Exodus 34-36 - Willing Hearts Contribute to Yahweh

Stone Tablets like the Former Ones

Exo 34:1 LSB - [1] Now Yahweh said to Moses, "Carve out for yourself two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered.

Exo 34:6-7 LSB - 

[6] Then Yahweh passed by in front of him and called out, "Yahweh, Yahweh God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 

[7] who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He will by no means leave [the guilty] unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."

Psa 86:15 LSB - [15] But You, O Lord, are a God compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.

Deu 7:9 LSB - [9] "You shall know therefore that Yahweh your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

Attend, my soul, the voice divine

Author: Philip Doddridge
Meters 8.8.8.8.8.8

1 Attend, my soul, the voice divine,
And mark what beaming glories shine
Around thy condescending God!
To us, to us, he still proclaims
his awful, his endearing names;
Attend, and sound them all abroad.

2 "Jehovah I, the sovereign Lord,
The mighty God, by Heaven adored,
Down to the earth my footsteps bend;
My heart the tenderest pity knows,
Goodness full-streaming wide o'erflows,
And grace and truth shall never end.

3 "My patience long can crimes endure:
My pardoning love is ever sure,
When penitential sorrow mourns;
To Millions, through unnumbered years,
New hope and new delight it bears;
Yet wrath against the sinner burns."

4 Make haste, my soul, the vision meet,
All-prostrate at thy sovereign's feet,
And drink the tuneful accents in;
Speak on, my Lord, repeat the voice;
Diffuse these heart-expanding joys,
Till Heaven complete the rapturous scene.

Yahweh Cuts a Covenant with Israel

Exo 34:10 LSB - [10] Then God said, "Behold, I am going to cut a covenant. Before all your people I will do wondrous deeds which have not been created in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of Yahweh, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to do with you.

Psa 65:5 LSB - [5] By fearsome [deeds] You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, [You who are] the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea; 

Exo 34:19 LSB - [19] "The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me, even of all your male livestock, the first offspring from cattle and sheep.

Exo 34:26 LSB - [26] "You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your ground into the house of Yahweh your God. "You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk."

Exo 34:27-28 LSB - [27] Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have cut a covenant with you and with Israel." [28] So he was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

The Shining Face of Moses

Exo 34:29 LSB - [29] Now it happened when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony [were] in Moses' hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.

Mat 17:2 LSB - [2] And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.

2Co 3:18 LSB - [18] But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Exo 34:34-35 LSB - [34] But whenever Moses went in before Yahweh to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and then he would come out and speak to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded, [35] and the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone. So Moses would return the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.

2Co 3:16-18 LSB -
[16] but WHENEVER a person TURNS TO THE LORD, THE VEIL IS TAKEN AWAY.
[17] Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, [there] is freedom.
[18] But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

 

The Sabbath Command

Exo 35:2 LSB - [2] "Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy [day], a sabbath of complete rest to Yahweh; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.

Willing Hearts Contribute to Yahweh

Exo 35:5 LSB - [5] 'Take from among you a contribution to Yahweh; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as a contribution to Yahweh: gold, silver, and bronze,

Exo 35:10 LSB - [10] 'And let everyone wise at heart among you come and make all that Yahweh has commanded:

Contributions Brought by the People

Exo 35:21 LSB - [21] And everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit was willing came [and] brought the contribution to Yahweh for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments.

Exo 35:25 LSB - [25] All the women wise at heart spun with their hands and brought what they had spun, [in] blue and purple [and] scarlet [material] and [in] fine linen.

Exo 35:29 LSB - [29] The sons of Israel--all the men and women whose heart was willing to bring [material] for all the work, which Yahweh had commanded through the hand of Moses to do--brought a freewill offering to Yahweh.

Exo 35:35 LSB - [35] "He has filled them with wisdom [in their] heart to do every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple [and] in scarlet [material] and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as those who do every work and make designs.

Making the Tabernacle

Exo 36:6-7 LSB - [6] So Moses commanded and a proclamation was passed throughout the camp, saying, "Let no man or woman any longer do the work for the contributions of the sanctuary." Thus the people were restrained from bringing [any more]. [7] Indeed, the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to do it.

Come to Us, Creative Spirit

Author: David Mowbray (c. 1977)

8.5.8.5.8.7

1 Come to us, creative Spirit;

In our Father's house;

Ev'ry human talent hallow,

Hidden skills arouse

That, within your earthly temple,

Wise and simple

May rejoice.

2 Poet, painter, music-maker,

All your treasures bring;

Craftsman, actor, graceful dancer,

Make your offering.

Join your hands in celebration;

Let creation

Shout and sing!

3 Word from God eternal springing,

Fill our minds, we pray;

And in all artistic vision

Give integrity.

May the flame within us burning

Kindle yearning

Day by day.

4 In all places and for ever

Glory be expressed

To the Son, with God the Father

And the Spirit blessed.

In our worship and our living

Keep us striving

For the best.

Exodus 31-33 - I will put you in the cleft of the rock

Bezalel and Oholiab

Exo 31:2-4 LSB - [2] "See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. [3] "And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in discernment, in knowledge, and in all [kinds of] craftsmanship, [4] to devise artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,

Exo 31:6 LSB - [6] "And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are wise at heart I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you:

The Sign of the Sabbath

Exo 31:13 LSB - [13] "But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'You shall surely keep My sabbaths; for [this] is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am Yahweh who makes you holy.

Exo 31:14-15 LSB - [14] 'Therefore you shall keep the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. [15] 'Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to Yahweh; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death.

Exo 31:18 LSB - [18] When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.

O Day of Rest and Gladness

Christopher Wordsworth (1862)

1 O day of rest and gladness,
O day of joy and light,
O balm of care and sadness,
most beautiful, most bright;
on thee the high and lowly,
through ages joined in tune,
sing "Holy, holy, holy,"
to the great God Triune.

2 On thee, at the creation,
the light first had its birth;
on thee, for our salvation,
Christ rose from depths of earth;
on thee, our Lord victorious,
the Spirit sent from heav'n;
and thus on thee, most glorious,
a triple light was given.

3 Today on weary nations
the heav'nly manna falls;
to holy convocations
the silver trumpet calls,
where gospel light is glowing
with pure and radiant beams,
and living water flowing
with soul-refreshing streams.

4 New graces ever gaining
from this our day of rest,
we reach the rest remaining
to spirits of the blest;
to Holy Ghost be praises,
to Father, and to Son;
the church her voice upraises
to Thee, blest Three in One.

The Golden Calf

Exo 32:1 LSB - [1] Then the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain. So the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, "Arise, make us gods who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."

Exo 32:13-14 LSB - [13] "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and You said to them, 'I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your seed, and they shall inherit [it] forever.'" [14] So Yahweh relented concerning the harm which He said He would do to His people.

Exo 32:32-33 LSB - [32] "But now, if You will forgive their sin--but if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!" [33] And Yahweh said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.

Hymn 18

John Newton

8,6,8,6

The golden calf.

When Israel heard the fiery law,

From Sinai’s top proclaimed;

Their hearts seemed full of holy awe,

Their stubborn spirits tamed.

Yet, as forgetting all they knew,

Ere forty days were past;

With blazing Sinai still in view,

A molten calf they cast.

Yea, Aaron, God’s anointed priest,

Who on the mount had been

He durst prepare the idol–beast,

And lead them on to sin.

LORD, what is man! and what are we,

To recompense thee thus!

In their offence our own we see,

Their story points at us.

From Sinai we have heard thee speak,

And from mount Calv’ry too;

And yet to idols oft we seek,

While thou art in our view.

Some golden calf, or golden dream,

Some fancied creature–good,

Presumes to share the heart with him,

Who bought the whole with blood.

LORD, save us from our golden calves,

Our sin with grief we own;

We would no more be thine by halves,

But live to thee alone.

Moses and the Tent of Meeting

Exo 33:3 LSB - [3] "[Go up] to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst because you are a stiff-necked people, lest I consume you on the way."

Exo 33:5 LSB - [5] So Yahweh said to Moses, "Say to the sons of Israel, 'You are a stiff-necked people; should I go up in your midst for one moment, I would consume you. So now, put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what I shall do with you.'"

Exo 33:7 LSB - [7] Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought Yahweh would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp.

Exo 33:11 LSB - [11] Thus Yahweh used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, and his attendant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Moses and the Glory of Yahweh

Exo 33:16-17 LSB - [16] "Indeed, how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the [other] people who are upon the face of the earth?" [17] Then Yahweh said to Moses, "I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight, and I have known you by name."

Exo 33:18-23 LSB - 

[18] Then Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your glory!" 

[19] And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." 

[20] But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" 

[21] Then Yahweh said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand [there] on the rock; 

[22] and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 

[23] "Then I will remove My hand, and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen."

He Hideth My Soul

Author: Fanny Crosby (1890)

1. A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,

A wonderful Savior to me;

He's hiding my soul in the cleft of the rock,

Where rivers of pleasure I see.

Refrain:

He's hiding my soul in the cleft of the rock

That shadows a dry, thirsty land;

He's hiding my life in the depths of his love

And cov'ring me there with his hand,

And cov'ring me there with his hand.

2. A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord;

He carries my burdens away,

He's holding me up, and I shall not be moved;

He's giving me strength day by day. [Refrain]

3. With numberless blessings each moment he crowns

And fills with his fullness divine;

I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God

For such a Redeemer is mine. [Refrain]

4. When clothed in his brightness, transported I rise

To meet him in clouds of the sky,

His perfect salvation, his wonderful love,

I'll shout with the millions on high. [Refrain]

Exodus 28-30 - Where I will meet with you

The Priests’ Garments

Exo 28:4 LSB - [4] "These are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of checkered work, a turban and a sash, and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, in order for him to minister as priest to Me.

Exo 28:9, 12 LSB - [9] "You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, ... [12] "You shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, [as] stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before Yahweh on his two shoulders for remembrance.

Exo 28:15 LSB - [15] "You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skillful designer; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet [material] and fine twisted linen you shall make it.

Exo 28:21 LSB - [21] "The stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, according to their names; they shall be [like] the engravings of a signet, each according to his name for the twelve tribes.

Exo 28:30 LSB - [30] "You shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron's heart when he comes in before Yahweh; and Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before Yahweh continually.

Exo 28:35 LSB - [35] "It shall be on Aaron when he ministers; and its sound shall be heard when he comes into the holy place before Yahweh and when he goes out, so that he will not die.

Exo 28:37-38 LSB - [37] "You shall fasten it on a blue cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban. [38] "It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall take away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel set apart as holy, with regard to all their holy gifts; and it shall continually be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before Yahweh.

NOW LET OUR CHEERFUL EYES SURVEY

Phi­lip Dodd­ridge (1702–1751)

Now Let Our Cheerful Eyes Survey - Metropolitan Tabernacle, London

Now let our cheer­ful eyes sur­vey

Our great high priest ab­ove,

And ce­le­brate His con­stant care,

And sym­pa­the­tic love.

Though raised to a su­per­ior throne,

Where an­gels bow around,

And high o’er all the shin­ing train,

With match­less hon­ors crowned;

The names of all His saints He bears

Deep grav­en on His heart;

Nor shall the mean­est Christ­ian say,

That he hath lost his part.

Those char­ac­ters shall fair abide

Our ev­er­last­ing trust,

When gems, and mon­uments, and crowns,

Are mol­dered down to dust.

So, gra­cious Sav­ior, on my breast,

May Thy dear name be worn,

A sac­red or­na­ment and guard,

To end­less ag­es borne.

Setting Apart the Priests

Exo 29:1-2 LSB - [1] "Now this is what you shall do to them to set them apart as holy to minister as priests to Me: take one bull from the herd and two rams without blemish, [2] and unleavened bread and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil; you shall make them of fine wheat flour.

Exo 29:7 LSB - [7] "Then you shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.

Exo 29:9 LSB - [9] "You shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and bind caps on them, and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute. So you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.

Slaughtering the Offerings

Exo 29:10-11 LSB - [10] "Then you shall bring the bull near before the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. [11] "You shall slaughter the bull before Yahweh at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

Exo 29:19-20 LSB - [19] "Then you shall take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. [20] "You shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put [it] on the lobe of Aaron's right ear and on the lobes of his sons' right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and splash the [rest of the] blood around on the altar.

Yahweh Will Meet and Speak to Israel

Exo 29:42-43 LSB - [42] "It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before Yahweh, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. [43] "I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be set apart as holy by My glory.

The Altar of Incense

Exo 30:1 LSB - [1] "Moreover, you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.

Exo 30:6 LSB - [6] "You shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you.

JESUS WILL MEET YOU THERE

W. Lew­is Kane

Come to Cal­v’ry’s mount to­day,

Jesus will meet you there;

Look and live with­out de­lay,

Jesus will meet you there.

Refrain

Come to Je­sus,

Don’t stay away, my friend;

Come to Je­sus,

He calls to­day.

Rest be­neath the hal­lowed cross,

Jesus will meet you there;

Saving mer­cy gained for loss,

Jesus will meet you there.

Refrain

Come and join His faith­ful band,

Jesus will meet you there;

Take His migh­ty, help­ing hand,

Jesus will meet you there.

Refrain

At the bless­èd mer­cy seat,

Jesus will meet you there;

Come with this as­sur­ance sweet:

Jesus will meet you there.

Refrain

You’ll find rest in Heav’n at last,

Jesus will meet you there;

And be hap­py with the blest,

Jesus will meet you there.

Refrain

Exo 30:9 LSB - [9] "You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar or burnt offering or grain offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it.

Lev 10:1-2 LSB - [1] Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans and put fire in them. Then they placed incense on it and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which He had not commanded them. [2] And fire came out from the presence of Yahweh and consumed them, and they died before Yahweh.

The Census and the Atonement Price

Exo 30:15 LSB - [15] "The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel when you give the contribution to Yahweh to make atonement for your souls.

The Laver for the Priestly Washing

Exo 30:19 LSB - [19] "And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it;

The Holy Anointing Oil

Exo 30:31 LSB - [31] "And you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations.

The Incense

Exo 30:37 LSB - [37] "The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same specifications for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for Yahweh.

Exodus 25-27 - Mercy Seat

Contributions for the Sanctuary

Exo 25:8-9 LSB - [8] "And let them make a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. [9] "According to all that I am going to show you, [as] the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall make [it].

The Ark of the Testimony

Exo 25:16 LSB - [16] "You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.

Exo 25:21-22 LSB - [21] "You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. [22] "There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all which I will command you for the sons of Israel.

From Every Stormy Wind that Blows

Hugh Stowell, 1828

[Key: G]

Verse 1

From every stormy wind that blows,

From every swelling tide of woes,

There is a calm, a sure retreat;

'Tis found beneath the mercy seat.

Verse 2

There is a place where Jesus sheds

The oil of gladness on our heads;

A place of all on earth most sweet;

It is the blood bought mercy seat.

Verse 3

There is a scene where spirits blend,

Where friend holds fellowship with friend;

Though sundered far, by faith they meet

Around one common mercy seat.

Verse 4

Ah! there, on eagles' wings we soar,

And sin and sorrow molest no more;

And heav'n comes down, our souls to greet,

While glory crowns the mercy seat.

Verse 5

Oh, let my hand forget her skill,

My tongue be silent, cold, and still,

This bounding heart forget to beat,

If I forget the mercy seat!

 

Bread of the Presence

Exo 25:29-30 LSB - [29] "You shall make its dishes and its pans and its jars and its offering bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. [30] "You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.

1Sa 21:6 LSB - [6] So the priest gave him consecrated [bread]; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence which was removed from before Yahweh, in order to put hot bread [in its place] when it was taken away.

 

The Golden Lampstand

Exo 25:31 LSB - [31] "Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand, its base, and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs, and its flowers shall be of [the same piece].

Exo 25:37 LSB - [37] "Then you shall make its lamps seven [in number]; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it.

Instructions for Making the Tabernacle

Exo 26:1 LSB - [1] "Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet [material]; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful designer.

Exo 26:7 LSB - [7] "Then you shall make curtains of goats' [hair] for a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains in all.

The Bronze Altar

Exo 27:1-2 LSB - [1] "And you shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. [2] "You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of the [same piece], and you shall overlay it with bronze.

The Court of the Tabernacle

Exo 27:9-10 LSB - [9] "You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side [there shall be] hangings for the court of fine twisted linen one hundred cubits long for one side; [10] and its pillars [shall be] twenty, with their twenty bases of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands [shall be] of silver.

Exodus 22-24 - Behold the Blood of the Covenant

Judgments About Property Rights

Exo 22:2-3 LSB - [2] "If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account. [3] "[But] if the sun has risen on him, there will be bloodguiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.

Exo 22:9 LSB - [9] "For every breach of trust, [whether it is] for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, [or] for any lost thing about which one says, 'This is it,' the case of both parties shall come before the judges; he whom the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.

Various Judgments

Exo 22:21 LSB - [21] "You shall not mistreat a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

Exo 22:22 LSB - [22] "You shall not afflict any widow or orphan.

Exo 22:29-30 LSB - [29] "You shall not delay [the offering from] the fullness of your harvest and the juice of your wine vat. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. [30] "And you shall do the same with your oxen [and] with your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

To Thee, O Lord, our hearts we raise

Author: W. Chatterton Dix (1864)

1 To thee, O Lord, our hearts we raise
in hymns of adoration,
to thee bring sacrifice of praise
with shouts of exultation:
bright robes of gold the fields adorn,
the hills with joy are ringing,
the valleys stand so thick with corn
that even they are singing.

2 And now, on this our festal day,
thy bounteous hand confessing,
upon thine altar, Lord, we lay
the first-fruits of thy blessing:
by thee the hungry soul is fed
with gifts of grace supernal;
thou who dost give us earthly bread,
give us the bread eternal.

3 We bear the burden of the day,
and often toil seems dreary;
but labour ends with sunset ray,
and rest comes for the weary:
may we, the angel-reaping o'er,
stand at the last accepted,
Christ's golden sheaves for evermore
to garners bright elected.

4 O blessèd is that land of God,
where saints abide for ever;
where golden fields spread far and broad,
where flows the crystal river:
the strains of all its holy throng
with ours today are blending;
thrice blessèd is that harvest-song
which never hath an ending.

Exo 22:31 LSB - [31] "You shall be holy men to Me, therefore you shall not eat [any] flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

Exo 23:4 LSB - [4] "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him.

Judgments About Work and Rest

Exo 23:10-11 LSB - [10] "Now you shall sow your land for six years and gather in its produce, [11] but [on] the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. Thus you shall do with your vineyard [and] your olive grove.

Exo 23:12 LSB - [12] "Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your maidservant, as well as your sojourner, may refresh themselves.

Exo 23:13 LSB - [13] "Now concerning everything which I have said to you, beware; and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let [them] be heard from your mouth.

Judgments About National Feasts

Exo 23:14-16 LSB - 

[14] "Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. 

[15] "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. 

[16] "Also [you shall keep] the Feast of the Harvest [of] the first fruits of your labors [from] what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in [the fruit of] your labors from the field.

Come, ye thankful people, come

Author: Henry Alford (1844)

1 Come, ye thankful people, come,
Raise the song of harvest home!
All is safely gathered in
Ere the winter storms begin.
God, our Maker, doth provide
For our wants to be supplied.
Come to God's own temple, come,
Raise the song of harvest home.

2 We ourselves are God's own field,
Fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown,
Unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade, and then the ear,
Then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we
Wholesome grain and pure may be.

3 For the Lord our God shall come,
And shall take His harvest home;
From His field shall purge away
All that doth offend that day.
Give His angels charge at last
In the fire the tares to cast;
But the fruitful ears to store
In His garner evermore.

4 Even so, Lord, quickly come,
Bring Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou Thy people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin.
There, forever purified,
In Thy presence to abide;
Come, with all Thine angels, come,
Raise the glorious harvest home.

Yahweh Will Drive Out Israel’s Enemies

Exo 23:20 LSB - [20] "Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to keep you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

Exo 23:31 LSB - [31] "And I will set your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River; for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out from before you.

Some day life's journey will be over

Author: John W. Peterson (1954)

1 Some day life's journey will be o'er,
And I shall reach that distant shore;
I'll sing while ent'ring heaven's door,
"Jesus led me all the way."

Chorus:
Jesus led me all the way,
Led me step by step each day;
I will tell the saints and angels as I lay my burdens down,
"Jesus led me all the way."

2 If God should let me there review
The winding paths of earth I knew,
It would be proven clear and true--
Jesus led me all the way. (Chorus)

3 And hither my Lord hath led,
Today He guides each step I tread;
And soon in heav'n it will be said,
"Jesus led me all the way." (Chorus)

Yahweh Cuts His Covenant with Israel

Exo 24:3-4 LSB - 

[3] Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of Yahweh and all the judgments; and all the people answered with one voice and said, "All the words which Yahweh has spoken we will do!" [4] And Moses wrote down all the words of Yahweh. Then he arose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.

Exo 24:7-8 LSB - 

[7] Then he took the book of the covenant and read [it] in the hearing of the people; and they said, "All that Yahweh has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!" 

[8] So Moses took the blood and sprinkled [it] on the people and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant, which Yahweh has cut with you in accordance with all these words."

Heb 9:18-19 LSB -

[18] Therefore not even the first [covenant] was inaugurated without blood.

[19] For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,

Praise for the Fountain Opened

Author: William Cowper (1772)

1 There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel's veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains:
Lose all their guilty stains,
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.

2 The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away:
Wash all my sins away,
Wash all my sins away;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.

3 Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood
Shall never lose its pow'r,
Till all the ransomed Church of God
Be saved, to sin no more:
Be saved, to sin no more,
Be saved, to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed Church of God
Be saved to sin no more.

4 E'er since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die:
And shall be till I die,
And shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.

5 When this poor lisping, stamm'ring tongue
Lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song
I'll sing Thy pow'r to save:
I'll sing Thy pow'r to save,
I'll sing Thy pow'r to save;
Then in a nobler, sweeter song
I'll sing Thy pow'r to save.

Exo 24:9-11 LSB -
[9] Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,
[10] and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.
[11] Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they beheld God, and they ate and drank.

Exo 24:15-18 LSB -
[15] Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.
[16] And the glory of Yahweh dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.
[17] And the appearance of the glory of Yahweh was like a consuming fire on the mountain top, in the eyes of the sons of Israel.
[18] Then Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

 

Exodus 19-21 - The Commandments of Yahweh

Israel at Sinai

Exo 19:4-6 LSB - [4] 'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and [how] I lifted you up on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. [5] 'So now then, if you will indeed listen to My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; [6] and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel."

1Pe 2:9 LSB - [9] But you are A CHOSEN FAMILY, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR [God's] OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Rev 20:6 LSB - [6] Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

 

Yahweh Descends on Mount Sinai

Exo 19:18-19 LSB - [18] Now Mount Sinai [was] all in smoke because Yahweh descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. [19] And the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder; [then] Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder.

Lo! God is here: let us adore
Author: Gerhardt Tersteegen (1729)

1 Lo! God is here; let us adore,

and own how dreadful is this place;

let all within us feel His pow'r,

and humbly bow before His face.

Who knows His pow'r, His grace who proves,

serve Him with awe, with rev'rence love.

2 Lo! God is here, whom day and night

united choirs of angels praise;

to Him, enthroned above all height,

the host of heav'n their anthems raise.

Disdain not, Lord, our meaner song,

who praise Thee with a stamm'ring tongue.

3 Almighty Father, may our praise

Thy courts with grateful fragrance fill;

still may we stand before Thy face,

still hear and do Thy sov'reign will.

To God whom earth and heav'n adore,

be praise and glory evermore.

 

The Commandments of Yahweh

Exo 20:2-3 LSB - [2] "I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. [3] "You shall have no other gods before Me.

Exo 20:5-6 LSB - [5] "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, [6] but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Exo 20:10-11 LSB - [10] but the seventh day is a sabbath of Yahweh your God; [in it] you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female slave or your cattle or your sojourner who is within your gates. [11] "For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

Exo 20:18-19 LSB - [18] And all the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and the people perceived [it], and they shook and stood at a distance. [19] Then they said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself, and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, lest we die."

These Are the Holy Ten Commands

Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot

Martin Luther, 1524

1. These are the holy Ten Commands
   Which our Lord God placed in our hands
   Through Moses, His own servant true,
   When he to Mount Sinai drew.
   Kyrieleis!

2. I am alone thy God the Lord,
   Thou shalt false worship not afford;
   Put thy whole confidence in Me
   And love Me right faithfully.
   Kyrieleis!

3. Thou shalt not take My name in vain
   By idle word or speech profane,
   And praise but that as good and true
   Which I Myself say and do.
   Kyrieleis!

4. Thou shalt the day which God hath blest
   Keep holy, that thy house may rest;
   Keep hand and heart from labor free,
   That God may thus work in thee.
   Kyrieleis!

5. Thou shalt give love and honor due
   To father, and to mother too,
   And help them when their strength decays;
   So shalt thou have length of days.
   Kyrieleis!

6. Thou shalt in sinful wrath not kill,
   Nor hate, nor render ill for ill;
   Be patient and of gentle mood,
   And to thy foe do thou good.
   Kyrieleis!

7. Thou shalt respect thy marriage vows,
   Thy heart give only to thy spouse;
   Thy life keep pure, and lest thou sin,
   Use temp’rance and discipline.
   Kyrieleis!

8. Thou shalt not steal; thou shalt abhor
   To wring their life-blood from the poor;
   But open wide thy kindly hand
   To all the poor in the land.
   Kyrieleis!

9. Thou shalt no faithless witness be,
   Nor neighbor harm with calumny;
   Defend his innocence from blame;
   With charity hide his shame.
   Kyrieleis!

10. Thou shalt not seek thy neighbor’s house,
    Nor wife, nor servants, nor aught else,
    But wish that his such good may be
    As thy heart doth wish for thee.
    Kyrieleis!

11. God hath giv’n us all these commands
    That thou thy sin, O child of man,
    Might know, and also well perceive
    How unto God man should live.
    Kyrieleis!

12. Help us, Lord Jesus Christ, for we
    A Mediator have in Thee.
    With works we’d perish from the path;
    They merit but endless wrath.
    Kyrieleis!

Judgments About Slaves

Exo 21:2 LSB - [2] "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment.

Exo 21:5-6 LSB - [5] "But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out as a free man,' [6] then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. Then his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.

Take My Life, and Let It Be

Author: Frances Ridley Havergal (1874)

1 Take my life and let it be

consecrated, Lord, to thee.

Take my moments and my days;

let them flow in endless praise,

let them flow in endless praise.

2 Take my hands and let them move

at the impulse of thy love.

Take my feet and let them be

swift and beautiful for thee,

swift and beautiful for thee.

3 Take my voice and let me sing

always, only, for my King.

Take my lips and let them be

filled with messages from thee,

filled with messages from thee.

4 Take my silver and my gold;

not a mite would I withhold.

Take my intellect and use

every power as thou shalt choose,

every power as thou shalt choose.

5 Take my will and make it thine;

it shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart it is thine own;

it shall be thy royal throne,

it shall be thy royal throne.

6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour

at thy feet its treasure store.

Take myself, and I will be

ever, only, all for thee,

ever, only, all for thee.

 

Judgments About Personal Injuries

Exo 21:15, 17 LSB - [15] "And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. ... [17] "And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

Exo 21:23-25 LSB - [23] "But if there is [any further] injury, then you shall pay life for life, [24] eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, [25] burn for burn, bruise for bruise, wound for wound.

Exodus 16-18 Yahweh Rains Bread from Heaven

Yahweh Rains Bread from Heaven

Exo 16:4 LSB - [4] Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My law.

Yahweh Gives Meat and Bread

Exo 16:12-13 LSB - [12] "I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread, so that you shall know that I am Yahweh your God.'" [13] So it happened at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.

Yahweh Gives Bread for Two Days

Exo 16:22 LSB - [22] Now it happened that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. Then all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses.

Exo 16:35 LSB - [35] And the sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah

1 Guide me, O my great Redeemer,

pilgrim through this barren land;

I am weak, but you are mighty;

hold me with your powerful hand.

Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,

feed me now and evermore,

feed me now and evermore.

2 Open now the crystal fountain,

where the healing waters flow.

Let the fire and cloudy pillar

lead me all my journey through.

Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,

ever be my strength and shield,

ever be my strength and shield.

3 When I tread the verge of Jordan,

bid my anxious fears subside.

Death of death, and hell's Destruction,

land me safe on Canaan's side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises

I will ever sing to you,

I will ever sing to you.

Water from the Rock

Exo 17:6-7 LSB - [6] "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. [7] So he named the place Massah and Meribah because of the contending of the sons of Israel, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, "Is Yahweh among us or not?"

Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless

1 Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless

Your chosen pilgrim flock

With manna in the wilderness,

With water from the rock.

2 We would not live by bread alone,

But by your word of grace,

In strength of which we travel on

To our abiding place.

3 Be known to us in breaking bread,

But do not then depart;

Savior, abide with us, and spread

Your table in our heart.

4 Lord, sup with us in love divine;

Your body and your blood,

That living bread, that heav'nly wine,

Be our immortal food.

 

Israel Overwhelms Amalek

Exo 17:14-16 LSB - [14] Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it in Joshua's hearing, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." [15] And Moses built an altar and named it Yahweh is My Banner; [16] and he said, "Because He [has sworn] with a hand upon the throne of Yah, Yahweh will have war against Amalek from generation to generation."

Jethro’s Counsel

Exo 18:2-4 LSB - [2] And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Moses' wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away, [3] and her two sons, of whom one was named Gershom, for Moses said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land." [4] And the other was named Eliezer, for [he said], "The God of my father was my help and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh."

Exo 18:21-22 LSB - [21] "But you shall select excellent men out of all the people, those who fear God, men of truth, those who hate greedy gain; and you shall place [these men] over them [as] leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. [22] "And they will judge the people at all times. And it will be that every major matter they will bring to you, but every minor matter they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear [the burden] with you.