Covenants, sealed and signed:
Noah - Rainbow (Gen.9:9-13)
Abraham - Circumcision (Gen.17:1-10)
Moses - The Law (Ex.34:10,27,28)
New Covenant? Law in Minds, on Hearts - (Jer.31:31,Heb.8)
Ex.15:26 “...If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer..." (rapha)
People’s part? Earnest heed, do what is right, give ear, keep statutes.
God’s part? None of these diseases.
Where does disease come from? Is our culture’s viewpoint consistent with Biblical accounts? Which will we believe?
Ex.16:2 “...The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness...”
Ex.16:8 “...Your grumblings are not against us but against the Lord..."
Is grumbling against leaders actually grumbling against God?
In spite of the grumbling, the Grace of God supplied daily bread (manna).
Do we trust for Daily provisions? Do we end up with “wormy and foul” (16:20) hoarded provisions?
16:23,29 Observance of Sabbath even before the 10 commandments were given.
17:7 “...they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?...”
How would you answer this question?
Does God provide, where God guides? Do we look for the world’s provisions, to which we’re accustomed, and hesitate to move into purposes that demand that we trust in God’s provision?
Ex.19:1 “...In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai...”
How many were there? 600,000 men + others, even Egyptians. Likely 2,000,000.
Did it require interaction with God to survive?
What were God’s intentions for them? Ex.19:5,6 “...My own possession...a kingdom of priest and a holy nation...”
Who’s the possession and who’s the possessor?
Do you think you can fit God into a hole in your life?
What we’re missing is purpose - direction. We're missing marching orders, not lacking a possession.
Acts 7:39 “...Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt...”
Are we possessed by God, or possessed by the world?
Ex.19:19 “...Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder...”
Thunder comes from heaven.
Rev.4:5 “...Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder...”
Rev.6:1 “...Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come."...”
John 12:27,28,29 “...Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. "Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, "An angel has spoken to Him..."
Ex.20:18,20 “...All the people perceived the thunder and ... they trembled and stood at a distance...” “...Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin...."
How loudly does God speak? Do we hear? Is it just thunder to our ears?
Ex.20 The Ten Commandments
10 - the number of divine perfection.
10 plagues, 10 commandments, 10 “I Ams” spoken by Jesus in the gospel according to John
But after the 10 - what’s all the stuff in chapters 21,22,23?
Would our culture be better or worse if these were followed?
Do these cover the types of issues that our judicial system faces on a regular basis?
Do these offer any insight into the heart of God?
On a personal level, are you challenged by some of these?
Following these expectations of God, He reveals:
His part:
Leadership - Ex.23:20 “...Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared...”
Blessing - Ex.23:25b “... will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst...”
Place to Live - Ex.23:31 “...I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates...”
Their part:
Obedience - Ex.23:21 “...Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him ...”
Faithfulness - Ex.23:24 “...You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds ...”
What was their response? Ex.24:3 “...all the people answered with one voice and said, "All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!..." Ex.24:7 “...All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!.."
Is it easier to say or to do?
Ex.25, 26, 27, 28 Details, details, details
Tabernacle
Ark of the Covenant
Table of Showbread
Golden Lampstand
Curtains, Boards, Sockets
Veil, Altar, Garments
Whose idea? Whose provision? Whose responsibility?
Ultimate intention? Ex.25:8 “...Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them...”
Any different from original intention?
Was God specific about how things should be constructed and arranged? Why?
He presented them with details. What does He present to you?
Do you have to understand why before you'll obey?
Why is apathy not an option?
Ex.29:1 “...Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them to minister as priests to Me...”
Wash them with water (v.4)
Garments (v.5)
Anointing oil (v.7)
Blood - on horns of altar, base of altar (v.12)
Sin offering (v.14)
Burnt offering (v.18) ...soothing aroma like Noah’s offering in 8:20,21
Blood on right ear, thumbs, big toes (v.20)
Wave offering (v.24)
Heave offering (v.27)
Peace offering (v.28)
Grain/Drink offerings (v.41)
Sacrifices, are in general, one of two types:
1. Offerings of thanks - firstfruits, incense.
2. Offerings of appeasement - burnt offerings.
Sacrifices were discontinued when the Temple was destroyed in 70AD. Why? Jesus was the perfect appeasing sacrifice.
Even before Christ’s atoning work, there were hints of God’s preferences:
1 Sam.15:22 “...Samuel said, "Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams...”
Offerings for atonement have been forever replaced by Christ’s perfect atonement.
Have offerings of loyalty been done away with?
Ex.30:8 “...When Aaron trims the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations...”
Exodus 30:9 “...You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar...”
Psalms 116:17 “...To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, And call upon the name of the Lord...”
Psalms 50:13-15 “...Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats? "Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me..."
Psalms 50:16-17 “...But to the wicked God says, "What right have you to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth? "For you hate discipline, And you cast My words behind you...”
Don’t expect rescue if you cast My words behind you.
Romans 12:1 “...Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship...”
Rev.5:8 “...When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints....”
Rev.8:2-3 “...And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne...”
Are our prayers a sweet aroma rising to heaven?
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