Final Instructions of Jehovah

(Exodus 31:1 - 31:18)

Jehovah instructed Moses further:

I personally single out Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, for I have endowed him not only with a righteous character, wisdom, and understanding, but with expertise in a variety of crafts; I appoint him to be in charge of all the work to be done in gold, silver and bronze, as well as the cutting, setting, and engraving of gemstones and the carving of wood.  Indeed, he is a master of many arts!  For his assistant I have chosen Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan.  I have lent skill to every worker so that they can construct all the things exactly as I have ordered them, the Tabernacle, the Chest of Sacred Records, the Judgment Seat that is its cover, all the furnishings of the Tabernacle, the table and vessels upon it, the menorah and its utensils, the incense altar and the sacrificial altar, the wash basin and its stand, the finely made garments, the sacred vestments for the priesthood of both Aaron and his sons, the Sacred Oil of Anointment and the fragrant Sacred Incense for the Sanctum, all in accordance with my instructions. 

Jehovah advised Moses:

Speak to the people of Israel and tell them, "See that you keep the Sabbath faithfully, for it is an everlasting sign between me and you and your descendants that you recognize me as your god and that I sanctify you.  Therefore, you must observe the Sabbath and regard it as sacred.  Anyone who profanes it should be put to death; anyone who does work on that day must be eradicated from the community.  You must accomplish all your work in six days, for the seventh day is the Sabbath, a day of rest holy to Jehovah.  Whoever does work on the Sabbath should certainly be put to death.  It will then be a perpetual contract with the people of Israel and all those in coming generations to observe the Sabbath,   For all times to come it must be a sign between me and the people of Israel: for six days Jehovah labored to create the earth and sky and on the seventh day he ceased from work to rest and refresh himself.

When Jehovah had concluded his audience with Moses on Mount Sinai, he put into his hands two tablets of stone personally inscribed by Jehovah and containing lists of the laws to be observed by the Israelites as a part of their contract with him. 

Notes
1.  That Jehovah seems familiar with the skills of his people and who is best able to accomplish the works of craftsmanship he has ordered is impressive, but, after all, he is supposed to be omniscient, (although there has been little evidence of that).  The men chosen have skill and good sense, not due to any virtue or effort on their part, but only because Jehovah has specifically saw fit to endow them with such abilities and faculties.  Everything seems to be a gift from Jehovah,everyone must be grateful to Jehovah for everything.  No one can even develop skill as a craftsman without it being a divine endowment, rather than a personal achievement.

2. As we have seen, Jehovah reveals himself to be a surprisingly nut-and-bolts fellow, not above micro-managing the dull, technical stuff.  Apparently he doesn't think Moses is competent enough to know who among his people is a good carpenter or goldsmith.  But that might really be the case.  It must be considered that Moses did not live with his enslaved people, but with the Egyptians and the  Midians.  He might not have many acquaintances or contacts or be very savvy about the ways and doings of his people, as, say, Aaron would certainly be.  (A fact Jehovah was probably aware of when he made Aaron Moses' spokesman and intercessor.)   Moses, though a Hebrew by birth and now, by adoption, would have been perceived as an outsider by the Israelites he led. 

3. Again Jehovah harps on the observance of the Sabbath.  Now, the death penalty for anyone who works on his day!  There is nothing in the rationale for the observance of the Sabbath that concerns the well being of man, for instance, the physical and mental health benefits of taking a day off once a week.  It is, as always, all about Jehovah, his prerogatives and his worshipers’ duties to him.

4.  As a departing gift, Jehovah places into Moses’ hands two tablets on which are written the laws that were to observed by the Israelites as part of their contract with Jehovah.  (The Hebrew is somewhat vague here, resulting in translations like “tables of testimony,” or “tablets of the covenant.” I have, consequently, added quite a few words to make the meaning clear.)  The stone tablets, which are later said to be have written on both sides, were presumably inscribed or engraved by Jehovah himself.  (Was this done as an honor to the Israelites, or did Jehovah not have a scribe handy?)  It is not clear, but suggested that the first tablet contained a list of the laws and that the second tablet was a duplicate of the first.  As we have commented before, they could not have been written in Hebrew, a language that would not exist for hundreds of years, but must have been written in some form of Egyptian hieroglyphics, unless Jehovah wrote them in his own language, whatever that might be.