Exodus
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A Note of Introduction Hello! I’m thrilled that you’re interested in studying God’s Word with me! Before you jump into this study of Exodus, allow me to introduce myself and explain what this study is about. I am a full time wife and mom who loves to teach God’s Word through our local church and through blogging. These studies spring from my training in the Bible department at Cedarville University, alongside my own study of the Scriptures and time teaching Bible studies based on the Old Testament books. What you will find in this e-book is a “big picture” overview of Exodus. I trust that what I have written here will be useful and helpful for you, but in no way is this intended to be read in lieu of your own Bible study. In fact, as you progress through these studies I assume that you are reading and studying on your own as we go. These are my words, not God’s. While I strive to be accurate in my explanations and applications, and while I have found these things to be true in my study of the Scriptures, nothing can take the place of your own time reading the Bible itself. I pray that as you open your Bible to this magnificent book, that God will challenge and excite you through the study of His Word. I also pray that through looking at the “big picture” of what God is doing in history that you will gain a deeper understanding of your own need for Jesus Christ and grow in your daily walk with Him. May God bless you! -
^Ü|áà|
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7 Page 1
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He has not forgotten
Image by Christopher Chan via Flickr
As we move into Exodus, let's quickly remember God's three promises to Abraham in the book of Genesis: Land, nation, and leader. Where do we stand with the three aspects of God's promise? Land: They're in Egypt. Nice land, not theirs. Nation: There are only 70 of them. Big family, but not a nation. Leader: The last verse of Genesis sums this up well: So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. (50:26) So cheery. The point: our only "leader" is very dead - we're still waiting for the Seed! Now, as we start Exodus, there is a 400 year gap between the events at the end of Genesis and the events of Exodus. And all is not well in Egypt. A new pharaoh is in power who is unfamiliar with Joseph's story. He looks around his land, sees this mighty group of foreign people who have remained separate unto themselves, and obviously comes to the conclusion that they are a great threat to national security. The answer? Enslave them. Oppress them. Kill their sons. The midwives didn't cooperate with that, so then he ordered all the baby boys to be thrown into the Nile! Now, if you were an Israelite living in the middle of these circumstances, what might you be thinking about God? [Remember, it has been 400 years since His last recorded interaction with His people. They're in slavery. Their children are being brutally murdered. Oh, and don't forget - they have no written Scriptures at this point - Moses was the one who penned Genesis!] God must not know! Maybe He doesn't care? Are the gods of Egypt too powerful for Him? Was He just a god of the past, living and active only for our fathers? In the middle of this, one small boy, miraculously spared by his mother's great faith and Pharaoh’s daughter's compassion, grows up to be the man we know as Moses. Moses grows up, kills an Egyptian for mistreating one of the Hebrews, and flees to Midian. At this point, please throw out any mental images that are coming to mind from Dreamwork's Prince of Egypt. Overall, good movie. But, I don't think it's likely that Moses had no idea who he was. And then, God shows up.
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http://www.krististephens.com In a burning bush. In the middle of nowhere. To a runaway murderer (who stutters). And this is awesome: as God explains to Moses what He will do, He directly answers the questions we mentioned above. God must not know! I have surely seen the affliction of My people… for I am aware of their sufferings. (3:7) Maybe He doesn't care? …and have given heed to their cry (3:7) …I am indeed concerned… (3:16) Are the gods of Egypt too powerful for Him? I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians… (3:8) Was He just a god of the past, living and active only for our fathers? I AM… this is My memorial-name to all generations. (3:15) God never forgot! He is the I AM - He never ceased to exist, nothing can spin out of His control. He is the self-existent, completely powerful, faithful promise-keeper. Perhaps you, at times, have felt that God has forgotten you. Abandoned you. Has lost control. Friend, He is the I AM. His plans and timetable are often far different from our own. We never fully understand His ways and why certain things happen. But He is indeed concerned. Trust Him even when you don't understand Him. Trust Him because you don't understand Him - His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are higher than ours. Hallelujah - I wouldn't want me in control of the universe! Psalm 103:1-7 (NLT) I bless the holy name of God with all my heart. Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the glorious things he does for me. He forgives all my sins. He heals me. He ransoms me from hell. He surrounds me with loving-kindness and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things! My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! He gives justice to all who are treated unfairly. He revealed his will and nature to Moses and the people of Israel.
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The King of kings and Lord of lords
Image from Bible Picture gallery: http://www.instonebrewer.com/bpg2009 As we continue on through the book of Exodus, we will be skipping a lot of events in order to focus on some major lessons. Make sure you read Exodus in your own Bible! (again, www.biblegateway.com is a great resource). In Exodus 4:31, we have the people's response to the message that God indeed was still working. "And when they realized that the Lord had seen their misery and was deeply concerned for them, they all bowed their heads and worshiped." (NLT) He had not forgotten. He had not lost control. He had heard their cries. He is the I Am, the powerful promisekeeper. Now, after this Moses goes in to see Pharaoh for the first time. His response was not quite as enthusiastic as the Israelites'. “Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.” (5:2, NLT) "I do not know the Lord!" Indeed he did not. So, God will introduce Himself. Page 4
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These plagues were not random acts of terrorism that God was inflicting on a people He didn't like. There is a bigger picture going on here - a theological one. Think back to your 9th grade world history class, and as you sort through the cobwebs in your mind, try to remember everything you learned about ancient Egypt. Obviously, mummies, pyramids, and a sphinx probably come to mind. All of those things were very religious - Egypt was, in fact, a very "religious" place. They were devoted to a whole pantheon of gods from Ra (the sun god) down to the god of the Nile who brought fertility to the land. As God begins the series of plagues on Egypt, each seems to answer a god that Egypt worshipped. He uses what their "god" was supposedly in control of and used to bless them in order to destroy them. The message: There is only one God worthy of worship. He is the I Am. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. There is also a repetition throughout the account of the plagues that must be noticed. A continual refrain of "you shall know that I am the LORD" (or variations) beats throughout this story. Again, these plagues were not random - they are theological statements. Below I have highlighted a few plagues, the statements about God's supremacy, and noted the Egyptian god probably being addressed. (the information about Egyptian gods was taken from "The Plagues and the Exodus" by Dr. David Livingston). Nile turning to blood: 7:17-18 Now the Lord says, “You are going to find out that I am the Lord.” Look! I will hit the water of the Nile with this staff, and the river will turn to blood. The fish in it will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink any water from the Nile.’ ” **Hapi, spirit of the Nile in flood and "giver of life to all men." Plague of frogs: 8:9-10 “You set the time!” Moses replied. “Tell me when you want me to pray for you, your officials, and your people. I will pray that you and your houses will be rid of the frogs. Then only the frogs in the Nile River will remain alive.” “Do it tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. “All right,” Moses replied, “it will be as you have said. Then you will know that no one is as powerful as the Lord our God..." **The frog-headed goddess, Hekt, played a part in "creation." Hers was one of the oldest fertility cults in Egypt. But she could not control the fertility of a these frogs! Plague of hail: 9:14 I will send a plague that will really speak to you and your officials and all the Egyptian people. I will prove to you that there is no other God like me in all the earth. 9:16 But I have let you live for this reason—that you might see my power and that my fame might spread throughout the earth. **The sky goddess Nut was the mother of the sun-god Ra. She was especially culpable in this plague in that she was supposed to protect the land from destructions which came down from heaven. Death of the firstborn: 12:12 I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! **The last plague was not only against the supreme god of Egypt, Pharaoh himself, but also against the future pharaoh, his son, the very next god (Horus) of Egypt.
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The last plague, the death of the firstborn, was obviously the most painful for the Egyptians. It also is one of the most powerful illustrations of salvation in the Old Testament for the Hebrews. If you have ever been to a large museum that houses Egyptian artifacts, you probably have seen the stone doorframes which were common in Egypt. Around the sides and top, hieroglyphs would be carved. These are basically the names of Egyptian gods that the people of the house were claiming as their gods and asking for protection. Anyone who believed God at this point was instructed to kill a lamb, smear the blood across the doorframes of their houses, putting their trust in God alone to save them. In other words: 1. On their own they were facing death (Romans 3:23: For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.) 2. No other god could save them - the only marking visible on that door would be the blood (John 14:6: Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.) 3. They had to have a lamb die in their place (Romans 3:25: For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.) It is the only way. We are marked for death by our own sin and rebellion against God. The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, has died in our place and shed His blood for us. Our own efforts, the "gods" that we worship cannot save us: good works, humanitarianism, intelligence, the faith of our families, material wealth, etc. We must cover those things up with the blood of Christ, knowing that nothing else will save us. Only Him. Because the Lamb died, I live.
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Daily Bread
Image from wikipedia Exodus 16:2-3 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (NKJV) Oh, dear. We are so quick to forget. In a very short period of time, these people have been reintroduced to the God of their fathers. He has answered their cries and addressed their questions - He had not fogotten them or the promises He had made to their fathers, He had not lost control, He was aware of their sufferings, and He was indeed the one supreme God - the King of kings and Lord of lords. They had seen the plagues and how they had been miraculously spared, they had walked out of the captivity and oppression of Egypt, God had split the red sea and allowed them to cross on dry ground, and then they were firsthad witnesses of the complete destruction of the Egyptian army. And now... “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Seriously?? And then God mercifully answers - You think your oppressors in Egypt can provide meat and bread better than the creator of the universe, better than the I AM?
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http://www.krististephens.com And He provides. Bread from heaven, meat on a delivery schedule. “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ” Exodus 16:12 [By the way, the word "manna" simply means, "What is it?" They had never had anything like it and didn't know what to call it, so they called it, "What is it?"!!] And so it was that for years in the wilderness, the people would wake up in the morning, open their tent flap, and sure enough... the I Am, Yahweh, the Powerful Promisekeeper had provided again. Every single day they were completely dependent on His miraculous provision. And every single day He provided. In fact, if they didn't trust Him and decided to gather extra, thinking that He might not come through the next day... lo and behold, they had a stinky jar of maggots. Why?!? God isn't just on some sort of power trip! What is the purpose of them not gathering ahead? Exodus 16:4 And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. This was a daily test: do you trust Me? Do you believe that I AM who I say I AM, that I will do what I say I will do? Will you believe and obey? Normally, we are not so obviously forced to be dependent on God for the basics of food and water. We have the perception of control, thinking that we go to work, we make money, we buy what we need, and then say a prayer over the meal as we eat. Have we truly internalized, as the Israelites were supposed to do, that every single thing we have is from the hand of God? The lie that we deserve ____ is incredibly dangerous in our walk with God. In Deuteronomy 6:10-12, Moses is warning the Israelites of this tendency. “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Beware, lest you forget. Don't forget who gave you the ability to work, who has kept you healthy and strong and mentally able to earn money. Don't forget that we don't deserve anything other than hell - that's all we have "earned" by our own efforts apart from Him!! He gave us grace - He gave us life, salvation through Christ, daily access to Him, lives with purpose, and ultimately a home in heaven with Him. When we really understand what it means that God provides our daily bread - that everything we have is a gift from Him, we have begun to understand the fullness of God's grace and forgiveness. And when we understand grace, we are compelled to show it to others.
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Matthew 6:11-12 Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
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Covenants, Old and New
Image from wikipedia Luke 22:20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you..." (NKJV) Those words are probably familiar with anyone who has spent much time in churches where the Lord's supper (communion) is celebrated. Sometimes, because we usually lack a solid understanding of the Old Testament (and the Old Covenant), we fail to really appreciate what Jesus was saying here. Let's take a look. In Exodus 19:5-6a, God makes a tremendous offer to Israel. ‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ The people enthusiastically agree in verse 8: Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” Much like a marriage, Israel is entering a unique covenant relationship with God. In fact, throughout Scripture God refers to Israel as a wife (usually an unfaithful one!) And like a marriage, this is a 2-sided covenant. Notice God's stated condition: if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant. Chapters 20-23 are a bit like a "preview" of the rest of the law before the covenant is officially ratified. We will discuss more in future posts why the law was (and is) important. What we are going to focus on today is the three-part process of ratification, or official enactment, of the covenant in chapter 24. Please read this whole chapter on your own, as I will only be pulling out a few verses here. **Part One: Blood** Exodus 24:7-8 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”
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http://www.krististephens.com What is the deal with the blood??? In ancient times, if someone wanted to solemnly swear and oath and "cut covenant," they would take some animals, cut them in two, and arrange them so that the two people who were forming a covenant would walk through the halves. Disgusting, but meaningful. The idea was: if I break my end of this agreement, may I be like these poor animals here. May this be like my blood. [Check out Genesis 15 - that is exactly what God is doing with Abraham. Only... Abraham doesn't walk through! Only God does! His promises to Abraham were unconditional, because Abraham didn't have any conditions to fulfill in the covenant!!] As Moses sprinkles the blood all over the people, this was a solemn thing. They understood what was happening: if I break my end of this 2-sided covenant, my blood is on my own head. **Part Two: Meal** Exodus 24:9-11 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank. This is definitely one of those passages that seems like should tell us more! But, apparently this is all we need to know. As they ratify the covenant, the leadership of Israel goes up the mountain and literally has a meal with God. **Part Three: Writing** Exodus 24:12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.” This is pretty self-explanatory - God writes out the covenant on tablets of stone and instructs Moses to teach the people. Now... what does this have to do with communion?? I know I've never heard a communion message from Exodus!! :) Let's go through the 3-part process of ratification for the new covenant. **Part One: Blood** Luke 22:20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. Remember the Old Covenant? The blood was sprinkled on them, symbolizing their blood! You break this covenant, your blood is on your own head! What's different now?
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http://www.krististephens.com It's not my blood! It was Jesus' blood shed for me! **Part Two: Meal** Luke 22:14-15 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Another meal... again symbolizing the fellowship within a new covenant relationship. **Part Three: Writing** Hebrews 8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." The law isn't on tablets anymore - it's on our hearts and in our minds! Thank you, Lord, for Jesus Christ! Thank you for promising Him way back in Genesis 3, and then faithfully revealing your plans, purposes, ways, and character throughout Scripture. Where would we be without His blood shed on our behalf? Our blood would be on our own heads, for we can never be holy as you are. I Corinthians 6:9,11 Don’t you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? ... but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you. (NLT)
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What God fundamentally desires
Image from Bible Picture gallery: http://www.instonebrewer.com/bpg2009 [This was originally part of my series on Deuteronomy, but I will also include it here as it pertains to the 10 commandments.] Chapter five gets into some familiar territory - part of the "hot topics" of recent national conversation! Deuteronomy 5:6-21 (abbreviated) "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image... You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain... Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you... Honor your father and your mother... You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal.
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http://www.krististephens.com You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife...or anything that is your neighbor's." Yes, the 10 commandments. Now, right off the bat, many people are uncomfortable with the word "commandment." Sounds restrictive, therefore we don't like it. I think vague familiarity with the 10 commandments may be why most people have a negative view of the Old Testament - it's just a bunch of rules and regulations. Not so! Guess what? Even the 10 commandments are based on God's personal relationship with His people! Let's think about it this way: God's relationship with Israel is often, in His own wording, compared with a marriage. So, look at the first four commandments with this in mind: how would these be reworded to apply to a marriage? You shall have no other gods before Me. No other men/ women should infringe on our relationship! You shall not make for yourself a carved image... Get rid of your ex-girlfriend/boyfriend's pictures; "oh be careful little eyes what you see!" You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain... Don't talk bad about me! Treat me with respect! Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you... Set time aside to spend with me - make our relationship a priority! I think it's fairly obvious that if a man or woman would not abide by the previous "restrictions" for marriage, they should not get married! In the same way, these are very basic, relationship-based commands for God's covenant with Israel. God is not being harsh and controlling - He is forming a relationship with them. Along with that, let's touch on a phrase found in Deut. 5:9 - "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God..." This is not jealousy in an improper context. Just like I, as a wife in a covenant relationship with my husband, should take issue with other women who might infringe on my relationship with my husband [wouldn't it be odd to say, "Go ahead, honey. Have an affair - I love you that much."], God is completely in the right to demand His people's singular allegiance! He is the Lord! He created them, chose them, redeemed them, formed them into a nation, made a covenant with them... He is the only true God! To say, "Serve me and only me" is utterly appropriate. The fact that we rebel against that is a statement about sinful human nature, not about a blemish in the character of our God. The rest of the commands go hand in hand with what we discussed in "Be Holy as I am Holy" - they are moral commands based on the character and nature of God. If He truly is their God, if they believe Him and are set apart for Him, it is logical that they would act like Him. Just in case you think this is all a little fishy, take a look at the rest of the chapter and ask yourself: is this a vengeful, controlling God looking to restrict His people, or is this a God who loves His people and wants them to obey in order that they would prosper in a healthy relationship with Him?
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"'Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!'... You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess." (Deuteronomy 5:29,33) Now, I want to briefly touch on the debate in the US courts regarding the 10 commandments. Two questions for you: 1 -What are people ultimately upset about? 2What should this compel us (as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ) to do? 1- What are people ultimately upset about? I, like many others, find it ironic that the courts will rule to take the 10 commandments out of the schools and then simultaneously be upset about murder, sexual promiscuity, stealing and cheating, lying, etc. So, why are people so adamant to get rid of them? The 10 commandments inherently imply that there is a God who has authority to make such rules. We wouldn't want to step on anyone's toes by saying that they should obey them - they might not believe in God! I think most believers are probably aware of the worldview issues that make this a hot topic. I want to tilt the discussion slightly, however, with my 2nd question. 2- What should this compel us to do? For a while now, the Christian community has responded en mass by wanting everyone to protest, write their senators, hire lobbyists, etc. Thankfully, we live in a country where we have the freedom to do this. It's not wrong to address the issue from this side, so knock yourself out. However, I don't think it's going to work, and it's not surprising to me that by and large, it hasn't. If we're only looking at this politically, we have completely missed the point. I could care less if the 10 commandments are hanging in my local courthouse if no one inside gives a rip about God and His authority. Hanging a plaque on the wall with Deuteronomy 5:17 is not going to make a serial killer or abortion provider reconsider their actions. Remember the precept, principle, person of God discussion? (also from the "Be Holy as I am Holy" post) We live in a culture that has no understanding of the character of God anymore. All we're doing is standing along the side screaming precepts at them, and it doesn't make sense to them anymore! "The Bible says not to kill/lie/have an affair" is just not an effective argument to someone who A- doesn't know who God is, B- doesn't know a thing about the Bible, and C- sees no problem with murder/lying/adultery and finds that it has benefited them in some superficial way.
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http://www.krististephens.com So, what do we do? Remember back to Exodus 5:1-2, Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.'" And Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go." Pharaoh found God's command completely uncompelling because he did not know Yahweh. Why should he obey Him? (It brings to mind a kid yelling to their babysitter, "you're not my mom..." - under whose authority can you tell me what to do?) How did God respond to this? (you can review "King of kings and Lord of lords.") He introduced Himself. In a big way! He showed Himself to be the One true God, the Lord of all, Yahweh. Here is my proposal. Stop getting so hot under the collar that the courts don't want the 10 commandments in public, and fall on your face before Him. We have an entire culture that has forgotten who He is. How would they bow the knee to a God they don't know? Stop protesting and start sharing Truth with the people around you. I recently had a discussion about this with one of the pastors at our church. What would happen if each and every follower of Christ had even one authentic relationship with a non-Christian? What if each one of us invested the time to share with them not only the "Romans Road," but went past that - what if we taught them WHO GOD IS? I'm not against the Romans Road. But looking someone in the eye and saying, "Jesus died for your sins" just doesn't make sense if they don't believe that there is a sovereign God who created the world and has a universal standard of what is true and right. What is "sin?" Who are you to say that I'm a "sinner?" Why on earth does it matter that Jesus died if there was nothing He needed to die for? Just a note for further study: I love the contrast in Acts 17 between how Paul shares the gospel with Jews and how he shares it with the pagan philosophers. In 17:3, he shares with the Jews by starting with the Scriptures and prophecies of Jesus (17:3 ...explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, 'This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.') However, when addressing the philosophers he starts from their own culture, and then goes back to creation! (17:24 "God, who made the world and everything in it...") Why? God's Word has no authority and Jesus' death and resurrection have no meaning if God is not the Sovereign Creator and Lord of everything. We're not talking to a synagogue anymore, folks. We're in a pagan culture. We have to start with who God is before the 10 commandments will make a lick of sense. Remember: the 10 commandments were all about relationship! We obey them because of relationship!! Without a relationship, they make no sense. Are they still true? Absolutely. Are they compelling to a person without an authentic relationship with God? Not at all. And ultimately, if I love that person I'm sharing the Truth with, I should be more
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http://www.krististephens.com concerned with if they really know the one True God rather than if they are really good and can follow the 10 commandments. "...so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being..." Acts 17:27-28
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"...and out came this calf!"
Image via Wikipedia In Exodus 32 we have one of the most astonishingly stupid events in the Bible! Moses has been on the mountain, in the presence of God, receiving the law and the precise instructions on building the Tabernacle. The people have just ratified a very solemn 2sided covenant with I Am, Yahweh, the God of the Universe. He has been powerfully introducing Himself throughout the book, starting back with Moses in the wilderness, then in Egypt with the plagues and His provision for them, and throughout their journey thus far. God Himself has entered a covenant relationship with them and is moving into their midst! But... Moses took too long to come down. Doesn't that nullify what they just agreed to?!? Exodus 32:1-4 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” “So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” What?!?!? Excuse me, who is your God who brought you out of Egypt??? The One who has been emphasizing HIS NAME and HIS CHARACTER and HIS FAITHFULNESS throughout the last months of their lives? The One who demolished the gods and the army of Egypt?? Oh, that's right. It's that golden calf you just made out of your earrings. Needless to say, God and Moses are both pretty ticked at the events unfolding below them. God is actually ready to just wipe them out and Moses intercedes on their behalf.
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http://www.krististephens.com When Moses finally gets down there and deals with the situation, he has a fascinating conversation with the "good priest" Aaron. Exodus 32:21-24 And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. “For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ “And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.” It's amazing to me how Aaron admits to absolutely no culpability in this situation. It's the people's fault: You know the people, that they are set on evil. And in fact, He didn't even make the calf - it just magically formed on its own. “And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.” Does Aaron really believe that his brother is this dense? Does he think God didn't know?? The consequences of this are severe - Exodus 32:25-28 Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. Some get hung up on events like this and start questioning the goodness of God. However, that's not the point. God IS good. God IS just. God IS merciful. But the big deal here is that GOD IS HOLY. This wasn't about those people: it was about God. What God had been proclaiming to all the world during the book of Exodus was His name and character. In one swift plunge into sin, the people stripped God of His glory and fame as their redeemer, deliverer, and Sovereign One... and they glorified a homemade statue of a cow instead. On top of that, the people had just finished ratifying that covenant, covered with the blood that Moses had sprinkled on them. They knew what that meant: may this be my blood if I break this covenant. Sin brings death. It must, for our God is holy. Leviticus 22:32 “You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord.”
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Transformed in His presence
Image from Bible Picture gallery: http://www.instonebrewer.com/bpg2009 Today's post will be short. I just needed to point out how God works in people's lives. Remember dear Moses who wanted nothing to do with God's commissioning back in Exodus 3? ("Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?") Remember, Moses is not the hero. God is the hero. God took this man, a murderer, a man who absolutely did not want to lead His people, a man racked by his own insecurities, and transformed him. "So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses said to the LORD, ‘See, Thou dost say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But Thou Thyself has not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me. Moreover, Thou hast said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found favor in Thy sight, let me know Thy ways, that I may know Thee, so that I may find favor in Thy sight… If Thy presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here… I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!” 33:11-13, 15, 18 Moses finally gets it. His gaze has shifted from himself to God. God is the real treasure. It's not about our comfort, our health, our happiness, our security, the "fuzzy feeling" we get in church when we sing our favorite song. It's all about God. God is the real treasure,
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http://www.krististephens.com and once we get a taste of Who He truly is, we've got to have more. Heaven is going to blow our minds, friends. In the meantime... Lord, please show us Your glory! Psalm 42:1-2 (NLT) As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and stand before him?
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It's All about God! This will be our last post on the book of Exodus. One of the reasons I love Exodus is that God so profoundly reveals Himself in this book. He takes a group of people, an oppressed minority within the most powerful civilization on earth, introduces Himself to them, shows Himself greater than all the gods of Egypt, redeems them out of slavery so powerfully that they walk out in full view of their oppressors, allows them to walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, miraculously provides daily food and water, and forms a covenant relationship with them as His chosen people out of all the earth. Let me give a brief tour of His introduction thus far: * The Sovereign one – able to use whomever he wishes to bring glory to Himself! (1-3) * I AM – The powerful promise-keeper, the one who remembers His people (3:7-15) * The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the One True God! (7-14) * “I, the LORD, am your healer” – the one who provides for His people. (15:26) * “The LORD is my banner” – the one who protects His people. (17:15) * A jealous God – the only one worthy of worship. (20:5, 34:14) * “I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” – He alone can cleanse us from sin. (31:13) * “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth.” (34:6) "Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, his deeds to the children of Israel." Psalm 103:1-7
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A Note of Introduction Hello! I’m thrilled that you’re interested in studying God’s Word with me! Before you jump into this study of Exodus, allow me to introduce myself and explain what this study is about. I am a full time wife and mom who loves to teach God’s Word through our local church and through blogging. These studies spring from my training in the Bible department at Cedarville University, alongside my own study of the Scriptures and time teaching Bible studies based on the Old Testament books. What you will find in this e-book is a “big picture” overview of Exodus. I trust that what I have written here will be useful and helpful for you, but in no way is this intended to be read in lieu of your own Bible study. In fact, as you progress through these studies I assume that you are reading and studying on your own as we go. These are my words, not God’s. While I strive to be accurate in my explanations and applications, and while I have found these things to be true in my study of the Scriptures, nothing can take the place of your own time reading the Bible itself. I pray that as you open your Bible to this magnificent book, that God will challenge and excite you through the study of His Word. I also pray that through looking at the “big picture” of what God is doing in history that you will gain a deeper understanding of your own need for Jesus Christ and grow in your daily walk with Him. May God bless you! -
^Ü|áà|
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7 Page 1
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He has not forgotten
Image by Christopher Chan via Flickr
As we move into Exodus, let's quickly remember God's three promises to Abraham in the book of Genesis: Land, nation, and leader. Where do we stand with the three aspects of God's promise? Land: They're in Egypt. Nice land, not theirs. Nation: There are only 70 of them. Big family, but not a nation. Leader: The last verse of Genesis sums this up well: So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. (50:26) So cheery. The point: our only "leader" is very dead - we're still waiting for the Seed! Now, as we start Exodus, there is a 400 year gap between the events at the end of Genesis and the events of Exodus. And all is not well in Egypt. A new pharaoh is in power who is unfamiliar with Joseph's story. He looks around his land, sees this mighty group of foreign people who have remained separate unto themselves, and obviously comes to the conclusion that they are a great threat to national security. The answer? Enslave them. Oppress them. Kill their sons. The midwives didn't cooperate with that, so then he ordered all the baby boys to be thrown into the Nile! Now, if you were an Israelite living in the middle of these circumstances, what might you be thinking about God? [Remember, it has been 400 years since His last recorded interaction with His people. They're in slavery. Their children are being brutally murdered. Oh, and don't forget - they have no written Scriptures at this point - Moses was the one who penned Genesis!] God must not know! Maybe He doesn't care? Are the gods of Egypt too powerful for Him? Was He just a god of the past, living and active only for our fathers? In the middle of this, one small boy, miraculously spared by his mother's great faith and Pharaoh’s daughter's compassion, grows up to be the man we know as Moses. Moses grows up, kills an Egyptian for mistreating one of the Hebrews, and flees to Midian. At this point, please throw out any mental images that are coming to mind from Dreamwork's Prince of Egypt. Overall, good movie. But, I don't think it's likely that Moses had no idea who he was. And then, God shows up.
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http://www.krististephens.com In a burning bush. In the middle of nowhere. To a runaway murderer (who stutters). And this is awesome: as God explains to Moses what He will do, He directly answers the questions we mentioned above. God must not know! I have surely seen the affliction of My people… for I am aware of their sufferings. (3:7) Maybe He doesn't care? …and have given heed to their cry (3:7) …I am indeed concerned… (3:16) Are the gods of Egypt too powerful for Him? I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians… (3:8) Was He just a god of the past, living and active only for our fathers? I AM… this is My memorial-name to all generations. (3:15) God never forgot! He is the I AM - He never ceased to exist, nothing can spin out of His control. He is the self-existent, completely powerful, faithful promise-keeper. Perhaps you, at times, have felt that God has forgotten you. Abandoned you. Has lost control. Friend, He is the I AM. His plans and timetable are often far different from our own. We never fully understand His ways and why certain things happen. But He is indeed concerned. Trust Him even when you don't understand Him. Trust Him because you don't understand Him - His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are higher than ours. Hallelujah - I wouldn't want me in control of the universe! Psalm 103:1-7 (NLT) I bless the holy name of God with all my heart. Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the glorious things he does for me. He forgives all my sins. He heals me. He ransoms me from hell. He surrounds me with loving-kindness and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things! My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! He gives justice to all who are treated unfairly. He revealed his will and nature to Moses and the people of Israel.
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The King of kings and Lord of lords
Image from Bible Picture gallery: http://www.instonebrewer.com/bpg2009 As we continue on through the book of Exodus, we will be skipping a lot of events in order to focus on some major lessons. Make sure you read Exodus in your own Bible! (again, www.biblegateway.com is a great resource). In Exodus 4:31, we have the people's response to the message that God indeed was still working. "And when they realized that the Lord had seen their misery and was deeply concerned for them, they all bowed their heads and worshiped." (NLT) He had not forgotten. He had not lost control. He had heard their cries. He is the I Am, the powerful promisekeeper. Now, after this Moses goes in to see Pharaoh for the first time. His response was not quite as enthusiastic as the Israelites'. “Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.” (5:2, NLT) "I do not know the Lord!" Indeed he did not. So, God will introduce Himself. Page 4
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These plagues were not random acts of terrorism that God was inflicting on a people He didn't like. There is a bigger picture going on here - a theological one. Think back to your 9th grade world history class, and as you sort through the cobwebs in your mind, try to remember everything you learned about ancient Egypt. Obviously, mummies, pyramids, and a sphinx probably come to mind. All of those things were very religious - Egypt was, in fact, a very "religious" place. They were devoted to a whole pantheon of gods from Ra (the sun god) down to the god of the Nile who brought fertility to the land. As God begins the series of plagues on Egypt, each seems to answer a god that Egypt worshipped. He uses what their "god" was supposedly in control of and used to bless them in order to destroy them. The message: There is only one God worthy of worship. He is the I Am. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. There is also a repetition throughout the account of the plagues that must be noticed. A continual refrain of "you shall know that I am the LORD" (or variations) beats throughout this story. Again, these plagues were not random - they are theological statements. Below I have highlighted a few plagues, the statements about God's supremacy, and noted the Egyptian god probably being addressed. (the information about Egyptian gods was taken from "The Plagues and the Exodus" by Dr. David Livingston). Nile turning to blood: 7:17-18 Now the Lord says, “You are going to find out that I am the Lord.” Look! I will hit the water of the Nile with this staff, and the river will turn to blood. The fish in it will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink any water from the Nile.’ ” **Hapi, spirit of the Nile in flood and "giver of life to all men." Plague of frogs: 8:9-10 “You set the time!” Moses replied. “Tell me when you want me to pray for you, your officials, and your people. I will pray that you and your houses will be rid of the frogs. Then only the frogs in the Nile River will remain alive.” “Do it tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. “All right,” Moses replied, “it will be as you have said. Then you will know that no one is as powerful as the Lord our God..." **The frog-headed goddess, Hekt, played a part in "creation." Hers was one of the oldest fertility cults in Egypt. But she could not control the fertility of a these frogs! Plague of hail: 9:14 I will send a plague that will really speak to you and your officials and all the Egyptian people. I will prove to you that there is no other God like me in all the earth. 9:16 But I have let you live for this reason—that you might see my power and that my fame might spread throughout the earth. **The sky goddess Nut was the mother of the sun-god Ra. She was especially culpable in this plague in that she was supposed to protect the land from destructions which came down from heaven. Death of the firstborn: 12:12 I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! **The last plague was not only against the supreme god of Egypt, Pharaoh himself, but also against the future pharaoh, his son, the very next god (Horus) of Egypt.
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The last plague, the death of the firstborn, was obviously the most painful for the Egyptians. It also is one of the most powerful illustrations of salvation in the Old Testament for the Hebrews. If you have ever been to a large museum that houses Egyptian artifacts, you probably have seen the stone doorframes which were common in Egypt. Around the sides and top, hieroglyphs would be carved. These are basically the names of Egyptian gods that the people of the house were claiming as their gods and asking for protection. Anyone who believed God at this point was instructed to kill a lamb, smear the blood across the doorframes of their houses, putting their trust in God alone to save them. In other words: 1. On their own they were facing death (Romans 3:23: For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.) 2. No other god could save them - the only marking visible on that door would be the blood (John 14:6: Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.) 3. They had to have a lamb die in their place (Romans 3:25: For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.) It is the only way. We are marked for death by our own sin and rebellion against God. The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, has died in our place and shed His blood for us. Our own efforts, the "gods" that we worship cannot save us: good works, humanitarianism, intelligence, the faith of our families, material wealth, etc. We must cover those things up with the blood of Christ, knowing that nothing else will save us. Only Him. Because the Lamb died, I live.
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Daily Bread
Image from wikipedia Exodus 16:2-3 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (NKJV) Oh, dear. We are so quick to forget. In a very short period of time, these people have been reintroduced to the God of their fathers. He has answered their cries and addressed their questions - He had not fogotten them or the promises He had made to their fathers, He had not lost control, He was aware of their sufferings, and He was indeed the one supreme God - the King of kings and Lord of lords. They had seen the plagues and how they had been miraculously spared, they had walked out of the captivity and oppression of Egypt, God had split the red sea and allowed them to cross on dry ground, and then they were firsthad witnesses of the complete destruction of the Egyptian army. And now... “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Seriously?? And then God mercifully answers - You think your oppressors in Egypt can provide meat and bread better than the creator of the universe, better than the I AM?
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http://www.krististephens.com And He provides. Bread from heaven, meat on a delivery schedule. “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ” Exodus 16:12 [By the way, the word "manna" simply means, "What is it?" They had never had anything like it and didn't know what to call it, so they called it, "What is it?"!!] And so it was that for years in the wilderness, the people would wake up in the morning, open their tent flap, and sure enough... the I Am, Yahweh, the Powerful Promisekeeper had provided again. Every single day they were completely dependent on His miraculous provision. And every single day He provided. In fact, if they didn't trust Him and decided to gather extra, thinking that He might not come through the next day... lo and behold, they had a stinky jar of maggots. Why?!? God isn't just on some sort of power trip! What is the purpose of them not gathering ahead? Exodus 16:4 And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. This was a daily test: do you trust Me? Do you believe that I AM who I say I AM, that I will do what I say I will do? Will you believe and obey? Normally, we are not so obviously forced to be dependent on God for the basics of food and water. We have the perception of control, thinking that we go to work, we make money, we buy what we need, and then say a prayer over the meal as we eat. Have we truly internalized, as the Israelites were supposed to do, that every single thing we have is from the hand of God? The lie that we deserve ____ is incredibly dangerous in our walk with God. In Deuteronomy 6:10-12, Moses is warning the Israelites of this tendency. “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Beware, lest you forget. Don't forget who gave you the ability to work, who has kept you healthy and strong and mentally able to earn money. Don't forget that we don't deserve anything other than hell - that's all we have "earned" by our own efforts apart from Him!! He gave us grace - He gave us life, salvation through Christ, daily access to Him, lives with purpose, and ultimately a home in heaven with Him. When we really understand what it means that God provides our daily bread - that everything we have is a gift from Him, we have begun to understand the fullness of God's grace and forgiveness. And when we understand grace, we are compelled to show it to others.
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Matthew 6:11-12 Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
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Covenants, Old and New
Image from wikipedia Luke 22:20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you..." (NKJV) Those words are probably familiar with anyone who has spent much time in churches where the Lord's supper (communion) is celebrated. Sometimes, because we usually lack a solid understanding of the Old Testament (and the Old Covenant), we fail to really appreciate what Jesus was saying here. Let's take a look. In Exodus 19:5-6a, God makes a tremendous offer to Israel. ‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ The people enthusiastically agree in verse 8: Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” Much like a marriage, Israel is entering a unique covenant relationship with God. In fact, throughout Scripture God refers to Israel as a wife (usually an unfaithful one!) And like a marriage, this is a 2-sided covenant. Notice God's stated condition: if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant. Chapters 20-23 are a bit like a "preview" of the rest of the law before the covenant is officially ratified. We will discuss more in future posts why the law was (and is) important. What we are going to focus on today is the three-part process of ratification, or official enactment, of the covenant in chapter 24. Please read this whole chapter on your own, as I will only be pulling out a few verses here. **Part One: Blood** Exodus 24:7-8 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”
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http://www.krististephens.com What is the deal with the blood??? In ancient times, if someone wanted to solemnly swear and oath and "cut covenant," they would take some animals, cut them in two, and arrange them so that the two people who were forming a covenant would walk through the halves. Disgusting, but meaningful. The idea was: if I break my end of this agreement, may I be like these poor animals here. May this be like my blood. [Check out Genesis 15 - that is exactly what God is doing with Abraham. Only... Abraham doesn't walk through! Only God does! His promises to Abraham were unconditional, because Abraham didn't have any conditions to fulfill in the covenant!!] As Moses sprinkles the blood all over the people, this was a solemn thing. They understood what was happening: if I break my end of this 2-sided covenant, my blood is on my own head. **Part Two: Meal** Exodus 24:9-11 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank. This is definitely one of those passages that seems like should tell us more! But, apparently this is all we need to know. As they ratify the covenant, the leadership of Israel goes up the mountain and literally has a meal with God. **Part Three: Writing** Exodus 24:12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.” This is pretty self-explanatory - God writes out the covenant on tablets of stone and instructs Moses to teach the people. Now... what does this have to do with communion?? I know I've never heard a communion message from Exodus!! :) Let's go through the 3-part process of ratification for the new covenant. **Part One: Blood** Luke 22:20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. Remember the Old Covenant? The blood was sprinkled on them, symbolizing their blood! You break this covenant, your blood is on your own head! What's different now?
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http://www.krististephens.com It's not my blood! It was Jesus' blood shed for me! **Part Two: Meal** Luke 22:14-15 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Another meal... again symbolizing the fellowship within a new covenant relationship. **Part Three: Writing** Hebrews 8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." The law isn't on tablets anymore - it's on our hearts and in our minds! Thank you, Lord, for Jesus Christ! Thank you for promising Him way back in Genesis 3, and then faithfully revealing your plans, purposes, ways, and character throughout Scripture. Where would we be without His blood shed on our behalf? Our blood would be on our own heads, for we can never be holy as you are. I Corinthians 6:9,11 Don’t you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? ... but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you. (NLT)
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What God fundamentally desires
Image from Bible Picture gallery: http://www.instonebrewer.com/bpg2009 [This was originally part of my series on Deuteronomy, but I will also include it here as it pertains to the 10 commandments.] Chapter five gets into some familiar territory - part of the "hot topics" of recent national conversation! Deuteronomy 5:6-21 (abbreviated) "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image... You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain... Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you... Honor your father and your mother... You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal.
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http://www.krististephens.com You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife...or anything that is your neighbor's." Yes, the 10 commandments. Now, right off the bat, many people are uncomfortable with the word "commandment." Sounds restrictive, therefore we don't like it. I think vague familiarity with the 10 commandments may be why most people have a negative view of the Old Testament - it's just a bunch of rules and regulations. Not so! Guess what? Even the 10 commandments are based on God's personal relationship with His people! Let's think about it this way: God's relationship with Israel is often, in His own wording, compared with a marriage. So, look at the first four commandments with this in mind: how would these be reworded to apply to a marriage? You shall have no other gods before Me. No other men/ women should infringe on our relationship! You shall not make for yourself a carved image... Get rid of your ex-girlfriend/boyfriend's pictures; "oh be careful little eyes what you see!" You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain... Don't talk bad about me! Treat me with respect! Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you... Set time aside to spend with me - make our relationship a priority! I think it's fairly obvious that if a man or woman would not abide by the previous "restrictions" for marriage, they should not get married! In the same way, these are very basic, relationship-based commands for God's covenant with Israel. God is not being harsh and controlling - He is forming a relationship with them. Along with that, let's touch on a phrase found in Deut. 5:9 - "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God..." This is not jealousy in an improper context. Just like I, as a wife in a covenant relationship with my husband, should take issue with other women who might infringe on my relationship with my husband [wouldn't it be odd to say, "Go ahead, honey. Have an affair - I love you that much."], God is completely in the right to demand His people's singular allegiance! He is the Lord! He created them, chose them, redeemed them, formed them into a nation, made a covenant with them... He is the only true God! To say, "Serve me and only me" is utterly appropriate. The fact that we rebel against that is a statement about sinful human nature, not about a blemish in the character of our God. The rest of the commands go hand in hand with what we discussed in "Be Holy as I am Holy" - they are moral commands based on the character and nature of God. If He truly is their God, if they believe Him and are set apart for Him, it is logical that they would act like Him. Just in case you think this is all a little fishy, take a look at the rest of the chapter and ask yourself: is this a vengeful, controlling God looking to restrict His people, or is this a God who loves His people and wants them to obey in order that they would prosper in a healthy relationship with Him?
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"'Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!'... You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess." (Deuteronomy 5:29,33) Now, I want to briefly touch on the debate in the US courts regarding the 10 commandments. Two questions for you: 1 -What are people ultimately upset about? 2What should this compel us (as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ) to do? 1- What are people ultimately upset about? I, like many others, find it ironic that the courts will rule to take the 10 commandments out of the schools and then simultaneously be upset about murder, sexual promiscuity, stealing and cheating, lying, etc. So, why are people so adamant to get rid of them? The 10 commandments inherently imply that there is a God who has authority to make such rules. We wouldn't want to step on anyone's toes by saying that they should obey them - they might not believe in God! I think most believers are probably aware of the worldview issues that make this a hot topic. I want to tilt the discussion slightly, however, with my 2nd question. 2- What should this compel us to do? For a while now, the Christian community has responded en mass by wanting everyone to protest, write their senators, hire lobbyists, etc. Thankfully, we live in a country where we have the freedom to do this. It's not wrong to address the issue from this side, so knock yourself out. However, I don't think it's going to work, and it's not surprising to me that by and large, it hasn't. If we're only looking at this politically, we have completely missed the point. I could care less if the 10 commandments are hanging in my local courthouse if no one inside gives a rip about God and His authority. Hanging a plaque on the wall with Deuteronomy 5:17 is not going to make a serial killer or abortion provider reconsider their actions. Remember the precept, principle, person of God discussion? (also from the "Be Holy as I am Holy" post) We live in a culture that has no understanding of the character of God anymore. All we're doing is standing along the side screaming precepts at them, and it doesn't make sense to them anymore! "The Bible says not to kill/lie/have an affair" is just not an effective argument to someone who A- doesn't know who God is, B- doesn't know a thing about the Bible, and C- sees no problem with murder/lying/adultery and finds that it has benefited them in some superficial way.
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http://www.krististephens.com So, what do we do? Remember back to Exodus 5:1-2, Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.'" And Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go." Pharaoh found God's command completely uncompelling because he did not know Yahweh. Why should he obey Him? (It brings to mind a kid yelling to their babysitter, "you're not my mom..." - under whose authority can you tell me what to do?) How did God respond to this? (you can review "King of kings and Lord of lords.") He introduced Himself. In a big way! He showed Himself to be the One true God, the Lord of all, Yahweh. Here is my proposal. Stop getting so hot under the collar that the courts don't want the 10 commandments in public, and fall on your face before Him. We have an entire culture that has forgotten who He is. How would they bow the knee to a God they don't know? Stop protesting and start sharing Truth with the people around you. I recently had a discussion about this with one of the pastors at our church. What would happen if each and every follower of Christ had even one authentic relationship with a non-Christian? What if each one of us invested the time to share with them not only the "Romans Road," but went past that - what if we taught them WHO GOD IS? I'm not against the Romans Road. But looking someone in the eye and saying, "Jesus died for your sins" just doesn't make sense if they don't believe that there is a sovereign God who created the world and has a universal standard of what is true and right. What is "sin?" Who are you to say that I'm a "sinner?" Why on earth does it matter that Jesus died if there was nothing He needed to die for? Just a note for further study: I love the contrast in Acts 17 between how Paul shares the gospel with Jews and how he shares it with the pagan philosophers. In 17:3, he shares with the Jews by starting with the Scriptures and prophecies of Jesus (17:3 ...explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, 'This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.') However, when addressing the philosophers he starts from their own culture, and then goes back to creation! (17:24 "God, who made the world and everything in it...") Why? God's Word has no authority and Jesus' death and resurrection have no meaning if God is not the Sovereign Creator and Lord of everything. We're not talking to a synagogue anymore, folks. We're in a pagan culture. We have to start with who God is before the 10 commandments will make a lick of sense. Remember: the 10 commandments were all about relationship! We obey them because of relationship!! Without a relationship, they make no sense. Are they still true? Absolutely. Are they compelling to a person without an authentic relationship with God? Not at all. And ultimately, if I love that person I'm sharing the Truth with, I should be more
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http://www.krististephens.com concerned with if they really know the one True God rather than if they are really good and can follow the 10 commandments. "...so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being..." Acts 17:27-28
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"...and out came this calf!"
Image via Wikipedia In Exodus 32 we have one of the most astonishingly stupid events in the Bible! Moses has been on the mountain, in the presence of God, receiving the law and the precise instructions on building the Tabernacle. The people have just ratified a very solemn 2sided covenant with I Am, Yahweh, the God of the Universe. He has been powerfully introducing Himself throughout the book, starting back with Moses in the wilderness, then in Egypt with the plagues and His provision for them, and throughout their journey thus far. God Himself has entered a covenant relationship with them and is moving into their midst! But... Moses took too long to come down. Doesn't that nullify what they just agreed to?!? Exodus 32:1-4 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” “So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” What?!?!? Excuse me, who is your God who brought you out of Egypt??? The One who has been emphasizing HIS NAME and HIS CHARACTER and HIS FAITHFULNESS throughout the last months of their lives? The One who demolished the gods and the army of Egypt?? Oh, that's right. It's that golden calf you just made out of your earrings. Needless to say, God and Moses are both pretty ticked at the events unfolding below them. God is actually ready to just wipe them out and Moses intercedes on their behalf.
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http://www.krististephens.com When Moses finally gets down there and deals with the situation, he has a fascinating conversation with the "good priest" Aaron. Exodus 32:21-24 And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. “For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ “And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.” It's amazing to me how Aaron admits to absolutely no culpability in this situation. It's the people's fault: You know the people, that they are set on evil. And in fact, He didn't even make the calf - it just magically formed on its own. “And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.” Does Aaron really believe that his brother is this dense? Does he think God didn't know?? The consequences of this are severe - Exodus 32:25-28 Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. Some get hung up on events like this and start questioning the goodness of God. However, that's not the point. God IS good. God IS just. God IS merciful. But the big deal here is that GOD IS HOLY. This wasn't about those people: it was about God. What God had been proclaiming to all the world during the book of Exodus was His name and character. In one swift plunge into sin, the people stripped God of His glory and fame as their redeemer, deliverer, and Sovereign One... and they glorified a homemade statue of a cow instead. On top of that, the people had just finished ratifying that covenant, covered with the blood that Moses had sprinkled on them. They knew what that meant: may this be my blood if I break this covenant. Sin brings death. It must, for our God is holy. Leviticus 22:32 “You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord.”
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Transformed in His presence
Image from Bible Picture gallery: http://www.instonebrewer.com/bpg2009 Today's post will be short. I just needed to point out how God works in people's lives. Remember dear Moses who wanted nothing to do with God's commissioning back in Exodus 3? ("Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?") Remember, Moses is not the hero. God is the hero. God took this man, a murderer, a man who absolutely did not want to lead His people, a man racked by his own insecurities, and transformed him. "So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses said to the LORD, ‘See, Thou dost say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But Thou Thyself has not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me. Moreover, Thou hast said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found favor in Thy sight, let me know Thy ways, that I may know Thee, so that I may find favor in Thy sight… If Thy presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here… I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!” 33:11-13, 15, 18 Moses finally gets it. His gaze has shifted from himself to God. God is the real treasure. It's not about our comfort, our health, our happiness, our security, the "fuzzy feeling" we get in church when we sing our favorite song. It's all about God. God is the real treasure,
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http://www.krististephens.com and once we get a taste of Who He truly is, we've got to have more. Heaven is going to blow our minds, friends. In the meantime... Lord, please show us Your glory! Psalm 42:1-2 (NLT) As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and stand before him?
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It's All about God! This will be our last post on the book of Exodus. One of the reasons I love Exodus is that God so profoundly reveals Himself in this book. He takes a group of people, an oppressed minority within the most powerful civilization on earth, introduces Himself to them, shows Himself greater than all the gods of Egypt, redeems them out of slavery so powerfully that they walk out in full view of their oppressors, allows them to walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, miraculously provides daily food and water, and forms a covenant relationship with them as His chosen people out of all the earth. Let me give a brief tour of His introduction thus far: * The Sovereign one – able to use whomever he wishes to bring glory to Himself! (1-3) * I AM – The powerful promise-keeper, the one who remembers His people (3:7-15) * The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the One True God! (7-14) * “I, the LORD, am your healer” – the one who provides for His people. (15:26) * “The LORD is my banner” – the one who protects His people. (17:15) * A jealous God – the only one worthy of worship. (20:5, 34:14) * “I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” – He alone can cleanse us from sin. (31:13) * “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth.” (34:6) "Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, his deeds to the children of Israel." Psalm 103:1-7
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