The Listener’s Bible Commentary

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  Leviticus 21-22 19.08.2026 28分

  Leviticus 21-22   Leviticus 21-22 provided special instructions for the priests. Leviticus 18-20 were addressed to the entire congregation of Israel and dealt mostly with holiness in everyday life. Since Israel as a whole is set apart for the Lord (=holy) to be a holy nation, chapters 18-20 detailed some of the ways they had to be distinct and different from the nations personally, socially, and ritually.  But here in Leviticus 21-22 we shift to the priests. Since they are set apart as a special holy class within the nation, these chapters describe some of the ways hey had to be distinct and different from the rest of Israel.  So these chapters record what might be called "priestly holiness."  BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Special Study: How Do the Laws of Leviticus Apply Today? 12.08.2026 35分

  Special Study: How Do the Laws of Leviticus (and the rest of the Torah) Apply Today?   Some of the Laws of the Torah seem easy to apply. For example, love your neighbor as yourself is found in Leviticus 19:18. Others feel foreign. The very next verse tells us not to wear a garment woven of two kinds of fabric (Leviticus 19:19). There are plenty of laws that seem strange or even impossible to keep in modern culture. So how do such laws apply today? In this special study we show why one common approach--breaking the laws into civil, ceremonial, and moral-- isn't the best way to approach such laws.  Instead we recommend treating the laws as part of God's covenant with Israel and thus no longer our covenant in Christ. We are not under the Law. But at the same time, the Law is still Scripture for us and instructive to us as Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17.  We end by recommending an approach for applying the values and wisdom of the laws to our life and world today.  BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Leviticus 18-20 05.08.2026 32分

  Leviticus 18-20   Leviticus 18-20 is usually called "The Holiness Code." It details God's instructions to Israel for holy living in routine matters of everyday life. Holiness mean different, distinct, set apart for God's purposes. If Israel is going to be a holy nation (cf. Exodus 19:6), then they need to be different from the nations around them. They must be holy as God is holy.  BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com   GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give   STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Leviticus 17 29.07.2026 20分

  Why does the Bible say not to eat meat with blood in it?  Leviticus 17 answers that question by focusing on the sacredness of blood. God gave animal blood for the purpose of atonement. Therefore, now that the tabernacle is operational, the only legitimate sacrifices are those offered at the tabernacle, and all meat must have blood drained from it.    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Leviticus 16 22.07.2026 29分

  Leviticus 16   Leviticus 16 records the instructions for the Day of Atonement celebration. This annual day of fasting and worship provided atonement for the Tabernacle and for all the sins of Israel. It finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus whose death provided full and final cleansing from sin.    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Leviticus 11-15, pt. 3 15.07.2026 28分

  Leviticus 11-15, pt. 3 Leviticus 11-15 gives Israel instructions for ritual purity, so that they can honor God by drawing near to his sacred tent in a ritually pure state. These chapters make clear what causes ritual impurity and what they need to do in order to be clean again. All of this is part of God's covenant with Israel.  This recording wraps up these instructions by looking at the instructions on ritually defiling infestations in houses and bodily discharges. It these gives some theological reflections that helps us see why these laws matter and how they prepare the way for Christ.     BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Leviticus 11-15, pt. 2 08.07.2026 25分

  Leviticus 11-15, pt. 2   Leviticus 11-15 gives Israel instructions for ritual purity, so that they can honor God by drawing near to his sacred tent in a ritually pure state. These chapters make clear what causes ritual impurity and what they need to do in order to be clean again. All of this is part of God's covenant with Israel.  This recording focuses on Leviticus 12-14 which deals with ritual purity in matters pertaining to the body: childbirth and various skin diseases.     BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Leviticus 11-15, pt. 1 01.07.2026 28分

  Leviticus 11-15, pt. 1   Why does the Bible say not to eat pork? What about all the food laws of the Bible?  Leviticus 11-15 gives Israel instructions for ritual purity, so that they can honor God by drawing near to his sacred tent in a ritually pure state. These chapters make clear what causes ritual impurity and what they need to do in order to be clean again.  This recording focuses on Leviticus chapter 11 which deals with clean and unclean foods.     BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Leviticus 8-10 24.06.2026 31分

  Leviticus 8-10   Leviticus 8-10 recounts the opening ceremonies for the Tabernacle, and it's important to remember where we’re at in the story of the Pentateuch (Torah).  The Israelites have come out of Egypt and they’re camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai. God has instructed them to build a sacred tent for him, so he can dwell among them. They have now done that. They just got the tabernacle set up! Then God has moved in… his glory came down from the mountain and moved into the tabernacle. And his glory and holiness are so great that no one can enter the tabernacle, not even Moses. That’s where Exodus ended  Leviticus picks up in chapters 1-7 with God inviting Moses to come near and God meets with Moses giving him instructions on 5 different sacrifices/offerings: whole burnt offering  grain offering  fellowship offering  purification/sin offering  guilt/restitution offering  Why all these offerings? Becasue these offerings are God’s gracious gift to the people so that they can draw near to God at his sacred tent and so that they can maintain their covenant relationship with him.  So the tabernacle is set up. They now know what they need to do to draw near to God. So now, it’s time to kick things off... it’s time to launch the worship of Yahweh at the Tabernacle.  Leviticus 8-10 details the inauguration of Tabernacle worship.    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Leviticus 4-7 17.06.2026 32分

  Leviticus 4-7    In Leviticus 1-7, God is giving Moses instructions for the 5 main sacrifices for Israel's worship at the Tabernacle. Chapters 1-3 details the first three. Leviticus 4-6 detail the next two, the sin (or better, purification) offering and the guilt or restitution offering.  These two offerings are very similar. It even says in these chapters “the guilt offering is like the sin offering.” They both deal with inadvertent wrongdoing that needs atonement. The key difference is that guilt offerings are for matters where restitution or repayment can be made as well. Also included in these chapters are some special instructions for the priests for all five offerings.  All of this is by way of the Lord’s gracious provision, making clear what he required and how they could come before him in a way that honors his holiness.    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Leviticus 1-3 10.06.2026 29分

  Leviticus 1-3   Leviticus opens like this: “Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying…” This makes it clear that it is continuing the story revealed in Exodus. Exodus ended like this: 40:34 -35 - Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. So while Leviticus is a separate book in our bibles, it’s still the same story. Leviticus records events that happen immediately after the tabernacle was set up… and it provides teaching related to worship, ritual purity, and holiness all because God is now living in their midst in the tabernacle.  The situation is this… God, the holy King of heaven and of Israel, has come to live right the middle of their camp in his own sacred, royal tent. His glory filled the tabernacle and  no one can enter, not even Moses. Leviticus picks up at this point and it’s going to provide instructions on what Israel needs to do to be able to draw near to God at the tabernacle: atonement will be need; ritual purity must be attended to; and holiness in all of life must also be attended to.  This is where we’re at in the story and this is what Leviticus is all about.  So, Leviticus 1-7 begins those instructions by providing instructions for the various sacrifices. There are 5 main sacrifices (with occasional variations on some of them). But 5 main ones: Burnt offering Grain offering Peace or Fellowship offerings  Sin/Purification offering Guilt/reparation offerings  Leviticus 1-3 provides instructions for the first three sacrifices.   BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net  
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  Ritual Purity and Atonement in Leviticus 03.06.2026 34分

  Ritual Purity and Atonement in Leviticus  Reading Leviticus can feel very foreign... we might even say it's weird. And a huge part of that is because all the rules about clean and unclean. These rules rules are addressing the state of ritual purity and ritual impurity.  Ritual impurity in the Ancient Near East (ANE) was a status rendering a person temporarily unfit to enter sacred spaces (temples) or interact with the divine. Think of it like proper protocol for entering the sanctuary and approaching the Holy…. there are just things you don’t do when approaching the Holy! So while the rules concerning ritual purity in Leviticus seem foreign to us (because they are!), to the ancient Israelite they were all very normal. In fact, an ancient Israelite might say to us, “Of course God gave us rules concerning ritual purity… it’s all very gracious of him … otherwise we’d have been in the same boat as the rest of the peoples and would not know how to approach him and enter his sacred space!” This session of The Listener's Commentary on Leviticus aims to help you understand Leviticus more by explaining ritual purity and atonement.    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net  
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  Introduction to Leviticus 27.05.2026 17分

  Introduction to Leviticus   For most of us, Leviticus is a challenging read! If Exodus was more challenging than Genesis, Leviticus ramps it up even further. The first seven chapters are procedures for sacrifices. Later,  there’s all sorts of teaching about clean and unclean foods and about behaviors that lead to ritual impurity and what to do about all that. A lot of the material in Leviticus is specifically for the priests, almost like a procedures manual.  And it all feels so…. weird and foreign (which it because it is!).   So in this recording I want to give a little backstory and introduction to Leviticus.    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  The Majesty of God, Leviticus, and Other News | Spring 2026 Update 20.05.2026 16分

  The Majesty of God, Leviticus, and Other News | Spring 2026 Update When spending lots of time in Exodus and Leviticus you can't miss the majesty and holiness of God. But at the same time, there's the mercy and intimacy of God. Let's reflect on that.  Here's a link to the sermon from Acts 5 that I mention in this update: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK7JrNb9Ays&pp=0gcJCQQLAYcqIYzv   Leviticus starts next week! So I share a few thoughts on Leviticus matters, plus a few other updates.    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Special Study: Slavery in the Torah 13.05.2026 27分

  Special Study: Slavery in the Torah    Laws concerning slavery appear in several places in the Torah (the Pentateuch). This can be troubling, since slavery is a persistent human evil. In this special study of The Listener's Bible Commentary, we give one guiding principle and six considerations that help us hear the slavery laws as the were intended to be heard. Our goal here is to prevent misunderstanding and promote a more full and accurate understanding because it’s too easy and too common for people to read what the Bible says through the lens of our modern experience and misunderstand what the Bible is actually communicating.    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Exodus 35-40 06.05.2026 23分

  This session provides a overview of Exodus 35-40 and what happens when God in all his glory moves from Mount Sinai into the Tabernacle.
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  Exodus 32-34, pt. 2 29.04.2026 32分

  Exodus 32-34, pt. 2   These chapters recount the famous "golden calf" incident, where Israel convince Aaron to set an idol in the form of gold bull and they worship it as their god who led them out of Egypt. In a real, sense this is the fall of Israel.  What makes it even more tragic and offensive is that they have just entered into their covenant with Yahweh less than 2 months ago and now they have violated that covenant. When Moses throws down and breaks the two tablets of the covenant, that action embodies what Israel has done. The covenant is broken.  So now, the threat of God's absence hangs over the camp of Israel. God has said he will not move in among... it's an act of mercy protecting them from his own holiness.  But Moses intervenes.  And God relents, agreeing to be with Moses and to go with the people.  One very important moment in part 2 is when God shows himself to Moses. He passes by and declares, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth; 7 who keeps faithfulness for thousands, who forgives wrongdoing, violation of His Law, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, inflicting the punishment of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” This is who God is and how he desires to be known. This is the most quoted passage of the Bible in the Bible. Our understanding of God should start here.    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Exodus 32-34, pt. 1 22.04.2026 27分

  Exodus 32-34, pt. 1   These chapters recount the famous "golden calf" incident, where Israel convince Aaron to set an idol in the form of gold bull and they worship it as their god who led them out of Egypt. In a real, sense this is the fall of Israel.  What makes it even more tragic and offensive is that they have just entered into their covenant with Yahweh less than 2 months ago and now they have violated that covenant. When Moses throws down and breaks the two tablets of the covenant, that action embodies what Israel has done. The covenant is broken.  And God's response is his just anger at their disloyalty.      BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Exodus 28-31 15.04.2026 33分

  Exodus 28-31   In Exodus 28-31 God give Moses the instructions for the priests clothing and for their ordination service. Then he gives the plans for the final few items needed for the tabernacle. The section ends with God handing Moses the two tablets containing the words of the Covenant.   BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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  Exodus 25-27 08.04.2026 28分

  Exodus 25-27   The main theme of the whole last section of Exodus - chapters 25-40 - is God presence in the midst of the Israelites. And the center of that is a specially designed royal tent where God will come to dwell right in the middle of the camp. We call this tent the Tabernacle.  In chapters 25-27 God begins giving Moses the blueprints for the Tabernacle.    BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener’s Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net