Ministry to Internationals@ Christ Chruch Stellenbosch

This 'Post' comes from the annual report of Christ Church in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Nigerian Independence Day Celebration. 

RE: Christ Church Stellenbosch Ministry to Internationals.

The ministry to ‘Internationals’ at Christ Church Stellenbosch seeks to connect ‘International Students’ to Christ, to one another and to our Church. We want to create a community where ‘Internationals students’ can hear and tell the gospel through the Bible’s own stories.  Every Thursday on campus we hold our ‘Story Group for Internationals’ where we tell and discuss Biblical stories. Our ‘Story Group’ now has about a dozen regulars. Four of last year’s most faithful attenders received their degrees in December and returned to their home countries.    

Laura, Clara and Chimwemwe from Zambia.

We also seek to show hospitality to internationals by sharing meals with them in our home and we invite students to church braais. Our hope is that church partners will get to know internationals and welcome them into the church community. This ministry is an opportunity to extend the outreach of Christ Church. Dr. Ephraim Yoms, a Nigerian Pastor who attended Christ Church and ‘Story Group’ regularly has given us an open invitation to visit Nigeria to train Church leaders in ‘Bible Storytelling’. We have also been invited to teach Pastors in the Nkhoma Synod in Malawi. Here are testimonies from those who have benefited from the ministry to internationals.

 “Discussing Biblical stories brings the characters and their circumstances alive in a fresh way. It is challenging and inspiring! God’s plan for salvation shines through in all of Israel’s history and this is amazing to grasp!” Timwani Phiri; Ph-D Candidate in Engineering from Zambia.  

 “In the ‘Story Group’ I discover what the stories mean by listening and thinking deeply. When I hear the Bible stories, I feel that no story is meaningless because they are our stories. When I listen to the opinions of others I learn how others think and sometimes they challenge me. I always appreciate both the love we receive and the food for lunch.” Pastor Jacob Lee; M-Th Candidate Practical Theology from Korea.

“The ‘story group’ for internationals has been so enriching to me, I have learned a lot and I have been impacted spiritually. Studying God’s Word by storytelling is fascinating and helps one to grasp events from the scripture in a practical and imaginative way. It helps me to identify the context of the scripture more from my African perspective of telling stories in a communal setting. It would be for me a unique way of sharing God’s Word when I go back to my country after my studies here at the University.” Kefas Garba; M-Th Candidate from Nigeria.

“It was a blessing for me to join this group. Most people who gather at this meeting are from different countries with different denominational backgrounds. Jay uses Bible stories to teach and after the Bible story he leads discussion about the story. Everyone participates in the discussion actively. I believe that the students are helped; both spiritually and physically, and will be good Christian leaders in their countries upon returning.” Dokeun Byun; Theology Student from Korea.

“Our gatherings with international students were great and enriching. It was an opportunity to know each other as well and to share the ‘Word of God’ in different cultural perspectives.” Tony Gunde; Ph-D Journalism from Malawi.

“Thank you very much for the privilege to have learned from the story group. We arrived at our home in Nigeria safely.” Pastor Ephraim Yoms; Th-D Practical Theology from Nigeria.

Please Pray for the 'Ministry to Internationals at Christ Church Stellenbosch'. 

Pray for the growth and participation in our 'Story Group'. 

Pray for our community as we seek to show hospitality to Internationals in our home. 

Pray for our the spiritual and emotional health of our family as we seek to minister in South Africa. 

Pray that my 'Research Proposal' be approved so we can renew our educational visa to stay in SA.  

Your prayerful support of this ministry is deeply appreciated!

Jay, Laura, Clara, Katherine, and Lauren Stoms

To make a tax-deductible donation send your support to:

Jay and Laura Stoms (Stoms Ministry Fund)

Africa Christian Training Institute 
P O Box 15621; Panama City FL 32406-5621

'The Twelve Spies' (Numbers 13-14).

God promised to bless the world through Abraham’s descendants who multiplied in Egypt but became enslaved. God called Moses to lead them and God delivered them out of Egypt with many ‘miraculous signs’. The Lord parted the Red Sea and Israel walked through on dry ground while Pharaoh’s army was drowned in the sea. The Lord led Israel by the pillar of cloud and fire and miraculously provided ‘manna and water from a rock’ despite Israel’s grumbling. At Mt. Sinai the Lord established His covenant with Israel and gave them the 10 commandments. But, while Moses was with God on the mountain the Israelites made a golden calf as an idol. Moses went down smashed the idol and went back up Mt. Sinai to intercede for the Israelites. Moses pleaded with the Lord and the Lord promised to go with Israel and to forgive them (Ex. 34:1-9). The Israelites set out from Sinai in their tribal divisions with the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ before them with the pillar of cloud above them. Their journey was difficult and they complained about their hardships (11:1). They wailed for meat and claimed they were better off in Egypt which provoked the Lord’s anger.  Moses started talking about his calling being a burden that he was unable to carry. So God, in His grace, anointed seventy of Israel’s elders with His Spirit to help Moses. (Ex. 18:13–26, Num. 11:24–30). Then the Lord brought so much quail into the camp that the Israelites became thoroughly sick of it. They came to the border of Canaan where we learn the story of the ‘twelve spies’ who explored the Promised Land (Numbers 13-14). Watch the story and read the comments below. 

 The Lord led Israel by the pillar of cloud and fire to the border of the Promised Land and they sent twelve spies to explore the land the Lord was giving them. They returned with a branch with such a large cluster of grapes that two men had to carry it on a pole. They also brought pomegranates and figs, all of which evidenced that the land really was a land flowing with milk and honey. It was like a new Eden and the grapes, pomegranates and figs were a kind of first fruits of their promised inheritance (Numbers 13:1-25). Joshua and Caleb, the other spies and the whole community knew that God had delivered them out of Egypt and had been leading them by the pillar of cloud and fire. Yet, Caleb believed that they should take possession of the land while the other spies brought a bad report. They said that the land with its powerful inhabitants and their fortified cities would devour them (Num. 13:26-33). Why did Caleb and Joshua believe God and Moses and while the community believed the bad report of the other spies?

For Israel to take possession of the land God would have to intervene. If He didn’t then they would die in battle and their families would be taken as plunder. Caleb believed they could take possession of the land, but the others saw themselves as grasshoppers and the land’s habitants as giants who would devour them. The report of the ten focused on the powerful inhabitants and their fortified walled cites. The community believed the ‘bad report’ and they grumbled against Moses and Aaron. They said that they would be better off dying in Egypt or in the desert. Moses and Aaron fall on their faces and Joshua and Caleb address the community. Joshua and Caleb said that if God was pleased with them then He would give them the land. They exhorted the people not to rebel against the Lord and not to be afraid of the inhabitants of the land because the Lord was with them.  But the people wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb (Num. 14:1-10).

For Joshua and Caleb it wasn’t about how they measured up to the land’s inhabitants. Joshua and Caleb exhorted the Israelites not to rebel against the Lord and not to be afraid of those in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Moses at the Tent of Meeting and said that He would destroy the Israelites and make Moses into a great nation. According to the Lord the people were treating Him with contempt even though the Lord had delivered them out of Egypt with many miraculous signs. Moses intercedes for Israel by saying that the Egyptians and the inhabitants of Canaan would wrongly believe that the Lord destroyed Israel because He couldn’t bring them into Canaan. According to Moses the inhabitants of the land knew that the Lord was with Israel and had been leading them by a pillar of cloud and fire. Surely the Israelites knew this but they didn’t believe like the Lord’s servants, Caleb and Joshua. Moses appealed to the Lord’s great love and asked the Lord to forgive the Israelites as He had been forgiving them since they left Egypt (Num. 14:10-20).  The Lord forgave yet that whole generation of Israelites who complained in unbelief would wander forty years and die in the desert.  Only Caleb and Joshua who were loyal to God would enter the land.  The children of those who failed to believe God would enter and enjoy the land that their parents despised. Those spies whose bad report incited a rebellion were struck with a plague and died and Joshua and Caleb were the only spies that remained alive (Num. 14:20-35).

What was different about Caleb and Joshua? The community knew that God had delivered them out of Egypt and had led them by the pillar of cloud and fire. They all saw the evidence that the land the Lord had promised to their forefathers was a fruitful land. Yet they thought God had done all this just to bring them into the land to die by the sword and have their families taken as plunder (Num. 14:3). On the hand, Caleb and Joshua concluded that if God was pleased with them then they would take the land. They interpreted the very same events and concluded that God was with them and they trusted that God was including them in His good purpose. The others knew that God had been leading them but they had no assurance that God was pleased them. They showed contempt for God and rebelled against the Lord. They did this by believing that God was leading them into the land only to die by the sword and to have their wives and children taken as plunder. They even thought it would have been better to die in Egypt or in the desert than to risk entering the land. Then when the Israelites learned that the ten who brought the bad report had died they confessed their sin and claimed they were ready to take the land. But Moses said they would be crushed for the Lord had abandoned them because they had abandoned the Lord. They had said they would be better off dying in the desert and this is exactly what God said would happen to them. So now they try to enter the land even when both Moses and the Ark of the Covenant remained in the camp. This was pure presumption and the result was that the peoples living in the hills came down and attacked the Israelites and beat them back (Num. 14:39-45).  

'Fire and Quail from the Lord' (Numbers 10-11).

God promised to bless the world through Abraham’s descendants, who multiplied but became enslaved in Egypt. God called Moses to lead them out of Egypt and God delivered Israel with ‘His mighty acts of judgment’. The Lord parted the Red Sea and Israel walked through on dry ground while Pharaoh’s army was drowned in the sea. The Lord led Israel by the pillar of cloud and fire and miraculously provided ‘manna and quail’ and ‘water from a rock’ despite their grumbling. They came to Mt. Sinai where the Lord established His covenant with Israel and gave them the 10 commandments. Yet, while Moses was with God on the mountain the Israelites made a golden calf as an idol. Moses went down the mountain smashed the idol, then the next day Moses went back up Mt. Sinai to intercede on behalf of the Israelites. The Lord said He would give the Israelites their homeland but he wouldn’t go with them. But Moses pleaded with the Lord and the Lord responded by saying, “My presence will go with you.” Moses wanted to see the ‘glory of God’ so the Lord caused His goodness to pass by Moses (Exodus 34:19). Moses asked the Lord to forgive Israel’s sins even though they were a ‘stiff-necked’ people (34:1-9). The Lord confirmed the covenant with Moses and Israel and gave Moses the ‘tablets of the covenant’ (34:10-28). When Moses came down Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments his face was radiant from speaking with the Lord (34:28–35). This brings us to the story of 'Fire and Quail from the Lord' which is coming from Numbers 10-11. Watch the story and read the comments below. 

In this story God is with Israel leading them as He had promised Moses (Exodus 33:14, 17). The cloud lifted and Israel set out in their tribal divisions from the Desert of Sinai at the Lord’s command through Moses. The tabernacle would be taken down and the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ would go before them with the pillar of cloud above. As they set out Moses would call upon the Lord to scatter His enemies. When the cloud settled they would set up the tabernacle again and Moses would call on the Lord to return to the countless thousands of Israel. God was present with the Israelites but their journey was still difficult. Almost immediately the Israelites started complaining about their hardships (11:1). The Lord heard their complaining and He sent fire to consume the outskirts of the camp. So the people cried out to Moses who interceded for Israel and the fire died down (11:1–3).  The place was called Taberah (‘burning’ 11:3) and the story reminds us that God is a consuming fire (Exodus 24, Hebrews 12).

However, God’s judgment really didn’t change this for the discontent Israelites (11:4–15). Almost immediately the Israelites started craving other foods and wailing for meat. They even claimed that in Egypt they had free fish with cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic (11:5). Yet, in the wilderness day after day all they ate was ‘manna’. So they craved other foods and they wailed for meat to eat. They even claimed they were better off in Egypt which provoked the Lord’s anger. Then Moses himself begins to complain about having to carry in his arms this discontent people like a nurse carries an infant. If this is how the Lord was going to treat him then Moses wanted to die. Moses says that he would rather die than see his own ruin.

God became very angry and Moses was troubled. Moses starts his calling as being a burden that he cannot carry. Now we find Moses himself complaining about having to see his own ruin (11:11-15). So why after all that Moses had been through do we now find him complaining? Is it because the Israelites are not responding? Perhaps he was overwhelmed because the people weren’t responding to him. Perhaps Moses felt like he was having no real influence on the Israelites. Yet, Israel has done this before. So why is Moses so troubled now? Is it because Israel is falling into the same old sinful patterns again and again and Moses is simply worn down. Surely when you try to encourage people to trust God and they don’t listen and they do the same things again and again it’s discouraging. When this happens again and again you can feel like you’re wasting your time. But Moses himself and tried God’s patience several times so shouldn’t Moses have been more patient with the Israelites? But, now Moses is overwhelmed and troubled to the point that he seems tired of interceding for Israel.

So what is it that is now so troubling for Moses? In this incident we find the Israelites being provoked by the ‘Rabble’ that came out of Egypt with them so that they were reminiscing about how good the food was back in Egypt. They weren’t responding to Moses and they were falling into the same old sins, but now they claim they were actually better off before they started following Moses. Moses hears the Israelites claiming that following Moses had actually made their lives worse. Now Moses is filled with second thoughts and self-doubt to the point that he can’t see any way that he can accomplish his mission. Moses sees his work as futile and he feels like a failure. Moses seems to have forgotten about what God has done and about what God has promised. God is no longer in the picture and all Moses can see is his own inevitable failure.  If this is how it’s going to be then Moses would rather die than face his own ruin. But God, in His grace, has an answer for Moses.

What is God’s solution to Moses having to carry a discontent people to their ‘promised land?  God did not expect or intend for Moses to carry this burden alone. The Lord told Moses to gather seventy elders and the Lord would anoint them with His Spirit in order to help Moses (See Ex. 18:13–26, Num. 11:24–30).  The Lord took of the Spirit that was on Moses and put the Spirit on the elders to help Moses carry the Israelites to their ‘promised land’.  Two of the elders, Eldad and Medad, stayed behind and the Spirit came upon them and they prophesied in the camp. When Moses and Joshua heard this Joshua was jealous for Moses and wanted Moses to stop them. But, Moses’ desire was that the Lord would put his Spirit on all of God’s people!  In His own time, the Lord would do what Moses desired. Joel would prophesy of the day when God would empower all His people with His Spirit to do God’s work (Joel 2:28-29). In time, Joel’s prophesy would be realized when God would fulfil this promise in the ‘New Covenant’ in Christ by pouring out His Spirit on all God’s people (Acts 2:2-4, 17).

Then Moses was to prepare the people and God would provide enough meat for them. God would provide meat but not just for one or two days, or for five, ten or even twenty days. The Lord would provide meat for a whole month until it came out their nostrils and they hated it. Moses doubted that the Lord could provide enough meat to satisfy the six hundred thousand Israelite men. In Moses’ thinking all the fish in the sea wouldn’t be enough for them. But the Lord told Moses that he would see God’s word come true. Did Moses doubt that God could provide enough meat for a month or did Moses doubt that God could provide enough meat to satisfy the cravings of this group of discontents? The Lord sent a wind that brought quail all around the camp a day’s walk in every direction. The Israelites gathered the quail all that day and the next and they had so much meat that they actually got sick of it. So the Lord put the lie to the claim that they were better off in Egypt. Moreover the Lord provided enough meat for a month and He satisfied their cravings for meat by giving them so much that they became thoroughly sick of it. So the people ate meat but some of them died from a plague sent by the Lord and the place was called Kibroth Hattaavah (‘graves of craving’; 11:34).

'The Passover' and the 'Last Supper'.

'Passover and Exodus' (Exodus 12-14).

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world (Gen.12:1-3).  Abraham’s descendants multiplied in Egypt, but they end up enslaved. Then God sent His mighty acts of judgement upon the Egyptians but the Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let the Israelites go. The Lord would send one final plague then Pharaoh would release Israel. This brings us to the ‘Passover’ story so watch the video and read the comments below.

Each Israelite household was to slaughter a year-old male lamb and put the blood on the door frames of their houses. They were to roast the meat and eat it with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. The Lord would see the blood on the door frames of their houses and He would pass over the Israelites when He struck down every firstborn in Egypt.

Then after 430 years, the Israelites would leave Egypt with their families, their possessions and with many other people accompanying them. Then when the Israelites entered their ‘Promised Land’ they were to observe the ‘Passover’ for the generations to come. When their children asked the meaning of the ceremony they were to say, ‘It’s the Lord’s Passover, for the Lord spared the Israelites when he struck down the Egyptians.’

The Israelites had multiplied in Egypt but they became enslaved until God struck Egypt with His mighty acts of judgment (10 plagues). In the final plague, the plague of the firstborn, the Lord spared the Israelites but judged their oppressors. When the Lord saw the door frames of the Israelites houses covered with the ‘blood of the lamb’ He passed over them and struck down the firstborn of Egypt. Then the Lord would bring judgment on the ‘gods of Egypt’ and He led His people out of Egypt by the pillar of cloud and fire. More than anything else this ceremony and its accompanying story defined the Israelites and shaped them into a community. In a similar fashion, as New Testament believers we are defined by and shaped into a community by the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. One of the primary ways that these defining events are communicated to us is by means of a ceremonial meal (John 1:29, 1 Cor.5:7, Eph.1:19-21). 

The Lord's Supper (Matt. 26, Luke 22, Mark 14 and John 13).

If you are preparing for a ‘Maundy Thursday’ or a ‘Good Friday’ worship service you will do well to keep the story of the Passover in mind. Now in this story Jesus washes the feet of his disciples and then he is betrayed by a friend. After this Jesus institutes what we call the Lord’s Supper and exhorts his disciples to love one another as he loved them. Watch the video or listen the story and read the comments below.

A shared meal really does strengthen relational ties between people. The Passover meal did this for the Old Testament people and it retold the story of God rescuing Israel from Egyptian slavery. As faithful Jews, Jesus’ disciples wanted to know from Jesus where they were to prepare for the Passover meal (Exodus 12). Jesus told them to go into the city and follow a man with a water jar into a house and ask the owner about his guest room where they could prepare for the meal. The disciples went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. Jesus was well aware of all that was happening to him. Surely all these events were part of God’s plan and were by no means outside of His control.

That evening Jesus arrived at the house with his disciples. Then before the meal Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and challenged them to do the same for each other. Then at the meal Jesus told the twelve that one of them would betray him. Jesus knew of the passages in the Psalms which spoke of being betrayed by a friend (Ps.41:9) and he knew which one of the twelve would betray him. This news saddened the disciples and they each said, “Surely not I?” (Mk 14:19).  The betrayer would be the one Jesus would dip bread into the bowl with. Again this was all part of God’s plan but the one betraying the ‘Son of Man’ would be held responsible (Mk 14:19). These sad events turned the Passover celebration in a solemn event. 

Jesus’ words refer to Daniel’s ‘son of man’ and Isaiah’s ‘suffering servant’ and connect this death to the coming of God’s kingdom (Dan. 7:13, Isa. 53:12). Jesus exposed Judas as his betrayer and Satan entered into Judas. Then Judas left the room to go and betray Jesus. Then Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples saying that the bread was his body. The bread of affliction (Dt.16:3) in the Passover story would be replaced by the broken body of Jesus. The blood of the covenant would become Jesus’ own blood (Mk14:24, Ex.24:8). In addition, Jesus gave his disciples a ‘new command’ to love each other as Jesus had loved them and by this people would know them as his disciple (John 13:34). This is a command that none of us takes seriously enough and God only knows how different our world would be if we did . 

Jesus gave this meal to be perpetually observed in his church. By faith we are to look to Jesus to empower us to serve one another and to give ourselves sacrificially for the good others. Moreover, we can only imitate in this way as we rely on Jesus’ death and resurrection and on the empowerment of God’s Holy Spirit. This story ends with Jesus and his disciples praying and singing a hymn, and proceeding to the Mount of Olives. There Jesus would prayerfully wrestle over having to drink the ‘cup of God’s wrath’ and there all the disciples of Jesus would be scattered and fall away (Zech.13:7).  

'God Promises His Presence' (Exodus 33-34).

God promised to bless the world through Abraham’s descendants (Gen.12:1-3). Abraham’s family multiplied but was enslaved in Egypt until they cried out and God called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt. God brought out of Egypt by ‘His mighty acts of judgment’ and Pharaoh let the Israelites go (Exodus 7-12, 12:12). Yet, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his troops who trapped the Israelites by the Red Sea. Then the Lord divided the sea so Israel walked through on dry ground, but Pharaoh’s army pursued them only to drown in the sea. The Lord led Israel by the pillar of cloud and fire and miraculously provided them with ‘manna and quail’ and ‘water from a rock’ despite their grumbling. Israel camped by Mt. Sinai and the Lord called Moses up the mountain to establish His covenant and give Israel the 10 commandments. Moses spent 40 days and nights with God on the mountain until the Lord told Moses to go down because the Israelites had corrupted themselves by making a golden calf as an idol. Moses interceded and the Lord preserved Israel. Moses went down the mountain and smashed the idol, ground it to powder and made the Israelites drink it. The Levites stood with Moses and at the Lord’s command they went through the camp putting 3000 people to death. Afterwards, Moses went back up the mountain to the Lord to see if he could make atonement for the Israelites which brings us to our story.

The Lord told Moses to take the people Moses brought out of Egypt, and go to the land the Lord promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Lord would fulfill his covenant and drive out the inhabitants of the land.  However, the Lord would not go with the Israelites because might provoke the Lord to destroy them because the Israelites were a stiff-necked people (33:1–6). So Moses wanted to know who the Lord would send with him to lead the people. Now Moses would meet with God outside the Israelite camp at what was called the “tent of meeting”. The people would watch Moses enter the ‘tent of meeting’ and the pillar of cloud would rest at the tent’s entrance. There the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend (11). This closeness enabled Moses to boldly ask God to go with Israel on their journey.

If the Lord was pleased with him then Moses wanted to be taught the Lord’s ways. Moses wanted to know the Lord and know the Lord’s favor. Then Moses reminded the Lord that Israel was the Lord’s people and the Lord responded by saying, “My presence will go with you.” But Moses wanted to be sure because if God didn’t go with them then how would anyone know that the Lord was pleased with Israel? Furthermore, what else would distinguish Israel from all the other peoples on earth? So God promises to be ‘present’ with the people because He was pleased with Moses. Then Moses asks to see God’s glory (18) and the Lord promised that His ‘goodness’ would pass by Moses (19). Yet, Moses would not be able to look upon God directly (20) because no one could look at the Lord directly and live (33:12-23).

So Moses was to chisel two stone tablets and to go alone up Mount Sinai in the morning and present himself to the Lord. Moses went up Mount Sinai and the Lord came down in the cloud and passed by Moses. The Lord proclaimed His name to Moses revealing himself as the merciful and compassionate God, who forgives wickedness, rebellion and sin (33:19), but who is just and will not leave the guilty unpunished (see Pss. 86:15; 103:8; 145:8).  Moses bows in worship and sought further assurance that the Lord would go with them to Canaan. They were a ‘stiff-necked people’ so Moses asked the Lord to forgive their sins and take them as the Lord’s inheritance (34:1-9).

The Lord confirmed that He was making His covenant with Moses and Israel and that He would perform His wonders before them. They were to obey the Lord’s commands and the Lord would drive out the inhabitants of the land. They were not to make treaties with them; rather they were to tear down their idolatrous places of worship because the Lord was jealous for their affections. The Lord would drive out these idolatrous nations, enlarge Israel’s territory, and protect their land when their men went up three times each year to appear before their God. So the Lord told Moses to write down these words, for the Lord was making His covenant with Moses and Israel (34:10-28).  

When Moses came down Mount Sinai with the tablets of the covenant his face was radiant from speaking with the Lord. They were afraid but Moses summoned the elders and after giving them God’s commands, Moses veiled his face (33). Then when Moses entered the Lord’s presence he would remove the veil and after speaking with God his face would be radiant again. Then Moses after speaking with Israel would cover his face until he would go back to meet with God again (34:28–35). 

The New Testament tells us that this covenant was glorious but that it is far surpassed by the ‘New Covenant’ in Christ. The glory of the ‘older covenant’ was a fading glory like the radiance on the face of Moses. The ‘new covenant’ is permanently fulfilled in Jesus Christ and will never fade away. Paul also tells us that as believers in Jesus we are being transformed by God’s Spirit into Christ’s likeness with ever-increasing glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). 

'The Golden Calf' (Exodus 32).

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world (Gen.12:1-3). Abraham’s family grew but became enslaved in Egypt. They cried out and the Lord God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and the Pharaoh let the Israelites go. But Pharaoh changed his mind and his troops trapped the Israelites by the Red Sea. However, the Lord divided the sea so Israel could walk through on dry ground. Then Pharaoh’s army followed Israel into the see only to be drowned. Life was tough in the desert but the Lord miraculously provided the Israelites with ‘manna and quail’ and ‘water from a rock’. Then the Lord gave Israel ‘His Law’ and confirmed ‘His Covenant’ with Moses and Israel (Exodus 19-20, 24). This brings us to the story of the ‘golden calf’ which we find in Exodus 32. You can watch the video and read the comments below. 

The Israelites grew impatient with Moses being up on the mountain with God. They didn’t know what had happened to Moses so they went to Aaron to have him make them gods to go before them. They asked Aaron to make them gods to lead them so Aaron collected their gold jewelry and formed it into an idol in the shape of a calf. They were unwilling to wait for Moses to return from God and they resorted to an idolatrous expression of worship. Aaron was an eyewitness to the ‘exodus’ and the Lord’s mighty acts in the plagues. Surely he knew to wait for Moses yet Aaron made an idol and built an altar. He also announced that the next day they would hold a festival to the Lord. It turns out that the people were willing to worship other gods and they even gave them credit for bringing them out of Egypt. The festival Aaron called for was to the Lord but the idol Aaron fashioned corrupted their worship. Their worship became idolatrous and their behavior became immoral (Romans 1).    

The Lord knew what was happening below so He told Moses to go down to Moses’ people who Moses had brought out of Egypt. The Lord couldn’t identify the Israelites as His own people because they had corrupted themselves by turning from the Lord’s commands. The Lord wanted to destroy the Israelites and turn Moses into a ‘great nation’. God had promised to make Abraham into a ‘great nation’ but now He was willing to abandon Abraham’s family with the exception for Moses. However, Moses sought the Lord’s favor to preserve Israel even though they had grumbled against Moses several times. Moses interceded for Israel by first referring to the Israelites as the Lord’s people that the Lord had rescued out of Egypt. Then Moses argued that if the Lord destroyed the Israelites then the Egyptians would say the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt only wipe them off the earth. Finally, Moses reminds the Lord of His promise to give Abraham, Isaac and Jacob descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and a land as their inheritance forever. After Moses’ appeal we are told that the Lord chose not to bring about the disaster He had threatened.

After successfully interceding for Israel, Moses went down the mountain with the two tablets of stone engraved with the commandments of God. When Moses saw the calf and the people dancing and partying he threw the tablets of stone and they shattered at the foot of the mountain. Moses took the calf, burned it in the fire, ground it into a powder, scattered it on the water and he made the Israelites drink it. Moses was shocked that Aaron had led the people into such a grievous sin. But Aaron tried to avoid responsibility by mentioning how prone to evil the Israelites were. Aaron also claimed that when he threw the Israelite’s gold into the fire somehow a calf idol formed itself. Then Moses called whoever was for the Lord to stand with him and all the Levites stood with Moses. Moses said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man should go back and forth with a sword through the camp killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’ ” Three thousand people died and the next day Moses went up the mountain to see if he could atone for Israel’s sin. So Moses pleaded that the Lord forgive Israel’s sin and if not then Moses requested that he be blotted out of the Lord’s book. But the LORD said that whoever had sinned against Him would be blotted out. Then the Lord exhorted Moses to go lead the Israelites and the Lord promised that His angel would go before them. The Lord said that in time He would strike Israel with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

We may never fashion an idol and seek to worship it or seek to worship the Lord through it. However, all too often we turn to things other than God. We can also very easily drift into ways of worshiping God that are contrary to His will as revealed in his word. Moreover what we need is someone to make God present to us, to intercede for us and to make atonement for us when we violate or neglect His commands. Surely this greater mediator than Moses that we all need is our Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus, unlike Moses, can fully atone for all our sins by offering to God his perfect life and his own death on the cross on our behalf.  In addition, Jesus alone can lead us into all the realization of all the promises of God.  

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.