Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• The creation of man 2:4-17
  2:4 Having related the creation of the universe as we know it, God next inspired Moses to explain for his readers what became of it.129Sin entered it and devastated it."The destiny of the human creation is to live in God's wo...
• II. PATRIARCHAL NARRATIVES 11:27--50:26
  One of the significant changes in the emphasis that occurs at this point in Genesis is from cursing in the primeval record to blessing in the patriarchal narratives. The Abrahamic Covenant is most important in this respect. H...
• Scope
  Exodus embraces about 431 years of history, from the arrival of Jacob and his family in Egypt (ca. 1876 B.C.) to the erection of the tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai (ca. 1445 B.C.). However 1:1-7 is a review of Jacob's ...
• Outline
  I. The liberation of Israel 1:1-15:21A. God's preparation of Israel and Moses chs. 1-41. The growth of Jacob's family 1:1-72. The Israelites' bondage in Egypt 1:8-223. Moses' birth and education 2:1-104. Moses' flight from Eg...
• B. The establishment of the Mosaic Covenant 19:1-24:11
  The Lord had liberated Israel from bondage in Egypt, but now He adopted the nation into a special relationship with Himself."Now begins the most sublime section in the whole Book. The theme of this section is supremely signif...
• 3. The response of the Israelites 20:18-21
  The rest of this section contains the record of the Israelites' reaction to the giving of the Law and God's reason for giving it as He did. He wanted the people to reverence Him and therefore not to sin (v. 20).343"It can be ...
• The altar of burnt offerings 27:1-8
  The height of this altar was 5 feet. This height has led some commentators to suggest that a step-like bench or ledge may have surrounded it on which the priests stood when they offered sacrifices.463In view of the command pr...
• 6. The investiture of the priests 27:20-28:43
  Here begins the revelation of those things that related to the Israelites' relationship with God (27:20-30:38). The preceding section (25:10-27:19) emphasized the revelation of the things that revealed God's character. The pr...
• 10. The sign of the Sabbath 31:12-18
  "As a sign of the Noahic covenant is the rainbow (Gen. 9:13), and as the sign of the Abrahamic covenant is circumcision (Gen. 17:11), the sign of the Mosaic covenant is the observance and celebration of the Sabbath day (Exod....
• 2. The re-establishment of fellowship ch. 33
  Breaking God's covenant resulted in the Israelites' separation from fellowship with Him. It did not terminate their relationship with Him, but it did hinder their fellowship with Him. Similarly when Christians sin we do not c...
• E. The construction and dedication of the objects used in Israel's worship chs. 35-40
  The renewal of the covenant made the erection of the tabernacle possible. Here begins what scholars refer to as the Code of the Priests (Exod. 35--Lev. 16). Having broken the covenant once, God proceeded to give His people mo...
• 2. Execution of the work 36:8-39:43
  Moses described the directions for constructing the tabernacle and its furnishings earlier (chs. 25-31). I will simply give a breakdown of the individual items here with references and parallel references (cf. also 35:11-19)....
• The tabernacle 36:8-38
  The hangings and coverings 36:8-19 (cf. 26:1-14)The boards and bars 36:20-34 (cf. 26:15-30)The veil and screen 36:35-38 (cf. 26:31-37)"The order of recounting the construction of the parts of the tabernacle is not the same as...
• The furniture, vessels, and courtyard 37:1-38:20
  The ark of the covenant 37:1-9 (cf. 25:10-22)The table of showbread 37:10-16 (cf. 25:23-30)The lampstand 37:17-24 (cf. 25:31-40)The altar of incense 37:25-28 (cf. 30:1-10)The anointing oil and incense 37:29 (cf. 30:22-28)The ...
• 3. The erection and consecration of the tabernacle ch. 40
  The Israelites erected the tabernacle on the first day of the first month, almost exactly one year after the Israelites left Egypt (vv. 2, 17). This was about nine months after Israel had arrived at Mt. Sinai (cf. 19:1).First...
• The rebellion of Korah and his followers ch. 16
  "As the laws increase and the constraints grow, the people seem less willing or less capable of following them. At this point in the narrative we see that the whole order of the priesthood is thrown open to direct confrontati...
• Israel's final rebellion and the termination of the older generation ch. 25
  This chapter contains one of the great failures of Israel that followed one of its great blessings.238As God was preparing to bless His people they were preparing to disobey Him."So now we come to the ultimate rebellion of Is...
• B. An exhortation to observe the law faithfully 4:1-40
  Moses turned in his address from contemplating the past to an exhortation for the future. This section is the climax of his first speech."The parallel between the literary structure of this chapter and that of the Near Easter...
• Ahaz's apostasy 16:10-18
  As Ahab had imported Baal worship from Phoenicia, so Ahaz imported a foreign altar from Damascus (cf. Jehoash's Edomite idols; 2 Chron. 25:14, 20). As Judah's king-priest, he led the nation in worshipping at an altar differen...
• 1. The removal of the ark from Kiriath-jearim ch. 13
  The lesson the writer intended this incident to teach the readers is that Yahweh is holy and His people should not take His presence among them lightly (cf. Lev. 10:1-11; Num. 16). God's presence is real, and His people must ...
• The temple plan 28:11-19
  God had revealed detailed plans for the temple to David (v. 19). Evidently God had instructed David as He had Moses (Exod. 25-31). The writer did not include all the details of the plan David received from the Lord any more t...
• The erection of the altar 3:1-6
  The text does not record exactly when the exiles arrived in Jerusalem, but it was probably sometime in 537 B.C. since Cyrus issued his decree in 538 B.C. The "seventh month"(v. 1) of the Jew's sacred calendar was Tishri (late...
• 6. Future invasion of the Promised Land chs. 38-39
  This is the sixth and last message that Ezekiel received from the Lord the night before the refugees reached the exiles with the message that Jerusalem had fallen (cf. 33:21-22). It too deals with God's plans for Israel in th...
• C. Ezekiel's vision of the return of God's glory chs. 40-48
  The Book of Ezekiel begins with a vision of God's glory (ch. 1), records the departure of God's glory (chs. 8-11), and ends with another vision of God's glory (chs. 40-48). This is the longest vision outside the Book of Revel...
• H. The four chariots 6:1-8
  There are several similarities between this last vision and the first one (1:7-17) indicating a return to ideas introduced at the beginning of this chiastic series of revelations. Again there is a group of horses of various c...
• The importance of keeping the faith 2:26-27
  2:26 The "these things"in view probably refer to what John had just written (vv. 18-25)."The author concludes his attack on the false teachers with a warning and a word of encouragement for his followers."992:27 The "anointin...