor. 3:12 and notes.
Exo 25:21 [2] All the materials for the building of the tabernacle signify the virtues of Christ’s person and work. Twelve kinds of materials were used, in three categories: minerals, signifying Christ’s building life (1 Cor. 3:9-12); plants, signifying Christ’s generating life (John 12:24); and animals, signifying Christ’s redeeming life (John 1:29). The redeeming life is for the generating life, and the generating life is for the building life. The fact that minerals were mentioned as the first category indicates that whatever Christ is and whatever He has done and is doing are all for God’s building (Matt. 16:18). In the New Jerusalem, the ultimate consummation of God’s building, there will be only minerals: gold, pearl, and precious stones (Rev. 21:18-21). However, in order to arrive at God’s goal, the redeeming life and the generating life are needed.
Exo 25:2b heart Exo. 35:5, 22, 29; 1 Chron. 29:9, 17; Ezra 7:16; 2 Cor. 9:7
Exo 25:31 gold
The minerals in vv. 3-9 signify Christ as the building material ordained and prepared by God. Gold signifies Christ’s divine nature, which is pure and everlasting. Silver (26:19; 27:10) signifies Christ’s redemption, which also involves termination and replacement (see note 241 in ch. 20). Bronze (27:2-4, 6; 30:18) signifies Christ’s being tested by God’s judgment (Num. 16:39; 21:8-9). Onyx stone (v. 7; 28:9-10), having red in it, signifies Christ’s blood shed for redemption. The other precious stones (v. 7; 28:17-20) signify the different aspects of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18) based on Christ’s redemption.
Exo 25:41a blue Exo. 26:1
The color blue signifies that which is heavenly in both nature and appearance (cf. 1 Cor. 15:47-48). Purple denotes royalty, that which is kingly in both position and behavior (Esth. 8:15; John 19:2, 19-22), and scarlet, a dark red color, signifies the blood of Christ shed for redemption (Heb. 9:22; cf. Josh. 2:18 and note).
Exo 25:42 fine
Fine linen (26:1) signifies the righteous conduct of Christ as a pure and perfect human being (cf. Rev. 19:8).
Exo 25:43 goats’
Goats signify sinners (Matt. 25:33, 41), and goats’ hair signifies the sins of sinners. Goats’ hair as a covering on the tabernacle (26:7) signifies Christ being made sin for us in His redemptive work (2 Cor. 5:21).
Exo 25:51a rams’ Exo. 26:14
Rams’ skins dyed red (v. 5; 26:14) signify Christ suffering death and shedding His blood to accomplish redemption (1 Pet. 1:18-19; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:22), and porpoise skins (v. 5; 26:14) signify Christ as the One who is strong toward Satan and is able to withstand trials, attacks, troubles, and sufferings (Matt. 4:1-11; John 14:30; 1 Pet. 2:21-23).
Exo 25:52 porpoise
The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. It probably refers to the skin of a sea animal, such as a porpoise or sea cow.
Exo 25:53 acacia
See note 102.
Exo 25:61a Oil Exo. 27:20
Oil signifies the Spirit of Christ, including all the virtues of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ (see note 94 in Rom. 8).
Exo 25:62b spices Exo. 30:23-25, 31; 31:11
The spices, used in making the anointing oil and the incense that was burned before God (30:23-24a, 34-35), typify the effectiveness and sweetness of Christ’s death and resurrection. See notes 251 and 341 in ch. 30.
Exo 25:6c fragrant Exo. 30:7, 34-37; 31:11
Exo 25:7a Onyx Gen. 2:12; Exo. 28:9; cf. Rev. 21:19
Exo 25:7b stones Exo. 28:17-21
Exo 25:7c ephod Exo. 28:4, 6, 15
Exo 25:8a sanctuary Exo. 36:1-4; Heb. 9:1
Exo 25:8b midst Exo. 29:45; 1 Kings 6:12-13; Ezek. 37:27; 2 Cor. 6:16; cf. John 1:14
Exo 25:91a pattern Acts 7:44; 1 Chron. 28:11-12; Heb. 8:5
The pattern of the tabernacle and all its furnishings is a full and complete type of both the individual Christ as the Head and the corporate Christ as the Body, the church, including many details of the experience of Christ for the church life. See note 43 in Heb. 9.
Exo 25:92b tabernacle Exo. 26:1; 38:21
The physical tabernacle (and later the temple) as God’s dwelling place in the Old Testament was actually a symbol of a corporate people, the children of Israel as the house of God (see note 61 in Heb. 3). At the beginning of the New Testament age the incarnated Christ as God’s embodiment was both the tabernacle and the temple of God (John 1:14; 2:19-21). Through His death and resurrection the individual Christ was enlarged to be the corporate Christ, the church composed of the New Testament believers as the temple, the house of God, and the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 1 Tim. 3:15; Heb. 3:6; 1 Cor. 12:12). Ultimately, the tabernacle and the temple will consummate in the New Jerusalem—the Triune God mingled with His redeemed people of both the Old Testament and the New Testament—as God’s eternal dwelling place (Rev. 21:3, 22). See note 153 in Rev. 7 and notes 31, 124, 142, and 221 in Rev. 21.
Exo 25:10a And vv. 10-16: Exo. 37:1-5
Exo 25:101b ark Deut. 10:3; Heb. 9:4
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 25:101 [1] Because the law, God’s testimony (see note 11 in ch. 20), was placed in the Ark (vv. 16, 21; Deut. 10:1-5), the Ark was called the Ark of the Testimony (v. 22; 26:33-34); and because the Ark was in the tabernacle, the tabernacle was called the Tabernacle of the Testimony (38:21; Num. 1:50, 53). As the embodiment of God’s testimony, the Ark typifies Christ as the embodiment of God (Col. 2:9). The Ark as a type of Christ indicates that God’s redeemed people can contact God and enjoy God in Christ and through Christ (see note 221; John 14:6; Heb. 10:19-20).
Exo 25:101 [2] As the center and content of the tabernacle, the Ark also signifies Christ as the center and content of the church as God’s tabernacle, God’s house (Eph. 2:21-22; 1 Tim. 3:15). The fact that the Ark is the item first mentioned in the vision of the tabernacle and its furniture indicates that it occupies the place of preeminence (cf. Col. 1:18). It also indicates that the church, the Body of Christ, typified by the tabernacle, comes out of Christ, typified by the Ark. See note 152 in ch. 26 and note 221 in Gen. 2. Cf. notes 81 in ch. 36 and 31 in ch. 40.
Exo 25:102 acacia
Acacia wood (vv. 5, 10, 23; 26:15; 27:1) signifies Christ’s human nature, strong in character and high in standard. Christ’s humanity is the basic element, the basic substance, for Him to be God’s testimony on earth. See notes 11, par. 2, in Mark 1; 31, par. 2, in Luke 1; and 93 in Col. 2.
Exo 25:103 two
The measurements of the Ark are halves of the numbers three and five, the numbers of God’s building (see note 152 in Gen. 6). This signifies that the Ark is a testimony, another half being needed to make a complete unit, a full testimony (Deut. 17:6; 19:15; Matt. 18:16; 19:5-6a). This implies that Christ, typified by the Ark, needs the church as His counterpart, His bride, to be a testimony in full in humanity (Eph. 5:22-32; 3:21 and notes).
Exo 25:111 gold
The Ark was made of acacia wood (v. 10) overlaid with gold, signifying that Christ is one person with two natures, the human nature and the divine nature. He is both God and man—a God-man. That the acacia wood was overlaid with gold both inside and outside signifies the divine nature mingled with the human nature—God and man becoming one—without a third nature being produced by the mingling. It also signifies that the divine nature penetrates the human nature and rests on the human nature so that it may be expressed through the human nature.
Exo 25:112 rim
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 25:112 [1] Or, crown; i.e., a border in the form of a wreath as a crown. So also in vv. 24, 25; 30:3, 4; and 37:2, 11-12, 26-27. The rim of gold signifies the glory of the divine nature. Christ as God’s embodiment expresses God by showing forth His glory (Heb. 1:3a; 2 Cor. 4:6). Through Christ’s human life the divine nature was expressed as a wreath, or crown, of glory.
Exo 25:112 [2] The glory of the divine nature as a rim also signifies the divine keeping power and holding strength. The Christ whom we live and magnify (Phil. 1:20-21a) becomes the glory expressed through us, and this glory is a rim that holds us and keeps us.
Exo 25:121 rings
The four rings and two poles (v. 13) were for the move of the Ark (Num. 10:33). The number four signifies the four corners of the earth, to which Christ as the embodiment of God’s testimony should be borne to reach all men (Rev. 7:1; Matt. 28:19; Acts 1:8). A ring, which has no beginning or ending, signifies the eternal Spirit (Heb. 9:14; Luke 15:22). The four rings of gold signify that the Spirit of Christ is the linking factor and power for bearing Christ as God’s testimony. The casting of the gold into rings signifies the experience of the cross through which the eternal life-giving Spirit becomes the linking power in us.
Exo 25:122 rings
The two rings with the two poles (v. 14) on the two sides of the Ark signify that the move of Christ as God’s embodied testimony is through a good coordination as a testimony in every respect (Luke 10:1 and note 2).
Exo 25:131 poles
The poles made of acacia wood signify that Christ’s human nature is the strength for His move as God’s testimony. Their being overlaid with gold signifies that Christ’s divine nature is the expression of His move. The move of Christ is always by His two natures, human and divine, mingled as one. See note 111.
Exo 25:141 put
The poles being put into the rings for carrying the Ark signifies that the move of Christ is by men bearing God’s testimony in their bodies (cf. 2 Cor. 4:10-12) in the uniting power of the Spirit (Eph. 4:3). Those who bore the Ark carried it on their shoulders, indicating that they were one with the Ark. In reality, to bear the Ark is to live Christ as His testimony, His witnesses, wherever we go (Acts 1:8 and note 3; 23:11 and note 4). That the two poles were to be in the rings and were not to be taken from the Ark (v. 15) signifies our readiness for the move of Christ as God’s testimony.
Exo 25:161 put
See note 101, par. 1. That the testimony (the law) was put into the Ark signifies that the living law of God as God’s testimony dwells in Christ bodily (Col. 2:9), making Him the testimony of God (John 1:18).
Exo 25:16a Ark Exo. 25:21; 16:34; 40:20; 1 Kings 8:9
Exo 25:17a And vv. 17-22: Exo. 37:6-9
Exo 25:171b expiation Heb. 9:5; cf. Rom. 3:25
The expiation cover, corresponding to the propitiation place in Rom. 3:25 and Heb. 9:5, was the lid of the Ark. It signifies Christ as the cover of God’s righteous law and also as the place where God meets with His redeemed people and speaks to them in grace (v. 22). Hence, the expiation cover on the Ark in the Holy of Holies equals the throne of grace, the very Christ who dwells in our spirit (Heb. 4:16 and note 1). According to Rev. 8:3, it is also the throne of God’s authority, the throne of the divine administration. The pure gold of which the cover was made signifies Christ’s pure divine nature. See note 11 in Lev. 16.
Exo 25:172 two
See note 103.
Exo 25:181 cherubim
The cherubim signify God’s glory (Ezek. 10:18; Heb. 9:5). Thus, the cherubim on the expiation cover indicate that Christ expresses God’s glory (John 1:14). They were made of beaten work, indicating that Christ’s expressing of the divine glory was through sufferings (cf. Heb. 2:9-10; Rom. 8:17-18).
Exo 25:191 one
That the two cherubim were one piece with the expiation cover indicates that God’s glory shines out from Christ and upon Christ as the expiation cover to be a testimony (cf. John 1:14; 2 Cor. 4:4, 6). The form, size, and weight of the cherubim are not given, indicating that the glory of Christ’s shining is immeasurable and mysterious.
Exo 25:201a wings 1 Kings 8:7; 1 Chron. 28:18
That the wings of the cherubim covered the expiation cover indicates that God’s glory is expressed in Christ to be a full testimony (Heb. 1:3a; Eph. 3:21 and note 4). The faces of the cherubim were toward each other and toward the cover, signifying that God’s glory watches over and observes what Christ has done.
Exo 25:211 put
That the cherubim and the expiation cover were made of pure gold (vv. 17-18) signifies that the shining of Christ as the effulgence of God’s glory (Heb. 1:3a) is divine. That the expiation cover of gold was put on top of the Ark of acacia wood (v. 10) signifies that Christ’s humanity, not His divinity, is the base for Him to express the glory of His divine nature. See note 102.
Exo 25:21a expiation Exo. 26:34; 40:20; Lev. 16:2
Exo 25:212 put
See note 161.
Exo 25:221a meet Exo. 29:42; 30:6, 36; Num. 17:4
Meaning to meet at an appointed place or to meet by appointment. So also in 29:42, 43 and 30:6, 36. The same word is the root of the word meeting in the expression Tent of Meeting. That God met with His people and spoke to them from above the expiation cover and between the cherubim signifies that God meets with us and speaks to us in the propitiating Christ and in the glory expressed in the propitiating Christ as His testimony (cf. 2 Cor. 3:8-11, 18). Thus, the expiation cover with the blood of the sacrifices sprinkled on it on the Day of Expiation (Lev. 16:14-15, 29-30) portrays the redeeming Christ in His humanity and the shining Christ in His divinity as the place where fallen sinners can meet with the righteous, holy, and glorious God and hear His word, thereby being infused with God as grace and receiving vision, revelation, and instruction from Him. See note 171.
Exo 25:22b between Num. 7:89; 1 Sam. 4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; Psa. 80:1; Isa. 37:16
Exo 25:23a And vv. 23-30: Exo. 37:10-16
Exo 25:231b table Heb. 9:2; cf. 2 Chron. 4:8
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 25:231 [1] The table of the bread of the Presence signifies Christ as the nourishing feast for the believers as God’s priests (1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10). This table was set up in the Holy Place within the tabernacle (40:22; Heb. 9:2), signifying within, or among, God’s people as His builded habitation (see note 151 in ch. 26). In the Bible a table signifies not an individual feasting but a corporate feasting (1 Cor. 10:16, 21; cf. Psa. 23:5). Christ as the food of God’s priests is for a corporate feasting within God’s dwelling place.
Exo 25:231 [2] In the sequence of God’s revelation, the table comes after the Ark (vv. 10-22), implying that the table is connected to the Ark. In spiritual experience, when we meet with God upon Christ as the propitiation cover, enjoying fellowship with God and hearing words from His mouth, the Ark becomes the table of the bread of the Presence, where we enjoy a nourishing feast. This means that Christ, the embodiment of God’s testimony, issues in our enjoyment of Him. Furthermore, in our experience, our enjoyment of Christ always brings us back to Him as God’s testimony.
Exo 25:232 acacia
Acacia wood here signifies that Christ’s humanity is the basic element for Him to be our feast (John 6:51, 53-55). The gold that overlaid the wood signifies Christ’s divinity as the expression of God. As we enjoy Christ as the supply by which we serve God, the outcome will be gold—Christ’s divinity as the expression of God.
Exo 25:233 two
In length and width the table was two square cubits, which is composed of two units, each of one square cubit, signifying the perfect (signified by a square) and complete (signified by the number one) life supply of Christ issuing in a testimony (signified by the number two).
Exo 25:234 one
The height of the table was the same as that of the Ark of the Testimony, signifying that the nourishment of Christ as the supply of the serving priests matches the standard of God’s testimony (cf. note 341 in ch. 16).
Exo 25:241 rim
For the rim of gold around the top of the table, see note 112.
Exo 25:251 frame
The frame was near the bottom of the table, close to the rings put on the four corners at the feet of the table (vv. 26-27). Its purpose was to connect the legs and strengthen them, the handbreadth signifying its being full of strength to connect and strengthen. The rim of gold on the frame is for keeping and holding (see note 112). In spiritual experience, the enjoyment of Christ as a feast strengthens us, connects us, upholds us, and keeps us.
Exo 25:261 rings
As with the Ark, the four rings on the table signify the Spirit of Christ as the linking factor and power (see note 121). The oneness of the Spirit as a ring is a uniting bond with binding power (Eph. 4:3). That the four rings were put on the four feet of the table signifies that Christ as our feast moves and follows us (cf. 1 Cor. 10:4). That the rings, as holders for the poles, were close to the frame (v. 27) signifies that both the linking and the moving are dependent on the connecting and strengthening (see note 251).
Exo 25:281 poles
See note 131.
Exo 25:291a plates Num. 4:7
The plates were for displaying the bread. The cups contained frankincense (signifying Christ’s resurrection), which was poured on the bread of the Presence displayed on the table (Lev. 24:7). The pitchers and bowls were used for pouring out drink offerings. That all the utensils were made of pure gold signifies that the divine nature of Christ is the means through which we partake of Him as our life supply and our offering to God.
Exo 25:301a bread Lev. 24:5-6; 1 Kings 7:48; cf. Matt. 12:4; Mark 2:26; Luke 6:4
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 25:301 [1] The bread on the table is called the bread of the Presence because the table was set before God, i.e., in God’s presence, not far from the Ark. Whereas manna was gathered by all the people in the wilderness outside the court of the tabernacle, the bread of God’s presence was enjoyed only by the priests in the presence of God in the Holy Place within the tabernacle (40:22-23; Heb. 9:2; Lev. 24:9). Manna typifies Christ as the life supply of God’s people for their living (see note 191 in ch. 16); the bread on the table typifies Christ as the life supply of God’s priests, enabling them not only to live but also to serve God. This bread indicates that God’s people should no longer live by themselves but by Christ as their life and life supply (John 6:57).
Exo 25:301 [2] The bread of the Presence was the most holy of Jehovah’s offerings by fire (Lev. 24:7, 9). It signifies the surplus of the believers’ enjoyment of Christ that is offered to God to be His food for His satisfaction. God caused certain loaves of this offering to be spared, brought into the Holy Place, and arranged and displayed on the table to be food for the serving priests.
Exo 25:302 Presence
Or, Face. The bread of the Presence, the face-bread, means that God’s presence, God’s face, is the life supply to the serving priests (cf. 2 Cor. 2:10; 4:6-7; 3:18). In our experience the reality of God’s presence is the Spirit in our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22; cf. 2 Cor. 3:17), who is also the reality of Christ as the bread of life (John 6:33, 51a, 63).
Exo 25:31a And vv. 31-39: Exo. 37:17-24
Exo 25:311b lampstand Heb. 9:2; cf. 1 Kings 7:49; 2 Chron. 4:20; Zech. 4:2; Rev. 1:12
[ par. 1 2 3 ]
Exo 25:311 [1] As described in vv. 31-36, the lampstand consisted of a base, a central stalk, and three branches on each of its two sides. Underneath each pair of branches there was a calyx, which held two branches at the stalk. On each branch there were three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each cup being composed of a calyx (the leafy green bottom of the blossom) and a blossoming bud. The whole flower, including the calyx and the blossom, was a cup shaped like an almond blossom. On the lampstand there were twenty-five calyxes—one at the base of each pair of branches, three on each of the six branches, and four on the shaft—and twenty-two blossoms (the three calyxes at the base of each pair of branches did not have blossoms). The divine thought here is that the lampstand is actually a living and growing tree with calyxes and blossoms.
Exo 25:311 [2] The lampstand signifies the Triune God embodied and expressed. Pure gold as the substance of the lampstand (v. 31) signifies God the Father in His divine nature; the form of the lampstand signifies God the Son as the embodiment of God the Father (John 14:9-11a; 2 Cor. 4:4b; Col. 1:15; 2:9); and the seven lamps (v. 37) signify God the Spirit being the seven Spirits of God for the sevenfold intensified expression of the Father in the Son (Rev. 4:5; 5:6). The lampstand in this chapter signifies Christ as the embodiment and expression of the Triune God shining with the seven lamps, the seven Spirits of God (Col. 2:9; Matt. 4:16; John 1:4-9); the lampstand in 1 Kings 7:49 signifies the enlarged Christ; the lampstand in Zech. 4 signifies the nation of Israel as God’s shining testimony with the sevenfold intensified life-giving Spirit as the reality of Christ (Zech. 4:2, 6, 10; Rev. 5:6); and the lampstands in Rev. 1 signify the local churches as the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit (Rev. 1:11-12, 20). The consummation and aggregate of all the lampstands in the Scriptures is the New Jerusalem, the ultimate, unique, and eternal golden lampstand, with Christ as the lamp and God as the light shining within Him and through the city for the expression of the Triune God in eternity (Rev. 21:11, 18, 23; 22:5). See note 123 in Rev. 1.
Exo 25:311 [3] That the lampstand is revealed after the table of the bread of the Presence (vv. 23-30) indicates that Christ as the supply of life, signified by the table, becomes the light of life to us (John 1:4; 8:12), signified by the lampstand. The placing of the lampstand in the Holy Place opposite the table and near the Ark (26:34-35) indicates that in the church the light of the truth (1 John 1:5-6) and the supply of life must match and balance each other for the carrying on of Christ as God’s testimony. In the making and displaying of the furniture of the tabernacle, the lampstand was followed by the incense altar (37:23-25; 40:24-27), indicating that the shining of Christ in resurrection as the divine light leads us to enjoy Christ as the fragrant incense of resurrection in the prayer of fellowship with God. The light from the lampstand directs us to enjoy Christ as our life supply and also guides us into the Holy of Holies to enjoy Christ in the deepest way as the testimony of God with the throne of grace (see notes 101 and 171).
Exo 25:312 pure
Pure gold, signifying the pure divine nature, indicates that as the embodiment of God the Father for His expression, Christ is purely divine. Although as a man Christ has humanity, His shining as the light of life (John 8:12) is related not to His humanity but to His divinity (John 1:1, 4-5). The same is true of the church as the lampstand (Rev. 1:20)—the actuality and the shining of the church depend not on humanity but on how much of the divine element has been infused and wrought into the church (2 Pet. 1:4).
Exo 25:313 base
The base for stability and the shaft for strength signify that the Lord Jesus was always stable and strong (Matt. 8:24-26; Luke 4:29-30).
Exo 25:314 beaten
The beating of the gold to shine forth the light signifies that Christ’s shining of the divine light as the expression of the divine glory (Rev. 21:23) is through sufferings (cf. note 181), through which Christ was constituted as the divine light-holder to shine in God’s dwelling place so that God’s serving ones could serve there. The beating of the gold to form a stand also signifies the believers’ participation in Christ’s sufferings and their being blended together through the cross and by the Spirit for the producing and building up of the church, the Body of Christ (Rom. 8:17; 1 Pet. 2:21; Phil. 3:10; Col. 1:24; 1 Cor. 12:24).
Exo 25:315 cups
A cup, equal to a complete flower, consists of a calyx (the outer leafy green layer of a flower) and a blossom bud, which is actually the flower itself (vv. 33-34). The cups shaped like almond blossoms signify the resurrection life blossoming (Num. 17:8). To shine the divine light is to blossom. This indicates that Christ’s being the light of life and our shining forth the light of life as the church are in resurrection (cf. note 321). The calyxes containing the blossom buds signify the resurrection life as a container to sustain and support our shining forth of the divine light. The blossom buds signify the expression of the resurrection life.
Exo 25:321 six
The number three denotes both resurrection (1 Cor. 15:4) and the Triune God, who is resurrection (John 11:25). That there were three branches on each side of the lampstand signifies resurrection, and the branches themselves signify the branching out of Christ’s resurrection life. The six branches in two groups of three signify the testimony of the light of life, two being the number of testimony (Deut. 19:15).
Exo 25:331 Three
The three cups made like almond blossoms on each branch, a calyx and a blossom bud, signify the resurrection life blossoming in and with the resurrection life. The shining of the lampstand signifies the blossoming, the expression, of the divine life in resurrection. To have the blossoming of the resurrection life for the shining of the divine light, the believers in Christ, who have received the divine life with the divine nature through regeneration (Col. 3:4; 2 Pet. 1:4), need to live Christ, to live divinity, by practicing to be one spirit with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 1:21a).
Exo 25:341 four
The fact that the lampstand is pure gold signifies that, as the embodiment of God, Christ is altogether divine. However, the four cups made like almond blossoms on the shaft of the lampstand, its calyxes and blossom buds, signify Christ’s humanity in His shining with the resurrection life. Thus, in the lampstand there is not only the Triune God but also the creature, signified by the number four (Ezek. 1:5; cf. Col. 1:15). See also note 202 in ch. 27.
Exo 25:351 calyx
According to the description given in this chapter, in the divine thought the golden lampstand is actually a living and growing tree with calyxes and blossoms (see note 311, par. 1). Thus, the lampstand portrays the Triune God embodied in Christ as a living tree, growing, branching, budding, and blossoming to shine the light for His full expression. The calyx under each pair of branches signifies life branching out by growing to produce the shining. The repetition in this verse related to the calyxes and the branches also indicates growth. As the central shaft, or stalk, of the lampstand grows upward, it produces three pairs of branches, and as the branches grow out, calyxes, buds, and blossoms appear on the branches (v. 33). The light of the lampstand is the blossoming of the resurrection life (John 1:4; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 5:9), and the shining of the light is the issue of the growing, branching, budding, and blossoming. That there are twenty-five calyxes and twenty-two blossoms indicates that with the lampstand the responsibility for growth is greater than the matter of budding, blossoming, and shining.
Exo 25:352 six
Six is the number of man, since man was created on the sixth day (Gen. 1:26). Here the number six is composed of three plus three, three signifying the Triune God in resurrection. Hence, the six branches signify the believers in Christ as created men who are in the Triune God in resurrection. The picture of the lampstand indicates that Christ as the resurrection life is growing, branching, budding, and blossoming both in Himself as the central stalk and in His believers as His branches (John 15:5a; Col. 2:19) to shine the divine light for the expression of the Triune God.
Exo 25:371a seven Num. 8:2; cf. Zech. 4:2; Rev. 4:5
The seven lamps of the lampstand signify the seven Spirits of God (Rev. 4:5) as the seven eyes of Jehovah (Zech. 4:10), the seven eyes of the redeeming Lamb (Rev. 5:6), and the seven eyes of the building stone (Zech. 3:9) for the full expression of the Triune God. See notes 101 in Zech. 4, 51 in Rev. 4, 65 in Rev. 5, and 143 in Rev. 1.
Exo 25:372 light
In the three parts of the tabernacle there were three kinds of light. The light in the outer court was the natural light, the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars. The light in the Holy Place was the inner light, the light of the lampstand, signifying God in Christ shining in resurrection and in the Spirit. The light in the Holy of Holies was the innermost light, God appearing in His shekinah glory on the expiation cover, which typifies Christ as the place of propitiation (v. 22; 40:34; cf. Rev. 21:23; 22:5). Eventually, through our enjoyment of Christ in the Holy of Holies the shining light of the lampstand is replaced by and becomes the shekinah glory of God for our closest fellowship with God (2 Cor. 3:18; 4:6).
Exo 25:391 talent
That the lampstand with all its utensils was one talent (approximately one hundred pounds) of pure gold signifies that Christ as the lampstand shining the divine light in resurrection is perfectly and completely weighty (John 7:45-46; 18:37-38; cf. 2 Cor. 4:17; 1 Tim. 2:2). The measurements of the lampstand are not given, signifying that the divinity of Christ and the light He shines are immeasurable (cf. John 3:34).
Exo 25:40a pattern Exo. 25:9; 26:30; 27:8; Num. 8:4; Acts 7:44; Heb. 8:5
Exo 26:1a Now vv. 1-14: Exo. 36:8-19
Exo 26:11 tabernacle
The covering of the tabernacle consisted of four layers. The first and innermost layer (vv. 1-6), referred to here as the tabernacle, consisted of ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet strands. The number ten signifies human perfection and completeness (see note 102 in Rev. 2), and the fine linen curtains typify Christ’s fine humanity. Hence, the first layer of covering typifies Christ as a fine, perfect, and complete man without defect, shortage, or excess (John 19:4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22). This layer was not only a covering but also a protection for the standing boards and all the contents of the tabernacle, signifying that the humanity of the Lord Jesus covers, protects, and embraces all His believers as the church. The first layer of covering, forming the ceiling of the tabernacle, is the inward expression of the beauty and glory of the Lord Jesus in His humanity.
Exo 26:12 fine
Fine linen signifies righteous conduct (Rev. 19:8). Fineness signifies evenness, and being twined here signifies being dealt with through sufferings and, hence, not loose. Fine twined linen signifies the fine living of Christ manifested through suffering and trials.
Exo 26:13b blue Exo. 26:31, 36; 28:6; 39:3, 8
See note 41 in ch. 25.
Exo 26:14 cherubim
Cherubim denote God’s glory manifested in the creature (Ezek. 1:5, 22; 10:1, 18; Heb. 9:5). Here the cherubim embroidered on the linen curtains signify God’s glory manifested in Jesus as a man, a creature (John 1:14; Col. 1:15). That the number of the cherubim is not given indicates that God’s glory manifested in His creature is immeasurable (cf. notes 191 and 391 in ch. 25).
Exo 26:15 skillful
The skillful workman, the embroiderer, here signifies the Holy Spirit, and the embroidering of the cherubim on the curtains signifies the constituting work of the Holy Spirit in the Lord Jesus to make the glory of God manifested in the creature. Cf. note 141 in Psa. 45.
Exo 26:31 Five
[ par. 1 2 3 ]
Exo 26:31 [1] Five is the number of responsibility (cf. note 21 in Matt. 25), and two is the number of testimony (Deut. 19:15). The two sets of the five curtains joined to one another (vv. 4-6) signify the continuous life of the Lord Jesus as a life of responsibility for a testimony.
Exo 26:31 [2] The joining of the two sets of five curtains resulted in a large sheet measuring forty cubits by twenty-eight cubits. Twenty-eight is composed of four times seven, the number four signifying man as God’s creature (Ezek. 1:5) and the number seven signifying completion (see note 41 in Rev. 1). Thus, the length of each curtain also signifies the completeness and perfection of the Lord Jesus as a man (cf. note 11). The number forty signifies testing and trials (Heb. 3:9; Matt. 4:2). Hence, the forty cubits signify that the Lord’s completeness and perfection as a man have been tested, and He is approved by both God and man.
Exo 26:31 [3] The tabernacle itself was thirty cubits in length and ten cubits in both width and height (see notes 181 and 331). When the tabernacle was erected, the sheet of linen curtains was spread upon the standing boards (vv. 15-30). The sheet hung over the rear of the tabernacle by ten cubits and over the sides by nine cubits each, with no overhang at the front, the entrance, of the tabernacle. The number nine, composed of three times three, signifies the Triune God in resurrection. The overhang of nine cubits on each side signifies that the Lord Jesus was a perfect and complete man overflowing with the Triune God in resurrection in an even and balanced way.
Exo 26:41 loops
Loops signify availability for joining. That the loops were on the edge of the outermost curtain in each of the two sets of five curtains indicates that they were the issue of a life of responsibility for a testimony (see note 31).
Exo 26:61 clasps
Clasps of gold signify the joining power of the divine nature. The joining of the curtains to each other made the tabernacle one, signifying that all the virtues of the Lord Jesus form one perfect, complete, and whole testimony.
Exo 26:71 goats’
See note 43 in ch. 25. The second layer of covering typifies Christ as the One who was made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21) and who died on the cross for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18). The first two layers of covering together signify that the Lord Jesus, the perfect man, was made sin in the eyes of God for our redemption.
Exo 26:72 tent
In v. 1 the first layer of the covering of the tabernacle is itself called the tabernacle, and here the curtain of goats’ hair is a tent to cover and protect the tabernacle.
Exo 26:101 loops
As a perfect man, Christ is heavenly, but when He was made sin for us, He was not heavenly. Thus, the loops on the second layer are not said to be blue (cf. v. 4).
Exo 26:111 clasps
The clasps signify joining power, and bronze signifies God’s judgment (Num. 16:39; 21:8-9). The joining of the tent by the bronze clasps signifies that God’s righteous judgment holds together the judged and tried Christ as a complete person.
Exo 26:121 overlapping
The joining of the curtains in the second layer resulted in a rectangle measuring forty-four cubits by thirty cubits. This layer of goats’ hair was laid over the tabernacle in such a way that it hung over the back and the two sides (vv. 12-13), completely covering the standing boards and the linen curtains. According to v. 9 the sixth curtain was doubled over at the front of the tent for protection and strengthening. The hanging over of the tent at the back and on the two sides of the tabernacle indicates that after Christ was made sin and was judged by God for sinners, He became the covering and protection of the believers, who are the components of God’s dwelling place (see note 151).
Exo 26:131 cubit
The overhang of the tent on each of the two sides of the tabernacle was one cubit longer than that of the linen curtains (v. 8a, cf. v. 2a). Hence, the linen curtains were fully protected by the tent of goats’ hair. The overhang on the two sides signifies the redeeming Christ becoming the protection of God’s dwelling place in any situation, whether hardship (the north side—v. 20) or ease (the south side—v. 18) (cf. 2 Cor. 12:7-10; Phil. 4:12-13).
Exo 26:141a rams’ Exo. 25:5
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 26:141 [1] See note 51 in ch. 25. The third layer of covering typifies Christ as the One who accomplished redemption by dying and shedding His blood to meet God’s need and ours (Heb. 9:12-14; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Col. 1:14). Rams are males and signify Christ as a strong man who died for our redemption.
Exo 26:141 [2] The first three layers of covering signify that because the perfect man (the first layer, the fine linen), Jesus Christ, was made sin for us (the second layer, the goats’ hair) as our Substitute, redemption has been accomplished (the third layer, the ram’s skins dyed red). Christ’s full and complete redemption, which is Christ Himself, covers God’s chosen and redeemed people, who are His dwelling place.
Exo 26:142 porpoise
See note 52 in ch. 25. The fourth layer of covering, the porpoise skins, signifies that Christ is without comeliness or beauty (Isa. 53:2). The covering of porpoise skins protected the tabernacle from storms and rain, signifying that Christ as our covering enables us to stand against Satan and all his attacks.
Exo 26:15a And vv. 15-30: Exo. 36:20-34
Exo 26:151 boards
The walls of the tabernacle, composed of standing boards, typify the believers built together to be the dwelling place of God (Eph. 2:22; 1 Pet. 2:5). Thus, the church, the corporate Christ (1 Cor. 12:12), is included with the individual Christ in the type of the tabernacle (see note 92 in ch. 25). In the picture of the tabernacle the corporate Christ is covered by the individual Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9). The fact that the covering of the tabernacle is revealed in Exodus before the boards indicates that Christ’s redemption had to take place before the church could come into existence.
Exo 26:152 acacia
The boards were made of acacia wood overlaid with gold (v. 29), the same materials used to make the Ark (25:10-11). This indicates that the boards are the enlargement and extension of the Ark. In the same way the believers in Christ, typified by the boards, are the enlargement and extension of Christ as God’s testimony (John 12:23-24; 2 Cor. 10:1; Phil. 1:8, 20-21a). Through regeneration the believers have received the uplifted humanity of Jesus and His overlaying divine nature to become boards of acacia wood overlaid with gold. The overlaying of the acacia wood with gold signifies that the divine nature of Christ has become one with the believers’ human nature to be the expression of God.
Exo 26:161 one
The width of each board, one and a half cubits, signifies that every believer is a half unit needing to be matched by another to form a complete unit of three cubits for the building of God’s dwelling place. Cf. note 103 in ch. 25.
Exo 26:171 tenons
The tenons and sockets (vv. 17, 19) are for standing, whereas the rings and bars (vv. 26-29) are for uniting, to make the individual boards of the tabernacle a corporate entity.
Exo 26:181 twenty
On each side of the tabernacle there were ten pairs of boards (vv. 18, 20) forming a wall of thirty cubits. The number thirty, composed of ten times three, ten being the number of human completion (see note 102 in Rev. 2) and three signifying the Triune God in resurrection, indicates the complete and perfect humanity in resurrection with the Triune God. This is the testimony of the built-up church.
Exo 26:191 sockets
Sockets signify stability for standing. Each socket was made of a talent (approximately one hundred pounds) of silver (38:27), signifying the redemption of Christ as the solid base for the believers’ standing in God’s dwelling place (John 14:2-3 and note 32). The two tenons, which fit into the two sockets under each board, may signify our complete faith in Christ’s redemption, which gives us a firm and unshakable standing (2 Cor. 1:24; Rom. 5:2; Gal. 5:1).
Exo 26:192 next
Lit., one. So also in vv. 21, 25; 36:24, 26.
Exo 26:241 double
A corner is where a turn is made. The doubling of the corner boards (v. 23) signifies that at each turn in the Lord’s move there is a need for doubling, strengthening, reinforcing. For example, at Antioch there was a turn toward the Gentile world; for this Barnabas and Saul were doubled and strengthened to become corner boards for the building of the church (Acts 13:2, 46).
Exo 26:251 eight
There were a total of forty-eight boards in the tabernacle (vv. 18, 20, 25). The number forty-eight is composed of six times eight. Six refers to man created on the sixth day, who became fallen and was later redeemed, and eight refers to resurrection, which occurred on the eighth day, the first day of a new week (John 20:1). Thus, six times eight indicates that as standing boards in the tabernacle, the believers are created and redeemed people in resurrection.
Exo 26:261 bars
The bars were made of acacia wood for connecting strength and overlaid with gold for uniting. They signify the initial Spirit (see note 292) becoming the uniting Spirit to join all the members of Christ into one Body (Eph. 4:3-4). The boards stand in silver, signifying Christ’s redemptive work, and they are united by gold, signifying Christ’s divine person. That the bars were made of acacia wood indicates that the oneness of the Spirit involves not only Christ’s divinity but also His humanity (Eph. 4:2 and note). In actuality, the uniting bars signify not the Holy Spirit alone, but the Holy Spirit mingled with our human spirit (Rom. 8:16)—the mingled spirit, which includes both divinity and humanity.
Exo 26:281 pass
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 26:281 [1] There were five bars for the boards on each side of the tabernacle (vv. 26-27), the middle bar stretching from end to end and being twice as long as the other bars. Hence, the five bars formed three lines, indicating that there were three rings on each board to serve as holders for the bars.
Exo 26:281 [2] The uniting of the boards of the tabernacle involved the passing of the bars through the rings on each board to join the boards together. This signifies that the believers in Christ are united when their spirit cooperates with the Spirit, thus allowing the uniting Spirit to pass through them to join them to other believers.
Exo 26:291 gold
In order to become one entity as God’s dwelling place, the forty-eight boards in the tabernacle had to be united in oneness. The oneness of the boards of the tabernacle was not in the acacia wood but in the gold that overlaid the wood. Gold signifies the Triune God with His divine nature, and the shining of the gold signifies the glory of God. The oneness of the boards in the overlaying gold symbolizes the oneness of the believers in the Triune God and in His glory, His expression. This is the practical oneness for which the Lord prayed in John 17:21-23. This oneness is the building up of the believers to be God’s dwelling place (cf. John 14:23).
Exo 26:292 rings
The gold rings signify the sealing Spirit (Eph. 1:13), the initial Spirit, i.e., the regenerating Spirit (John 3:6), given to us by God at the time of our believing in Christ (Gen. 24:22; Luke 15:22; Acts 2:38). Since the number three signifies the Triune God in resurrection, the three rings (see note 281, par. 1) indicate the all-inclusive Spirit of the Triune God in resurrection (John 7:39) for the uniting of the believers (Eph. 4:3).
Exo 26:30a plan cf. Exo. 25:40
Exo 26:31a And vv. 31-35: Exo. 36:35-36
Exo 26:311b veil 2 Chron. 3:14; Heb. 9:3; cf. Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45
In material, color, and workmanship the veil was exactly the same as the first layer of the covering of the tabernacle (v. 1). The veil, signifying the flesh of Christ (Heb. 10:20), separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (v. 33) and also covered the Ark of the Testimony (Num. 4:5). This signifies the separation between God and fallen man because of man’s flesh (Gen. 6:3; cf. Gen. 3:22-24 and notes). This veil was torn through Christ’s crucifixion, signifying that the flesh of sin was crucified through Christ’s death on the cross to open a new and living way for sinful man to contact God on Christ as the propitiation cover in the Holy of Holies (Matt. 27:51 and note 1; Heb. 10:19-20; Rom. 3:25; cf. Exo. 25:22).
Exo 26:321 hang
Lit., give. So also in v. 33.
Exo 26:322 pillars
The pillars, like the boards, were made of acacia wood overlaid with gold and stood on silver sockets, which signify Christ’s redemption. Hence, the pillars signify believers (Gal. 2:9; Rev. 3:12; 1 Tim. 3:15) who are strong to bear the testimony of Christ’s incarnation and crucifixion. The veil being attached to the pillars implies the identification, the oneness, of Christ as the veil with those believers who are pillars. The pillars in God’s dwelling place no longer live in the flesh but bear the testimony that the veil of their flesh has been torn, i.e., that they themselves have been terminated and their flesh has been crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20; 5:24). The riven veil on the pillars becomes an entrance for God’s people to enter the Holy of Holies to have the full enjoyment of God. See note 371.
Exo 26:323 hooks
The hooks of gold by which the veil was connected to the pillars signify the holding and connecting strength of the divine nature, by which the stronger believers are connected to Christ to bear the testimony of His incarnation and crucifixion.
Exo 26:324 sockets
With the tabernacle there were a total of one hundred silver sockets, ninety-six for the boards and four for the pillars. Ten is the number of human completion (see note 102 in Rev. 2), and one hundred, composed of ten times ten, signifies the full and complete fulfillment of the requirements of the Ten Commandments. The one hundred sockets were made from the expiation silver collected from the people (30:11-16; 38:25, 27), signifying that as the boards and pillars for the building up of God’s dwelling place, God’s redeemed people stand on the solid redemption of Christ.
Exo 26:331 clasps
The veil was hung under the fifty clasps on the first layer of the covering (v. 6), which formed a line on the ceiling of the tabernacle twenty cubits from the entrance and ten cubits from the back wall. This indicates that the Holy of Holies was a cube measuring ten cubits in each direction, and the Holy Place, measuring twenty cubits by ten cubits by ten cubits, was twice as large as the Holy of Holies. Furthermore, the veil was a square, ten cubits by ten cubits. Cf. note 31, par. 2, and note 181.
Exo 26:33a veil Matt. 27:51; Heb. 9:2-3; cf. Lev. 16:2; Heb. 10:20
Exo 26:33b Holy 1 Kings 6:16; Ezek. 41:4; Heb. 9:3
Exo 26:34a expiation Exo. 25:21; 40:20; Heb. 9:5
Exo 26:35a outside Exo. 40:22; Heb. 9:2
Exo 26:35b lampstand Exo. 40:24
Exo 26:36a And vv. 36-37: Exo. 36:37-38
Exo 26:361b screen Exo. 27:16
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 26:361 [1] The screen as the entrance to the tent was made of the same material as the first layer of the covering and the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (cf. vv. 1, 31). The screen signifies Christ in His perfect humanity as the One who keeps all negative persons and things outside God’s dwelling place, and as the One who died for our sins under God’s judgment (1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18) so that we may be forgiven by God and may enter into the Holy Place of His dwelling to begin to enjoy all the riches of God in Christ.
Exo 26:361 [2] The screen and the veil in the tabernacle signify two aspects of the all-inclusive death of Christ. The screen indicates that Christ died for our sins so that our sins may be forgiven and that we may be justified by God. The veil indicates that Christ died for us, the sinners (2 Cor. 5:14-15, 21), so that our flesh, our fallen nature, may be torn, crucified, that we may enter into the Holy of Holies to enjoy God to the uttermost. These two curtains are related to the two aspects of reconciliation spoken of by Paul in 2 Cor. 5:18-21 (see note 202 there).
Exo 26:362 entrance
The tabernacle in Exodus was enterable. By being incarnated, God not only became a man; He also became an enterable tabernacle (John 1:14). God’s original intention was that all the children of Israel would be priests (19:6) and have the right to enter into the tabernacle, i.e., to enter into God and dwell in God. In the Old Testament the priests could enter into the tabernacle, and today all the believers in Christ, as priests (Rom. 15:16; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6), can enter into God and dwell in Him (1 John 4:13, 15). The incarnated God has become our dwelling place, our home, as a place of enjoyment (cf. Psa. 90:1; Rev. 21:22).
Exo 26:371 pillars
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 26:371 [1] Like the four pillars attached to the veil (v. 32), the five pillars attached to the screen signify stronger believers who are identified with the incarnated and crucified Christ (see notes 322 and 323). These pillars at the entrance of the tabernacle are evangelists, who declare to all that Christ died for their sins. The pillars within the tabernacle are those who experience Christ in a deeper way, who daily attach themselves to the torn veil, to the very Christ who was terminated in His flesh, and bear the testimony that they have been crucified with Christ (cf. Gal. 2:20). These two kinds of pillars provide entrances for sinners to be saved into God’s dwelling place and then to be terminated so that they may come into God’s Holy of Holies to enjoy God Himself in His fullness.
Exo 26:371 [2] Between the five pillars supporting the screen there were four entrances into the tabernacle, and between the four pillars supporting the veil there were three entrances into the Holy of Holies. The fact that the screen has four entrances indicates that God’s dwelling place is open to all people from the four corners of the earth (Rev. 5:9). The three entrances in the veil indicate that the Triune God Himself is the entrance for His redeemed people to enter not only His dwelling place but also Himself. Cf. Rev. 21:12-13 and note 131.
Exo 26:372 bronze
Bronze signifies God’s righteous judgment exercised on rebels (Num. 16:38-39; 21:9). The five sockets of bronze indicate that Christ was judged by God for our sins. See note 22 in ch. 27.
Exo 27:1a And vv. 1-8: Exo. 38:1-7
Exo 27:11b altar Exo. 29:12; 38:1; 40:10, 29; cf. Ezek. 43:13-17; 1 Cor. 10:18
The altar of burnt offering, located in the outer court of the tabernacle, typifies the cross of Christ (Heb. 13:10).
Exo 27:12 acacia
The acacia wood of which the altar was made signifies the man Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5), who was judged by God on the cross as our Substitute. Acacia wood was the essence and substance of both the Ark (25:10) and the altar, signifying that only that humanity which is up to the standard of the Ark—the humanity of Jesus—can be our substitute to save us.
Exo 27:13 five
Five is the number of responsibility, and five by five signifies that Christ bore the full responsibility on the cross to fulfill all the requirements of God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory. See note 241 in Gen. 3.
Exo 27:14 square
That the altar was square signifies that the man Jesus was upright, perfect, and without any deficiency, and thus was qualified to be our Substitute and Redeemer (see note 371 in Mark 12).
Exo 27:15 three
The number three here signifies the Triune God. The redemption accomplished on the cross was not only by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; it was accomplished by the Triune God. All Three of the Divine Trinity were involved in the accomplishing of redemption (Heb. 9:14; Matt. 27:46; Col. 2:14-15).
Exo 27:21a horns Exo. 29:12; 30:2; cf. Lev. 4:7, 30; 1 Kings 1:50; Psa. 118:27
The horns on the four corners of the altar signify the power and strength of Christ’s redemption (cf. Psa. 92:10a) to reach the four corners of the earth. That the horns were of one piece with the altar indicates that the power and strength of Christ’s redemption cannot be separated from Christ’s cross.
Exo 27:22 bronze
The bronze used to overlay the altar came from the censers of the two hundred fifty rebellious ones who were judged by God (Num. 16:37-39). Thus, the bronze on the altar became a reminder of God’s judgment on rebellion. Bronze here signifies God’s righteous judgment on Christ as our Substitute (Isa. 53:5; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 3:18).
Exo 27:31 utensils
The fact that all the utensils were made of bronze signifies that all things related to the cross are for God’s judgment.
Exo 27:41 grating
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 27:41 [1] The grating, the network of bronze, inside the altar signifies Christ Himself in His redemptive work. It stretched horizontally from side to side at the middle of the height of the altar (v. 5). The wood was placed on this grating, and the sacrifices were put on the wood. As the wood and the sacrifices burned, the ashes fell through the grating to the bottom of the altar, and the smoke ascended as a sweet savor to God for His satisfaction. The ashes were proof that the sacrifice had been accepted by God and that the offerer had been forgiven. God enjoyed the aroma of the burning sacrifice, and the offerer enjoyed peace.
Exo 27:41 [2] The bronze grating, with its rings and poles, is the content of the altar, signifying the inner content of Christ’s redemption. That the grating was within the altar signifies that God’s judgment upon Christ as our Substitute was not merely outward but reached the inward parts of Christ (Psa. 22:14).
Exo 27:42 rings
The bronze rings at the four ends of the grating refer to the eternal Spirit (cf. note 121 in ch. 25), through whom Christ offered Himself on the cross to God to accomplish redemption (Heb. 9:14 and note 2). The eternal Spirit is the power, the strength, the efficacy, of Christ’s redemption. The function of the rings was twofold: (1) to bear the weight of the grating, on which the wood and the sacrifices were burned, and (2) to provide a way for the altar to move (38:5, 7). The fire on the altar came from God (Lev. 9:24; cf. 2 Chron. 7:1) and never ceased (Lev. 6:13); while the altar was moving, the fire was burning continually. Both the burning and the moving depended on the four rings. This signifies that it is the eternal Spirit who makes Christ’s redemption effective and who is the power for the move of the cross of Christ to the four corners of the earth (1 Cor. 1:18; Rom. 1:16; 15:18-19; Acts 1:8; 1 Thes. 1:5). The rings being of the same material as the grating and forming one piece with the grating indicates that the life-giving Spirit is the issue of the redeeming Christ (1 Cor. 15:45) and of His redemption (Acts 2:38; Gal. 3:13-14) and identifies Christ with the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17). Christ and His redemption should not be separated from the Spirit (Rev. 5:6).
Exo 27:51 ledge
The ledge, located inside the altar, might have strengthened the grating and protected the acacia wood in the walls of the altar from the heat of the fire that burned continually on the grating. Thus, the ledge may signify the strengthening power that upheld Christ while He suffered the burning of God’s righteous judgment on the cross, and also the protection that enabled Christ in His humanity (signified by the acacia wood) to bear the judgment of God.
Exo 27:52 halfway
The one and a half cubits above and below the grating was equal to the height of the Ark of the Testimony (25:10). The fact that the grating of the altar was level with the expiation cover of the Ark signifies that Christ’s redemption was accomplished according to the standard of the requirements of God’s holiness, righteousness, and glory (cf. Rom. 3:24-25). Moreover, the fact that there were one and a half cubits above the grating indicates that the effectiveness of Christ’s redemption, indicated by God’s being satisfied by the fragrant aroma ascending from the sacrifices, also comes up to the standard of God’s requirements.
Exo 27:61 poles
The poles made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze, signifying Christ as a man under God’s judgment, were for the move of the altar (v. 7). The poles being put into the rings and being carried by men signifies the move of the redeeming Christ by the power of the Spirit with the church as a corporate Body in the coordination of the believers as a testimony (1 Thes. 1:5; Luke 10:1; Acts 1:8; 13:1-4; 16:6-10).
Exo 27:8a shown Exo. 25:40
Exo 27:9a And vv. 9-19: Exo. 38:9-20
Exo 27:91b court Exo. 38:9; 40:8; cf. Rev. 11:2
The outer court of the tabernacle signifies the sphere and boundary of God’s dwelling place. The area of the outer court formed a rectangle one hundred cubits in length and fifty cubits in width (vv. 9-13). This is half of a square with sides of one hundred cubits, signifying that the outer court was a testimony, with one half present and the other half yet to come. The New Jerusalem, as the consummation of God’s building, will be a complete whole, a square, not a rectangle (Rev. 21:16). Cf. note 103 in ch. 25.
Exo 27:92 hangings
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 27:92 [1] When the tabernacle was observed from a distance, its most prominent feature was the fine linen hangings of the outer court. These hangings were both the outward expression and the boundary of God’s building. The hangings of the court signify Christ as God’s righteousness, who is made righteousness to the church (1 Cor. 1:30) and is lived out of the church to be its boundary and expression (see notes 201 in Matt. 5, 95 in Phil. 3, and 82 in Rev. 19).
Exo 27:92 [2] With the tabernacle, the expression of God’s building was righteousness outwardly, signified by linen, and holiness inwardly, signified by gold. Righteousness is the expression of God in His deeds, and holiness is the expression of God in His nature. The outward expression of the church should be righteousness toward man, and the inward expression should be holiness toward God (cf. Eph. 4:24). We must have the outward expression of righteousness before we can have the inward expression of holiness (see notes 162 in Isa. 5 and 191 in Rom. 6).
Exo 27:93 linen
See notes 42 in ch. 25 and 12 in ch. 26. The church’s expression of righteousness should be the expression of Christ’s human living.
Exo 27:101 pillars
For the boundary of God’s building, the pillars of bronze signify the Christ who was judged by God, as the standing and supporting strength, and the bronze sockets signify the Christ who was judged by God, as the base (see note 372 in ch. 26). In the outer court the most prominent materials are bronze and linen. That the linen hangings were on bronze pillars that stood in bronze sockets signifies that the righteousness of God is the issue of God’s judgment. In Christ there is the element of God’s judgment. When we live the judged Christ, everything related to us is under God’s judgment. As a result, we become sockets and pillars to bear the righteousness of God, which is God’s expression as the boundary and sphere of His dwelling place.
Exo 27:102 hooks
The hooks and the connecting rods of the pillars were of silver, and the capitals of the pillars were overlaid with silver (38:17), which was collected from the people for their expiation (30:11-16; 38:25, 28). This signifies Christ’s redemption issuing out of God’s righteous judgment. The capitals signify glory as a crown, whereas the hooks signify holding power, and the rods, joining strength. Christ’s redemption is our glory as well as the holding power and the joining strength to link us, the pillars, to God’s righteousness and to join us to one another. The elements of the court of the tabernacle show that if we submit to God’s divine judgment (bronze), we will simultaneously experience the redemption of Christ (silver), which links us to God’s righteousness (linen) as the expression and testimony of God.
Exo 27:161 gate
On the east side of the court was a gate of twenty cubits and linen hangings of fifteen cubits on the two sides of the gate (vv. 13-16). The screen of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet strands (see notes 41 and 42 in ch. 25) for the gate signifies the redeeming Christ as the entrance into God’s building. That the gate had four pillars with four openings signifies that God’s building is open toward men from the four corners of the earth (see vv. 2, 4). The fact that there were three pillars and three sockets on the two sides of the gate, and four pillars and four sockets for the gate, signifies that the appearance of the gate of the court of the tabernacle is that of man (signified by the number four) bearing the Triune God (signified by three) as a testimony (signified by two). The goal of the gospel is to cause repentant sinners to pass through the gate of God’s judgment, where everything related to them is judged, and enter into God’s building, the church, in which they bear as a testimony the Triune God involved with man.
Exo 27:16a screen Exo. 26:36
Exo 27:162 embroiderer
See note 15 in ch. 26.
Exo 27:181 fifty
Lit., fifty with fifty.
Exo 27:182 five
The linen hangings between two bronze pillars were five cubits wide by five cubits high (vv. 9-15, 18), the same as the length and width of the altar (v. 1). This signifies that Christ’s redemption (the altar) matches the requirements of God’s righteousness (linen) (cf. Rom. 3:24; 5:18).
Exo 27:191 pegs
The two sets of bronze pegs, for the tabernacle and for the outer court, signify standing and holding power. This power is of bronze, of judgment (see note 372 in ch. 26). The scene in the outer court is filled with bronze, with God’s judgment. God’s judgment is the strong base and the standing strength in God’s building. In the church life the more we place ourselves under God’s judgment, the more stable we will be.
Exo 27:192 bronze
According to the spiritual significances portrayed in the tabernacle and its furnishings, bronze issues in silver, and silver brings forth gold. Through our experience of God’s judgment (bronze) we enter into the court of the tabernacle, and through Christ’s redemption (silver) as the issue of God’s judgment, we enter into the Holy Place and into the Holy of Holies, where everything is gold, i.e., where we enjoy the divine nature and have holiness as the inward expression of God’s divine being.
Exo 27:20a And vv. 20-21: Lev. 24:2-4
Exo 27:201 oil
The olive tree signifies Christ (cf. Rom. 11:17), and the oil of beaten olives signifies the Spirit of Christ produced through Christ’s process of incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection (1 Cor. 15:45; Rom. 8:9 and note 4).
Exo 27:202 make
Lit., cause the light of a lamp to ascend. The lampstand, signifying Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God, was made of pure gold (25:31), but the wicks that burned to give off the light were of the plant life. In order to burn so that light would shine, the wicks had to be saturated with oil. The wicks signify the uplifted humanity of Christ, which burns with the divine oil to shine out the divine light.
Exo 27:211 Tent
The tabernacle as the Tent of Meeting, the place where God met with His redeemed people and spoke to them (Lev. 1:1), typifies the meeting of the church. Thus, in typology the lighting of the lamps points to the proper way to meet. Everything done in the church meetings, whether praying, singing, praising, or prophesying, should cause the lamps to shine.
Exo 27:212 before
Before the Testimony means before the law in the Ark, which was behind the veil. For the most part, the meeting of God’s people is in the Holy Place, not in the Holy of Holies. However, we meet in the Holy Place with the expectation of entering the Holy of Holies. The light from the lamps enables us to see the different aspects of Christ, signified by the items of furniture in the Holy Place, and also the way leading into the Holy of Holies, into the depths of Christ within God.
Exo 27:213 Aaron
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 27:213 [1] The holy task of lighting the lamps was a service of holy persons, the priests, not of the common people. According to the entire Bible a priest is one who is possessed by God, filled with God, saturated with God, and living absolutely for God. Furthermore, a priest had to be clothed with priestly garments (28:2), which signify Christ lived out of the priesthood. The lighting of the lamps in the Holy Place requires the service of this kind of person.
Exo 27:213 [2] The light in the Holy Place was not a natural light or a man-made light. It was a light that came from the golden lampstand, i.e., from the divine nature of Christ. To experience the genuine lighting of the lamps in the church meetings, we must have Christ, the embodiment of the Triune God, as the lampstand, the divine nature as the gold, the uplifted humanity of Christ as the wick, and the Spirit of Christ as the oil with all the steps of Christ’s process, and we must be holy people as the priests, clothed with the expression of Christ as the priestly garments.
Exo 27:21a maintain cf. Exo. 30:7-8; 2 Chron. 13:11
Exo 27:214 evening
Nothing is said here about the day. The present age is the night, not the day. Hence, we need the light to shine during this age of night until the day dawns (cf. Rom. 13:12; 2 Pet. 1:19).
Exo 28:11a Aaron Heb. 5:4
In typology Aaron as the high priest signifies Christ as our High Priest before God (Heb. 4:14—7:28), and the sons of Aaron, the priests, signify the believers in Christ as priests (Rev. 1:6; 5:10). See note 61, par. 2, in Rev. 2.
Exo 28:12 priest
In the sequence of the divine record in Exodus, the priesthood follows the tabernacle. In typology, the priesthood and the tabernacle are one entity, signifying the church composed of God’s redeemed people as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5 and note 7). That the tabernacle is mentioned before the priesthood emphasizes the need of the believers to be built up to be God’s dwelling place that they may serve God as a corporate, coordinated priesthood (see note 17 in Rom. 12).
Exo 28:21a garments Exo. 29:29; 31:10; 35:19; 39:1; cf. Num. 20:26, 28
In typology garments signify expression (cf. Isa. 64:6; Rev. 19:8). The priestly garments signify the serving priests’ expression of Christ. The priests were also sanctified, separated to God, by their holy garments (v. 3).
Exo 28:22 for
The priestly garments, being mainly for glory and for beauty, signify the expression of Christ’s divine glory and human beauty. Glory is related to Christ’s divinity, His divine attributes (John 1:14; Heb. 1:3), and beauty, to Christ’s humanity, His human virtues. Christ’s divinity, typified by the gold of the priestly garments, is for glory, and His humanity, typified by the blue, purple, and scarlet strands and the fine linen, is for beauty. A life that expresses Christ with the divine glory and the human beauty sanctifies us and qualifies us to be the priesthood.
Exo 28:3a wise Exo. 31:6; 35:10, 25, 35; 36:1, 2, 8; 1 Kings 3:12
Exo 28:3b spirit Deut. 34:9; Isa. 11:2; Eph. 1:17; cf. Exo. 31:3; 35:31
Exo 28:41 garments
All the priests wore linen trousers, a tunic, a girding sash, and a turban (vv. 40-42; 29:8-9a). In addition, over the tunic the high priest wore the robe, the ephod, the shoulder pieces, and the breastplate, and on the turban he wore an engraved plate (vv. 36-37; 29:5-6).
Exo 28:4a breastplate Exo. 28:15; cf. Rev. 1:13
Exo 28:42 ephod
The ephod is a type of Christ expressed in His two natures, divinity and humanity, with His attributes and virtues (v. 6). It was a part of the priestly garments used for fastening, or binding. The two shoulder pieces with the two onyx stones (see note 91), and the breastplate with the twelve precious stones (see note 151), were bound, fastened, to the ephod (vv. 12-28). This signifies that Christ holds, binds, and fastens the church to Himself by His divine glory and human beauty, the components of the ephod (2 Cor. 1:21; 2 Pet. 1:3b; cf. notes 22, 91 and 151).
Exo 28:4b robe Exo. 28:31; Exo. 29:5
Exo 28:4c tunic Exo. 28:40; 29:8
Exo 28:43 checkered
Or, embroidered.
Exo 28:4d sash Exo. 28:39; Lev. 8:7
Exo 28:6a And vv. 6-12: Exo. 39:2-7
Exo 28:61 gold
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 28:61 [1] The gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen were threads of different colors. Gold signifies Christ’s divinity. Blue signifies Christ’s heavenliness; purple, His royalty, His kingliness; scarlet, His redemption accomplished by the shedding of His blood; and fine twined linen, the fine human living of Christ, manifested through His sufferings. The gold, the blue, the purple, and the scarlet were all woven into the fine twined linen to make the ephod. Therefore, the ephod typifies the composition of Christ’s divinity, His kingliness and heavenliness, His redemption, and His fine humanity for the expression of His divine glory and human beauty. The weaving together of the gold and the linen threads in the ephod signifies the mingling of divinity and humanity in Christ, the God-man (the two natures remaining distinct in the mingling). Through Christ’s incarnation the gold and the linen, divinity and humanity, were woven together, mingled (John 1:1, 14). This mingling becomes the fastening strength and binding power to hold us to Christ.
Exo 28:61 [2] The gold becoming thread indicates a process. First the gold was beaten into thin sheets, then it was cut into threads, and then it was worked into the linen (39:3). The linen also had to be processed to become twined thread. This portrays that Christ became a man by passing through a process. In His human birth and through the sufferings of His human life on earth, both Christ’s divinity and His humanity went through a process and were woven together, mingled. God’s redeemed people (the precious stones) are fastened to Christ (Aaron) by His processed divine-human being (the ephod).
Exo 28:71 shoulder
The ephod was like a vest, rather than like a robe. The two shoulder pieces were joined to the ephod at the skillfully woven band (vv. 8, 27). Being part of the ephod as a whole, they were made of the same materials and were strong enough to bear the onyx stones. The gold settings that held the two onyx stones were fastened to the shoulder pieces (vv. 9-12).
Exo 28:8a band Exo. 28:27-28; 29:5; Lev. 8:7
Exo 28:81 for
Lit., of its ephod. With the skillfully woven band the ephod was bound around the high priest’s body (29:5; Lev. 8:7).
Exo 28:91a onyx Exo. 25:7
The two onyx stones engraved with the names of the children of Israel symbolize God’s redeemed and transformed people (Matt. 16:18; John 1:42; 1 Pet. 2:5; see note 121 in Gen. 2) as Christ’s testimony, signified by the number two. This indicates that Christ as the High Priest holds the church, composed of the transformed believers, bearing them on His shoulders, in His strength, before God. Cf. note 221.
Exo 28:9b names Exo. 28:29
Exo 28:111 settings
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 28:111 [1] Lit., plaited work, plaited settings, or filigree. So also in vv. 13, 14, 25. The settings of gold for the onyx stones were filigree settings, fine work made with gold plaited together to make a beautiful design. They portray the Lord’s divinity after it was processed and had passed through many sufferings (cf. note 61, par. 2). The skillful way in which they were made signifies the fine work of the Holy Spirit with the divine nature. That the filigree settings were gold signifies that only the divinity of Christ, His divine nature, can hold us (2 Pet. 1:4). The divine nature becomes the power to hold us in a beautiful and glorious way.
Exo 28:111 [2] The onyx stones fastened to the shoulders of the ephod added more beauty to it, signifying that the transformed believers added to Christ are His additional beauty. The gold filigree in which the onyx stones were set added beauty to the onyx stones, signifying that the fine work of the Holy Spirit adds the beauty of Christ to the believers as the precious stones. This is a mutual beautification, in which Christ and the transformed believers beautify each other.
Exo 28:121 remembrance
The two onyx stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod became a memorial, a pleasant remembrance, before God. The church is fastened to Christ, and Christ holds the church in the presence of God as an eternal memorial.
Exo 28:141 chains
The chains of gold cords, formed of gold threads twined together, fastened the onyx stones in their gold settings to the shoulder pieces. They portray Christ’s divinity becoming a golden fastening cord by passing through a process (cf. notes 61 and 111).
Exo 28:151a breastplate vv. 15-28: Exo. 39:8-21
The breastplate on the ephod signifies the church as the building together of God’s redeemed people upon Christ. The twelve precious stones set in gold (vv. 17-20) symbolize the saints as transformed precious stones built together in the divine nature of Christ to become one entity, the church as Christ’s Body (1 Cor. 3:10-12a; Eph. 1:22-23). Therefore, the breastplate is a miniature of the building up of God’s people (see note 121 in Gen. 2), indicating that the believers in Christ are distinct individuals but are not divided (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:27). The entire ephod with its shoulder pieces and the breastplate are a marvelous portrait of Christ with the church.
Exo 28:152 judgment
See note 301.
Exo 28:153 like
That the workmanship and materials of the breastplate were the same as those of the ephod signifies that the formation and the constituent of the church are the same as those of Christ (cf. Gen. 2:18-24 and notes).
Exo 28:161 square
Square denotes without defect, and doubled implies something that is twofold, hence, a testimony. Therefore, square and doubled signifies a perfect testimony.
Exo 28:162 span
A span, the width of an open hand, signifies being within the capacity of one’s hand. That the breastplate was a span in length and width signifies that the church is fully within the capacity of Christ’s care, which is immeasurable and unlimited (cf. John 10:28).
Exo 28:171a stones vv. 17-20: Ezek. 28:13; Rev. 21:19-20
The twelve precious stones on the breastplate, on which the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraved, signify all the redeemed and transformed people of God built together to become one entity. Precious stones are not created but are formed by the transforming of created things. This signifies that the church is produced by transformation, from something natural into something divine. As components of the church, the believers, who were created of dust (Gen. 2:7), must be transformed in their human nature by and with the divine nature through the working of the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18) to become precious stones for God’s eternal building (Matt. 16:18; John 1:42; 1 Pet. 2:5; Rev. 21:18-20).
Exo 28:172 four
The number twelve, composed of four (the creatures) times three (the Triune God in resurrection), signifies the mingling of the Triune God with His creature, man, for the complete and perfect carrying out of God’s administration eternally (see notes 122 and 131 in Rev. 21 and note 24 in Rev. 22). That the stones were arranged in four rows with three stones in each row indicates that the believers are not only transformed but also mingled with the Triune God. The setting of the stones in gold (v. 20) signifies that the transformed and mingled believers are built in the divine nature of Christ into one entity. These people, being of the number twelve, complete the eternal purpose of God and become the administration of the divine government in the universe. In God’s eternal plan and according to His eternal view, the church, borne on Christ’s heart (v. 29) and held in the span of His loving care (v. 16b), is such a mingling of the Triune God with redeemed humanity.
Exo 28:173 sardius
See note 32 in Rev. 4.
Exo 28:181 carbuncle
Or, turquoise.
Exo 28:201 chrysolite
Or, beryl.
Exo 28:211 engravings
The engraving of the names of the twelve tribes on the precious stones corresponds to the inscribing of Christ into the believers’ hearts, making them living letters of Christ, with Christ as the content (see 2 Cor. 3:3 and notes). Christ is inscribed into the believers through their experience of Him. The letters engraved on the twelve stones typify Christ as the letters in the heavenly alphabet (cf. Rev. 22:13a).
Exo 28:221 chains
The twisted chains of gold signify Christ’s divine nature, after passing through sufferings, as the connecting element. The two chains of gold were connected on one end to two gold rings on the two ends at the top of the breastplate, and on the other end to gold settings on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod (vv. 22-25; 39:15-18). Shoulders signify strength, and the breast, or heart (v. 29), signifies love. The two chains put on the two settings of the shoulder pieces signify Christ’s divine nature upholding God’s redeemed people, who are held in Christ’s love, by His bearing strength.
Exo 28:231 rings
The rings of gold on the breastplate and the ephod (vv. 23, 26-28) signify the Spirit of Christ as the holding element (cf. note 261 in ch. 25).
Exo 28:27a band Exo. 28:8
Exo 28:281 cord
The breastplate was connected to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at both the top (vv. 22-25 and note 221) and the bottom. A cord of blue strands, signifying Christ’s heavenly humanity, bound the breastplate by its two gold rings at its two bottom ends to two gold rings at the bottom of the shoulder pieces of the ephod, above the skillfully woven band (vv. 26-28; 39:19-21). Thus, the church (the breastplate) is connected to the expression of Christ (the ephod) by His Spirit (the rings) with both His divinity (the gold chains) and His humanity (the linen cords).
Exo 28:29a sons Exo. 28:9-12
Exo 28:291 memorial
The breastplate being borne upon Aaron’s heart for a memorial before Jehovah signifies the entire church as one built-up entity being borne upon Christ’s loving heart for a memorial, a pleasing remembrance, before God.
Exo 28:301 judgment
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 28:301 [1] After the Urim and the Thummim were put into it, the breastplate became not only a memorial but also a breastplate of judgment. Here and in Deut. 33:8 and 10, God’s judgments, referring to God’s law with its verdicts and judgments (see note 64 in Luke 1), are related to the Urim and the Thummim. According to the Old Testament, the Urim and the Thummim added to the breastplate were a means for God to speak to His people to indicate to them His leading (see references in 30a). God’s leading through the breastplate always involved a judgment. God’s law includes His judgments, and these judgments become God’s leading. In spiritual experience, in order to know God’s leading we must judge whatever is of the flesh, the self, the old man, and the world. In Rom. 8:14 the leading of the Spirit, as the reality of God’s leading through the breastplate, issues from, and is the totality of, all the judgments in vv. 1-13 of that chapter (see note 141 there).
Exo 28:301 [2] The fact that God’s speaking as His leading was through the breastplate signifies that God makes His leading known to His people through the church. The Lord’s speaking through the breastplate with the Urim and the Thummim required the making of the breastplate with the twelve precious stones engraved with the names of the children of Israel and the bearing of the breastplate on the heart of the high priest. In the same principle, God’s speaking today through the church with Christ as the Illuminator (Urim) and Perfecter (Thummim) requires the building up of the church with the believers as transformed, transparent precious stones who have been inscribed with Christ as the letters of the spiritual alphabet (2 Cor. 3:3) and the bearing of the church on the hearts of the leading ones.
Exo 28:302a Urim Lev. 8:8; Num. 27:21; Deut. 33:8; Josh. 7:16-21; 1 Sam. 23:6, 9-12; 28:6; Ezra 2:63; Neh. 7:65
Meaning lights, illuminators. The Urim was an illuminator inserted into the breastplate under the twelve stones. It had the capacity to contain oil for burning, and the fire used to burn the oil came from the altar. The Urim had twelve illuminators, one to illuminate each of the twelve transparent precious stones on the breastplate so that they could shine with light (David Baron). The Urim typifies Christ as lights, illuminators (John 8:12; Eph. 5:14), shining through the Spirit (the oil) and the cross (the fire from the altar).
Exo 28:303 Thummim
Meaning perfecters, completers. The names on the twelve stones on the breastplate contained only eighteen of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The remaining four letters were put on the Thummim, making it the perfecter and completer (David Baron). By the shining of the Urim on the individual precious stones, the full alphabet of twenty-two letters could be used to spell out words and sentences. The Thummim typifies Christ as the perfecter and completer (Heb. 12:2). Christ is the spiritual alphabet for both inscribing (see note 211) and completing. Together, the Urim and the Thummim typify Christ as God’s witness, God’s testimony (Rev. 3:14), as the means for God to speak to His people (Heb. 1:2). In the New Testament, the reality of the Urim and the Thummim is the mingled spirit—the unveiling Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, indwelling our receiving spirit, our regenerated human spirit (Rom. 8:4, 14).
Exo 28:31a And vv. 31-34: Exo. 39:22-26; cf. Rev. 1:13
Exo 28:311 robe
The long robe, with all its adornments, worn by the high priest signifies the church as the fullness, the expression, of Christ’s divine attributes and human virtues (Eph. 1:22-23). The beauty and fullness of the high priest’s garments consist of the breastplate, the shoulder pieces, and the long robe, all of which typify the church. This signifies that Christ’s beauty and fullness are in the church.
Exo 28:312 blue
The robe being all of blue signifies that the church is altogether heavenly, having a heavenly life, nature, and position (Eph. 1:3; 2:6).
Exo 28:321 coat
The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. The reference here to a coat of mail indicates that the priestly service is a warfare (see note 32 in Num. 1).
Exo 28:331 pomegranates
The pomegranates and the bells, as part of the robe, are related to the church (see note 311). In the Bible pomegranates, being full of seeds, signify the fullness of life. The pomegranates made of linen signify the fullness of life expressed in the church’s humanity. The sound of the bells was to warn the high priest not to be careless lest he die (v. 35). That the bells were of gold signifies that the voice of warning in the church has its source in the church’s divinity. The pomegranates and the bells signify that the church speaks out of its divinity based on the fullness of life expressed in its humanity. The expression of life and the divine sounding are signs of the proper church life.
Exo 28:36a And vv. 36-37: Exo. 39:30-31; Lev. 8:9
Exo 28:361 plate
Or, blossom. The gold plate was a holy crown (29:6), a diadem, or blossom.
Exo 28:362 HOLINESS
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 28:362 [1] Holiness is God Himself in His pure divine nature, signified here by the pure gold. To be holy is a matter of having the divine nature wrought into our being to make us holy, as God is (see note 192 in Rom. 6). The engraving Holiness to Jehovah indicates that the entire priesthood is sanctified unto the Lord, separated to the Lord and saturated with the Lord.
Exo 28:362 [2] In the concluding word on the priestly garments (vv. 36-43), gold and linen, the two main materials, signify holiness in divinity and righteousness in humanity. Thus, the garments of the priests are the expression of holiness for glory and righteousness for beauty. A priest who serves God must express the virtues of holiness toward God and righteousness toward man.
Exo 28:371 cord
That the plate of gold was put on a cord of blue signifies that it was held by heavenly strength. This indicates that genuine holiness is heavenly, not earthly.
Exo 28:38a bear Lev. 10:17; Num. 18:1; cf. Isa. 53:11; Ezek. 4:4-6; Heb. 9:28; 1 Pet. 2:24
Exo 28:381 holy
The holy things were the top portion of the produce of the good land that the children of Israel offered to God as holy gifts at the times of their feasts. A portion of these holy gifts was separated for God Himself to enjoy, and the remainder was for the people’s enjoyment. The high priest was responsible to ensure that this most holy portion, the portion separated to God, was entirely for Him and was not touched by anyone who was not a priest. If anyone transgressed the ordinance of God’s holiness concerning this portion, the high priest was to bear the iniquity of it. For this reason he wore the gold plate that declared HOLINESS TO JEHOVAH. This signifies that as our High Priest, Christ bears the responsibility to make God’s people holy in the highest degree and to guard for God the holiness that is in them (cf. Eph. 1:4; 1 Thes. 3:13; 5:23).
Exo 28:39a And vv. 39-43: Exo. 39:27-29; cf. Ezek. 44:17-18; Rev. 1:13
Exo 28:391 tunic
The tunic of fine woven linen signifies the covering of perfect righteousness in a humanity that has been dealt with. The turban of fine linen signifies the glory of perfect righteousness. The girding sash as the work of an embroiderer signifies the strengthening by the Spirit’s constituting work. These three pieces of the priestly garments, with the linen trousers (v. 42), all signify Christ as righteousness to cover the entire fallen being of the priests (Luke 15:22; 1 Cor. 1:30) that they might be preserved in life and kept away from death (v. 43).
Exo 28:39b sash Exo. 28:4; 29:9; Lev. 8:13
Exo 28:41a anoint Exo. 29:7; 30:30; 40:13, 15; Lev. 8:12, 30; Num. 3:3
Exo 28:411b consecrate Exo. 29:9, 22, 29, 33, 35; 32:29; Lev. 8:33; 16:32; 21:10
Lit., fill their hands. So also throughout the book.
Exo 28:42a trousers Lev. 6:10; 16:4; Ezek. 44:18
Exo 28:421 naked
Denoting human beings who have become sinful in the sight of God, as indicated particularly by the part of the body from the loins to the thighs (cf. Gen. 3:7).
Exo 29:11 sanctify
To be qualified to serve God as priests, Aaron and his sons had to be sanctified, to be set apart by being marked out. The mark that set apart, sanctified, Aaron and his sons to be the priests was the filling of their hands with the offerings (v. 24; see note 411 in ch. 28), signifying the filling of the believers with the riches of Christ (Eph. 3:8) through their subjective experience of Him as the reality of the offerings (Heb. 10:5-10). The steps in sanctifying Aaron and his sons included the washing away of their uncleanness (v. 4), the covering of their nakedness by the priestly garments (vv. 5-9), the dealing with their sinful nature through the sin offering (vv. 10-14), and the feeding of God and the priests with the burnt offering (vv. 15-18) and the peace offering (vv. 19-28). This was not merely a consecration or ordination of Aaron and his sons. See also note 281.
Exo 29:12 bull
The bull was offered to God as a sin offering (vv. 10-14), the first ram, as a burnt offering (vv. 15-18), and the second ram, as a peace offering (vv. 19-28). The sin offering is for redemption, the burnt offering is for fellowship with God, and the peace offering is for enjoyment and satisfaction with God. The bull in this chapter typifies the crucified Christ, and the two rams signify the resurrected Christ. As the crucified and resurrected One, Christ not only represents us but also includes us. Hence, when He was crucified, we were crucified with Him (Gal. 2:20a), and when He was resurrected and presented to God, we were in Him (John 20:17 and note 1; Eph. 2:6a).
Exo 29:12a rams Exo. 29:15, 19; Lev. 8:2, 18
See note 12.
Exo 29:21 bread
The bull and the two rams were of the animal life, signifying Christ as the redeeming life (John 1:29), and the bread, the cakes, and the wafers were of the vegetable life, signifying Christ as the generating life (John 12:24). The sanctification of those who would serve God as priests involves the experience of Christ as both the animal life for redemption and the vegetable life for generation.
Exo 29:22a mingled Exo. 29:23; Lev. 2:4-5; 7:10; Num. 6:15
See note 43 in Lev. 2. So also for v. 40.
Exo 29:41a wash Exo. 40:12; Lev. 8:6; Heb. 10:22
The washing of Aaron and his sons with water signifies the washing away of the believers’ uncleanness with the water in the Word (Heb. 10:22; John 15:3; cf. Eph. 5:26). This washing sanctifies and cleanses the believers to serve God as priests.
Exo 29:5a And vv. 5-6: Lev. 8:7-9
Exo 29:51 clothe
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 29:51 [1] The priestly garments signify Christ as the outward expression of the priests, full of beauty and glory (28:2 and notes). The clothing of Aaron and his sons was to cover their nakedness, i.e., to cover the appearance of their flesh, their natural being, which is uncomely and abominable in the sight of God (Rom. 8:7-8).
Exo 29:51 [2] The sanctifying of the priests included both the clothing of the priests with the priestly garments outwardly (vv. 5, 9) and the feeding of the priests with the offerings inwardly (vv. 32-33). To be sanctified to be God’s priests, we need to be clothed with Christ outwardly and nourished with Christ inwardly (cf. Luke 15:22-23).
Exo 29:6a turban Exo. 28:37
Exo 29:61 crown
Referring to the engraved gold plate worn on the turban of the high priest (28:36-38). That holiness is exalted here as a crown indicates that holiness in divinity is exalted for glory.
Exo 29:71a anointing Exo. 29:21; 30:22-25, 31-32; Lev. 8:10-12, 30; 10:7; 21:10; Psa. 133:2
See note 211, par. 2.
Exo 29:7b anoint Exo. 28:41
Exo 29:9a sashes Exo. 28:39-40
Exo 29:9b consecrate Exo. 28:41
Exo 29:10a And vv. 10-14: Lev. 8:14-17
Exo 29:101b lay Exo. 29:15, 19; Lev. 1:4; 8:14
The laying on of hands here and in vv. 15 and 19 signifies the identification of Aaron and his sons with the offering (cf. Lev. 1:4; Acts 13:3). In order to be priests we need to be one with Christ as the burnt offering: whatever we are and do must be slaughtered, cut in pieces, washed, and burned on the altar (the cross) entirely for God’s enjoyment and satisfaction. See notes on Lev. 1:5-9.
Exo 29:111 slaughter
Signifying that Christ was slain by God, represented by Moses, before God Himself in front of His people (Isa. 53:10).
Exo 29:121 blood
Putting some of the blood of the sin offering on the horns of the altar and pouring the rest out at the base of the altar signifies making the redemption of Christ powerful with a strong foundation. See note 21 in ch. 27.
Exo 29:12a horns Exo. 27:2
Exo 29:131a fat Exo. 29:22; Lev. 3:3-4
The inward parts and the fat signify the riches and sweetness of what Christ is in His inner being for God’s satisfaction.
Exo 29:132 burn
Lit., cause to rise in smoke. So also in vv. 18 and 25. This word is used for the burning (offering) of burnt offerings and incense. Two kinds of burning are mentioned in vv. 13-14. In this verse the burning of the fat and the inward parts of the bull on the altar was not for judgment but to produce a sweet savor for God’s enjoyment. This burning signifies the riches and sweetness of the inner being of Christ offered to God to satisfy the requirements of His righteousness, holiness, and glory (see note 241 in Gen. 3). In v. 14 the burning outside the camp (signifying abandonment and judgment) of the flesh, the skin, and the dung was a burning of judgment, signifying the outward being of Christ sacrificed for the believers on the earth for their redemption (cf. Heb. 13:11-13). By these two kinds of burning, Christ as the sin offering fulfilled God’s requirements and bore God’s judgment on our behalf.
Exo 29:14a burn Lev. 4:11-12, 21; Num. 19:5; Heb. 13:11
Exo 29:141b sin Exo. 29:36; 30:10
Christ as the trespass offering (Lev. 5:1—6:7; Heb. 9:28; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18) deals with our sins, our outward sinful deeds, and Christ as the sin offering (Lev. 4:1-35; Rom. 8:3; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:26) deals with our sin, our inward sinful nature. Whenever we come to serve God as priests, we must realize and confess that we still have a sinful nature (Rom. 7:17-18a; 1 John 1:8 and note 1) and that we need Christ experientially to be our sin offering to deal with that nature. Through the fall we were constituted of sin (Rom. 5:19) and even became sin (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21). Enjoying Christ as our sin offering subdues and preserves us, causing us to have no confidence in ourselves (Phil. 3:3), and also prepares the way for us to enjoy Christ further as the priestly food, typified by the rams and the unleavened bread, cakes, and wafers (vv. 1-2, 32-33). Furthermore, it solves the problem of sin between us and God, reconciling us to God and making peace with God for us (Rom. 5:10, 1), that we may serve Christ to God as food in an atmosphere of peace (vv. 38-42).
Exo 29:15a And vv. 15-18: Lev. 8:18-21
Exo 29:15b ram Exo. 29:1; Lev. 8:2
Exo 29:15c lay Exo. 29:10
Exo 29:161 blood
The blood here typifies the blood of Christ shed for redemption (Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:12; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).
Exo 29:181a burnt Lev. 1:13
The burnt offering, signifying Christ as the One who was absolutely for God’s satisfaction (John 5:19, 30; 6:38; 7:18; 8:29; 14:24), was God’s food (Num. 28:2-3). The blood was sprinkled on and around the altar on earth (v. 16) for the priests’ redemption and peace (cf. Heb. 9:14), and the sweet savor ascended to heaven for God’s enjoyment and satisfaction. Because we are sinful, we need Christ’s redemption, and because we are not for God, we need Christ as our burnt offering to satisfy God in full. See notes in Lev. 1.
Exo 29:182b satisfying Gen. 8:21; Exo. 29:25, 41; cf. Eph. 5:2
Or, soothing. So also in vv. 25 and 41.
Exo 29:19a And vv. 19-26: Lev. 8:22-29
Exo 29:19b ram Exo. 29:1
Exo 29:19c lay Exo. 29:10
Exo 29:201a ear cf. Rev. 2:7
To serve God as priests, our hearing (ears), our working (hands), and our walking (feet) must be cleansed and sanctified by Christ’s redeeming blood. We must learn how to listen to the word of God (cf. 21:2-6; Isa. 50:4-5; Luke 10:38-42), to do what is required by Him, and to walk according to His way in serving Him. In Lev. 14:14 the same procedure was used in the cleansing of a leper, indicating that in the eyes of God we sinners who have been ordained to be His priests are unclean, like lepers.
Exo 29:211 blood
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 29:211 [1] The sprinkling of the blood and the anointing oil on Aaron and his sons and on their garments to sanctify them signifies that God sprinkles us, the New Testament priests, and our conduct (garments) with the redeeming blood of Christ and the compound Spirit (the anointing oil—30:22-33) to separate us, to make us holy, unto Him. The blood implies termination and redemption, and the anointing oil implies germination, a new beginning. As terminated, redeemed, and germinated ones, the priests had a new beginning, through which they could serve God (cf. Rom. 7:6).
Exo 29:211 [2] In v. 7 Aaron was anointed apart from the blood. This is a type of the anointing of Christ by God apart from redemption (Psa. 133:2). A second anointing was needed here, with the anointing oil and the sprinkling of the redeeming blood, because unlike Christ, Aaron and his sons were sinful. The blood being mentioned first here indicates that we must first have the redeeming blood, and then we can participate in the anointing Spirit. Where the blood washes, the Spirit anoints. See notes 251 and 261 in ch. 30.
Exo 29:211a anointing Exo. 29:7
See note 211.
Exo 29:22a fat Exo. 29:13
Exo 29:221 inward
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 29:221 [1] The richest and sweetest of the inward parts of the ram, and the right thigh, with one loaf of bread, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, were burned on the altar to be God’s food for God’s satisfaction (vv. 22-25). The right breast of the ram was first waved before God and then given to Moses as his portion (v. 26), and both the left breast and the left thigh were heaved up before God and then given to Aaron and his sons, along with the bread, to be their portion (vv. 27-28, 31-32).
Exo 29:221 [2] The fat (v. 22) signifies the tender and excellent parts of Christ as the portion that is for God, and the right thigh signifies Christ as our strength to stand. The unleavened loaf, the cake of oiled bread, and the wafer (vv. 2, 23) signify, respectively, Christ as the food that is without sin, Christ as the food that is mingled with the Spirit, and Christ as the food that is available and easy to take in and that is good for feeding the young ones (see note 44 in Lev. 2). The putting of all these portions on the palms of Aaron and of his sons, the waving of them as a wave offering, and the burning of them on the altar upon the burnt offering for an offering of consecration (vv. 24-25) signifies that the tender, excellent, and strong parts of Christ, with His sinless but Spirit-mingled humanity in different aspects as food, are offered to God in Christ’s resurrection (waved—see note 241) as a satisfying and fragrant offering in the fellowship of His sufferings unto death on the cross for our assuming of the New Testament priesthood.
Exo 29:22b consecration Exo. 29:26, 27, 31, 34; Lev. 7:37; 8:22, 28, 29, 31, 33
Exo 29:231a bread Exo. 29:2-3
The bread, the cake, and the wafer signify Christ in His outward behavior (see note 12 in Lev. 2). The riches and sweetness of Christ’s inner being (v. 22) and the preciousness of Christ’s outward conduct are holy portions for God’s satisfaction.
Exo 29:24a wave Lev. 7:30; Num. 6:20
Exo 29:241 wave
Waving, indicating movement, typifies Christ moving in His resurrection. Hence, the wave offering typifies Christ in resurrection. The offerings were first “killed,” and then they were waved, i.e., resurrected, thereby becoming offerings before God in Christ’s resurrection.
Exo 29:251 take
That which filled the priests’ hands (v. 24) was offered to God, showing that the priestly service is to offer, to minister, Christ to God in a detailed way for His satisfaction (Rom. 15:16; Heb. 13:15-16).
Exo 29:25a satisfying Exo. 29:18
Exo 29:261 breast
The breast signifies love. Hence, the breast waved as a wave offering typifies the resurrected Christ in love.
Exo 29:262 your
The wave breast being Moses’ portion signifies that the loving capacity of Christ in His resurrection is for the one who ministers Christ to us in our consecration for the priesthood. Whenever we, the serving ones, minister Christ to others, we deserve to enjoy the very Christ whom we minister (cf. 1 Cor. 9:23).
Exo 29:27a breast Lev. 7:34; 10:14-15; Num. 18:18
Exo 29:271 heave
The thigh signifies strength and power, and heaving up signifies ascension. Hence, the heave thigh signifies the exalted and ascended Christ in power. The portion of the priests included the wave breast and the heave thigh, signifying that they enjoyed Christ in resurrection with love and Christ in ascension with power.
Exo 29:28a statute Lev. 10:15; Num. 18:8
Exo 29:281 peace
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 29:281 [1] In the offering of the peace offering, God, Moses, and the priests each had a portion (see note 221). In type, all three parties enjoyed Christ, the all-inclusive One, as a feast. In such a situation there is full peace and satisfaction. This is the filling of hands for consecration (see note 411 in ch. 28), and this is true sanctification. At this point Aaron and his sons were fully sanctified, separated, having been washed from their uncleanness, clothed for their nakedness, redeemed from their sinful nature, and filled with the offerings as types of Christ. They had something in their hands to offer to God, and they also had a portion with which to satisfy themselves. Thus they were fully equipped and qualified to serve God as priests.
Exo 29:281 [2] The offerings as the priestly food typify Christ. By eating the peace offering the priests, in type, were constituted with Christ, saturated with Christ and transformed with Him. Hence, they were sanctified both positionally and dispositionally; they were separated in position and transformed in disposition. This is the full meaning of sanctification in the Scriptures (Rom. 6:19 and note 2).
Exo 29:301a seven Lev. 8:33, 35
Seven days signifies a full course of time, i.e., our entire Christian life, from the time we are saved until the Lord’s coming back. The wearing of the holy garments seven days signifies that if we would be proper priests serving God, we need to live Christ day by day, wearing Him in His different aspects for the full course of our Christian life on earth.
Exo 29:31a And vv. 31-34: Lev. 8:31-32
Exo 29:311 boil
Burning implies God’s judgment. Anything offered to God for His enjoyment must be judged by Him, i.e., burned by His holy fire (vv. 18, 25). However, the priests’ food was not burned but boiled, which does not imply judgment. Cf. note 91 in ch. 12.
Exo 29:32a bread cf. Matt. 12:4
Exo 29:321 Tent
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 29:321 [1] The tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, is a type of the church. The eating of the flesh and the bread at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting signifies that Christ as the redeeming One (the flesh) with His humanity (the bread) is food to us (John 6:51), the New Testament priests, only in the church life.
Exo 29:321 [2] The food for the priests was the topmost portion of the top tenth offered to God by the children of Israel from the harvest of the good land (Num. 18:26). That this portion was enjoyed at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting signifies that the topmost enjoyment of Christ is in the church meeting.
Exo 29:33a eat Lev. 10:14, 17
Exo 29:331 expiation
See note 11 in Lev. 16.
Exo 29:332b stranger Lev. 22:10
Christ as the holy food is to be eaten only by holy people in a holy place (vv. 31-32), i.e., in the church meeting.
Exo 29:341 remains
That something remained after God’s portion had been offered to Him and the priests had enjoyed their portion signifies that the Christ whom we offer to God for His enjoyment and whom we also enjoy is inexhaustible. The burning of the remainder with fire signifies that the inexhaustible riches of Christ should be kept in and by God’s holiness (fire).
Exo 29:342 morning
In typology the morning denotes the time of the Lord’s coming back (2 Pet. 1:19; Mal. 4:2). That the flesh and the bread that remained until the morning were not to be eaten by the priests but were to be burned for God’s enjoyment signifies that we should experience and enjoy Christ today and should not save Christ for our enjoyment in the future at His coming back.
Exo 29:35a seven Lev. 8:33, 35
Exo 29:361 each
The offering of a bull as a sin offering on each of the seven days (v. 35) of the priests’ sanctification indicates that if we would serve God as priests, we should offer Christ to God as our sin offering every day of our Christian life (cf. note 301). See note 141.
Exo 29:362 offer
Lit., make a bull as sin (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21).
Exo 29:36a sin Exo. 29:14; 30:10
Exo 29:363 cleanse
The altar was cleansed by the blood of the burnt offering for expiation that was offered upon it. It was also sanctified by being anointed with oil. After the altar was sanctified, it became most holy, and everything offered on it spontaneously became holy (v. 37).
Exo 29:363b sanctify Exo. 40:10
See note 363.
Exo 29:37a altar Exo. 30:29; Matt. 23:19
Exo 29:38a Now vv. 38-41: Num. 28:3-8
Exo 29:381 offer
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 29:381 [1] God’s daily food consisted of two lambs as a burnt offering (vv. 38-42a), fine flour mingled with oil as a meal offering (vv. 40-41; see note 43 in Lev. 2), and wine as a drink offering (vv. 40-41), all of which signify different aspects of Christ. The lamb signifies Christ (John 1:29) as the One who was obedient to God (Phil. 2:8; Rom. 5:18-19) and meek before man (Isa. 53:7). Flour, made from wheat (v. 2), typifies Christ as the life supply and the One who produces life (John 6:41; 12:24). Oil typifies Christ as the anointing Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17), and wine typifies Christ enjoyed by us and poured out in and with us unto God for His satisfaction (cf. Phil. 2:17 and note 1). Wheat flour is produced by the grinding of wheat grains, and oil and wine, by the pressing of olives and grapes, respectively. Both grinding and pressing signify the operation of the cross.
Exo 29:381 [2] All the items offered to God as His food were things grown, raised, reaped, and processed by the children of Israel. Hence, they were subjective to the children of Israel. This indicates that the Christ whom we offer to God as His food must be subjective to us, the produce of our living Him and experiencing Him in all the aforementioned aspects, based on our daily offering of Him as our sin offering (v. 36).
Exo 29:39a morning Ezek. 46:13-15
Exo 29:391 twilight
Lit., between the two evenings; referring to the time interval between sunset and darkness. So also in v. 41 and 30:8.
Exo 29:401 drink
See note 132 in Lev. 23.
Exo 29:41a meal Exo. 30:9; 40:29; Lev. 2:1
Exo 29:41b satisfying Exo. 29:18
Exo 29:42a continual Num. 28:6
Exo 29:42b meet Exo. 25:22; Num. 17:4
Exo 29:43a glory Exo. 16:10
Exo 29:45a midst Exo. 25:8; Lev. 26:12; Zech. 2:10; 2 Cor. 6:16; cf. Rev. 21:3
Exo 29:46a know Exo. 6:7
Exo 29:461 dwell
The result of the life depicted in this chapter, in which we have the priestly garments (vv. 29-30), the priestly food (vv. 31-34), and the food offered to God by the priests (vv. 35-42a), is that God comes to meet with us, eat with us, speak with us, and dwell among us (vv. 42b, 45-46).
Exo 30:1a And vv. 1-5: cf. Exo. 37:25-28
Exo 30:11b altar Exo. 37:25; 40:5; Heb. 9:4
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 30:11 [1] The incense altar signifies Christ as the Intercessor to maintain the relationship between God and His people (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25; Rev. 8:3). The arrangement of the tabernacle with its furnishings is an accurate and detailed picture of God’s administration, God’s economy, in the universe. According to this picture the Ark is the focus, but in practice the incense altar is the center. The interceding Christ is the center of the execution of God’s government on earth. According to Rev. 8:3-6, the intercessor is not merely the individual Christ but the corporate Christ, the Head with the Body. Christ as the Head is interceding in the heavens, and the church as the Body is interceding on earth (1 Tim. 2:1).
Exo 30:11 [2] In Exodus the incense altar is revealed after the tabernacle and its furniture and the equipping of the priesthood are revealed. This indicates that the priestly service begins at the incense altar, at the place where prayers of intercession are offered to God (Luke 1:10). The incense altar is the place from which the activities at all the other places in the tabernacle are motivated. It is not merely one item on the passageway through the tabernacle. Rather, it can be compared to a motor that causes everything to operate. Hence, in our experience of the tabernacle (see note 43 in Heb. 9), the incense altar stands by itself as a turning point. It makes all the aspects of the tabernacle and the outer court effective in our experience. The prayer of intercession also motivates others to come to Christ at the altar of burnt offering, at the laver, at the table, at the lampstand, and at the Ark in the Holy of Holies. According to Rev. 8:3, the incense altar is directly in front of the throne of God’s authority, which is also the throne of grace (see note 22 in Rev. 4). The prayer offered at the incense altar, a prayer that is offered in Christ and with Christ as the incense (see note 71), governs God’s dispensing of grace and motivates the execution of the divine administration. Hence, this prayer governs the universe.
Exo 30:12 acacia
Acacia wood signifies Christ’s humanity, and gold (v. 3), His divinity. The incense altar made of acacia wood overlaid with gold signifies that Christ’s humanity is strong in character and high in standard to express His divinity. Nothing can express God as much as an interceding life based on the renewed and uplifted humanity of Christ.
Exo 30:21 length
The incense altar was a square, one cubit in length and width, and was two cubits high. Thus, it was two cubes of one cubit each. A square signifies perfection, and a cube signifies perfection in perfection. Moreover, two indicates something that gives confirmation and bears a testimony. This implies that the interceding Christ, or the interceding life, is a confirmation, perfection, and testimony. Furthermore, the height of the incense altar was greater than that of the table and the Ark (cf. 25:10, 23). This indicates that Christ is interceding in the highest.
Exo 30:22a horns cf. Exo. 27:2; Lev. 4:7
Horns signify strength. The four horns on the incense altar signify the strength of Christ’s intercession and indicate that Christ’s intercession is powerful toward the four corners of the earth.
Exo 30:31a gold cf. Exo. 30:4-5; Rev. 8:3
See note 12.
Exo 30:32 rim
See note 112 in ch. 25. The rim, or crown, of gold around the incense altar signifies the glory of Christ’s divinity being the power of Christ’s intercession to preserve God’s people and His interests.
Exo 30:41 rings
The two rings of gold as receptacles for the carrying poles signify the moving of Christ’s intercession. The poles of acacia wood overlaid with gold (v. 5) signify that Christ’s human nature with His divine nature is the strength for the moving of His intercession. The rings and the poles both refer to the Spirit of Christ, i.e., to the life-giving Spirit, who includes both Christ’s divinity and His humanity. The life-giving Spirit brings the intercession of Christ everywhere on the earth. When the churches and the saints pray with Christ, the life-giving Spirit carries out whatever they pray, bringing the effectiveness of Christ’s intercession to every place on earth related to God’s interests.
Exo 30:41a poles Num. 4:11
See note 41.
Exo 30:61 before
Regarding the location of the incense altar, see note 41 in Heb. 9. The incense altar was in the center of the tabernacle, which typifies the incarnated God (John 1:14). To pray at the incense altar, we must enter into the tabernacle, i.e., into Christ as the incarnated God, by offering Christ as the trespass offering and the sin offering on the altar of burnt offering in the outer court (cf. Heb. 10:19-20) and by eating our portion of the Christ whom we have offered (John 6:57). Thus, to pray at the incense altar is to pray in Christ and with Christ in us as the energizing life supply. Such prayer is actually Christ praying in us.
Exo 30:6a meet Exo. 25:21-22
Exo 30:7a burn 1 Sam. 2:28; 1 Chron. 23:13; 2 Chron. 2:4; 29:11; Luke 1:9
Exo 30:71b incense Exo. 30:34; 31:11; 37:29; 40:27
Burning the incense typifies praying (Psa. 141:2; Luke 1:10-11; Rev. 8:3-4). The incense typifies the resurrected and ascended Christ (see note 351 in this chapter and note 34 in Rev. 8). Hence, to burn the incense is to pray Christ, to pray in Christ and with Christ as the incense. This kind of prayer is intercessory prayer, not prayer for ourselves but prayer for the carrying out of the divine administration, for the dispensing of God’s supplying grace, and for the churches and the saints. Such prayer is a fragrant incense to God—it fulfills His purpose, satisfies His desire, and delights His heart.
Exo 30:72 dresses
Or, trims.
Exo 30:8a incense cf. Rev. 8:4
Exo 30:91 strange
In type, to offer strange incense is to pray something that is not Christ or is not related to Christ (cf. note 71), and to use strange fire (Lev. 10:1) is to pray with motives that have not been dealt with by the cross (cf. note 353).
Exo 30:92 burnt
These offerings, signifying the crucified and judged Christ, should be offered at the burnt offering altar in the outer court. At the incense altar only the resurrected and ascended Christ as incense is acceptable to God; everything else is prohibited.
Exo 30:101a expiation Lev. 16:18
See Lev. 16 and notes.
Exo 30:102 blood
The incense altar was connected to the altar of burnt offering by the redeeming blood of the sin offering (Lev. 4:7) and by the fire that burned on the altar in the outer court (Lev. 16:12-13). This indicates that in order to pray at the incense altar, we must first have the experience at the burnt offering altar—the experience of the blood that solves the problem of our sin and our trespasses, and the experience of the fire that burns us, terminates us, and reduces us to ashes. Then we must go to the table of the bread of the Presence to enjoy Christ as our life and life supply (versus our natural conduct), to the lampstand to be enlightened by Christ as our light (versus our natural sight), and to the Ark to touch Christ as God’s testimony (versus our entire natural being as the veil). After passing through all the stations in the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies, we will no longer be natural persons but will be members of the corporate Christ who are qualified to intercede at the incense altar with Christ as the incense (versus our natural virtues).
Exo 30:10b sin Exo. 29:36; Lev. 23:27
Exo 30:10c once Lev. 16:34; Heb. 9:7; 10:3
Exo 30:121a sum Num. 1:2-4; 26:2; cf. 2 Sam. 24:1-2
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 30:121 [1] This was the sum of the males who were twenty years old and over (v. 14; Num. 1:2-3)—the 603,550 men who could be formed into an army to fight for God’s interests on earth (38:26; Num. 1:45-46; 2:32). Only these, not the women or the younger men, were qualified to be ransomed by the expiation silver.
Exo 30:121 [2] The tabernacle signifies God embodied in His chosen people for His move on earth to build up the church as His corporate expression. The prayer offered at the incense altar is for God’s move. This intercessory prayer issues in the numbering of God’s people to form an army to fight against God’s enemies, who oppose His move, i.e., against the rulers and authorities in the heavenlies, typified by the inhabitants of the good land (see note 231 in ch. 23). When God has such an army, He is able to move on earth for His interests. Thus, there is a direct relationship between the expiation silver and the incense altar.
Exo 30:12b ransom Exo. 21:30; Num. 31:50; Isa. 43:3; Psa. 49:7; cf. Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45; 1 Tim. 2:6
Exo 30:122 himself
Our natural man is not qualified to fight in God’s army. Thus, we must experience Christ as our ransom, signified by the expiation silver.
Exo 30:13a half Exo. 38:26
Exo 30:131 heave
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 30:131 [1] The half-shekel as a heave offering typifies the ascended Christ experienced by God’s people and paid by them as the expiation silver. In order to fight the spiritual warfare, our experience of Christ must reach the highest point, the point where we are sitting with Him in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6; 6:12). If we fight in ourselves and not in the ascended Christ, spiritually we will suffer a plague (v. 12). See note 104 in Eph. 6.
Exo 30:131 [2] That the amount of the expiation silver was half a shekel indicates that God’s requirement in this matter is not too high. Later, among the children of Israel the half-shekel was known as the temple tax, or poll tax (Matt. 17:24-27).
Exo 30:141 twenty
Spiritually, males who are twenty years old and over (Num. 1:2-3) signify those among God’s people who, regardless of their natural status, are strong in spirit and mature in the divine life. Only these are qualified to be formed into an army to fight for God’s interests and move on earth.
Exo 30:161 service
The giving of the half-shekel was used by God for two purposes: (1) to accomplish the formation of an army (see note 121), and (2) to gather silver for the building up of the tabernacle. According to 38:25-28, the expiation silver was used to make the one hundred sockets for the boards and pillars of the tabernacle and also to make the capitals, the hooks, and the connecting rods for the pillars. This signifies that the ascended Christ experienced and offered by the strong and mature saints in a local church becomes the base (sockets) in which that church stands and the glory (capitals of the pillars) and the strength and the linking power (hooks and connecting rods) of that church.
Exo 30:181a laver Exo. 38:8; cf. 1 Kings 7:38
The laver typifies the washing power of the life-giving Spirit issuing from the death of Christ. The locating of the laver after the altar signifies that the washing power of the laver comes out of God’s judgment at the altar. After passing through God’s full judgment at the altar (the cross), the crucified Christ entered into resurrection and became the life-giving Spirit who washes us (1 Cor. 15:45; 6:11; Titus 3:5). The dimensions of the laver are not given, signifying that the life-giving Spirit is immeasurable, unlimited (John 3:34).
Exo 30:182 bronze
Bronze signifies God’s righteous judgment (see note 372 in ch. 26). The bronze used to make the laver came from the mirrors of the serving women who served at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting (38:8), implying that the laver of bronze was a mirror that could reflect and expose. This indicates that the judgment suffered by Christ on the cross has the power to expose our uncleanness and our need to be washed.
Exo 30:183b between Exo. 40:7, 30
The laver was put between the altar and the Tent of Meeting to continue the work of the altar for the entrance into the tabernacle. The location of the laver was after the altar, but the function of the laver was before that of the altar (vv. 20-21).
Exo 30:184 water
The water put into the laver signifies the washing of the life-giving Spirit. See Eph. 5:26 and notes.
Exo 30:191a wash Exo. 40:31-32
The washing at the laver signifies not the washing away of sin by the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7) but the washing away of the defilement that comes from contacting earthly things, by the life-giving Spirit. See John 13:5 and notes.
Exo 30:201 die
The priests were required to wash in the laver before serving, lest they die. This indicates that if we try to serve God without washing away our earthly defilement by the life-giving Spirit, we will suffer spiritual death.
Exo 30:23a spices S.S. 4:14; 1:3, 13; Psa. 45:8; Matt. 2:11; John 19:39
Exo 30:251 holy
This holy anointing oil, a compound ointment of olive oil and four spices (vv. 23-24), is a full type of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the compound, all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit of the processed Triune God, whom Christ became through His death and resurrection (1 Cor. 15:45; cf. notes 391 in John 7 and 194 in Phil. 1). The significances of the ingredients of this compound anointing oil are as follows: (1) flowing myrrh, a spice used in burial (John 19:39), signifies the precious death of Christ (Rom. 6:3); (2) fragrant cinnamon signifies the sweetness and effectiveness of Christ’s death (Rom. 8:13); (3) fragrant calamus, from a reed that grew upward in a marsh or muddy place, signifies the precious resurrection of Christ (Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:1; 1 Pet. 1:3); (4) cassia, used in ancient times to repel insects and snakes, signifies the power of Christ’s resurrection (Phil. 3:10); and (5) the olive oil as the base of the compound ointment signifies the Spirit of God as the base of the compound Spirit (Gen. 1:2). Since the number four signifies the creatures (Ezek. 1:5), of which man is the head (Gen. 1:26), and the number one signifies the unique God (Deut. 4:35; 1 Tim. 2:5), the four spices signify the humanity of Christ in God’s creation, and the one hin of olive oil signifies the unique God with His divinity. Thus, the blending of olive oil with the four spices signifies the compounding, the mingling, of God and man, of divinity and humanity, in the compound Spirit (cf. Lev. 2:4 and note 3). The olive oil and the four spices were all prepared through a process of either pressing or cutting, signifying that the Spirit of God became the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9 and note 4) through Christ’s sufferings (Matt. 26:36 and note). Furthermore, the measure of the four spices, being three complete units of five hundred shekels each, the middle five hundred shekels being split into two parts, signifies the Triune God in resurrection, the second, the Son, being “split” by His death on the cross. Since in the Bible five is the number for responsibility (Matt. 25:2 and note 1), the five elements in the compound ointment and the three units of five hundred shekels of the four spices signify the Triune God in resurrection as the power, the capability, for bearing responsibility. Since the numbers three and five are related to God’s building (see note 152 in Gen. 6), these numbers in the compound ointment signify that in the compound Spirit there is the element for God’s building. Based on the above significances, the compounding of the four spices with the olive oil to make an anointing oil signifies the mingling of the above-mentioned elements with the Spirit of God through the process of Christ’s incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to produce the compound Spirit for the building of God’s eternal dwelling place.
Exo 30:25a anointing Exo. 37:29; Psa. 45:7-8; 89:20
Exo 30:252 fragrant
Lit., spice compound.
Exo 30:261a anoint Exo. 40:9; Lev. 8:10; Num. 7:1
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 30:261 [1] The compound ointment was used to anoint the tabernacle with all its furniture, the altar with all its utensils, the laver and its base, and the priests, to make all these things holy, separated, sanctified, to God for His divine purpose (vv. 26-30; cf. 1 Pet. 1:2; 1 Cor. 6:11; Rom. 15:16). Thus, this ointment signifies the Triune God processed and consummated through Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection to become the all-inclusive compound Spirit to reach His chosen and redeemed people and to anoint them with Himself, making Himself one with them and making them one with Him (John 20:22; 1 John 2:20, 27; 2 Cor. 1:21; 1 Cor. 6:17). Such an anointing, being the moving of the compound Spirit within us, applies to us and also adds all the elements of the processed and consummated Triune God into our inner being so that our inner man may grow in the divine life with the divine elements and we may be mingled with God as one.
Exo 30:261 [2] The holy anointing oil is solely for the purpose of anointing God’s dwelling place and the priesthood (cf. 1 Pet. 2:5 and note 7). Hence, only those who are for God’s dwelling place and for the priesthood can have the enjoyment of the compound, all-inclusive Spirit.
Exo 30:30a anoint Exo. 29:7; cf. 2 Cor. 1:21
Exo 30:301 Aaron
Cf. Psa. 133:1-2 and notes.
Exo 30:321 flesh
The flesh of man denotes fallen man in the old creation (Gen. 6:3; Gal. 2:16). Those who live and act according to the flesh, the old man, have no share in the all-inclusive Spirit.
Exo 30:322 like
This means that we should not imitate any spiritual virtue, the fruit of the compound Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), by the effort of our natural life.
Exo 30:331 stranger
The stranger here refers to one who is not a priest. In the sight of God those who live according to the flesh, the old man, are regarded as strangers. See note 321.
Exo 30:341a spices Exo. 30:7; 25:6; 37:29
The three fragrant spices signify the Triune God in resurrection (the number three signifies both the Triune God and resurrection), and the addition of pure frankincense, making the number of ingredients four, signifies the humanity of Christ (the number four signifies man as God’s creature—Ezek. 1:5). The compounding of the four ingredients into one incense signifies the mingling of God with man, of divinity with humanity, in Christ as the incense. Each of the three spices signifies the death of Christ, as follows: (1) stacte, a kind of myrrh, a resinous gum produced by a tree, signifies the sweet death of Christ’s generating life (signified by the plant life—John 12:24); (2) onycha, the shell of a small animal that grows in the marshes of the Red Sea, signifies the death of Christ with His redemptive life (signified by the animal life—John 1:29); and (3) galbanum, also a resinous gum from a tree, signifies the powerful death of Christ’s generating life. The disagreeable and offensive odor of galbanum strengthened the fragrance of the other spices and caused the fragrance of the incense to remain and endure. Galbanum was used to repel noxious insects and poisonous reptiles, including serpents. The second of the spices, being of the animal life, signifies that the second of the Godhead was slain to accomplish redemption. Hence, the three spices indicate that Christ’s death in His generating life and His redeeming life has three functions: to generate us as sons of God, to redeem us from the fall, and to expel the serpent, the Devil (cf. John 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Heb. 2:14). The fourth ingredient, frankincense, is a white resinous gum, signifying the sweet resurrection of Christ. The three spices and the frankincense are seasoned with salt (v. 35), making the number of ingredients five, the number five signifying responsibility (Matt. 24:2). Cf. note 251.
Exo 30:342 equal
That all the four ingredients were in equal parts signifies that our experience of Christ should be even, balanced, including equal portions of His death and His resurrection. That no quantities are mentioned signifies that Christ is immeasurable, unlimited (cf. Eph. 3:8, 18).
Exo 30:351a incense cf. Rev. 5:8; 8:3
The holy anointing oil (vv. 23-25) signifies Christ as the all-inclusive Spirit coming to us from God, whereas the incense signifies Christ as our prayer going to God from us. This is a divine traffic in two directions. The anointing brings God to us in Christ and through Christ for our participation in the divine element; the incense is our going to God with Christ and as Christ in prayer for God’s enjoyment. This kind of prayer simultaneously satisfies God with a sweet fragrance and carries out God’s economy, God’s administration (see note 11).
Exo 30:352 fragrant
Or, spice compound.
Exo 30:353b salt Lev. 2:13
Salt kills corruption and functions as a preservative (Matt. 5:13). In typology salt signifies the killing power and the preserving power of Christ’s death. The seasoning of the four ingredients of the incense with salt signifies that our prayer needs to be “salted” by the cross so that all the impure motives in our heart and the bias in our spirit may be killed. For God’s coming to us in the compound ointment, the Spirit, the oil, is needed (v. 24); for our going to God in prayer, the cross, the salt, is needed.
Exo 30:361 beat
According to vv. 35-36 the incense must be salted, beaten, and burned. Beating the incense and putting it before the testimony in the Tent of Meeting signify the blending of Christ’s sweet death and His fragrant resurrection and the offering of His death and resurrection to God on the incense altar as a base for the intercession of Christ and His members. In order to have Christ as the incense to offer to God as a sweet-smelling fragrance, we need the genuine experiences of Christ with all the ingredients of the incense, and these experiences must be salted, beaten, and burned.
Exo 30:362 before
I.e., on the incense altar. The testimony is the law inside the Ark (see note 341 in ch. 16). Thus, this verse indicates that the incense altar was directly in front of the Ark. The significance of the closeness of the incense altar and the Ark is that the kind of prayer that is Christ Himself ascending to God as incense is the outcome of our contact with God and our being in His presence.
Exo 30:36a meet Exo. 25:22
Exo 30:371 yourselves
The incense is absolutely for God’s enjoyment and satisfaction, not for man’s. This signifies that we should not pray so that men will see us (Matt. 6:5-6).
Exo 31:2a See vv. 2-6: Exo. 35:30-35
Exo 31:21b Bezalel Exo. 35:30; 36:1, 8; 37:1; 38:22; 39:2; 1 Chron. 2:20; 2 Chron. 1:5
Bezalel was a master builder, a leader in God’s building. His name means in the shadow of God, indicating that as a master builder, Bezalel was a man under the shadow of God’s grace (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10a; 2 Cor. 12:9). Uri, the name of Bezalel’s father, means light of Jehovah, and Hur, the name of Bezalel’s grandfather, means free, noble, white (signifying clean and pure). These three names indicate what kind of persons the builders of God’s dwelling place should be.
Exo 31:2c Hur Exo. 17:10
Exo 31:31a Spirit Exo. 35:31
The building up of God’s dwelling place, the church, is a noble work to be done by all God’s people (1 Cor. 3:10; Eph. 4:12, 16). However, the wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and skill for this work must be God Himself as the Spirit to us (cf. Col. 1:28-29). Only the Spirit of God can build His own dwelling place through us.
Exo 31:3b wisdom cf. 1 Kings 7:14
Exo 31:41 gold
To build up the church all the believers must know how to use the divine nature as the gold, the redemption of Christ as the silver, and God’s righteous judgment as the bronze (cf. 1 Cor. 3:12) as the “materials” for their work.
Exo 31:51 cutting
To cut stones for setting is to help the saints to be transformed into stones and to be adjusted to fit into God’s building; to carve wood is to work on the humanity of the saints for the sake of God’s building; and to work in all kinds of workmanship is to produce finer virtues in human character with the uplifted humanity of Christ, which are needed for the building up of the church as God’s dwelling place (cf. Eph. 4:2 and note).
Exo 31:61a Oholiab Exo. 35:34; 36:1, 2; 38:23
Oholiab was Bezalel’s co-master builder. His name means the tent or tabernacle of my father. Ahisamach, the name of Oholiab’s father, means a brother of strength or support. These two names signify that Oholiab was a man for God’s tabernacle with strength and support.
Exo 31:62 tribe
Bezalel was of the tribe of Judah (v. 2), the kingly tribe (Gen. 49:10), the tribe of the Lord Jesus (Heb. 7:14), and Oholiab was of the tribe of Dan (v. 6), a lowly tribe (Gen. 49:17). The same principle is seen in the building of the temple under Solomon, who was of the tribe of Judah, and Huram-abi, whose mother was a Danite woman (2 Chron. 2:11-14). This indicates that the work of building God’s dwelling place must be done by all God’s people, including those of high estate and those of low estate (Eph. 4:11-16).
Exo 31:6b and vv. 6-11: cf. Exo. 35:10-19; 39:33-42
Exo 31:7b Ark Exo. 25:10-16; 37:1-5
Exo 31:7c expiation Exo. 25:17-22; 37:6-9
Exo 31:8a table Exo. 25:23-30; 37:10-16
Exo 31:8b lampstand Exo. 25:31-40; 37:17-24
Exo 31:8c altar Exo. 30:1-10; 37:25-28
Exo 31:9a altar Exo. 27:1-8; 30:28; 38:1-7
Exo 31:9b laver Exo. 30:17-21; 38:8
Exo 31:10a garments Exo. 28:1-43; 39:1-31; Lev. 8:7-8, 13
Exo 31:11a anointing Exo. 30:23-33; 37:29
Exo 31:11b incense Exo. 30:7, 34-38
Exo 31:13a Speak vv. 13-17: cf. Exo. 20:8-11; Deut. 5:12-15; Lev. 23:3; Jer. 17:22
Exo 31:131 Sabbaths
The Sabbath is mentioned again here (cf. 20:8-11), in relation to the work of building God’s dwelling place, signifying that as God’s people work with Him and for Him, they must learn to rest with Him by enjoying Him and being filled with Him. Keeping the Sabbath is a sign (v. 17) that God’s people work for God not by their own strength but by enjoying Him and being one with Him. It is also an eternal covenant (v. 16) assuring God that we will be one with Him by first enjoying Him and then working with Him, for Him, and in oneness with Him. God first worked and then rested; man first rests and then works (Gen. 2:2 and note). The mentioning of the Sabbath here indicates also that everything related to the tabernacle and its furniture leads us to God’s Sabbath, with its rest and refreshment in the enjoyment of what God has purposed and done.
Exo 31:132b sign Exo. 31:17; Ezek. 20:12, 20
See note 101 in ch. 20.
Exo 31:13c know Exo. 6:7
Exo 31:14a Everyone cf. Num. 15:32-36
Exo 31:141 death
When we work for God without enjoying Him and being one with Him, the result is spiritual death and the loss of the fellowship in the Body.
Exo 31:17a sign cf. Gen. 9:13, 17; 17:11
Exo 31:17b seventh Gen. 2:2; Heb. 4:4
Exo 31:181 tablets
The law and its ordinances were decreed by God in 20:1—23:19. Then, in 24:12 God called Moses up to the top of the mountain to give him the tablets of the law, the testimony (see note 11 in ch. 20). However, before giving Moses the tablets, God first gave him the design of the tabernacle and instructions concerning the priesthood (25:1—31:17). This indicates that although God was giving the law, He knew that man could not keep it; therefore, He prepared the tabernacle, the offerings, and all the aspects of the priesthood—the reality and fulfillment of which is Christ—as the way of grace for His fallen and sinful people to contact Him and enjoy Him (cf. Heb. 9:1—10:22). Although God was giving the law, He did not have any trust in the law. His trust was, and still is, absolutely in Christ as the way of grace for His people. See note 11 in ch. 25.
Exo 31:18a tablets Exo. 24:12
Exo 32:11a god Acts 7:40; Exo. 32:23
Even before the decree of the law was completed, the people broke at least the first three commandments of the law (20:2-7) by falling into the sin of idolatry. Man’s replacing of God with idols causes man to be unable to keep God’s commandments (cf. Rom. 1:18-32 and notes; 1 John 5:21 and note 3, par. 1).
Exo 32:21 rings
The gold earrings were worn by the people for self-beautification. This indicates that self-beautification leads to idolatry (cf. Gen. 35:4 and note). Furthermore, the gold in the earrings was given to the children of Israel by God before their exodus from Egypt (12:35-36) and was to be used for the building of the tabernacle (25:3; 35:5). However, before the gold could be used for God’s purpose, it was usurped by Satan and used by God’s people to make an idol. Hence, idolatry is Satan’s usurping and man’s abusing of what God has given for His purpose, in order to make it a waste.
Exo 32:41 he
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 32:41 [1] The golden calf was not a pagan idol, for it was made by Aaron, a genuine high priest appointed by God. Furthermore, Aaron made the calf in the name of Jehovah and took the lead to worship the idol in the way of presenting offerings to God and worshipping God (vv. 4-6, 8). Thus, God’s redeemed people worshipped an idol in the name of Jehovah their God and in the way ordained by God (cf. Psa. 106:19-20; Rom. 1:23). This was a pretense and a subtle mixture in the worship of God.
Exo 32:41 [2] According to the principles in the New Testament, idolatry is the main source of division and fornication. The golden calf idol caused a division among the children of Israel (cf. 1 Cor. 1:10-13; 11:18-19). Actually, division is spiritual fornication (cf. Rev. 17:1-5). Idolatry and fornication always go together (Num. 25:1-2; Rev. 2:20).
Exo 32:42a calf Deut. 9:16; Neh. 9:18; Psa. 106:19-21; Acts 7:41
A calf is not for labor but for eating and therefore signifies enjoyment (Gen. 18:7-8; Luke 15:23). After the golden calf was made, the people ate, drank, and rose up to play in front of it (vv. 6, 18-19a). This picture indicates that the children of Israel worshipped what they enjoyed. Their worshipping of the gold calf was an amusement and an entertainment, indicating that amusement and entertainment were their idol.
Exo 32:6a the 1 Cor. 10:7
Exo 32:7a And vv. 7-10: Deut. 9:12-14
Exo 32:71 corrupted
Whatever we love more than God is an idol that corrupts us, bringing in many sinful things (cf. Rom. 1:18-32).
Exo 32:8a worshipped 1 Cor. 10:7
Exo 32:9a stiff-necked Exo. 33:3, 5; 34:9; Deut. 9:6; 31:27; 2 Chron. 30:8; Acts 7:51; cf. Isa. 48:4
Exo 32:10a nation Num. 14:12
Exo 32:111a entreated Psa. 106:23
Lit., made Jehovah’s face sweet, or pleasant. Moses’ entreaty on behalf of the children of Israel, which took care of God’s name and stood on God’s faithfulness to keep His covenant (vv. 11-13), changed the expression on God’s face from one of anger to one of pleasantness. Thus, God repented and did not consume His people (v. 14).
Exo 32:12a Why Num. 14:13-16; Deut. 9:28-29
Exo 32:13a seed Gen. 12:7
Exo 32:15a Then Deut. 9:15-17
Exo 32:16a tablets Exo. 31:18
Exo 32:181 Moses
Lit., he.
Exo 32:19a calf 1 Cor. 10:7
Exo 32:191 shattered
The shattering of the tablets of the testimony (v. 15) indicates that before the children of Israel had received the law, they had already broken the law and the covenant of the law.
Exo 32:20a And Deut. 9:21
Exo 32:201 drink
Those who worship an idol must eventually “drink” the very idol they worship (cf. Rom. 1:23-25; Gal. 6:7-8a). This is a punishment from God.
Exo 32:23a Make Exo. 32:1; Acts 7:40
Exo 32:24a So Exo. 32:2-4
Exo 32:261 Whoever
Here Moses sounded a call for the overcomers. This call was not the cause of the division among God’s people but produced a purification (cf. note 41, par. 2).
Exo 32:26a Levi Deut. 33:8-11
Exo 32:271 brother
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 32:271 [1] The Levites denied even their closest relationships with those who had worshipped the golden calf. The killing of the idol worshippers separated the sons of Levi from their brothers and qualified them to have the priesthood with the Urim and the Thummim (Deut. 33:8-10). God intended that the entire nation of Israel would be a kingdom of priests (19:6), but because of the worship of the golden calf, the majority of the children of Israel lost the priesthood. The priesthood was given to a single tribe, the tribe of Levi.
Exo 32:271 [2] God’s intention is that every believer in Christ, every child of God, would be a priest (Rev. 1:6; 5:10). However, through the centuries impure worship has caused the majority of the believers to lose their priesthood. The relatives of the Levites signify ourselves, that part of our being which participates in the worship of idols. If we “kill” these impure worshippers, we will be the overcomers who keep the priesthood; otherwise, we will be counted among those who have lost the priesthood.
Exo 32:29a against Deut. 33:9
Exo 32:301 expiation
In order to solve the serious problem caused by the worshipping of the golden calf by the children of Israel, God needed a mediator between Him and the people. Moses, a man who was intimately involved with both parties, was uniquely qualified to be such a mediator. As a companion of God (33:11 and note 1), Moses had an intimate relationship with God and knew what was in God’s heart. In particular, he knew that God would not give up His purpose with the children of Israel. Thus, he could speak to God intimately concerning His people and appease God on their behalf.
Exo 32:31a And vv. 31-32: Deut. 9:18-20
Exo 32:32a book Psa. 56:8; 69:28; 139:16; Dan. 12:1; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; cf. Luke 10:20
Exo 32:34a Angel Exo. 14:19; 33:2; Acts 7:35
Exo 32:341 visit
Or, punish.
Exo 33:1a land Deut. 34:4
Exo 33:1b seed Exo. 32:13; Gen. 12:7
Exo 33:21a Angel Exo. 14:19; 32:34; Acts 7:35
The Angel here is Christ (see note 191 in ch. 14).
Exo 33:3b stiff-necked Exo. 32:9; 33:3; Acts 7:51
Exo 33:51 decide
Lit., know.
Exo 33:61 ornaments
As a result of Moses’ work as a mediator between God and the children of Israel, God’s anger was appeased, and the people repented and gave up their self-beautification (see note 21 in ch. 32; cf. Gen. 35:1-4).
Exo 33:71a outside Heb. 13:13
Knowing the heart of God, Moses realized that neither he nor God could remain among the people, for the camp had become idolatrous. Hence, he moved his tent outside the camp. This tent became the tent of meeting, where God could meet with His seeking people and speak to them. This was a type fulfilled in Heb. 13:12-13 (see notes there).
Exo 33:7b tent cf. Exo. 31:7; 36:8-38
Exo 33:9a pillar Exo. 13:21-22; Psa. 99:7
Exo 33:11a face Gen. 32:30; Num. 12:8; Deut. 34:10; cf. 1 Cor. 13:12
Exo 33:111 companion
A companion, being more than a friend, is an associate, a partner, one who shares a common interest and a common enterprise. Although Abraham was God’s friend (2 Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:8; James 2:23), Moses was God’s companion, a partner in God’s great enterprise. Only a person like Moses, a person who knows God’s heart and does everything according to God’s heart, can be a companion of God, sharing a common interest with God and being used by God to carry out His enterprise on earth.
Exo 33:112 Moses
Lit., he.
Exo 33:11b Joshua Exo. 17:9-10
Exo 33:12a Bring Exo. 32:34
Exo 33:13a ways Psa. 103:7
Exo 33:13b people cf. Deut. 9:29; Joel 2:17
Exo 33:141a presence cf. Deut. 20:4; 31:6
Lit., face. In vv. 12-17 Moses bargained with God for His presence to go with him and the people. God’s presence is His way, the “map” that shows His people the way they should take (cf. John 14:6 and note 1; Heb. 11:8 and note). The children of Israel had God’s presence in a very limited way, for they were far from God’s heart (cf. Isa. 29:13). Moses, however, was a person very near to God’s heart and according to God’s heart. Hence, he had God’s presence to a full extent.
Exo 33:16a distinct 1 Kings 8:53
Exo 33:181a glory Exo. 16:10
God’s glory is His expression—God Himself expressed.
Exo 33:19a name Exo. 34:5-7
Exo 33:20a no Gen. 32:30; Exo. 24:1-11; Deut. 5:24; Judg. 6:22; Isa. 6:5; John 1:18; 1 Tim. 6:16; 1 John 4:12
Exo 33:221 cleft
Christ is the cleft rock, the everlasting rock cleft for us (see 17:6 and notes). Only in the crucified Christ can we see God (cf. Matt. 5:8; Rev. 22:4).
Exo 34:11a tablets Deut. 10:1; 2 Cor. 3:7; Heb. 9:4
This chapter concerns the recovery of the broken covenant between God and His people (32:19; v. 10a).
Exo 34:1b write Exo. 34:28; Deut. 10:2, 4
Exo 34:1c shattered Exo. 32:19
Exo 34:3a mountain Exo. 19:12-13
Exo 34:41 Moses
Lit., he.
Exo 34:42 rose
To meet with God in the morning is not only to meet with Him early in the day; it is also to meet with God in a situation that is full of light (cf. Prov. 4:18). Like Moses, we should go to God alone, without any persons, matters, or things to distract or occupy us (v. 3; cf. Mark 1:35).
Exo 34:5a descended Exo. 19:18; Num. 11:25
Exo 34:51 proclaimed
For God to proclaim His name means that He assumed His position by declaring who He is.
Exo 34:5b name Exo. 33:19
Exo 34:6a compassionate 2 Chron. 30:9; Neh. 9:17; Psa. 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13; James 5:11
Exo 34:6b long-suffering Num. 14:18; Nahum 1:3
Exo 34:7a Keeping Exo. 20:6; Deut. 5:10; Jer. 32:18; Dan. 9:4
Exo 34:7b but Exo. 20:5; Deut. 5:9
Exo 34:9b stiff-necked Exo. 32:9
Exo 34:9c inheritance Deut. 32:9; Psa. 28:9; 33:12; 78:62; 94:14; Jer. 10:16
Exo 34:10a covenant Exo. 34:27; Deut. 5:2; 29:1
Exo 34:101 wonders
God’s wonderful doings were for the goal of bringing His people into the good land for the building up of the temple as God’s testimony and His dwelling place on earth. Likewise, God performs wonders for us with the intention of bringing us into Christ, the reality of the good land (see note 71 in Deut. 8), for the building up of the church as God’s testimony and God’s temple (Rev. 1:2; 1 Cor. 3:16).
Exo 34:11a drive Exo. 33:2; Deut. 7:1; 9:4-5
Exo 34:12a covenant Exo. 23:32; Deut. 7:2; Judg. 2:2
Exo 34:13a altars Deut. 7:5; 12:3; Judg. 2:2; 6:25; 2 Chron. 34:4
Exo 34:131 Asherahs
Images of a female deity.
Exo 34:141 god
Verses 12-17 are a warning concerning the snare of idolatry, a repetition of the first three of the Ten Commandments (20:2-7). An idol is any person, matter, or thing that replaces God and keeps us from the full enjoyment of Christ as our good land. God declared that He would do everything to bring the people into the good land (vv. 10-11), but He also pointed out the danger of idolatry, which would nullify His wondrous doings on behalf of the children of Israel. Likewise, God has promised to do everything necessary to bring us into the all-inclusive Christ for our enjoyment (cf. Col. 1:12-13), but we must take heed to God’s warning concerning idolatry (cf. 1 John 5:21).
Exo 34:14a jealous Exo. 20:5
Exo 34:18a You Exo. 23:15; Num. 28:17; Lev. 23:6
Exo 34:181 keep
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 34:181 [1] It was not God’s intention that His people would endeavor in their own strength to keep the Ten Commandments. Rather, His intention was to command His people to enjoy Him—to feast with Him and rest with Him. This is contrary to our natural desire to always want to do something for God (cf. Luke 15:18-32 and note 192). The keeping of God’s commandments must be secondary; it must be the issue of feasting with the Lord and resting with Him (see note 171, par. 1, in Gen. 2).
Exo 34:181 [2] For the significance of the three annual feasts mentioned in vv. 18 and 22-23, see notes on 23:14-16 and on Lev. 23.
Exo 34:19a opens Exo. 13:2
Exo 34:201 donkey
See note 131 in ch. 13.
Exo 34:20a lamb Exo. 13:13; Num. 18:15
Exo 34:20b empty Exo. 23:15; Deut. 16:16
Exo 34:21a Six Exo. 20:9
Exo 34:211 seventh
In addition to the annual feasts (vv. 18, 22-23), every week the children of Israel were to keep the Sabbath, ceasing from their labor and resting with God in remembrance of Him as their Creator and Redeemer. The inserting of the word concerning the Sabbath between the word concerning the feasts indicates that while we are enjoying Christ, simultaneously we rest with Him.
Exo 34:22a Feast Exo. 23:16; Lev. 23:9-22; Num. 28:26; Deut. 16:9-10
Exo 34:22b Feast Exo. 23:16; Num. 29:12; Deut. 16:13-15
Exo 34:231a Three Exo. 23:14, 17; Deut. 16:16
For the children of Israel the feasts were held yearly and the Sabbath (v. 21) was kept weekly. However, this should be a portrait of our daily experience of Christ. Every day we should enjoy Christ as the three feasts mentioned in this chapter, and many times during the day we should cease from our work and rest with Christ in remembrance of Him.
Exo 34:241 For
This verse gives the reason that God’s people need to feast with Him and rest with Him. The best way to fight against the enemy and to keep the enemy away from us is to enjoy the Lord.
Exo 34:242a drive Exo. 23:28-30; Psa. 78:55; 80:8
The driving out of the nations signifies the demolishing of the things that preoccupy and usurp us (see note 231 in ch. 23); the enlarging of the borders of the good land signifies the enlarging of our capacity to enjoy Christ (1 Chron. 4:10 and note); and the keeping away of the coveting enemies signifies the guarding of the enjoyment of Christ.
Exo 34:242b enlarge Exo. 23:31; Deut. 12:20; 19:8
See note 242.
Exo 34:25a You Exo. 23:18-19
Exo 34:251 leavened
See note 181 in ch. 23.
Exo 34:25b Feast Exo. 12:48; Lev. 23:5
Exo 34:252 morning
This signifies that we should enjoy the riches of Christ to the fullest extent in this age and not postpone this enjoyment until the next age (morning—cf. 2 Pet. 1:19). Cf. note 342 in ch. 29.
Exo 34:261 first
See note 191 in ch. 23.
Exo 34:26a firstfruits Exo. 23:19; cf. Rev. 14:4
Exo 34:26b You Exo. 23:19; Deut. 14:21
Exo 34:262 boil
See note 192 in ch. 23.
Exo 34:271 speaking
Lit., mouth. God’s speaking in this chapter is a repetition of what He spoke in chs. 20—23. The focus of this repeated speaking is not on the keeping of the Ten Commandments and the ordinances of the law but on the enjoyment of God through the enjoyment of the riches of the good land and the repeated feasting and resting with Him. This matches the focus of the New Testament teaching, which is concerned primarily with the enjoyment of Christ (1 Cor. 1:9; 5:8). It was not God’s intention merely to have a people to keep His commandments and ordinances. God’s intention was to dispense Himself into His chosen people so that they would be fully infused with Him in order to express Him (see note 291).
Exo 34:27a covenant Exo. 34:10; Deut. 4:13; 31:9
Exo 34:28a forty Exo. 24:18; Deut. 9:9, 18; cf. Matt. 4:2
Exo 34:28b tablets Exo. 34:1; 32:16; Deut. 4:13; 10:2, 4
Exo 34:281 Commandments
Lit., words.
Exo 34:29a tablets Heb. 9:4
Exo 34:29b face 2 Cor. 3:7
Exo 34:291 His
Or, his (Moses’) speaking with Him (Jehovah); cf. Num. 7:89. Through God’s speaking to Moses during his lengthy stay with God, Moses was thoroughly infused with God and saturated with Him. As a result, Moses’ face shone. According to this chapter, God did not first give Moses the tablets of the law; rather, He first spent time to infuse Moses with Himself by speaking to Moses concerning the enjoyment of Himself (cf. 2 Cor. 3:3). Before God gave the law to Moses, God gave Himself to him. This clearly portrays God’s intention.
Exo 34:331a veil 2 Cor. 3:13
See 2 Cor. 3:13 and note.
Exo 34:341 veil
Cf. 2 Cor. 3:18 and notes 3-6.
Exo 35:2a Six Exo. 20:9; 31:15; 34:21; Lev. 23:3
Exo 35:21 Sabbath
This word concerning the keeping of the Sabbath, coming before the commandments concerning the making of the tabernacle with its furniture and the garments for the priests, indicates that before God’s people work for Him, they must rest with Him. The way of first working for God and then enjoying grace and rest is according to the law. According to grace, we first enjoy grace and rest with the Lord; then we work for Him (cf. 1 Cor. 15:10). See note 131 in ch. 31.
Exo 35:4a And vv. 4-9: Exo. 25:1-8
Exo 35:51 Take
For vv. 5-9, see notes in 25:2-7.
Exo 35:52 heave
Although they were gained by the children of Israel while they were in Egypt (12:35-36), the materials offered to God for the building of the tabernacle were called heave offerings, wave offerings, and freewill offerings (vv. 5, 21-22, 24, 29; 36:3). All these offerings are types of Christ in different aspects experienced, enjoyed, and gained by God’s people in their practical daily lives, and then offered by them to God. See note 21, par. 1, in ch. 25.
Exo 35:101a wise Exo. 28:3; 31:6
The preparing of the gifted workers for the building of God’s dwelling place is mentioned in vv. 10, 30-35; 36:1-2; 38:22-23. See notes in 31:1-11.
Exo 35:11a The vv. 11-19: Exo. 31:7-11; 39:33-42
Exo 35:11b tent Exo. 26:1-37
Exo 35:12a Ark Exo. 25:10-22
Exo 35:12b veil Exo. 26:31-35; 40:3, 21; Num. 4:5
Exo 35:13a table Exo. 25:23-29
Exo 35:13b bread Exo. 25:30
Exo 35:14a lampstand Exo. 25:31-39
Exo 35:14b oil Exo. 27:20
Exo 35:15a altar Exo. 30:1-10
Exo 35:15b anointing Exo. 30:23-33
Exo 35:15c incense Exo. 30:34-38
Exo 35:15d screen Exo. 26:36
Exo 35:16a altar Exo. 27:1-8; 30:28; 31:9; 38:1-7
Exo 35:16b laver Exo. 30:18-21; 38:8
Exo 35:17a court Exo. 27:9-19
Exo 35:19a garments Exo. 28:1-43; 31:10
Exo 35:211 lifted
For the building of God’s dwelling place, we need an uplifted and uplifting heart and a willing spirit (Ezra 1:5-6; 1 Cor. 15:58).
Exo 35:21a willing Exo. 25:2
Exo 35:21b heave Exo. 36:3
Exo 35:22a heart Exo. 25:2
Exo 35:22b rings Num. 31:50
Exo 35:23a blue Exo. 35:6-7; 25:4-5
Exo 35:25a wise Exo. 28:3
Exo 35:291 freewill
Whether or not we experience Christ and offer Him to God is a matter of our free will.
Exo 35:29a heart Exo. 25:2
Exo 35:30a And vv. 30-34: Exo. 31:1-6
Exo 35:30b Bezalel Exo. 31:2
Exo 35:31a Spirit Exo. 31:3
Exo 35:341 teach
Both Bezalel and Oholiab did the work of teaching. This indicates that in the building up of the church as God’s dwelling place there is the need of adequate teaching (Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 3:2; 5:17).
Exo 35:34a Oholiab Exo. 31:6
Exo 35:35a wisdom Exo. 28:3; 1 Kings 7:14; 2 Chron. 2:13-14
Exo 35:351 engraver
Or, craftsman.
Exo 36:21 lifted
See note 211 in ch. 35.
Exo 36:3a heave Exo. 35:21, 24
Exo 36:8a And vv. 8-19: Exo. 26:1-14
Exo 36:81 made
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 36:81 [1] The sequence in the making of the tabernacle and its furniture (36:8—38:20) is different from the sequence in the revelation of the vision of the tabernacle (25:10—28:43; 30:1-10, 17-38). The sequence in the revelation, with the Ark of the Testimony being revealed first, is according to the desire of God’s heart, whereas the sequence in the making, with the tabernacle being made first and then the furniture as the content, was according to the practical need.
Exo 36:81 [2] In His coming to us in Christ, God began at the Ark and reached us at the altar in the outer court, but in our experience of Christ, we begin at the altar and proceed onward until we reach the Ark (see note 43 in Heb. 9).
Exo 36:82 curtains
For the curtains and coverings of the tabernacle, see notes in 26:1-14.
Exo 36:83c Bezalel Exo. 31:2
Lit., He.
Exo 36:20a And vv. 20-34: Exo. 26:15-29
Exo 36:201 boards
For the boards of the tabernacle, see notes in 26:15-30.
Exo 36:35a And vv. 35-36: Exo. 26:31-32
Exo 36:351 veil
For the veil within the tabernacle, see notes in 26:31-35.
Exo 36:37a And vv. 37-38: Exo. 26:36-37
Exo 36:371 screen
For the screen for the entrance of the tent, see notes in 26:36-37.
Exo 37:1a And vv. 1-9: Exo. 25:10-20
Exo 37:11 Ark
For the Ark of the Testimony, see notes in 25:10-22.
Exo 37:10a And vv. 10-16: Exo. 25:23-29
Exo 37:101 table
For the table of the bread of the Presence, see notes in 25:23-30.
Exo 37:17a And vv. 17-24: Exo. 25:31-39
Exo 37:171 lampstand
For the lampstand, see notes in 25:31-40.
Exo 37:25a And vv. 25-28: Exo. 30:1-5
Exo 37:251 altar
For the altar of incense, see notes in 30:1-10.
Exo 37:291a anointing Exo. 30:23-25
For the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, see notes in 30:22-38.
Exo 37:291b fragrant Exo. 30:7, 34-35
See note 291.
Exo 38:1a And vv. 1-7: Exo. 27:1-8
Exo 38:11 altar
For the altar of burnt offering, see notes in 27:1-8.
Exo 38:8a And Exo. 30:18
Exo 38:81 laver
For the laver, see notes in 30:17-21.
Exo 38:9a And vv. 9-20: Exo. 27:9-19
Exo 38:91 court
For the court of the tabernacle, see notes in 27:9-19.
Exo 38:21a Tabernacle Num. 1:50, 53; 10:11; Acts 7:44; Rev. 15:5; cf. Num. 9:15; 17:7-8; 18:2; 2 Chron. 24:6
Exo 38:211 counted
The counting of the offered materials indicates that everything in the building of the tabernacle was done in an orderly way.
Exo 38:22a And vv. 22-23: Exo. 31:2-6
Exo 38:22b Bezalel Exo. 31:2
Exo 38:23a Oholiab Exo. 31:6
Exo 38:26a six Num. 1:46
Exo 38:27a sockets Exo. 26:19, 21, 25, 32, 37
Exo 38:31a sockets Exo. 27:16-17
Exo 38:31b pegs Exo. 27:19
Exo 39:1a And vv. 1-7: Exo. 28:5-12
Exo 39:11 garments
For the garments of the priests, see notes in 28:1-43.
Exo 39:1b garments Exo. 28:2-4
Exo 39:21a Bezalel Exo. 31:2
Lit., he.
Exo 39:51 for
Lit., its ephod.
Exo 39:61 settings
Lit., plaited work, plaited settings, or filigree. So also for vv. 13, 16, 18.
Exo 39:8a And vv. 8-21: Exo. 28:15-28
Exo 39:111 carbuncle
Or, turquoise.
Exo 39:131 chrysolite
Or, beryl.
Exo 39:22a And vv. 22-26: Exo. 28:31-34
Exo 39:27a tunics Exo. 28:39
Exo 39:30a And vv. 30-31: Exo. 28:36-37
Exo 39:33a And vv. 33-41: cf. Exo. 35:11-19; 31:6-11
Exo 40:21a first Exo. 12:2
[ par. 1 2 ]
Exo 40:21 [1] The tabernacle was erected on the first day of the first month of the second year (v. 17). The first month of the first year was the time of the passover (13:4). Hence, the time from the passover to the erecting of the tabernacle was one year.
Exo 40:21 [2] God’s people had two beginnings, the first at the passover, which was for their salvation, and the second at the erecting of the tabernacle, which was related to the building of God’s dwelling place. Every genuine Christian should have these two beginnings: the experience of salvation and the practical experience of the building of the church as God’s dwelling place (1 Tim. 3:15).
Exo 40:2b tabernacle Exo. 26:30; 40:17
Exo 40:31a Ark Exo. 40:20-21; 25:10-22; 35:12; 37:1-9; cf. Rev. 11:19
The first item of the furniture to be put into the tabernacle was the Ark (vv. 20-21), indicating that the Ark was the central item of the tabernacle and its furniture. Most Christians focus on the experience of salvation at the altar, but the book of Exodus reveals that God’s intention is to have the Ark of the Testimony in the Tabernacle of the Testimony. Eventually, the Ark in the tabernacle will consummate in an eternal tabernacle, the New Jerusalem, with the Ark, the redeeming Christ, as the center (Rev. 21:2-3; 22:1). God’s eternal goal is to have the New Jerusalem as the ultimate fulfillment of the tabernacle with the Ark.
Exo 40:3b veil Exo. 26:31-33; 36:35-36
Exo 40:4a table Exo. 26:35; 40:22
Exo 40:4b lampstand Exo. 40:24-25
Exo 40:5a golden Exo. 39:38; 40:26; 30:3; Heb. 9:4
Exo 40:6a altar Exo. 31:9; 35:16; 40:29
Exo 40:7a laver Exo. 30:18; 40:30
Exo 40:8a court Exo. 40:33
Exo 40:9a And vv. 9-15: cf. Exo. 30:26-30
Exo 40:13a holy Exo. 28:41; 29:5-7
Exo 40:15a priesthood Num. 25:13
Exo 40:17a tabernacle Exo. 40:2; Num. 7:1
Exo 40:20a Ark Exo. 25:16
Exo 40:21a veil Exo. 40:3; Heb. 9:3-4; cf. Mark 15:38
Exo 40:22a table Exo. 26:35; 40:4
Exo 40:25a lamps Exo. 40:4; 25:37
Exo 40:27a incense Exo. 30:7
Exo 40:28a screen Exo. 26:36; 40:5
Exo 40:29a burnt Exo. 30:28; 40:6
Exo 40:30a washing Exo. 30:19-21
Exo 40:33a court Exo. 27:9, 16; 40:8
Exo 40:34a cloud Num. 9:15
Exo 40:341 Tent
With respect to man, the tabernacle was the Tent of Meeting, but with respect to God, it was the tabernacle. The tabernacle is related to God’s testimony (38:21), whereas the Tent of Meeting is more outward, external, related to God’s interest on earth and to His move.
Exo 40:342b glory Exo. 16:10
Glory is God’s expression, God Himself expressed. The cloud covering the Tent of Meeting was the outer part, the outer covering, of God’s glory. Those who were gathered around the Tent of Meeting could see the cloud, whereas the high priest who eventually entered into the Holy of Holies (Lev. 16:15; Heb. 9:7) in the tabernacle could see the inward glory of the tabernacle. This indicates that in our experience of the church life we need to advance by entering into the tabernacle—Christ as the embodiment of God—to enjoy the bread at the table and to intercede at the incense altar, that we may experience the glory in God’s dwelling place (cf. note 142, par. 3, in John 1).
Exo 40:35a not cf. 1 Kings 8:11; 2 Chron. 5:14; 7:2; Rev. 15:8
Exo 40:361a cloud Num. 9:17; 10:11
The cloud of Jehovah’s glory became the leading, the guidance, of the children of Israel. According to the type here, apart from God’s dwelling place there is no leading or guidance for God’s people. The children of Israel followed the tabernacle with the cloud. Likewise, in our Christian journey we must follow God’s move with His dwelling place, the church.
Exo 40:381 it
I.e., the cloud.
Exo 40:382 house
In the Old Testament times the house of God was the house of Israel, represented here by the tabernacle and later by the temple (see note 61 in Heb. 3). At the end of Genesis an individual Israel was produced as a miniature of God’s house to express God and exercise His authority. At the end of Exodus a corporate Israel was produced as God’s house to express God and represent Him by exercising His authority on earth. The goal of God’s eternal purpose is to have a corporate people to be His dwelling place for His expression and representation in eternity. The books of Genesis and Exodus together consummate with God’s tabernacle, His dwelling place, filled with His glory (v. 34). Likewise, the entire Bible consummates in the New Jerusalem as the eternal tabernacle of God filled with the glory of God (Rev. 21:2-3, 10-11) and exercising God’s authority for His divine administration in eternity (Rev. 22:1, 5).