CSSA 2-1-20 - ISRAEL AT SINAI— A KINGDOM FORMED

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145. ISRAEL AT SINAI— A KINGDOM FORMED

When the children of Israel reached Mount Sinai they were only a collection of people struggling along in family groups. It was necessary for them to be organised into a kingdom. Through Moses, God gave them a law which taught them how to live with God and each other. It made them into a kingdom, gave immediate benefits upon their obedience to it, taught them lessons about the work of their Messiah and how they might share with him eternal life.

They were about to become the kingdom of God on earth and the events that followed suitably prepared them for this great responsibility.

Exodus 19 and 20

ARRIVAL AT MOUNT SINAI—GOD'S MESSAGE TO HIS PEOPLE

Now we look at the people of Israel almost three months after they left Egypt, approaching Mount Sinai, which is an awesome, towering mass of granite rock rising out of the surrounding plain.

The people camped near the Mount and God called Moses up to the top of the mountain. God explained why He had saved Israel and what He intended to do with them. They were to become a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exod. 19:6). No longer a struggling band of ex-slaves but now they were to be organised as a highly privileged and honoured people. They were to be a nation whose calling was to serve in holiness their God who had so miraculously delivered them out of Egypt.

Notice how God says that "He bare Israel on eagle's wings." An eagle thrusts her young out of the nest to make them fly. They are carefully watched as they flutter towards the ground below. Before they crash on the ground the mother swoops down and bears the young ones aloft. So the young learn to trust their mother. In the same way God showed His care for the new-born nation of Israel. He had brought them to birth and nationhood in saving them from the afflictions of Egypt. His care for them at Marah, Elim and Rephidim, gave them many reasons to trust in Him.

After God had finished speaking with Moses, he returned to the people. He told them that if they would obey God's voice and keep His covenant, God would make them His people, a peculiar treasure to Himself above all people and they would be a Kingdom of priests. They would therefore be a witness to God teaching other nations of God's ways (Deut. 4:6).

The people agreed to keep the covenant of God (Exodus 19:7, 8).

GOD ESTABLISHES HIS KINGDOM

Moses took the answer of the Israelites back to God, who told him to prepare the people because he was going to manifest Himself to them (Exod. 19:9). He was going to show the people that it was indeed Yahweh who had spoken with Moses. God was also going to tell the people, directly, the first principles of the covenant He was making with them.

The people had three days to prepare (Exod. 19:10-15). They had to be holy in mind and body because they were to meet with God. As His children they must be holy or separate for He is a holy and jealous God. Barriers were set around the mount because it was a holy place and the people of Israel were not to touch it or they would die.

On the third day, the silence was suddenly shattered by thunder and lightning. The ground shook and a thick cloud covered the top of the mount. Flames issued from it. The piercing blast of a trumpet rent the air, and the people trembled in fear. Moses brought the people to the foot of the mount. God called Moses up to the mount again and told him to be sure that no one came near the foot of the mount.

Why did God do this?

The people came out of Egypt disorganised and often worshipping idols. In order that they might fear and obey Him, God accompanied the giving of His law with fearful signs (Exod. 20:18-20; Deut. 4:10-11).

The angel of Yahweh then spoke in a great voice to the people (Deut. 5:22).

THE PEOPLE GIVEN LAWS

1. The Ten Commandments — God's Covenant The angel gave the people ten important commandments which they were to obey. These commandments formed the basis of God's covenant with them as the people of His kingdom. They were guidelines as to how they should conduct their lives, to be holy as Yahweh is holy.

We read these commandments in Exodus 20:1-7. They are arranged in a special way. The firstfour speak about our relationship to God — He is to be first in our affections.

Thou shalt have no other gods beside Me;
Thou shalt not worship any graven image.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Yahweh Thy God in vain.
Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.

The next one speaks of the need for children to obey parents, next in importance to God. It was a commandment with a blessing of long and happy family service to God in the land that He would give them. Paul says that it was the first commandment with promise (Eph. 6:2, 3). What a lovely thing it is to see family love and unity. What a tragedy it is to see the reverse.

5. Honour thy father and mother.

The rest concern behaviour to fellow man. Whereas God is mentioned in the first five commandments (Exod. 20:2-12), He is not mentioned in the second five (w. 13-17).

Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness.

10. Thou shalt not covet anything that is thy neighbour's.

We learn from this arrangement that God requires us to place Him first in our lives, our duty as parents and families second and other people third. Notice that there is no place for ourselves! There is no commandment which draws attention to "self".

These commandments are called "My covenant" (Exod. 19:5). Moses says in Exod. 34:28 "He wrote upon the tables, the words of the covenant, the ten commandments."

(b) Further Laws and Judgments

When God stopped giving the commandments He ordered the people back to their tents. Then He gave Moses further commandments and instructions which the people were to obey in their daily lives. These laws and statutes taught them how to worship God, how they were to treat each other, and how they were to regard the nations among whom they dwelt. All these laws together we call the Law of Moses.

(c) The People Make A Covenant —Exodus 24:1-11

Moses wrote the words of the ten commandments in a book and assembled all the children of Israel together. He read them again in their hearing and the people said, "all the words which Yahweh hath said will we do and be obedient' v. 7. Unfortunately in the next lesson we shall see how quickly they forgot these words. Moses then caught the blood of a sacrifice in a bowl and sprinkled the altar, the book and the people with the blood. In this way the people understood that they had entered into a solemn agreement with Yahweh. The basis of their national covenant with Yahweh was sacrifice. The shedding of the life blood bound them to their God. To emphasise how solemn and important the covenant ceremony was Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and 70 of the elders of Israel were permitted to see the glory of Yahweh manifested in elohim (angels) and to eat a meal of fellowship with them.

THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW

We have seen how God gave Israel the Law to establish them as a special people (His kingdom) with their minds thinking like His so that other nations would admire them (Deut. 4:6-8), fear them (Deut. 28:9-10) and follow their example (Zech. 8:23).

The law helped them to think of God every day in all circumstances. It directed the nation to think about the deep meaning of their laws and sacrifices. Sacrifice and offering pointed to Christ's sacrifice. Thus faithful Israelites were directed to the coming of the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Paul in Gal. 3:24 says that "the Law was a school-master" to bring the people to Christ.

The children of Israel could not keep the law perfectly. The failure of the Israelites to keep the law should have impressed upon them their need of a Saviour. It taught them to look for someone to come who would be able to redeem them. This one was to be their Messiah (Christ) (Gal. 3:13, 24, 4:4). His perfect obedience to his Father's will, even unto death, "pleased" God far more than any sacrifice of oxen or lambs.

BY GRACE YE ARE SAVED, THROUGH FAITH

Of the Jews who believed in Christ, Paul says, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us, for it is written 'cursed is every one that hangeth upon a tree'" (Gal. 3:13).

The Law, in cursing a righteous man simply because he hung on a tree, was done away with. The Lord Jesus Christ had fulfilled all righteousness throughout his life and even in his crucifixion he laid down his life in obedience to his Father's will. In all his life he declared that God's ways were right. His was a perfect offering and on that basis of a sinless life the grave could not hold him. Hence we do not live under the Law, but under grace (Rom. 6:14; Eph. 2:8). Grace is "unmerited Divine favour". We are blessed with the mercy, goodness and favour of God because we have faith in His son who exhibited so perfectly His Father's will and character.

In order to receive the grace of God we must:—

•Believe the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ — the Gospel (Acts 8:12).

•Be baptised into Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15-16).

•Try as hard as we can to follow the teaching and example of Christ (Matt. 11:28-30). "Faith works by love" (Gal. 5:6).

Like Israel under Moses, those who accept Christ by belief, baptism and obedience are accounted in God's sight as "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar (purchased) people" (1 Peter 2:9). These words are a clear reminder of Israel's calling to be a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Like Israel we are called to show in our lives the glory of God who is calling us out of the darkness into the marvellous light of the Truth (see 1 Pet. 2:9; Exod. 19:6).

REFERENCE LIBRARY:

"Elpis Israel" (J. Thomas)—Pp. 298-299

"The Visible Hand of God" (R. Roberts)—Chapter 16

"The Story Of The Bible" (H. P. Mansfield)—Pp. 307-312

"Christadelphian Instructor"—Questions & Answers Nos. 96-102

PARAGRAPH QUESTIONS: