Today’s passage: Exodus 31
Helpful thoughts:
- God gave Israel the commands to build and make every aspect of the Tabernacle. Then, He gave them the ability to do it.
- God gives the Sabbath Day to Israel as a day of rest in order that Israel would know that God had set them apart. For Israel to keep the Sabbath was for them to acknowledge the Lord was their God (Verse 13).
- The Sabbath taught Israel other things as well, but this explanation from verse 13 is the most foundational, and quite possibly the reason for God’s requirement for capital punishment should someone refuse to obey.
- The Ten Commandments were written on the stones for Moses to take back to Israel.
Questions to consider:
- Have you ever felt that a command of God was unreasonable or unattainable? How might verses 1-11 help us to think rightly about the commands of God? Does God tells us to do anything He won’t provide what we need to be equipped to do?
- Have you ever thought the consequences of sin were too high? How might our evaluation of the severity of sin be tainted/skewed compared to God’s evaluation? If we disagree with God on what is right or wrong and what should be done about it, who is going to be right every time?
- What is the significance of God giving these tablets of stone with His written word on them to His people? What do we have in our Bibles? How valuable and precious are they?