The 'Mosaic Covenant Confirmed' (Exodus 24).

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world (Gen.12:1-3). Abraham’s family grew while in Egypt but they became enslaved. They cried out under oppression and the Lord God called Moses to lead the Israelites and brought ‘His mighty acts of judgment’ upon Egypt and their gods. Pharaoh let the Israelites go (Exodus 7-12, 12:12), but Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his troops to pursue Israel. The Israelites appeared to be trapped by the Red Sea until the Lord divided the sea and the Israelites walked through on dry ground. Pharaoh’s entire armies followed Israel into the see only to be drowned. The Israelites trusted in the Lord and in His servant Moses. Then the Lord miraculously provided the Israelites with ‘manna and quail’ and ‘water from a rock’ despite their grumbling and complaining. Then in Exodus 19-20 we have the account of the ‘giving of the law’ and that brings us to the story of the ‘confirmation of the Mosaic Covenant’ from Exodus 24. You can watch the video and read the comments below. 

The Lord told Moses to come up to him, but the Israelite people were not to come up the mountain. Moses was to take Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, but only Moses could approach and draw near to the Lord. God wanted the representatives to come up to him but they were to stay back and worship from a distance. When Moses told the Israelites all the Lord’s words and laws they agreed with one voice that they would obey all that the Lord had said. The Lord revealed his will directly to Moses who made it known to the representative leaders of Israel. Then after they agreed to obey the Lord Moses committed everything the Lord said to writing. So Moses had the unique role of receiving the direct revelation from God and he was responsible to preserve the revelation in writing.  

Early the next morning Moses built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars; one for each Israelite tribe. There they sacrificed bulls as offerings to the Lord. Moses gathered the blood from the sacrifices, sprinkled half of the blood on the altar and he put the other half in bowls. Then Moses read the ‘Book of the Covenant’ to the people and once again they agreed to obey the Lord. After this Moses sprinkled the blood on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you.” God used this ceremony to show the binding nature of the relationship between God and His people. The shedding of the blood communicated the ‘life and death’ seriousness of the covenant bond so that their oath and the blood bound them to be faithful to the Lord of the covenant. 

Moses’ read what the Lord required of them, the people took an oath to the Lord and the covenant ceremony sealed their commitment to be faithful to what the Lord had said. The shedding of the blood symbolically represented the consequence for disloyalty to the covenant. Now that the people were bound in covenant relationship with the Lord we’re told that their representative leaders, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders went up with Moses and they saw the God of Israel. What exactly they saw is unclear but beneath it was something like a pavement of sapphire as clear as the sky. So these representative leaders of God’s people saw something of the presence and glory of God and they ate and drank and the Lord did them not harm them.

The Lord told Moses to come up to the mountain and wait upon Him. Then the Lord would give Moses the tablets of stone on which the Lord would write is law and commands for their instruction. The people were bound in covenant with the Lord and their leaders had seen something of God’s glory. Now it was time for Moses to go up the mountain and receive further revelation of God’s will for His people. Aaron and Hur stayed behind to settle disputes while Moses and Joshua went up on the mountain of God. The cloud settled on Mount Sinai for six days and it looked like a ‘consuming fire’ to the Israelites at the base of the mountain. On the seventh day God called Moses so Moses entered the cloud and stayed on the mountain 40 days and nights.

The Lord Jesus instituted a new and better covenant with his people when he gave his disciples what we call the ‘Lord’s Supper’ (Luke 22:20, Hebrews 8:6). When we take this ceremonial meal by faith we are renewing our oath to be faithful to our Lord. By faith we also participate in the body and blood of Christ and we proclaim that our Lord bore the curse due us for our unfaithfulness (1 Cor.10:16, 11:26, Gal. 3:13). When Moses sprinkled the blood on the people Moses said ‘this is the blood of the covenant’ (Ex. 24:8) but when Jesus inaugurated the supper he said, ‘this is the new covenant in my blood’ (Luke 22:20). The curse that would come upon the party violating the covenant relationship is symbolically depicted by the blood or wine in the ceremony or meal. Moreover, in better new covenant Jesus himself experienced the death due to us for breaking the covenant and we, as believers ‘in Christ’, receive the blessing due to him (Gal. 3:12-13).

               

'The Giving of the Law' (Exodus 19-20)

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world (Gen.12:1-3).  Abraham’s descendants multiplied in Egypt but they became enslaved. They cried out to the Lord and the Lord called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. The Lord brought ‘His mighty acts of judgment’ upon Egypt and their gods so that Pharaoh let the Israelites go (Exodus 7-12, 12:12). Yet, Pharaoh changed his mind and he pursued Israel pinning them in by the Red Sea. The Lord divided the sea so that the Israelites were able to walk through on dry ground. Pharaoh’s army followed them into the sea and Pharaoh’s entire army drowned. So the Israelites trusted in the Lord and in His servant Moses. However, they quarreled when they faced the difficulties of life in the desert. The Lord miraculously provided the Israelites with food and water and He gave them a military victory over the Amalekites (Exodus 17). This brings us to the story of God giving Moses and the Israelites His law at Mount Sinai. You can watch the video and read the comments below. 

 This is a great story because it shows us something of the holy and awesome character of our God. However, it is also a disturbing story because you get the impression from the story that God is so ‘holy’, and so ‘far above and beyond us’ that He is unapproachable. Moses was told to put a boundary around the mountain to keep people from going up and approaching God; or they would be put to death (Exodus 19:23-24). The story also teaches that God is a God of grace which we can miss among the ‘thunder and lightning’ and ‘fire and smoke’. Remember that the Lord God had already graciously delivered Israel out from slavery in Egypt. The Lord carried the Israelites ‘on eagle’s wings’ and He brought them to Himself. Then God bound Himself ‘in covenant’ to Israel and Israel was to be God’s ‘treasured possession’. Consequently, among all the nations Israel was to be a ‘kingdom of priests and a holy nation’.

The story tells us how God so loved Israel, that He graciously saved them out of Egypt and brought them to Himself to be His people. Consequently, as God’s people the Israelites were to ‘obey Him’ and seek to reflect the character of their redeemer God. As God’s people they were to ‘Worship the Lord as the only true God’. In addition, they were not to misrepresent God by making an idol of any created thing to represent God and they were not to misuse the Lord’s name. They were to ‘work six days and then rest’ in imitation of their God who created everything in six days and rested on seventh day.  Also, they were to honor their parents and love their neighbors as themselves. As the Lord’s ‘treasured possession’ and a ‘holy nation’ they were to reflect God’s character and in so doing they would show the nations what God was like and that they were God’s special people.

The story also tells us something very important about man. Man cannot simply approach God any way old he wants. God came down on Sinai but, only Moses could approach God. Israel was to keep their distance (Exodus 20:18-21). When God manifested Himself on Sinai, Israel only wanted Moses to speak to God because they feared that if God spoke to them they would die. God was saying, ‘I’m the Lord the ‘gracious and compassionate God’ and I’m coming down but ‘I’m holy’; so ‘stand back’. God was saying, “I’m coming down to ‘make myself known’, but they could not approach the Lord any old way you wanted (Exodus 20:22–24). God called Moses up the mountain and gave him His law. Among all the nations God was revealing ‘His will’ and ‘His character’ to Israel. Israel was free to approach the Lord as ‘His People’ but they could only approach Him through a mediator and by means of a sacrifice. God revealed Himself to Israel though ‘His Law’ which was like a portrait of the ‘Holy character of God’.  Now when we look at the portrait of God’s holy character, ‘the Law’ becomes for us something like a mirror. In this sense ‘the Law’ exposes our sin and imperfections and our need for a Saviour who we know to be the better new covenant mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the embodiment of Israel’s God.

Gal.3:24 ‘the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith’.

Water from the Rock (Exodus 17).

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world (Gen.12:1-3).  Abraham’s descendants multiplied but ended up enslaved in Egypt. They cried out and the Lord used Moses to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt by His mighty acts of judgment. The Israelite community left Egypt with the Lord leading them by the pillar of cloud and fire. Then when Pharaoh and his army pursued Israel, Moses stretched out his staff over the Red Sea and the Lord divided the sea so that the Israelites walked through on dry ground. Pharaoh’s army followed them into the sea but the Lord drowned Pharaoh’s entire. The Israelites trusted in the Lord and in His servant Moses but then they quarreled when they faced the difficulties of life in the desert. This brings us to the story of the Lord providing the Israelites with water from the rock and giving them a victory over the Amalekites (Exodus 17). You can watch the video and read the comments below. 

The Lord delivered the Israelites out of Egypt with mighty acts of judgment and led them by the pillar of cloud and fire. Then the Lord provided the Israelites with plenty of ‘manna and quail’ to eat. In this story we find that the Israelites had been led to camp at Rephidim where they had no water. Now instead of trusting the Lord to provide water for them the Israelites tested the Lord and yet the Lord graciously provided water for the people to drink from the ‘Rock at Horeb’.

The Israelite community were traveling place to place and the Lord led them to camp at Rephidim where there was no visible source of water. However, rather than trusting God the Israelites quarreled with Moses and demanded he give them water to drink. Moses questions why they were quarreling and putting the Lord to the test since it was the Lord who had led them to the camp. By quarreling and demanding that Moses give them water they were actually ‘putting the Lord to the test”.

With no water in sight they assumed that there was no water available. They definitely needed water so they chose to quarrel with Moses and they even accused Moses of bringing them out of Egypt only to make them, their children and their livestock die of thirst. They quarreled to such an extent that Moses actually thought the Israelites would stone him to death. Moses was at a loss as to what to do so he cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do… the Israelites are ready to stone me.”

The Lord’s answer was for Moses to walk ahead of the people accompanied by some of the Israelite elders. The Lord would stand before Moses on the “Rock at Horeb’ and Moses was to strike the rock with the same staff which they used to strike the Nile and bring judgment upon the ‘gods of Egypt’. Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel and the Lord provided water from the rock for the people to drink. So Moses called the place Massah, which means testing and ‘meribah’ which means quarreling because there they questioned whether or not He was with them. The Lord allowed Himself to be put on trial by having Moses strike the rock with the staff with which Moses had brought judgment on Egypt.

God calls His people to trust Him to provide for us. Yet in this story we find the Israelites testing the Lord’s patience by doubting that God was with them (Ex. 17:2, 6-7). This happened at Horeb which is another name for Mount Sinai and is the same place where Moses encountered God at the burning bush (Ex. 3:1; Deut 4:15). We find water flowing from God’s presence in other places in the scripture (Gen. 2:10; Ezek. 47:1–2). The New Testament tells us that the Israelites drank from the rock that accompanied them and that rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:3–4). Today, we are to look directly to Jesus the mediator of the better new covenant to provide spiritual water for our thirsty souls (Hebrews 9:15, 12:24, John 7:37b–38).

After they quarreled and putting the Lord to the test the Israelites were attacked by the Amalekites. First came the infighting and then came the attack from the outside. Moses tells Joshua to choose some of their men to fight while he would go up the hill with the staff of God to intercede. So Joshua and his chosen men fought the Amalekites while Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. While Moses held up his hands the Israelites were winning, but whenever Moses lowered his hands the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired Aaron and Hur held Moses hands steady till sunset.

Moses lifted up his hands to the throne of God and Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. The Lord told Moses to write this account down on a scroll so that the event could be remembered. Moses was to make sure that Joshua heard it since the Lord would blot out the memory of Amalek. Then Moses built an altar and called it ‘The Lord is my Banner’ and he said that the Lord fought for Israel when hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord. The story shows how quarreling can make one vulnerable to outside attack. It is curious how being attacked can motivate people to work together to overcome a common enemy. Facing opposition can stimulate cooperation and divert attention away from quarreling and bickering. The story makes it clear that the battle is the Lord’s and that spiritual battles are won by lifting up hands in prayer to the throne of God. Moses interceded for the Old Testament people and we look in pray to the better new covenant mediator, our Lord Jesus Christ.  

"God Provides Manna and Quail" (Exodus 16)

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world (Gen.12:1-3).  Abraham’s descendants multiplied in Egypt but they became enslaved. They cried out in and the Lord remembered His covenant (Exodus 1:7, 2:23) and He called Moses to help deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. The Lord sent several plagues upon Egypt to deliver Israel and to reveal Himself to both the Israelites and the Egyptians (6:6-7, 7:3-5). The Israelites were to slaughter a year-old male lamb and put the blood on their doorframes. Then the Lord ‘passed over’ the Israelite households and brought judgment upon the ‘gods of Egypt’ by striking down every firstborn in Egypt (12:12).

Pharaoh let the Israelites go and the Israelites left Egypt and many other people accompanied them. The Lord led the Israelites to camp by the Red Sea and the Pharaoh sent his troops to pursue them. Moses stretched out his staff over the sea and the Lord divided the sea and the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Pharaoh’s army followed them into the sea but the Lord downed the Pharaoh’s entire army in the sea. The Israelites saw the Lord’s power and they trusted in the Lord and in His servant Moses. After a celebration, Moses and the Israelites continued their journey through the desert towards their promised land. This brings us to the story of the Lord providing the Israelites with ‘quail and manna’ (Exodus 16) so watch the video and read the comments below. 

In the Exodus the Lord delivered His people from Egyptian slavery and led them towards their promised land by the pillar of cloud and fire. In this story God miraculously provided food for the Israelites in the wilderness and tested them to see if they would follow his instructions. The Israelite community came to the ‘Desert of Sin’ where they grumbled against Moses and Aaron. They selectively thought back to Egypt and remembered having food had meat to eat. Then they accused Moses leading them into the desert only to starve them to death. They don’t recall crying out in their slavery and God delivering them out of Egypt and drowning Pharaoh’s army in the sea. Yet, despite their grumbling the Lord promised Moses that He would “rain down bread from heaven”. Then the Israelites were to gather enough for each day, and twice as much on the sixth day. In this way the Lord would test the Israelites to see if they will obey Him.

So the Israelites grumbled but God graciously provided them with meat so that they would know the Lord had brought them out of Egypt. In the morning they would see the glory of the Lord when they were provided plenty of bread. Then when Aaron was speaking, the Israelites looked up and saw the glory of the Lord in the pillar of cloud.  So God promised to graciously provide for them and He manifested His presence among them so that they would know that the Lord is God. God did as Moses said and in the evening quail covered the camp and in the morning a fine, flake-like thing was on the ground. The Israelites asked what it was and Moses said, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat”. They were to gather what they needed and share what they gathered so that no one had too much or too little.  Moses also told them not to leave any of it until morning. Earlier they had seen the power of God displayed in the drowning of Pharaoh’s army and they had trusted Moses. But now some of them ignore Moses and when the ‘bread’ they kept smelled bad and was full of maggots. Then they were told to gather twice as much as usual on the sixth day because the seventh day was a day of Sabbath rest and there wouldn’t be any to gather. They were to cook what they wanted and to keep what was left over for the next day. Some of them went out to gather it on the seventh day and they found none. The Lord considered this to be a refusal to keep His commands.

Now the Israelites called the bread that God rained down from heaven ‘manna’. It was white like coriander seed and it tasted like wafers made with honey. Aaron put some of the ‘manna’ in a jar to be kept before the Lord so that generations of Israelites could see the bread the Lord had provided in the desert when He brought them out of Egypt. The Lord provided the ‘manna’ for the Israelites to eat for forty years till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. Surely, the story teaches that God is fully capable of providing for his people. God even provided graciously for them despite their grumbling against Him. The way God dealt with the grumbling of the Israelites reveals God’s great patience. It also shows us that the Israelites didn’t deserve God’s gracious provision and guidance (Ex. 16:2, 7–9, 12). So God wants us to trust Him to be the one who provides for us. Therefore God expects us to obey him particularly because of all that He has done for us.