20 EXODUS CHAPTER This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND THE LAW FOR THE MESSIANIC NATION BIBLE REFERENCE: (Exodus - Deuteronomy) BOOK OF STUDY: Exodus LESSON # 14 Season of Study: Season of Bringing the Savior into the world HISTORY It is agreed by most biblical scholars that the book of Exodus, the second book in the Pentateuch, was written by Moses. Its main theme is the covenant relationship developed between the Almighty God, and the children of Israel. In God s story Exodus lays out the first stage of God s raising up a nation of people through whom He would send the Savior. The book of Genesis reveals the Promise God made to man (Genesis 3:15), and in Exodus we see the budding of the nation, Providing the Promise to man. 1
In Genesis God promises a Savior; God promises a Sinless world; and God promises the Children of Israel Statehood. It would be through the statehood of Israel, or their becoming a nation by which the Savior would be brought into the world. In the book of Exodus, the Almighty provides for the Children of Israel to become a great nation, fulfilling the promise God made to all three of the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To Abraham God promised, I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing (Genesis 12:1). To Isaac God promised, Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed (Genesis 26: 3 4). And to Jacob God promised, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed (Genesis 28:13 14). The book of Exodus explores a stage of divine activity to make of Israel a great and powerful nation through whom the Messiah would come. CONNECTING THE SEASONS When studying the book of Exodus, we are studying the Season of Bringing the Savior into The World. Having made the promise to mankind in the Garden of Eden that He would send a Savior (Genesis 3:15), God initiates His plan in the call of the man Abram, whose name was later changed to Abraham. From this man, God would grow a nation of people who would bring His Only Begotten Son into the world. 2
From the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus coming into the world; being crucified, buried, and resurrected has come the promise of the Rapture and Return of Jesus. INTRODUCTION For Israel to become the Messianic nation, God provided them with leadership, law, and land. In the Old Testament there are 600 plus laws and statures God gave to the nation of Israel to govern them in their existence as a nation. The moral law was comprised in the ten commandments or the decalogue, outlined in both the books of Exodus and the book of Deuteronomy. God called Moses to the top of Mount Sinai, and first spoke the ten commandments and printed them on a stone tablet with His finger. Upon Moses returning from the mountain, the Children of Israel had coached Aaron into making a golden calf for them to worship. Out of anger, Moses cast the tablets to the ground and busted them into pieces (Exodus 32). God would then send Moses to the mountain top again, and upon returning to the mountain top Moses would carve out two stone tablets, and the Almighty would re-write His commandments upon the hewn stones (Exodus 34). These ten commandments serve as a foundation for the jurisprudence of many civilizations. In an article entitled The Hebrews and the Foundation of Western Law, I quote: The Ten Commandments and many other elements of Hebrew law provided a major source for the development of western legal systems and democracy. Three thousand years ago, the ancient Hebrew people lived in the Near East in an area called Canaan. This ancient people developed the idea of monotheism, the belief in one god. They believed that their god gave them laws to regulate their society, their religious practices, and their relationships with other people. Conquered by the neo-babylonians and later by the Romans, the Hebrews eventually became a scattered people, living in many countries under different legal systems. They continued to develop their own law and tried to follow it even in foreign lands. Their law was based on the Ten Commandments and other sacred writings, in which today, we find in the Hebrew Bible. In developing their law, they sometimes borrowed legal concepts from other civilizations as well as 3
passing on their own ideas. The Jewish law that was developed influenced Roman law, English law, and our own Declaration of Independence and Constitution, end of quote! These two tablets, printed by the finger of God, were placed in the Ark of the Covenant as a reminder of the people rejecting the law of God. We read, And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid roundabout with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant (Hebrews 9:3 4). The ten commandments are God s law, not from man but from God, and is for all men. THE PRINTED TEXT (Exodus 20: 1 17) And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 4
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it. 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. EXPLORING THE PRINTED TEXT I. THE NATIONS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD (Exodus 20: 1 7). As a Theocracy, a nation whose leader was the Almighty God, and the Messianic nation; a kingdom of priest; a holy nation, and the nation through who the Messiah would come, the Children of Israel were first and foremost responsible and obligated to Jehovah God. Therefore, in the laws given to them by God, the law first pointed the people to their relationship with their God. In this covenanted relationship between Jehovah and the Children of Israel, if they were to be used of God to bring into the world His Messiah, His Christ, then they were not to have any other god, nor worship or recognize any other deity, other than Him. God said to them in the law that He set before them, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. God does not leave them to question as to why He, (God) was first. In the law God explains to them, I must be first, because, I the Lord thy 5
God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. In this covenanted relationship between Jehovah and His people they were not to make any image, of things in heaven or in earth, (idols in other words) that would represent Him (God) or any other deity. The inference here is that God the creator is far greater than any creature or created thing He may have made, and His reality cannot be fully embraced in the human mind or expressed by human concepts. Further in their relationship with Jehovah, His name, (Jehovah) must be reverenced, and worshipped. His name was not to be used in idle conversation and discussions, but when the name (Jehovah) came to mind, HIS NAME was to bring pause to the people, and they were to worship Him, and remember they were fearfully, and wonderfully made. Jesus, who is God, the Messiah come in the flesh, expressed this idea years later when He declares to man, seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33 II. THE NATIONS RELATIONSHIP WITH SELF - (Exodus 20: 8 11). We have been taught over the years regarding our relationships in the earth, as being, to God first, to others second, and last of all to self. However, in God s law that He gave to His people, that arrangement does not hold true. In the law, God is first, but our second obligation, and responsibility is to self. The meaning is hidden in the wording. God says to Israel, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 6
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it. This commandment is written for the benefit of the individual man and woman. God speaks in this commandment to the individual, and says, You need rest. You need rest to Worship. The Almighty used Himself as an example! in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day. Worshipping is to be Away from our laboring; Appreciating our labor; and Acknowledging our Lord. In the book of Leviticus God enlarges this law by saying, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:18). Love of self is never complete until we have surrendered self and all that we are into the hand of God the Almighty. Upon surrendering self completely to God, all that we love; this includes our fellow men and women, is placed under the divine protection of God. If we love self as we should, then it is God ordering our steps. And if I love my neighbor as myself, as I have committed and entrusted myself into the hands of the Almighty, so have I done for my neighbor and fellowmen. A person can ask no greater love from another, than the mother, father, sister, brother, or friend daily submit them to the care and sustaining of them to God. In this sense, what one wishes for them self they wish upon all others! III. THE NATIONS RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR FELLOWMAN (Exodus 20: 12 17). The moral law commanded of God to the Children of Israel through Moses on Mt. Sinai, addresses lastly the relationship existing between the people and their fellowman. 7
God begins in the home! 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. It is strange God does not command the Children of Israel to love mother and father?? However, the Children of Israel are commanded to honor mother and father. One is forced to question, why honor, and not love? Love is of God! The scripture says, Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 John 4:8). Honor is a choice of mankind! Without God and being in sin man cannot reach the level of love required of the divine. However, because honor is a choice, man can choose, even without the quality of divine love in his/her life, to honor those around him/her. Mom and dad can mistreat us, even to the point of total neglect; but even in those situations, we can choose to honor them; for according to the scriptures it is right. Paul to the Church at Ephesus admonishes, Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise (Ephesians 6:1 2). Outside of the home, God commands the Children of Israel to not, kill, lie, nor covet. With the relationship of God, of self, and of their fellowman being what God would have it to be, God readies His people to follow His leadership, and possess the land of Canaan awaiting their arrival. LIFE APPLICATION To "let go" does not mean to stop caring, it means I can't do it for someone else. To "let go" is not to cut myself off, it's the realization I can't control another. To "let go" is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences. To "let go" is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands. To "let go" is not to try to change or blame another, it's to make the most of myself. To "let go" is not to care for, but to care about. To "let go" is not to fix, but to be supportive. To "let go" is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being. 8
To "let go" is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their destinies. To "let go" is not to be protective, it's to permit another to face reality. To "let go" is not to deny, but to accept. To "let go" is not to nag, scold, or argue, but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them. To "let go" is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to take each day as it comes, and cherish myself in it. To "let go" is not to criticize and regulate anybody, but to try to become what I dream I can be. To "let go" is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future. To "let go" is to fear less and love more. WHAT WE KNOW ALREADY: PREMISE OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH: 1. God Is 2. God Speaks 3. God Speaks Through That Which Has Already Been Spoken - We believe the Bible to be the inerrant Word of God. WORKING DEFINITION OF GOD: God is the Personal Spirit, who in Holy Love, Creates. Orders, and Sustains all. SEASONS TO SPIRITUAL PERFECTION God created the physical universe in six (6) days. God creates the perfect universe in six (6) seasons. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of the heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband 9
(Revelation 21:1-2). 1. Season of Beginnings - Genesis 1-3 2. Season of Boundaries and Borders - Genesis 4-11 3. Season of Bringing Christ or the Messiah into the World - Genesis 12 thru the Gospel of John. 4. Season of Broadcasting Christ to the World - Acts - Revelation 5. Season of Burdens and Tribulations - Revelation 6. Season of Birthing a New Creation - Revelation 10