Bible Study - Sabbath School Podcast

Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study:   Exod. 35:1-36:7; Gen. 1:1; Exod. 36:8-39:31; Heb. 7:25; Exod. 40:1-38; John 1:14 Memory Text:  "Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. … For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all thei...

Further Thought:  Carefully read  Ellen G. White, "Idolatry at Sinai," pp. 327-330, in  Patriarchs and Prophets . On a gloomy day, a father and son visited a cathedral. As they looked at the stained-glass windows with beautiful depictions of different biblical scenarios, the Sun suddenly began shining through the glass picture of people, brightly illuminating them with impressive light. The small...

The Shining Face of Moses Read  Exodus 34:29-35 . What was the cause of Moses’ radiant face? After God revealed His character of love to Moses, Moses descended to Israel’s camp with a radiant face. Did Moses know at first that his face was radiant? Not at all. The closer one is to the Lord, the more keenly aware the person is of his or her imperfections compared to God’s holiness. What was the cau...

The Self-Revelation of God Read  Exodus 34:1-28 . How did God reveal His glory to Moses? Moses had to take with him two stone tablets like the first ones, which he had broken ( Exod. 32:19 ). He was going to meet with the Lord on Mount Sinai for the seventh time. His previous climbs are mentioned in the following texts: (1)  Exod. 19:3-7 ; (2)  Exod. 19:8-14 ; (3)  Exod. 19:20-25 ; (4)  Exod. 20:2...

"Please, Show Me Your Glory" After the golden calf apostasy, Moses interceded for God’s people and wanted to be assured that the Lord would continue leading them to the Promised Land. Deep down within his being, he also wanted to know the Lord better. Read  Exodus 33:18-23 . How did God answer Moses’ request to see His glory? "Please, show me your glory," Moses asked the Lord....

That I May Know You Read  Exodus 33:12-17 . What did Moses ask the Lord to teach him? Why did he demand God’s presence to guide them? Moses’ growth in the Lord was steady. He drew closer and closer to the Lord and sought to model himself after God’s image. One day when he was conversing with God in the tent of meeting, Moses suddenly realized that he did not know Him, and he uttered a specific pra...

The Tent of Meeting Read  Exodus 33:7-11 . Why did God ask Moses to build the tent of meeting? We must not confuse "the tent of meeting" (built outside of Israel’s camp) with the tabernacle, which was later constructed and located in the center of the camp. We do not know how often Moses consulted with God in the tent of meeting. However, one thing we know for sure: Moses’ encounters wit...

Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study:   Exod. 33:7-34:35; Deut. 18:15-18; John 17:3; Rom. 2:4; John 3:16; 2 Cor. 3:18 Memory Text:  "And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty,...

Further Thought:  Read  Ellen G. White, "Idolatry at Sinai," pp. 315-327, in  Patriarchs and Prophets . This week’s lesson presents a special focus on God’s work in believers. The Lord can do in us "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" ( Eph. 3:20 , NIV). We should not focus on ourselves and gratify our personal desires, because this leads to idolatry. Instead, our att...

Intercession Read  Exodus 32:30-32 . How far did Moses go in his intercessory prayer for sinners? Because of their rebellion, terrible things happened in the Israelite camp, including the deaths of many people ( Exod. 32:28 ). The following day, Moses declared to the people: "You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin" ( Exo...

God’s Righteous Wrath Read  Exodus 32:9-29 . What was Moses’ reaction to God’s threat to destroy Israel? While Moses was still on Mount Sinai, God said that He would destroy the rebels and make Moses’ posterity into a great nation. But that was not what Moses wanted. Instead, he pleaded with the Lord, pointing out that the Israelites were not Moses’ people—they were God’s. He, Moses himself, had n...

Corrupting Themselves Read  Exodus 32:7-8 . Why did God send Moses back to the camp of Israel? By turning to an idol, the Israelites were in the process of divorcing themselves from the true God, the One who had delivered them from Egypt. The Lord squarely placed the blame on them, saying that they have "corrupted themselves" ( Exod. 32:7 , NKJV)—even crediting this statue with having de...

Idolatry and Evil Read  Exodus 32:6 . Where did their idolatry quickly lead them? (See also  Ps. 115:4-8 ;  Ps. 135:15-18 ;  Isa. 44:9-10 .) The golden calf resembled the Egyptian bull-god, called Apis, or cow-god, called Hathor. This was a blatant transgression of the first and second commandments ( Exod. 20:3-6 ). This violation could not go unpunished because it openly broke their relationship...

Failed Leadership God called Moses to spend time with Him. Forty days and forty nights might have been a short period for Moses, but it seemed long, too long, for the Israelites. Their visible leader was absent. They became disoriented, impatient, fearful, and insecure. They wanted to have a visible god who would lead them, the "gods" whom they had seen all their lives in idolatrous Egyp...

Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Exod. 32:1-6; Ps. 115:4-8; Isa. 44:9-10; Rom. 1:22-27; Exod. 32:7-32; Isa. 53:4 Memory Text: "Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, ‘Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written’" (Exodus 3...

Further Thought:  Read  Ellen G. White, "The Tabernacle and Its Services," pp. 343-353, in  Patriarchs and Prophets . The tabernacle was a special place where atonement was accomplished for the confessed sins of God’s people. It was the place where, indeed, the entire plan of salvation had been revealed, and in some detail, too, to the children of Israel while they were in the wilderness...

Filled With the Spirit of God God instructed Moses on every detail in preparation for the tabernacle’s services. Priests were to have priestly garments, but the high priest wore a special ephod, which contained the names of the sons of Israel. He also wore a breastplate, which contained the Urim and Thummim and was to be on his heart ( Exodus 28 ). All priests were to be consecrated ( Exodus 29 )....

In the Midst of His People God was teaching His people through various means, and one of them was through the sanctuary. All its services pointed to Jesus; they were object lessons in the plan of salvation, which would be wrought out through Jesus many centuries later. Read  Exodus 25:1-9 . What crucial, practical, and theological truths are seen in these verses? Even though God was leading the Is...

Power to Obey Read  Ezekiel 36:26-28 . How does obedience take place in our lives? On three occasions, the Israelites fervently declared that they would obey God ( Exod. 19:8 ;  Exod. 24:3-7 ). Obedience is important, even if the Bible teaches that we humans are weak, broken, fragile, and sinful. This sad truth has been revealed not only through the history of ancient Israel, but through the histo...

Seeing God Read  Exodus 24:9-18 . What amazing experience were the children of Israel given here? After the firm reestablishment of the covenant with God, Moses again climbed Sinai. In the beginning of this climb, Moses was not alone. He had the excellent company of 73 Israelite leaders. For the leaders, this was the pinnacle experience: they saw God (theophany), and twice the text underlines this...

The Book and the Blood Read  Exodus 24:1-8 . What roles do the reading of the Word of God and the sprinkling of blood play in the ratification of the covenant between God and His people? The living God of the Bible is the God of relationships. The important element for our Lord is not a thing or an agenda but the person. Thus, God pays close attention to people, and the primary purpose of His acti...

Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Exod. 24:1-18; 1 Cor. 11:23-29; Lev. 10:1-2; Ezek. 36:26-28; Exod. 25:1-9; Exod. 31:1-18 Memory Text: "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’" (Exodus 24:3, NKJV). As their God, Creator, and Redee...

Further Thought:  Read  Ellen G. White, "The Law Given to Israel," pp. 310-314, in  Patriarchs and Prophets . Because we live in the territory of our enemy, it is no wonder we may be hurt in real life by his skillful and deceptive schemes. Who among us has not known pain and suffering, all brought about because of sin and the sinful fallen world in which we live? It’s just part of life n...

Vengeance "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord" ( Rom. 12:19 , ESV; see also  Deut. 32:35 ). What  promise and command are found in these verses, and how are they closely related? Until the Lord brings the justice so lacking now, it was the duty of the judges in ancient Israel to implement...

An Eye for an Eye Read  Matthew 5:38-48 . How does Jesus interpret the meaning of the retaliation law? How should we apply it today? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ cited texts from the Old Testament, texts that people were surely familiar with. However, He was speaking against the current rabbinical interpretations, which over the centuries had moved away from the original purpose of the...