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After God spoke the Ten Commandments to the Children of Israel they were too afraid to listen to God again. So Moses went back up the mountain and spoke to God.

God had hoped that His people would listen to Him and see how far reaching the Ten Commandments really were. Unfortunately, they were too frightened that they did not even understand the basics of them, let alone the far reaching side of them. So God had to give Moses all sorts of laws that dealt with the everyday things of life.

Moses went back down to the people and told them everything that God had told him. They promised that every thing that the Lord had said they would do. Moses wrote all the words of the Lord in a book.

The next morning Moses rose up early and built an altar under the hill. He made twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. He then sent young men to sacrifice peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord. Moses took the book of the covenant and read it out to all the people. They replied, "All that the Lord hath said we will do, and be obedient." This covenant was then confirmed with the blood of the oxen.

Once again Moses returned to the mountain to worship God afar off. This time he took Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, because this is what God had asked him to do. These men saw the God of Israel. Under His feet it was like a pave work of clear sapphire stones. Sapphires are very pretty blue stones. God called Moses to come up to Him to receive His Ten Commandments written on tables of stone.

Leaving behind all the others to look after things at the camp, Moses went part of the way up with Joshua. For six days cloud covered the mount, and on the seventh day God called Moses out of the cloud. To the Children of Israel the glory of the Lord on the mount was like a burning fire. However, Moses went into the cloud and was there for forty days and forty nights.

While up on the mount God showed Moses a pattern of something He wanted him to build. That something was called the Tabernacle or Sanctuary. God showed Moses exactly how to build it and what materials to use. He told Moses how to make all the different pieces of furniture, all the utensils, curtains, and everything else that had to be made.

Moses was to make an Ark of the Covenant, a mercy seat, a table of shew bread, a seven branched candlestick or oil lamp, an altar of incense, a laver or big wash basin, and an altar of sacrifice. Curtains of red, purple and scarlet embroided with special angels, pure white linen curtains, posts to hold up the curtains, boards covered with gold for walls, plus many bowls, spoons, snuffers for the lamps, and many other things.

God named special people who were to do certain jobs. Bezaleel the son of Uri, was gifted in working with gold, silver, and brass; in the cutting and setting of stones; and in the carving of timber. God also chose Aholiab the son of Ahisamach to help Bezaleel. God also put wisdom in all the wise hearted men so that they would be able to build the beautiful Sanctuary just like God had shown Moses.

Moses was to ask the people for free will offerings of gold, silver, brass, blue, purple and scarlet linen, fine linen, goat's hair, rams' skins dyed red, badger's skins, shittim wood, oil, spices, and all sorts of precious stones. No body was to be forced to give anything. Whatever they gave, they had to give willingly.

God also told Moses about who would work in His special Sanctuary, what they would wear and do. They were to be called priests and wear the special clothes that were made for them. These men were to set themselves aside from usual daily work to serve the Lord in His Sanctuary. God also told Moses about the special sacrifices that would be done in this special place.

After telling all of these things to Moses, God then told him to tell the children of Israel that His Sabbath was a sign between Him and them that He was their God who makes them holy. They were to remember to keep His Sabbath and anyone who didn't was to be put to death. For God worked for six days, and rested on the seventh day. It was to be observed throughout all their generations as a perpetual covenant between them and God. Then God gave Moses two very special pieces of stone. On these two pieces of stone God had written His Holy Law with His own finger.

Finally it was time to go back down the mountain. What a lot of information must have been running around in Moses head. He had to remember every single little thing that God had told him during those forty days. I am sure that God helped him do this. Don't you?

Like Moses, God has told us many things in His Holy Word the Bible. God expects us to remember lots of things from this book, but He also helps us to do this.

(Exodus 20:20-26; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30; 31.)