Brian Somers Torah: Exodus 30:11 – 34:35
Haftarah: I Kings 18:1-39
Brit Chadassah/New Testament: II Corinthians 3:1-18
In this portion, we will learn about several mitzvot, mishpatim and chuqqim. Some of these apply only to the Aaronids, the sons directly descended from Aaron. The relevance of these is two-fold: the Aaronids must know about them to perform their duties, and the rest of the sons of Israel must know not to do them. We will also consider the Sin of the Golden Calf. Without further ado, let us begin.
The first thing we will consider is the requirements of the census.
11 The Lord also spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “When you take a census of the sons of Israel to count them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord, when you count them, so that there will be no plague among them when you count them. 13 This is what everyone who is counted shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a contribution to the Lord. 14 Everyone who is counted, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to the Lord. 15 The rich shall not pay more, and the poor shall not pay less, than the half shekel, when you give the contribution to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves. 16 And you shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and give it for the service of the tent of meeting, so that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.”
Exodus 30:11-16
The first thing to take note is that this is a count of the men aged 20 years and older. We know this in two ways: first “sons” is בֵּן, bên, which almost always mean son, and the second way we know is that in the phrase “each one of them”, the word one is the translation of אִישׁ, ish which is man. That implies this is a census for Israel’s military.
The second thing to take note is when the leader, in this instance, Moses, takes a count of the men able to serve in the army, each person must give half a shekel of silver. The shekel is a unit of measurement for weight. A shekel can measure either gold or silver as we see from Exodus 38:24-25
24 All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary, which was the gold of the wave offering, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 25 And the silver of those of the congregation who were counted was a hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary…
Exodus 38:24-25
In this instance we can see both gold and silver measured by shekels (and talents), but the silver came from the military census.
This has the implication that each man must maintain at least half a shekel of silver against a future census. The reason for giving the silver during the census is that the man won’t be punished by the plague. Therefore, having some gold and silver on hand at all times is recommended.
As we see from the tragic, ill-advised census ordered by King David (see II Samuel 24 and I Chronicles 21), the rank and file has to trust that the census is properly ordered and predicated in obedient faith.
The next three passages will all be examples of commandments, statutes and ordinances that only apply to a specific group, in this case for the Aaronids or for the Tabernacle. The first passage concerns the washing of hands and feet of the Aaronids from the bronze laver.
17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it; 20 when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they do not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the Lord. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they do not die; and it shall be a permanent statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.”
Exodus 30:17-21
The second passage concerns the sacred anointing oil used only for consecrating the Tabernacle and the Aaronids.
22 Moreover, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, 250, and of fragrant cane 250, 24 and of cassia 500, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. 25 You shall make from these a holy anointing oil, a fragrant mixture of ointments, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 And you shall anoint the tent of meeting with it, and the ark of the testimony, 27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin and its stand. 29 You shall also consecrate them, so that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. 30 And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, so that they may serve as priests to Me. 31 Furthermore, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in the same proportions; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 Whoever mixes any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people.’”
Exodus 30:22-33
The third passage concerns the sacred incense with a very specific formulation to be used only in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting.
34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take for yourself spices—stacte, onycha, and galbanum, spices and pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. 35 You shall make incense from it all, a skillful mixture, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36 And you shall crush some of it very fine, and put part of it in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. 37 And the incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the Lord. 38 Whoever makes any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people.”
Exodus 30:34-38
Again, much of the scriptures discussed in the rest of Exodus pertain to the Mishkan and not to the layman. However, every Hebrew Israelite man must know that these are not for common usage and avoid or decline them.
Turning now to the description of the skills of those called to craft and fashion the articles for the Mishkan, we observe that people who possess high levels of skill in various disciplines can be called into honorable service.
Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 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 understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4 to create artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, 5 and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, so that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. 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 skillful I have put skill, so that they may make everything that I have commanded you
Exodus 31:1-6
Therefore, becoming skillful in one or more areas is something we see blessed by YHVH. Being filled with the Spirit of God doesn’t always mean someone is called to be a prophet. In the case of Bezalel, he was particularly blessed in his skill set, as was Oholiab.
While Moses was on the mountain, YHVH once more emphasized the importance of the Sabbath.
12 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 13 “Now as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You must keep My Sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, so that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 14 Therefore you are to keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it must be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. 16 So the sons of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a permanent covenant.’ 17 It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.”
Exodus 31:12-17
Breaking the Sabbath results in the death penalty. Here, being killed is equivalent to being cut off. In the present diaspora that has been suspended, but it will go back into force once we’re in the wilderness prior to entering the Millennial Kingdom.
Before Moses was summoned back onto the mountain, he designated Aaron and Hur as his backups while he was gone.
14 But to the elders he said, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal matter, have him approach them.”
Exodus 24:14
That was the last time we see Hur mentioned as a living man. Moses was on the mountain a long time, and some of the people became impatient. Their impatience caused them to lose faith that Moses was returning and this led to the Tragedy of the Golden Calf.
Aaron appears to have become afraid of the mob and lost his ability to control them.
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.”
Exodus 32:1
When Moses confronted Aaron over the Golden Calf, Aaron offered an excuse.
21 Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” 22 And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil. 23 For they said to me, ‘Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ Then they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”
Exodus 32:21-24
Why did Moses only confront Aaron? Where was Hur? I postulate, realizing it is an argument from silence, that Hur refused to bow to the mob and he was murdered. That, in my view, was what frightened Aaron so much he was willing to profane himself and his office by making an idol. In any event, Moses charged his brother with cowardice for not restraining the mob and preventing the Sin of the Golden Calf.
Remember, idolatry is punished by death (Deut. 8:19, 11:16-17, 17:3-8), and the Levites were sent throughout the camp and killed 3,000 people. That implies not everyone participated, but neither did they stop it. Take the time to think about that implication that we are indeed responsible for our brothers and, inasmuch as it is possible, don’t stand aside and watch them destroy themselves because that could lead to everyone being destroyed. In the case of the Golden Calf that very nearly happened!
Furthermore, the Sin of the Golden Calf was both bald-faced idolatry and the mixture of Hebrew Yahwistic worship with that of Egypt. The mixture of good and evil only leads to death. The people had only to wait.
Still, Moses’ intercession prevented the destruction of the entire people. Moses and Aaron are not favorably contrasted with each other.
The last thing to be discussed in this parashah is the renewal of the Covenant. YHVH didn’t repeat everything, so it is notable what He did repeat in this passage. This is a passage looking ahead to the Conquest. It is a passage emphasizing the centrality of the Sinai Covenant. The covenant is at the very core of what it means to be a Hebrew Israelite.
10 Then God said, “Behold, I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you.
11 “Be sure to comply with what I am commanding you this day: behold, I am going to drive out the Amorite from you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 12 Be careful that you do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. 13 But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their memorial stones, and cut down their Asherim 14 —for you shall not worship any other god, because the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God— 15 otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they would prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, 16 and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might prostitute themselves with their gods and cause your sons also to prostitute themselves with their gods. 17 You shall not make for yourself any gods cast in metal.
Exodus 34:10-16
In verse 12, Joshua and the elders were deceived into breaking the command by making a covenant with the Gideonites.
Verses 13-17 are warnings about certain activities that can lead to idol worship. It is also possible that verse 16 was the source from which Ezra in chapters 9 and 10 of his book ordered the people to put away their foreign wives. Equally, Paul was emphatic about believers only marrying in the faith.
18 “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 of Abib; for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.
Exodus 34:18
YHVH here emphasizes the Feast of Unleavened Bread that follows the Passover dinner.
19 “The firstborn from every womb belongs to Me, and all your male livestock, the firstborn from cattle and sheep. 20 You shall redeem with a lamb the firstborn from a donkey; and if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem all the firstborn of your sons. None are to appear before Me empty-handed.
Exodus 34:19-20
This is the Redemption of the Firstborn of both human children and male livestock.
21 “You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.
Exodus 34:21
YHVH repeats the commandment of the Sabbath.
22 And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
Exodus 34:22
This is Shavuot and Sukkot.
23 Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. 24 For I will drive out nations from you and enlarge your borders, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the Lord your God.
Exodus 34:23-24
The feast of Unleavened Bread, Shavuot and Sukkot are the three great pilgrimage feasts. YHVH wants to ensure that His people can celebrate them safely.
25 “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, nor is the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover to be left over until morning.
Exodus 34:25
Blood atones for sin (Leviticus 17:11) and leaven is a symbol for sin, and the two do not go together at all.
26 “You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God.
Exodus 34:26
This is the Feast of First Fruits.
“You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
Exodus 34:26b
Thus far, these instructions concern avoiding idolatry and performing the Seven Feasts of the Lord. So now, why this last instruction about not boiling a baby goat in its mother’s milk? The first reason that I see is that we should not be twisting that which is given to nourish into a means of execution. Life has no part in death.
This instruction is found in only two places, here in Exodus 34:26 and in Deuteronomy 14:21. Here in Exodus 34, the context is avoiding idolatry and observing the Feasts, especially right after the Sin of the Golden Calf, while in Deuteronomy 21, the context is the food laws restated from Leviticus 11. Through the food laws, we learn that the food we eat and how we prepare that food help define us as a holy people. In addition, Leviticus chapter 11 and Deuteronomy 14 will give us the food laws. We can therefore postulate that the connection with forbidding idolatry and observing the feasts lies in the heart attitude of the worshipper. If the worshipper is so insensitive as to boil the kid goat in its mother’s milk, he’s likely not going to be sensitive about avoiding mixing holy and profane and avoiding mixing YHVH’s pure religion with heathen practices.
27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
Exodus 34:27
The last instruction in this passage was to “write down these words”. There was no instruction to pass this along orally. Everything was to be written down as an aid to memory.
To conclude this week’s parashah, we learned that not everything falls to the layman to perform, but the layman also needs to know what he is not to do, such as commit idolatry. The restatement of the covenant in Exodus 34 emphasizes the centrality of the Sinai Covenant to the new nation of Israel. As such, the religious observances must be at the core of each believer’s walk year in and year out.