Explore the Bible Lesson Preview April 18, 2010 "What Are Your Ground Rules?" Background: Exodus 19:1-24:18 Lesson: Exodus 20:1-17

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1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview April 18, 2010 "What Are Your Ground Rules?" Background: Exodus 19:1-24:18 Lesson: Exodus 20:1-17 Motivation: God didn't offer the "Ten Suggestions." He provided an objective standard to measure right and wrong. Situational ethics finds no support in this Bible study. Examination: I. Declaration of Covenant Commitment (19:1-25) A. God's Covenant and Israel's Response (19:1-9) 1. The Month: Returning to Sinai was a fulfillment of God's promise to Moses in 3:12. Belie ver's Study Bible, p. 108: 19:1 "The Wilderness of Sinai is the setting for the rest of Exodus, all of Leviticus, and Num. 1:1-10:10. The Israelites remained there 11 months and 6 days (or 20 days, depending on the interpretation of the phrase translated on the same day,' cf. 12:2, 6: Num. 10:11. It would be six days if they arrived at Sinai exactly two months after the Exodus, or 20 days if they arrived on the first day of the third month.)" 1 / 17

2 2. The Mediator: Moses is a model of a mediator - taking the Word of God to the people (3) and bringing the response of the people back to God (8). This is a foreshadowing of Christ's role as mediator between God and humanity. (Hebrews 7:25, 12:14-29; I. Tim 2:5; Rom. 8:26) 3. The Message "you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (8) (I Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:5-6, 5:10) Believer's Study Bible, p. 108: 19:5, 6 "This is a loving promise to Israel that they will be highly esteemed and carefully guarded (cf. Ps. 135:4; Is. 43:1-4). This will be an exclusive relationship with YAHWEH, one that is not to be shared equally with others. God planned for Israel to be a theocracy with all the people directly accountable to God (cf. 1 Sam. 12:12). This they forfeited, however, by unfaithfulness and disobedience. As a holy nation,' they were consecrated to God's service, outwardly marked as His by the symbol of circumcision and inwardly identified by purity and holiness." 4. The Mandate "All that the Lord has spoken we will do" (8) Perhaps no more empty promise was ever recorded in history. Unfortunately, Israel's record on obedience was not stellar. Good intentions do not equate to right living. B. Preparation to Meet the Lord (19:10-15) 1. Consecration "consecrate them today" (10) The Random House 2 / 17

3 Dictionary defines "consecrate" as "to make or declare sacred; dedicate to the service of the Deity." To be in the presence of God required an intentional act of dedication, of being set apart for His service. 2. Cleansing "let them wash their clothes" (10) The symbolic act of washing their clothes would remind them of God's desire for a clean interior as well. (I John 1:9-10) 3. Conditions "You shall set bounds for the people all around" (12) One does not meet God on one's own terms. God makes Himself known on His schedule (" the third day" ) at His place (" Mount Sinai ") in His way (" the Lord will come down "). Severe penalties were given for one breaking His conditions (" shall surely be put to death "). C. God's Awesome Presence (19:16-25) An awesome description of God's Shekinah Glory! He was already present in the cloud and fire; this is an exclamation point! Four other examples: Ex. 40:34; I Kings 8:10; Ezek. 8-10, 43:4 II. Basics of Covenant Relationships (20:1-21) 3 / 17

4 A. Foundational Principles for Relating to God (20:1-11) 1. The First Commandment "You shall have no other gods before me." (3) This spells out who we are to worship. a. Faith - The Bible never argues for the existence of God; His existence is assumed by faith. b. Priority - In an age of multiple gods (each household might have several - Genesis 31:30, 34), this commandment establishes God as supreme; He is not to be one among many but alone. 2. The Second Commandment "You shall not make for yourself a carved image..." (4) This spells out how we are to worship. a. Fallacy of Idol Worship 1. God is Spirit; it's impossible to faithfully represent who He is by a man-made thing. (John 4:23-24) 2. Carved images become the object of worship rather than a means of worship. 4 / 17

5 3. When man makes his god, it reverses the creation story. (Is. 44:9-20) 4. When man makes his god, it reverses the concept of Lordship. (Is. 46:9-10) b. Forms of Modern Day Idol Worship 1. Guilty when we substitute one aspect of God's revelation for God himself (cross, Bible, etc..) 2. Guilty when we limit God to our own understanding of Him. 3. Guilty when we seek to control God, seeing Him strictly as a means by which we can achieve our own desires. 4. Guilty when we objectify God in any way (can't say "God is." We have to say "God is like." 3. The Third Commandment "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain " (7) "Vain" literally means "empty, frivolous, light, insincere." We must not view this only as a prohibition against profanity. Elton Trueblood said, "The worst blasphemy is not profanity but lip service. What is dangerous is not intellectual atheism which is unpopular but rather mild religion which is very popular indeed." Believer's Study Bible, p. 110: 20:7 "To take' the Lord's name meant to lift it up' or use' it. To do something in vain' meant to do it with no good purpose or effect. 5 / 17

6 In this case, in vain' includes both the frivolous use of God's name and its wicked or deceitful use, i.e., in an attempt to deceive (e.g., swearing to a lie) or to accomplish a selfish or wicked goal (e.g., false prophecy, claiming God said something when He did not). 4. The Fourth Commandment "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (8) To the ancients, a part of something represented the whole. To dedicate one day meant that God was Lord all the time (or to dedicate a tithe represented all of one's resources.) a. This commandment demonstrates that man's time is under God and God has a right to claim man's time. b. This commandment commands labor - Bible is never tolerant of a lazy person. (2 Thess. 3:10) c. This commandment requires a man to rest. This is a basic need. Believer's Study Bible, p. 110: 20:11 "Without doubt the Law is based firmly in the created order. God's law is never arbitrary. His laws are for man's good. The Sabbath, as the seventh day in the week, was devoted to God (cf. Gen. 1:1-2:3). In the age of N.T. grace, Paul specifically rejected the legal necessity of keeping the Sabbath, but he and other Christians soon began meeting to worship on the first day of the week, as the Lord's Day. Keeping the Sabbath day is clearly identified in 31:13-17 as a covenant sign between God and the sons of Israel. The Hebrew word 6 / 17

7 shabbat basically means rest,' in the sense of cessation of one's work in order to pursue the things of God. In regard to holy days, cf. Col. 2:16, 17. God created the world, and the seventh day, i.e., Saturday, commemorated that. Jesus redeemed the world, and the first day, i.e., Sunday, commemorates that." B. Foundational Principles for Relating to Others 1. The Fifth Commandment "Honor your father and your mother" (12) We know that God values relationships. Paul reminds us that this is the first commandment with a promise (Eph. 6:2) " that your days may be long." Gary Smalley said that "honor is love put into practice." We are to honor our parents all of our lives. 2. The Sixth Commandment "You shall not murder" (13) Since God had just led them into battle with the Amalekites; this is not a prohibition against war. In other laws, God prescribes capital punishment. Above all, this is a command to respect the sanctity of life. Cain was guilty of the murder of his brother and received a harsh punishment (Gen. 4:11-14). Jesus expanded on this theme in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-42). 3. The Seventh Commandment "You shall not commit adultery" (14) God 7 / 17

8 upholds the value and sanctity of marriage vows. This commandment protects the home. It forbids any sex outside of the marriage covenant. One's relationship to one's spouse is used as a symbol of Christ's relationship to the church (Eph. 5:25-27). When Israel violated the covenant vows with God, adultery was said to have occurred with other gods. The entire book of Hosea expounds on the theme of physical adultery as a picture of spiritual adultery. Again Jesus expanded this commandment (Matt. 5:27-28). 4. The Eighth Commandment "You shall not steal" (15) Paul commands in his discourse on relationships " l et him who stole steal no longer but rather let him labor with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need." (Eph. 4:28) Whereas people may be scrupulously honest about material things, they may feel no guilt about stealing time on the job or away from the family or about stealing affection, self-esteem, or good feelings. We can take away much that is valuable to a person through the words we say. 5. The Ninth Commandment "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor " (16) Jesus said "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. " (John 8:32) God places a value on truth. Conversely, Satan is called " the father of lies." (John 8:44) 8 / 17

9 6. The Tenth Commandment "You shall not covet..." (17) This is a commandment regarding an attitude toward things. Our desire for physical can crowd out our desire for spiritual things. (Luke 12:15) Paul goes so far as to call covetousness "idolatry" (Col. 3:5). Believer's Study Bible, p. 111: 20:17 "The term covet' is used here of a strong desire for personal benefit at the expense of others. Man is to be content with God and with what God provides. This was the only commandment whose violation was purely internal. This fact, together with the commentaries on the Law by Jesus (Matt. 5:17-32) and Paul (Rom. 7:7), shows that God's true intent was not just to limit unrighteousness, nor to encourage external righteousness. His desire was for the true righteousness that is produced by a heart committed to Him. This was only to be made possible, however, through Christ." (Rom. 13:8-14, 10:4; Matt. 5:17). C. The Purpose of God's Commands (20:18-21) Believer's Study Bible, p. 111; 20:20 "According to the O.T. and the N.T., the law reveals God's righteousness, human depravity, and man's inability to save himself (Rom. 7:14, 15, 18, 19, 21-24; 1 Tim. 1:6-11)." All of the commandments are reiterated in the New Testament with the exception of the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27). III. Life Under the Covenant (Ex. 20:22-23:19) A. Concerning the Altar (20:22-26) From these verses we can arrive at some thoughts on worship: 9 / 17

10 1. The focus of worship should be on God alone rather than a substitute "you shall not make anything to be with Me-gods of silver or gods of gold..." (23) We are not to worship a cross or Mary or a building. We're to worship God. 2. The focus of worship should be on God alone rather than our achievements, "for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it..." (25) A worship experience that focuses upon man's greatness will not honor God. 3. The focus of worship should be on God alone rather than the leader "...nor shall you go up by steps to my altar..." (26) The priest was not to draw attention to himself in the act of worship. B. Concerning Servants (21:1-11) Slavery was commonly practiced throughout history and mentioned in the New Testament. The Bible doesn't condone the practice of slavery, but stresses the humane treatment of slaves. In verses 5-6 we gain a tremendous insight into a willing servant. If a servant's love for his master and family was greater than that of his personal freedom, his master would pierce his ear as a mark of permanent servitude. When people saw the pierced ear, their first thought would be of a gracious master who would inspire such dedication. Thus, Paul repeatedly referred to himself as a servant of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1, Philippians 1:1, Titus 1:1) 10 / 17

11 C. Concerning Violence (21:12-27) This is case law to support the Sixth Commandment prohibiting murder. An interesting instruction is given in verse 22 - Believers Study Bible, p. 112: 21:22 " The Scriptures establish a high and reverent view of all life. God is the Creator, sustainer and remover of life. (cf. Ps. 139:13-16, Jer. 1:5). God's high regard for the human fetus is clearly indicated in this Mosaic legislation, which was designed to protect pregnant women and their unborn babies from injury. It provided that if the death of the woman or fetus resulted, the offender would be put to death (v. 23 i.e., life for life'), but if there were no injury beyond the premature birth itself, a fine, assessed by the husband and approved by the judges, would be paid (v. 22). The reference here is to a premature birth rather than a miscarriage. No support is given here for the practice of abortion. These verses are clear and bold protection of the rights of unborn children. They strongly affirm that to interfere with intrauterine life was a crime, the value of the fetus's life being equal to that of the mother. This position is in contrast to that of many pagan nations." Jesus went beyond the lextalionis "law of retaliation" of verse 24 (Matthew 5:43-48)." D. Concerning Control of Property (21:28-36) These laws establish the concept of liabili ty when something you own or build does harm to another. E. Concerning Property (22:1-15) These laws expand on the Eighth Commandment. 11 / 17

12 1. Restitution- When Zacheus vows to restore anyone he has wronged "four fold" (Luke 19:8) he is alluding to the law in verse 1. Much of this section deals with restitution for lost property. 2. Self defense- Verse 2 gives a homeowner the right to protect him/herself against a thief. F. Concerning Protection for the Defenseless (16-31) Specific protection is given for unmarried maidens, orphans and widows. (James 1:27) G. Concerning Justice (23:1-9) 1. honesty "you shall not circulate a false report" (1) Gossip is soundly condemned in Scripture (Prov. 11:13; 16:28; 20:19; 26:20; 2 Cor. 12:20) Every Christian bears the responsibility for checking on the accuracy of information before passing it along. 2. gangs "you shall not follow a crowd to do evil" (2) We are morally responsible before God to act right; doing evil with a crowd does not dilute the guilt. 3. partiality (3-9) Justice is justice whether the person in question is rich or poor (3, 6), your friend or enemy (4-5), neighbor or stranger (9). 12 / 17

13 H. Concerning the Sabbath (10-13) The Sabbath year law was repeatedly violated by the Hebrews for hundreds of years. Some have concluded that part of the reason for the Babylonian captivity was to let the land rest and reclaim God's Sabbath years. I. Concerning the Feasts (14-19) Three of the six total feasts are mentioned here. Each feast was to remind God's children about some aspect of His goodness to them. IV. Importance of Covenant Fidelity (23:20-33) I Cor. 10:4-9 reveal that this Angel was the preincarnate Christ. God gives an overview of the conquest of Canaan: 1) God will cut-off their enemies (23), 2) God will not allow rival gods (24), 3) God will send fear to the enemies and drive them out with hornets (27-28), 4) God will drive them out in one year (29), 5) God will allow no treaties with the inhabitants (32). V. Call to Covenant Obedience (24:1-18) Believer's Study Bible, p. 117 gives an overview and background of this passage: 24:8 " This is the only place in the O.T. where people are sprinkled with blood (cf. 1 Pet. 1:2). The Lord's first redemptive act was to shed the blood of an innocent animal to make clothes out of its skin for Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:21). Noah built an altar of sacrifice, and the Lord made a covenant, which will last as long as the earth remains (Gen. 8:20-22). The unconditional covenant with Abraham was sealed as the Lord passed between the pieces of sacrificed animals (Gen. 15:7-21). Also in the Passover, blood had to be shed in order to cover the sins of the people if God was to relate to them in a covenant of promise. Nothing could be considered more serious than the shedding of blood, for it represents the giving of life itself (cf. Rom. 3:25; 5:9; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:22; Rev. 7:14)." 13 / 17

14 A. Afar "You shall worship at a distance" (1) In his Thru the Bible Commentary (vol. 1, p. 276) J. Vernon McGee comments: "How different things were under law than they are under grace. How different their situation was from when God was bringing them along the path from Egypt on eagle's wings of grace. Under law man must worship afar off but today Ephesians 2:13 tells us, But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.' God saves us and leads us along life's pathway today by His grace." B. Agreement "All the words which the Lord has said we will do" (3) God presents a conditi onal covenant between unequal parties. (Heb. 10:1ff) 1. The superior party did not make a covenant "with" but rather "for" the inferior party. 2. It is not a contract or even an agreement, but rather more of a promise made by the superior party. 3. The promise was conditional upon obligations to be met by the inferior party. 4. As the superior party, God promised Israel a unique opportunity. 5. That opportunity rested upon Israel's response to the demands set forth for her by God. 14 / 17

15 C. Atonement "they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls" (5) " And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the alter " (6) " So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people " (8) The blood used here is to ratify the covenant. It foreshadows the blood spilled at Calvary to ratify the new covenant (Heb. 9:18-21). Peter refers to the " sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ " (1:2) Hebrews 9:22 states "... and without shedding of blood is no remission." (Heb. 10:19-25) (Technically, Jesus did not cover sin, He took them away. John 1:29; Heb. 10:4) D. Appearance "and they saw the God of Israel" (10) John 1:18 states "N o one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. " When Philip said " Show us the Father," Jesus replied "...He who has seen me has seen the Father..." (John 14:8-9) God chose to reveal Himself as Jesus Christ. In this passage, they saw God's glory, a representation of God much like the burning bush. 15 / 17

16 E. Application "And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights" (18) The remainder of Exodus and all the laws of the Pentateuch were given to Moses during his stay on Sinai. God's principles do us no good if they are not applied to everyday life. (James 4:17) Application 1. The focus of worship should be on God. 2. God provides objective guidelines by which we measure our behavior. 3. Our righteousness is only possible through Christ's blood sacrifice.. Leader Pack: Item 13: Poster: Unit 2; Item 14: Handout: "False God's of Egypt" Illustrator: p. 47: "The Law: God's Gift to His People" Notes: **You may access David's Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: Dates: 2010 Dates: 1/13-5/12 - Milestones and Midlink for Spring; 1/26-4/13 - Livingproof Bible Study; 4/ 11 - SBS Leadership Luncheon-FSC; 4/18 - New & Pros. Member Orientation; 16 / 17

17 4/22 - MetroLIVE in the City; 4/24 - AIDSudan 5K Walk/Run; 4/25 - John Bisagno preaching 4/27 - FBA Spring Athletics Banquet; 5/2 - High School Senior Recognition; 5/3-4 - Staff Retreat; 5/4 - FBA Spring Fine Arts Festival; 5/6 - National Day of Prayer; 5/8 - Night of Worship; 5/9 - Single Parent Mother's Day Luncheon; 5/ Summit Spring Retreat; 5/23 - Parent Commitment; 5/27 - FBA 8 th Grade Graduation; 5/28 - HCHS Graduation & Reception; 5/30 - Memorial Day Weekend, Normal Schedule with SBS. 17 / 17