Today, we continue the story of how God prepared the Israelites to be a blessing to all nations, a promise made to Abraham in Genesis 12. will After several generations of slavery in Egypt, God used Moses to free them and passed the privilege and responsibility of the promise to them. https://www.cosdavis.com/preparing-for-the-promise/ will catch you up or remind you of where we left off in last week’s blog.
Through the marvelous stories we have been covering from the Garden of Eden to the present, we have learned much about who God is, what His heart is like, and what He wants for us. In His efforts to prepare the Israelites, we are reminded how God doesn’t make empty promises. An important part of His promises is that He will prepare people to do what he calls them to do. Think back to Abraham and Sarah, Noah, and Joseph.
Let’s continue to answer the question I raised in last week’s blog: How will God prepare Israel to keep His promise to Abraham?
As noted in last week’s blog, God’s first step was to call a great leader for them, one with a passion for God and His plan. Moses was the man for this job, possessing the potential that only God knew at the time. Moses loved God and His people, and it was from that “heart-commitment” that God would mold Moses into the leader Israel needed for their task.
We have also seen how God made a covenant with the Israelites. The covenant had two parts. God’s part was to give the Israelites a special standing with Him, “My own possession among all the peoples.” Exodus 19:5. In this special relationship with God, they would serve Him as a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19:6. God’s offer in the covenant was for the Israelites to assume the role of advancing God’s plan to bless all nations.
The other party in the covenant agreement was the nation of Israel. For the covenant to be valid, they must agree to obey God. God has said, “If you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession.” Exodus 19:5. The decision to finalize this agreement with God rested with the Israelites. How did they respond when Moses told them what God required of them? From the text, it appears there was an enthusiastic answer, “All the Lord has spoken, we will do!” Exodus 19:8. With that agreement, the covenant is completed, but there is more to come from God through Moses.
The Commandments and the Covenant
Chapters twenty through thirty-two in Exodus provide details of how God expects the Israelites to live under His authority. The first instructions for them are the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20: 3-17. These are not “suggestions” or “advice,” but commandments, God Himself using that term in Exodus 20:6. There is no “wiggle room.” These are “absolutes” for the covenant people.
Why such absolutes? Because God loves them and knows what they need to become a “holy nation.” God is a Good Father, and all He demands of His people is for their good. These laws bring structure and purpose, promoting life under the authority and care of our loving Creator. They promote holy living and righteousness, which benefit us and bring honor to God.
What are the Commandments about? They are about relationships, how we treat God and others. These relationships are foundational to everything else; get these right, and you are blessed; get them wrong, and you cause trouble and heartache for yourself and others. God wants us to get these relationships right, and the commandments give us the basics for doing this.
Jesus summarized the meaning of the Commandments in Matthew 22:37-39.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. And a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
As Jesus illustrates, there are two relationships we must manage, in keeping with the order in which they appear in the Commandments. The priority relationship is God, and how we treat Him. Exodus 20:3-11 contains the first four commandments for the covenant people.
Command number one is God’s supreme and exclusive rule in their lives, “no other gods.” v.3.
The next Commandment absolutely prohibits the production and worship of a likeness of anything God has created in heaven, earth, or water. No idols. v.4-5.
The third Commandment concerns respect for God’s character, how we speak about Him, and how we use His name. And, more than that, it is about how we live so as not to bring shame but honor to His name. This commandment is about our words and our lives. v. 7.
The Lord created the world in six days and “rested” on the seventh day. As a way of recognizing God’s creative power and provision, the Israelites were commanded to do all their work in six days and honor God by resting on the Sabbath, which was sundown Friday until sundown Saturday. God is Lord of the universe and would provide all they needed through six days of work.
The first and foundational part of how the Israelites were to keep the covenant was about honoring God. Obeying Him concerning His exclusive right to their hearts, no gods and no idols, and their respect for His name and character, and their observance of Sabbath, as He prescribed it would be essential if they were to become a “holy” people.
Remember, this is part of how God was preparing the Israelites to carry out the promise He made to Abraham.
We will look at the second part of how the Commandments relate to the promise in next week’s blog. Thank you for reading, and leave a comment about what you may be getting for your investment of time.
Also, please invite others to sign up for my blogs at http://www.cosdavis.com