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One day Moses aid to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised Land.’ But You haven’t told me whom you will send with me You have told me, ‘I know you by name, and I look favorably on you.’ But if it is true that You look favorably on me, let me know Your ways to I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy Your ways more fully and continue to enjoy Your favor. An remember that this nation is Your very own people.”

Then the Lord told Moses, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give your rest-everything will be fine for you.”

Then Moses said, “If You don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. How will anyone know that You look favorably on me-on me and on Your people-if yo don’t go with us? For Your presence among us sets Your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”

The Lord replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”

Moses replied, “Then show me Your glorious presence.”

The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out My name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose. But you may not look directly at My face, for no one may see Me and live.” The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock. As My glorious presence passes, by I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove My hand and let you see from behind. But My face will not be seen.” (vv. 12-23, NLT)

It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of Meeting and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of the Lord would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp.

Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in the entrances of their own tents. They would all watch Moses until he disappeared inside. As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover over at its entrance while the Lord spoke to Moses. When the people saw the cloud standing at the entrance of they tent, they would stand and bow down in front of their own tents. Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face-to-face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting. (vv. 7-11, NLT)

The next day Moses said to the people,”You have committed a terrible sin, but I will go back up to the Lord on the mountain. Perhaps I will be able to obtain forgiveness for your sin.”

So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a terrible sin these people have committed. They have made gods of gold for themselves. But now, if you will only forgive their sin-but it not, erase my name f rom the record you have written!”

But the Lord said to Moses, “No, I will erase the name of everyone who has sinned against me. Now, go. lead the people to the place I told you about. Look! My angel wil lead the way before you. And when I come to call the people to account, I will certainly hold them responsible for their sins.”

Then the Lord sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made. (vv. 30-35, NLT)

When Joshua heard the boisterous noise of the people shouting below them, he exclaimed to Moses, “It sounds like war in the camp!”

But Moses replied, “No, it’s not a shout of victory nor the wailing of defeat. I hear the sound of celebration.”

When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and the dancing, and he burned with anger. He threw the stone tablets down to the ground, smashing them at the foot of the mountain. He took the calf they had made and burned it. Then he ground it into powder, threw it into the water, and forced the people to drink it.

Finally, he turned to Aaron and demanded, “What did these people do to you to make you bring such a terrible sin upon them?”

“Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people are. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt’. So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire-and out cam a calf!”

Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies. So he stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, “All of you who are on the Lord’s side, come here and join me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.

Moses told them, This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone-even your brothers, friends and neighbors. The Levites obeyed Moses’ command, and about 3,000 people died that day.

Then Moses told the Levites, “Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed Him even though it meant killing you own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing.” (vv. 17-29, NLT)

The Lord told Moses, “Quick! go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves How quickly they have turned from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!'”

Then the Lord said, “I have see how stubborn and rebellious these people are. Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them and destroy them. Then I will make you Moses, into a great nation.”

But Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God. “O, Lord!” he said. “Why are you so angry with Your own people whom You brought from the land of Egypt with such a great power and such a strong hand? Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth? Change Your ming about this terrible disaster you have threatened against Your people! Remember Your servants, Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. You bound Yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.'”

So the Lord changed His mind about the terrible disaster He had threatened to bring on His people.

Then Moses turned and went down the mountain. He held in his hands the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. These tablets were God’s work: the words on them were written by God Himself. (vv. 7-16, NLT)

When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gos who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt”

So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”

All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. Then Aaron melted it down, and molded it into a shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

Aaron saw who excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord.”

The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with fasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry. (vv. 1-6, NLT)

The Lord then gave these instructions to Moses. “Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep My Sabbath day, for the Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. You must keep the Sabbath day, for it is a holy day for you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death. The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day by observing it from generation to generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time. It is a permanent sign of My covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days, the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He stopped working as was refreshed.”

When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, written by the finger of God. (vv 2-18, NLT)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, expertise on all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting stones and carving wood. He is a master at every craft!

And I have personally appointed Oholiab so of Ashismach, of the trive of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special sill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make:

the Tabernacle; the Ark of the Covenant,; the Ark’s cover-placement of atonement; all the furnishings of the Tabernacle; all the furnishings of the Tabernacle; the table and its utensils; the pure gold lampstand with all its accessories; the incense altar; the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils; the washbasin with its stand; the beautifully stitched garments-the sacred garments for Aaron, the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests; the anointing oil; the fragrant incense for the Holy Place.

The craftsmen must make everything as I have commended you.” (vv 1-11, NLT)

Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.” (v 3 NLT)

Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again, they all responded, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey.” (v 7 NLT)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you tablets of stone on which I have inscribed the instructions and commands to you can teach the people.” So Moses ad his assistant, Joshua set out, and Moses climbed up the mountain of God. (vv 12-13, NLT)

Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. And the glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day, the Lord called Moses from inside the cloud. To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up on the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights. (vv 15-18, NLT)

“See, I am sending you an angel before you to protect you and your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is My representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. But if you are careful to obey him, the I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you. For my angel will go before you and bring you to the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, so that you many live there. And I will destroy them completely. You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.”

“You must serve only the Lord you God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. There will be no more miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.” (vv. 20-26, NLT)