Question #1: 1.) Exodus 32:27- Did the Levites murder everyone who was non-levite? Was it just the men or or all people they came across? Were they Levites not guilty of participating in the golden calf incident too?
This in one instance where the original Hebrew helps us to better understand what is going on here. In verse 27 where in the ESV it says "go to and fro" the Hebrew word does not indicate a wandering about just randomly killing people. The Hebrew word indicates a careful, systematic, thorough search. It was a careful searching out, not a haphazard killing of whoever. With that indication (and since many people who were involved in the golden calf incident who weren't killed) we can conclude that the Levites asked people if they were going to follow God and repent of their sin or not. Those who said no, were killed, those who said yes were spared. The Levites were indeed guilty in participation in the golden calf incident as well. The way in which they demonstrated their repentance was their willingness to kill family, friends, and neighbors who refused to repent and worship God alone. It appears that only men were killed.
2.) Why are so many of the incredibly detailed instructions for the Tabernacle, etc. seemingly repeated (almost word for word) a second time?
Certainly doesn’t make for riveting once, let alone two times. Neither do the directions to assemble the new entertainment center, but they’re important as were the directions in building the temple. Why twice? It’s not uncommon in biblical literature for messages to be repeated. We see that in the Psalms and Proverbs, even Jesus’ genealogy (although in different formats).
As we think about the reasons for such detailed directions, it should be noted that a church building (the temple) was a markedly different venue for worshipping God. It wasn’t like there were previous temples from which to model their work or other churches on which to base their building efforts.
Plus God probably didn’t want to trust this building to a freelance effort. After all, how quickly did the Israelites stray when Moses was up on the mountain for 40 days. Left to their own design, the Israelites would have probably added a few golden calves to the direction.
Is there any application we can garner from this?
I think the main point we can gain is that God is a God of order. Look at creation.
I also am reminded of I Corinthians 14:33 — God is not a God of disorder, but of peace.
The focus there was speaking in tongues, women speaking in church and orderly worship. God’s ways are orderly. Satan’s ways aren’t. Part of the reason we see such disorder in the world today.
3.) What does it mean that God changed his mind/relented in Exodus 32?
Response:
In seems absurd to say, that GOD changed HIS mind, after all, the scripture is replete with verses like Malachi 3:6, “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”
Based on the above verses, it is ridiculous to say God can change HIS mind. But, in Exodus 32 it shows that God relented. it seems that there may be two things: perhaps the word ‘relented’ isn’t the appropriate word to use in this context and examining the verses if God’s declaration was conditional or unconditional. First, perhaps the writer of Exodus may have only a limited way of describing God’s pain as He saw the condition of His people. As such, using feelings of finite humanity to ascribe to the heart of the infinite God to help us (humans) understand God’s work from a human perspective. Consider, Exodus 32: 7- 10. In snapshot, God told Moses to go down to his (Moses’s) people, God describes the people as stiff-necked, God is vexed because Moses’s people were quick to turn away from HIM. We can see and understand how God can be upset about the attitude of HIS people.
God’s declaration can either be conditional or unconditional. An example of unconditional declaration from God are His promises towards man, for example, II Samuel 7:16; Genesis 17: 4 – 5, etc. Here, I see it to be conditional. Verse 10 opines on the conditionality – God orders Moses to leave His presence so that His anger may burn against them. Why would God say, Moses leave…? Because, as long as Moses is in His presence, Moses will continually intercede and plead not for destruction but for life, see verses 11 – 13. This conditionality is also similar to what we find in Genesis 18: 16 – 33; Jeremiah 18: 7 – 11.
Thus, as long as there is an attempt to try to influence a life to God’s truth, to repentance, to change a heart, our God will always relent. So, while He is unchanging and unchangeable. He is also all-wise. He cannot “change His mind” in the sense of realizing a mistake, backtracking, and trying a new approach.
4.) What does it mean that Moses saw God in Exodus 33 when it states in the NT that no one has seen God?
There is actually not a contradiction here because as we see in verse 20 Moses did not see the full presence of God from his front, but instead as God's glory passed by Moses was hidden from seeing God's face. Verse 20, "'But, he said, 'you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.' And the Lord said, 'Behold there is a place by my where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.'"
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