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February 5th
Our Bible reading today is in Exodus chapters 19,20,21.
It has been about four months and 200 miles since Moses and Israel left Egypt for the promised land.
The people have crossed the Red Sea...drank sweet water at the settlement called Bitter...and in the Wilderness of Sin, God added to His powerful and gracious work for His treasured ones by beginning to give the people quail every evening and mana every morning.
Days later they would reach Rephidim and now the congregation would grumble and quarrel with Moses about the lack of sufficient water.
At the instruction of God, Moses struck the “rock” at Horeb and water flowed from the rock for the people.
That had to be amazing...Horeb was a mountain made of massive stones...Moses struck it in the presence of the people.
Some must have said, “Why is he hitting a mountain? Why isn't he organizing a well digging crew?
And all of a sudden, the mountain’s belly opens up and freshwater flows to the people...God works again...we can visualize children splashing in it...women and men filling all kinds of containers with it...and others standing still, in awe of what Moses and God just did.
Now...God was fixing to do something else at Rephidim. He was about to use Israel’s farmers and shepherds and masons to win a decisive battle against a relentless enemy.
And His strategy?...have an old man with a stick sit on a mountainside overlooking the battlefield below...then have the old man raise the stick...as long as it is raised, Joshua’s men prevail in battle. And to make sure the stick is held high for Joshua and the men to see it and gain courage and strength in faith that God was with them...the strategy included two other men stationed on the mountainside with the old man...to raise his arms for him when he wearied from the exercise.
It wouldn't be the last battle...but God gave them a story to tell...and that story would encourage future warriors to fight for the glory of God.
And that brings us to the text for today.
Moses and the people have made it to Mt. Sinai. Here is where God calls Moses to the mountain. Here is where God gives ten words/10 commandments for Moses to give to the people.
Before we look at a few of the 10 commandments, let me tell you why the 10 commandments matter to me.
#1. They tell me something of what doing life with God looks like...such as...loving parents...loving neighbors...loving my spouse...loving God!
#2. They show me something of how different God followers are from the rest of the world...such as...loving the one true God...sacrificially loving my wife and kids....loving my neighbors...loving my church...and loving my parents.
Stay with me...the 10 commandments matter to me because...I love Jesus. And because I love Jesus I want to obey His commands...not so I can get saved, but because I already am saved.
Back to the text...God gave His words to Moses. And told Moses to give them to the people. And he did.
“Tell them that they shall have no other gods before Me.”
“Tell them that they shall not make any graven image to worship.”
“Tell them that they shall not take the name of the Lord their God in vain.”
“Tell them that they shall remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.”
“Tell them that they shall honor their father and mother.”
Tell them not to commit adultery...not to murder...not to steal...not to bear false witness against a neighbor...and not to covet what his neighbor has.
Were the people excited about God’s coming down to them? Let’s listen to a little bit more of the story before we are through...
“The mountain rumbled. Dark smoke and fire came down upon the mountain. It was God! And the people backed up and away...they trembled and were afraid that they might die by God’s hand that very day.
Now move forward...It was another day....a different mountain...and God showed up, not with laws that we had broken, that condemn us, but with grace that forgives us...
When did that happen? Well, that’s the rest of the story......
Have a great day!
