1. They had one job to do - The Israelites had a job to do; to be a light and beacon to represent God to the pagan nations around them: On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel. - The context: o God sent Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery and back to the promised land; to rescue them just like God promised Abraham He would (Gen 15:12-16) o Battle between Moses and Pharaoh o Israelites escape across the Red Sea, pursued by the Egyptian army (Ex 14-15) o Israelites come to Mt. Sinai - Notice: o (1) God s mercy, grace and kindness to the Israelites = you owe Him your allegiance o (2) Their mission: (a) covenant relationship ( keep my covenant ) (b) this relationship based entirely on God s unmerited grace and love ( for all the earth is mine ) 1
(c) kingdom of priests = make God known to the world (d) holy nation = a people who reflect God s character, holiness, mercy, grace, kindness and love - The problem the Israelites failed in their mission o For the most part, the tables have been reversed in this day and age (1 Pet 2:9-11): (1) Gentiles are the royal priests (2) Gentiles are holy nation (3) Gentiles are God s own people (4) Gentiles are the people for God s own possession (5) Gentiles are the ones who go forth, proclaiming the excellencies of He who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light 2. Falling down on the job: - Psalm 78 is one of the most haunting passages of Scripture, because: o (1) it describes in detail what apostasy looks like o (2) it describes what dead formalism looks like o (3) it describes what empty externalism looks like - It shows why believing faith isn t an inherited trait; it s something every single man, woman boy and girl must own for himself or herself o God doesn t have grandchildren! - As we take a very brief drive-by through this text, consider the challenges and difficulties of those who minister to the Jewish community now: Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, 2
and the wonders that he has done (Ps 78:1-4) - This is the sad resolution of a man who s looking back on a history of faithlessness and spiritual failure, but whose heart is warmed by God s timeless promise of perfect forgiveness, reconciliation and love o His heart is warmed by God s covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which comes to fruition in Jesus Christ, the penultimate son of Abraham He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God (Ps 78:5-8). - The Israelites had a responsibility to diligently teach their children: o (1) who God is, o (2) about His mercy, grace love and kindness, o (3) about His power, o (4) about His might, o (5) about what He d done for them, o (6) about what He promised He d do for them in the future, - and they were supposed to do that hoping their children would grow up to know and love the Lord just like they did The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, 3
turned back on the day of battle. They did not keep God's covenant, but refused to walk according to his law. They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them. In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan. He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap. In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light. He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep. He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers (Ps 78:9-16). - If this is the God: o (1) who d chosen them out of all the peoples on earth, o (2) who could have washed His hands of the whole thing after Adam and Eve, o (3) then after Cain and Abel, o (4) then before the flood, o (5) then after the flood, o (6) then after the Tower of Babel, o (7) then at any point in between Babel and Mt. Sinai, o (8) and He d shown His love by His divine rescue from the Egyptians, then why on earth wouldn t they respond to Him with loving, heartfelt obedience? Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, Can God spread a table in the wilderness? 4
He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people? (Ps 78:17-20) - All this happened in the wilderness, during the three months between the Red Sea and God s meeting on Mt. Sinai! - The Janet Jackson philosophy of faithfulness was alive and well back then, too what have you done or me lately? Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel, because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power. Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven, and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven. Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance. He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind; he rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas; he let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings. And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved. But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths, the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel (Ps 78:21-31). 5
- This is after the law was given, and they were on their way to conquer the Promised Land, after they d promised to do everything the Lord commanded, and supposedly understood He was on their side, and would protect and guide them! o See Numbers 11 32 In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe. 33 So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror. 34 When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly. 35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. 36 But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. 37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant. - This is false worship, fakery, lying and treachery - These Israelites: o (1) knew God exists, o (2) they d seen His miracles, o (3) He led them daily in a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day, o (4) so they knew His power, might, mercy, grace, kindness and love and they could have cared less! Some professing Christians today do the very same thing 38 Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath. 39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again. 6
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert! 41 They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel. 42 They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe, 43 when he performed his signs in Egypt and his marvels in the fields of Zoan. - Our God is clearly one that s willing to forgive, because He forgave them, and He s still got a plan for the Israelite people in the future o Whoever you are and whatever you ve done, God is willing to forgive you, too o No matter: (1) who you are, (2) what you ve done, (3) what you haven t done, (4) or what you will do, (5) if you turn to Christ in repentance and faith, (6) you ll find Him to be a perfect, compassionate and merciful Savior - The psalmist recited how God rescued the from Egypt 44 He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams. 45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them. 46 He gave their crops to the destroying locust and the fruit of their labor to the locust. 47 He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost. 48 He gave over their cattle to the hail and their flocks to thunderbolts. 49 He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, 7
a company of destroying angels. 50 He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague. 51 He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham. 52 Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. 53 He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. 54 And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountain which his right hand had won. 55 He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents. - How did they respond to God s love? - How did they fulfill the mission He gave them at Mt. Sinai; the mission they d agreed to? 56 Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies, 57 but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow. 58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols. - This is the history of the earliest years of the Israelite nation; in the times of the Judges, leading into the historical books, beginning with 1 Samuel o Read Judges 17 end to get a feel for how idolatrous and how low the 12 tribes had sunk in the land God had given them - Over and over again, God s love is repaid with treachery o It was true then, and it s still true now o People live, work, laugh, play and love all over the world, not knowing or caring that God gives them food, water, shelter, jobs, clothes, 8
money, possessions, wi-fi, Netflix and Dutch Bros coffee, and they couldn t care less o They don t care that God s kindness is meant to lead them to repentance (cf. Rom 2:4) 59 When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel. 60 He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind, 61 and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe. 62 He gave his people over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage. 63 Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no marriage song. 64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation. 65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine. 66 And he put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting shame. - This is the story of how the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, in 1 Samuel 4, and the aftermath - But, despite this treachery, God still kept His word to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and provided a Savior for them: 67 He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, 68 but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves. 69 He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever. 70 He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds; 9
71 from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance. 72 With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand. - The psalmist is writing about King David, but (of course) the real fulfillment is in Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah descended from David 3. CONCLUSION: - God has two groups of people who He s specifically chosen for salvation o Israel o Church - This is just the briefest snapshot of the early history and failure of Israel to live up to her mandate to: o (1) be a kingdom of priests to the unbelieving world, o (2) and a holy nation that reflected God s glory, grace, love, mercy, kindness and (above all) holiness and character to the world - Jesus is the Messiah, and He brings perfect peace to everyone who repents of his sins and believes the Good News He suffered and bled and died to bring: o Perfect life o Sacrificial death o Resurrection o Return 10