Exodus 38:9 says, And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, an hundred cubits:  This was a large tabernacle made of some very fine materials.  We today need to give the best that we can to God's to accomplish His work.  Verse ten states, Their pillars were twenty, and their brasen sockets twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.  These were the rest of the dimensions of the south side of the tabernacle.  Verse eleven says, And for the north side the hangings were an hundred cubits, their pillars were twenty, and their sockets of brass twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.  This verse tells of the dimensions and the make up of the north side of the tabernacle.  Both sides were built according to the instructions that God had given Moses, who had given the instructions to the builders.  God speaks to us directly today, but He also speaks to us through our fellow Christians as we do His work.  Verse twelve declares, And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.  This was one half of the hangings that would make the tabernacle a whole enclosure.  We cannot stop with only a part of God's work done, but must continue until it all fits together, which happens in the next verse.  Verse thirteen adds, And for the east side eastward fifty cubits.  This side would have the opening have the opening, so it would be different from the west side.  Not everything done for God will be done exactly like everything else, but it should all fit together to advance His kingdom and to glorify Him.  Verse fourteen says, The hangings of the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.  Then verse fifteen adds, And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.  A tabernacle would be of little use if there were not an easy way into it.  Our access to God today is through our faith in Jesus Christ, and though it cost Him everything, it is free and easy for us.  All we have to do is accept Christ by faith as our Savior and Lord.  Verse sixteen states, All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen.  Verse seventeen adds, And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver.  We are once more told of the make up of the hangings and the way that they were to fit together.  I believe that all the repetition of these facts were to insure that the people of Israel knew that God's plan was being followed.  Today, our proclaiming of the message of the gospel may sound repetitious to the lost of the world, but it is God's plan and we as Christians must make sure that they realize that it is the only way to salvation.  Verse eighteen says, And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court.  All this intricate work required many people working together to accomplish, just as doing God's work today requires all of His people working together.  Verse nineteen adds, And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets of silver.  Verse twenty adds, And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass. Then verse twenty-one concludes, This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest.  The tabernacle was completed according to God's plan given to Moses and was to be used for the service of the Levites, or the priests of that day.  Today, salvation is complete through Christ and was accomplished for those who accept Him, who are a  priesthood of believers.

Exodus 38:1 says, And he made the altar of burnt offering of shittim wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof; it was foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof.  In the Old Testament, altars were built at various places to serve as a place to worship God.  It is only natural that the tabernacle would include an altar, since it was to be a place of  worship to God for the people of Israel.  Today, we may have an altar in the church building, but the most important thing is to allow our heart to be an altar to God.  Verse two states, And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of the same: and he overlaid it with brass.  Our altars don't usually have horns on them, but this one did.  They were overlooked with brass, which wasn't as expensive as gold, but was more practical.  Our worship today should not be just showy, but should be practical and functional as well.  If we make a beautiful altar but are afraid to use it because we don't want to mess it up, we miss the point.  Verse three says, And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basons, and the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass.  The altar was to be a place of sacrifice, so there was a need of implements to help with the sacrifice.  When we offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice, we must offer all that we have to help support that living sacrifice.  Verse four states, And he made for the altar a brasen grate of network under the compass thereof beneath unto the midst of it.  This was to catch and remove what was left over from the sacrifice.  Once we have sacrificed something to God, if there are remnants, we cannot allow them to get in our way.  We must clear out the dross.  Verse five declares, And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass, to be places for the staves.  Then verse six adds, And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with brass.  As with everything else, the grate had to be moveable.  The rings and staves were made of brass.  Verse seven continues, And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made the altar hollow with boards.  The altar was likewise to be transportable.  We, as followers of Christ, having the altar of God in our hearts, are to be a moving as well as a living sacrifice to God.  Verse eight states, And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.  The laver was made of the looking glasses of the women who were gathering at the temple.  Matthew Henry says they weren't just there to watch but to help in the work.  The looking glasses were made of fine brass, not of glass as we would think of today.  Women have not only always helped with the work of the church,but often do the lions share of it.

Exodus 37:20 says, And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops, and his flowers:  These last few verses concern the candlestick.  It says there were four bowls like almonds, knops, and flowers.  I have a hard time visualizing this, but it was all to be made according to God's plan.  So, today if we cannot visualize all of God's plan, if we are following His guidance, everything will be okay.  Verse twenty-one states, And a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches going out of it.  Then verse twenty-two adds, Their knops and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure gold.  The dictionary says a knop is a knob, especially an ornamental one.  The six branches and their knops were all the same. and they were made of pure gold.  Verse twenty-three says, And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuffdishes, of pure gold.  There were a seven lamps, snuffers, and snuff dishes made of pure gold.  We can see why those who were not a part of the people of Israel, God's people, would want the items in the tabernacle.  There was a lot of gold used in making them.  We today as followers of Christ, may not have great riches, but often those in the world desire what we have.  The most valuable thing we have is a relationship with Christ, as was true of the people of Israel, and that is free for the asking.  Verse twenty-four states, Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof.  Again, there was a lot of gold used in the construction of these items, and the people of Israel had been willing to give more.  We should always willingly give to support God's work.  Verse twenty-five declares, And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns thereof were of the same.  There was an altar built to burn incense, and it also had horns on it.  Verse twenty-six adds, And he overlaid it with pure gold, both the top of it, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it: also he made unto it a crown of gold round about.  Verse twenty-seven continues, And he made two rings of gold for it under the crown thereof, by the two corners of it, upon the two sides thereof, to be places for the staves to bear it withal.  Then verse twenty-eight concludes, And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.  As with tabernacle and everything else in it, the altar was to be transportable.  With all the gold involved, these things had to be heavy.  The people of Israel not only brought the supplies necessary to build and furnish the tabernacle according to God's plan, but they had to transport when they traveled.  We today are simply tasked with carrying the gospel into the world, yet we often act as though this is too much to ask.  Verse twenty-nine states, And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary.  The holy anointing oil was made ready.  We today are anointed by the blood of Christ if we are Christians, and as with the anointing oil spoken of here, it is all by God's design.  

EXO37:10  says, And he made the table of shittim wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof:  Again, these next few verses simply tell us that the things that were to go into the tabernacle were built according to God's plans, now talking about the table.  Verse eleven says, And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereunto a crown of gold round about.  The table was also overlaid with gold.  This made it not only more ornate, but also more durable.  People might not be concerned with a table made just of wood, but one covered with gold would be valuable to them.  We might not be too interested in someone Who died on a cross, unless we realize how valuable that death was to everyone who ever lived or ever will live.  Verse twelve adds, Also he made thereunto a border of an handbreadth round about; and made a crown of gold for the border thereof round about.  This was how God told Moses to have the table built and how Moses told the builders.  Moses was still the spokesman of God who stood between God and the people.  The Holy Spirit is our representative before God today if we are followers of Christ.  The Holy Spirit guides us to do the will of God.  Verse thirteen says, And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings upon the four corners that were in the four feet thereof.   The table like everything else was to be made mobile because God's people were to be on the move to the promised land.  Our service to and worship of God should keep us moving in the world round us.  We are not at home in this world.  Verse fourteen states, Over against the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table.  These items were to also fit together according to God's plan.  When we as Christians are following God's plan, we all fit together to accomplish His purpose.  Verse fifteen says, And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table.  The staves were to fit in the rings to transport the table.  Verse sixteen states, And he made the vessels which were upon the table, his dishes, and his spoons, and his bowls, and his covers to cover withal, of pure gold.  These were the vessels that were to be used in the worship service.  Verse seventeen says, And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same:  Verse eighteen adds, And six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof:  Then verse nineteen concludes, Three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knop and a flower: so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick.  The bowls and candlesticks were made to fit together.  As I have said before and will likely say again, we as followers of Christ are meant to fit together in doing God's work.

1. Exodus 37:1 says, And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:  Now, we have a record of the actual building of the items that God had instructed Moses to build.  We are told that Bezaleel started by building the ark in accordance with God's instructions to Moses.  We know that Bezaleel did not do this alone, but that others helped him.  We today must do God's work in accordance with His instructions, or direction, and we need to acknowledge that we are not alone in doing God's work.  Matthew Henry says that the instructions for the building of these items of worship are recorded more than once because first God told Moses, then Moses told Bezaleel and the others, and now it was being recorded for the rest of the people and the future generations  to see that these things were built faithfully according to God's plan. Also, some of the items would be in the holy of holies and never be seen by most of the people of Israel.  The next several verses simply record the fact that the ark and all associated with it were built following God's plan given to Moses.  Verse two says, And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about.  This verse tells us that the ark was built of gold, a very precious metal.  Of course, we are to bring the best that we have to God today as we serve and worship Him.  Verse three states, And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it.  These rings were to make it portable, so that the ark, which represented God's presence, could go with the people of Israel as they traveled, just as the Holy Spirit, God's presence with us today, goes with us wherever we go today.  Verse four says, And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.  If the ark was to be transported, there had to be a way to transport it.  If the gospel is to go into the world today, we as followers of Christ must transport, or carry it.  Verse five states, And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.  The rings and the staves had a purpose, and they had to be used for their purpose in order to be effective.  As Christians today, we all have our purpose, and we must do what God calls us to do if we are to effectively advance God's kingdom.  Verse six says,  And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.  After the ark was completed, the mercy seat was made.  Verse seven states,  And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat; Verse eight adds, One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof. Then verse nine concludes, And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims.  The ark and the mercy seat were built according to God's instructions, being ornate, functional and mobile.

Exodus 36:20 says. And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up.  This begins telling the way the boards of the tabernacle were made, and again this was by the design that God had given Moses.  I will basically just share the verses without comment, since they are self explanatory.  Verse twenty-one states, The length of a board was ten cubits, and the breadth of a board one cubit and a half.  Verse twenty-two says, One board had two tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle.  Verse twenty-three states, And he made boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward:  Then verse twenty-four says, And forty sockets of silver he made under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.  Like the curtains, the boards were made to fit together and to be mobile.  The church today should likewise fit together as one body and be mobile going into the world.  Verse twenty-five states, And for the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north corner, he made twenty boards,  Verse twenty-six adds, And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.  Then verse twenty-seven says, And for the sides of the tabernacle westward he made six boards. Verse twenty-eight continues, And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. Then verse twenty-nine says, And they were coupled beneath, and coupled together at the head thereof, to one ring: thus he did to both of them in both the corners.  Then verse thirty declares, And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount.  Not only was Moses given the plans for making the tabernacle by God, but God also gave him instructions for how to raise the tabernacle up after it was made.  God still gives instructions to us today as followers of Christ about how He expects us to raise up His church.  We must all fit together to be the most effective.  No one church, or body of believers that make up a local church, can act totally on its own with no concern for other body of believers.  Verse thirty ones says, And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:  These next few verses speak of the making of the veil of the tabernacle.  It was not only to serve a purpose, but it was to be decorated ornately.  When we come to God today, not only does He have a purpose for us, but He will make our lives spiritually ornate.  Verse thirty-two adds,  And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. Verse thirty-three states, And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.  The veil was to be hung according to God's directions and was to divide the holy place from the most holy place, where only the high priest could go, and then only at specific times.  We no longer have these restrictions, because when Christ died for us, He tore the veil in half.  We, who are followers of Christ, not only have unlimited access to God, but we have the Holy Spirit living in us.  Verse thirty-four adds, And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.  Verse thirty-five continues, And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side.  The ark of the covenant and the mercy seat were to be within the veil, and the table and the candlesticks were to be outside the veil, but still in a position specified by God.  Even when we may not be as close to God as we should be, He still expects u to be guided by His law.  Verse thirty-six says, And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.  Then verse thirty seven adds, And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.  Then verse thirty-eight concludes, And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters and their fillets with gold: but their five sockets were of brass.  God still gives guidance to His church today, and we must all work together to accomplish His work.

Today I will pause in the study of Exodus to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.   We need to remember that we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, today.  May you and your family have a wonderful Christmas.  There will never be a greater gift than the gift of salvation that He came to offer to everyone.  If you haven't accepted this gift, there will never be a better time than this Christmas day.  May God bless everyone today and every day.

Exodus 36:8 says, And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them.  This verse and the next several have to do with the people completing the work of the tabernacle as God had told Moses to build it.  This verse speaks of the curtains, and once again we are told that they were made by wise hearted men.  We must do God's work in accordance with His plans, and if we are followers of Christ, we will be wise enough to do so.  Verse nine says, The length of one curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the curtains were all of one size.  These were some large curtains, but they were made according to God's specifications to Moses.  This is one reason Moses was up the mountain so long.  He wasn't there just to get receive the Ten Commandments, but he also received all the specifications for the tabernacle.  We need to take the time to know all of God's plans before we attempt to implement them.  Verse ten adds, And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another.  Again, this is just the fulfillment of God's plan for the tabernacle.  Though the people were doing it, it was God Who had planned the tabernacle and had empowered the people to build it, including providing the necessary supplies, because even though the people brought them to Moses, they had them because God had provided these things for them.  Verse eleven says,. And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.  Then verse twelve adds, Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second: the loops held one curtain to another.  The curtains were made to fit together, just as God's people should fit together today when the worship and serve Him.  Verse thirteen states, And he made fifty taches of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the taches: so it became one tabernacle.  This is simply more about how the curtains would fit together as one tabernacle.  Verse fourteen says, And he made curtains of goats’ hair for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them.  These were the curtains that would protect the tabernacle from the weather and they were made to be more durable than ornate.  When we do the work of God today, we need to make sure that it is durable.  We cannot just present a pretty picture of the gospel, though the end result will be beautiful, but we must make sure that when we accept Christ as Savior and Lord that our faith is durable.  Verse fifteen says, The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits was the breadth of one curtain: the eleven curtains were of one size.  Verse sixteen adds, And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.  Verse seventeen continues, And he made fifty loops upon the uttermost edge of the curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.  Then verse eighteen adds still, And he made fifty taches of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one.  Then verse nineteen concludes, And he made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers’ skins above that.  The curtains were completed according to the design that God had given Moses, and when it says he did this, this does not mean that just one person was doing the work.  Today, we must all work together as Christians if we are to accomplish God's plan, and it doesn't matter who gets the credit for it.

Exodus 36:1 says, Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.  Bezaleel and Aholiab did not work alone.  We are told that every wise hearted man that God empowered worked with them.  We are not told their names.  Today, we may not know the names of everyone who is doing God's work, but that does not mean that there are not people doing His work.  Verse two states, And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:  Though this says Moses called Bezaleel and Aboliah and those that God had given wisdom and stirred up to do the work of building the tabernacle, I believe that this was because Moses was God's representative and God had led him to call them.  Moses did not just pick out these people on his own.  We today may ordain people into the ministry, or simply call on people to serve in a particular task in the church, but we must make sure that we ask if this is God's will.  We must all rely on God's calling of people if we are to be the most effective in advancing His kingdom.  Verse three declares,  And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning.  The builders were given the materials that the people had given to build the tabernacle with, and they freely brought offerings every day to help support them.  We must use what we have dedicated to God for a particular purpose, but we also must continue to support those who are doing God's work.  We must do all willingly and cheerfully as God leads us to do.  Verse four says, And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made;  Those who were working took time to come to Moses and speak to him about a problem.  Verse five adds, And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.  The problem was that the people were giving too much.  This is not usually a problem we have today, but it would certainly be a good one to have.  Imagine beginning a building project and having to tell the congregation that they had given too much.  Of course, we today would probably just modify our plans and make something bigger.  Verse six declares, And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.  Moses told the people that it was time to stop bring more offerings.  Once again, wouldn't it be nice to be able to say that today.  Verse seven concludes, For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.  Though they had just recently questioned where Moses was and made an idol of a golden calf to worship in his absence, they were now giving freely above what was needed to do God's work.  We cannot allow past failures, our own or others, to keep us from freely given everything to God today once we have asked His forgiveness.  The people had to make a choice to follow God before they began to give to Him.  We today must choose to follow Christ before our offerings will really have any meaning.  We cannot buy God's forgiveness, but once we accept it, we should give everything that God leads us to give to support His work, and we should do so freely and joyfully.

Exodus 35:22 says, And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD.  Everyone who was willing hearted came, both men and women.  Before, they had brought golden earrings to Aaron to make the golden calf, but now they brought jewels and gold to offer to Moses for God's use.  We should be willing to give more to God than we do to the idols of the world.  Verse twenty-three states, And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought them.  Along with the jewels and gold, the brought other things necessary to build the tabernacle.  We do not all bring the same things to God, but we should work together to insure that His work is done.  Verse twenty-four declares, Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD’s offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it.  Some brought silver, and some brought wood.  We cannot judge the things given to God by the value that the world places on them, but if we are to judge them, then we must place the value based on the need to accomplish God's work and the attitude of the giver.  Verse twenty five says, And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.  The wise hearted women, those that believed in God, spun and brought fine linen of blue, purple and scarlet.  This actually took more effort on their part than bringing silver and gold did.  Verse twenty-six adds, And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats’ hair.  I believe that their hearts were stirred up by God.  We should do what God calls us to do, no matter how simply it may seem to the world.  Verse twenty-seven says, And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate;  The rulers were not exempt from being moved by God to bring offerings to God.  No matter our station in life, God expects us all to bring our tithes and offerings to Him.  Verse twenty-eight adds, And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.  God led the people to bring all that was necessary too do His work, just as He does today.  Verse twenty-nine declares, The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.  All the people of Israel whose heart was made willing brought their sacrifices to Moses for God's use.  We may bring our tithes and offerings to a particular church, but they are all for God's use and should be given with a willing heart.  Verse thirty says, And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;  Then verse thirty-one states, And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;  Moses said that God had called Bezaleel by name and filled Him with the spirit of God.  We today as followers of Christ are called by name and filled with the Holy Spirit if we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty-two adds, And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,  Verse thirty-three continues,  And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.  Then verse thirty-four concludes, And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.  God also called Aboliab and equipped them both to do what God had called them to do.  Moses did not call these two, but God did.  We cannot decide what people should do for God, but God must call and equip them to do what He needs done.  Verse thirty-five declares, Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.  These two men were equipped by God to oversee His work.  They were not to do it all alone.  God calls us to work together today to accomplish His work, and none is more important than the other.

Exodus 35:10 says, And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded;  Moses called on the wise hearted to come and make what God had commanded them to make.  Not everyone would be making the same thing, but all would be led by God in what they made.  If we are to be wise hearted, or to think wisely, we will come to God  and do what He asks us to do.  Verse eleven states,The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets,  Moses begins to tell them what it is that they will be making.  God will tell us today what it is that we need to do in His kingdom so that His word may be spread and His people may effectively worship Him.  The next few verses simply continue to list the things that would be made by those who were wise hearted and followed God.  Verse twelve says, The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering,  Verse thirteen states, The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread,  Verse fourteen adds, The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light,  Verse fifteen continues, And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle,  Verse sixteen states, The altar of burnt offering, with his brasen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,  Verse seventeen adds further, The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court,  Verse eighteen continues still, The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords,  Then verse nineteen concludes, The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office.  These were all the things that God had told Moses that the people were to build.  When we are doing something for God today, we must first make sure that it is what He has called us to do.  Verse twenty declares, And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.  The first thing the people of Israel did was to leave from where Moses was.  They could not just stay with Moses and accomplish what God had for them to do.  We today cannot just hang around those who are proclaiming God's word and accomplish very much for God.  We must go into the world and proclaim the gospel and do what God calls us to do to advance His kingdom.  Verse twenty-one adds, And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.  The people came as they were stirred by God and whose spirit was made willing by God.  If we are to successfully advance God's kingdom, we must have our spirits stirred by God and be made willing by His Spirit to do whatever He leads us to do.  When we as followers of Christ work together, all of God's work will be done.

Exodus 35:1 says, And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them.  Moses gathered all the people of Israel together to share with them God's word.  When we as follower of Christ gather together today, it should be to share God's word.  At times, when we gather to worship we get distracted by the things of this world.  We should not go away feeling that we have been entertained, but should go away feeling that we have been drawn closer to God.  Verse two states, Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.  Moses told the people the law of the sabbath, and that those who failed to keep it would be put to death.  God was and is serious about setting aside time to rest from the cares of this world and to worship Him.  We need to be just as serious about the Lord's Day, our sabbath, today.  Verse three adds, Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.  The people of Israel were not to even build a fire on the sabbath, as this would be seen as work.  We today can indeed worship God anywhere, and we can also gather in His name and not really worship Him, but I believe that God expects us set aside a day devoted especially to Him.  Verse four declares, And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,  Having shared God's law concerning the sabbath, Moses moved on to the next law.  We cannot just focus on a part of God's law, but must keep it all, not for salvation, because that is a free gift through our faith in Christ, but to show that we are indeed obedient to God.  Though we have great freedom through Christ, we are still simply servants of God.  We do not make the rules, or laws, but God does.  Verse five says, Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,   Moses said that they were to bring an offering to God of gold, silver and brass, and that they were to do this with a willing heart.  We today are still called to give an offering to God with a willing heart.  I believe that when we give with a willing heart that we won't be concerned about what the minimum that we can give to God will be.  We must acknowledge that it all belongs to God.  Verse six states, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,  Then verse seven adds, And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood,   Verse eight adds, And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense,  Then verse nine concludes, And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate.  The people were to bring all the things that would be needed to do God's work, just as we should today.  Of course, we are more likely to bring the silver and gold, or money, but we are to give what is necessary to do God's work, and we are to do so with a willing heart.

Exodus 34: 21 says, Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.  Once again, God told Moses that the seventh day, the Sabbath, was a day of rest.  This was true no matter what was going on in life.  Even though we celebrate the Lord's day, this is still true.  Verse twenty-two,  And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.   God then began to tell Moses the other special days the people were to celebrate, all to show their honor to God.  Verse twenty-three adds, Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.  God said there were to be three times a year when the people appeared before him.  As followers of Christ, we are continually in God's presence, but we still have those special days that we dedicate to Him, but we need to make sure that He is always the focus of those days.  Christmas is one of those days, but the world has tried to turn it into something else.  Verse twenty-four proclaims, For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.  God said that He would not only protect the people when they appeared before Him, but that He would enlarge their borders.  God may not enlarge our borders in this world, but if we are faithful to Him, one day we will have all of heaven as our home.  Verse twenty-five says, Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.  God reminded Moses about the law of the Passover.  Verse twenty-six states, The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.  Then, God reminds Moses of the law for the first fruits.  Again, God determined the way these days were to be observed, just as He should determine the way that we observe the days set aside for Him today.  Verse twenty-seven declares, And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.  God told Moses to write these words down because they were a part of God's covenant with the people of Israel.  We still read these words today, and they are still God's words.  We have a new covenant through Christ, but we still need to learn from God's written word.  Verse twenty-eight declares, And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.  Moses was with God for forty days and nights, and he did not eat or drink during this time.  Moses spent the time writing the words of the covenant on the tablets, as well as the Ten Commandments.  The first time God had inscribed the words, but this time Moses was required to do it.  It may be that when we do not obey God that we have to spend time redoing what He has already done for us.  Of course, this will never apply to salvation, which we can never accomplish on our own.  Verse twenty-nine says,:And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.  When Moses came down off the mountain, his face glowed, but he did not realize this.  We cannot spend time with God, especially intense personal time, without being changed.  Our face may not glow, but our spirit should.  Verse thirty states, And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.  Aaron and the people of Israel were afraid to come near Moses when they saw him.  The first time Moses came down the mountain, they were dancing and worshipping the idol that they had made, but this time their focus was on Moses.  If we are to worship God today, our focus must be on Him.  Moses was not God, but he was the one who represented God to the people.  Verse thirty-one declares, And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.  Moses called them, and Aaron and the rulers of the congregation came and talked with him.  We need to listen to and talk with those who are sharing God's word today, and we need to share God's good news with those that we encounter in life.   Verse thirty-two says, And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai.  Next, the rest of the people of Israel came near, and Moses shared with them the commandments of God.  Verse thirty-three states, And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.  Moses covered his face while he was speaking to them.  Moses was not to be the focus, but God's commandments were.  We today when we serve and worship God must keep the focus on Him.  Verse thirty-four adds, But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.   When Moses went to speak to God, he uncovered his face.  When we speak to God today, we should not attempt to hide anything from him.  Moses did not have to worry about outshining God and neither do we.  Verse thirty-five declares, And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.  Moses still covered his face when he was speaking to the people if Israel.  It would be nice if people could see the truth of our relationship with God reflected in our faces, but we must rely on our actions doing so.

Exodus 34:10 says, And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.  God told Moses that He would make a covenant with the people, and that He would do works among them the like of which had never been seen and all those around them would see it.  God said it was a terrible thing that He would do.  The covenant that we have with God today is through our faith in Christ, and the sacrifice of Christ is the greatest work that God ever did for us.  To those who do not believe in Christ as their Savior and Lord, it is indeed a terrible thing.  Verse eleven declares, Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.  God told Moses to make note of what He was going to do, and that was to drive out all their enemies.  We to can make note of, or put our faith in, the fact that as followers of Christ God will defeat all our enemies for us.  As a matter of fact, He already has.  We will never be spiritually defeated by the world as long as we keep our faith in God.  Verse twelve warns, Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:  Moses was warned against making covenants with the people they came in contact with, because it could become a snare to them.  We today cannot compromise with the world, and if we do, it will be a trap to our faith.  Verse thirteen adds, But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:  God told Moses to have the people of Israel to destroy all the false gods and their altars.  We today must also destroy all the false gods in our lives if we are to successfully follow Christ.  Verse fourteen declares, For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.  Moses was warned against worshipping other gods, because God is a jealous God.  As Creator and Redeemer of the world, God has a right to be jealous of His relationship with His people.  Verse fifteen adds, Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;  God warned Moses of the danger of the people of Israel compromising faith and being led into the worship of false god.  The same warning still applies to us today.  We cannot compromise with the world and still faithfully serve God.  Verse sixteen adds, And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.  Moses was warned of the danger of marrying those who were not a part of the nation of Israel, just as we today are warned against marrying outside those who are part of the family of God.  Unfortunately, when this happens, too often the believer is led away from God.  Verse seventeen declares,Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.  This was a warning against making idols, and it is just as true for us today.  Verse eighteen says, The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.  Moses was told that the people were to observe the feast of unleavened bread by eating unleavened bread for a week in the month that God had brought them out of Egypt.  We celebrate the Lord's Supper today, however often we celebrate it, to commemorate Christ dying to free us from our sins and from the power of the forces of evil in the world.  Verse nineteen adds, All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.  The first born males of the animals were still to be given to God to be used as He saw fit.  Vere twenty adds, But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.  God made  a provision to redeem the first born ass and also the first born sons, but this required the sacrifice of a lamb.  Christ became the sacrifice for all people for all time, and though we have nothing else to offer, we do not come to God empty handed when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We offer our life and all that we have to God.

Exodus 34:1 says, And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.  God told Moses to make two new tablets like the ones that he had broken, and then God would write the words that He had written on them again.  Moses did not write the law of God either time, but God did.  Today, if we have broken the law of God, we cannot rewrite it.  We can only come back to God as ask Him to forgive us and then to rewrite His word in our heart.  Verse two states, And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.  God gave Moses time to get ready, then he was to come up the mountain to God.  Whether we are a follower of Christ or not, God is going to call us to Him and give us time to get ready to do what He is calling us to do.  Verse three adds, And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.  Like Moses, when we come to God for salvation and to seek his will for our life, we come alone.  No one else can accept salvation for us, nor can we accept salvation for others.  Verse four says, And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.  Moses hewed the two tablets of stone, then he rose up early in the morning and went up the mountain as God had instructed him to do.  When God instructs us to do something, after we prepare ourselves according to His guidance, we should not delay in doing what He has called us to do.  Like Moses, we need to begin as soon as God allows us to.  Verse five states, And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.  Moses went up the mountain, but he did not reach God.  God still had to come down to Moses.  We cannot reach God by our own abilities, but must wait for God to come to us.  Even after we accept Christ as Savior and Lord, and are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, God is not ours to command.  We must still wait on God to reveal His will to us.  The Holy Spirit is not with us to do whatever we desire of Him, but is with us to reveal God's will to us and to empower us to accomplish His will.  Verse six declares And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,  Then verse seven adds, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.  God passed before Moses, and made it clear exactly who He was.  God was not bragging about Who He was, He was just making sure that Moses understood Who He was.  When God comes to us today, He will make sure that we know exactly Who He is, not to brag on Himself, but to help us understand exactly Who He is.  We cannot accept the salvation of Christ if we do not know Who God is.  Verse eight says, And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.  Moses quickly bowed his head and worshipped God.  When we come into God's presence, we should always come humbly and with an attitude of worship.  We too often act as though the only time that we need ot worship God is when we gather together in His name, but we are to worship God whenever we are in His presence.  I believe that since we as Christians have the Holy Spirit with us always, this means that we should always be in an attitude of worship to God.  Verse nine declares, And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.  Moses still prayed for the people of Israel.  He acknowledged that they were a stiff necked people who often rebelled against God.  Moses could pray for them, but he could not gain salvation for them.  We today can intercede for others, but we cannot claim salvation for them.

Exodus 33:11 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.  God spoke to Moses face to face, as two friends speak to each other.  Matthew Henry says this means that Moses saw God with a greater clarity, which was an encouragement to him.  Joshua remained in the tabernacle since Moses did not want to leave it empty.  When we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord today, we see God with a greater clarity than we have ever seen Him before.  God talks to us as to a friend.  Verse twelve states, And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.  Moses told God that He had called him to bring up the people, out of the land of Egypt, but that God had not told him who He would send with him.  Moses said that God had said that He knew Moses by name and that he had found grace in God's sight.  We may not know all the details when God calls us to a particular task today, but we can know that God knows us by name and that we have found grace in His sight if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Of course, this grace of God is available to all, but they must put their faith in Christ for it to apply to them.  Verse thirteen adds, Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.  Moses asked God to show him that he had found grace with God so that he could lead the nation of Israel as God's people.  We through our faith in Christ are shown that we have found grace in the sight of God, but we can only claim this grace for our self.  We can only point others to Christ.  Verse fourteen declares, And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.  God told Moses that He would go before him, and that because of that Moses would find rest.  This required Moses to go in faith.  Today as Christians, no matter where God leads us, He will go before us and we should rest assured in His presence when we are following Him.  Verse fifteen says,:And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.  Moses told God if God's presence was not to go with him, then he didn't want to go any farther.  We need to make sure that wherever we are that we are following God's will.  We cannot go ahead of God and still be successful in doing what He has called us to do.  Verse sixteen asks, For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.  Moses asked God how he could know that he and the people of Israel had found grace with God and would it be because they were separated from the rest of the people of the world.  We today can only know that we have found grace with God by faith in Christ, and when we accept salvation through Him, we are indeed separated from the world spiritually.  Verse seventeen declares, And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.  God said that He would still be with Moses and the people of Israel even though they had rebelled against Him.  We today as followers of Christ can be certain that God is still with us even if we do rebel against His will at times.  Verse eighteen adds, And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.  Moses asked for God to show him His glory.  I believe that Moses just wanted assurance that God was still going to be with him.  We today can rest assured that if we are a Cristian that God will always be with us, and we should need no sign to know it.  Verse nineteen proclaims, And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.  I believe that God was basically sayin that Moses would simply have to put his faith in God because of Who God is.  We today must do the same.  We cannot dictate to God who will be saved, but we can follow Him in faith when we are.  Verse twenty adds, And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.  Though we were told that Moses and God talked as friends, Moses was still not allowed to see God's face, and neither is anyone else in this lifetime.  Verse twenty-one states, And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:  Verse twenty-two adds, And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:  Then  verse twenty-three concludes, And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.  Like Moses, we can stand on the rock of salvation, but we can never see God in His entirety.  This will only occur when we are called home to heaven.

Exodus 33;1 says, And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it: God told Moses that it was time for the people of israel to go on to the land that He had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  God will never forget His promises to us, no matter how many years it takes for them to come to pass.  Verse two states,  And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:  God also told Moses that He was going to send an angel before them to drive out the people in the land.  All the people of Israel had to do was go.  When God calls us to a particular task today, all we have to do is go.  God will go before us and prepare the way, and the Holy Spirit will be with us to equip us, which is even better than an angel going before us.  Verse three adds, Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.  God told Moses that He was sending an angel, but that He Himself would not be in their midst, since they were a stiff necked people who He might destroy along the way because of their rebellion and lack of faith.  Though the Holy Spirit is always with Christians, we may not always receive the benefit of this because we are a stiff necked people.  When we doubt or defy God, the Holy Spirit can only bring us regret and call us back to the Father.  We cannot expect to claim God's victory over the obstacles of the world at such times.  Verse four declares, And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.  The people of Israel mourned when they heard this, and we today as followers of Christ should mourn when we know that we are out of the will of God.  This is never a time to adorn, or wrap, ourselves in the things of his world.  Verse five adds, For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.  God had given the people a warning through Moses.  They were to put off their ornaments, so that God would know that they were listening to Him.  We today need to put off the things of the world so that God will know that we are listening to Him.  The warning was that God could come in a moment and destroy them if they were not obedient.  We today, as followers of Christ, must never allow the things of this world to come between God and us.  Verse six proclaims, And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.  The people of Israel obeyed Moses, at least in the physical demand.  This did not mean that they were spiritually faithful to God.  People today may go through the motions of being obedient to God, but this does not men that they are saved.  It is only when someone accepts Christ by faith that that person is truly saved.  Verse seven says,  And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.  Moses placed the tabernacle outside the camp, since it represented God's presence and God had said He would not be in their midst.  Until we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, God will always be outside of our life.  When we accept Christ, we will never be out of the presence of God, even if we are disobedient to Him.  The people had to go outside the camp to worship God, just as we today must go outside influence of the material things of the world if we are to follow God.  Verse eight states, And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle.  When Moses went out to the tabernacle and went inside, all the people of Israel stood at their tent door and watched him.  When we as followers of Christ go to worship God today, the world will be watching.  Even more importantly, when we are out in the world and are followers of Christ, the world will be watching to see if we put God above the things of this world.  Verse nine adds, And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.  When Moses entered the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar, representing God's presence with the people, descended, and God talked with Moses.  We have no visible sign today that God is with us, but if we are truly following God by faith, the world should be able to see His presence in our lives.  Verse ten concludes, And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.  The people of Israel all rose up and worshipped God where they were.  We today should always rise up and worship God where we are,  We do not have to go to a particular place to worship God, but we are to worship Him wherever we are.  We are not just saved on a particular day or in a particular place, but we are saved every second of the every day wherever we are, and because of this we should continually worship God.

Exodus 32:30 says, And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.  Moses told the people of Israel that they had sinned a great sin and that he would go up the mountain and see if he could make atonement for them with God.  We today have committed a great sin anytime we do not follow God's word, and there is no one in the world who can make atonement for us.  Fortunately, atonement has already been made by Jesus, Who died to make atonement for us.  He is the only One Who can.  We can only point the lost to Jesus.  Verse thirty-one states, And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.  Moses returned to God and confessed the sin of the people to Him.  Moses was there to intercede for the people of Israel, since he himself had not participated in this sin.  If we are to make intercession for others, we must first make sure that we are not guilty of unconfessed sins our self.  Then, we must acknowledge that they need forgiveness, and bring our concern for them to God.  We cannot demand forgiveness for them, but can only ask that God forgive them.  Of course, if they are lost, then we can only ask that God help them to accept Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty-two  adds, Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.  Moses told the LORD that he was willing to be blotted out of God's book of life if God would forgive the people of Israel.  We may be willing to be blotted out of God's book of life if He would forgive others, but it doesn't work that way.  There is only One Who can give Himself in our place, and that is Jesus Christ, and He already did.  Verse thirty-three proclaims, And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.  God told Moses that each person was responsible for his or her sin, and that has always been true.  We either attempt to find forgiveness on our own, which we cannot do, or we accept the forgiveness that comes by putting our faith in Christ's atonement, which is already an accomplished fact.  Verse thirty-four adds, Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.  Moses was told to go and lead the people to where God had directed him to go.  God did not say that Moses had obtained forgiveness for their sins.  Their sins would still be dealt with when God visited them.  When Christ returns, God will judge all people, and we will either stand before Him with our sins forgiven because of our acceptance of Christ as our Savior and Lord, or we will stand having to answer for our own sins, for which we cannot find forgiveness without having accepted Christ.  God did not immediately blot out all sinners, just as He doesn't today.  Verse thirty-five concluded, And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.  God plagued the people of Israel because of their sin of idolatry.  Notice that Aaron was given the responsibility of having made the golden calf.  Even if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord, we may still suffer the consequences of our sins in this world.  We can never take sin lightly, because God certainly doesn't.

Exodus 32:19 says,  And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.  When Moses saw the golden calf and the people dancing naked around it, he was very angry.  Moses may have felt that God shouldn't be angry, without knowing what was going on, but when he saw, he was angry himself.  We often hear of breaking God's law, but Moses did so literally when he threw the stone tablets down and broke them.  Verse twenty states,And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.  Moses reduced the golden calf to powder, put it in water, and had the people drink it.  Not only did they lose their golden calf idol, but they lost all the gold that they had given Aaron to make it.  When we worship the things of this world, we will ultimately lose everything that we put into that worship.  Verse twenty-one adds, And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?   Moses questioned Aaron, since he was God's priest and Moses' second in command.  Moses wanted to know what the people did to Aaron to cause him t6o turn away from God.  We better hope that God never asks us what the world did to us to cause us to turn away from Him.  Verse twenty-two states, And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.  Aaron began to offer excuses, blaming things on those who were to be God's people instead of on himself.  We cannot shift the blame for our sins to others, though like Aaron, we may often try to.  Verse twenty-three adds, For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.  Aaron basically implied that it was Moses fault because the people did not know what had become of him.  Had they really put their faith in God, and not just when Moses was with them, they would not have so easily abandoned God.  If we are truly a follower of Christ, we should be faithful to him at all times, and not just when we are physically in the presence of other Christians.  Verse twenty-four declares, And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.  Then, Aaron lied.  He said the people brought him gold, he threw it in the fire, and the golden calf came out.  We were already told that Aaron fashioned the golden calf.  A golden calf forming itself in the fire is about as likely as the universe being formed by some cosmic accident.  Both required a creative force behind them, the golden calf Aaron and the universe God.  God took credit for His creation, but Aaron didn't.  We must take responsibility when we sin, then ask God for forgiveness.  We cannot blame our sins on others.  Verse twenty-five declares, And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)  Aaron had made the people get naked to shame them among their enemies.  Without God, we will always stand spiritually naked among our enemies.  Verse twenty-six adds, Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.  Moses asked those who were on God's side to come and join him, and the sons of Levi came to him.  There will always be a time when we must decide whether we are going to stand with God or with the people of the earth who reject God.  Verse twenty-seven continues,  And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.  Those who did not stand for God were to be killed.  Ultimately those who do not stand for God today will face a much greater punishment, and that is everlasting separation from God.  Verse twenty-eight states, And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.  The children of Levi obeyed Moses and killed about three thousand men that day.  Sin always has and always will bring serious consequences, but as followers of Christ, He has taken that penalty on Himself for us.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.  Moses told the people that they had to make a choice, to either follow God or deny Him.  We today have that same choice, and even as Christians, we are often called on to do what the world says or do what God says.  Hopefully, we will always chose to do what God says.

Exodus 32:11 says, And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?  Moses questioned why God was angry with His people that He had delivered from Egypt with such a great display of power.  Moses did not know what was going on down the mountain, but God did.  When we as followers of Christ are doing something wrong today, the world may not know it, but God does.  We should not be surprised when God is upset if His people do not obey His word.  Verse twelve states, Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.  Moses continued to question God, saying that the Egyptians would claim that God had delivered the people of Israel simply for mischief.  Moses asked God to repent, or change His mind.  This was quite a blood thing to do.  If a person believers that God has already determined everything, it would be a useless thing to do.  I believe that if our prayers for others have no effect on God and His actions toward them, then we likewise are doing a useless thing.  Verse thirteen adds, Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.  Moses reminded God of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.  I don't believe that God had forgotten His promise just as He will never forget His promise of everlasting salvation to those who accept Christ as Savior and Lord today.  I also believe that our actions can cause God to be angry with us when we disobey His leadership.  Verse fourteen declares, And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.  This is quite a statement.  This tells us that God can be influenced by our prayers of petition, but I don't believe that God ever needs to repent.  Verse fifteen says, And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.  Moses went down the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony, which were written on both sides.  When we come down off a mountain top experience with God today, we bring His word with us, not written in stone, but written in our heart.  Verse sixteen decades, And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.  This tells us that God had engraved the tablets.  The words of truth and the way to salvation and a successful life will always be found God's word.  Moses did not write these laws, but God did.  Verse seventeen adds, And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.  Joshua met Moses and told him that it sounded like a war was going on in the camp, and there really was.  It was a war between following God or following the false god that the people had created.  There will always be a war between God and the powers of this world.  The question is, which will we follow?  Verse eighteen concludes, And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.  Moses said that it wasn't the sound of suffering but the sounds of joy that he heard.  Many people today are rejoicing as they follow the false God's of the world.  That are not overcome by some government forcing them into servitude, but by following their own selfish desires.

Exodus 32:1 says, And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.  The people of Israel, God's chosen people, became impatient when Moses did not immediately come down from the mountain.  They demanded that Aaron make them gods to go before them, because they said they did not know what had happened to Moses.  I wonder how often we become impatient waiting on God today and begin to try to make our own gods.  Verse two says, And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.  Aaron went along with their demands, even though he was God's priest and Moses' spokesman.  He told them to bring him golden earrings.  God's spokesmen today certainly cannot afford to go along with the demands of the world.  Verse three says, And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.  These were things that God had blessed them with, and now they were attempting to use them to make their own gods.  We, as followers of Christ, cannot begin to worship the things that God blesses us with more than we worship God and still be faithful to Him.  Verse four states, And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  Aaron, God's spokesman, took the the golden earrings and fashioned them into a golden calf and proclaimed it to be their god that had led them out of Egypt.  Aaron didn't just say this would be their god from now on, but he gave the golden calf credit for bringing them out of Egypt.  At this point, Aaron evidently didn't put his faith in God.  We can never afford to give credit to anything other than God for our success in the world.  If we do, this becomes our golden calf.  Verse five proclaims, And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.  Aaron built an altar before the golden calf and proclaimed that the next dy would be a day of feast before the LORD.  He was in effect attempting to turn this god that he had made into the real God.  No matter how hard we try, we can never turn God's creation into God.  Verse six adds, And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.  The next morning, the people of Israel, God's chosen people, got up early to worship the golden calf, then they ate, drank and rose up to play.  They were happy to have something to worship.  People today who do not worship God are going to look for something to worship and they will be happy to go about their lives feeling no need to worship the real God.  Verse seven proclaims, And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:  God told Moses to get down the mountain because Moses' people had corrupted themselves.  God did not say that His people had corrupted themselves, because at this point they were not His people.  They had turned away from God.  Though I do not believe that if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord that we will ever stop being a child of God, I do believe that our actions may at times cause us to act as someone other than a child of God.  Verse eight adds,They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  God told Moses exactly what the people had done.  They quickly turned away from God and made their own god, attributing it with having delivered them from Egypt.  I wonder how often God's people turn away from Him today because they become impatient in waiting on His answers.  After sll God had done for them, they quickly turned away from Him.  Vere nine continues, And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:  God pronounced the people of Israel, His chosen people who He had delivered from Egypt and blessed with so much to be a stiff necked people.  We can never afford to be stiff necked people in our relationship with God if we are followers of Christ.  We must never attempt to attribute the things that God blesses us with to anything other than God's blessings.  All that we have belongs to God.  Verse ten concludes, Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.  God told Moses to leave Him alone so that He would not consume the people of Israel in His wrath.  God has every right to consume those who do not believe in Him by His wrath, but He chooses to act in mercy instead.

Exodus 31:12 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Moses always recognized when God spoke to him, and so must we.  We cannot just assume that we know what God wants without first listening to what God has to say.  Verse thirteen states, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.  God again told Moses to tell the people of Israel to keep the sabbath.  It was a sign between God and them and was to kept forever.  As stated before, we today observe the Lord's Day, or Sunday, as our sabbath, but it should still be kept holy to God.  This is our day to rest and worship God.  Verse fourteen adds, Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.  Not keeping the sabbath brought a death penalty.  We might have a lot fewer people who profess to be Christians today if everyone of them who does not keep the sabbath, or the Lord's Day, holy were put to death.  Verse fifteen continues, Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.  God again told Moses that the people of Israel were to work six days a week then rest to keep the sabbath holy.  We only work five days a week normally, and still too often fail to keep the Lord's Day, our sabbath, holy  Verse sixteen states, Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.  Since God put so much emphasis on keeping the sabbath perpetually, I believe that we can say that it was and is important to do so.  Verse seventeen declares, It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.  This was to be a sign between the people and Israel and God.  The sabbath would have no meaning to those who were not God's people, just as the Lord's Day has no meaning to those who are not followers of Christ today.  Verse eighteen adds, And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.  These were the Ten Commandments, written by God's finger.  Again, these were not Moses commandments that he thought up, but the commandments of God.  They are till His commandments today.

Exodus 31:1 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Verse two adds, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:  God again spoke to Moses and told him that He had called Bezaleel, and then God further identified Bezaleel.  There could be no mistake about who God had called.  When God calls us for a purpose today, there can be no mistake about who He has called.  Verse three continues, And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,  God called Bezaleel and He equipped him to do the job he was called for.  Not everyone is called to the same purpose in Go's kingdom, but whatever a person is called for, God will equip that person to do what he or she is called to do.  Verse four states, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,  Moses was called as God's spokesman, Aaron and his sons as priests, and Bezaleel as a craftsman.  As long as they were fulfilling their role, none was superior to the other because of their role.  Today, I believe that preachers and teachers are not superior to other Christians, as long as all are doing what God has called them to do.  Verse five adds, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.  Bezaleel was to be a great craftsman, not because of some innate ability, but because God had given him this talent.  We today need to acknowledge that God gives us the ability to do whatever He calls us to do.  It is not some great innate talent that allows us to fulfill God's calling, but God's empowering us to do what He calls us to do.  Often, God calls a person to do something that the that person may feel very unequipped to do, so that he or she has to rely on God to carry out the calling.  Of course, whether we feel that we are capable of following God's calling or not, we should always rely on God to empower us.  Verse six declares, And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;  God specified another person, Aboliah, who was called to help Bezaleel in doing what God was to have them do.  We are never alone in doing God's work, and all that are filled with God's wisdom will recognize this.  Just as there were to be other unnamed individuals to help Bezaleel and Aboliah, there are many people at work in God's kingdom today that we may never know by name, but this does not make them less important in God's kingdom.  Verse seven says, The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,  Then verse eight states, And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense,  Verse nine adds, And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot,  Verse ten continues, And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office,  Then verse eleven concludes, And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.  God had given Moses the plans for the tabernacle, and now He calling the people to build the tabernacle according to His plans.  I will state again, we all have a purpose in God's kingdom if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord, and we must all work together to carry out God's plans.  No one is unimportant.

Exodus 30:22 says, Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Once again God spoke to Moses, just as He will speak to us daily if we are followers of Christ and are listening.  Verse twenty-three states, Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,  Verse twenty-four adds, And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:  Verse twenty-five concludes, And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.  All these spices were to be made into an anointing oil.  Matthew Henry says there is no agreement as to why these particular spices were used, except that they were the finest and were specified by God.  Verse twenty-six declares, And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,   This anointing oil mixture was to be used to anoint the tabernacle and the ark of the testimony.  Coming into God's presence was not an ordinary thing then, and though we are continually in God's presence as followers of Christ, we should never take God for granted.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense,  Verse twenty-eight continues, And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.  Then verse twenty-nine concludes, And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.  Everything in the tabernacle was to be anointed, so that it would be sanctified and holy unto God.  Then, everything that touched it would be holy also.  The world does not overcome the holiness of God, even if they do not accept Him.  Whenever we come in to God's presence, we are on holy ground.  Verse thirty says, And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.  Next, Moses was to anoint Aaron and his sons so that they might minister to God.  We today are anointed by the blood of Christ as Christians when we come into God's presence to do what He has called us to do.  We must never think that we are just to do what we think should be done by our own ability, but must rely on God's guidance and power to do what He calls us to do.  Verse thirty-one states, And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.  The children, or people, of Israel were to be told why this was being done and it was to be done throughout the generations.  God's word was never intended to be a temporary thing.  Verse thirty-two declares, Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.  This anointing oil was not to be poured on anyone else and it was not to be duplicated.  This anointing oil was holy to God and was to be holy to the people of Israel.  Today, we are made holy to God by our faith in Christ, and there is no other way to be made holy.  Verse thirty-three adds, Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.  There was a penalty for attempting to duplicate the anointing oil or for putting it on a stranger.  There is a penalty today for attempting to find another way to salvation other than through Christ.  Any of the people of Israel who attempted to do this would be cut off from God's people, just as those today who attempt to find salvation through any way except through the blood of Christ will be cot off from God's people.  Verse thirty-four says, And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:  Then verse thirty-five adds, And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:  Moses was to make a sweet perfume out of the spices that God specified.  Verse thirty-six continues, And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.  This perfume was to be put before the testimony of the tabernacle, where God would meet them.  Verse thirty-seven declares, And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.  As with the anointing oil, the people were not to attempt to duplicate the perfume for their own use.  As already stated, we must never attempt to duplicate God's saving grace with plans of our own.  Verse thirty-eight adds,Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.  The same penalty applied as for duplicating the anointing oil.  Whoever did this would be cut off from the people of  Israel.  We must come to God in obedience to His word and salvation plan if we are not to be cut off from His people.