Exodus
Notes on the Book of Exodus

Resources
Fr Daoud Lamei 

 Playlist (33 Parts): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvMAQ886ucevBfV1HR8AFpQHykLzJPlmB  

Exodus 1
Israel's Suffering in Egypt 

 

 Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:

 

 Exodus is continuing the story that we finished at the end of Genesis 

 

 

 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already).

 

 Look at the orders of the children here. First, the children of Leah. Then Benjamin, son of Rachel, then the sons of the maidservants (Bilhah and Zilpah). Joseph is not included because he didn’t come with them he was already in Egypt 

 They are seventy descendants. If we read in the Septuagint, we see that it says seventy-five and some people get confused. It’s 70 descendants. But if you include Joseph and his wife and two kids, and Jacob himself, you get 75 total in the family. 

 

 

 And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty;

 

 Fruitful and multiply – this commandment was repeated many times. With Adam, with Noah when he came out of the ark. With Abraham. And now with the nation of Israel. 

 Look at the wording here “increased ABUNDANTLY” and “grew EXCEEDINGLY” – imagine that they came in as 70 people. And within 400 years, they are over 600,000 families. 

 So the people of Egypt realized this, and it scared them.   When they came in the time of Joseph… Egyptians wouldn’t be scared. It’s just 70 people. Even if it’s a thousand… that’s not a lot. But 600,000 families? Over a million people? That’s a whole other nation! 

 

 

 and the land was filled with them.

 

 We are starting to see here the promise that God had given to Abraham. That his descendants will be as the stars of the sky and the sand of the sea 

 

 

 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.”

 

 More AND mightier 

 Genesis ended with a happy ending. They got to Egypt, Joseph is risen, everyone is safe, etc. It ends with comfort… but when they settled in Goshem, they thought that’s it, we’ll live in peace and calmness with our families until the end. But this is not what God intended – because we have to need God. The Old Testament makes it very clear – the moment God’s people start getting comfortable, they forget God. Every time. And this is people in general – when we have problems or tribulations, we remember God. But when there is money and comfort and no problems, it’s as if God doesn’t exist to us. 

 They are called the children of Israel or the nation of Israel. Not the kingdom of Israel (not until Saul) 

 Someone might ask “why not just cast them out??” Because they can benefit from their presence as slaves. They can do the dirty work that no one wants to do. 

 

 

 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.

 

 The natural way is the more they are afflicted, the less they become… some might flee and run away, some might not be able to survive the affliction, but in God’s wisdom and power, they multiplied 

 We find the same thing in Christianity – in the book of Acts, everywhere St Paul visited, when they would be persecuted, the numbers would increase. Same in more modern times – in Egypt, there have been many times of persecution sometimes lasting hundreds of years, but the number of Christians has only increased. 

 When a time of persecution comes, we never fear for the Church or the future of the Church because even as Christians are persecuted and even killed, more Christians are being baptized. In the story of St George, he was tortured for seven years and in those seven years, thousands who saw him became Christians. Same for St Demiana in the short time she was tortured, thousands became Christians because of her. 

 

 

 And they were in dread of the children of Israel.

 

 They started to fear the children of Israel, knowing that there was something supernatural about the situation 

 

 

 So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.

 

 The language here “bitter” and “rigor” – we will see that it’s not out of faith that they follow Moses, but because they were at their end with work and bitterness and rigor. And this is why the minute they encounter problems in the wilderness, they say “let’s go back” 

 God allows for his people to have bitter and rigor tribulation, so that they do not sin. We’ll see that when they are in the wilderness and Moses steps away, they fall into sin… but because of the tribulation and rigor in Egypt, they did not sin. It’s the same for us… sometimes when I’m going through something hard, it stops me from sinning. 

 

 

 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

 

 Slavery didn’t work. They kept having children and multiplying. So Pharaoh now moved to something more extreme. 

 

 

 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.

 

 Their conscience did not leave them alone to do this. It was not something easy. There is no law yet that says “you shall not kill” but the fear of God moves through the conscience. 

 

 

 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?” And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.” Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty.

 

 God is not dealing with them well because they lied, but because they feared God and because they kept the babies alive 

 Again, the plan doesn’t work and people continue to multiply and grow mighty 

 

 

 And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.

 

 It would be rare in those days for a woman to have her own house 

 

 

 So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

 

 Pharaoh goes to an even more extreme solution 

 If a family kept their son, an Egyptian would come and kill him and kill the parents too because they disobeyed the law. 

 This is, of course, a type of the birth of Christ.

Exodus 2
Moses is Born 

 

 And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi.

 

 It was in the law of the Israelites to marry within their tribe so that the inheritance is kept within the tribe 

 We might ask – at a time like this, would someone really want to get married and have kids? Even in tough times, life goes on 

 

 

 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months.

 

 Does it mean if he wasn’t beautiful, she’d kill him? Of course not. All kids are beautiful in their parents’ eyes and she could not do it. Imagine how she lived for those 3 months – if he cried she would have to stuff out his voice. So she tried her best to take care of him. Probably she prayed so much in those 3 months. But after three months, she could no longer hide him. 

 

 

 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.

 

 She did everything she could to make sure he lives – an ark of bulrushes – a very thin plant, to make sure it floats safely. Asphalt and pitch to make sure that it’s waterproof and no water could get in. Put him by the reeds where it’s not waves and rocks so he doesn’t move too much. In having faith that an Egyptian would find him and take him in. 

 Hebrews 11:23 – “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.” 

 She prayed, but she also worked 

 

 

 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.

 

 Imagine his sister, who is so young, and she watches her brother to see what will happen to him. Imagine that her mom told her “God will take care of him” and the girl wants to see “how will God take care of him” – she learned faith from her mother. 

 

 

 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river.

 

 Is this luck? There’s no such thing. There is the will of God.

 

 Is it luck that at the right time, Pharaoh’s daughter came out to bathe? 

 Is it luck that out of anyone that could find him, it was Pharaoh’s daughter? A regular Egyptian would not have been able to do anything! 

 Is it luck that when she opened the ark, Moses wept? 

 Is it luck that she loved him? Had compassion on him? 

 Is it luck that she would even go so far as to ask her father for permission to keep him? 

 Of course not! This is the will of God 

 

 

 

 

 And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

 

 Compassion comes from God 

 How did she know he’s Hebrew? She’s smart… who else would throw their child in the river 

 

 

 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother. Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.

 

 Look at how God works. Imagine this mother is at home crying, in her head her son has died. She put him in the river. She tried her hardest but in the end he died. And her daughter comes in and says “come mom and nurse your son. Your son is alive.” 

 And Pharaoh says “this child will live” 

 Yesterday she was nursing her dead son and now she’s nursing her living son and she’s getting paid for it! And if she wants to nurse him well, as Pharaoh’s daughter’s son, then she also must eat well! So she came out of this situation on top. 

 

 

 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son.

 

 We don’t know if Pharaoh’s daughter saw him often, or got to know him, or what. But definitely she lived a life of prayer and a spiritual life. Because after he grew and went to be Pharaoh’s daughter’s son, he loses his relationship with the Hebrews – and yet, he will know who God is. And who Abraham and Isaac and Jacob are. 

 

 

 So she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

 

 He didn’t have a name before this. He was never named because he was supposed to be killed – why name your son if he will be dead? 

 Moses means “son of water” and this is a spiritual meaning for us because this water has a secret meaning. Death to life – and for us, we see Baptism. 

 Moses’ mom spent at the most 2-3 years with him, Pharaoh’s daughter the rest of the 40 years. And yet, whose teaching stuck? The spiritual teaching of his mother, or the worldly teaching of Pharaoh’s daughter?

 

 Mom represents the teaching of the Church, and her milk represents the word of God as St Paul says: “I gave you milk” (1 Cor 3:2) Pharaoh’s daughter represents the teachings of the world 

 Many Protestants today say “let’s not baptize him until he’s 12 and see what he thinks” – but we don’t think like that. For us, he takes the Blood of Christ from 40 days old and the Body as soon as he has his first teeth. He is taught to see the icons and smell the incense in the liturgy. This is the importance of a spiritual upbringing. 

 We have the hymns and liturgies and Agpeya playing on TV when he is a kid 

 We have a hymns class even from Preschool – even before they can talk, we are teaching them hymns! At home they should be hearing spiritual songs and hymns. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Moses Flees to Midian 

 

 Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens.

 

 He did not forget after all these 40 years that the Hebrews are his brothers. Even though he is born Egyptian and grew up in Pharaoh’s house. 

 

 

 And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

 

 Moses’ story starts here with a rocky start – he has no faith here. He looked left and right and saw no one, so he killed the Egyptian. Didn’t he think that God was watching him? 

 He is also depending on his own strength and his own knowledge. He sees himself as the savior of the Hebrews and he’s gonna save them from the Egyptians. He has pride 

 Spiritual person never goes to violence 

 We never saw him praying 

 Needless to say, he failed hard in the beginning 

 

 

 And when he went out the second day

 

 As if to be proud of what he did, going out to see if there are any other problems to solve 

 

 

 behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”

 

 Seems like the Hebrews’ problem was not just the Egyptians, but even within themselves they had problems! 

 When the Church is persecuted, God takes care of it. But when the children of the Church are in conflict, what can be done? It’s much worse. 

 

 

 Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”

 

 Imagine how Moses felt – people knew! When he looked left and right and saw no one… someone was there and someone saw. 

 And he realizes that he has lost everything. He lost the Pharaonic family by killing an Egyptian and lost the Hebrews who now see him as a murderer. 

 

 

 So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.

 

 God will change a lot in Moses, piece by piece. By the end of the story, Moses’ pride will be gone, his fears will be gone, his resorting to violence will be gone, he will go to prayer for everything. 

 This gives us hope that God can change us and transform us and perfect us 

 If you have something in your life you are struggling to change or fix or transform, first know that you CAN change, and know that God is the One that can change you.

 

 Failure is the beginning of success 

 

 

 

 

 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

 

 Moses doesn’t like to see people be wronged 

 He has some virtues, but he doesn’t really know God yet. 

 

 

 When they came to Reuel their father, he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”

 

 Seems like this was happening every day 

 

 

 And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.” So he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.” Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.”

 

 We can consider this to be Moses’ second death 

 Moses is going into a 40 year lesson here. And the most important lesson for him to learn in the next 40 years is humility – because all of Moses’ problems stem from his pride and from his Pharaonic way of thinking. But God will not let someone prideful do His work. 

 When we have problems in our life or in service, when a service is not found to be successful, it always comes back to pride. But the Moses we know from later in Exodus, who is humble, is easy to work with. 

 

 

 Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.

 

 Before, they were in bondage and in bitterness – but they didn’t cry out to God. Someone might be annoyed or upset. And one day, he prays and he finds that his problem is solved. And he might ask “God did you leave me for all these years” – well… did you cry out to God? Did you ask God? “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7) 

 

 

 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

 

 Did God forget? Of course not, but in order for Moses to simplify in writing this book for the people to understand, he personifies God. “remembered” here means that God brought this issue in its time 

 What covenant?

 

 Genesis 15:13-16: “Then He said to Abram: ‘Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.’” 

 

 

 

 

 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

 

 Again, this is personified language in order for us to understand.

Exodus 23
Justice for All 

 

 “You shall not circulate a false report. 

 

 Don’t spread rumors. Don’t spread fake news. Don’t tell a half story. If you don’t know the whole story, don’t try to tell it. We need this commandment and this Law more than the people of old 

 

 

 Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. 

 

 If someone asks you to “back me up” by saying something that’s false, this is sin. 

 

 

 You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; 

 

 Sometimes even though I am a good person, I am sitting with evil people. I am participating them – maybe they are talking about things that are evil, and I am just listening. I am still participating! Remember that “evil company corrupts good habits” (1 Cor 15:33) 

 Even if the whole world is saying something or doing something, and you know that it is evil, go against the world. Like Daniel the Prophet, who stood up for Susanna after everyone believed the two elders. 

 

 

 nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. 

 

 Don’t testify to something or agree to something, just because of peer-pressure and because many are doing or saying it 

 This reminds me of Evolution – completely rejected by all scholarly material. And yet, because of the claim that it eliminates God, millions and maybe billions subscribe to it and follow it and believe in it. And after many years, now it’s taught in schools and now it’s accepted everywhere – even though there’s no proof for it. 

 

 

 You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute. 

 

 Someone might say “should I tell a lie to help someone in need?” Absolutely not… always tell the truth. 

 

 

 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it. 

 

 God hasn’t said to love your enemy yet… that is hard for them. But God starts with them here and takes the first step – if you find the donkey of someone that hates you, help him. 

 “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) 

 

 

 “You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. 

 

 This is taking advantage of someone because you have more than them. It is sin. 

 

 

 Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked. 

 

 You can kill an innocent or righteous just by telling a lie about them 

 Not just “don’t lie” but “Keep yourself FAR from a false matter” – keep yourself close to the Truth which is Christ. Don’t hang out with people who are liars. 

 

 

 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous. 

 

 If you feel that someone is giving you something, in order to get something in return – don’t take it. Bribes blind discernment.

 

 If someone gives you some new shoes at school, and then comes to you next week and say “hey how are those shoes? You like them? Awesome. Hey do you have that assignment that’s due today? Mind if I copy some answers?” 

 If someone comes and says “If I give you the answer to #4 on the homework, will you give me the #2?” 

 

 

 

 

 “Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 

 

 The Law of Sabbaths 

 

 “Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove. Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed. 

 

 The Sabbath was the seventh day of every week – a day of rest for man and animal. 

 But there’s another Sabbath which was the seventh year – a day of rest for the land. Farms, vineyards, olive groves, etc. 

 We spoke about the Sabbath before 

 

 

 “And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth. 

 

 Be circumspect is the highest level of hearing. Someone can hear the Word of God and it goes in one ear and out the other. Someone else can hear the Word of God and consider it. Someone else after he considers it, will do it. 

 And He concludes these Laws with one more mention of having no other gods. But this time at a different level – don’t let it be heard from your mouth. Someone might talk all day about money. Or he might talk all day about himself. Or he might talk all day about a celebrity. Even with his words, he is glorifying another god. 

 And also, to remind them that this law is given them by God, and no other gods can give them any other laws. 

 

 

 

 Three Annual Feasts 

 

 “Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. “Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God. “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until morning. The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk. 

 

 Feast of Unleavened Bread

 

 This is the same as the Passover 

 Feast of the Exodus – Exodus from death to life, from slavery to freedom 

 None shall appear before Me empty

 

 St John Chrysostom says that the most valuable gift you can bring to God is one of His children: a lost sheep, someone who doesn’t know God 

 

 

 

 

 Feast of Harvest

 

 Feast of Firstfruits 

 At the beginning of the harvest 

 

 

 Feast of Ingathering

 

 At the end of the year, bring from what you have gathered 

 

 

 Three Feasts

 

 Christians have seven Major Feasts of the Lord (Annunciation, Nativity, Theophany, Palm Sunday, Resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost). These are feasts pertaining to our salvation 

 The Jews would celebrate three feasts, and we’ll see that in the time of Christ, these feasts were so important that all the Jews would come to Jerusalem to celebrate them in the Temple 

 This means that the idea of feasts or celebrating certain days is an idea from God. Some people reject giving value to certain days (like Jehovah’s Witnesses) 

 The feasts we celebrate are of a spiritual nature not like these which were focused on what the ground produced 

 

 

 Offer the blood of sacrifice with leavened bread

 

 Leaven represents sin 

 Don’t you dare receive the Eucharist if you are living in sin – in conflict with people, angry, etc. 

 

 

 The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring

 

 The first of your energy 

 The first of your time 

 The first of your day 

 The first of your talents 

 The first of your earnings 

 

 

 You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

 

 God is giving them here an appreciation for all – even the animals. Don’t take a small goat as a sacrifice, that is still drinking its mother’s milk 

 Nowadays, we know that if a mother goat’s udders are full of milk, then the goat will feel pain if there is no baby goat to take the milk 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Angel and the Promises 

 

 “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 

 

 Their journey is Egypt to Canaan 

 Our journey is from earth to heaven. And the Lord Jesus Christ did it first! He said ok come follow Me – you’ll go to the tomb like I did, and you’ll raise like I did 

 God is doing His part for us – but we have to focus. We have to see the Lord Jesus Christ that is in front of us and keeping us in the way 

 The place which He has prepared: Christ said the same thing “I go to prepare a place for you and I will come again and receive you to Myself” (John 14) 

 

 

 Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. 

 

 All of the words that are coming now are about the Lord Jesus Christ 

 If God was talking about a regular angel, He would not say “He will not pardon your transgressions” and He wouldn’t say “My name is in Him” 

 

 

 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 

 

 Who is our enemy?

 

 Christ said to “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44) 

 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) 

 

 

 If I obey His voice, He will protect me against my adversary

 

 Continuing from Ephesians 6:13-20 

 

 

 

 

 For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off. 

 

 Many people get upset when they see wars in the Old Testament and they ask why would God do this. But I remind you with Genesis 15 what God said to Abraham 

 “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” (Genesis 15:13-16) 

 The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete 

 

 

 You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars. 

 

 It’s clear these nations were worshipping idols and doing evil works 

 

 

 “So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 

 

 We take these things for granted – that we have food and water, that we aren’t sick, that we were born in the first place, that we woke up today to live another day 

 These are the things that mattered to them in those days – worldly blessings

 

 To live a long life 

 To have many kids 

 To not be sick 

 To have many possessions 

 

 

 In the New Testament, we are not focused on the worldly things, but on the heavenly. It doesn’t matter to me if I have bread, water, sickness, kids, long life – as long as I go to heaven. 

 

 

 “I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 

 

 When Joshua sends two spies to Jericho, what does Rahab tell them? She says “by the way, everyone is TERRIFIED of you” – why? Because they heard of their God. If I put God before me in everything, I do not have to worry about my enemies (earthly or demonic) 

 

 

 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 

 

 The spiritual meaning is that if God removes from us any sin that we do, then the beasts of the field will become too numerous for us. What are those? The demons and the sins that we can’t handle… the biggest one is the sin of pride. If God took away any temptation of the devil from us and made us saints overnight, we would fall into pride that same morning. 

 The Fathers say that Purity is a lifelong struggle – it’s not something that can be obtained quickly 

 

 

 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. 

 

 Spiritual struggle is little by little, until you inherit the Eternal Life 

 Usually someone who tries to change his whole life in one day, he won’t endure and will change back.

 

 Like if someone doesn’t read the Bible and all of a sudden decides he’s going to read 30 chapters every day… within two days, he will be back to 0 chapters. 

 Someone who doesn’t pray and all of a sudden decides to pray the 10 hours of the Agpeya every day… within a week, he will be back to not praying. 

 

 

 

 

 And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the River. For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.” 

 

 If Israel interacts with these nations, it will be a snare for them. It will make them sin against God. God is worried about their salvation. 

 I have to be careful of who my friends are… I should love all people, and serve all people – but it doesn’t mean that I get close to all people. I have to be careful who I get close to. I don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. Because if I do that, it will be a snare for me and it will make me sin against God.

Exodus 24
Israel Affirms the Covenant 

 

 Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. And Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.” 

 

 Nadab and Abihu are Aaron’s sons and unfortunately they will perish in the Book of Leviticus because even though they are priests, when they go to offer incense, they will do it while they’re drunk. 

 God wants more people to see Him and hear His voice besides Moses, so that they know Moses is not just making things up, and so that there are other people besides Moses that the people can go to and know God’s will 

 This is how God works with us too – He gives us HH the Pope and the bishops, He gives us the priests, and He gives us the servants. So if we have a question, we don’t need to call the Pope or call the Bishop – first I ask my servants, then if he doesn’t know, I can ask Abouna, and if he doesn’t know, then we can go to the Bishop 

 

 

 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” 

 

 So Moses told them all of the things God said – they heard the commandments by their own ears, but Moses told them the judgments and told them the feasts and told the conclusion in the end. And they said “All the words which the Lord has said we will do” – but it will take less than 40 days for them to forget. They were a forgetful people… and so are we. 

 Sometimes I will hear a sermon and I will really take it to myself and see my sin and my shortcoming and I will say “I must go and confess” or “I must start to pray” or “I must do xyz” – but by the end of the liturgy, or by the time I get home, I have already forgotten about it completely. 

 

 

 And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. 

 

 This is one indication for us that Moses wrote the Torah 

 

 

 And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 

 

 Rising early in the morning to follow God’s commandment is a indication of your love for God. When God told Abraham to slaughter Isaac, Abraham “rose up early in the morning”. How much do we love God? Do we love sleep more than God? 

 Maybe God didn’t tell him to build an altar – but building an altar is another indication of love for God 

 

 

 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.” 

 

 So this day is considered the day that God made the covenant with Israel. This is the day the covenant was consecrated. 

 The blood is sprinkled on the altar and then on the people

 

 Hebrews 9:13-14, 19-22: “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

 

 St Paul is explaining that the blood of animals that was used in the Old Testament gave a ritual cleansing for the people, and if that was the case, how much more will the blood of Christ, which is without blemish, cleanse our conscience and our spirits? 

 

 

 Hebrews 9:19-22: “For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.’ Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”

 

 Then St Paul brings up this actual event but he gives us more details that aren’t in the Old Testament. Like the water and the scarlet wool and hyssop, and how Moses sprinkled the book itself. 

 How did he know these things? From the Jewish Tradition that was passed down from generation to generation. This shows that the apostles and St Paul valued Tradition equally to Scripture, as we Orthodox Christians do today. 

 “Without shedding of blood there is no remission” Period. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 On the Mountain with God 

 

 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank. 

 

 It is clear here that they saw the Lord Jesus Christ since we see “His feet” 

 This is as if they witnessed the Transfiguration 

 Sometimes we might say “I wish I could see a sign” or “I wish I could see an apparition” or “I wish Christ would appear to me” – let me tell you that two of these people, Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron – will perish in the Book of Leviticus. Instead of wishing for signs, pray for your salvation. Because seeing a sign will not guarantee your salvation. 

 If we open Revelation 4:2-3, we will see a similar appearance but in more detail

 

 This is what Coptic Iconography will usually put in the Bosom of the Father. Because this is what Moses saw, and Ezekiel and Daniel and all of them. 

 

 

 God allowed them to see Him – they did not die. 

 The Fathers also see this last verse “They saw God and they ate and drank” as a symbol of our Liturgy. We see God and we eat His flesh and drink His Blood. 

 

 

 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.” 

 

 So there are things that God wrote with His hand, and there are things that Moses wrote with his hand 

 

 

 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.” 

 

 Moses leaves Aaron, Hur and the seventy elders in charge while he goes up the mountain 

 

 

 Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain. Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. 

 

 Moses disappears into a cloud and after six days of prayer and solitude, God calls out to Him from the midst of the cloud. 

 God appears like a fire 

 Moses was on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights without eating or drinking (we’ll read this later). 

 In these 40 days, God will give him the instructions of the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the Vessels, the Vestments, Consecrating the priests, the incense, the oil, and even the names of those who will build it.

Exodus 25
Offerings for the Sanctuary 

 

 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.

 

 Genesis is the book of beginnings – Creation, Fall of Man, first sins, etc. But Exodus gives us the first explanations of salvation by sacrifice, written law, dwelling place of the Lord, place of worship, etc. 

 The word offering is different from the word sacrifice – an offering is the more general term. An offering can be gold, silver, bread, etc. 

 The first time we heard “offering” was in the offering of Cain and Abel and we discussed how Cain did not offer from his heart and it was rejected. So here we see God says “From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.” 

 When someone brings an offering, it should be from their heart which means they are bringing it with joy and gladness. The widow with the two mites

 

 When you give your time to service – are you happy? Or do you think it is a waste of time? 

 When you give from your belongings to someone who needs it – are you grudging? 

 When you donate from your money to the Church – are you thinking of what else that money could have bought? 

 

 

 All of the materials will be collected before they start building.

 

 Anything that someone has is acceptable – someone who doesn’t have gold, maybe he has silver, or maybe he deals with livestock and has ramskins, or maybe he has an olive tree and can give oil.

 

 When Christ was born, the Shepherds who rushed to be at his side, they pleased the Lord – even though they were simple and poor shepherds. The Magi who followed the start to worship Christ after His birth, they pleased the Lord – they were rich and gave nice gifts. They had different statuses, different kinds of gifts, came at different times, and yet they both pleased the Lord. Both came with their hearts and according to their means 

 We shouldn’t compare ourselves to others 

 

 

 It would be easier for God to send a tabernacle from heaven, ready to go like He did with the Manna… but it’s important for God that the people are the ones who bring offerings for it and build it 

 

 

 Materials

 

 Gold – Prayer or Priesthood 

 Silver – Word of God: “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” (Psalms 12:6) 

 Bronze – Patience or 

 Blue is Heaven 

 Purple is Royalty (as they clothed Christ before the Cross) 

 Scarlet is the Blood of Christ 

 Goat Hair, Ram skins, badger skins – Sacrifices since this will be a place of sacrifice 

 Acacia Wood – wood that does not decay. Symbol of the Cross since the work of the Cross will never decay 

 Oil – Virtues 

 Spices – 

 Incense – 

 Onyx Stones and other stones – precious stones 

 

 

 Should the Church collect money?

 

 Some people say “the Church should not use donations for buildings, beautifying, repairs, new buildings, etc. We should give the money to the poor only” 

 This is not a correct thinking. Yes, we should give to the poor, but also give to the Church. 

 The House of God, if God Himself made all of these instructions so that His Dwelling Place is so beautiful and adorned, then we must take it seriously and make a good house for God 

 

 

 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them

 

 The Tabernacle is where God will dwell and we will see in the Book of Numbers that the motion of the tribes will be very specific. The Tabernacle will be in the middle surrounded by the tribes in four directions. And it will look like a Cross and they will move in this shape, and God will be in the middle 

 

 

 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.

 

 God is going to show Moses piece by piece – even the vessels and the furnishings and everything 

 

 

 What about the Church?

 

 This is the Tabernacle – it is temporary, it is a tent. And this will persist until the time of Solomon and Solomon will build a Temple – a permanent place. And it will get destroyed and then rebuilt. But then we get to the New Testament 

 In the New Testament, the same ideas of the tabernacle and the Temple that were given by God, are taken for our churches but with changes that are suitable for our faith and the fulfillment of Sacrifice by the Cross, for example. 

 But from the beginning, we call the church the House of God

 

 “I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Tim 3:15) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Ark of the Testimony 

 

 “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around. You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you. “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

 

 Structure of the Tabernacle

 

 Consists of an outer court, and then the holies which just has the showbread table, the lampstand and the altar of incense… then the holy of holies which has the ark of covenant. So He leaves all that and starts with the ark 

 God starts with the holiest part because the Ark is the Presence of the Lord 

 And we’ll see that the Lord will speak from the Ark as a light coming between the Cherubim 

 

 

 The Ark can represent many things

 

 Can represent Christ 

 Can represent the Church 

 Can represent St Mary 

 Can represent each one of us 

 

 

 Acacia wood does not decay

 

 We see that the Ark is like St Mary made of wood that would not decay as St Mary’s virginity 

 Inside the Ark will be the two tablets that were written with the finger of God. So the Ark contains the word of God just as the Church contains and expounds for us the Scripture 

 

 

 Overlaid with gold inside and out

 

 The gold is His Divinity, the wood is His Humanity… without mingling, without separation, without alteration. The gold is still gold and the wood is still wood and neither will decay. But they will not mix. 

 St Mary is overlaid with gold inside and out… inside is her virtue, her humility, her love. Outside is her simplicity, her virginity, etc. “All the glory of the daughter of the king is within, clothed in gold fringed garments” (Psalm 45:13) 

 Even though we are wood – weak in our humanity, the Holy Spirit can fill us with His fruits on the inside and His gifts on the outside 

 

 

 Molding of gold

 

 Represents royalty (molding is translated in other languages as “crowning” and even in English we have what’s called “Crown Molding”) 

 A Royal Priesthood for the Kingdom of Heaven 

 

 

 Four rings of gold, two poles of acacia wood overlaid with gold

 

 After the Tablets are placed in the Ark, it cannot be touched by anyone. 

 So how do they move it?

 

 The high priest goes in by himself and places the poles into the rings 

 Then four priests can carry the ark using the poles 

 In the story of Joshua we will see that they carry the ark like that to cross the Jordan River 

 

 

 In the book of 1 Samuel, the sons of Eli the priest were corrupt priests. And one day, Israel was losing a battle against the Philistines. So they took the Ark and carried it into battle – God never commanded this! And when they took it into battle, the Philistines saw it and they thought it was an idol like one of theirs and they got scared and they said “now the gods are getting involved…” and they pushed themselves to defeat Israel. They killed 30,000 Israelites and they stole the ark.

 

 But they didn’t know how to deal with the ark… first they put it into the house of the idols and the house of their gods… and when they woke up in the morning all their idols had tottered and fell. They took it to another city, everyone got tumors and boils. They took it somewhere else, everyone got tumors and boils. So they returned the ark – as if the ark was defending itself. So God was taking care of it. 

 

 

 

 

 And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.

 

 The Two Tablets are going in the ark 

 Later on, they will add the Pot of Manna and the Rod of Aaron 

 

 

 Mercy Seat

 

 Made of gold with two golden cherubim on top – hammered gold. 

 How did they know what cherubim looked like? Have any of them seen one?

 

 Moses! On the mountain – you can imagine God telling him “look here’s a cherubim I need you to make one like this out of gold” 

 

 

 So if we see an icon with the Cherubim, and we ask “how do we know what it looks like” – well from Moses! 

 God will speak from the Mercy Seat from between the Cherubim

 

 This is why the Tabernacle is called the Tabernacle of Meeting – because it is where Moses met with God 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Table for the Showbread 

 

 “You shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around. You shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a gold molding for the frame all around. And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs. The rings shall be close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table. And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them. You shall make its dishes, its pans, its pitchers, and its bowls for pouring. You shall make them of pure gold. And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.

 

 So the very inside of the tabernacle is the Holy of Holies and that contains just one thing – the Ark of Covenant. Taking a step out, there is a veil that separates the Holy of Holies from the Holies 

 The Holies has three things: the Table for the Showbread, the Golden Lampstand, the Altar of Incense. Taking a step out, there is another veil that separates the Holies from the Court where the people would stand

 

 Remember when Zechariah was a priest and the lot fell on him to raise incense… so he entered the Holies. And while he was in there raising incense at the altar of incense, no one can see him. He is in a closed space. And the Angel Gabriel appears to him and tells him “your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, you will have joy and gladness, many will rejoice at his birth, he will be great in the sight of the Lord, etc.” The people are outside waiting for him to come out… but they can’t see him! 

 When he finally came out, he was not speaking. So they said “he has seen a vision in the temple.” 

 

 

 The table is a little bit smaller than the Ark… but it is still made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold.

 

 This represents that everything is the work of God and man together 

 

 

 It has a molding of gold, rings of gold, poles of wood overlaid with gold, just like the Ark.

 

 Even carrying it is with honor and reverence so as to make sure it’s not haphazardly moved 

 

 

 Dishes, pans, pitchers and bowls made of gold 

 You shall set the showbread on the table before Me always

 

 On the Sabbath they would bake 12 breads in a certain way, and they would place them on the table of the showbread. And they stay on the table all week. At the end of the week, the bread can be eaten by the priests only and only in a holy place because it is holy bread. 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Gold Lampstand 

 

 “You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it. And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.

 

 Gives light

 

 The Tabernacle of meeting is completely closed and completely dark… no windows, several layers of linens and animal skins and goat hair 

 The work of the priest is to make sure the light does not go out

Exodus 26-31
The Tabernacle 

 

 Thread:

 

 Blue – Heaven, Purple – Royalty, Scarlet – Blood, White – Purity 

 “Washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev 7:14) – White and Red 

 “Kingdom of Heaven” – Blue and Purple 

 The Blood of Christ gives us the purity to reach the Kingdom of Heaven. The red the white the purple and the blue 

 We will see these colors in everything – the curtains, the vestments of the priests, etc. 

 

 

 Tabernacle of Meeting

 

 The screen between the holy and holy of holies is the separation of earth and heaven 

 The veil was torn in half at the Cross 

 

 

 Altar of Burnt Offering

 

 Notice that everything outside the Holies is Bronze and everything inside the Holies is overlaid with gold 

 Bronze is a symbol of pain, Wood of the Cross – this is the altar that people would see and interact with to offer their sacrifices 

 

 

 Outer Court 

 Oil for the Lampstand

 

 Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit 

 

 

 Priestly Vestments 

 Consecration of Priests 

 Altar of Incense

 

 This is weird because altar implies sacrifice (Mazba7 – zabee7a) 

 From the Old Testament, incense is considered a sacrifice. 

 Vespers and Matins are considered sacrifices because they are Raising of Incense prayers 

 “He who offered Himself as an acceptable sacrifice upon the Cross for the salvation of our race. His good Father smelled Him in the evening on Golgotha” – as if we are saying the incense is the scent and aroma of Christ on the Cross 

 Where is incense

 

 Incense is in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, and in the Book of Revelation 

 There’s priesthood in the Old testament, in the New Testament, and in the Book of Revelation! 

 Incense is tied to priesthood 

 

 

 “My name shall be great among the Gentiles; in every place incense shall be offered to My name” (Malachi 1:11) 

 

 

 Artisans for the Temple

 

 God chose people to make all of these things – people who were skilled but they got their skill and knowledge from the Holy Spirit 

 

 

 Sabbath Law

 

 God reminds them again of the Sabbath Law 

 

 

 “And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.”